How Nice of You to Join Us
SATURDAY. OCTOBER 30, 1971.
By the time Severus creeps back into the Common Room, nearly everyone is fast asleep. He wasn’t out past curfew, mind you. He wouldn’t risk that— not to help Lily’s new friend, at least. But it’s the night before the first Quidditch match against Gryffindor, and the Slytherin students seem to have decided to be up bright and early to watch their team slay the lions. Most students. But not Severus Snape’s roommates.
Edmund Avery and Bruce Mulciber are seated at the long banquet table, backs straight, and hands fidgeting in their laps as Corban Yaxley and Lucius Malfoy exchange comments in hushed tones. Severus jolts when Lucius Malfoy’s slate-grey eyes fall upon him.
“Severus, how nice of you to join us.” He smiles a joyless smile. Severus is frozen where he stands. Lucius has that effect on him. He seems to have that effect on everyone, truthfully. “Come. Sit.”
Severus steps forward, hesitating as he approaches the table. There’s a seat open to Mulciber’s left, between him and Yaxley. But there’s also a seat available to the right of Avery, next to Lucius. Would it be too forward to sit beside Malfoy? The man had just welcomed Severus– had welcomed Severus several times since school began.
He swallows dryly and pushes forward. The chair beside Avery makes a low, scraping noise as Severus takes his seat. Lucius’ eyes glint in the firelight. Severus thinks he’s made the correct choice.
“We looked for you,” Avery says, his pale eyes narrow as he studies his roommate. “You weren’t in the library.”
Severus isn’t sure whether to feel pleased that the boys had wanted him around badly enough to seek him out or irritated at Avery’s accusatory tone. “I was in the library.” He responds swiftly.
It’s not a complete lie. He had been in the library prior to meeting up with Lily and her friend.
Mulciber scoffs. “Sure.”
Severus isn’t entirely sure why he’s even bothering to hide his whereabouts from his friends. It’s not as though they would care that he’d been in the classroom after hours. Lucius might, being a prefect and all. But Severus is sure that if he just explained to Lucius that he’d been tutoring someone, he’d be let off with a warning… so long as he didn’t let it slip that it had been a Gryffindor he was tutoring.
“Were you with your little girlfriend, Sevvie?” Yaxley drawls. He cradles his chin in his palm, grinning knowingly at Severus. Severus feels himself redden. His stomach dips.
“I-”
“Don’t answer that, Severus.” Lucius places a hand on Severus’s shoulder. It’s cold, even through his robe. Severus’ mouth clamps shut immediately.
Yaxley pouts. “You’re no fun, Malfoy.”
Lucius glares at the other boy, but Yaxley is undeterred. He simply wrinkles his nose and winks at Severus.
“Corban, a word.” Lucius stands from his chair and drags Yaxley away from the table. The older boys step closer to the fireplace, where Malfoy begins to whisper fervently at Corban.
When Severus tears his eyes away from the seventh-years, he startles to find Mulciber and Avery’s eyes trained firmly upon himself. After a moment of painful silence, he clears his throat. “Yes?”
“Is it true?” Avery’s eyes gleam now that the older boys have gone. It sends a shiver down Severus’ neck. “You were with Evans?”
Severus doesn’t respond. He isn’t sure what the right thing to say is. Lucius told him not to answer…
“You were!” Avery laughs. He elbows Mulciber. “You owe me three sickles.”
Mulciber rolls his eyes and fishes around in his pockets for the money. Severus’ brows furrow. “Excuse me?” He blinks.
“Please,” Mulciber grumbles as he slaps the silver coins into Avery’s waiting palm. “It’s obvious you fancy her.”
Severus’ reply is immediate and much sharper than he would typically allow with his roommates. “I do not!”
For a split second, he’s flattered that the Slytherin boys have actually noticed him enough to form that ridiculous theory. But then the second passes and he’s just terribly uncomfortable. He shifts in his seat, feeling every bit the way he does while on a broom. Queasy and a bit afraid.
Mulciber rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. Mulciber has never smiled at Severus. Not unless he was laughing at someone.. is he laughing at him?
“Lying won’t do you any good when you were just off on a date.” Avery wags his finger at Severus.
“It wasn’t a date!” Severus insists a bit too loudly. He glances over at the seventh-years to ensure he didn’t disturb them. When it’s clear they’re still engrossed in their argument, he turns back to his roommates. “We weren’t even alone.”
Mulciber’s eyes light up. He holds out his hand to Avery, but Avery has already pocketed the money. He pretends not to see his friend. “What do you mean you weren’t alone?” He asks.
Severus shrugs. “Her friend was there. We were tutoring her.”
Mulciber flicks Avery in the back of the neck, then snickers. “Evans has friends?”
Severus frowns while Avery laughs. Of course, Lily has friends. She would always have at least one friend. She would always have him. He doesn’t say this, though. It obviously wouldn’t be the smartest thing to say while attempting to convince them he doesn’t fancy his best mate. He nods.
“Who?”
“Mary Macdonald.”
Mulciber positively cackles. “Macdonald? That’s rich. You tutor muggleborns?”
Severus hates being on the receiving end of Mulciber’s derisive laughter. He despises it. It makes him feel small. He much prefers laughing at somebody else with Mulciber.
“It was just this once.” He says. Then, “Merlin knows she needed it.”
And that does the trick. Mulciber laughs again; this time, it doesn’t feel so pointed. Severus swells a bit. He bloats further when he catches the approving smirk on Avery’s face. So he continues.
“It was a bit of a nightmare, honestly. She barely knew her way around a wand.”
This time, Avery laughs, too. Just a bit. “Of course. It’s not like she’s meant to have one.”
Mulciber is howling now. Before Severus can say anything more, Yaxley glides past them and up the stairs to his room. Lucius approaches them slowly, eyes still trained on Yaxley until he’s disappeared from sight entirely. Then, he turns to the boys. “Care to share?” He takes a seat at the head of the table. He studies them; his perfect brow is arched in bemused indifference.
None of the boys speak up. Obviously.
“Then you won’t mind if I continue?”
Severus shakes his head. But Lucius seems to have entirely forgotten Severus and Avery even exist. His gaze has tunneled in on Bruce Mulciber.
“Good. As I was saying, Bruce, I’d like you to let your father know how lovely it was to meet him last weekend.”
Mulciber nods.
“I’m sure you’re well aware of what an honor it is to be selected as your father was.”
Mulciber nods again. Severus feels lost.
“I’ll be sure to tell him how well his son is doing in school the next time I see him.” Lucius says, “I hope to hear you’ve written to him by then. I wouldn’t want to have to introduce myself a second time. Understood?”
Mulciber nods a final time.
“Excellent.” Lucius flashes his perfect smile. For the first time since sitting back down, he acknowledges the others at the table. “Goodnight, boys. I wouldn’t stay up much later if I were you. Big day tomorrow.” He stands up with one swift movement. The chair makes no noise as he pushes it back. Severus watches him all the way up the stairs.
Mulciber isn’t laughing anymore.