Severus "Snivellus" Snape was having a no good, very bad day. Then again, every day was exactly the same in Severus's eyes. Wake up. Eat breakfast in the Great Hall. Go to morning classes and get teased by Potter's squad when Lilly isn't looking. Eat lunch with Lilly while her friends give dirty looks when she isn't looking. Go to afternoon classes and get tormented by Potter's squad again when Lilly isn't looking. Go to dinner alone. Stay in the common room and get bullied by fellow Slytherins where Lilly is nonexistent.
It didn't help that despised Snivellus was hanging out with popular Lilly. According to some unrecorded rules, sections on the social ladder were not to mix, and Severus was on the very bottom, the Slytherin kid with oily hair, smelly robes, and an absent father. This ladder was different from each persons' perspective, and oily-haired Snape was on the bottom of almost every single one.
The situation seemed to be hopeless. The best Lilly's influence could give Severus was being ignored, and that was only when she was in the room. The moment she turned her back, he was attacked from all sides.
Everything had gone downhill after the OWL exams.
"Let him down!"
"Certainly."
Severus tried to get up but-
"Locomotor Mortis!"
Severus became rigid as a board.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you."
"Take the curse off him, then!"
"There you go, you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus-"
"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"
No.
No. No no no no no. Stupid bloody word. Stupid stupid stupid stupid Severus. Bloody slip of mouth. Why oh why oh why did that word have to exist.
I just insulted my only true friend.
Later that night, Snape tried to take it back.
"But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"
It was a fruitless task.
Now, Severus was tormented every single moment of every single day, making life literal hell. He started to eat his meals in the bathroom, and avoided meeting people of any kind at all. Sometimes, during the worst days, Severus skipped his lessons. He got detention, but, he was smart enough to keep his grades at perfect "O"s. One time, Severus had the same detention with the Potter squad, and needless to say, he stopped skipping classes after that.
Snape wanted to transfer to Drumstrang in the north, or even the far-away American Ilvermorny, but that would only give Potter the satisfaction of calling him a coward. Cowards didn't run away. Who am I, a Gryffindor? Snape thought to himself while debating the idea. I'm just an "evil" Slytherin. Perhaps the reason why all bad witches and wizards were there was because all the stupid resentment and bloody prejudice made them crack.
Severus was so absorbed in his thoughts, mentally writing an essay on the topic, that he almost didn't notice a boy of his age fall on him from the sky, while Snape was heading to Charms.
Parchment, textbooks, and quills went flying everywhere. "Where the bloody hell did you come from?" Severus angrily demanded, assuming this was one of the Potter squad's pranks.
The boy in question looked up, groggy and annoyed. "Gods, please don't tell me I landed in Albania again."
Severus peered through his oily hair at the scrawny boy. "Are you thick? If you were in Albania, I would be speaking Albanian to you, is that not correct?"
The boy muttered something under his breath, as if unaware of Severus. "They keep asking me about a scorpion and an Albus Severus Potter..." The boy's mouth barely moved, but it echoed loudly across the room.
"scorpion and an Albus Severus Potter..."
"an Albus Severus Potter..."
"Albus. Severus. Potter..."
Severus turned and ran. Perhaps transferring to Ilvermony wouldn't be so bad.
As soon as Snape exited the hall, he mentally scolded himself. It was probably a coincidence that Severus had a first name that was the same as Albus Severus Potter's middle name, and Potter was a relatively common last name. He was annoyed at falling for a ruse so foolish: Potter, or maybe Black set this all up. Severus was sure of it.
Snape stormed into Charms, cloak billowing, bracing himself to be called a coward by the Potter squad for running away from a scrawny boy. Strangely, today everyone seemed to be ignoring Severus, to busy talking among themselves. Severus frowned, wondering what gossip could be so juicy that it was on everyone's tongue. Snape went to his desk, which was right next to Andromeda Black (Sirius Black's cousin) and Pandora Goodbird, who were best friends, and concentrated on eavesdropping.
"Did you hear," Andromeda began, "that a boy fell out of the sky in one of the halls on a poor student. The person ran off, understandably, I mean, who wouldn't, getting a teenage boy dropped on your head. Probably thought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was invading Hogwarts."
Severus gave a mental sigh of relief. No one knew he was there.
Pandora shivered. "I hope that dosen't happen. Hopefully, it won't. Who would want to attack a group of innocent children, especially when Professor Dumbledore is around?"
"I don't know," mused Andromeda. "To make a statement? Surely Dumbledoor and the other teachers will be able protect us."
"They will, they will," Pandora confirmed. "As long as Dumbledore's here, you can't be touched."
Andromeda smiled. "Either way, the teachers are taking care of it. I heard headmaster Dippet himself dragged the boy up to the teachers' offices for interrogation. Who knows, maybe he mis-apparated."
"Wait," Pandora interrupted. "In Hogwarts, a History, it says that people can't apparate in and out of Hogwarts. The magic border has been casted by the four founders themselves, some of the greatest wizards and witches of their age."
Andromeda pondered this. "Well, it has been around for over a hundred centuries. Perhaps it is getting weaker."
"Do you realize what you just said?!" Pandora shrieked, whirling around to face Andromeda nose-to-nose. Shaking Andromeda by the shoulders, she yelled, "We're doomed!"
Andromeda gave a loud shriek. "Thanks for making me nervous again!" she screamed angrily at Pandora. Severus watched the exchange quietly, mildly amused.
"Making you nervous? You suggested that the defensive spells on Hogwarts no longer work in the first place!" Pandora roared at Andromeda.
Andromeda opened her mouth to screech something at Pandora, but then Professor Thompson entered the room, and everything went still and quiet.
Professor Emily Thompson was a young woman of twenty-two, who was the most delightful person you could ever meet. She had soft brown eyes and a slim figure, her cloak and hat dyed a rich purple. She had a opal broach, and a thin golden ring on her finger, indicating her engagement to Doctor William Hawksworth, a successful doctor at St. Mungo's, who loved his job and patients. Emily Thompson was kind soul, teaching in ways that made learning Charms fun, and was the go-to adult to break up fights or to cry on someone's shoulder. Despite being only twenty-two, she was brimming with advice and wise words.
Perhaps it was her age that was part of her being so loved. Most of the professors were old, musty things, whose views of the world was rigid and warped, prejudices and misconceptions a big part of it. Even Dumbledore, a wise wizard, also adored by the students, fell into the trap of bias sometimes.
Meanwhile, Professor Thompson was the youngest professor in Hogwarts history to teach successfully. Her young age made her relate more to the students, and it made the students respect and understand her in turn. She almost never put someone in detention, because all her students were perfect angels when she was in the room, graced by her presence. Even the worst of troublemakers obeyed Professor Thompson. It seemed quite fitting that Professor Thompson would teach Charms, having much of it herself.
"Good afternoon, students!"
"Good afternoon, Professor Thompson!" the students replied cheerily.
"Today, class, we'll be doing something interesting..."
Severus left class in a considerably lighter mood, a little more spring in his step than normal. He even decided to eat dinner in the Great Hall, even though he knew his good mood would probably be ruined.
Snape joined Avery and Mulciber, two sixth years, on the way to the Great Hall, making small talk about homework, Hogsmeade, and the latest rumors, which of course the boy falling from the sky in the middle of the hallway.
"So," Avery began, "have you heard the rumor about that boy that fell?"
"Yeah," Severus said, careful to keep his expression neutral, but not too neutral. "Rumors at this place are bullcrap, though."
"Yeah, but rumors do have an origin," Mulciber pressed.
"True, true," Snape agreed.
The trio arrived at the Great Hall, and Severus repressed a gasp of surprise. There was a white mist flowing, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, around the hall. It looked powerful, ancient, almost malicious, and not a result of an ordinary jinx gone wrong. He looked at Avery and Mulciber: they did not seem to be aware of the white mist. Sitting down, Severus saw that almost all the students gave no indication that they saw it, except for Sirius Black, who was now talking to Potter. Severus strained his ears to hear the conversation two tables over.
"Mate," Black said, "what d'you reckon the mist came from?"
"What mist?" Potter asked, frowning.
"You know, the mist all around here," Black replied, impatiently waving his hands.
Potter gave his mate a confused look and questioned, "Is this one of your weird puns or something?"
"Is this one of your strange jokes?" Black countered.
Snape's evesdropping was interrupted by headmaster Dippet, who cleared his throat and was standing on the podium.
"A little announcement before we begin," Dippet began. "We have a...-" his eyes glazed over and he frowned as if trying to recall something. "-a guest today, who will join us for some time?" the headmaster finished, sounding confused.
Well, this was going to be an interesting dinner.
1658 words.
Comment of the day:
Ellie (beta reader) actually does have an account *sad apology noises* its @potatopeep08, so go check out her profile.
And, meme of the day, cause why not?