My Name's Severus!

Chapter 5: Homework, Lizards and Mousetraps

Severus found to his surprise that Albus Dumbledore still hadn't changed his password and so the Slytherin fifth years trotted straight into the headmaster's office for their detention.

Dumbledore did a quick headcount. "Everybody here? Fine. Follow me!"

There was some grumbling behind him as he led them back into the dungeons. He probably should have told them to meet him at Snape's office, but the thought hadn't occurred to him at the time.

They soon reached the hallway in front of the potions classroom which was still strewed with potion ingredients. By now those had been trampled on repeatedly and were smeared all over the floor.

"We will split you into two groups now." declared Dumbledore smiling and twinkling happily. "Boys and girls to make it easier. The girls will clean up this mess here while the boys are to clean the classroom. You can leave when everything's spotless."

The Slytherins groaned. They didn't feel like smiling and twinkling at all.

"But Albus," complained Severus. "Those pink spots are everglow. We'll be scrubbing for hours."

"In that case I suggest that you hurry up and get started, because I'm not letting you leave until they're all gone." said Dumbledore calmly.

'Oh yeah?' thought Severus. 'We'll see about that.'

While the others went to get buckets and brushes from Filch he secretly slipped into the office and quickly mixed the contents of several vials together. Lucky he had kept those handy. He'd never have managed to brew them without Dumbledore noticing his absence.

He returned just in time as the others had brought in their buckets full of water and were beginning to scrub. Only Draco noticed when Severus dripped some of his mixture into each of the buckets.

"Pst!" whispered Severus. "Don't worry. It won't explode."

"But what is it?" asked Draco softly as Severus knelt down beside him and pretended to be working.

Severus grinned. "Glittersoap."

"Oh no! Severus, he'll hate us for this."

"Only if he ever finds out. That's everglow after all. The soap won't affect the dust or the spilled potion ingredients on the floor."

Indeed an hour later the potions dungeon was sparkling clean and neat. But so were the everglow stains looking more than ever like pink stars on the shiny black paint.

The girls were done with the floor outside and Dumbledore sent them off. Then he came to check on the boys. He found everything gleaming like new. Only those dreadful pink dots still remained.

"We cleaned everything as best we could." Severus, who had spent most of the time drawing glittering patterns in the dust, assured him.

Draco nearly reminded him of that, but then he remembered one beautifully glowing dragon that had resided under the teacher's desk for a few minutes and decided to say nothing.

"Only those pink Spots wont come off." Vincent explained to Dumbledore.

"Yes, it seems the more we scrub, the more they glow." complained Blaise. "It's as if we were polishing them instead."

Draco nearly burst out laughing. After all that was exactly what they were doing. How did Severus manage to keep a straight face?

The boys looked at Dumbledore expectantly.

The headmaster glanced around the classroom and took in the glowing spots and the boys in their soaked robes.

"Keep scrubbing!" he commanded. "They have to come off sometime. We can't leave the classroom looking like this."

Sighing they went back to work. They scrubbed the whole room again and again...

and again ...

and again...

"Do you realise that we've ruined your blackboard?" Draco asked Severus sometime later while they were both standing on chairs on top of a table pretending to scrub the ceiling.

"No we haven't. At least I know how to fix it." stated Severus calmly.

"But Dumbledore will give us another detention when he notices that he can't write on it anymore."

"He won't notice until he tries." shrugged Severus. "And that won't happen until the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's lesson tomorrow morning. He'll never make any connection to us. So who do you think will get the detention? The Ravenclaws or the Hufflepuffs?"

"Hm ... Do you know how to get the everglow off, too?"

"Of course I do. Or did you think I'd decorate my own classroom in pink spots if I didn't?"

"Oh."

It was past midnight when Dumbledore finally gave in and sent them to bed.

"Ha." whispered Severus as they tiptoed through the empty common room. "I won!"

"I hate you." yawned Draco.

Severus just grinned. Draco could have told on him any time.

When Severus arrived for his second transfiguration lesson Minerva McGonagall stopped him right at the door.

"What is that?" she demanded sternly pointing at the large cage he was, as always, carrying.

"That?" he asked confused. "That's just Greenie."

"Greenie?" said McGonagall equally confused. "Whatever is a greenie?"

"Not a greenie." corrected Severus. "Just Greenie, my hedgehog. It's his name."

"Name?" gasped Professor McGonagall. "You're supposed to turn that little monster into an ashtray not name it, or carry it around in a cage."

"But he's cute!" exclaimed Severus without thinking.

The whole room fell silent. His classmates stared at him. Had Severus Snape actually said that something was cute? And without an ironic sneer?

Severus realised too late the damage this would do to his tough reputation. Well, since it was too late anyway he gave McGonagall his cutest little boy smile.

"He's cute." he repeated. "And I like him. And I don't see whatever I should need to know how to turn him into an ashtray for. I don't smoke, you know. I don't like ashtrays. They're ugly and stink."

McGonagall stood open-mouthed. Whatever could she say to this?

"You refuse to turn that hedgehog into an ashtray?" She enquired after a moment.

"Yes. Could you please turn him back to his normal colour, Professor?" begged Severus.

"Severus, listen!" Minerva McGonagall sighed. This was like talking to a six year old. "A hedgehog is not a pet. It's a wild animal full of spikes and parasites. It doesn't carry post like an owl. It has no magical qualities whatsoever. You can't even cuddle it like a cat. This one is only here for magical practise."

"Ok, ok." conceded Severus. "Let's just say I failed once again, like I always do in your class, and that Greenie's been used and you can turn him back now and I'll let him run back off into the wild and everybody's happy."

"No Severus, I'm not going to turn him back for you." insisted McGonagall.

Severus pouted.

'Aw... He's so cute!' thought Minerva, she had to end this hedgehog-debate once and for all before she got weak and let him have his way.

"If you're not going to turn him into an ashtray, this hedgehog has no place in my class." she declared. "So unless you want me to get real angry you'd better take it out of here right now."

"But I always take Greenie to class with me!" complained Severus. "Nobody has objected before."

"Well you are not to bring it into my class ever again. Now take it away!"

"Yes, Professor." mumbled Severus as he turned and walked out.

Now where could he leave Greenie during transfiguration lessons? The safest place, he decided, had to be in his dorm. His classmates couldn't be there and in class at the same time and nobody else had any reason to go in there.

On the stairs he ran into Dumbledore who was carrying one of his potions books.

"Severus." the headmaster greeted him. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Professor McGonagall kicked Greenie out. I'm just taking him away." explained Severus.

Dumbledore started.

"Professor McGonnagal?" Since when did Severus call her that?

"Yes. She doesn't seem to like hedgehogs." answered Severus misunderstanding the question.

"Doesn't like hedgehogs, eh?" said Dumbledore as he bent down to regard Greenie.

The little green hedgehog blinked at him and sniffed his little green nose. Was that funny guy gonna feed him? No, he was just looking and blinking back. Greenie decided to go and look for something more interesting. Hadn't that other one left another potato somewhere?

"He looks quite likable to me." decided Dumbledore.

"And what are you doing with my book, Albus?" demanded Severus. "Shouldn't you be in class, too?"

"I've got a free period right now and I need your book, because I 'm still looking for that antidote for you." smiled Dumbledore, not feeling insulted in the least.

It seemed he was returning to normal. Maybe he was getting used to teaching again.

"Albus, I don't think you have a very good chance to be the one who comes up with the solution." he advised. "Leave it to the experts. You already have more than enough to do without trying to create antidotes to potions you don't even understand."

"I'm still gonna try." insisted Dumbledore. "Who knows, I might get lucky. Now run along before Minerva gets angry with you."

"She already is." Severus mumbled as he continued on down the stairs.

When he returned to class Professor McGonagall handed him a twig.

"You are supposed to turn this into a lizard." she explained seeing his confused look. "I do not want any green twigs, Severus and would prefer the lizards to be brown."

"Um ... I don't think I can do that, Professor." Severus admitted looking very embarrassed.

"All right, all right," conceded McGonagall with a sigh. "If it is otherwise a normal lizard it may be green. There are green lizards in nature, after all."

After a short explanation she sat down at her desk to take a look at their homework.

'Oh no!' thought Severus. 'Hope she doesn't notice'

He had to at least do well with his twig. He concentrated as hard as he could and tried.

The twig turned green.

"Oh no!" he moaned softly.

The pupils in the row in front of him turned to see what had happened. Severus buried his face in his arms and mumbled: "Don't you have your own twigs to stare at?"

"Not me!" grinned Hermione holding up a struggling lizard. "Not anymore."

"Oh, Hermione!" exclaimed Neville in awe. "You're fantastic! Could you help me do it, too? Mine still has a wooden tail."

"Sure." said Hermione and walked over to Neville.

Severus closed his eyes to block out all the staring Gryffindors (and a few equally staring Slytherins as well) and tried again.

When he looked again his twig had actually changed: It now had for side branches, right where the legs of the lizard ought to be. Well, that was definitely an improvement. Maybe this time he would actually manage.

"Hey, stay here you stupid lizard!" He heard Ron shout and looking up saw him chase something very small and very fast under his desk.

Severus cast a quick glance around the classroom. It seemed everybody was on their feet chasing their lizards. At least they had no more time to stare at him.

He tried again. This time with his eyes open.

"A green twig with a thick end and four stumps for legs?" sneered a familiar voce right beside him.

Severus looked up to find Draco leaning against his desk a lizard in one hand a short brown tail in the other.

"Well at least mine is still in one piece." he declared coldly.

"Most of them lost their tails during the chase." admitted Draco. "It only shows how perfect they are."

'I'll show him perfect.' thought Severus. 'This time I'll do it right.'

Oh-oh, trouble! Severus gave her his best puppy dog look.

"Somewhere on your desk?"

"No it's not!" said McGonagall calmly. "I believe you didn't do it, did you?"

"Well ... ummm ... I ... didn't know how." again the big puppy dog eyes.

"You don't know how one does homework?" asked McGonagall raising one eyebrow.

The whole class was once again laughing at Severus. Several lizards took the opportunity to slip away and run.

'Oh no! She's doing an impersonation of me.' realised Severus. "I don't remember the stuff you thought us back then and I didn't understand the book." very downcast look. 'That ought to get a little pity from her.'

"So why didn't you ask your friends to help you?"

'Because I don't have any!' Severus wanted to scream. 'Because nobody likes me. Because I'm all alone and I'm afraid of them.'

But he couldn't admit that in front of everybody.

"Because they all didn't want to help me." cute little pout. That would tell her he didn't have any friends to help him without letting his classmates know how lonely he felt.

"Then ask them again more nicely or ask a teacher, but I want that homework on my desk next lesson. Five points off Slytherin."

Again the class laughed, but this time not as loudly as before. This time Hermione wasn't laughing with the others and neither was Draco.

It wasn't because of the points. None of the Slytherins cared much about loosing points anymore. Somehow it was what Severus had said. ,They didn't want to help me.' and the way he had looked when he said it. For some unclear reason it made Draco feel guilty. It must have had something to do with being late for potions class and with drawing pictures and writing songs. And maybe it also had something to do with saying that hedgehogs were cuter than ashtrays. Draco couldn't really say what all of this had to do with Severus not having done his homework, but somehow it wasn't funny anymore. Somehow it felt like he was the one who had done something wrong.

Minerva retreated back to her desk. She shouldn't have started talking about his friends. That had always been Severus' weak spot and it seemed even worse now., but she hadn't considered it at that moment and now it was too late. She'd hurt him.

She hoped he would manage with the twig into a lizard spell before the end of the lesson. He was going in the right direction after all. She tried to remember if he'd been able to turn twigs into lizards back when she'd first taught him. She thought he had but wasn't sure. The only thing that she remembered for sure was that he'd never been able to transfigure a hedgehog. It seemed he had always had particularly bad problems with transfiguring animals. Not that he had ever been good at transfiguring anything, but he had never managed to transfigure an animal and he had always been lonely.

He still was. Even as an adult he sometimes got that lost and lonely look. Now might be his chance to change something if only he'd realise it. She ought to do something about it, but what? She'd have to talk with Dumbledore.

Severus still hadn't managed to transfigure his twig. He looked up to see that almost the whole class was gathered around his desk grinning.

Neville was proudly showing around his lizard among the other Gryffindors. He earned a lot of praise even though he freely admitted that he couldn't have done it without Hermione's help.

Should he ... could he ... ask Hermione for help? That know-it-all? A Gryffindor? He looked at his lizard shaped twig. He'd have to do it, no matter what the others might say.

He looked around for Hermione. There she was. Talking to Harry and Ron of course.

Hesitatingly he got up. Harry Potter would hear him pleading for help from Hermione, but it couldn't be helped.

At that moment Minerva McGonagall ended the lesson.

Too late. McGonagall would be furious.

But when Severus handed her his green lizard shaped twig she just took it and said: "Well, I would have expected more, but at least it is an improvement over the hedgehog. Keep practising."

Relieved Severus followed his classmates through the door. As soon as they were safely outside he asked Vincent: "Will you let me copy your homework now?"

"What?" shrieked Vincent. "No way!"

"How stupid do you think we are?" snapped Blaise. "Nobody's gonna help you. We kind of enjoy it when the teachers get angry with you."

"Yep," grinned Gregory. "It's funny."

"It already cost us five points." Severus reminded them calmly.

"So what?" asked Vincent "You've already lost us so many it really doesn't matter anymore. We're gonna be last no matter what we do."

"You'll regret this." Severus informed them coldly.

Minerva McGonagall found Albus Dumbledore in his office studying a thick book on potions.

"Albus, we have to talk."

He looked up.

"About what?"

How tired he looked! Maybe she shouldn't bother him with this. But then who should she turn to? There was nobody else. That was part of the problem.

"About Severus." she said. "I'm worried about him."

"We all are, Minerva, but we're working on it." said Dumbledore reassuringly. "Some of the best potion masters in the world are trying to solve our problem."

"That's the wrong problem, Albus." stated McGonagall.

"The wrong problem? What other problem is there? And don't tell me this is about Greenie." smiled Dumbledore. "The hedgehog is just fine. And I think it does him good. Gives him something to occupy his mind with, you know."

"No, it has nothing to do with that horrible hedgehog." McGonagall said sternly. Couldn't Dumbledore stay serious just once? "He is lonely, Albus. He needs friends."

"Lonely, Minerva? He has a whole dorm full of friends to keep him company. That's why we put him there in the first place, remember?"

"He doesn't get along with them, Albus. He's antagonising them. Always fighting and getting them in trouble and it's making him lonely and unhappy."

"If he does that then he most likely doesn't want to be friends with them." commented Dumbledore still not seeing any reason for concern.

"Albus, he's practically complained to me that nobody likes him. He wants to make friends, but I don't think he knows how. Remember when he was a boy? He was always sitting alone, never had a friend. And what about as an adult? Does he have any real friends now?"

"I'm his friend!" Dumbledore stated sharply.

Great now she had him on the defensive. She should have remembered not to say anything that might be interpreted as an accusation that he was neglecting his friend.

"Right, but you're easy to make friends with." she conceded. "Whose effort was it? Yours I bet."

"Well, yes it was, but that doesn't necessarily mean that Severus has a problem, Minerva."

"Does he have any friends besides you?" 'Come on , Albus! Quit denying it! You're not helping your friend that way.'

"Filch likes him." declared Dumbledore after a moment's thought.

"Likes him." repeated McGonagall. "But they're not really friends, are they?"

"No, but I still think you're overreacting." argued Dumbledore. "Of course it's difficult for a teacher to make friends with his pupils. It's only natural that they're hesitant to trust him. But if Severus really were that unhappy about it, he'd find a way to convince them."

"I just told you he doesn't know how." insisted McGonagall.

"If that were true, Minerva," said Dumbledore "then he'd tell me. I just met him an hour ago and his only problem was that you don't like his hedgehog. So if you want to do something for him I suggest you reconsider that."

"Forget the stupid hedgehog!" snapped McGonagall getting impatient. Why wouldn't Dumbledore understand? "Have you considered the possibility that he's not telling you, because you have too much on your hands already?"

"I?" said Dumbledore giving her a fake happy twinkle. "Too much on my hands? Whatever should have given him that idea?"

Minerva shook her head sadly.

"You don't fool me, Albus. I've known you too long and so has Severus. You're totally exhausted doing both his work and yours. Being head of Slytherin isn't as easy as he makes it look, is it?"

"It's not." Dumbledore admitted with a sigh. "These children are so cold. They seem to be constantly on their guard around everybody, even against their closest friends. It's impossible to tell what they think and they flat out refuse to come to me with their problems. They're all hiding behind their tough masks."

"Much like Severus, aren't they?" commented Minerva tentatively.

"Yes, I guess they are." he smiled a bit. "He's a Slytherin, too, after all. I guess he knows how to see through their masks. But I'm used to the openness of the Gryffindors. you know the backgrounds of some of these children as well as I do, Minerva. Most of them don't even know what a normal family life is supposed to be like, but still they won't talk about their problems."

"Maybe that's just why, Albus. They've never had anybody they could trust with their problems so they never learned how to talk about them. Again, much like Severus." McGonagall suggested gently.

"Severus can and does talk about his problems to me, Minerva. And he knows and handles his kids' problems. How does he do that? It seems impossible. The more I try the more hopeless it seems."

"How long did it take you to get there with Severus?" McGonagall asked.

Dumbledore didn't answer. He couldn't invest as much time and energy into making friends with every single Slytherin as he had into Severus. But neither could Severus. There had to be another way. Maybe it would be a start to make a common enemy. Like the Gryffindors.

Albus Dumbledore smiled sadly at Minerva as for the first time he began to understand the origins of the old feud between his two houses.

Draco had secretly been following Ginny for quite some time. Finally she went to the library alone. Draco followed again and sat watching her for a while.

When she went to get a book from a shelf hidden in the back of the room he approached her.

What to say?

"Uh ... Hi Ginny." he tried.

Ginny turned round and saw him.

"Don't you dare come any closer, Malfoy!" she warned him.

Draco decided to ignore that.

"Ehm ... Ginny, I wanted to ... um ..."

Ginny shrank back.

"I mean it, Malfoy! If you take just one more step I'll scream."

"Listen Ginny, I just want to ask you if you ..."

Ginny retreated another step frightened, getting ready to run.

Draco lifted one hand towards her to stop her.

That was too much for Ginny. She turned away and ran.

"Ginny, wait!" he shouted after her.

Ginny only ran faster. She dashed past Madam Pince and out the door.

Draco ran after her but wasn't so lucky. Madam Pince caught him by the shoulder and stopped him.

"Mr. Malfoy, this is a library. People come here to study. They need peace and quiet to concentrate. That means no running and definitely no shouting. If you do not intend to study quietly I must ask you to leave. Do you understand?"

"Um ... I'm sorry Madam Pince, but it was Ginny who ran away. I just followed her, because ... um ..." Oh how to explain. "because I really need to talk to her."

Right. That made sense. Or did it? Draco was feeling a little confused. Why was it so important that he talked to Ginny?

"That is no excuse, young man. Five points off Slytherin!" declared Madam Pince.

Draco sighed and trotted out of the library.

He spent some more time looking for Ginny, but she had disappeared. She'd probably run back to her common room where he couldn't follow. And he'd lost another five points.

Well, that didn't really matter. They'd lost so many already that most likely nobody would even notice.

But he had lost his chance to talk to Ginny. Why, oh why had she run away from him?

Very unhappy Draco trudged back to his common room to rejoin his classmates.

Vincent looked up as he entered.

"Draco! Where have you been?"

"Library." said Draco curtly.

"Why?" asked Gregory surprised. The library wasn't one of his favourite places and all of them usually avoided it. (No chances to start fights under the watchful eyes of Madam Pince.)

"Don't know." answered Draco.

"Huh?" asked Blaise. "You went to the library, stayed there for several hours and you don't know why?"

"Right." said Draco.

Vincent and Blaise exchanged a look.

"Could it be that Ginny happened to be there?" asked Severus grinning.

"Yes ... No! ... I mean maybe she was. I don't know." stuttered Draco.

"I'll take that for a yes." giggled Severus.

"What's it all got to do with Ginny?" asked Vincent. "Why are you always talking about Ginny when Draco ain't talking to us?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

The other three looked at Severus blankly.

"I guess not." Severus concluded and returned to doing Susan's homework.

Draco glanced at the parchment.

"Susan again?" he asked hoping to get everybody's minds off of Ginny. "What did that girl do for you this time?"

"Got me some mousetraps." answered Severus without looking up.

"Mousetraps?" asked Vincent. "Do we have mice?"

"No, that's why I couldn't get any myself."

"Well, if we don't have any mice, what are you gonna do with the mousetraps?" enquired Draco.

"You'll see." smiled Severus. "You'll see."

Blaise was the first to get into bed that evening.

SNAP!

"Ow!"

Draco who had just been about to slip into his own bed started at Blaise's scream and turned to him.

SNAP!

"Ahh!"

This time it was Vincent. He had just wanted to pull back the blanket from his bed. Now there was a mousetrap dangling from his fingers.

Draco stared at Vincent's hand for a second then glanced over at a grinning Severus snuggled up comfortably in his bed and then looked back to Blaise who was very carefully trying to peel another mousetrap off his foot without further injuring his toes. His teeth were firmly clenched and tears of pain were running down his cheeks.

At that moment Gregory entered.

"What's all the screaming about?" he asked as he let himself drop backwards onto his bed.

SNAP!

"Ow!"

Draco gulped.

The third mousetrap had snapped shut over Gregory's ear. Vincent and Blaise, who had only just managed to get their own mousetraps off went over to help him.

"I told you, you'd be sorry you didn't let me copy your homework!"

"Great, Severus." growled Blaise. "Just great. This must be the fourth or fifth time you've sent Gregory to the hospital wing and you haven't even been here for a full week."

"Yep!" Severus grinned proudly. "I sure am good. I just wish it was Neville instead of Gregory."

Gregory moaned and pressed Vincent's favourite handkerchief against his bleeding ear as the three boys once again limped out of the room headed for the hospital wing.

Draco hesitantly gripped his pillow by one corner and pulled it up. There was nothing under it.

He gripped the pillow tighter and shook it. Nothing.

He looked back at Severus who was watching him intently a big grin on his face.

'Ok, let's try the blanket.' thought Draco.

"I had only three, Blondie."

Draco turned to look at Severus again.

"And I kind of do like you ... a little better than those other three idiots. So ..." Severus shrugged.

"Honest? No tricks?" Draco asked studying Severus' face intently.

"No tricks." promised Severus. "I'll get you next time."

Slowly Draco climbed into bed and indeed nothing happened.

Severus smiled and quietly slipped the box that contained his last mousetrap into the empty drawer Greenie hadn't wanted to sleep in. He'd find some other use for it.

Maybe Neville? Or Albus perhaps? Or should he risk playing a prank on McGonagall?

Thursday evening Albus Dumbledore called Severus Snape to his office.

Severus slipped in looking very nervous.

"Look Albus, I'm terribly sorry for breaking that window in the old tower."

"Oh, that was you?" twinkled Dumbledore.

"And I didn't mean to break that Hufflepuff sixth year's nose and I know the food-fight with the Ravenclaws got a little out of hand and I really shouldn't have thrown those firecrackers at the Gryffindors and I admit that I stole Professor Flitwick's keys and threw them into the wastepaper basket, but I really had no idea that that house-elf would trip over Greenie's cage and hurt himself, and that fight with Vincent and Blaise ..."

"Severus," interrupted Dumbledore. "before you incriminate yourself any further I just wanted to see you so I could tell you that they managed to reconstruct the recipe for Neville's youth potion at Beauxbattons."

Severus' face lit up.

He lifted Greenie's cage onto Dumbledore's desk and sat on an empty chair.

"Good! Can I see it?"

Dumbledore smiled and handed him a piece of parchment from his desk.

"I made a copy for you, but please don't start any experiments with it. Our colleges at Beauxbattons report that they already tried the potion on several rats and they all died."

Severus pouted.

"Can't I use Neville for it? Then it wouldn't be animal testing."

"Severus!"

"OK, OK. No testing on anybody. I promise."

"No testing, no anything!" ordered Dumbledore. "That copy is just for your information. To show you that we're making progress. I have already sent an owl with another copy to Durmstrang. I expect we will have an antidote within another week, two weeks at most."

"Do I have to do my transfiguration homework?" asked Severus pouting again.

"I'm afraid so." smiled Dumbledore. "Minerva insists that she wants you to learn something from the incident. How's your little green friend by the way?"

"I already did learn something from it. I learned to stay clear from anything Neville Longbottom brews. And Greenie, as you can see is just fine except that he's still green."

Greenie as if on clue crawled to Dumbledore's side of the cage and blinked through the bars. Dumbledore bent closer to look at him.

"Hello there, little hedgehog." he said.

Greenie sniffed his nose disdainfully and turned away.

"I don't think he thinks very much of you, Albus." observed Severus.

"Well, I guess I'm not spiky enough and a Slytherin green hedgehog might be expected to prefer Slytherins."

Still to come: More problems with homework, that last mousetrap, some adventures at night, Severus does some research, a talk with Dumbledore and Draco tries for Ginny once again