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kelly_chamblissThe next few posts will contain my entry for this year's ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hoggywartyxmas fest. I'd intended to write something short, and of course ended up with over 14K words. But compared to a novel, I guess that's short.
As always, my grateful thanks totherealsnape for 1. Beta, 2. Fest.
Title: 1. Bitter, 2. Sweet
Author:kelly_chambliss
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~14500
Characters: Severus, Minerva, Lily, Eileen, a couple of Malfoys, various Hogwarts staff (human and elf), portraits, and students. Plus a sentient book.
Summary: This book is the property of Severus Tobias Prince Snape, Slytherin
Warnings: Authorial verbosity.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Prologue
Not until the last day of August can Eileen bring herself to pack her son's meagre belongings into her old school trunk and prepare to send him off to his first year at Hogwarts.
Of course she's known this day was coming -- and is almost glad of it, for Severus's sake -- but knowledge isn't the same as acceptance. Tobias is proof of that: twelve years ago her husband found out she was a witch, and he's been angry ever since.
But the world has never waited for Eileen Prince Snape's acceptance, not of her boy's departure or anything else, and so, when she can put off the moment no longer, she Levitates her trunk out of the attic and into Severus's room.
It's plain, this room, partly because there's no money for fripperies, partly because Severus wants it this way. When he got big enough to reach them, he took down the coloured magazine pictures that she had used to brighten the walls. She never has to nag him to tidy up; the boy is so orderly it's almost unnatural.
A small pile of freshly-laundered clothes sits on the bed. She's managed to afford two slightly-used school robes for Severus, one a bit big so he can grow into it. A touch here and there with her wand has made them both look nearly good as new; he won't be shamed by them. His worn socks and vests and pants, though. . .she frowns as she lays them in the trunk. Well, at least no one but the house elves will see those.
The school books go in next. They're hers, from her own Hogwarts years. She's glad she kept them: even used copies at the bookstore turned out to be shockingly dear, beyond her purse, and Severus must have guessed as much. Bookworm though he is, he didn't raise any fuss when she told him that they wouldn't be buying anything at Flourish and Blotts.
But his wand. . .that is Severus's own, brand-new. To pay for it, she and Tobias will be making do with less this winter, but no matter. A good wand is not an extravagance: no wizard has a chance in the wizarding world without one, and Eileen is determined to give her son as much of a chance as she can, even though it won't be enough.
She pauses to remember Severus's face as they stood in Ollivander's shop, green sparks dancing out of the smooth hawthorn wand that the old man had put in the boy's hand. His eyes were alight, shining; he was almost smiling.
Even with cauldron and scales added, the trunk is barely half-full when Eileen puts in the last of Severus's few shirts and pairs of trousers. It's no good wishing she could give him more, though. He has what he has, and that's all there is to it.
Yet she's not quite done. Severus will see that his old mam still has a few tricks up her sleeve. Inside the cauldron, she tucks two more of her prized possessions: a woollen scarf striped in Slytherin green and silver, and her silk house tie. Of course, there's no guarantee that the strange old Sorting Hat will put her boy into Slytherin, though she hopes it will. But it doesn't, well. . .that's a lesson Severus needs to learn, the sooner the better: there are no guarantees in life, and it's best not to count on anything.
Finally, only one task remains to be done. From her bottom bureau drawer Eileen retrieves a ratty shoe box. Inside is an old cookery book, its pages yellowed and stained. This book she magicks down to the very bottom of Severus's trunk.
A whispered charm, a last swish of her wand, and the trunk stands ready.
Tomorrow, Eileen will take it and her boy to King's Cross and send them out of her life.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Part I -- Snape's First Year, Student -- 1971-72
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This book is the property of
Severus Tobias Prince Snape.
A SLYTHERIN.
Do not read without the personal permission of
SEVERUS SNAPE, Slytherin.
Keep out. This means YOU.
2 September 1971
1. Yesterday Lily and I came on the train to Hogwarts and it's just like I told her it would be, better than any place else.
But she's not in Slytherin.
I am. It's the best house. Mum knew I would be here, she gave me a Slytherin house tie.
In the common room after the feast, Lucius, he's the prefect, he said --
--First years, Welcome to Slytherin. It's an honour to be in this great house, and if you are loyal to Slytherin, you will find that Slytherin is loyal to you. No matter what you become in life you will always be a Slytherin. You belong here.
These are good things to know.
Lily is in Gryffindor, the worst. Those stupid gits from the train are in there too. I will try to look out for her.
2. Now I will say something about this book I am writing in.
It was in my trunk. Magical Meals on a Budget, it was called, and I thought Mum put it in by mistake.
But when I opened it, it turned into a different book, just a plain smooth black cover with ridges on the spine. I think it is leather. On the bottom front, there is a small silver snake. The book is very old, you can smell it.
And the pages are all blank.
But sometimes when you touch one, words show up. I touched the first page and got a letter from Mum. It said --
--Severus this magic book has belonged in the Prince family for over two hundred years. My grandfather gave it to me and now I give it to you. Tell it whatever you want, your secrets will be safe. The book will protect you and the Princes will help you. You will need all the help you can get in this world, it is not a nice place. Be smart.
Your loving mother, Eileen Prince Snape.
That's what it said. Or close. I can't remember the exact words because as soon as I read them, they disappeared and the page was blank again.
But "your loving mother." It said that.
3. Writing down secrets is stupid, even in a magic book. If it's written down it's not a secret anymore.
8 September 1971
1. What I write in this book does not disappear. I found this out.
Evidence: The things I wrote the other day are still here.
2. I have touched all the pages but none of them say anything else.
3. I tried to write on the first page where Mum's letter was, but it's like the quill won't work or something. No ink comes out.
Maybe this is the page where the Princes will write to me.
Or maybe Mum's letter will come back some day. I will leave the page alone just in case.
4. I will use this book to make a record of Hogwarts. It is important to keep track of things.
5. I will put numbers next to each new or important thing.
6. I have been to some classes. Here is what I think of them so far.
A. Charms: The Charms teacher Professor Flitwick is a dwarf like I saw at the fair when I went with Granny Snape. He is a Ravenclaw. He seems nice but I would not count on it. It could be an act.
When I made my feather fly, he said -- Good lad. Everyone from our dorm was able to Levitate their feathers except Avery. He's an idiot. Makes Slytherin look bad.
Verdict: Charms does not seem like it will be hard. I looked ahead in the book, and some of the stuff will be useful.
(Question: Are all dwarfs magic? It would make sense.)
B. Herbology: When you first go into the greenhouse, it looks like mess and chaos, but it is actually quite organized. Professor Sprout is also messy, but when she told us what to do, she was very organized too.
I think maybe a lot of Hufflepuffs are like this -- they make you think they are silly when they are really sharp. They will need to be watched.
We repotted fanged geraniums. I took one and put it in my bag, it is too young to bite yet. I thought it might be good to have, because you never know.
Verdict: I don't much like mucking about in dirt, but I can see that there are things worth knowing in Herbology.
C. Transfiguration: First bad thing: We have Transfiguration with the Gryffindors.
Second bad thing: The Slytherin second years said to watch out for Professor McGonagall, she is head of Gryffindor and she is mean and hates Slytherins. She definitely looks mean, all pointy and stern and like she's frowning even when she isn't.
She said Transfiguration is "complex and difficult magic" but I think that is only true for careless people, not everyone. But most people are stupid and careless, so probably it comes to the same thing. I am not. Lily is not. Lucius is not. But just about everyone else is.
Evidence: We were supposed to turn matchsticks into needles. Bunch Parkinson said this was silly, because how often are we ever going to need needles, and they are for girls to use anyway.
Stupid. He honestly couldn't see that matchsticks and needles are just examples, even though McG told us this. She said it's not about matchsticks and needles, it's about seeing how two things are alike and different and figuring out how to change a little bit and then a little bit more until you shift the first thing into the second thing but keep the basic similar things the same, like them being long and thin, but what changes is what you use them for.
By the end of the lesson I could see this. It's easy to do if you are careful and if you have a plan and follow your plan step by step and see each change in your head first. It's a system. Systems are important.
But to repeat: most people are too stupid and careless to make this work. On the first day, only four of us made the matchstick into a needle, me and Biddy Goforth and those dipwads James Potter and Sirius Black. I'm glad two of us are in Slytherin.
I finished first. Professor McGonagall looked at my needle and then she looked at me with her head turned a little sideways, like Mum does when she is sizing up the cabbages in the shop to get the biggest one. Then the professor waved her wand over me and the words "Snape, Severus" appeared in the air in green letters.
She said -- Five points to Slytherin, Mr Severus Snape.
So she was not mean to me this time but I do not trust her. She is a Gryffindor.
Verdict: Transfiguration makes sense.
D. Potions: Professor Slughorn is the head of Slytherin and the Potions professor. He is rather fat and has a large moustache. He patted me on the back and said well well welcome my boy. He asked how Selwyn's father was doing, and Nott's, but he did not ask about Mum. I wonder if he remembers her?
We learnt how to light cauldrons and properly cut ingredients. Then he showed us how to make "inert bases." These are different solids and liquids that are neutral, that means they just help keep "active" potions ingredients stable. There are inert gasses, too, but we will not do those until third year.
Verdict: Open. Not very interesting yet but I looked through the book, and there is potential.
E. Defense Against the Dark Arts: This is called DADA for short.
The teacher is Professor Devlin. He is old and very thin. Selwyn's brother told us that this is Professor Devlin's first year at Hogwarts. I wonder why he is starting a new job when he is probably old enough to retire.
But he is interesting. He said -- Many people will tell you that dark arts are evil but they are wrong. All magic can be used for good or ill, you simply need to learn which is which. I will teach you.
Verdict: This class might be the most useful of all.
10 October 1971
1. People at Hogwarts
People here I like so far: Lily. Professor Flitwick. Professor Devlin. Lucius Malfoy. Mulciber is not too bad.
People I don't care about so far: If I wrote their names it would take this whole book.
People I hate so far: James Pooper. Sirius Blockhead. Their thug friends. Every Gryffindor.* (*Exception = Lily.)
People who are stupid: Bertha Jorkins. Avery. Just about everyone, really.
People who are clever: Professor McGonagall. Professor Flitwick. Professor Devlin. Lily. Lucius. Some Ravenclaws (not all, even though they would have you think so).
2. Potions -- This class has got more interesting. We made shrinking solution and other things.
Fact: What is written in the potions textbook is not always right.
Evidence: When we had to make stinging solution, the book said used dried fanged geranium leaves, but there weren't enough dried ones in the store cupboard. So I remembered the plant* in my bag and picked some leaves, and the fresh ones were better. My potion was the stingy-est.
Slughorn said, Excellent work, Snape. Keep this up and you will be as good as Selwyn.
I am already much better than Selwyn. But he is a pureblood and I am not.
But I will become so good at Potions that Slughorn will have to see how smart and worthwhile half-bloods are.
3. *Note -- I forgot my fanged geranium until today. It's a good thing I was careful when I reached in my bag, because I think the flower is ready to bite now. Wouldn't it be interesting if it somehow ended up in the Pooper's satchel? When he sticks his hand in -- surprise! -- Mulciber and I can laugh like the Gryffinwanks did last week when Pooper put that ice charm on the floor and I slipped. Lily laughed too, but she was trying not to.
21 November 1971
1. Useful things I learnt in History of Magic:
A. Binns is boring. History of Magic is not.
B. A syllogism is a tool of logic.
C. Syllogism:
Major Premise: All Gryffindors* are wankers.
Minor Premise: James Pooper and Sirius Blackhead are Gryffindors.
Conclusion: Therefore, Pooper and Blackhead are wankers.
(*Note -- except Lily)
D. Syllogism 2
Major P: Half-bloods can make excellent Slytherins. (Evidence: Phyllida Spore. A Slytherin. Also a half-blood [source: Hogwarts: A History]. Famous author of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi)
Minor P: I am a half-blood.
Conclusion: Therefore, I make an excellent Slytherin.
25 November 1971
1. Why I like the library
A. It is quiet and smells like old paper and old magic.
B. The Thugs do not bother me here. Actual studying is beneath them (or in Pettigrew's case, beyond him).
C. I like the books.
D. In the old books there are facts and ideas that no one today knows. When I read them, I'm the only one who knows. (And maybe Madam Pince.) This is useful. Case in point (see below)
2. I found a very old book called Plants and Potions. I looked up a plant I saw in Greenhouse Three, it is in Professor Sprout's private cupboard. It has white flowers and black roots. I didn't know what it was, but now I do. It is called moly and it is very magical. In a potion, it can protect you from harmful spells and enchantments -- dark ones, of course, and maybe even the stupid prank hexes that the Gryffinwanks use.
The book said moly is most effective if plucked in a full moon. I will find a way to get some.
1 December 1971
1. Important Fact: Mum was right about this book. It will keep your secrets even when you don't think you are writing secrets.
Here is what happened.
I was leaving Transfiguration when Blackhead used a hex to make my bag burst open. This book fell out and Pooper grabbed it and yelled -- What's this Snivellus? Your super secret diary? Do you pour your ickle heart out to it? Let's see.
I lunged for it but Pettigrew was holding my robe. By the time I used a stinging hex on his fingers, Pooper was opening the book and flipping through it. But then he threw it back at me. "Just stupid potions notes and history of magic," he said. "Looks like the stupid berk writes down every word old Binns says."
Blackhead made a grab for my book again anyway and I pointed my wand but then out of nowhere McGonagall showed up and took ten points from Slytherin for magic in the corridors. Bloody typical.
When I got back to the dormitory and opened the book, it wasn't potions or history notes at all. It was just the stuff I wrote since I got to Hogwarts.
So the book did protect me.
2 December 1971
1. When I opened the book this morning there was a new note on the blank first page. It was in old fashion handwriting, I could hardly read it. It said --
The owner of this magic book concealment must learn,
Since he must always be of it a Guardian most stern.
I don't know if I have all the words just right but it was something like that. Not like how we talk today anyway. Then it disappeared.
I thought about this, and I think it means that I should find a concealment spell for this book. It will be a charm or possibly a transfiguration. I will look for one.
25 December 1971
1. I have not been writing here because I have not found the right concealment spell yet. So I just keep the book in my trunk.
2. I am making an exception today because no one will see me writing. It is Christmas. I am staying at Hogwarts. It is free to ride the Hogwarts Express when school starts and ends but if you want to ride it for breaks, there is a charge. Mum sent an owl and said maybe next year.
3. I do not mind staying here.
4. About twenty students stayed. We had Christmas dinner in the great hall with three tables -- six or seven students and two teachers at each table. I was the only Slytherin student. I didn't really know any of the others. Lily went home.
For teachers, my table had Professor Slughorn and Professor Devlin.
5. The teachers did most of the talking and the rest of us just sat there. It was weird.
6. Professor Slughorn was very jolly, he was drinking a lot of mead and getting red in the face like Da does, only not yelling. He said to Professor Devlin -- I trust my Slytherin, young Mr Snape, is doing well in your class, Devlin old chap. He's a bright lad that one. A natural potioneer.
7. The food was prime. I had two slices of Christmas pudding with cream on after the fire went out.
8. I spent the rest of the day in the Slytherin common room. No one else is here. There were games and things in the great hall in the afternoon, but I did not go.
9. The supper just appeared by itself on the common room table. Ham sandwiches and chocolate cake.
10. I am a natural potioneer.
9 January 1972
1. I am making another exception with this book because it is my birthday, I am 12.
2. We had a cake in the Slytherin common room and everyone clapped. Even Lucius and the other seventh years ate a piece.
3. Mum sent an owl with a card and a book, Young Wizard's Handbook. I think she saw me look at it in Flourish and Blotts last summer. I hope it will have useful things in it. We will see.
4. No one else in the school knows it is my birthday. Slytherins keep those things to ourselves. It's no one else's business. Lily knows and she whispered happy birthday at breakfast, but she would not let the Thugs know.
5. Lily always said she would not like having a birthday so close to Christmas because all your presents are packed so close together and people aren't ready for a birthday party right after all the Christmas parties. But I don't care. I do not want parties.
6. I do not see Lily much any more.
13 January 1971
1. The Young Wizard's Handbook has a spell that I thought I could use to conceal this book. I tried it here in the dormitory but it did not really work. I wanted to make the cover look like it did when I first got it, like Magical Meals on a Budget, but I could only get it to shimmer and have a few letters on it.
2. I think the problem is that the dormitory is not very light, and the book said the spell works best in light. This seems backwards, because with a concealment spell, you don't want the thing to be seen clearly, you want to conceal it. That is the point. So you think you would want to do the spell in the dark.
But the more I thought about it, it makes sense. It's like a transfiguration. You need a system to move step by step from one thing to another thing. From what it was to what it will be. From what it is now, in full light and visible, to something covered up and not visible at all. So that's why you start the spell in the light.
It's not a real transfiguration, because the book will still be itself. It won't be really changing into something else. It will just look like something else. But the principle is the same.
So I tried to do the spell in an empty classroom with windows. I stood right in the sun.
3. When I was saying the spell, Yaxley came in. He is a fifth year. He asked what I was doing. I did not tell him about this book but I said I was trying to figure out how to make something look like something else.
He laughed and said -- found yourself a dirty magazine have you? Well it's never too early to start I guess. There are lots of good spells to make a book or paper look like a different one. It's a good Slytherin sort of thing to know.
And he taught me two different spells, they are much better than the one in Young Wizard's Handbook.
Before he left he said to me -- Snape, I've been watching you. You are smart.
I did not say anything, I did not know what he wanted.
He went on -- You get a very bad deal from those Gryffindors and the teachers don't do anything to stop it.
I know, I said.
He said -- You see what we Slytherins have to put up with. Even Dumbledore is against us, and the Ministry too. But there will be a new day coming. We will make things right.
I said -- what do you mean?
He said -- you wait and see. But our kind will be in charge some day, that's all you need to know now.
I said -- I am a half-blood.
Because that matters.
But he said -- Even so. We will need smart people, even half-bloods. Just keep your eyes open for us. And keep your mouth shut.
I will.
3. Fact: When I touch this book, I see it as it really looks, with its black leather cover and the silver snake. But now when someone else sees it or touches it, it looks like Hogwarts: A History. Even to Slytherins.
4. Evidence: I put the book on the common room table while I was writing an essay and Nott said -- what are you reading this for? Who cares about this rubbish?
Buckler said -- Snape does. He's a bloody boring swot.
He picked up the book and looked through it and didn't say anything, so clearly it looks like Hogwarts: A History inside too.
I said -- You couldn't be a swot if you wanted to, Buckler. You have to be able to read first.
Buckler is an idiot. If a new Slytherin day does come, they'll have to figure out what do to with all the stupid ones.
29 February 1972
1. Today is Leap Day, it is very magical AND it is a full moon.
2. Very early this morning I got up to sneak out to Greenhouse Three. The full moon was at its peak at 0411 hours and 54 seconds. I wanted to pick a moly flower to see if that old book was right and it will make a powerful protection potion.
Mission accomplished. I have the flower and no one saw me.
3. But I saw someone. Two someones. When I was leaving the greenhouse I saw a shadow, and it was Blackhead and Pooper skulking along the edge of the wall by the back garden. I hid myself and I heard Blackhead say -- hurry up! He'll already be in the shrieking shack and we still have to figure out that tree.
Pooper said -- I can make it work, I know I can.
Bragging. Typical.
Then they ran off, I lost sight of them behind that whomping tree.
Very interesting. Very.
4. I have something on them now. This is always a good thing.
5. I will try to find out more.
2 March 1972
1. I went to the potions lab last night to start to brew the protection potion with moly. I found instructions in that old book in the library.
2. It is very complicated but everything has worked so far. It will take two weeks to finish.
15 March 1972
They have spoilt it. Pooper and Blackhead and their toady Pettigrew. They followed me when I went to check the potion and Pooper said -- what are you up to, Snivellus and then he saw my cauldron and he deliberately ran into me and knocked me into the cauldron and it fell over and he laughed and said oops, oops. Look what you made me do.
The potion is ruined.
It was almost done and now it is ruined.
I will pay them back.
16 March 1972
1. Tonight when I opened this book there was a new message. It said -- Moste Potente Potions is a book in the Restricted Section of the library.
2. I asked Professor Devlin for a permission slip to get into the Restricted Section. He said -- You like to read, Mr Snape?
I said yes.
He said -- Good. You'll gain knowledge that way, and knowledge is power. Can you handle power, Mr Snape?
I said -- I don't know.
He said -- You must control it and not let it control you. Be careful. Be cautious. Power will be what you make of it.
I said -- like dark magic?
He said -- just like dark magic.
3. I will go to the library tomorrow.
17 March 1972
1. I have the book. Moste Potente Potions.
2. It is prime. There is no end of useful instructions in it. Some people would say that a lot of these potions are dark, but I don't. It depends on what you use them for.
3. There is a recipe for an even better protection potion than the one with moly. That must be why the Princes told me to get the book. I will start looking for the ingredients.
4. The magic is strong in the Restricted Section. I could feel it. The books were rustling and kind of whispering. I whispered back -- show me how to create spells. And a book flew right off the shelf and came over to me.
5. It is called Spell Theory. It is small. I put it inside Moste Potente Potions and Madam Pince didn't even see it when I left.
24 March 1972
1. They talk about me. The teachers.
2. Evidence: I heard them. In the library.
3. Details: I was sitting in the back corner near the Restricted Section. I was the only person in there. Everyone else was skiving off because the Easter break starts soon and they are stupid enough to believe that if something doesn't have to be done until after break, they don't need to think about it right now.
Professor McGonagall came in. She said -- Quiet night, Irma?
Madam Pince said -- Very.
McGonagall said -- I was hoping that at least a few of the N.E.W.T. students might be trying to get a head start on their major project, but I suppose that's too much to expect, this close to the holiday.
Pince said -- Just wait until examination time arrives, then they'll be sorry, mark my words. But no one has been in for over an hour. Young Snape from Slytherin was here earlier but even he seems to have left.
I stayed totally still, I didn't even turn a page. I didn't want them to know I was still there.
McGonagall said -- He takes his schoolwork seriously, that boy. He's one of the best of his year in Transfiguration.
Pince said -- If only they could all be studious like him. He spends more time working in the library than any other student, even the N.E.W.T. candidates. He does research on his own, outside of assigned reading.
McGonagall laughed and said -- Sounds as if he should have been in Ravenclaw. The sorting hat must have made a mistake.
Then she sounded more serious and said -- I'm concerned about him, though, Irma. He's very bright, but he's so. . .I don't know, so suspicious and withdrawn. So hard to reach, and he doesn't seem to have many friends.
Pince said -- He talks to your Lily Evans sometimes. And to some of the Slytherin boys, Mulciber and Yaxley.
McGonagall said -- That's part of what worries me. The political situation being what it is, a disaffected boy like Snape could be ripe for recruitment by extremists. I'm wary of Yaxley and Malfoy; I think they support all that pureblood purity nonsense.
Pince said -- Isn't Snape a half-blood? They won't be interested in him.
McGonagall said -- Don't you believe it. They'll be happy to make use of his level of intelligence, especially if they can get him on their side. You know, convince him that the rest of the wizarding world has wronged him somehow and that he should be loyal to them. I imagine Mr Snape is capable of a great deal of loyalty; I've seen him talk to Lily, too, even when it's clear that his Slytherin compatriots don't want him to.
Pince said -- You're probably right.
McGonagall said -- Houses can be wonderful influences in a child's life, but they can be bad influences, too. I just don't think Slytherin is good for Snape.
Then they talked about other things, and McG got some books and they turned down the lights and left. They never did see me.
4. A strange thing happened when I was writing about McG and Pince's conversation. In each paragraph, as soon as I started putting down the words, the quill began to write on its own. It wrote the words just as they were said aloud.
It is better than I could have done by myself. I would not have remembered every single word.
5. I believe it is the Prince book helping me.
6. Thank you.
7. I looked up "disaffected" and "compatriots." "Disaffected" means "rebellious, discontented, dissatisfied with authority." "Compatriots" means "from the same country" or "companion, colleague."
8. I am not rebellious. But I am definitely dissatisfied with Gryffindors.* (Note -- *except Lily)
9. Slytherin is not a bad influence on me. This is a lie. Slytherin has given me compatriots.
10. I don't like it when people talk about me.
11. Or watch me.
12. But I am not sorry they know I am smart. Smarter than any Gryffinwank, that's for sure.
13. I am the best Transfiguration student in my year.
1 April 1972
1. Tomorrow is Easter.
2. Only five of us left in the Slytherin common room over the break. No one else from my year.
3. I have been experimenting.
A. Potions: I brewed three phials of the new protection potion.
Results: Successful.
Evidence: I drank one phial and then went to the beehives near Hagrid's house and put my hand straight in. I did not get one sting.
B. Spells: The theory in the book is difficult.
Results: Unsuccessful. So far.
End of the Term
1. Tomorrow I leave to go home.
2. I have packed everything except this book and my nightshirt. And my quill.
3. I will sit with Lily on the train. I waited for her after breakfast today and she said --Yes, for a little while at least.
4. I have not written much here in the last few weeks because exams and homework were ridiculous.
5. I have continued to experiment with spells.
Results: promising.
6. Professor Devlin gave me a note to say I could take Plants and Potions home with me over the summer. (I will take Spell Theory too, but no one will know.)
7. Professor Devlin is not coming back next year. He has to go somewhere warm for his health.
This is not good news.
6. Thoughts.
A. It has been a good year overall.
B. I have learnt a lot. Examples:
--A lot about making potions. More than I can write here.
--Dark magic is only dark if you make it dark.
--You can use dark magic safely if you don't let it control you.
--The wizarding world is unfair to Slytherins, but things may change someday.
--If you have power, be careful with it.
--If you are careful and have a system and think things through, you can make changes in the potions recipes without blowing up any cauldrons (like moron Pettigrew) or creating fumes that cause everyone at your table to break out in warts (like moron Avery). And your potions will be better.
--Teachers watch you even when you don't know it. And they talk to other teachers about you.
C. Yaxley and Lucius and some of the other Slytherins have been nice to me. In my year, Mulciber is not so bad. Avery is an idiot.
D. I will pay back Pooper and Blackhead for everything someday. They'd better watch out, that's all.
E. Now I have said all I will say about this year.
Signed, Severus Snape, SLYTHERIN.
On to Part Two Here
hoggywartyxmas fest. I'd intended to write something short, and of course ended up with over 14K words. But compared to a novel, I guess that's short.As always, my grateful thanks to
therealsnape for 1. Beta, 2. Fest.Title: 1. Bitter, 2. Sweet
Author:
kelly_chamblissRating: PG-13
Word Count: ~14500
Characters: Severus, Minerva, Lily, Eileen, a couple of Malfoys, various Hogwarts staff (human and elf), portraits, and students. Plus a sentient book.
Summary: This book is the property of Severus Tobias Prince Snape, Slytherin
Warnings: Authorial verbosity.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Prologue
Not until the last day of August can Eileen bring herself to pack her son's meagre belongings into her old school trunk and prepare to send him off to his first year at Hogwarts.
Of course she's known this day was coming -- and is almost glad of it, for Severus's sake -- but knowledge isn't the same as acceptance. Tobias is proof of that: twelve years ago her husband found out she was a witch, and he's been angry ever since.
But the world has never waited for Eileen Prince Snape's acceptance, not of her boy's departure or anything else, and so, when she can put off the moment no longer, she Levitates her trunk out of the attic and into Severus's room.
It's plain, this room, partly because there's no money for fripperies, partly because Severus wants it this way. When he got big enough to reach them, he took down the coloured magazine pictures that she had used to brighten the walls. She never has to nag him to tidy up; the boy is so orderly it's almost unnatural.
A small pile of freshly-laundered clothes sits on the bed. She's managed to afford two slightly-used school robes for Severus, one a bit big so he can grow into it. A touch here and there with her wand has made them both look nearly good as new; he won't be shamed by them. His worn socks and vests and pants, though. . .she frowns as she lays them in the trunk. Well, at least no one but the house elves will see those.
The school books go in next. They're hers, from her own Hogwarts years. She's glad she kept them: even used copies at the bookstore turned out to be shockingly dear, beyond her purse, and Severus must have guessed as much. Bookworm though he is, he didn't raise any fuss when she told him that they wouldn't be buying anything at Flourish and Blotts.
But his wand. . .that is Severus's own, brand-new. To pay for it, she and Tobias will be making do with less this winter, but no matter. A good wand is not an extravagance: no wizard has a chance in the wizarding world without one, and Eileen is determined to give her son as much of a chance as she can, even though it won't be enough.
She pauses to remember Severus's face as they stood in Ollivander's shop, green sparks dancing out of the smooth hawthorn wand that the old man had put in the boy's hand. His eyes were alight, shining; he was almost smiling.
Even with cauldron and scales added, the trunk is barely half-full when Eileen puts in the last of Severus's few shirts and pairs of trousers. It's no good wishing she could give him more, though. He has what he has, and that's all there is to it.
Yet she's not quite done. Severus will see that his old mam still has a few tricks up her sleeve. Inside the cauldron, she tucks two more of her prized possessions: a woollen scarf striped in Slytherin green and silver, and her silk house tie. Of course, there's no guarantee that the strange old Sorting Hat will put her boy into Slytherin, though she hopes it will. But it doesn't, well. . .that's a lesson Severus needs to learn, the sooner the better: there are no guarantees in life, and it's best not to count on anything.
Finally, only one task remains to be done. From her bottom bureau drawer Eileen retrieves a ratty shoe box. Inside is an old cookery book, its pages yellowed and stained. This book she magicks down to the very bottom of Severus's trunk.
A whispered charm, a last swish of her wand, and the trunk stands ready.
Tomorrow, Eileen will take it and her boy to King's Cross and send them out of her life.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Part I -- Snape's First Year, Student -- 1971-72
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Severus Tobias Prince Snape.
A SLYTHERIN.
Do not read without the personal permission of
SEVERUS SNAPE, Slytherin.
Keep out. This means YOU.
2 September 1971
1. Yesterday Lily and I came on the train to Hogwarts and it's just like I told her it would be, better than any place else.
But she's not in Slytherin.
I am. It's the best house. Mum knew I would be here, she gave me a Slytherin house tie.
In the common room after the feast, Lucius, he's the prefect, he said --
--First years, Welcome to Slytherin. It's an honour to be in this great house, and if you are loyal to Slytherin, you will find that Slytherin is loyal to you. No matter what you become in life you will always be a Slytherin. You belong here.
These are good things to know.
Lily is in Gryffindor, the worst. Those stupid gits from the train are in there too. I will try to look out for her.
2. Now I will say something about this book I am writing in.
It was in my trunk. Magical Meals on a Budget, it was called, and I thought Mum put it in by mistake.
But when I opened it, it turned into a different book, just a plain smooth black cover with ridges on the spine. I think it is leather. On the bottom front, there is a small silver snake. The book is very old, you can smell it.
And the pages are all blank.
But sometimes when you touch one, words show up. I touched the first page and got a letter from Mum. It said --
--Severus this magic book has belonged in the Prince family for over two hundred years. My grandfather gave it to me and now I give it to you. Tell it whatever you want, your secrets will be safe. The book will protect you and the Princes will help you. You will need all the help you can get in this world, it is not a nice place. Be smart.
Your loving mother, Eileen Prince Snape.
That's what it said. Or close. I can't remember the exact words because as soon as I read them, they disappeared and the page was blank again.
But "your loving mother." It said that.
3. Writing down secrets is stupid, even in a magic book. If it's written down it's not a secret anymore.
8 September 1971
1. What I write in this book does not disappear. I found this out.
Evidence: The things I wrote the other day are still here.
2. I have touched all the pages but none of them say anything else.
3. I tried to write on the first page where Mum's letter was, but it's like the quill won't work or something. No ink comes out.
Maybe this is the page where the Princes will write to me.
Or maybe Mum's letter will come back some day. I will leave the page alone just in case.
4. I will use this book to make a record of Hogwarts. It is important to keep track of things.
5. I will put numbers next to each new or important thing.
6. I have been to some classes. Here is what I think of them so far.
A. Charms: The Charms teacher Professor Flitwick is a dwarf like I saw at the fair when I went with Granny Snape. He is a Ravenclaw. He seems nice but I would not count on it. It could be an act.
When I made my feather fly, he said -- Good lad. Everyone from our dorm was able to Levitate their feathers except Avery. He's an idiot. Makes Slytherin look bad.
Verdict: Charms does not seem like it will be hard. I looked ahead in the book, and some of the stuff will be useful.
(Question: Are all dwarfs magic? It would make sense.)
B. Herbology: When you first go into the greenhouse, it looks like mess and chaos, but it is actually quite organized. Professor Sprout is also messy, but when she told us what to do, she was very organized too.
I think maybe a lot of Hufflepuffs are like this -- they make you think they are silly when they are really sharp. They will need to be watched.
We repotted fanged geraniums. I took one and put it in my bag, it is too young to bite yet. I thought it might be good to have, because you never know.
Verdict: I don't much like mucking about in dirt, but I can see that there are things worth knowing in Herbology.
C. Transfiguration: First bad thing: We have Transfiguration with the Gryffindors.
Second bad thing: The Slytherin second years said to watch out for Professor McGonagall, she is head of Gryffindor and she is mean and hates Slytherins. She definitely looks mean, all pointy and stern and like she's frowning even when she isn't.
She said Transfiguration is "complex and difficult magic" but I think that is only true for careless people, not everyone. But most people are stupid and careless, so probably it comes to the same thing. I am not. Lily is not. Lucius is not. But just about everyone else is.
Evidence: We were supposed to turn matchsticks into needles. Bunch Parkinson said this was silly, because how often are we ever going to need needles, and they are for girls to use anyway.
Stupid. He honestly couldn't see that matchsticks and needles are just examples, even though McG told us this. She said it's not about matchsticks and needles, it's about seeing how two things are alike and different and figuring out how to change a little bit and then a little bit more until you shift the first thing into the second thing but keep the basic similar things the same, like them being long and thin, but what changes is what you use them for.
By the end of the lesson I could see this. It's easy to do if you are careful and if you have a plan and follow your plan step by step and see each change in your head first. It's a system. Systems are important.
But to repeat: most people are too stupid and careless to make this work. On the first day, only four of us made the matchstick into a needle, me and Biddy Goforth and those dipwads James Potter and Sirius Black. I'm glad two of us are in Slytherin.
I finished first. Professor McGonagall looked at my needle and then she looked at me with her head turned a little sideways, like Mum does when she is sizing up the cabbages in the shop to get the biggest one. Then the professor waved her wand over me and the words "Snape, Severus" appeared in the air in green letters.
She said -- Five points to Slytherin, Mr Severus Snape.
So she was not mean to me this time but I do not trust her. She is a Gryffindor.
Verdict: Transfiguration makes sense.
D. Potions: Professor Slughorn is the head of Slytherin and the Potions professor. He is rather fat and has a large moustache. He patted me on the back and said well well welcome my boy. He asked how Selwyn's father was doing, and Nott's, but he did not ask about Mum. I wonder if he remembers her?
We learnt how to light cauldrons and properly cut ingredients. Then he showed us how to make "inert bases." These are different solids and liquids that are neutral, that means they just help keep "active" potions ingredients stable. There are inert gasses, too, but we will not do those until third year.
Verdict: Open. Not very interesting yet but I looked through the book, and there is potential.
E. Defense Against the Dark Arts: This is called DADA for short.
The teacher is Professor Devlin. He is old and very thin. Selwyn's brother told us that this is Professor Devlin's first year at Hogwarts. I wonder why he is starting a new job when he is probably old enough to retire.
But he is interesting. He said -- Many people will tell you that dark arts are evil but they are wrong. All magic can be used for good or ill, you simply need to learn which is which. I will teach you.
Verdict: This class might be the most useful of all.
10 October 1971
1. People at Hogwarts
People here I like so far: Lily. Professor Flitwick. Professor Devlin. Lucius Malfoy. Mulciber is not too bad.
People I don't care about so far: If I wrote their names it would take this whole book.
People I hate so far: James Pooper. Sirius Blockhead. Their thug friends. Every Gryffindor.* (*Exception = Lily.)
People who are stupid: Bertha Jorkins. Avery. Just about everyone, really.
People who are clever: Professor McGonagall. Professor Flitwick. Professor Devlin. Lily. Lucius. Some Ravenclaws (not all, even though they would have you think so).
2. Potions -- This class has got more interesting. We made shrinking solution and other things.
Fact: What is written in the potions textbook is not always right.
Evidence: When we had to make stinging solution, the book said used dried fanged geranium leaves, but there weren't enough dried ones in the store cupboard. So I remembered the plant* in my bag and picked some leaves, and the fresh ones were better. My potion was the stingy-est.
Slughorn said, Excellent work, Snape. Keep this up and you will be as good as Selwyn.
I am already much better than Selwyn. But he is a pureblood and I am not.
But I will become so good at Potions that Slughorn will have to see how smart and worthwhile half-bloods are.
3. *Note -- I forgot my fanged geranium until today. It's a good thing I was careful when I reached in my bag, because I think the flower is ready to bite now. Wouldn't it be interesting if it somehow ended up in the Pooper's satchel? When he sticks his hand in -- surprise! -- Mulciber and I can laugh like the Gryffinwanks did last week when Pooper put that ice charm on the floor and I slipped. Lily laughed too, but she was trying not to.
21 November 1971
1. Useful things I learnt in History of Magic:
A. Binns is boring. History of Magic is not.
B. A syllogism is a tool of logic.
C. Syllogism:
Major Premise: All Gryffindors* are wankers.
Minor Premise: James Pooper and Sirius Blackhead are Gryffindors.
Conclusion: Therefore, Pooper and Blackhead are wankers.
(*Note -- except Lily)
D. Syllogism 2
Major P: Half-bloods can make excellent Slytherins. (Evidence: Phyllida Spore. A Slytherin. Also a half-blood [source: Hogwarts: A History]. Famous author of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi)
Minor P: I am a half-blood.
Conclusion: Therefore, I make an excellent Slytherin.
25 November 1971
1. Why I like the library
A. It is quiet and smells like old paper and old magic.
B. The Thugs do not bother me here. Actual studying is beneath them (or in Pettigrew's case, beyond him).
C. I like the books.
D. In the old books there are facts and ideas that no one today knows. When I read them, I'm the only one who knows. (And maybe Madam Pince.) This is useful. Case in point (see below)
2. I found a very old book called Plants and Potions. I looked up a plant I saw in Greenhouse Three, it is in Professor Sprout's private cupboard. It has white flowers and black roots. I didn't know what it was, but now I do. It is called moly and it is very magical. In a potion, it can protect you from harmful spells and enchantments -- dark ones, of course, and maybe even the stupid prank hexes that the Gryffinwanks use.
The book said moly is most effective if plucked in a full moon. I will find a way to get some.
1 December 1971
1. Important Fact: Mum was right about this book. It will keep your secrets even when you don't think you are writing secrets.
Here is what happened.
I was leaving Transfiguration when Blackhead used a hex to make my bag burst open. This book fell out and Pooper grabbed it and yelled -- What's this Snivellus? Your super secret diary? Do you pour your ickle heart out to it? Let's see.
I lunged for it but Pettigrew was holding my robe. By the time I used a stinging hex on his fingers, Pooper was opening the book and flipping through it. But then he threw it back at me. "Just stupid potions notes and history of magic," he said. "Looks like the stupid berk writes down every word old Binns says."
Blackhead made a grab for my book again anyway and I pointed my wand but then out of nowhere McGonagall showed up and took ten points from Slytherin for magic in the corridors. Bloody typical.
When I got back to the dormitory and opened the book, it wasn't potions or history notes at all. It was just the stuff I wrote since I got to Hogwarts.
So the book did protect me.
2 December 1971
1. When I opened the book this morning there was a new note on the blank first page. It was in old fashion handwriting, I could hardly read it. It said --
The owner of this magic book concealment must learn,
Since he must always be of it a Guardian most stern.
I don't know if I have all the words just right but it was something like that. Not like how we talk today anyway. Then it disappeared.
I thought about this, and I think it means that I should find a concealment spell for this book. It will be a charm or possibly a transfiguration. I will look for one.
25 December 1971
1. I have not been writing here because I have not found the right concealment spell yet. So I just keep the book in my trunk.
2. I am making an exception today because no one will see me writing. It is Christmas. I am staying at Hogwarts. It is free to ride the Hogwarts Express when school starts and ends but if you want to ride it for breaks, there is a charge. Mum sent an owl and said maybe next year.
3. I do not mind staying here.
4. About twenty students stayed. We had Christmas dinner in the great hall with three tables -- six or seven students and two teachers at each table. I was the only Slytherin student. I didn't really know any of the others. Lily went home.
For teachers, my table had Professor Slughorn and Professor Devlin.
5. The teachers did most of the talking and the rest of us just sat there. It was weird.
6. Professor Slughorn was very jolly, he was drinking a lot of mead and getting red in the face like Da does, only not yelling. He said to Professor Devlin -- I trust my Slytherin, young Mr Snape, is doing well in your class, Devlin old chap. He's a bright lad that one. A natural potioneer.
7. The food was prime. I had two slices of Christmas pudding with cream on after the fire went out.
8. I spent the rest of the day in the Slytherin common room. No one else is here. There were games and things in the great hall in the afternoon, but I did not go.
9. The supper just appeared by itself on the common room table. Ham sandwiches and chocolate cake.
10. I am a natural potioneer.
9 January 1972
1. I am making another exception with this book because it is my birthday, I am 12.
2. We had a cake in the Slytherin common room and everyone clapped. Even Lucius and the other seventh years ate a piece.
3. Mum sent an owl with a card and a book, Young Wizard's Handbook. I think she saw me look at it in Flourish and Blotts last summer. I hope it will have useful things in it. We will see.
4. No one else in the school knows it is my birthday. Slytherins keep those things to ourselves. It's no one else's business. Lily knows and she whispered happy birthday at breakfast, but she would not let the Thugs know.
5. Lily always said she would not like having a birthday so close to Christmas because all your presents are packed so close together and people aren't ready for a birthday party right after all the Christmas parties. But I don't care. I do not want parties.
6. I do not see Lily much any more.
13 January 1971
1. The Young Wizard's Handbook has a spell that I thought I could use to conceal this book. I tried it here in the dormitory but it did not really work. I wanted to make the cover look like it did when I first got it, like Magical Meals on a Budget, but I could only get it to shimmer and have a few letters on it.
2. I think the problem is that the dormitory is not very light, and the book said the spell works best in light. This seems backwards, because with a concealment spell, you don't want the thing to be seen clearly, you want to conceal it. That is the point. So you think you would want to do the spell in the dark.
But the more I thought about it, it makes sense. It's like a transfiguration. You need a system to move step by step from one thing to another thing. From what it was to what it will be. From what it is now, in full light and visible, to something covered up and not visible at all. So that's why you start the spell in the light.
It's not a real transfiguration, because the book will still be itself. It won't be really changing into something else. It will just look like something else. But the principle is the same.
So I tried to do the spell in an empty classroom with windows. I stood right in the sun.
3. When I was saying the spell, Yaxley came in. He is a fifth year. He asked what I was doing. I did not tell him about this book but I said I was trying to figure out how to make something look like something else.
He laughed and said -- found yourself a dirty magazine have you? Well it's never too early to start I guess. There are lots of good spells to make a book or paper look like a different one. It's a good Slytherin sort of thing to know.
And he taught me two different spells, they are much better than the one in Young Wizard's Handbook.
Before he left he said to me -- Snape, I've been watching you. You are smart.
I did not say anything, I did not know what he wanted.
He went on -- You get a very bad deal from those Gryffindors and the teachers don't do anything to stop it.
I know, I said.
He said -- You see what we Slytherins have to put up with. Even Dumbledore is against us, and the Ministry too. But there will be a new day coming. We will make things right.
I said -- what do you mean?
He said -- you wait and see. But our kind will be in charge some day, that's all you need to know now.
I said -- I am a half-blood.
Because that matters.
But he said -- Even so. We will need smart people, even half-bloods. Just keep your eyes open for us. And keep your mouth shut.
I will.
3. Fact: When I touch this book, I see it as it really looks, with its black leather cover and the silver snake. But now when someone else sees it or touches it, it looks like Hogwarts: A History. Even to Slytherins.
4. Evidence: I put the book on the common room table while I was writing an essay and Nott said -- what are you reading this for? Who cares about this rubbish?
Buckler said -- Snape does. He's a bloody boring swot.
He picked up the book and looked through it and didn't say anything, so clearly it looks like Hogwarts: A History inside too.
I said -- You couldn't be a swot if you wanted to, Buckler. You have to be able to read first.
Buckler is an idiot. If a new Slytherin day does come, they'll have to figure out what do to with all the stupid ones.
29 February 1972
1. Today is Leap Day, it is very magical AND it is a full moon.
2. Very early this morning I got up to sneak out to Greenhouse Three. The full moon was at its peak at 0411 hours and 54 seconds. I wanted to pick a moly flower to see if that old book was right and it will make a powerful protection potion.
Mission accomplished. I have the flower and no one saw me.
3. But I saw someone. Two someones. When I was leaving the greenhouse I saw a shadow, and it was Blackhead and Pooper skulking along the edge of the wall by the back garden. I hid myself and I heard Blackhead say -- hurry up! He'll already be in the shrieking shack and we still have to figure out that tree.
Pooper said -- I can make it work, I know I can.
Bragging. Typical.
Then they ran off, I lost sight of them behind that whomping tree.
Very interesting. Very.
4. I have something on them now. This is always a good thing.
5. I will try to find out more.
2 March 1972
1. I went to the potions lab last night to start to brew the protection potion with moly. I found instructions in that old book in the library.
2. It is very complicated but everything has worked so far. It will take two weeks to finish.
15 March 1972
They have spoilt it. Pooper and Blackhead and their toady Pettigrew. They followed me when I went to check the potion and Pooper said -- what are you up to, Snivellus and then he saw my cauldron and he deliberately ran into me and knocked me into the cauldron and it fell over and he laughed and said oops, oops. Look what you made me do.
The potion is ruined.
It was almost done and now it is ruined.
I will pay them back.
16 March 1972
1. Tonight when I opened this book there was a new message. It said -- Moste Potente Potions is a book in the Restricted Section of the library.
2. I asked Professor Devlin for a permission slip to get into the Restricted Section. He said -- You like to read, Mr Snape?
I said yes.
He said -- Good. You'll gain knowledge that way, and knowledge is power. Can you handle power, Mr Snape?
I said -- I don't know.
He said -- You must control it and not let it control you. Be careful. Be cautious. Power will be what you make of it.
I said -- like dark magic?
He said -- just like dark magic.
3. I will go to the library tomorrow.
17 March 1972
1. I have the book. Moste Potente Potions.
2. It is prime. There is no end of useful instructions in it. Some people would say that a lot of these potions are dark, but I don't. It depends on what you use them for.
3. There is a recipe for an even better protection potion than the one with moly. That must be why the Princes told me to get the book. I will start looking for the ingredients.
4. The magic is strong in the Restricted Section. I could feel it. The books were rustling and kind of whispering. I whispered back -- show me how to create spells. And a book flew right off the shelf and came over to me.
5. It is called Spell Theory. It is small. I put it inside Moste Potente Potions and Madam Pince didn't even see it when I left.
24 March 1972
1. They talk about me. The teachers.
2. Evidence: I heard them. In the library.
3. Details: I was sitting in the back corner near the Restricted Section. I was the only person in there. Everyone else was skiving off because the Easter break starts soon and they are stupid enough to believe that if something doesn't have to be done until after break, they don't need to think about it right now.
Professor McGonagall came in. She said -- Quiet night, Irma?
Madam Pince said -- Very.
McGonagall said -- I was hoping that at least a few of the N.E.W.T. students might be trying to get a head start on their major project, but I suppose that's too much to expect, this close to the holiday.
Pince said -- Just wait until examination time arrives, then they'll be sorry, mark my words. But no one has been in for over an hour. Young Snape from Slytherin was here earlier but even he seems to have left.
I stayed totally still, I didn't even turn a page. I didn't want them to know I was still there.
McGonagall said -- He takes his schoolwork seriously, that boy. He's one of the best of his year in Transfiguration.
Pince said -- If only they could all be studious like him. He spends more time working in the library than any other student, even the N.E.W.T. candidates. He does research on his own, outside of assigned reading.
McGonagall laughed and said -- Sounds as if he should have been in Ravenclaw. The sorting hat must have made a mistake.
Then she sounded more serious and said -- I'm concerned about him, though, Irma. He's very bright, but he's so. . .I don't know, so suspicious and withdrawn. So hard to reach, and he doesn't seem to have many friends.
Pince said -- He talks to your Lily Evans sometimes. And to some of the Slytherin boys, Mulciber and Yaxley.
McGonagall said -- That's part of what worries me. The political situation being what it is, a disaffected boy like Snape could be ripe for recruitment by extremists. I'm wary of Yaxley and Malfoy; I think they support all that pureblood purity nonsense.
Pince said -- Isn't Snape a half-blood? They won't be interested in him.
McGonagall said -- Don't you believe it. They'll be happy to make use of his level of intelligence, especially if they can get him on their side. You know, convince him that the rest of the wizarding world has wronged him somehow and that he should be loyal to them. I imagine Mr Snape is capable of a great deal of loyalty; I've seen him talk to Lily, too, even when it's clear that his Slytherin compatriots don't want him to.
Pince said -- You're probably right.
McGonagall said -- Houses can be wonderful influences in a child's life, but they can be bad influences, too. I just don't think Slytherin is good for Snape.
Then they talked about other things, and McG got some books and they turned down the lights and left. They never did see me.
4. A strange thing happened when I was writing about McG and Pince's conversation. In each paragraph, as soon as I started putting down the words, the quill began to write on its own. It wrote the words just as they were said aloud.
It is better than I could have done by myself. I would not have remembered every single word.
5. I believe it is the Prince book helping me.
6. Thank you.
7. I looked up "disaffected" and "compatriots." "Disaffected" means "rebellious, discontented, dissatisfied with authority." "Compatriots" means "from the same country" or "companion, colleague."
8. I am not rebellious. But I am definitely dissatisfied with Gryffindors.* (Note -- *except Lily)
9. Slytherin is not a bad influence on me. This is a lie. Slytherin has given me compatriots.
10. I don't like it when people talk about me.
11. Or watch me.
12. But I am not sorry they know I am smart. Smarter than any Gryffinwank, that's for sure.
13. I am the best Transfiguration student in my year.
1 April 1972
1. Tomorrow is Easter.
2. Only five of us left in the Slytherin common room over the break. No one else from my year.
3. I have been experimenting.
A. Potions: I brewed three phials of the new protection potion.
Results: Successful.
Evidence: I drank one phial and then went to the beehives near Hagrid's house and put my hand straight in. I did not get one sting.
B. Spells: The theory in the book is difficult.
Results: Unsuccessful. So far.
End of the Term
1. Tomorrow I leave to go home.
2. I have packed everything except this book and my nightshirt. And my quill.
3. I will sit with Lily on the train. I waited for her after breakfast today and she said --Yes, for a little while at least.
4. I have not written much here in the last few weeks because exams and homework were ridiculous.
5. I have continued to experiment with spells.
Results: promising.
6. Professor Devlin gave me a note to say I could take Plants and Potions home with me over the summer. (I will take Spell Theory too, but no one will know.)
7. Professor Devlin is not coming back next year. He has to go somewhere warm for his health.
This is not good news.
6. Thoughts.
A. It has been a good year overall.
B. I have learnt a lot. Examples:
--A lot about making potions. More than I can write here.
--Dark magic is only dark if you make it dark.
--You can use dark magic safely if you don't let it control you.
--The wizarding world is unfair to Slytherins, but things may change someday.
--If you have power, be careful with it.
--If you are careful and have a system and think things through, you can make changes in the potions recipes without blowing up any cauldrons (like moron Pettigrew) or creating fumes that cause everyone at your table to break out in warts (like moron Avery). And your potions will be better.
--Teachers watch you even when you don't know it. And they talk to other teachers about you.
C. Yaxley and Lucius and some of the other Slytherins have been nice to me. In my year, Mulciber is not so bad. Avery is an idiot.
D. I will pay back Pooper and Blackhead for everything someday. They'd better watch out, that's all.
E. Now I have said all I will say about this year.
Signed, Severus Snape, SLYTHERIN.
On to Part Two Here