Slytherin Pride

Slytherin Pride

Chapter Four – Late-Night Walks and Quidditch Wars

By Slytherin’s Silver Snake

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“Dammit! And to fall to you of all people…” Cerise violently slammed the desk with her hands, while Severus was tapping his fingers together, totally unperturbed by her behavior. “ - Bah!!” She was feeling beside herself as the man facing her across the table smirked openly in his victory. “Just yield already, Cerise,” Severus moaned, running a hand through his greasy black hair, “This display of petulance is very unbecoming from a supposedly mature person such as you.” She stiffened in the chair, the pitch-blue cloak that she was wearing just draping on the floor. How can I lose? Never mind, it’s the first match we’ve played in about twenty years, she then shifted once more, staring straight across the table and into the wall, I’ll get you next time.

By the time that Cerise had finished, she could see that Severus was poised over the table, which was gradually being cleared while she sat silently, (Cerise was still in a strop, and wasn’t lending a hand). White and black pieces of knights, bishops and other chess pieces were strewn here and there, while the black king was sadly missing his head. “They always say that there is nothing worse than a bad loser,” Severus commented absently, as he was picking up the king’s head, after which he placed it back on the figure before placing the last item in the chess box. After this, he closed the lid. “And there’s no reason for you to slam the table like that…” her friend said with a touch of sarcasm, as a torch crackled behind him, “Violence is never the answer.”Cerise snorted, then she turned her head to one side, “’Violence is never the answer’.” Her voice was mocking that of the Potions Master, but she was doing it so badly, it ended up sounding like something totally different, “You’re a fine one to talk about violence. Haven’t you even heard of the reputation you have around here? You, my friend, are a man of ill repute when it comes to things like violence and student-bashing.”

“And WHAT do you mean by that?” Suddenly, Cerise found that Severus had strode over and was forcefullygripping both of the arms of the chair she was sitting in; his black eyes were gleaming dangerously as they bored into hers and Cerise stopped to think,He’s not taking his victory as he should have been. Suddenly, and without words, Severus let go of the chair’s arms and stood straight. He dusted off his black cloak, after which the Potions Master walked to the other side of his now-tidy desk. Desiring to hurry out of her friend’s office as soon as possible (not least due to the fact that it looked like a circus of the bizarre with all of those creatures in jars that were floating around the walls), Cerise felt that if she did rush out suddenly, Severus would never let her hear the end of it. But for some strange and unfathomable reason, she wanted to stay – the torches and fireplace that were warming the dungeon office weren’t exactly helping in shifting her out of the chair. Also, there was the man himself... Come ON Cerise, stop thinking like an adolescent idiot and put your brain into high gear! THINK! Let’s see… excuses… excuses… I know!

Cerise’s mouth had opened even before she had stopped thinking, “Severus… I need to go… umm… lessons to plan… you know what I’m saying?” As soon as she had finished, Severus started to laugh under his breath; it was quiet, soft and seemed to roll off his tongue. Half out of her chair before realizing it, Cerise didn’t need Professor Trelawney to tell her that Severus Snape the Slytherin Snake was thinking something devious, (he was probably planning to give their house some persuasive reasons to win the House and Quidditch cups back from Gryffindor). Admitting the truth, she also wanted them to win it back – with interest. “Are you that eager to leave…?” sighed Severus, watching on as Cerise then slumped back into the wooden chair, “… Very well then-” here, his tone picked up, “- I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast.”

Gripping the snake-like wooden arms (as if that was a surprise) as she rose from the chair, Cerise looked around the office. It was true that she preferred (if she admitted it to herself) Severus’ company compared to that of most of the students, and maybe some of the other professors, “You know, you could walk me to my office… if you wanted to – I wouldn’t mind.” Cerise didn’t notice a slow smile spreading over Severus’ face as she clamped both of her hands over her mouth. Oh, that was real smooth Cerise. What the hell do you think you were doing? Severus, Cerise noticed, was standing with his back next to her as he muttered words to put out some of the torches.

Immediately, the room fell slightly darker. “Why not?” Severus looked up at the stone ceiling as Cerise was gazing around the office, trying to work out how many minutes they had been inside – and also praying that Peeves wasn’t hovering about outside. “Eh?” Cerise asked in surprise, just wanting to fade away with a Vanishing spell. “Of course, we’d have to be especially careful,” Severus was saying, as he locked the draw where he kept the chess box with several charms – including Expellimarus (for some reason, Cerise could picture why he liked that one) before walking over to the office door that led out onto the dungeon corridor,“We can’t have anyone seeing us, can we?” After this, Severus’ darkly chuckled, “People might talk…”

Cerise then glanced uneasily around the office, “And what do you mean by that?” Severus laughed again, and she looked at him was wondering if some vengeful student had struck him with a Cheering Charm. What a horrible thought. Cerise immediately shivered as Severus continued to speak, “If people see us walking through the halls late at night – and all alone I may add – it will spread through Hogwarts faster than you can say Quidditch.” He then opened the office door and stepped through to the corridor, “Are you willing to face such a risk?” His voice was a direct challenge; although they were friends, their relationship still had that competitive edge.

Cerise noiselessly walked out after him. Shutting the door behind her, she turned to face the Potions Master, her hands tucked inside the pockets of her black professor’s robes and crossed over her chest. “Does that answer your question?” she asked, as Severus was placing various charms on his office door with the use of his wand, “Just because I’m a woman, doesn’t mean that I can’t handle a bunch of students; and if they say anything to the contrary, you can put them in detention. I’m sure that Neville Longbottom is looking forward to all the tortures that you have lined up for him this year. Who knows, perhaps Dumbledore will allow you to hang him from the dungeon ceiling.” At this, Cerise and Severus began to walk down the corridor and through the dungeons (thankfully, Peeves had already left).

- - -

It was a few minutes later, and the two Slytherins were still walking through the half-lit dungeons. Severus’ voice was mumbling coldly through the corridor, “At least I’m not like you…” The Potions Professor was replying to a question about discipline that Cerise had put to him – she had wanted to know how far you should go to punish students. She was starting to regret that she had even asked her friend about such a matter – Severus Snape wasn’t exactly the most impartial person to ask, “The moment that the group enters my classroom, they all know I’m going to be looking for a reason to deduct points from them,” at this point, the Potions Master clicked his fingers “-just-like-that. It keeps those lazy Gryffindors on their toes.”

Cerise was gazing around at the dungeon walls, which were cold to the touch and covered with a substance that she swore was some sort of slime. She then trailed her right hand along the wall as she rolled her eyes, “I knew it,” she said casually, wiping her hand on her cloak, “You’re biased.” Cerise looked up at Severus’ pale and gaunt face, studying it for some sign of guilt or other emotion as they turned around a corner; there we go.... She saw that her friend’s lip was bared back, as he rolled his eyes. Cerise could tell that Severus was only pretending to be angry; and she also knew that although Severus talked in barely more than a whisper, he was certainly not good at concealing his temper –especially if he was angry with the students.

She carried on walking as Severus replied, “So what if I am?” His eyes then bored into Cerise; she could see that he was wearing his usual expression of a slight smile. “And just whose side are you on anyway?” here, his eyes were flicking around the corridor like he was a large black-covered predator who was hungry to deduct points from students who were around after hours; and at this point, they were almost out of the dungeons, “Don’t tell me you’ve abandoned our House.”Cerise shook her head; of all the things to say… She then paused before the marble staircase of the entrance hall – they had already reached it due to her friend’s long strides. Cerise had had to walk much faster than usual to keep up, even though she had long legs and a formidable height, she preferred to walk slowly. She then paused for breath as Severus climbed up the stairs, running a hand over the railings on the left-hand side. “You haven’t answered my question yet, Cerise,” he said matter-of-factly, pausing momentarily to let her catch up with him. “Well, of course I haven’t. It’s just that I don’t like to be though of as being so predictable.”

Once she had caught up, Cerise gazed at Severus, who had quietly nodded in response to her statement. Great… she thought, as a song from her youth came into her head …damn it! Won’t this ever go away? Ever since she had arrived at Hogwarts, Cerise had kept it to herself that the piece of music that she and Severus had heard during the Yule Ball when they were in their seventh-year had been floating around in her head. It had been her favorite composition. “What are you thinking?” announced Severus, his voice grabbing Cerise’s attention as she jumped, and this was due to the fact that he was now standing right behind her; she could understand why students had told her that he breathed down the back of their necks during his Potions class. “Do you remember the music we danced to during the Yule Ball in our last year?” Severus paused as he tried to remember, “Like that narrows it down. Cerise, there was more than one song that night.” Cerise spoke hurriedly, “I think it was The Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz –”

Before she could finish her sentence, Cerise found that Severus was finishing it for her instead, “ – Oh, I remember that. It was by J. Strauss Junior... ” Severus then paused for a moment, “… But why are you asking me this now?” he wondered, as they remained near the top of the marble stairs. Cerise breathed out, do I tell him, and risk sounding sentimental, or do I tell him anyway? She then breathed out, “Oh, it doesn’t matter. Forget that I brought it up.” Severus paused, a thought momentarily flitting across his face, and once the two had finished thinking, they began heading towards the second floor where Cerise’s office and quarters were.

- - -

Silence. Golden, lovely silence, Cerise thought, as she and Severus stopped outside the door to her office. It was a mahogany door, and since she had took up residence, Cerise had added several charms to the door – just to stop beings like Peeves and Hogwarts students getting inside and doing what they pleased (she was actually glad that Peeves couldn’t get in there). “So. It looks like this it,” announced Severus, as he waited to one side of the door while Cerise undid the charms. As she was, Cerise heard a scuffling behind her, and turning around, both her and Severus saw a student who was running down the corridor, thinking that he was alone as he belted down the not-so-empty hallway. Seeing that the first-year boy was breaking the rules, she watched on as Severus decided to do what he did best.

“Can you wait a minute?”Severus reached out an arm, and grabbing the collar of the boy (who, unfortunately for him, was only a first-year) who was running past them, who’s face was cursing that fact that he had been caught by Severus of all people. He reminds me of the grim reaper, the way he dresses all in black, she thought, as Severus looked down at the boy through his hooked nose, his greasy hair hanging down as he lifted the boy off of the floor. He even turned up to the old Yule Balls in black - Black, black and yet more black. You’d think it was a wake or something… Here, Cerise had to repress a snigger as Severus was shouting at the student. “What do you think you are doing running through these corridors?!” he belted out, surprising Cerise – but she knew that Severus liked being nasty to students – it was the way that he was, and she certainly wasn’t about to change him, “Can’t you see that we have rules here?!”

Severus then placed the boy back on the ground, and waited for the boy to turn to face him. When he did, he launched straight into his next line (thankfully, it was much quieter). “What’s your name and house?” The boy fidgeted nervously. “I’m Alex Reading, from Huffle- Hufflepuff sir,” he stammered. Severus’ face was a perfect picture of a cross between happiness and anger, Cerise almost felt sorry for the first-year who was short and pudgy, with a mop of brown hair. Her friend, however, felt no such pity, “Then I’m deducting fifty points from Hufflepuff, and if I see you running again during this time of the night, it will be a hundred. Do you understand?” The boy nodded and Severus narrowed his eyes. “I will tell your head of house about this, and you are to report to the dungeons tomorrow evening where I will give you your detention. Now get out of my sight.”

As the boy morosely walked down the corridor, still aware of Severus’ watchful eye, Cerise tried hard not to laugh as the first-year disappeared around the corner, Oh, poor thing… Severus then turned to face her; noticing that she was almost chewing the edge of her sleeve. She saw Severus staring at what she was doing, but didn’t stop; after all, it was almost funny to see Severus tormenting the first-years, dressed in nothing but black. So what if most of the school thought that he was mean, cruel and spiteful? “As you can see… ” he demonstrated, “… We deduct points from the houses if they break the rules, or get something wrong, such as not handing in homework, talking in class, running through halls after hours, etc…” Cerise nodded as she closed her eyes, “Except it seems like some teachers are more prone to it than others, especially if it’s not their own house.”

Cerise was on the verge of laughter as Severus frowned, “That’s not it at all.” Cerise paused as she opened her office door, “Then what is it?” she asked her friend, looking back at him over her shoulder. Severus paused, he wasn’t bothering to answer her question because they both knew that he would have come unstuck, "Well I’d best be off before Potter arrives here in his invisibility cloak and gives us a more… interesting conversation. Good bye Cerise." Severus then turned around and started to walk the way he’d come, black cloak billowing behind him. Cerise watched him disappear around the corner, then she shut the door to her office and leaned against it, looking towards her desk – her face was one of abject terror, “Potter has an invisibility cloak?!”

* * * * *

It was now a month later, and it had passed by relatively normally, unless you leave out the fact that Harry Potter had once again found himself to be Severus’ favorite target. While he had been making a potion, Harry had discovered that there had been a mistake. Instead of it being a light blue, the potion had turned out deep red – and Severus had been waiting for it to happen (he had earlier saw Draco Malfoy sabotage Harry’s cauldron – but just happened to conveniently forget about it). He had then deducted ten points from Gryffindor, and awarded his own house ten points as soon as the first Slytherin student got the formula right. Severus laughed as he paced across the entrance hall and angrily pushed his way past a fourth-year Ravenclaw called Marina Burns, heading to that day’s morning breakfast; not bothered by the fact that he would be among one of the last to arrive (or that he had almost pushed a student onto the floor).

Hmph! What a naïve and stupid boy that Potter is! Even first years could do a Scintillating Potion. ‘Sir, something’s wrong with my Bicorn Horn’ indeed! Bah!His black cloak billowing behind him as he strode purposefully towards the High Table between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, Severus looked pleased with himself that Harry had failed. It saved me time on preparing their next lesson, he thought evilly, ignoring the Slytherins who were baiting some of the younger Gryffindors. Poor, poor Gryffindors, he thought, as he strode up the steps to take his place with the other members of the faculty, Victimized; subjected to Cerise and her stringent ‘either learn or leave’ policy, and then they get me. Just let them wait until the real trouble starts…

Walking towards the center of the table to a spare place, he looked over the four house tables before sitting down on the right between Sinistra and Dumbledore, who was amicably talking to Minerva on his other side. But that’s just the way I like it. His eyes then wandered over to the other side of the table, noticing that sitting next to a talkative Professor Flitwick was his old friend he had known since his own days at Hogwarts (but kept it hidden from the students). Well, perhaps this time things will work out better, he thought grimly, noticing that Cerise somehow looked different; she was wearing just her black professor’s robe, and no cloak. Her raven hair had been lightly tied back with (Severus looked to see what color it was) a green hair ribbon. Severus looked on as Professor Vector arrived and seated herself at the end of the table. Preferring not to talk to anyone, at least for the moment, he remained quiet until the owls arrived with the morning post in a flurry of feathers.

Over a hundred owls were swooping down into the hall and across the five tables, Severus could see the birds holding packages in their talons, as well as copies of the Daily Prophet; a copy of which just dived past his hooked nose and onto an empty plate, courtesy of a school owl, which were used by the teachers. Ah, finally… Taking his copy of the Daily Prophet and placing it to one side, Severus turned to look at Cerise, who was still not as famished; but she was downright excited. An expression of pleasure was on her face as he noticed that she was gazing at a large and carefully wrapped package, and Flitwick (as well as himself) were looking on, wondering what was inside.

Soon enough, Severus had heard what was in the box; Cerise had taken delivery of several rare models and moving pictures of the more deadly dark creatures such as Nundu’s, Dragons and Lethifolds – the purposes of which was to aid her seventh-year Defense Against Dark Arts groups in their classes. However, Cerise had noticed him watching, and she subtly wagged her finger across the table in his direction. Severus replied by turning his head in the other direction, just as Dumbledore stood up to address the hall, his long robes of red and amber rustling as he rose from the throne-like chair.

“Good morning!” he announced, his voice one of lively enthusiasm, compared to half of the other people there that murmured back, as a silence fell across the Great Hall. The Headmaster then looked around at the crowd of students. “It’s a lovely day, don’t you think?” Severus would have almost choked – that was if he didn’t know what was to come next, which he did… “You might think me a strange one to talk about the weather, but if you’ll just let me finish, I have an notice for you that I am sure you will find most interesting…” started Dumbledore, as a slow smile spread itself over Severus’ face. He had offhandedly suggested something to Dumbledore, who had accepted it and was now going to put it into motion. In other words, it’s my idea… He looked over at Cerise, whom was also happy for that very reason. And she should be. If all goes well, then this will be a most rewarding experience, he thought eagerly as Dumbledore continued talking.

“Now, since most of you will know already, last year’s Quidditch Cup was cancelled to make way for the Triwizard Tournament. The heads of each of your houses have informed me that you have been training hard to make this years Quidditch just as much a success as it always has been. Why, I remember the time when… Oh, there I go digressing again. Anyway, what I am saying is that since you all enjoy this fine sport, my colleagues and I have arranged a surprise for you all. We will not play the Quidditch House Cup this year – ” At this, the students moaned, but Dumbledore wouldn’t let them finish. When he asked for silence and received it, he continued, “ – But we will be having a special Quidditch tournament, called the All-House Quidditch Cup. The rules are the same, except that that my colleagues here are eligible to play.”

Dumbledore stretched his arms to indicate the faculty, who were either excited, frightened, in disbelief, or a mix of all three. At the same time, a widespread clapping and murmurs had erupted over the house tables. The thought running through Gryffindors was the terror of the probable prospect of having to play Quidditch against Severus Snape, who would probably execute every single one of the seven hundred fouls on them before the match had finished (or give them all detention if he lost). Severus himself then noticed that Dumbledore was smiling in Cerise’s direction, “And I know that some of them are indeed eager to participate.”

Severus would have bet anything that his old friend was looking forward to this with relish, as were some of the students. Cerise had already formulated complex strategies and ideas for when they would face off against the other three houses (he knew this, because she had explained them to him in his Dungeon Office during the last weekend). He though that it would be worth it, just to see the look on Potter’s face when he missed the Golden Snitch, only to find that he had accidentally let the Quaffle slip from his oh-so-thin fingers and it had bounced Potter on the head. Once the cheering had settled down, Dumbledore was getting ready to announce the first match.

“And as you should know, if the spell shows your House colors, then you will play,” the Headmaster announced, as he took out his wand and waved it in the air, “Decerno!” Immediately, a thin silver stream shot from the tip of Dumbledore’s wand and formed itself into a glowing circle shaped like a yin-yang. Looking on, Severus and the other people watched as the two tear shapes turned into different colors in a shower of gold stars that rained down over the heads of the people present. There was one blue tear, and one green tear. Severus looked over at Cerise, he could tell that she was thinking of all the times matches she’d played as a Chaser for their house team, while whooping echoed from Ravenclaw and his own house, the students slapping their Quidditch team members on the back. “Our first match, to be held in two weeks time,” announced Dumbledore, as Severus glanced at Professor Vector, who had been a member of their first opponents, “Is Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin!”

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End of Chapter Four…

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Next part: Snape plays Quidditch! Cerise plays Quidditch! It’s going to get ugly, especially since Slytherin has a ‘surprise’ for the opposition…