Chapter 5
HIS CLASSES WENT ON NORMALLY. But sadly, he hadn't been able to truly appreciate and enjoy his first day at Hogwarts due to the foreboding feeling of what would happen that night.
His Slytherin classmates were putting on smiles in public, a show of unity as Prefect Parkinson and Prefect Bulstroad said they must put on.
But as soon as they entered the common room, there was nothing stopping them.
After dinner, his fellow first years such as Rabastan Lestrange, Thomas Nott and even Zack Dolan were all wide smiles as they swaggered into the Common Room with an air of superiority and confidence.
The self-important feeling however, fell as soon as they entered the Common Room and realised that the Court was gathered. Even though they knew that it wasn't their fault, they still felt nerves upon seeing the Court, who were all dressed in their black robes as the previous day, but now with their hoods down.
Severus looked at the Court with weary eyes.
Cassandra Greengrass spotted him first and smiled. "Severus," She said, her voice as alluring and sweet as it had been the day before. "We have been expecting you." She said and gestured for him to come over.
That did not make him feel better at all.
But nevertheless, Severus made his way over and stood before the Court.
Nobody spoke.
But the intensity of everybody's eyes were too much for him, so he avoided eye contact and looked around the room. There was practically nobody there. He could see what was left of his classmates being ushered into their respective dorms by some of the older years before they too disappeared.
He was well, and truly alone. Excluding the Court, of course.
Now, there were no witness or anything.
Severus snuck a glance at the Court's individual faces.
Every one of them looked at him with their practised blank faces, that they were taught as purebloods, except the King and Queen.
The King was regarding him with a disgusted expression and cold eyes and was also giving him a look of superiority. The Queen was looking at him with a curious expression and fascinated, enchanting, bewitching eyes, as if he was a new mystery she wanted to solve, and was also looking at him with casual, elegant indifference.
"Do you realise why you have been called?" The King asked him cooly.
Severus nodded slowly before hesitating. "I have a feeling..." He trailed off.
The King glared at him and Severus visibly flinched. "You associated with a mud blood in public." He spat.
There was silence again, as everybody just stared at him blankly and Severus swallowed the urge to want to crawl up somewhere and die.
The Queen smiled at him, a glint in her eyes. "Tell me about the mud blood." She ordered casually.
And so he did. He told them how he met Lily, how he introduced her to magic and explained how excited he was to find out she was going to Hogwarts with him. He told them everything, leaving out no details.
The King scoffed at the end of his story and kept looking at him with his frigid icy stare mixed with disgust. The Queen seemed fascinated, like the expression one shows when they see something new and insignificant that they wanted to explore.
Severus couldn't decide what was worse- the murderous expression of the King, or the amused look that was seen on the Queen's face.
The Queen, he finally decided, was worse.
Heir Malfoy would at least kill him quickly since he wouldn't be worth his time. Heiress Black, however, would let him live as long as he either amused or fascinated her. She would take her time in fully deciphering him before making him kill himself in what would surely be an extremely painful manner. She would play mind games with him, like she was doing now, and would break him physically, mentally and psychologically.
The Blacks were known to be ruthless, after all.
Severus nervously waited for his fate.
The Queen smiled at him, and this scared him way more than the King's cold look.
The Queen then whispered something to the ears of her trusted second, who's face was still blank. The King did the same with his own most trusted.
After they had finished whispering to their respective second-in-commands, Miss Bellatrix Black and Mr. Theodore Nott stood up and left the Court.
The expressions of the Court, the King and Queen did not change from blank, cold and amused respectively.
Severus nervously shifted on his foot.
Exactly two minutes later (and he did count), Miss Bellatrix Black and Mr. Theodore Nott returned and sat back on their chairs.
Bellatrix Black looked at him with an amused expression, similar to her cousin's. "Go," she said simply, and he ran away to his dorm room as fast as he could, all sense of propriety and manners forgotten.
He realised that he probably should have asked her why she said that, if he had any punishment, if they were going to restrict him from talking to Lily, or anything really, but his self-preservation skills out weighed his curiosity and refrained him from doing so.
He could vaguely register laughter sounds as he ran.
The next day when he went to the Common Room after taking dressing up to go to breakfast, his fellow first years looked at him in surprised shock -as if they couldn't believe he was really alive, and frankly he couldn't blame them, he himself still could not believe he was alive, let alone not given any punishment or chiding- while the second years and up gave him a thoughtful and curious glance before minding their own business. It seemed that they were quite used to the mysterious workings of the Slytherin Court.
Thomas Nott waved him over to the sofa he were sitting on and the group of first years huddled close and Severus complied.
"So, what happened last night?" Thomas Nott asked, trying -and failing- to keep out the curiosity from his voice.
"I do not believe I am inclined to answer that to you." Severus replied cooly, remembering how they had treated him the day before.
None of them looked guilty, but Zack Dolan had a sheepish look on his face.
Zack Dolan opened his mouth to answer-
"Perfectly right, ickle firstie." A voice commented before Zack could.
The faces of the first years whipped around in surprise to meet the beautiful, smirking face of Bellatrix Black.
The first years turned beet red. Severus looked at them with a smug expression. A member of the Court supported him -granted it was just a small thing, but still!- and his classmates were just corrected by the Queen's second at that!
But Bellatrix Black wasn't done with them yet, as she raised an eyebrow and looked at them lazily. "Unless, you wish to challenge the decision of the Court? Then we would be delighted to tell you exactly what occurred last night."
Thomas Nott spluttered, his face turning red in embarrassment. "N-N-No. I-I d-d-don't-" He cleared his voice upon seeing Bellatrix Black's smirk grow wider and Severus's smug grow deeper. "I do not wish to question the decisions of the most esteemed Slytherin Court-"
Giggles interrupted his statement.
Lyra Black, Lucius Malfoy, Theodore Nott and Narcissa Black descended into the Common Room from their respective dorms and stood beside Bellatrix Black.
Lyra Black looked as amused as always. "Your brother is adorable, Theo." She commented lightly as she slightly tilted her head, looking straight into Thomas Nott's eyes, who had turned unmistakably similar to a tomato as his cheeks became flushed.
Again, Severus would not blame him for reacting the way he did. If he had heard such a comment from the impossibly beautiful Lyra Black, then he too would have reacted as such, or worse even.
Theodore Nott smirked lazily. "It is all in the blood." He said.
Lyra Black giggled musically before giving them all a small smile. "Maybe..." She said, her eyes still looking at Thomas Nott in amusement.
She gave him a smile before turning to Severus who blushed slightly at her gaze.
"Friends are wonderful to have." Lyra Black told him with a soft smile and ever amused eyes. "Do not ever let go of them. Just be more careful in public, alright?" She told him kindly.
Severus just nodded, knowing that words would fail him.
Lyra Black smiled at him again, making his blush grow deeper, before turning to her own companions.
Lucius Malfoy held out an arm to her, which she accepted, and the two of them walked out of the Common Room with graceful steps and her arm looped to his.
Theodore Nott bowed charmingly at Narcissa Black who reciprocated the bow and giggled, before repeating Lucius Malfoy's gestures. They both walked out of the Common Room as well.
Bellatrix Black stayed behind, looking at the first years -Severus, in particular- with appraising eyes.
"My cousin likes playing mind games," She told them all with a smirk before looking at Severus directly. "She gets bored quite easily. Try not to disappoint her. The consequences would be quite... dire." Bellatrix Black said enigmatically before smirking once again.
Prefect Parkinson nodded his head to the first years as he stepped into the Common Room before offering his hand to Bellatrix Black, who gave them all one more mysterious smirk before exiting the Common Room with him.
Silence descended on them.
"She scares me." Zack Dolan admitted, breaking the silence. "All of them do, actually."
Thomas Nott scoffed, the flush on his face having disappeared. "Foolish half-blood," He sneered. "You never admit weakness." He said, although everybody were privately echoing Zack Dolan's sentiments in their mind.
Zack Dolan ducked his head, looking sheepish once more.
Thomas Nott sneered at him again before giving Severus a curious look. He then stood up, and held out his hand. Miranda Flint, the younger sister of the members of the Court, gracefully accepted his hand as he escorted her out of the Common Room.
The other first years followed his example.
Severus himself was partnered with Selina Fortensque who looked at his hand in disgust before hesitantly accepting it and allowing him to escort her to breakfast. She was probably cursing herself for getting him, after all, she was a pureblood and he was only a half-blood.
Believe me, I didn't want to do this either, Severus wanted to tell her but he held his tongue.
Severus had the somewhat vague and indirect permission of the Slytherin Court -told to him by the Queen personally! -to continue his friendship with Lily, and he was honestly, extremely relieved. He was sure that this was happening only because of the Queen. But he knew that he should still thread carefully. He wasn't going to disappoint the Court and have them reverse their somewhat permission.
He didn't know what they did to people who disappointed them, and he frankly, didn't want to.
Severus realised he was correct in the sense that the Court did not pay much attention to the first years. After the initial interaction, and the small conversation with some members of the Court that day before breakfast, the first years were left alone.
And that was a good thing. It had been a few months since they first came to Hogwarts, and they had all learnt the way of the Slytherin Common Room pretty quickly. Nobody was supposed to be present when the Court was in session, and nobody was supposed to ask the question of what had happened.
If you kept your head low, you would be perfectly fine.
However, while most of the first years were trying to avoid the attention of the most esteemed Slytherin Court, the upper years were trying to gain it.
Even some of the more ambitious first years were trying their best to get the Court's attention on them, in a good way of course.
The simple reason was because there were four seventh years in the Court at the moment, and the Court had to find replacements for them by the end of this academical year. Not to mention the fact that the position of being the Queen's second was open! Although, to be honest, Narcissa Black was most likely going to get promoted to be the Queen's second after Bellatrix Black graduates, and would also probably end up being the Queen's successor after Lyra Black herself, graduates.
Also, the position of Valarie Bulstroad and Patrick Parkinson were most likely going to be changed as well, since they would be seventh years then and would not have the time to help tutor the lower years anymore. And the two's current role cannot be replaced by the upcoming year's sixth year prefects since they were definitely going to be Lyra Black and Lucius Malfoy, who already hold the role of Queen and King respectively.
Nathanial Crabbe and Gregory Goyle would most likely continue serving in their same positions, as would Theodore Nott, Dennis Yaxley and Penelope Rowle. The rest of the the position's of the current members of the Court who would continue serving the next year would without a doubt be changed a bit.
But even excluding all that, in summary, four positions were going to be open, and that was a very big deal.
Every single snake would love to be a part of the Slytherin Court. It was rare but not unheard of for a first or second year to be part of the Court. Heck, the current Queen became the Queen during her very first year at Hogwarts.
Severus wanted to be in the Court, and he was going to try his very best to do so.
And for doing that, he had to do something big. Something worth hearing about. He had had an audience with the Court for speaking to muggle-born Lily, but now he needed to capture their attention in a good way.
How was he going to do that?
After almost three months of school, Severus was sure of two things: James Potter was his mortal nemesis and Sirius Black was the bane of his existence.
Severus Snape hated them both equally.
The two of them fit the image of spoilt princes perfectly well.
Sirius Black was second in line to be the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black (the most richest and politically strongest House in Europe). He was intelligent, powerful, charming, wealthy and handsome. In short, he had his whole life handed to him on a metaphorical (or literal, one can never be too sure with the Blacks) silver platter. He was also the beloved younger brother of the Queen of Slytherin, giving him diplomatic immunity and basically giving him free reign to do whatever he wanted.
James Potter was no less blessed. He was the Heir to one of the most oldest lines in Britain, and it was a common secret that the only reason why House Potter were not featured in the Sacred 28 List was simply because the then Head of house, Lord Henry Potter, had an uncanny ability to make people very angry. James Potter was also powerful, charming, intelligent, wealthy and handsome. He and Sirius were two sides of the same coin. Not to mention that he was also Lyra Black's god brother.
This put both Sirius Black and James Potter on the unwritten 'No-No' list. As in, if you hurt them, then Lyra Black would kill you in the most painful way possible. Nobody wanted to be the reason they found out if that statement was literal or figurative.
This was the reason that Severus Snape hated them the most. Because he knew that even if they were in the wrong, even if they started everything, to go against them would be practically suicide.
The first rule in Slytherin was that Snakes stick together, at least by putting up a united front. But every pureblood family had an unspoken rule that family came first. Not to mention that Slytherins would first and foremost look out for themselves.
Severus did not delusion himself with the thought that if the two Gryffindors hurt him first, and he evens it out, that everybody would support him.
He knew how things worked.
The two lions held advantages that he could only dream about having. For starters, they were purebloods, he was not. They were wealthy, he was not.
And in case of the turn of events against him versus them, the Slytherins would most likely support them. For who would go against the brothers of the Queen? A Black and a Potter at that?
This was why he tried his absolute best to avoid them. He was sure that if he was in the same place where Potter or Black opened his mouth, then Severus might lose control and hex him.
Unfortunately, this wasn't to be. And everything changed one beautiful November afternoon.
He doesn't remember the incident clearly, but he is pretty sure that Potter and Black started it.
Words were exchanged, the Lions on one side of the hallway, the Snakes on the other.
It's all a bit of a blur, and he doesn't remember what Black had said exactly, but he remembers feeling angry upon hearing it. The next thing he knew, a spell (a dangerous one) had spilled out from his lips, a crimson colour streak had flown out from his wand and het a laughing Sirius Black straight on his chest.
Severus remembers blood, so much blood. He could hear screaming and crying. But all he could focus on properly was Potter's horror stricken face as he looked at his bleeding best friend, and Severus felt a sort of sick pleasure at that sight.
They deserved it, he thought, for tormenting him.
"What is going on?" Lucius Malfoy's clear, cold voice rang at that moment.
It was then that Severus actually realised what he had done. He had cursed a classmate. Not just any classmate, but the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black! The House of Black would be out for his blood!
Unfortunately for Severus, the real consequences along with the true weight of realisation of what he had done would not hit him until much later.
Severus watched as Lucius Malfoy's artic cool eyes took in each and everyone of them present in the hallway. Severus watched as Lucius Malfoy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at his still outstretched wand before roaming once again. He watched as the King of Slytherin's eyes froze upon seeing Sirius Black's fallen, bleeding form with James Potter desperately trying to stop the bleeding along with the help of a few other lions.
Lucius Malfoy's eyes widened, and Patrick Parkinson let out a gasp from behind him.
"Potter, stay with Black. Patrick, take Snape to the Common Room. Thomas, find the Blacks -all of them- and ask them to come to the hospital wing immediately. Drag them out of class, if you must. Everybody else clear out. Now!" Lucius Malfoy ordered, his voice frosty. Nobody moved, everybody's eyes were still attached to the form of Sirius Black who moaned in pain once again. "When I meant now," Lucius Malfoy explained patiently, breaking the trances. His voice was filled with anger and annoyance, capable of freezing glaciers with it's lack of warmth. "I meant currently, presently; or I will take fifty points from each and everyone of you for your failure to obey simple orders, incompetence and for simply, being beleaguering. Get out, now!"
Everybody scrambled away at that. It was sad to see that it was only the loss of house points which made them move.
The two Prefects immediately sprung into action after that.
Patrick Parkinson gripped Severus's shoulders harshly and all but dragged him towards the Common Room.
Lucius Malfoy immediately crouched down before Sirius Black and started muttering spells hastily. James Potter was in tears, but was still pressing his red and gold coloured Gryffindor Scarf (which was now solely red) tightly onto Sirius' wounds loyally, as he had been doing for the past few minutes now to control the blood loss.
The last thing Severus saw of them before they disappeared from his view as he and Prefect Parkinson rounded a corner, was Lucius Malfoy's ash-stricken, pale face as he levitated the unmoving body of Sirius Black and started walking hurriedly in the direction of the hospital wing with James Potter following behind him- his hands and clothes covered in the blood that belonged to his best friend.
The walk to the dungeons was long, but it felt even longer that day.
Severus had been in Hogwarts for only three months, but he knew for a fact that the route that they were going on was the longest way to go to the Slytherin Common Room.
Patrick Parkinson calmly walked two paces ahead of Severus. His neatly combed blonde hair, emotionless brown eyes and regal features made him look like a statue.
Severus walked behind him quietly. He had shot an Entail-Expelling curse at Black, something that he had heard Thomas Nott bragging about knowing how to do. It was a very dangerous curse.
"You do realise that Sirius Black might die, right?" Patrick Parkinson asked casually.
"Yes." Severus Snape replied promptly.
Patrick Parkinson gave him a side glance. "Hasn't the consequences het you yet? His chances of survival is very less. You killed somebody at the age of eleven."
Severus stayed silent.
"Speak when you are spoken to." Parkinson told him cooly. "Has your action been understood by your brain yet?"
Severus continued to stay silent.
Parkinson stopped in his steps in front of him, turned around and looked at Severus with a sneer. "I said," he said sternly. "Do you fucking understand what you did?"
"No." Severus replied lowly. He was being honest. The impact of what he had just done hadn't been caught up by his brain yet.
Parkinson laughed mirthlessly. "Well then, let me educate you on what you just did." Patrick Parkinson mocked. "You just killed the bloody Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Congratulations, you are the most stupidest person I have ever come across."
"He insulted me!" Severus snapped. "He spoke ill of me. He called me names in front of Lily. He and Potter keep pushing my books down and purposefully bumping into me."
"And so you exploded his body organs." Patrick Parkinson deadpanned. "Excellently, well thought-out, logical move by you. It truly deserves applauds." He said dryly. "Did you ever considered to bring up this matter with us?"
"You wouldn't have done anything." Severus said. "You only care about purebloods, and I am not-"
"We would have." Parkinson cut in, his voice frosty. "We did, actually. The last time the two boys did such a thing, we spoke to them. The reason they came to you today was to apologise. Did you let them?"
Severus opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out. It was true that Black and Potter had singled him out, but he had assumed that they were going to make fun of him again. That is why he started insulting them first, so that he would have the upper hand in their banters.
"No. I thought-"
"Exactly." Parkinson interrupted. "You 'thought'. You assumed. Did you pay attention to anything we told you on day one? Never assume. Always check for facts. You are such a fucking idiot."
Severus felt angry. "I am not a-"
"Yes, you are." Parkinson said, seemingly determined to not let Severus get a word in. "You are a fucking idiot. Do you know why? You killed a classmate -in school with many witnesses- because you were petty. Ever heard of the word 'discreet'?"
'I didn't mean to!' Severus wanted to shout. But he couldn't, because he did. Some part of him wanted them to be hurt.
"Which spell did you use?" Parkinson asked.
"The entail expelling curse." Severus replied quietly.
Patrick shook his head. "Couldn't be it. That's not how it's supposed to look. How many times have you done this before?"
"My first."
"Well then, this just keeps getting better and better!" Parkinson said cheerfully. "You did it wrong, you cretin. Doing a spell wrong is always more dangerous than doing the spell right. Black was unmoving. He might actually be dead." Parkinson mused, now continuing to walk. Severus obediently followed behind him. Parkinson chuckled. "Lyra's going to be on a warpath, and Bellatrix might actually kill you. Both of them have always held a little bit of a bloodlust." He cheerfully explained, not caring that Severus was turning greener by each word that escaped his mouth. "I've heard the Black family library has many... interesting curses. In fact, Lyra once told me about this spell -I'm not sure I remember the wordings properly- but it's supposed to cause every single one of your skin cells to individually die a microsecond apart from each other. While this is happening, blood loss will start to occur simultaneously as well and you would die within twenty to thirty minutes. Not to mention the fact that -much like a snake- you will be alive just enough to see your skin shed right in front of you." Patrick Parkinson explained happily, a glint in his eyes.
Severus felt like throwing up. "They wouldn't do that on me." He insisted. "It's a dark curse, and I am well within school grounds. They can't do that, they will be expelled."
Parkinson tilted his head as he analysed Severus. "Rather hypocritical of you to say that, isn't it?" He asked, his tone light and mocking. "You put a dark curse on school grounds, which means you should probably be expelled as well. Then you are free game."
"Probably?"
"There are other ways to make someone's life hell, you know..." Parkinson said knowingly. "Being expelled is the least of your worries at the moment. There are a couple of different ways the situation can escalade. No way better than the last."
"Like?" Severus prompted. He needed to know if there was a way to get out of this mess. He needed to know his best option here.
"You could be expelled from Hogwarts." Parkinson stated. "And if you choose to go to another school after that, then the school officials will obviously ask what made you get expelled. When they found out that you killed a classmate simply because he was coming over to apologise and over your stubborn ego combined with anger management problems, then I am sure that they will not accept you into their school. Somehow even if they do, then the Blacks will either bribe, blackmail, manipulate or threaten them to not do so. So in short, your magical education would be doomed." He said before adding, "But I am sure that that will happen now anyway, with or without the interference of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. In fact, the only role that the House of Black will serve in this process is to quicken it."
Severus stayed quiet for a while. "Is that my worse option?"
Parkinson let out an un-gentlemanly snort. "That's your best option." He corrected. "Although..." He added as an after thought. "The Blacks have never been known to be merciful. So, this will probably never happen." He admitted. "At least not without something worse accompanying it."
"Like what?"
"They can make your life a literal hell." Parkinson smirked. "You killed somebody-"
"-We don't know that." Severus interrupted. "He could be just gravely injured. He could be saved."
Parkinson shook his head. "Unlikely. You do realise the purpose of the entail expelling curse, right? Let me tell it slowly -so that you will understand- it is made to expel your entrails. Not to mention that you did it incorrectly, which is much more dangerous than doing it properly. The sad truth is, it will be nothing short of a miracle that will cause Sirius Black to live." Parkinson said bluntly. "Anyway, getting back to my original point, you murdered or attempted murder-"
"-I am not a murderer!"
"-so according to law," Parkinson continued, ignoring Severus's output. "You should be in Azkaban for twenty five years. More, if the Black's team of lawyers are as good as I know they are."
Severus was pale. Azkaban? With dementors? Twenty five years?
Parkinson kept talking, purposefully oblivious over Severus's inner fear. "That would most likely be your punishment. Or..."
"Or..." Severus prompted, there must be something better than this. Although, he supposes anything is better than being with those soul-sucking monsters.
"The Black's could choose to activate Meghalugues' Act." Parkinson revealed.
Severus looked confused.
"Meghalugue's Act basically is activated when somebody murders or attempts the murder of a pureblood heir." Parkinson explained. "In these conditions, the murderer is objectified, and is branded as the personal property of the victim's family. So if they choose to do this, in simple terms, you would be a servant in the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. Your status would be less than that of a common House Elf's. They can do whatever they want with you- you would be their chew-toy. And even if they kill you, they cannot be convicted, because like I said earlier, you would be objectified. The consequences of killing you would be the same as killing a House Elf, which is non-existent." Parkinson said cheerfully.
Severus felt sick. "That is barbaric."
Parkinson shrugged. "It's a law. Besides," now his eyes turned frigid. "You deserve it."
Severus opened his mouth to retort, but they were already in front of the Slytherin Common Room now.
"Scorpious." Parkinson said the password, making the door open.
All the Slytherin's were gathered there, every single one of them from his fellow first years to the seventh years. But the Blacks weren't present. Lyra, Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa Black were noticeably absent from the Common Room. Lucius Malfoy and Thomas Nott were not there as well.
Everybody were glaring at him, and Severus visibly flinched under their heated glares and disgusted looks.
Dennis Yaxley sneered at him. "Excellent move, Snape. Brilliant way to showcase your Slytherin cunningness." He spat.
Severus struggled to control his tears.
"Dennis," Parkinson spoke. "Any news on Black?"
Dennis Yaxley shook his head. "No. But it's bad, really bad. Lucius isn't back yet. Slughorn came a minute ago. They are transferring Sirius Black to this hospital in France that specialises in trauma accidents. But the school's Medi-witch said that even then the chances of Black being alive are slim, at best. The Black girls along with James Potter have been given special permission to take holidays until Sirius Black's recovery. Or funeral, which ever comes first." He shrugged.
Cassandra Greengrass spoke next. "We -all of us- will be subjected to very bad response by practically the whole school for the next couple of days due to this incident." Here she glared at him again. "So every Slytherin will travel in groups of no less than five, except our dear Snape, of course." A sickly sweet smile graced her face. "Considering you were able to perform an entail expelling curse, I am sure defending yourself against other unsavoury spells will be all too easy for you."
Severus stayed silent, knowing it would only be worse for him to speak.
"Looks like he has a brain after all!" Dennis Yaxley chuckled.
"If only he could use it more often." Penelope Rowle mused, a sneer prominent on her face.
Severus continued to stay quiet as everybody laughed at him.
The Common Room door opened once again, revealing Lucius Malfoy. For once, the Malfoy heir didn't look as prim and proper as always. His outer black school robes were missing, and his uniform was sporadically stained red. There was even a slob of blood on his face. The King of Slytherin held a cold on his handsome face. His gaze was frigid and his face was expressionless except the sneer that was seen on his countenance. Thomas Nott slipped inside the Common Room from behind him, sneered at Severus and then proceeded to stand beside Rabastan Lestrange.
The Slytherins stood still and silent, as they expectantly waited for their King to give them orders.
"As you all know, there was an incident earlier." Lucius Malfoy spoke, his voice as cool as the artic circle. "The Blacks are taking a temporary leave from the Court, and they will not be replaced. For now, the Ruler's Voice Act will be in motion. Which means that until the Queen returns, you will all listen to me, and me only. I will dictate what you think, what you say and how you act. Go against me, and I will also decide how many limbs of your body should be torn apart and for how many days." He said coldly. "Alright?"
Everybody nodded.
"Everybody travel together, we don't want any unwanted attacks." Lucius Malfoy continued. "And a person will be assigned for each group as follow, to make sure that they do not disobey. Feel free to use force in order to implement this Act. Johnathan Flint, seventh year boys. Cassandra Greengrass, seventh year girls. Nathanial Crabbe, sixth year boys. Penelope Rowle, Sixth year girls. Theodore Nott, fifth year boys. Valarie Bulstroad, fifth year girls. Henry Flint, forth year boys. Katherine Fawley, forth year girls. Dennis Yaxley, third year boys. Septima Shafiq, third year girls. Patrick Parkinson, second year boys. Fiona Fortensque, second year girls. George Goyle, first year boys and Melanie Carmicheal, first year girls." He assigned.
Severus did not recognise any of the new names, but looking at the nodding faces, he could tell that all of them were either seventh or sixth years. George Goyle was the biggest and physically, the strongest out of all the Slytherins -and possibly Hogwarts- and was assigned to enforce the rule on the first years boys.
"They will make sure you follow the rules. Any complaints, tell the person assigned to your group and they will pass it on to me. I will also communicate to you all through them. Understood?" Lucius Malfoy said.
Everybody shouted "Yes."
Lucius Malfoy nodded curtly, before focussing his artic cool gaze on Severus. "I am saying this for your own good, stay in the common room. None of us will protect you or avenge you if you step out and somebody hurts you. You brought this upon yourself. I will ask Slughorn to send you your dinner here. If you leave this room, then I guarantee that you will be attacked."
Severus felt angry. "I thought Slytherins stick together." He spat.
Lucius Malfoy looked at him like he was dirt below his handmade, expensive, Italian leather shoes. "And I thought that Slytherins were supposed to be smart." He retorted, earning laughs from around the room. "You brought this upon yourself." He repeated. "And I am giving you the best option available, but if you want to step out of the common room, then please; Be my guest."
Severus stayed silent again.
"Pathetic." Lucius Malfoy sneered at him. "It is because of you that three-fourths of the school will now focus their eire on Slytherins. I hope your revenge was worth it." He mocked.
"It was." Severus snapped, not realising the words that had left his mouth. But at that moment, all he had wanted to do was wipe that look on Malfoy's face.
Lucius Malfoy lifted a pale eyebrow before smirking. "You know, in a couple of days, you will be called in front of the Wizengamot and as one of the many, many witnesses, I will be called forward to give my testimony. I will be sure to give them this memory during your trial." He promised, before sneering once again. "On your first day, we told you all that the Slytherin Common Room is a safe heaven for every snake and we will continue to always stand by it. But leave this safety, Snape, and I cannot assure you that I myself, would not test out some curses that I have been wanting to try." The corners of his lips curled upwards in an almost sadistic manner as he said this, making many of the snakes nod in agreement.
Severus had taken the life -or almost, nobody was sure now- of a pureblood heir whose older sister ruled the House of Slytherin and whose cousins comprised a noteworthy quantity of the Court. This action of them telling him to stay inside and providing food was probably -and most likely- the only mercy he would receive from them.
"Get out of my sight." Lucius Malfoy sneered.
Severus nodded slowly and walked towards the dorms. He was 'accidentally' tripped at least four times on his way.
The Slytherin Common Room had many books about law -which they were encouraged to learn- and Severus was happy and relieved about that. Severus needed to know more about them. He needed to see if there was any loop-hole in that Meghalugue's Act that Parkinson mentioned. He needed to see if there was any way he could get out of this.
Please Merlin, let Sirius Black be alive!
It would be his only hope, because there is no way he can expect any mercy from the ruthless, blood-thirsty family that comprised of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.