Prologue
'The breeze is nice today' Snape thought to himself as he lounged by the great lake. Flitting through a book he'd already read for some last-minute studying as he waited for Lily.
As he read, he paid little attention to the group of students walking past him, he barely registered that the marauders were in said group as he scribbled a new thought in the margin.
"C'mon Mooney, padfoot. HEY SNAPE!" James called, startling Severus as he looked up to see the group had paused their trek in favor of watching as the marauders taunted him.
He quickly threw his book to the side, fumbling for his wand as he stood, backing away a few paces.
It was all for nothing as James hit him with an "expeliarmus"
"Nice one James" Sirius Black hollard, as the group walked closer. The group of bystanders chanted and egged the Gryffindor boys on, the noise drawing more and more of the student body to where the marauders now had Severus cornered.
"Impedimenta" James called. Snape felt his blood freeze in his veins as he heard him use Severus's own spell against him. He felt his ears grow red with shame and humiliation.
Severus was lifted high into the air and turned upside down. James used a charm to remove Snape's trousers. Suddenly he really wished for the breeze to go away.
"Right. Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"
"Stop it!!" he heard a call from further away. The crowd parted briefly to reveal one Lily Evans. Severus squirmed more desperately, red-hot shame filling him, but then out of the corner of his eye, he saw it. It was brief, barely there, but he SAW IT. Lily Evans, his best friend since 11, was holding back laughter as he was publicly exposed in front of half the student body.
"Let him down—" he didn't hear the rest of what she said too busy fighting the blood rushing to his head along with the shame. It wasn't long before he was dropped unceremoniously on the ground, Lily standing in front of him with her wand raised and engaging in the same arguments and exchanges she always got into with Potter.
But none of that mattered. Right now he just wanted to be alone. It was all just too much. The loud laughter and chortling from the crowd, Black and Lupin cheering on James, the blood fleeing his aching head, James and Lily arguing back and forth. It was like there was no escaping the ever-present noise on all sides.
He just wanted to be alone.
It quickly dawned on him that James was using this as an opportunity to flirt with Lily, As they exchanged quick banter. To his horror, he realized Lily wasn't completely shutting it down.
"C'mon, Lily! If you promise to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend I'll leave Snivellus be! Promise! What do you say?"
Lily blushed, but schooled her expression back to what it ought to have been the entire time "I would rather go on a date with a troll you imbecilic toerag!"
At that moment it was just too much for Severus, lily was just making things worse. How could she not see that? She just needed to go. She just needed to—
Suddenly a loud, maniacal laugh grated across the schoolyard. The unnerving sound of it along with the menacing aura of the new arrival, dragged most attention to the source.
The sound startled Snape out of his head, Turning to see Kathrine Lebedova, a 6th-year transfer student from Koldovstoretz Wizarding School. The witch was still laughing, bordering on Histaria as she reached out pointing at Lily and James.
"Oh- oh my god. Hahahaha. You can't be serious?" the witch wiped her eyes, seeming to regain her propriety momentarily as she strolled up to where the formerly arguing(read flirting) students were standing, sharing a questioning glance as the witch stood eerily close to them.
"Oh do forgive me for interrupting" she giggled "Honestly this is pathetic!" the witch cried. She spun around looking back towards the Slytherins she had arrived with "This half-breed is in our house correct?"
When Kathrine received nods in return she spun back towards Severus "Well then, right yourself, little half-breed. It dishonors our house to engage with these" she paused, looking over at Potter, her lip curling up in disgust "how was it the filthy muggle-born worded it? Trolls? Yes that should suffice" she turned back to him, seemingly proud with her insult.
Severus looked up at her shocked. He heard Lily squeak at the mention of her blood status as well as the marauders at the name-calling. The onlookers chuckling now at their expense as opposed to him.
Lily was the first on the defensive grabbing Lebedova by her shoulder "Hey! And what do you mean by that? What does my blood status have to do with anything?!"
Kathrine quickly smacked her hand off, a look of clear disgust on her face "Ugh, don't touch me, urchin" Lebedova looked back at Severus as she watched him gather his wand hurriedly before she turned back to Lily "And nothing. Your blood status is not the issue I have with you."
One could see Lily's irritation rising at the clear disdain "Oh really then what is it? Please enlighten me."
Lebedova chuckled "Really girl. How can one be so thick? You claim this Half-bread is your friend? Yes? But I watched you laugh at the poor creature's assault and then blatantly flirt with the perpetrator!" Kathrine continued to chuckle as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.
"you don't understand —"
"No! You don't understand!" Lebadova was suddenly stalk still, all humer drained in an instant as she was suddenly directly in Lily's face, gleaming down at her like a predator. "Potter and Black I can understand, hell even relate to, purebloods with a little too much time to spare, if the little half-blood cretin wasn't in my house I might even join in!"
Snape couldn't really tell if she was defending him or insulting him, but he didn't really care anymore, he pulled his body back to lean towards the tree, eyes wide and unseeing as he realized what he had been moments away from snapping at Lily before Lebedova had shown up.
As Lebedova continued to rant it became less and less coherent. One could still understand her message but the words, tho eloquent and graceful, felt off in a way that could only come from the linguistic spell used on transfer students.
"But that's not even the problem I have with you. It's that you blatantly deny it! I have little respect for false niceties. If one wishes to engage in blatant spite, one must be prepared to embrace it! My problem with you is that you actually believe you are helping the soiled blood! As if you're in any place to do so!"
With Lebedova seemingly done with the red-headed witch, she turned back to where Severus had been forgotten. His face still stuck despite the attention being turned back towards him. "Well little half-beeed, come along!" she extended her arm, a feline smirk easing onto her face.
"Stop calling him that!" Lily snarled at the witch "And Sev's not going anywhere with you!" she turned back towards Severus, faltering when she saw him still staring at them "Sev...?"
Sev looked up at the two girls. They were opposites in every way. Lily had warm, grass-green, doe eyes. While Kathrine's were also green, they bordered on yellow and were siren-shaped, making her appear more as a predator that would hunt said doe. Lily had red hair with tight, messy, and effortless curls. While Kathrine had loose black curls that tinted blue in the sun. Even their skin was different, Lily's skin was fair, with lots of childish freckles dotting it, while Kathrine's pale skin had green undertones, making her appear more regal and glass-skinned, not a blemish in sight.
Suddenly his eyes locked onto Lily's. She made a sigh of relief, thinking he was going to side with her, but he just kept staring at her, eyes blown wide and for the first time since first year looking absolutely terrified. "Severus..?" she stepped closer, only to stop dead in her tracks when tears started streaming down his seemingly locked face. Wordlessly he drifted to his feet.
And walked right past her.
Lebedova made a sound of cheer. "You know for a grubby little halfling you really are starting to grow on me!" the marauders seemed to have been shocked out of their stupor as James started hurling insults at Snape for abandoning Lily, while Sirius just started throwing hexes.
Lily stood watching their retreating backs with large shocked eyes. Snape had never ignored her, ever.
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"Ahahah, now that was fun!" Lebadova cackled, shoving Snape over to the couch in the common room while she sent the rest of her entourage away.
While they had been walking to the common rooms Evan Rosier had filled her in on the relationship between Severus, the marauders, and Lily Evans. Needless to say, the witch was not exactly impressed.
Just when Snape thought she was about to walk off she abruptly turned back towards him. Yanking him ruffly from where he was sitting and standing him still, he watched with baited breath as she stalked around him, seemingly examining him.
"Hmmm for a greasy little underling you have surprising potential. Tell me what family is it that your wizarding parent hails from?" Kathrine asked stopping in front of him to peer down in an intimidating yet carefree stance.
"Umm, Prince....on my mother's side.." He said looking down to avoid eye contact.
"Ahah! Of course! That explains it perfectly" Katheine stepped away for a moment to do a little twirl. "I believe this will work out splendidly!" the witch started to inspect him more thoroughly now. Snape sneered as she prodded at his nose for a second before stepping back again to look at him all together again. "Yes. Splendidly indeed!" she said.
She smiled a Cheshire grin as she invaded his personal space again. "I have been so bored recently, you see Severus?" she said in a self-pitying tone, not once breaking the uncomfortable eye contact. "I believe I have a proposition one that will cure my boredom, and maybe make you less of an embarrassement to our house!" she leaned in even closer, her yellowish eyes looking down her nose at him "I will teach you how to play the part of a pure blood, manners, diplomacy, self grooming. Yes. You'll of course never be a true pure blood but you'll be close!"
Severus shuddered, it was clear she would not be taking no for an answer. She seemed to view him as some sort of project, an experiment, some type of pet. However she got one thing right, he was not pure of blood, and in this house if he dared refuse her there would be hell to pay.
He nodded his head, eyes glaring.
She grinned hopping back and grabbing his arm "then come along now little Koshka! It is supper time and we have much to do!"
Severus already regretted this.
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"Do you trust me?" Lebedova asked
"No" Severus responded
They were in the great hall now, already having eaten supper, which had gone surprisingly well, Kathrine seeming to have calmed down in the presence of those she deemed equal footing. But then she had dragged him from the table, that same Cheshire from returning in full as she hurded them to in between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables.
"Too bad! There really is no salvaging all those breaks in the cartilage, and if you showed up good as new without any witnesses everyone would think it was some sort of glamour, tsk tsk tsk, that leaves one option!" before Severus could even question what she was going on about, she picked up one of the goblets off the table and swung directly at his nose. They both fell down, Lebadova using his body as a cushion, before abruptly standing back up.
At the commotion people from both tables turned abruptly to watch them.
"Oh nooo, I'm sooo sorry Severus, I must have tripped here! I'll fix it!" and then she pulled out her wand quickly vanishing the cartilage in his nose "OOPS! Silly me, I must have used the wrong spell!" she projected her voice loud enough to give a good show.
Panic overtook Severus, he quickly reached up to feel his nose only to feel the skin squish inward under his hand where cartilage should have prevented it. Madam pomfry was already making her way from the head table down the isle, pushing past the crowd that had now formed "back to your dinner all of you!"
"Oh dear!" he heard her say as she sat down in front of him, swatting his hand from his face to observe the damage. She sighed "well Mrs Lebedova certainly did a number on you. We'll have to use skelegrow to try and regrow the cartilage, but I can't promise it will be the same...." she looked at him with pity, before helping him up and walking with him back towards the healers office.
As they exited he turned back to see Lebedova, still with that Cheshire grin. He understood what she meant now.
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