It was a gorgeous January morning. Severus’s breath hung in the air as he ran up to the castle doors. He had spent a relaxing morning on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest scouring the ground for roots and such for some potion experiments he’d obtained permission to perform from Dumbledore. They were his first experiments of his own with school approval, but certainly not his first experiments at all. He rushed back to his dormitory, eager to begin his potion.
He was always poised when concocting potions. Elise said he was most handsome concentrating, his brow furrowed, his teeth gently kneading the right side of his bottom lip, his strong hands always knowing exactly what to do to make the potion respond. There was no exception for this potion. He crushed the root of the terrafig flower, which curiously enough grew only in harsh winter conditions. He painstakingly crushed each of the roots from the oldest part of it to the newest.
He was trying to make something for Dumbledore, although he wasn’t quite sure what it would do. One thing was for sure: it had odd ingredients.
Tears of the chicktess’s eldest child, which was thankfully in the school stock room, and three hairs of a cheetah Animagus, only two of which were presently in existence and also in school stock, were two of the ingredients.
Curiously, it was a short potion to brew.
After eight minutes, it was a soft blue color. Delighted at his success, Severus grabbed a vial to take to Dumbledore. He was about to fill it when the potion began to boil regardless of the fact that it was nowhere near heat.
Curious, Severus leaned over the cauldron to examine the potion, and the volatile liquid violently exploded into his face, coating his entire body. He felt a searing, burning pain cover his entire body. Screaming and unable to move, Severus sunk to the floor, praying for the pain to stop.
A few minutes later, he felt better. A lot better. He rose, completely perplexed. What had happened? He raised his hand to his face, petrified of what he might find. His fingers brushed his skin, and to his delight everything was still intact.
His face was uncharacteristically smooth. Then he caught sight of his hands. They were olive colored. Startled, he took a deep breath in. And in. And in. His lung capacity had more than tripled. His hand rushed to his chest, and he felt rippling muscles underneath his robes, which were now a rich black color instead of the tattered fading-to-gray robes he was used to. His hair was shorter and nowhere near greasy. What had happened? His skin was uncharacteristically smooth and soft. He lowered his hands, and was immediately startled at the sight of them. They were olive colored. He took a deep breath in to try and calm his beating heart; he was sure his lung capacity tripled with the amount of air he took in. His hand rushed to his chest and he felt rippling muscles beneath his robes, which were now a rich jet instead of the tattered faded ones that he was used to. He ran a hand through his hair and was even more shocked to find that it was shorter and nowhere near greasy. What had happened?
He stood up and examined himself in a mirror. His nose was shorter and his eyes were wider and clearer.
But it was still Severus. A very attractive Severus, but Severus all the same.
Confused, he made his way through the common room and into the castle halls. Girls passing by did double takes and giggled with their friends. The portraits on the walls followed his every move. And there, at the end of the hall, was Elise, wearing beautiful, ornate robes. Her eyes studied him closely, and then she opened her mouth to speak.
“Severus? I-is that you?”
“Yes, my love, it’s me,” he confidently responded, taking her hand and kissing her passionately in a crowd of onlookers.
“But… but what happened? Your… face… and… your body! Merlin… ” She trailed off. “Did you do this for me?”
“No!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t even mean to, I was doing a potion for Dumbledore and ―”
“I knew you’d change for me!” she stated suddenly, her lips growing into a wide smile.
“I ― what?” he asked.
“I knew you’d change for me! I finally got through to you and you realized that you weren’t nearly attractive enough to be seen beside me!”
“But ―"
“And even though this really is an impressive transformation, you’re still not Sirius.”
Severus’s mouth hung agape, staring at his girlfriend, whom he loved. Elise continued on.
“You can never please me like Sirius can.”
As if on cue, the lights dimmed and Sirius, draped in robes of crimson, stepped out of the shadows. He grabbed Elise and kissed her even more passionately than Severus had previously.
“She’s mine!" Sirius smirked, pulling away from the kiss. "Back off, Snivellus!”
Suddenly, the entire student body who was watching them now began to taunt him with a resounding “Snivellus!”
“No… NO!” Severus yelled. His face, his new handsome face, began to slough off, leaving hideous scars, much like a burn victim’s healing body.
The student body laughed and continued chanting at him. Meanwhile, Sirius had Elise pinned to the floor and began peeling off her clothes to engage in coitus. The chorus of student body moved in and enveloped Severus, suffocating him. His body continued to deteriorate. Sirius then left Elise, writhing from pleasure on the floor, and walked over to Severus. Gasping for breath, his deteriorating flesh smelled as though he had been dead for weeks.
“And you, Severus, are a half-blooded disgrace. You’re a joke. No wonder your mother never loved you and your grandfather walks all over you. You’re too weak and powerless to do anything about it! You’ll never amount to anything. You don’t deserve life. So, consider this a favor.” Sirius’s wand rose high above his head and Severus’s eyes began to water.
“Avada ―”
***
Severus awoke in a cold sweat. That had been the most awful nightmare he’d ever had. His relationship with Elise had been kept moderately secret, in that James and Sirius did not know, but Lily did. Most of the Slytherins knew, but they were so busy with the impending rise of the Dark Lord that they didn’t seem to care. In fact, in his rush to breathe and wake up, he didn’t notice the noise coming from the common room. Now, though, he could hear someone with conviction speaking from downstairs. Throwing on a robe, he decided to check out what was going on. Anything was better than staying in his bed and risking going back to sleep.
He made his way downstairs, and to his great surprise, Lucius Malfoy was situated on top of a table, speaking to the Slytherins. Curious about how exactly he got into the castle in the first place, he listened as Lucius delivered his message.
“It’s a once in a lifetime chance. The great Dark Lord Voldemort has been spreading his cause throughout the great continent of Europe. We have the help of the giants, we have the dementors, and now we need warm bodies to fight for the cause. Think of it ― a world without Mudbloods. A world where we, as the old pureblood families, can practice magic in a safe environment, knowing that our craft will never be discovered by dirty eyes. A permanent separation between Muggles, Mudbloods and the purebloods. And not only that, but a world where crime will be kept to a minimum. When the Dark Lord comes into power, all those who served under him will receive lavish gifts, parcels of land, and places in his personal advising staff. The most trusted will be well rewarded.”
Severus could have sworn there was a twinkle in Lucius’s eye as he thought about it.
“The prestige is worth it alone. It is time, my brothers and sisters, for a new realm of control. It is time for the Dark Lord Voldemort to show us all what life is really supposed to be like. Join with me, and help the era of the purebloods to shine through the dirt that has clogged our institution for too long!”
The crowd cheered for Lucius. Severus remained skeptical and said nothing.
It had to have been three o’clock in the morning, but those who were present, including the impressionable Regulus Black, cheered the man wearing a hooded black cape over his nostalgic green robes.
After his presentation, as though he were a celebrity, he proceeded to meet and greet the attendees. Severus over heard Lucius strike a conversation with Black, and decided to eavesdrop to see what kind of recruiting rubbish he was promoting.
“Interested in joining up? It would certainly make your parents proud, especially after their disappointment of an eldest son.”
Regulus nodded vigorously.
“I always strive to make Mother and Father proud, and of course, see to it that Sirius fails. Blood is more important than anything else.”
Lucius laughed and patted the young Slytherin on the back.
“The Dark Lord would be very pleased to have you join, very pleased indeed.” Lucius then turned his eyes to meet Severus’s.
“Old friend,” Lucius greeted, extending his hand. Severus shook it firmly. “I expected you to be here. The Dark Lord knows of your genius as I have told him great things.”
“You have?” Severus asked incredulously.
“But of course. Even with our age gap, I can see you are brilliant. The Dark Lord holds those who are brilliant dear. Your intelligence is money, Snape. I do hope you will consider joining us after graduation, which is much sooner than you think.”
Severus smiled, happy to be recognized for his hard work.
“Of course, Lucius. I thank you for your kind words, and I assure you I will think about joining.”
Lucius smiled and then made his way to the next person. Severus took this as a signal for his leave and trudged up the stairs to his dormitory. Join the Dark Lord? It seemed trivial, really. How could he possibly pledge allegiance to work closely with someone who would kill those who were not just like himself? Voldemort, they called him. Lord Voldemort.
Severus sighed. Elise wouldn’t approve of this thought at all.
Elise, with a disapproving glance, would be furious, actually. So, he kept his thoughts to himself. It was better this way, anyway.
***
Days passed, and before Severus knew it February was upon them, and Valentine’s Day was just days away. Elise and Severus were hanging out on a chilly afternoon, walking the halls of the castle, when Elise stopped and looked at him.
“Severus, you haven’t asked me yet, so I’m going to ask you.”
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me on Valentine’s Day?”
“Oh, Elise, I would love to, but I can’t, contractually. I don’t have a permission form.”
“Oh. Well, then I will stay here with you!” she said brightly.
“No, you go. I don’t want to hold you back.”
“I wouldn’t think of such a thing! It will be fabulous.”
Severus smiled at her and reached out to grab her hand. He had learned over the past few months some cardinal rules about how to treat a lady. As their flesh connected, Severus felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and came face to face with Sirius Black.
“You… ” he snarled. “I wanted to know who had wooed my ex-girlfriend, and of course, it was you.”
“You leave her out of this. If you have a problem with me, we can take it somewhere else. But not in front of her.”
Sirius stood aghast as Severus moved between them.
“I always knew she was a dumb tramp anyway.”
“Sirius!” Elise exclaimed, tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
“Well, what do you expect? Anyone else, Elise, anyone else and you would have had my blessing, but no. You chose HIM. Snivellus. The idiot of our year.”
“I will show you quite quickly, Black, that I am far from the idiot you underestimate me to be.”
“And I will show you, Snape, that you should not fuck with Sirius Black!”
“What the hell did I ever do to deserve your self-affirming hatred? What has Elise done?”
“You exist That’s why. Because you exist. And as long as you exist, I will always have a problem with you,” Sirius spat at them, turning to walk away. Severus felt unyielding hatred for the stupid prat who had nearly killed him, and prepared to shout a long line of expletive-ridden sentences about his cowardice, when Elise stopped him.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Just let him go.”
Fists balled tightly, Severus complied.
“He had no right to speak to you that way. He had no right, Elise. You were right in leaving him. He’s a dishonorable man, and not at all as brave as his Gryffindor robes will have you believe."
“Let’s just go. I want to work on my homework and plan Valentine’s Day. I don’t want to think about Sirius and what he said, I only want to think about you.”
Severus smiled at his lovely girlfriend and complied with her wishes. The rest of the afternoon was spent in the library, Severus’s favorite place, nestled closely to his favorite girl.
A/NHey guys! I hope you've been enjoying my story so far! I really appreciate all the feedback you've been giving me, it's really helped me so far. A special shout out to MysticalE and Magic Marker for giving me really well thought out reviews, I really appreciate it guys! I know I've updated a lot in the past few chapters but things might slow down JUST a tad. Hope you enjoyed it! :)
Thanks to my amazing beta laughable_black_storm! She makes everything look awesome!
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