Brandon Dursely was nervous. So, so nervous. His familiar greeted him as soon as he entered the room and he dropped himself on the bed and buried himself on the pillow.
"Woof!" The pup licked his hand and he smiled a little. Sebastian was clearly trying to ask if he was okay.
"I'm fine, Seb. I just don't get it why the man seem to hate me so much!"
He pulled the pup to himself and let Sebastian lick his face. Bran laughed. He laughed a few more times, enjoying the playfulness of Sebastian and wondering what would he tell his Mum and Dad slash Aunt and Uncle when he writes a letter back home.
The pup licked his chin.
"That tickled, Seb." Brandon gazed at his wristwatch and sighed as he saw it flash 6:41.
"I better get going now, or else Snape'll have my bum. Bye, boy."
"Woof!" The creature ran in a little circle and laid himself down on Brandon's bed. Brandon hurried towards the corridors after asking Iann Verona where Snape's office was and was thankful that he found it in less than ten minutes.
As he saw the door from a distance, his mind was saying- no, screaming, that he's fine. His heart just didn't. His chest hurt from the jittery nerves and his spime was tingling, and God, it was cold in Snape's domain.
So much like the man himself.
But he can't back out now, can he? Or he'll be in more trouble.
So he gathered all the strength he could muster and knocked. A gruff voice said, "Enter" and he did.
"Good evening, Professor." Snape was head bent towards a paper with stacks and stacks of paper on his desk. Behind him was a treasure; shelves and shelves of potions. On one side were countless ingredients and a workstation for two or three, complete with sink and all the things that only exists in Brandon's dreams. Nearest to Snape was a tall, alnost endless bookshelf, with books that Brandon knew he would die to get his hands on. It was not dark, nor cold as Bran expected. It was warm and homey.
"Quit gaping and close your mouth, Dursely. Sit." The Professor now looked at him with a blank face and Brandon approached the lone chair in front of Snape's table. He sat silently, waiting for the man to tell what he needs to do.
Scratching of quills and small murmurs were heard and every time a mental clock ticks, Brandon can feel his throat tighten.
"Dursely, get on the workstation. Stop tapping the floor with your blasted shoes, boy!"
Brandon stopped, wide eyed. He was tapping his shoes? He wasn't even aware of it!
"Now, Dursely!" Brandon scrambled on his feet and quickly made his way to the workstation, back turned against the man on the desk.
Snape eyed the boy. He was lean and agile. He seemed to qiute a wreck when faced with consequences. The boy is well treated, even pampered, if one will! The boy was tall, too. Clearly from the Potter side.
"On the station, you will see the a small knife and a chopping board. Be careful with the knife, Dursely. You wouldn't want to ruin the ingredients with your blood, wouldn't you? On a jar to your left, you will see the flobberworms. Dice them well and thorough, and maybe I'll forget your cheek."
The boy did as he was told without question and had the common sense to roll his sleeves up to his elbows, but not before asking for permission to take his robes off so that '...it won't be stained' which he made him notice a few things about the boy. First, Dursely had a high regard for cleanliness. He can also see that the boy had enough common sense and was quick to pick up any instruction.
It seemed that the boy wasn't minding how slimy and how gross the flobberworms are. In fact, even before starting, the boy looked at the creature with interest. He held it up and looked at it for a few moments, as if wondering about something. The arms flexed with passable dexterity, and from afar, although Snape wouldn't admit it, the boy seemed to be used to dicing.
Seems like the boy isn't pampered at all.
Dursely had quick, strong hands. Although Snape saw that the dicing was not thorough as he would have had it, it was passable.
By 8:33, Brandon Dursely announced that he was done.
Snape approached the working station and pretended to inspect Dursely's work.
"Hmm... this is passable for now, Dursely, though I might have appreciated if you did not lie to me."
The boy's head snapped up. Snape raised an eyebrow, "Wipe that look, Dursely, or do you want to be revoked of your weekend priviledges?"
"I didn't cheat, sir." Came the voice, and Severus instantly recognized the determination.
"You didn't, did you now?" Severus made sure to include sarcasm, "How did you come up with the answers, then? It just popped into your mind? It just occured to you?"
"I read about Potions, sir." The boy was still as determined as ever.
"Read about it?! Do you take me for a fool, boy? I know that you were raised by Muggles!" The small brow furrowed,as if calculating what to say.
Snape was clearly amused. Now, he knew why Potter's spawn was sorted to his House. Dursely (or Potter) wouldn't back down on an argument, the brat!
"We had a... say, a weird thing going on at home. Mum, well, technically, Aunt- she," a hand went up to scratch his neck, "she knew that I'm gonna have magic, and she told me stories about magic and Mum and Hogwarts-"
"Quit babbling, boy!" Severus scolded, but inside, he was utterly shocked. Petunia? Petunia told this boy about... magic?! Wasn't it that she hated- no, loathed Magic? She hated Lily for having Magic!
Brandon stared at the man before him as he quietly said some name under his breath. Eli? Evie? Brandon can't comprehend, but he just let it be.
"Sorry, sir."
Severus was interested now, but he can let it slide little by little, "You said she taught you about Magic. How about knowing answers to my questions earlier?"
"I read it, sir. Don't you remember? We bumped into each other when we went to purchase from the Apothecary!"
"Yes, yes," Severus wasn't interested in that, "I do remember you. How would that make you smarter? My mind transfers some of it to you?"
A hint confusion then a sudden smile, "No. Not at all, sir. I was given pamphlets and free subcriptions by Mr. Flankers to several potions journals. Dad bought me a few more books about Potions."
His Uncle? Last time he saw Petunia''s husband, he looked so scared of him and of his wand. He was a whale of a man and he remembered his name like acid on his tounge; Vernon.
Or maybe, Vermin.
"You are interested in Potions, is that what you are trying to tell me?"
"Yes, sir. Very." A small smirk plastered on Dursely's face. Is the boy mocking him?
Snape searched for anything, anything that can make him feel anger towards the Boy, but all he saw was an honest, eager face and green eyes, the orbs that was known to Severus as Lily-green rather than its actual shade name.
"Sir?" The boy's voice snapped him out of his reverie and he looked away from those green, green eyes, "May I go now?"
"Go. If I ever find you out of bed..."
"Oh, I am not a troublemaker, sir. I can assure you that. Good night, Professor." The boy tidied himself, put on his robes and exited the room.
After years and years... Is this your way of reminding me of my mistakes, Lily? Severus wondered.
He decided that he had enough and opened a secret door that lead to his quarters and sat himself on his sofa in front of the fireplace. He accioed a bottle of Firewhisky and a glass and drank its contents fast, as if in a hurry. He let the warm, almost burning sensation drown the pang in his chest.
----
"Are you mocking me, Evans?" Severus, now fifteen, was experimenting by himself when Lily Evans approached. Potter's gang embarassed him again that afternoon, throwing him in the lake.
"Severus..."
"Isn't it enough that Potter almost drowned me? You now have to go here and what? Sabotage my work?!" Severus was angry, so angry. Sometimes, he almost didn't regret that he called his best friend Mudblood. Sometimes and almost. But he loved Lily, and he loves her still.
"Severus, I'm sorry. They didn't mean--"
"Here we go again, Evans," he was tired, so tired, "Don't. Just don't. Don't ever say that they didn't mean it. Is this your way of telling me that I'm heartless, Evans? I begged for your forgiveness!" Begged, yes, he did.
He understood that Lily didn't talk to him until now. He really did. But Merlin, why is it that Lily had to defend them? Every single time. Every single time, they didn't mean it? Didn't they mean to burn all of his hardwork? He was lucky he saved his previous work! Now this?! Potter might ne laughing his ass off right now.
"I know, Sev. But..."
"I said, don't." He gathered his things with a wave of his wand and left, not even taking one glance at Lily's beautiful, green eyes, not seeing the tears she shed just for him.
----
Severus awoke with a tear in his eyes, and sweat on his brows. He conjured a glass of water and drank it. He was still in the sofa, with the fire now dying and in his teaching robes. His heart was throbbing wildly.
"What have I put myself into?" He whispered in the dying sparks, his heart hammering still.