Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Inside me. ❯ the boy consolidates. ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer - I still don't own any of the Harry Potter cast, nor am I making any money from this (lamentably).

 

 

`I didn't know your tastes ran that way, Luce.' An attractive dark-haired girl drawled, eyes glittering intensely.

 

`Lucius crossed his long slender legs elegantly and gave her a charming smile. `My dear Bella, my tastes may be many and varied, even obscure to your understanding, but they remain as ever, impeccable.' The tone in his smooth voice held not the slightest hint of reproach or rebuke. For all his youth Lucius did not need to stoop to such depths in the comfort of his own house.

 

Her lips twisted bitterly. `Of course.' Lucius kissed away the dissatisfied expression with a dignified smile that most of Slytherin house discreetly swooned over. `Your proclivities would seem to be equally varied.' She gasped softly, using deliberately imprecise language to make her point. The Black girls, for all their haughty manners and fearsome beauty were capable of a little elementary reasoning. `I would advise you not to foul this one up.'

 

A low chuckle emanated from the handsome boy's throat. `Oh I am fully cognizant of the risks I am taking. I just happen to view the prize as worth the effort expended.' Then in a well-bred parody of the headmaster he conjured up tea and plied her with confectionary.

 

Little Severus remained in his habitual corner of the common room. He'd already completed his homework and was engaged in a copy of the third years' arithmancy homework, `borrowed' from one of his housemates. The subject was very interesting and the two-year wait stretching ahead of him before he could officially study it frustrated him. He'd rather ditch stupid old care of magical creatures and get a move on with more fundamentally constructive studies.

 

Evan snorted and peered over the scraggy first year's shoulder, his eyes widening as he noticed that for all the smudges and scrawling handwriting Severus' reasoning was remarkably sound. But then as a muggle primary school student - and a talented one at that - he had already learnt the mathematical side of the field and adding magic to his calculations was simply the next logical step as far as Severus was concerned. `I think it is time you put that aside, Snape. Lucius doesn't like to be kept waiting.'

 

Evan's eyes followed the first year's progress up the stairs to Lucius' dorm with slight disappointment. If only Lucius hadn't been so quick off the mark in staking his claim…. Slytherin was short on girls thanks to parents keeping their daughters back at home in these troubled times and the lad's comparatively small physique would have been of use for… spying and the like.

 

Lucius smiled knowingly. No matter how self-possessed or coated in rage and bitterness a person was, the thrill of this visceral, beguiling magic was incredible. Since all four founders had created the school equally the Slytherin house wards had long been sympathetic to their occupants. The individual house quarters had to be a sanctuary for their occupants and thus they had evolved with the houses. It also helped that both boys were bright enough not to push the limits of the wards' shielding too far, limiting themselves to somewhat questionable traditional magic and the very mildest true Dark magic, keeping well within the boundaries of what could be believably be ascribed to involuntary magical outbursts born of negative emotion, and there was a lot of negative emotion in Slytherin.

 

Lucius stroked the boy's greasy hair as he laid sprawled half on the bed, half across his senior's lap. Severus liked this, the boy realised to himself tiredly as he savoured the gentle, non-fearful touch across his scalp. It was a sanctuary, blessed reprieve from everything else going on within his loathsome life, then he had to get up and bathe away the remaining sensations working such magic left within him prior to detention with Professor McGonagall.

 

Minerva McGonagall was more judgemental than Albus Dumbledore, but no less stubborn. As Head and Deputy the pair managed to cover the other's weaknesses and blind spots most effectively. Her keen senses had encountered the same moody boy as Albus had but she had drawn a different conclusion. The boy was a danger and would only get worse if that foul temper and surprising power of his could not be curbed.

 

`You will sit still and silent for the duration of this detention period. As this is a punishment you may not do anything constructive or anything that may bring you satisfaction.' She snapped out, glaring over her glasses to make sure Severus understood. Then she got on with marking, depressed and yet satisfied that her occasional forays into muggle history had given her inspiration, even in as grim an area as this.

 

Potter and his cronies; Black, Lupin and Pettigrew were lying in wait as Snape left Professor McGonagall's classroom. He discovered this when he tripped over thing and heard laughter echoing in his ears as he scrambled up. Severus' blood boiled. He seized his wand at once, firing off a series of muted curses with an animalian snarl. Considering that four out of five of the boys were considered to be promisingly intelligent one might wonder as to the wisdom of starting a noisy fight just outside the classroom of a disciplinarian.

 

McGonagall stormed out of the classroom with familiar irritation and frustration and shouted, `Accio wands!'.

 

All five boys gaped as the sticks were dragged from their fingers and flew safely to their teacher's grasp. She could already sense Sirius Black preparing an excuse as his usual appealing smile began to spread across his face. Unfortunately for him this was one occasion when his acting skill could not put her off her stride. `Not a word any of you! I am disappointed, four of my very own house getting into a fight under my very nose and with a student straight out of detention no less! Report to Mr. Filch after tea tomorrow for your punishments.' The Scotswoman stalked away irefully, leaving behind the boys and their wands. The lesson stuck in their stubborn minds just long enough for them to get back to their respective dorms without incident.

 

Severus displayed an incredibly broad yet shockingly profane vocabulary in the safety of a Slytherin storage room. Lucius had heard of his latest encounter with those blasted Gryffindors and had refused to shelter his charge from Slytherin reactions to yet another loss of house points by the wretch. According to Lucius the punishment was for not fighting back hard enough and for getting caught. It would also establish the boy in Slytherin politics, one way or another.

 

Most first years do not know healing charms. Of Severus' year there were only two who did. Unfortunately neither of those pupils were Severus. So it was that he limped down to breakfast the next morning, his stiff movements speaking for themselves. It made him a target for Gryffindorish hilarity and regrettably he reacted thoughtlessly. It took four more such events and their consequences within his own house before young Snape began to learn.

 

The first step on his new path was in charms, when a silent flick of his wand `accidentally' unscrewed the top of a bottle of ink in Potter's bag. Elias Waltham smirked at Severus and that night Lucius spared him a smile. Gradually he began to carve a niche for himself.