Put effort into appearance
First impressions are everything!
If there is one thing Severus learned as head of Slytherin house it was that appearance and attitude mattered. Yes, money and connections were important but even if you had all the money and all the connections at your parents fingertips if you did not look or act right you would not succeed.
The students who became leaders amongst the slytherins were sometimes surprising. They were the ones who said the right thing at the right time. Dressed nice but not too nice. Spoke to those who wanted to and respected the wishes of those who desired quiet.
As a spy he knew how much his appearance affected his ability to get info and protect info from getting out. Playing like he despised Potter, while somewhat true, helped keep his cover. Always dressing in formal black perfectly pressed black teaching robes was a calculated choice. As a teacher it intimidated his students and placed him as a figure of authority, which he needed being only 4 years older than his 7th years at the start of his tenure. His all Black clothes as a man under Dumbledore demonstrated his commitment to morning Lily's passing. While to the other eaters the resemblance to death eater garb made them subconsciously think he was still on their side.
Appearance was everything. His old appearance was calculated with little flourishes being given depending on his audience. With the amount of money he had left he could easily craft the perfect appearance and attitude to go along with meeting his grandfather.
He wanted his grandfather to name him heir or in the very least become his on paper legal magical guardian. Which would be a fine line to cross as he did not want to come across as too well cared for but also not as too pauper and unable to hold him down in pureblood circles. He needed to inspire understanding of his plight but not actual pity. Slytherins always evaluated those around them. The more ambitious ones looked for connections and evaluated where a wiccan would go in society. While the cunning would look for weaknesses and what they found pride in.
In his second year as head Severus learned his best lesson in manipulating others from a fifth year. Miss Owen was a fifth year student who managed to become Slytherin's queen despite being a known halfblood. She had used the first few years gathering data. Those who were liked she buttered up by telling them how people were talking positively about their skills in what they were most proud of. Those that got in her way she would ignore, blackmail, or put down with a cutting remark about a failure they were subconsciously stressing about. Even if no one was gossiping about someone's successes people in general believe everyone is always talking about them so it was a pleasant statement people liked to hear. Before Miss Owen came to school that year she had gotten a new wardrobe. Nothing overly fancy but nothing overly worn. Her outfit was not perfectly pressed nor was it ever stained. This paired with her polite, indifference to prejudice, and ability to inspire action in those with true power led even those who did not regularly interact with her in Slytherin to respect her opinion. She was the quintessential slytherin in that her emotions and desire for belonging did not get in the way of her achieving her goals and she used cunning to achieve them.
Severus had subconsciously admired the girl. After graduating she moved abroad and successfully took over her father's company. Severus knew he as a child could never have managed what she did. He was too preoccupied trying to maintain his relationship with Lily, protect himself from the mauraders, and gain a true companion. Someone he could trust to have his back. Lucius Malfoy ended up being the closest thing he ever found. His roommates already were forced friends in that they knew each other since nappies before even meeting Severus. He managed to make it so they didn't hurt him but not without doing favors for them. His roommates were just as much bullies as the marauders except theirs was covered in a veneer of friendship while the marauders openly hated him. His relationship with his roommates improved by leaps and bounds once he was marked. They took him into their confidence and honestly admired him for becoming a death eater. Once they were marked too they were brothers in arms. His first year as a death eater where all her did was work on his mastery, create spells, and brew potions for the dark lord was the best of his life. He had plenty of friends and most people under the dark lord were nice because he provided their life saving potions. Most did not mean all as some death eaters always saw him as beneath them due to his blood status. Voldemort always had a soft spot for him. His inventions made him a personal favorite and eventually gained him his spot in the inner circle. The dark lord even deigned to give him private dueling lessons. The higher he rose in rank the more intricate his white death eater mask became. The dark lord was big on assigning ranks. Slytherins relied on structured hierarchy. His mask embellishments made him proud to don his uniform in the first war, before his eyes were opened to what really was happening. Sometimes he wished he was still that naive.
Speaking of naivety, appearance and attitude played a huge role in his interaction with the marauders. The first time he met them was on the train. He told them while sitting in his clearly 2nd hand robes how he wanted to be a Slytherin. This made him a favorite target. To them he was everything they hated as a “slimy no good snake” while also not having the backing to stand up to them. And boy did they pick on him.
His friendship did not prevent him from being the target of some of the Gryffindor boys’ cruelest pranks, and in fact may have only enraged the boys further. He and Lily ignored them as best as they could, but the Marauders felt it wasn’t acceptable for a Gryffindor to be talking with a Slytherin and as such they took it upon themselves to make sure Severus knew that he was not wanted around. Meanwhile, his fellow snakes did not protect him due to his friendship with Lily and obvious poverty.
When meeting his grandfather he could not appear too poor and unkempt. Nor could he appear too well off. He needed to find a nice balance. Like Miss Owen. Actually some hand me down robes with a few simple Transfigurations should make the best impression. It would display his magical talent and desire to look respectable without making him seem overly ostentatious or well off. However his shoes needed to go. Good shoes would do a huge service when it came to appearance and hair styling. His hair needed love. He had never paid attention to it in the past. And it was not overly soaked in potions fumes yet. The market did not currently have a potion to prevent potion fume related hair damage but it did have a way to repair damage. The solution to prevent damage was in a little paper he saw in Potion Paper Publishing's certified journal just after he became headmaster. If he searched through his memory he might be able to find the full recipe.
Hair and skin care were very important towards ones appearance and presentation. Most boys his age discounted their importance. But a new look was just what he needed. To the salon. If it wasn't too much he might even do a full spa day. This life was for him. He deserved a day to take care of himself
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Zero gravity spa was easier to find than he thought. The man at the used clothes store recommended it or Vitalité. Vitalité was in France which was way over budget even if he was being frivolous. It was a pleasant day. The hussel and bussel of Horizont alley brought warmth to his tired soul. Families shopping together, children rushing toward Diagon to see the new brooms. It was nice hearing the constant buzz of sound around him. Severus usually hated crowds but coming from a time where Diagon alley was practically empty not even to mention Horizont alley. By his second term as headmaster all the stores in Horizont were temporarily closed, owl order only. While Diagon was half shuttered. It was nice to be just one of many shoppers. Nothing unique and no one watching you as though one wrong move would summon other Death Eaters at any moment.
Just 3 stores from the spa he paused. This looked like a nice cordwainer shop. In his original life Severus never had a decent pair of shoes until he started teaching. At first it was poverty, Eileen scraping together whatever shoes she could find, then he was so busy with his mastery and rising ranks that he just didn't. He sighed looking down at his current shoes that looked smart but were on their third expansion charm. Shoes were almost as important in appearance as clothes and attitude. He could afford to treat himself. The money was getting depleted but if all prices were like they had been so far he could afford a splurge. Nice shoes were important for something even more needed than looks, comfort. If this life was for himself he was going to wear comfortable shoes. As a professor the best purchase he ever made were his shoes. Standing watching cauldrons boil and preventing death all day was not just tiring on the nerves and mind. His shoes made him thank lady magic multiple times a year for their skill in reducing strain on his body.
The shop's shoes were beautiful leather. And surprisingly cheap. Severus had never bought himself shoes of such quality before. This life was about him and he deserved nice things! He deserved one day of spoiling himself. It's not like he needed to save the money to buy essentials like food. The shop was very old but well kept. It was half the age of Olivander's if the signs outside were to be believed.
“Cordwainer Chandler at your service. Up you pop into the chair, let's see those feet.” The room smelled musty of various leathers and hides. The whole one wall was lined with what muggles would call 3 shoe shine stations. Severus climbed the 3 steps and sat in the plush, form fitting leather. “I need new shoes. My current ones come undone under a spell these.” He could see Chandler eyeing his feet with disdain. Severus put on his best snooty Lucius impression “These” scoff “I’m wearing shoes that are several seasons old not to mention expanded. I feel so hideously underdressed but I couldn't walk around very well without shoes. Now could I?”
The man seemed to nod to his statement though still frowning. “There is no need for you to keep these disaster shoes; they are practically unwearable.” He brought out a magical measuring tape. “Shoes can be fixed to a certain degree but these. These are past their limits.” Severus' shoes suddenly left his feet into the man’s hands. “ Look at these souls. These are not fit for human use. He then proceeded to start lecturing Severus on proper shoe care. Making Severus sink further into the seat feeling totally lost, out of his depth, and his actual physical age.
As he lectured the magical measuring tape finished its measurements. “Hmm, Your arch is positioned slightly differently to your average person. Makes it easier to be light on your feet in a fight but impossible to buy pre-made shoes. No wonder your shoes were in such awful shape.” The man summoned some soles off the shelf. “What kind of shoes do you want?”
Finally something Severus knew how to process. “I need three sets of shoes; Dragonhide boots for brewing dangerous brews, comfortable black leather dress shoes that look nice but still allow easy movement and defensive fighting maneuvers, and finally boots for hiking through the woods searching for potions ingredients.”
“Good to know you do know something about shoes.” He reached out behind his desk pulling out 3 strips of leather. “For the dragonhide in your size we have Welsh, Ironbelly, and Swedish Short-Snout. The short snout is best for dangerous potions because it protects against magical creature effects better than any other hyde though it is not as pretty as the others.”
He brought beautiful boots, aimed his wand inside and then handed the boots over for Severus to wear. They fit like a glove walking around the shop. They even comfortably handled his customer backroom course through the various textures provided like a slight rocky incline, sharp decline, slippery path and easy cobblestone. He was definitely getting these.
He summoned beautiful boots, aimed his wand inside and then handed the boots over for Severus to wear. They fit like a glove walking around the shop. They even comfortably handled his customer backroom course through the various textures provided; like a slight rocky incline, sharp decline, slippery path and easy cobblestone. He was definitely getting these shoes.
The next two shoes were just as easy to get. The dress shoes were the most interesting to watch get made. Cordwainer Chandler made them from their materials in front of severus’ eyes through complete silent casting. First he referenced the measurements he’d taken and sculpted a wooden mould that would move the same as his foot had on Chandler's course. Then the most magical part started as he watched the leather turn from a strip of fabric into various pieces, measured against his mould, which then came together to form the upper part of the shoe. Linings and trimmings of that style of shoe zoomed together into shape like a stylish jigsaw as the upper was tacked into place. Then Severus was asked to try it and suggest any last adjustments, making several incisions to check the shoe for even the slightest pressure on the foot, with only one suggestion Chandler was off with more magic. He started by adding the toe and heel stiffeners and shaped the insole to the bottom. With it in perfect shape thread started to stitch an approximately 3mm wide piece of leather to the insole and the lining. To finish it off a part was removed and brushes, clothes, and polish seemed to attach the shoe. Leaving a beautiful shoe behind. The Cordwainer looked it over one last time before placing the shoes on Severus’ feet.
As he walked Severus felt like he was in pure luxury. This was a shoe that was already perfectly molded to his foot; he did not even need to go through the breaking in period. No matter how much it cost, this was worth it. Happy with his purchase he paid and walked out in his new shoes. He never wanted to take them off.