PML: Into the Fray Part 2

It was the longest three hours Severus had ever spent.

Goyle and the git proceeded to totally demolish the Snap deck in between numerous runs to the trolley for sweets -- which they pointedly did not offer to Evans or Severus -- and the worst bit came when they became bored with the cards, the deck being decimated to the point of uselessness.

That's when the conversation finally registered on Severus, and he hurriedly closed the book and tried to slip it under his uniform-jacket.

Severus let out a whoop of air as Goyle rabbit-punched him, and the book fell to the floor of the compartment: the git swooped down, grabbed it, and flipped to the title-page.

"Ha! Medicinall Herbes of England and Their Divers Uses," the git announced in a pommy voice, and carelessly flipped through the fragile pages. "Here, have a look, Goyle." He tossed it to his podgy cohort.

"Bet we think we're good at Potions," Goyle said smugly, and bent the spine back.

"Give it back, you idiot," Evans hissed as she grabbed for it. "That looks really old --"

"What do you care?" the git said arrogantly, and caught it by its cover as Goyle tossed it back. "It's not yours."

"It's Lord Snape's --" Severus wheezed desperately, still curled in a ball on the floor.

"Oh, is it? Lord Snape's? No wonder we have a nanny, eh?" The git moved to the door of the compartment. "Where d'you reckon we are, Goyle? Northumberland? Wouldn't want Lord Snape to look in the wrong county, would we --"

"What do you think you're bloody doing, you?" Black said, and turned to face the intruder -- a lean, blond Upper-Former. "Oh."

"Oh, yes," the blond said dryly. "I'm apparently keeping you from making a grave mistake."

"See that, Black?" Malfoy said, and nodded down at the badge on his chest. "That means I'm a Prefect. It bloody well is my business, and if you don't want to lose points for whatever House you end up in, you'll give it back this instant."

"Ragging? By threatening to throw his book off a moving train?" Malfoy snatched the book away, checked the title, and then the bookplate. "This," he frostily informed Black, "is the property of Lord Snape. Written by his ancestor, in fact. And I'm going to point out to you, since you're apparently too thick to deduce it yourself, that Lord Snape will not be pleased that you've nearly destroyed his property, idiot." He closed the book carefully and reached around Black to hand it back to Severus.

"You can't take points until we're at school, anyway --" Black started to argue.

"I'll find something, don't worry. Even if I have to make it up," Malfoy said with an unpleasant smile. "Now, sit down and shut up."

A rather lovely dark-haired girl with a marked resemblance to Black stuck her head into the compartment.

The girl noted the name, glanced curiously at Severus as he pulled himself back onto his seat, and then grinned maliciously at Black.

"You've done it now, Siri," she said. "I'll owl my mum tonight -- wait'll Aunt Aurelia hears, you'll get a Howler for sure--"

"Think I'd better stay here and keep an eye on him. Fetch me my book, would you?" Malfoy said.

She disappeared, and Malfoy kicked at Black's ankle to make him scoot over to the middle of the seat.

"Lucius Malfoy," the blond introduced himself to Severus, shaking his hand. "So," he said nonchalantly as he draped himself across the seat, "you're the nephew, then? Stephen, is it?"

"Yes. I mean, yes I'm the nephew, Severus," he muttered, intent on sussing out the damage done to the book.

"My father wondered if you'd be attending Hogwarts. Your cousin's at Beauxbatons, right?"

Severus nodded and bit his lip, trembling with rage: the brittle binding of the book's spine had been loosened, and several leaves were dangling. His Lordship's going to kill me.

"This, Black," Malfoy said (wrapping an arm around the git's neck in what should have been a matey gesture, but which came off as patronising and vaguely threatening), "is Lord Snape's ward and nephew. As in, next for the title after his cousin. Barring his father, of course," Malfoy added, flashing a grin at Severus which clearly said I know exactly what your situation is, boy.

"Bloody titles," Black muttered, and Malfoy tightened his arm infinitessimally around his neck.

"You wouldn't think that if your family'd had the guts to stick it out," Malfoy noted reasonably. "My point is, idiot, know who you're dealing with before your start making enemies. Both our fathers have dealings with Lord Snape, and I doubt they'll be happy to find you've queered anything for them, will they?" He tighted his arm again when Black didn't respond. "Will they?"

"Good. Glad to see you finally understand the situation. You'll have to excuse Black here, Snape, he's a bit high-strung, like all his family. I'm sure he didn't mean it -- just goes a bit overboard."

"That weed? Think not. Just you wait, Siri," she said with another grin, and left.

Malfoy seemed to notice Evans for the first time, looking at her with interest -- with her colouring she was a bit pretty, if in a horsey sort of way -- and said "And you are --?" as he reached across Black to shake her hand.

"No. I've got an older sister, but she's not magical. Neither are Mum and Dad -- I'm the only one," she said.

"Really," Malfoy said finally, all potential interest in her extinguished: Goyle looked faintly alarmed, as if she'd suddenly sprouted two heads, and Black had a well, that explains it look on his face. Severus himself was a bit alarmed, but intrigued as well. Other than Nanny he'd never met a Muggleborn before, but Nanny was so incompetent with most magic and such a grotesque physical specimen that Severus was surprised he couldn't tell the difference. Evans certainly looked normal.

The boys found other things to occupy themselves with (except for Black), and Evans, a bit puzzled by their sudden disinterest, returned to her textbook.

"You should've thought of that and brought something else, like Snape, shouldn't you? Take a nap, then, or I'll Petrify you until we get to Hogsmeade."

Black glared at Severus as though he'd made the threat, not Malfoy, and tried to stare a hole in the seat opposite for the rest of the trip.

The Express slowed coming into Hogsmeade, and a chaotic jumble ensued as everyone scrambled for their belongings.

"Come on, you lot," Malfoy said crossly, "Firsts have to go across the lake -- you're holding me up, come on."

"I'd put these two in separate boats if I were you, Hagrid," he said, nodding to Black and Severus. "Don't want any accidental acquaintance with the squid."

"Quite," Malfoy retorted with an excess of superiority before heading for the waiting carriages.

"Firs's over 'ere to me," Hagrid bellowed. "Hurry up, now -- don't want ta be late for yer Sortin' and the Feast, do ya?"

Severus caught a movement in the corner of his eye, and side-stepped a deliberate attempt by Black to step on his foot.

"Is what they say about him true?" she interrupted Severus in a whisper, looking anxiously at Hagrid.

"One of the other girls was saying he's a half-giant. It is true? I didn't know giants are real."

"I don't know about him, but of course they're real. Don't you know anything?"

"I only got my books yesterday," she shot back. "D'you expect me to have read all of them overnight?"

He'd quite forgotten: of course she mightn't know. He shrugged, a bit embarrassed at his faux pas.

He couldn't imagine that, coming to Hogwarts with no knowledge whatever of magic and the wizarding world; he supposed a little nervousness was to be expected. But he bloody well didn't need a girl to defend him, and a Muggleborn at that.

Pity about that, really. She seemed a decent sort, if a bit bossy. Too much like Nanny that way, for his taste. (Not that he had any preference in girls at that point -- Nanny and his vague memories of his mother were his only standards to date, because one didn't think of the female House Elves as, well, female, no matter that Joan made obvious attempts to appear feminine.)

The carriages with the older students had already pulled away by the time the Firsts had gathered.

"Now," Hagrid shouted over the Firsts' excited babbling, "we're goin' to get inta the boats and travel across the lake. No leanin' over the sides, now, or puttin' yer fingers in the water -- there's things in the lake that'll be happy fer a little snack, like. In ya go, now," he added, and shooed the students at the front of the group toward the waiting boats.

It was an uneventful trip across -- though Hagrid had had to clamp a beefy hand on Black's shoulder and steer him to a different boat than Severus' and Evans' -- and that was a bloody good thing: the lake water was choppy that night, and Severus was quite green with nausea by the time they'd reached the landing at the foot of the castle lawn.

"You all right?" Evans whispered anxiously when Severus swayed a bit disembarking.

"Fine," he muttered, and moved away from her as quickly as possible toward the castle -- still too nauseous to take much note of the building, but not bad off enough not to keep a wary eye on Black.

The great doors opened as the group climbed the stairs, and a sharp-looking witch stepped out.

"Thank you, Hagrid. Come along inside, now," she ordered the students, and they stumbled in and milled about until she shooed them into a chamber.

"Quiet, please," she said over their babbling, and Severus winced as someone trod on his foot -- not the Git, as he feared when he turned on the miscreant, but the Git's mate, Goyle.

Severus narrowed his eyes and calculated his chances of hexing the oaf in the woman's presence and getting away with it -- at ruled it out. She looked rather observant and intolerant.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said when the group had hushed to her satisfaction. "I am Professor McGonagall. The Feast will begin shortly, after you are sorted into your houses. For those of you unfamiliar with Hogwarts, your House is very similar to a family. You will attend classes with your housemates, sleep in your house dormitory, and study and spend your free time in your house common room. Your Head of House acts as your advisor and stands in loco parentis -- that is, in the stead of your parents -- while you are at school, and the junior and senior house prefects help keep order and are available to advise you with any smaller matters or difficulties."

Severus shifted in boredom, having got the complete lecture on what to expect from Mr Jordan.

"The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," she continued, "and you shall, I'm sure, learn the history of each in short order. While you are at school your more laudable accomplishments will earn points for your house, while misbehavior will lose them. At year-end the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup.

She marched them back out into the corridor and up to another enormous pair of doors.

When the students were arranged to her satisfaction she turned back to the great doors, which swung open before them all without a touch.

The Great Hall was immense: Severus had never seen a room so big, nor seen so many people in one place before. (And the thousands of candles suspended in mid-air.... Well, Mr Jordan hadn't warned Severus of that.) It was quite nerve-wracking.

McGonagall led them forward, past the tables of whispering, older students; halted them and continued up toward a dais with a long table, behind which sat the faculty; and returned with a stool and an exceptionally ragged-looking wizard's hat --

-- which proceeded to open a slit in its brim and spout the most ridiculous drivel Severus had ever hear in an annoying, nasal sing-song.

He wished fervently it would end. His stomach was still in knots, and he was terrified he'd disgrace himself by puking if he had to wait long: so he ran through the potions receipts he already had memorised, to distract himself.

Luckily the stupid hat kept it short -- he was only into the fourth potion when it was finished.

McGonagall unfurled a scroll and said, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted. Atwater, Florence!"

A mousy little girl trotted forward, put the hat on her head, and sat -- and the hat promptly roared "RAVENCLAW!"

Oh, thank Merlin, no bloody verses, Severus thought as Atwater made her way to the Ravenclaw table with great dignity.

Severus wiped his sweaty hands on his trouser-legs with pretended nonchalance, and went back to ingredients-listing.

But it was the Git's turn to be Sorted, and Severus pulled his attention back to the dais. Black swaggered up to the stool, lifted the Hat to his head --

There was a smattering of applause from the Gryffindor side of the room -- and appalled whispers from Slytherin. Severus heard the git's cousin shriek "Oh, gods, his mother's going to have a fit." (It would have been less obnoxious had it not been said with considerable glee.)

Black was flaming-red with embarrassment: he tore the Hat from his head, slammed it down on the stool, and slunk over to the Gryffindor table.

"He'll be lucky if his family doesn't chuck him out," he heard one of the students behind him mutter to another. "Mum says his mother's a gorgon."

"That's quite enough," McGonagall said over the hiss of gossiping, and waited until it died down before continuing with the roll.

Evans went to Gryffindor as well; the git's friend, Goyle, went to Slytherin, which worried Severus more than a little.

At long last it was Severus' turn: he ignored the buzzing through the Hall when his name was announced, sat upon the stool, and pulled the Hat over his ears.

"Well, well, what have we here?" it whispered in Severus' head, and he twitched a bit in surprise. "I haven't had a Snape to suss out for quite a long time. Let's see, what would suit you.... Slytherin's always a possibility with you lot...."

"Little chance of that, though I see some possibilities. And definitely not Hufflepuff, oh, no, chances there absolutely nil -- you'd cut a swath through that House in a second. Potions, eh? Could have seen that coming a mile away, though your father and great-uncle surprised me. You've certainly got the ambition and the wits -- a little on the emotional side, but you could work on that.... Now, that love of learning might serve you well in Ravenclaw, Snape. Your mother was Ravenclaw, did you know that?"

The Hat seemed a little puzzled at first by his hostility, and poked around a bit more.

"Oh, I see. It's still not a bad choice, you know. You'd do well -- not outstanding, but well...."

Snapes go to Slytherin, Severus thought arrogantly. Except for the idiots, he amended.

"And that certainly doesn't apply here, does it?" the blasted thing said with a chuckle. But then it sobered and quietly advised, "Ravenclaw would save you some trouble in the long run, you know. Ravenclaw folk tend to mind their own business and let a fellow live his life, as long as his work's up to snuff."

This was taking entirely too long -- the others had barely got the thing on their heads before it had blared out their House -- and Severus wiggled a bit and thought decisively, Snapes go to Slytherin. His Lordship said.

"So do Blacks, but that didn't -- oh, blast it, boy, if your heart's set on it I can't say otherwise. But if you and I should ever cross paths again, don't say I didn't warn you. You go to --

The Slytherin table applauded appreciatively as Severus took the Hat from his head and marched toward them. He noted a cool look of approval from Malfoy as he seated himself on the end of the bench.

His nausea had disappeared, and he stuffed himself to the gills during the Feast.

Severus jerked back the curtains of his bed and found himself nose-to-nose with Goyle -- who was quite surprised, in the light spilling from the hallway outside the door, to find himself on the business end of Severus' new wand. (Matthew had not been above tricks and hexing after bed-time.)

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened today. On the train, I mean," Goyle said awkwardly. "It's just that, Sirius and me, we've been mates for a long time, see, and I thought --"

"You thought you'd both bloody well gang up on the new boy. Well, the new boy knows how to use this," Severus threatened, "so don't get any ideas."

"I'm apologising, here," Goyle said indignantly, as if that made it all better. "No need to get shirty."

"I'm sorry about the book," Goyle said. "I mean, I didn't catch on that it was Lord Snape's. Not that it would have been any better if it was yours," he added hastily, his piggy eyes widening in alarm. "Look, I've got pocket money and there's a bookbinder's in Hogsmeade. I bet we could get it repaired and your uncle'd never know the difference."

"Can't get to Hogsmeade, so what bloody good is that?" Severus retorted sullenly.

"Bet we could get Malfoy to take it down," Goyle wheedled. "We'd have to give him a little extra, but it's worth it...."

Severus considered this for a moment, and then said, "Deal. But it all comes out of your pocket."

"Deal," Goyle said with a grin, spat on his hand, and held it out to Severus -- apparently for a shake, much to Severus' disgust. He correctly deduced that he was expected to do the same, and in the interest of keeping in Lord Snape's good graces set aside his disgust, transferred his wand to his weak hand, and returned the gesture.

Severus wiped his spitty hand on the coverlet and settled back down, but kept his wand at his side.

"Well, the Gryffindor thing. I mean, his family's pureblood Slytherin all the way, every last one of 'em. They're not going to be happy with him at all."

Severus couldn't muster the slightest bit of pity for the bullying git -- in fact, he was glad. He truly couldn't see why it was such an horrific thing -- after all, if he'd been Sorted to Ravenclaw Lord Snape would have grumbled, but nothing more.

He thought about that for a while, and the events of the day: and eventually he rolled onto his stomach, toward the other boy's bed.

"No. That was Bella's mum. Stunner, in't she? Sirius' mum's an old hag with the voice of a banshee. She won't set foot outside the house, so Bella's mum had to see him off today. Why d'you ask?"

Severus was indecently cheered by that information -- so much that he slipped, and confided something to Goyle.

"Before you came into the compartment he was ragging me about Na-- about the woman who brought me to the station, that's all."

"Oh, that -- I know, he was joking about that on the platform," Goyle said with another giggle. "Stupid, innit? He was just jealous. I mean, I saw the old lady too, and it looked like she really cares for you. Makes up for her looking like a hippogriff, I suppose -- begging your pardon."

"His mum caaaa--" Goyle interrupted himself with a yawn. "-- can't stand 'im. She's old, says says he makes too much noise and get in too much trouble -- only had him to keep the name going, and his brother for a spare. His aunties can't stand him, either."

"How do you know so much about the family?" Severus asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"We're cousins somewhere along the line. You are too, further back -- you didn't know that?" Goyle said, surprised.

The sliver of light across the floor suddenly widened, and a sharp voice from the hallway said "Who's talking?"

"Good. I'll let it pass this once, then -- but save it for morning. You've got a long day ahead of you."

Malfoy closed the door and moved off down the hallway -- and Severus snuggled down into the covers, unused to the chilly Scottish air and the lack of a fire.

But he allowed himself to fall asleep only after Goyle was snorting away like a pig.

Bella Black had a smashingly fast owl, it appeared. Sirius Black got a Howler during luncheon the next day.

His mother did, indeed, sound like a banshee. And by the time she was done she'd belittled Black for the train incident, practically disowned him for landing in Gryffindor House, and managed to insult not only all the Houses with the exception of Slytherin, but the Headmaster and the Sorting Hat as well.

The Git was suitably chastened and moped about, occasionally casting dark looks at Severus and Goyle -- but he had little opportunity for mischief, and as he hadn't made any mates yet and Goyle had clearly transferred loyalties, he wasn't quite stupid enough to try anything. Severus enjoyed himself immensely the rest of the week, despite nearly falling off his broom in Flying Class.

Into the Fray, Part 2

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