The End of the Innocence

Chapter One: Genesis of a Hogwarts student

The hot summer sun revealed a quiet forest full of a mix of both deciduous and pine trees everywhere providing the earth below cool and comforting shade despite the excessively warm temperature of the air. Among this quiet setting, a young boy in his upper single-digit age rested against a fallen tree. His mind was noticeably occupied, entranced by a random beetle that happened to crawl by his ear just after he had settled down. The untainted wonder that occupied his face wouldn't be there for long for this wasn't an ordinary boy.

He eventually received two odd letters addressed to him as his day progressed on the peaceful forest floor. They surprised him since they seemed to drop right out of the sky and somehow landed on his lap despite the usual dizzy course of falling for most paper. The first envelope was made from a thick and heavy parchment type of paper and therefore, he analyzed, it wasn't a normal letter from anywhere nearby. It was sealed with red wax, which wasn't out of the ordinary since at the time of his early childhood, self-adhesive envelopes had just become available, however proved unworthy of the hassle the came with handling them. The stamp embedded in the wax was quite strange however. The first thing he noticed was a bold "H" and he didn't know anybody or anything who's initial was just "H".

Curiosity got the best of him and he opened the letter. The penmanship was written elegantly in a dark shade of green, which appealed to him immediately. It was indeed the type of print he'd hope to achieve sometime but he thought petty future ambitions weren't really the things he should be thinking about at the moment. He had something more interesting in his hands.

Dear Mr. Snape,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl response by no later than July 31.

Respectfully yours,

Cybele Curtrell

Deputy Headmistress

Total confusion swept over him like the tide coming in from the sea. Witchcraft and Wizardry...people were accused of that not too long ago. Severus had picked up on a few things about a witch-hunt that happened a little over a century ago. Several women were hanged and he suspected that they were all falsely accused. He would've loved to sit in at a trial so he could witness what might've possessed people back then to think a *woman* (or any man for that matter) could cause natural mishaps just by a flick of her hand or some kind of rubbish like that.

And then the fact that he'd been accepted to a school that taught people...magic. The idea was just absurd and he would've tossed the mysterious letter right at that moment...however, he had also received a second letter similar to it. And then despite the fact the envelope was made with the same type of heavy and thick paper, the seal was black with the significant letter a "D". Severus didn't know anyone with an initial of simply "D" but he suspected that it was an initial of another school. He opened it up and found that indeed it was. However, the penmanship was less graceful than the previous one, more harsh and scratchy in dark blue ink.

Dear Mr. Severus Snape,

You have been accepted to attend the Durmstrang Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Enclosed is a list of supplies and textbooks you will need for the upcoming year.

Start of term is September 1. We request that you respond as soon as possible. Submissions will not be accepted after August 1.

With all due respect,

Walt Killen

Department of student recruitment

Severus became quite bewildered and skeptical. He started to wonder if this was some random kid's prank. However, a kid couldn't write the first one if their life depended on it, he reasoned, and nobody lived anywhere near him anyway. So he made his way back to the house with the letters to show his parents. They wouldn't appreciate it if he just suddenly took off for some unheard of school right before his current school started.

Speaking of unheard of...Severus noticed that there was no return address or an address on any of the documents for the schools. It would be impossible to mail something back to a nonexistent place. He sighed with no desire to think about it at the moment as he pushed open the back door and into the kitchen.

His mother regarded him with a strange look when he handed her the envelopes. She read through both letters quite quickly and had a faint look of surprise after she did so. "Where'd you get these?" she calmly asked without betraying any of her emotion as she did so.

"They fell on my lap while I was out," he replied quite truthfully enough.

She continued to study them quietly, for what, Severus did not know. Then her mouth sort of twitched into a small smile. "Congratulations," she said quietly.

Severus was truly confused now. "For what? I've never heard of Hogwarts or Durmstrang and I certainly do not perform any form of wizardry---"

"That's what you believe," his mother interrupted gently. "You have had magic ability all your life. The environment that surrounded you as you grew up told you otherwise. You believed there was a logical explanation other than *magic* behind all those strange incidents around you. My dear son, you are in fact, a wizard."

The speech didn't sound at all like the woman that had raised him for nine years. "That makes you...a witch?" His mother nodded in confirmation. "And then father...a wizard?" Another nod. Severus still found himself slightly disbelieving. "And you never told me?"

"We'd prefer you didn't take advantage of anything too...soon," she said thoughtfully. "If you knew you had magic as a child, you might've abused them a little---we didn't want to risk it so you could take full advantage of it later on," she added quickly when she saw the scowl on his face. "If you abuse your magical powers in your childhood, it would be harder to get into a good school."

Severus thought for a moment. "So which one will I go to?" he softly asked.

His mother hesitated, again something that she normally didn't visibly react with. She was a strong woman after all. "Your father and I will discuss that tonight. With your best interests in mind of course." With that, she closed the topic off from further discussion with a request to help her with dinner.

~

Severus was in his bed by the time his father returned home that night. He was told that his father was a lawyer but ever since the brief and rather shallow education of family history earlier that afternoon, he was starting to doubt that a lawyer was his father's real occupation. Nonetheless, he accepted it for the better. He figured that in the end he'd want to be able to master his magical skills rather than be deprived for just performing a few magic tricks as a child.

He could hear his mother talking from downstairs. Severus figured she was telling him about his letters. He couldn't exactly hear what they were saying so he was about to stop trying and go to sleep when he heard his father bark out something in apparent disagreement. This got Severus's attention and drove him out of bed and into the hall.

"---But Hogwarts has a magnificent potion's professor," he heard his mother say. "And they are known for offering an excellent earthman course as well.

"I will not have my son go to some dump in Britain just to learn potions and arithmancy!"

"And Severus will not go to Durmstrang just to learn dark magic. If you haven't noticed, Severus is very interested and talented at chemistry. It's the muggle equivalent to potions and Hogwarts would fulfill that interest in a way Durmstrang can't."

The person in question was at the end of the hall by now. He sat with a slightly obscured view of his father and perfect sight of his mother. His mother didn't look at all happy anymore. Her eyes were stern and solid. His father seemed just as unmoving.

"How else do you think he'll survive in this world---"

"Dark magic will only make his life harder. You, of all people, should know that."

His father was silent, unable to fire a retort back.

"Hogwarts is safe. Professor Dumbledore is the headmaster there now. He will make sure no harm will come to him," his mother said firmly, taking advantage of their quiet moment.

His father let off a sigh of resignation and gestured at the letters. "Fine, I'll write back to Hogwarts in the morning."

Severus crept away as soon as he heard that. So he was going to Hogwarts. Not like he could know the difference anyway.

~

Quite faster than what Severus believed to be the normal speed of time, he was boarding this long and brightly colored train. His mother saw him off. His father claimed that he had something to cover at the office and disappeared before Severus was even up that morning as usual. Which left Severus in a slightly foul mood.

The boarding platform for the train was full of kids and teenagers with their families. He weaved through them quickly to keep up with his mother, who guided him to a door and helped him get his stuff on the train. His stuff resembled the baggage of many other students: a trunk and a cage. The cage held a medium-sized coal black owl that he decided to name Ebony. Having quite a struggle wrestling both his trunk and his cage down the corridor of the train, he finally settled in the compartment at the back and hoped no one else would want to join him. Through the window, he saw his mother blow him a kiss and then disappear amongst the many crowding people.

After a while, the train's whistle sounded in its first warning. The kids still on the platform said their last goodbyes and gradually made their way onto the train. Severus could hear the hustling and bustling in the corridor of his car. Compartment doors opened and closed up and down the hall. He heard the one next to him become occupied and silently wished that no one come further.

His wishes went unanswered however. Right after the second warning, the door slid open revealing four boys slightly older than him. The brown-haired one glanced at him with annoyance. "Someone took our compartment," he told the other three.

"Get out," a second commanded coldly. "You took our compartment."

Severus coolly regarded them. "I was here first," he replied.

One of the boys in the back burst forward. "He said get out," he growled.

"Shut up, Goyle," the second boy, whose pale blond hair contrasted from the others a great deal, muttered and pushed him back behind him again. "We were here first," he continued to explain with a matter-of-fact tone. "This was our compartment last year...and the year before that."

"That *was* last year---and the year before that," Severus flatly responded. "For some reason, I don't think merely occupying a compartment for two years in a row claims ownership of something. What about the people who occupied it before you?"

The two guys in the back snickered and brown-haired boy smirked with amusement. "You don't understand," he said slyly. "There are no previous occupiers. This train is only two years old."

Severus stared at them. "I'm not leaving."

Goyle in the back looked about ready to push through again with a warning of a growl, but the blond boy rolled his eyes and told him to quit being a pain. "Fine then," the blond boy directed his attention momentarily at Severus, dragged his stuff in and sat down. The other three boys copied them, although with less contentment.

Severus ignored them, easier with the seat next to him left empty, and pulled out a potions book his mother had bought for him when shopping for school supplies.

"So you're into potions," the blond boy observed from the seat across from him. "So is Shawn here," he motioned toward the brown-haired boy, "I think you two should get to know each other. Shawn is a fifth year. He could tell you a lot about Professor Figg."

"Professor...Figg?"

"The potions teacher. She's quite talented really; an excellent Slytherin role model."

"Slytherin?"

"Oh boy, don't tell me you don't know about the houses."

"What houses?"

The blond boy sighed along with Shawn. "Listen," the blond boy spoke with a hushed tone despite the privacy that the compartment offered, "there are four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin are their names. Gryffindor is where all the so-called brave people go to...goody-goodies is all they are if you ask me. Hufflepuff are the stupid and cowardly people. Ravenclaw are all the stuck up and smart people. Slytherin---" he paused dramatically and swept an arm around the room, "is who you're looking at."

Severus glanced around the room. He was about to make a sarcastic comment but bit his tongue and held it back. "So I suppose you're going to tell me that Slytherin is the best bet," he concluded.

"Exactly," the blond boy agreed. He leaned forward. "You're pretty smart for a first year...although quite uneducated about the Hogwarts life. How about I help you around with that." He extended a hand toward him and waited until Severus's tentative hand lightly grasped it. "Lucius Malfoy," he proffered.

"Severus Snape."

Shawn gaped and Lucius supported a shocked expression, even if it was only for a split second. Goyle and the fourth boy both looked confused. "Severus Snape," Lucius repeated, seemingly racking his memory for something. "If I can calculate correctly, my father told me you're only eight years old."

"Actually, I'm nine," Severus irritably muttered.

All four boys were staring at him as if he had just grown a long furry tail and a big purple nose.

"What are you staring at," Severus quietly demanded.

"You're nine years old and you're coming to Hogwarts?"

"Why, where else would this train be going?"

"But you're only nine!" Shawn exclaimed.

"I received a letter."

Lucius stopped his friends from their comments for a second. "You don't know anything, do you?" he asked warily with a tinge of annoyance. "Students start at Hogwarts when they're *eleven*. In fact, most wizarding schools accept their students in their eleventh year of age." Lucius frowned. "The only school that I can think of that doesn't do that is Durmstrang and they accept students at age..." suspicious pause, "...nine. Are you sure you didn't receive an invitation for Durmstrang?"

"I received letters from both."

Shawn almost fell off the chair in surprise. Both Goyle and the fourth guy goggled at him and Lucius looked quite jealous now. "My father tried to get me into Durmstrang," he said bitterly, "they didn't accept me."

"They don't know what they're missing out on," the fourth boy politely commented.

"Shut up, Crabbe."

"You chose Hogwarts over Durmstrang??" Shawn was still getting over the fact that somebody was offered a spot in each school and had happily skipped off to Hogwarts.

"I heard that the potions professor is really good," he said simply.

That got Shawn over his moment of surprise and he started talking about Professor Figg and the many aspects of the art of potions that had even Lucius bored. However, Severus was quite fascinated and listened to his ranting all through the trip. He was quite disappointed when he noticed that they had stopped next to another station.

~

He found with disgust and without surprise that he was the shortest kid in his year. Everyone else in his year not only noticed this, but he found that a disturbing number of girls were whispering back and forth to one another and pointing at him. He had no idea whether this was good or bad, but according to Severus's standard, any special attention was bad, bad, bad.

A woman was standing before him in silk navy blue robes that somehow complemented her dark hair. Her eyes were skimming the group taking a cursory head count while her hands deftly adjust her pointed hair on her head. She met his gaze once, most likely by random chance, and then proceeded to lead them into the Great Hall.

The Great Hall had Severus in awe. It was massive, decorated in four different segments. By house, Severus had guessed and would later find correct. The ceiling was hung with banners and streamers. Red and gold stood boldly at their far left, yellow and black in a section next to it in between an explosion of blue and bronze and then green and silver elaborated the far right.

Straight ahead was another table, a thin man with wavy brown hair sat calmly in the direct middle watching their procession walk towards his table. Several grown men and women sat along the table with a couple of empty spots here and there. Ghosts wove in and among the tables adding excitement in the atmosphere. Severus saw Lucius at the table at the far right. He nodded in acknowledgement and Lucius just returned it with a self-assured smirk. Shawn was waving at him until someone told him to stop being childish.

The woman stopped them in front of this stool with a funny dull grey pointed hat sitting on it. She introduced herself as Cybele Curtrell and did a small reassuring speech about the hat. As if on cue, a rip in the hat opened up and chanted a lengthy poem (unless someone *must* a have poem inserted here, I won't take time and space to write one) before remaining still again. Then Cybele pulled out a big scroll and the sorting began.

"Adderly, Celeste" was first and pronounced a Hufflepuff...and then Severus sort of zoned out after that. Shawn's spiel about potions on the train was still fresh in his mind and he was in the last half of the alphabet anyway. "Ryson, Narcissa" got his attention again when she was sorted into Gryffindor, followed by "Seedar, Phillip."

"Snape, Severus." The hall went suddenly quiet as Severus walked up to the stool and sat down. He saw the old lady at the far end of the table exchange looks with the thin man in the middle before turning around and having the hat drop over his eyes.

A small voice marked its presence in his head as soon as the hat landed on his head. "Hm...this one will be difficult..." he heard it say. "Oh yes, intelligence is definitely a strong trait. Perhaps Ravenclaw would satisfy your tastes..."

"No!" he frantically thought before realizing he had done so.

"---But you seem to crave more. Maybe Gryffindor could benefit your curiosity..."

"Slytherin...Slytherin...please Slytherin..."

"No, not Gryffindor...I guess I've got to put you in---SLYTHERIN!"

Severus exhaled a long abated breath. For a moment, he thought the hat was going to declare him a Hufflepuff. Then what would Lucius have thought? But he quickly realized that the word shouted out to the rest of the hall noted him as a Slytherin and he wandered to the seat Lucius preserved for him after the hat was taken off of him.

"So you're a proud Slytherin now," Lucius lazily commented with a sly smirk. "Congratulations. I believe you'll be a valuable addition to the Slytherin dorms."

Severus regarded him with a silent gaze as the Sorting Ceremony ended with a girl being sent to Gryffindor. He cursed himself for relying on Lucius's opinion so much, but that was the most acceptance outside of family that he'd received in his life. It's not like he was constantly harassed in school back at home, but he was ignored by his peers. And now...Lucius seemed to appreciate his bright mind. Severus smirked in satisfaction as the food appeared on their plates succeeding the solemn speech Dumbledore had made.

~

She felt her heart pump faster as adrenaline rushed through her veins. The whisper of soft black hair made it skip a beat, piercing and alert black eyes stole her breath, the air of confidence hovered around him like a cloak in the winter. A lot of the other girls seemed to be having the same complications Narcissa noticed. There was no mistaking it. Severus Snape had just entered the room.

Closely associated with Lucius Malfoy, one was led to believe that the girls adored him just to get to Lucius. And for his first couple of years at Hogwarts, that seemed to be the case. After all, Severus was still just a kid while puberty seemed to be taking over everyone else's mind. Remarkable intelligence drew jealousy from his peers and often led to bitter cutting comments from the less capable. However, Lucius took care of what Severus didn't have the desire to challenge and after a while, one thing was certain. Severus Snape was in the very small yet powerful ring of Lucius's acceptance, in other words, his friend. You don't cross with anyone that has to do with Lucius Malfoy.

Considering this invisible and unofficial but existent law, Severus received all the solitude required for him to pursue academic interests with ease and became quite deft in many subjects. Perhaps his only dislike was Divination but then again, that was a mutual feeling with generally all of the Slytherins.

However, even young Severus hit puberty over his summer before third year. Although his mind seemed unaffected, his looks seemed to compete with those of Lucius. For those who lived on pointless crushes day after day, this was a relief. Lucius Malfoy was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. After he left, the girls would have to find someone else to obsess over. Unfortunately for Severus, he seemed to be a good candidate for the next impossible fantasy lover.

Professor Figg stood stonily at the front of the room. It was cold in the dungeons, yet her black overcoat was hanging over her chair in contrast to the Gryffindor and some of the Slytherins bundled up in layers of sweaters, coats and scarves. Severus was one of the few that had only the standard school uniform covering his body. The cold seemed to mean nothing to him, perhaps the many long hours spent in a dungeon not unlike the one they were currently in numbed him to it.

"Optolus Enhancement Elixer," she crisply announced. "Improves your farsight by a great deal and even lets you see through walls." Pregnant pause and a sweeping glance around the room. "Don't think you'll catch something worth blackmail. If you've forgotten, Hogwarts has many rooms shielded from this type of potion. That does include all restrooms, house towers and staff only admittances." She glared at a particularly perverted group of Slytherins snickering in a far corner. "One to two people per group, you have until the end of the period."

Severus worked alone as usual. In fact, the only reason why Professor Figg gives them the choice to choose partners or go solo is because of Severus. Although Professor Figg never mentioned anything, being partnered with Severus would insure an automatic A and an easy ride through the class. Severus, as if to prove this point, was doing arithmancy homework and finished it all while brewing the potion.

Narcissa noticed this and had a hard time decided whether to scowl at the fact that he had finished the potion with half the period leftover or to stare while he was surely enveloped in his books and guaranteed not to notice her anytime soon. Sometimes she wondered if Snape somehow cheats and looks into the lesson plans in advance but he always seems to be reading books on the subject all the time. He makes potions seem as simple as the effort of stepping into the dungeon and walking to his seat each morning.

Narcissa sighed with the content feeling that washed over her from just watching him skimming through the text with a quill scratching against paper taking notes. She sensed someone next to her and looked up. Professor Figg's face greeted her from above. "I suppose you're not aware that your partner has been doing most of the work for ten minutes now," she said in a low and firm voice. Indeed, when Narcissa glanced over, her friend gave her a look of reluctant agreement. She guilty leaned back into their potion and resumed to meticulously cutting the roots she had abandoned minutes before.

~

Severus was told about a particularly group of boys residing in the Gryffindor Tower early on in his first year. There were four of them. James Potter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. They were inseparable...well, at least the first three seemed to have this special bond going. Severus observed that the Pettigrew guy was merely just a tag along. But he found that he had a deep respect for James, Remus and Sirius. They seemed so relaxed, carefree and happy, strolling around Hogwarts as their second home while Severus hid in a dark corner and buried himself in books.

Sirius was the first to acknowledge Severus's tendency to pop up around them quite often. By then, it became quite well known that they were mischievous pranksters and managed to get away with close to anything. Sirius suspected that Severus was snooping around to rat on them or at least get Lupin's secret out to the public.

Severus had a different goal in mind however. Spending his nights reading up on magical creatures after observing that Lupin was missing from their group every full moon, he suspected the truth to Lupin's absence. And then Professor Figg gave him permission to work in the dungeons after hours. Early into his third year, he triumphantly stumbled out of the dungeon with a small bottle in his hand. All he needed was Lupin to allow him to test it on him to make sure.

Of course, Sirius noted his presence more than ever in the month following Severus's secret discovery. Suspicion had clouded Sirius's sense of reason, it wasn't exactly a strong point for him at the time anyway. He snagged the small dark haired boy in the halls one afternoon after his free period. "Why do you keep following us?" he asked, not bothering to hide the tone of rudeness in voice.

Severus regarded him with a serious look. "I need to visit Lupin. I think I know where he goes every month and---"

"Are you spying on us?" Sirius interrupted. "Are you that low to go and spy on us? Look, just because we happen to get away with our stunts doesn't mean you have to go and ruin it."

"I swear it's not---"

"Don't mess with me," Sirius said flatly. "And stay away from Lupin."

"But that's the thing. I can help Lupin!"

"Oh," Sirius pretended to be surprise but the gesture wasn't sincere. "I suppose you'll help him get in trouble. Listen wannabe..." he paused, a slow devilish smile creeping onto his lips, "if you really must know, you can push that knot on the trunk of the Whomping Willow to freeze that stupid tree long enough for you to get to the entrance. It's not easy, don't say I didn't warn you."

Severus's dark eyes seemed to give away the fact that he took in all the information just offered to him. He nodded in thanks and quietly sauntered off in the direction of the dungeons.

~

"You did what??" James exclaimed. He and Sirius were lounging in the Gryffindor common room. The absence of Remus lessened the good mood slightly. The absence of Peter made up for it just a little. Nonetheless, they chatted on, looking forward to tomorrow when they'd be able to meet up with Remus again.

"I decided to give the snoopy little kid a lesson in minding his own business." Sirius was sprawled on the thick red carpet in front of the fire. "If the Whomping Willow doesn't make him learn, Remus'll teach him." Sirius laughed with a dismissive note in his voice. However, he seemed quite perturbed by the fact that his buddy in crime wasn't laughing with him. "What's wrong, wolf got your tongue? Or your sense of humor for that matter."

"Just the about the knot..."

"Sirius!"

"What?" Sirius exclaimed crossly. "He was going to find out anyway. That kid has higher marks than any of the Ravenclaws."

James just shook his head, wide eyed. "How could you?" he whispered. "Don't you realize that if he gets past that tree, Remus will have another victim to add to his killed list?"

"All the better," Sirius remarked. "The pretty boy should know that spying is something that disgraceful Death Eaters do."

"And if he does get out alive, Remus's cover is blown!"

"I doubt he---James!"

James hurried out of the portrait before Sirius could finish his retort. Sirius rolled his eyes as someone came in from the girls' dormitories. "What's wrong with James?" she curiously asked.

"Stopping that Snape kid from going to Remus." Sirius looked bored. "In the meantime, wanna play a game of Exploding Snap with me, Lily?"

Lilian Evans flashed a look of brief disgust before turning to the portrait hole. "James has got to be the hero by himself doesn't he? I'm going to go down and make sure he doesn't get too carried away." She stalked out of the common room with a slight haste that she couldn't hide, leaving Sirius staring at her in confusion. Lily usually dismissed James's noble acts as something as normal as eating.

~

The Whomping Willow managed to whomp him once and only once. It was after Severus was knocked down out of surprise that he noticed a delicate pattern in it's attack that opened up a small slot of time for him to run in close enough to tap it with a long stick. Which produced the amusing scene of the tree's flailing limb to freeze in midair. Honestly though, Severus was puzzled. He hadn't noticed this tree here before and the opening in it was quite a victorious find.

He found himself racing along a dark tunnel as fast as his legs could carry him. He felt the small vial taking the bumpy trip in his pocket just to make sure it was still there. There was the sound of pounding steps behind him and a voice wildly yelling his name. "Severus!" It took him less than a moment to realize that it was James Potter in pursuit, which encouraged him to run faster. The tunnel seemed never ending and James was gaining.

A body smashed into him from the back, taking him down with him. He grunted upon impact to the ground as the momentum carried them forward and slamming them head on into something hard. However, dim light fell upon them as the door before them swung wide open. James had manage to pin Severus to the ground when a low growl came from inside the room.

His breath seemed to stop short as he dared to take a sideways glance to the source of the malevolent sound. Severus looked too and was horrified. The recognition of a werewolf in the room before them didn't scare Severus one bit. The intense reading he accomplished in the last month brought him across knowledge as to how to handle werewolves. Besides, he had other fears to worry about. However, the particular young wolf they gazed upon looked absolutely miserable and covered with blood and open wounds. Even James seemed taken aback. Meanwhile, the werewolf seemed to be fighting something within himself and within a split second, one side won and it slowly got up and advanced toward the boys.

Severus was petrified by the gruesome sight and the fact that this was actually a student. James, on the other hand wasn't about to stand around and become dinner. "Remus," he muttered silently, seemingly sympathetic towards the beast as much as Severus was. Then he took off in the other direction, yanking Severus beside him and shoving the door shut with a loud BANG!

Severus cried out in protest and sudden pain at the strength of Gryffindor's grip. But if he didn't move his legs, he knew that James would drag him along anyway. "Accio Comet!" James cried over the sound of the door blasting open in falling splinters. Through the darkness, Severus could hear a whistling sound above their feet and was sure that James's broom was going to knock into them and end their lives. Somehow, he heard a crack of wood in contact with James's hand. "Get on," he hissed, yanking Severus a second time and kicked the broom forward as fast as it would go.

He heard the sounds of the panting wolf falling further back as the wind rushed past his ears. If the moment weren't so close after a life threatening experience, he would've enjoyed the speed. He watched a couple of quidditch matches in between his studying projects here and there and both times, the Gryffindors played with James Potter as their seeker. And of both times, he didn't think James was flying fast at all. But now he was in their shared moment of panic.

Dull grey light washed over them as they sped out of the tunnel. James still had his mind to remember to hit the knot again on their way out. Severus felt them lift up higher than the treetops as the his hair gradually fell back to freely waving around his face. James hovered with practiced talent and regarded his passenger directly for the first time in his time at Hogwarts. "You could've been killed," he said slowly.

"You say that as if I didn't know that," Severus snapped irritably.

James remained quiet as he lowered them to the ground. "Don't go near the Whomping Willow or Remus in that state again," he darkly warned and flew off towards the quidditch field.

Severus collapsed on the grass, warily watching the willow at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He got up and slowly walked back to the tree, staying far away enough so he didn't trigger it.

"James...he saved you," Lily said from behind him. She walked up to his side and watched as Severus wordlessly sunk to the ground. Lily sat beside him, idly picking at the grass. Her eyes caught the shimmer of glass in front of the small boy's feet and put the puzzle pieces together. "You were trying to help Remus," she gently accused.

Severus's shoulders shook. "And don't tell them I did. They don't care," he bitterly spat. "They want me dead. They think I'm just a nuisance, a snitch that wants to get them in trouble."

"No they don't," Lily automatically solaced softly.

"Then what do you call a getup like that? Sirius purposely told me how to get passed the tree."

A spark of fury shone in the girl's eyes for moment. Severus didn't notice because he refused to look at her. She was, after all, a friend of the group of Gryffindor boys. Which caused him surprise when she hugged him in reassurance, a gesture he had only received as a little boy from his mother. "I wouldn't take Sirius too seriously," said as she released him. "As for trying to help Remus, I won't tell them if that's what you wish." He heard her rise to her feet behind him and start to walk back.

"Lily," he said suddenly on impulse that appeared out of nowhere. He turn toward her and she paused and glanced back at him with those fiery green eyes. "Th-thank you," he stammered, not knowing what else to say. If Lily noticed the mark of nervousness in his voice, she didn't show it. Lily just nodded in understanding and silently trekked back to the castle.

~

The small under aged boy sat quietly aside in the common room, entranced with a book about poisons and deadly toxins. Everyone found this unsurprising yet unfamiliar. Severus was usually in debates and conversations with a fellow potions expert named Shawn Parkinson. However, Shawn had graduated from Hogwarts last year and left no one for Severus to properly discuss his favorite topic.

Professor Dumbledore had called him to his office earlier regarding the case of Remus Lupin. He had been sworn to secrecy, much to Severus's dismay to be treated as so. "It was very difficult convincing the Ministry in giving you the privilege of coming to Hogwarts early," Dumbledore had told him. "I hope you keep that in mind the next time you try something...instinctive."

"You sent me an invitation early on purpose?" And all this time, Severus thought it was merely a mistake on the registration part.

"Yes, to beat Durmstrang's invitation. And I see you're academic success makes my effort worthwhile." Severus didn't know why, but that little line of supposed praise left him fuming by the time he walked out of Dumbledore's office.

Lucius had joined him at his table. Severus glanced up for a brief moment and immediately went back to his book. "Yes, Lucius?" he said slowly and calmly. Unlike everyone else, Lucius wasn't a trouble to him and therefore, he had no reason to fear him.

"Hello Severus," Lucius said brightly. "How about you and I go for a walk."

"Why?" It's not everyday that Lucius asks you to go for a walk. He asks his girlfriends to go on a walk to break up with them. However, considering the fact that Severus and Lucius were not dating, this was probably not the situation at hand.

"We need to talk." A line used when his girlfriend questioned his intentions. It was used more often as he grew older and well known for his classic procedure for breakups. Once again, considering that Severus and Lucius were not dating, there was no dramatic parting to follow.

Severus eyed him with light suspicion but tucked his book away anyway. "So what's so important that we need to walk the grounds?" he asked as soon as the back doors of Hogwarts closed behind them. A thick blanket of clouds hid the sun and any hint of blue while the atmosphere hinted at rain.

"I have a secret," Lucius confessed, "that might benefit you."

"How's so?" Severus's curiosity got the best of him. However, he wearily noticed that Lucius was leading them towards the Forbidden Forest. As important as privacy was, the grounds were deserted as far as the eye could see. There was no real reason to be sneaking away to someplace off limits.

"Well, I know how much you crave knowledge. You're probably the smartest kid Hogwarts will see and somehow you still seem quite limited to what you can access...like everything in the Restricted Section for example. You could get the same information without having to sneak in after curfew!"

"What are you getting at?" Severus sounded quite unamused.

"I'm saying there is a way to heighten you intelligence, to satisfy your ever growing hunger for the power of knowledge. I know someone, a very powerful wizard, who's offering it to you in exchange for your assistance. You're a very valuable person, Severus." His tone was solemn and he seemed dispirited. "He's quite in need of our help. His life would be put in jeopardy in the near future unless we stop his murderer from maturing enough to commit his evil deed."

"Murderer?" Severus repeated with disbelief. "Lucius, if we killed this murderer so he won't grow up to kill whoever this guy is that you're talking about, then we'd be murderers ourselves. Let me tell you, I don't want to be sent to Azkaban at age 11. And besides, why would I want to save someone I hardly know?"

Lucius twitched with a dry smile. "Because he can give us power so that no one can stop us. Give us what we desire. You want access to education and he'll gladly trade you that for your services to his protection. He doesn't care that you're two years out of place and the smallest kid in your year. He looks only at your skills. And he can manipulate those skills to make you more powerful than Potter can dream."

The last few sentences had attracted Severus. How did he know about his run in with James Potter? "My skills?" he doubtfully questioned, yet Lucius could tell he was starting to consider. Bait taken.

"He recognizes your advanced abilities despite your age. He's made a special request for you."

"A special request?" Getting reeled...

"Yes, I'm taking you to him right now."

"Who this guy anyway?"

"Lord Voldemort."

"Sounds like he has a little too much self-esteem if you ask me." Fighting it...

"It's a guise to keep him secret."

"Oh fine. If it's to..." he choked, a dark expression clouding his face, "save a life, I suppose I can help." Fish caught.

"Excellent..." Lucius smirked.

~

The dark cave that the two boys entered was a half hour walk into the forest. Severus was slightly edgy now, but a small spark of excitement convinced him to keep walking with the blond boy. Considering that this man was in hiding, the cave wasn't very deep.

"Welcome back Lucius," a deep voice sounded from the emerging shadow.

"My Lord," Lucius acknowledged, dropping to his knees.

Severus took the notion to do the same.

"So this is the young genius you were telling me about." The owner of the voice had stepped into the waning dim light from the entrance fully by now. Dark and longish locks of hair flowed around his face as if to match Severus's own.

"Yes, my Lord," Lucius responded. His manner of intense devotion annoyed Severus slightly but he didn't comment on it.

"Will you commit?" the man directed his attention toward Severus.

Severus hesitated. For a brief second, a feeling of dread settled in his stomach. Then his brain clicked something and he became resolute. "Yes---" he sounded less determined than Lucius. He felt the urge to run away and think this over but something held him down. "---My Lord," he whispered, defeated.

The man smiled maliciously as he whipped out a wand. "Very well then." He murmured something and dark green smoke flow out of the tip and drifted around Severus's left arm. It burned; it felt like his whole arm was on fire and it involuntarily jerked. Severus managed to bite back a scream of pain but he felt his knees land on the ground. He hugged his arm to him in a vain attempt to repress the pain. The feeling of being torched subsided within a minute, however, it felt more like a year to Severus. When he finally was clear-minded enough, he yanked up the sleeve of his robe, looked down and choked in surprise.

Imprinted on his arm was a snake coiling out of a skull. Suddenly filled with dread at the sight of it, he glanced back at Lucius, who looked somewhat sympathetic. "Sorry," he apologized, I forgot to tell you that would sting for a moment."

His gaze fell back on Lord Voldemort, who read his quizzical expression easily. "It's the Dark Mark," he explained quietly, "if I'm in need of your services, I'll call you through that. But I need to train you a little, your wand skills could use some work."

Severus frowned. Lucius never said anything about using a wand. "I'd have Malfoy here help you but I'm afraid he's not one to teach you my ways. We'll begin your training during winter break." The malevolent glint in the man's eye caused Severus to shiver as Lucius led him out of the cave.

~

His book lay forgotten on the tabletop, his quill hanging idle between his fingers until it drifted down next to his book. His eyes steadily sweeping across the room in rapt attention. His normally stolid face was twisted into one of remorse. It was obvious. Lilian Evans had just entered the room. Narcissa bitterly glared at the redhead who held the attention of the boy who captured her own attention. Lily didn't seem to notice though, irritating Narcissa even further.

Lily had trailed over to the back table where James, Remus, Sirius and Peter were clustered together, apparently in deep conversation and examining a big pile of books. They all greeted her with enthusiastic salutations, putting their laborious research aside. The whole school had noticed that the Marauders, as they became known as, had been pulling less pranks and jokes and spending more time in the library lately. The other students had assumed that they were simply researching something to pull the ultimate prank on someone later in the year and anticipated the results without much interference.

Severus had found him self in the library more often also. He had many books pulled out about wizard dueling and tips on casting spells and hexes. An occasion book on potions was mixed in the pile, but not very often because he figured out that he read the whole library section on potions anyway. As soon as he figured out that he'd been distracted, he tore his eyes off of the female Gryffindor across the room and buried himself back into the book in front of him.

Sirius noticed Severus's more frequent presence in the library ever since they started their secret project. He grew more hostile towards the Slytherin, and if James and Remus hadn't been there to discourage any interaction with Severus whatsoever, Sirius would be ripping out the boy's senses by now. He concluded that Severus was trying to get them back for their initial run in by spying on them and getting them in trouble.

What he didn't know was that he had Severus's intentions incorrect, although if the consequences weren't so complicated, he would've loved getting Sirius in trouble. No, Severus was truly researching information on dueling, spells and hexes for this man named Lord Voldemort...which no one had heard of except Lucius and a couple other Slytherins. He was also in there so he could catch a glimpse at Lily when she came in for one of her periodic visitations with her friends. Narcissa figured that part out and was also in there a lot.

There was a pause in activity when they noticed that Madam Prince, their new and much hated librarian, had slipped off of a rolling ladder while trying to locate a book. Her squawking made much racket throughout the generally quiet library until a couple of older Hufflepuffs had helped her up and led her out of the room.

Sighing, Severus got up to return a pile of books he had just finished looking through. Sirius smirked and covertly stuck his foot out. The small Slytherin fell flat on his face, the pile of books flying high in the air and landed around him like bombs on the battlefield. His hands throbbed from breakings his fall against the hard stone floor. His recoiled for moment before realizing what had happened. Glaring, he had turned toward the culprit.

Sirius leaned back in his chair with a lazy smirk on his lips, his friends looking at him with horrified expressions. "What are you looking at, Slytherin scum?" he asked in a syrupy sweet voice.

Fuming, Severus slowly stood up, glowering at the gloating Gryffindor. "You owe me an apology," he angrily growled.

"Do I?" Sirius asked in mock surprise. "Maybe you should sharpen your senses. Then maybe you could avoid something...like...this!" He yelled the last word, his wand pointed at Severus and a beam shot out of it.

The Slytherin stepped back just out of the way of the hex. He pulled out his own wand. "Rictusempra," he muttered, retaliating immediately.

Sirius went down at once, laughing so hard that tears sprang from his eyes. James looked mystified, Remus was amused and Lily...well, she didn't happy at the moment. Peter huddled behind the table, pretending to be searching for something in the piles of books they had stacked there.

"Finite Incantatum," Severus chanted.

Sirius stood up and heaved in deep breaths that were stolen in his fit of laughter. He was angry however. He raised his wand and shouted, "Forcatis---"

"Expelliarmus!"

A surprised look was slapped onto Sirius's face when his wand flew out of his hands. Severus stared, unsure of how to take the deed accomplished by a furious Lilian Evans. She gripped Sirius's wand tightly in a clenched fist, her own pointed at him in her right hand. "Sirius Black!" she cried, seemingly having a loss of words at the moment. She threw the extra wand to the ground and stormed out.

Severus quietly gathered up his books and slipped into the depths of the bookshelves. He caught a glimpse of James running out after his female friend and Remus walking over to retrieve Sirius's wand for him. Sirius remained still and staring at the Slytherin. If looks could kill, Severus would have been beyond the gates of death faster than they could open.

Narcissa and a few Ravenclaws witness this little rule-breaking duel between two students of opposing houses. She shook her head in disgust and walked out the doubles doors into the corridor. Something told her that Severus's admiration toward Lily had just jumped above and beyond cloud 9.

~TBC~

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