Slugging It Out

Chapter 9 - Import-Export

The ceiling of the Great Hall was as grey as the November sky, and breakfast was in full, noisy swing. Severus sat at the end of the table, grumpily eating porridge. He was not a morning person. Overhead, owls flapped their way through back and forth, dropping feathers and hooting to each other. Severus ignored them, irrelevant as they were to him. Now in his fourth year, he'd never yet received one.

So when a particularly large owl with feathered feet and big orange eyes came swooping low along the table, he paid no attention. It was only when it landed beside him with a soft flump, and thrust a big downy foot at him, that he even looked at it. 'Shove off,' he muttered.

The bird pecked his arm, and he rounded on it. He was about to do it some harm, when recognition dawned. Hardly daring to hope, heart beating so fast he thought it would explode, he took the letter from the offered foot. The envelope was addressed to him, in a familiar flowing hand. He turned it over and his stomach flipped over too at the sight of the Malfoy family crest imprinted in the green wax seal. He ripped the envelope open and scrabbled out the contents, a single sheet of thick cream coloured parchment.

Dear Severus,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. I was thinking about you and wondering how things are at Hogwarts just the other day. It would be great fun to catch up on all the news. Perhaps you would be kind enough to join me for a drink in the Hog's Head on the next Hogsmeade weekend?

Please respond with date by return owl.

Yours

Lucius

Severus read it several times, and surreptitiously pinched himself to check he wasn't dreaming. Had Lucius really offered to meet him at Hogsmeade? He hadn't seen or heard from his former friend for well over a year, ever since the older boy left Hogwarts.

As if to remind him of reality, the owl pecked him again. 'All right, all right,' he said, tearing up a piece of bacon and passing it up to the greedy beak. He rummaged in the bag by his feet and found his diary. He wrote back right there, at the breakfast table, not caring that he got bacon grease fingerprints on the cheap parchment of his response.

He had no means of sealing the letter, so he folded it up as small as he could and charmed it shut, before sending it away with the owl. He positively bounced down to Potions, where he was late. The rest of the class were inside and Slughorn was just beginning as he slipped into his customary seat next to Lily. She turned away from exchanging notes with Morgana - the two having made up disappointingly fast after Severus' attempt to ruin their friendship.

'Come along Severus,' said Slughorn mildly. From somewhere behind he heard James Potter resentfully muttering that if anyone else was late, he'd have docked points. Without looking up, Slughorn continued, 'And a point from Gryffindor for talking, Potter. Now; today I want you to produce the antidote to Shrinking Solutions. Turn to page eighty-six please. Please remember to dice the beetles finely - that means very small pieces, Mr Pettigrew. No great big lumps. And do take note when it says to remove the cauldron from the heat before adding the daisy roots - I don't want to be supervising anyone scraping the contents of their cauldron off the ceiling.'

The class set to work, Severus as always laid out his ingredients neatly before beginning. He heard Potter behind him make the usual mocking comment, but he ignored him and carefully ignited the flames below his cauldron.

'Why were you late?' asked Lily, who unlike Severus had immediately started cutting up her first ingredient, leaving the rest in a pile. Severus as always tutted and shook his head at this disorganisation.

'Had a letter from Lucius,' he explained, beginning to dismantle his beetles. He fastidiously discarded the wings - in his experience, beetle wings added little to a potion and only increased its volatility.

'He's writing to you?' Lily couldn't quite keep the surprise out of her voice, as she threw her beetles into the cauldron and started hunting for her bottle of armadillo bile.

'He's my friend,' responded Severus, cutting his beetle so finely they were virtually liquefied. 'You know, I reckon pestle 'n' mortaring this lot would be a lot more effective.'

'What did he want?' asked Lily, ignoring Severus' last comment.

'Just to catch up on the news,' replied Severus, in what he hoped was an offhand voice. He made a note in his textbook next to the entry about beetles. 'If the beetles are a paste, and the wings are rid, I reckon you could halve the leech juice, which in turn should give a more effective counteraction of the initial potion and decrease the effective dose.'

'Why can't you just do what the book says, Sev? It always works for me.' Lily casually tossed a handful of lacewings into the cauldron and began to stir.

'Just because something has always worked, isn't a reason not to improve it,' he retorted, setting to work on turning his beetles into a paste. They worked in silence for a while, until both were startled by a dull spluttering thud from behind them. They turned to see a red faced Peter Pettigrew, staring up at the ceiling and wringing his hands. 'What an idiot,' Severus remarked contemptuously, adding a dash of leech juice to his cauldron and watching the result with narrowed eyes as he stirred.

'That's not his fault. Not everyone's as clever as you, Sev,' said Lily sternly, almost knocking over her bottle of newt blood as she reached for something else.

'No one is as clever as me,' he corrected her. 'Except you,' he added hurriedly.

'Well, you should be kinder to those less fortunate, then,' she said haughtily. 'So what does Lucius do these days?'

'Do?' Severus glanced at her, before returning his eyes to his potion.

'You know, for a job?' Her potion was now shimmering an opalescent shade of white.

'Dunno. I don't think Lucius has a job exactly.' He realised he was rather vague on what Lucius did do all day.

Lily sniffed. 'Well, I suppose his father's so rich he doesn't need to do any proper work. He'll just sail on through, like he does everything else in life.'

Severus, who was dressed in Lucius' old robes, using Lucius' old book and stirring a potion in Lucius' old cauldron, didn't answer. Instead he gave his mixture another stir, tipping it slightly, before adding a touch more lacewing powder. Lily watched him out of the corner of her eye. 'Why did you do that?' she asked, stirring her own concoction.

'Improve the consistency,' he replied shortly, making another note in the margin of his textbook.

'I don't know how you have the patience, I just sort of throw things in and it always seems to come out right,' said Lily cheerfully.

'Yes, I'd noticed. Trouble is, it only works for you that way. My way is evidenced and replicable.' He smiled and lifted his cauldron off the flames. Slughorn spotted them and bore down, beaming.

'First to finish as usual, Severus!' he boomed. 'Let's see, does it work?' He placed a jar of tadpoles on the desk and removed one to the palm of his hand. He added a single drop of Severus' potion. The tadpole swelled and bulged, becoming a fat and very disgruntled looking frog. It croaked loudly at Severus, who gave a smile that was just a little bit smug. 'Perfect again!' cried Slughorn, adding the frog back to the tank at the front of the class with a flick of his wand. 'Come on now everyone, Severus has set the bar again. Five points to Slytherin.'

'Do you know why I think Snivellus always gets his potions right?' came James Potter's familiar well-cultured voice, once Slughorn had moved off to sort out a smoking cauldron on the other side of the room.

'Do tell,' drawled Sirius Black, whose own cauldron was giving off an acrid smell that didn't bode well for the contents.

'He pays old Sluggy to give him private lessons, all those times he pretends he's at Slug Club. Only we all know Snivelly doesn't have any money, so I'd hate to think how he pays him.' Potter spoke just loud enough to be sure that Severus could hear.

'Jealousy is such an ugly sentiment, Potter,' he said, without turning.

'Oh yes, I'm definitely jealous of you, Snape. Who wouldn't want to be ugly, weird and universally disliked - hey, Remus! You OK? Professor!'

Severus wheeled round to look, although not without having his wand ready. Potter had caught him out like that before. But on this occasion it seemed that Lupin really was ill. He had sat down on his stool, ashen faced, with Potter, Black and Pettigrew fussing around him. Slughorn hurried over. 'Are you all right, Lupin? Unwell? You'd better get along to the hospital wing.'

'He's always sick,' muttered Severus to Lily, who was looking concerned. 'Funny how it strikes so conveniently just when he or his friends are about to get another zero.'

'Stop it, Sev, he's really ill. You only need to look at him. Poor Remus - no, don't look at me like that. He's all right, if you get him on his own. It's just Potter and Black that make him act like an idiot sometimes.'

'We'll agree to disagree,' he said acidly, beginning to clean up his work area.

'Remus isn't the only person with bad taste in friends who is all right on his own,' she continued, decanting her own potion into a flask for testing. 'Some of the people you hang around with...'

'Don't change the subject,' he said moodily, wiping off his bench and returning the last bottles to his bag. Severus and Slughorn had a relaxed arrangement whereby he could 'borrow' items from the student store cupboards.

'Well, it's getting worse, Sev. You're always around them these days, in that horrible gang...'

'There's only one horrible gang in Hogwarts, and they're sitting behind us,' he interrupted.

'You're impossible,' said Lily crossly. 'How can you be friends with me, a Muggleborn, and then go and spend time with the likes of Rosier and Avery?'

'What choice do I have?' he muttered back, colour rising in his pale, sunken cheeks. 'What would you have me do? Sit alone in the common room and at meals? Spend every moment in splendid isolation until you deign to have a moment of time to share? It's OK for you to be busy with your friends, but not for me to have equivalent relationships in my own house.'

'I'm not saying that,' replied Lily, also reddening. 'I'm just saying, do you have to choose such horrible people?'

'Who else is there? I don't exactly have a huge pool of Muggle-loving candidates to choose from. Most Slytherins are keen on blood purity, to some degree or another. It doesn't make them bad people. They're certainly better than those idiots behind us.' He fetched out his quill and ink and began copying down the homework question.

Lily softened first. 'I'm sorry, Sev. I don't mean to have double standards. I just don't want to see you getting into trouble. There's so much bad stuff going on, outside of school, I can't bear to think of you ending up...'

'I won't end up in any trouble,' he reassured her. 'The stuff outside school, it's just that - outside. It's nothing to do with us. We're all right, Dumbledore and Slughorn will keep us safe. I don't have to believe in what they say to hang out with them, do I?'

'I suppose not. I know you're not a bloodist.' She didn't sound convinced. 'I just... I don't know Sev, I get worried...'

'You don't have to worry about anything. I'll always defend you. I'll never let anything bad happen to you, I swear.' He looked at her earnestly, black eyes glittering obsessively from between the lank curtains of his fringe.

She laughed a little uncomfortably. 'OK, Sev. I know.' The bell shrilled through the classroom, prompting a rush to pack and head for the door. Lily forced her books into her bag. 'I'll have to run, I've got Charms and I don't want to be late. See you soon, Sev!'

Severus felt the usual sinking sensation - Potions was over and it was now another two days before he and Lily had a joint class. Outside of lessons, they spoke less and less, her spending more time with her girlfriends and he in retaliation getting more involved with the remnants of Lucius' gang. He dragged reluctantly towards the door, falling in behind two gossiping girls.

'... well, she wanted to ask him out, but then she came out in spots. She tried Madam Mitten's Ointment, but it didn't work. So we thought it might be that time of the month...'

The words jangled something in Severus' mind and he frowned after the backs of the departing girls. That time of the month... of course, it meant periods and embarrassing girl stuff he'd rather not think about. But there was something else, some connection that his brain had made in a deep recess and he hadn't quite worked into his consciousness.

He wandered along towards Transfiguration, turning it over in his mind. It was only as he arrived at the classroom and joined the back of the line that the penny dropped, causing him to look up and gasp so loudly that several people gave him a curious look. He didn't care. He thought he'd just worked out Remus Lupin's little secret.

*****

The Hog's Head was a disreputable sort of pub, which reminded him of the Bell, his father's favourite drinking haunt. On occasions when he was younger, his mother would send him down to fetch his Dad back for dinner. That was in the days before they both longed for Tobias to stay out for as long as possible. He remembered that same feeling of uncertainty, standing just inside the entrance, letting his eyes accustom to the gloom, with the fug of smoke and beer fumes making him feel light headed.

A hand clamped down on his shoulder and he almost fell to his knees in fear, before he turned and realised it was Lucius, looking resplendent in black and silver robes with his long hair tied back with a black ribbon. Severus suddenly felt awed and shy, and hardly managed to mutter a greeting.

'You've grown taller,' remarked Lucius, steering him in the direction of the bar. 'I'll have a brandy please, and a butterbeer for my young friend.' He gave the barman a charming smile, which was received with a scowl and a grunt.

After Lucius had paid for the drinks he led Severus to a table in the corner, and casually cast some muffling charms around them. Intrigued, Severus watched in silence, waiting for Lucius to continue. The older man sat down at the table and sipped his drink with an expression of satisfaction. 'So, Severus, how are things at Hogwarts?'

He shrugged. 'All right, I suppose.' He hesitated, then whispered, 'Lucius, I think one of the boys in our year might be a werewolf!'

Malfoy laughed. 'Do you now, Severus. Don't you think you're getting a bit old for such games?'

'No, Lucius, I'm serious! He's a boy in Gryffindor, weird looking, he's always sick around full moon...'

Lucius laughed again, and patted Severus' arm. 'They would never let a werewolf into Hogwarts, don't be silly! Creatures like that aren't fit to study magic. And imagine how dangerous it would be for the other students.'

'Dumbledore might. Let in a werewolf, I mean.' He gazed at Lucius' sceptical face, willing his friend to believe him, to not just think him a silly little boy.

'I don't think so,' said Lucius firmly. 'Dumbledore may be a fool in many ways, but even he wouldn't go so far. Imagine if it escaped and ate a precious mudblood!'

Defeated, Severus managed a half-laugh. 'Even a werewolf would turn its nose up at a mudblood,' he said, and was rewarded with a smile from Lucius.

'So, how is Sluggy? Still going along to his little parties?' Lucius sipped his drink again, watching Severus closely over the rim of the glass.

'Yes, but they're not as much fun without you. He's having a soiree in December though, for Christmas, and asking some old Slug Clubbers - are you going to come?' He leaned forward eagerly, almost knocking over his butterbeer.

Malfoy shrugged his shoulders. 'Maybe... I think I remember seeing an invitation. Of course, it's a very busy time of year, lots of social commitments to juggle. Cissy prefers to go to the more glamorous occasions, you know. I don't think a drinks party by some washed up old Professor at one's old school would quite fit the bill.'

Severus sagged, deflated, and took a sip of butterbeer to try and hide his disappointment. The warmth of the liquid did little to dispel the chill of sorrow inside him. 'I invented new spell,' he said, to the drink. 'It makes a person's toenails grow very long in a few seconds. I plan to use it on Potter next time he's strutting out onto the Quidditch pitch.'

'Good for you. Now, Severus,' Lucius spoke more softly, leaning in closer. 'You're probably wondering why I asked you here.'

Severus, who'd been hoping it was because Lucius was his friend and wanted to see him, nodded. Lucius glanced around, despite the muffling spells, before continuing. 'I need some help, you see, from someone I can rely on. Someone I can trust one hundred percent. I thought to myself, who out of all the many people I know, can I trust with my very life? And then the answer came to me; Severus.'

A flush of pride spread over Severus' face. 'Oh yes, you can trust me,' he said eagerly.

'With anything? No matter how dangerous it might be? Even if getting caught helping me might mean you got into a lot of trouble? What I'm going to ask you to do, Severus, is risky. Not extremely risky, if we're careful, but risky nonetheless. Are you prepared to take a risk for me?'

He nodded, feeling like he would sign over his own life if it meant he could remain Lucius' trusted confidant, picked above all of Malfoy's many friends. 'Yes, I am. I swear. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it.'

Lucius sat back, smiling. 'I knew I could rely on you, Severus. You're a bright boy. You'll go far. Of course, it's a shame about the unfortunate circumstances of your birth, but we can put all that behind us. Now, since leaving school, I've become involved in the import-export business.'

Again, Severus nodded, although he had only a vague idea what that actually meant. It sounded impossibly grown up and glamorous, as did everything about Lucius.

'I specialise in certain essential but unusual goods. Goods which might be considered... undesirable by certain quarters of the Ministry. Powerful objects, rare artefacts, which should not be prevented from being used by wizards just because there is a vanishingly tiny chance a few Muggles might get inconvenienced. Substances which a wizard may wish to use in a potion, without wanting to fill in lots of bureaucratic paperwork to prove how good his intentions are. We do live in an over-regulated society, don't you think? '

'I suppose so.' Severus had never given it much thought before.

'You're a talented wizard, Severus. Don't you ever find there are spells you would love to perform, but can't, because they're 'dark' magic? Potions you would love to brew, but aren't allowed because the recipe is in the 'Restricted' section and the ingredients are non-tradeable? Why should talented individuals such as yourself be held back because a moronic few might blow themselves up if they attempted it? I say, let them go ahead, and rid ourselves of their ilk.'

His heart was thundering now, giddy with excitement. 'What do you want me to do?' he asked in a breathless whisper.

'An associate of mine will be bringing some items into Hogsmeade. I need you to collect them, take them into school and hide them for me, until a period of time has elapsed, then return them to my associate in Hogsmeade. Do you think you can do that?'

'Of course. That sounds easy.'

Lucius shook his head. 'Getting into and out of school, unnoticed? Returning with these items concealed about you, keeping them hidden from prying eyes, then going through the whole thing in reverse?'

'Well, maybe not easy, but not impossible. How well do I need to hide them? I mean, are people likely to come looking?' His clever logical mind began clicking through the variables. 'How big are these items?'

'Small and in small numbers, easy enough for one person to carry, though some will be delicate. It's unlikely anyone would search for them at Hogwarts, which is why it's the ideal place. But you would want to guard against any accidental revelation.'

'Can I transfigure them?' Snape had that calculating, happy look on his face when he'd been presented with an interesting puzzle.

'Best not to, you wouldn't want to damage any of them. You can use Disillusionment charms to hide them - you know how to do those now? Good. Now, for getting in and out of school, there's a door on the north side which is rarely locked with anything that Alohomora won't shift. It's easy to get to from Slytherin quarters too. I suggest you use that.'

'All right, I will. How will I know when to go?'

Lucius' hard eyes bored into him. 'Are you sure you're up to this, Severus? Think about it carefully, don't just say yes.'

Snape turned over the idea in his mind. He thought of the responsibility, the weight of having such a secret. The pride of helping Lucius. The wonderful feeling of knowing something that nobody else knew. And at once he knew there was no way he could refuse. 'I will do it,' he said, slowly and in as deep a voice as possible, to show how seriously he was taking it. 'When do I meet this associate?'

'I will send a sign - a box of chocolate frogs - on the day in question. You will meet him at one in the morning, in the alley behind this pub. You're unlikely to see anyone but you can never be sure, so be careful. Try not to look like a student. And don't leave school by the main gates, they are charmed. There's a side exit that you can use if you follow that path that leads past the stables. You will need to give a password to my associate, it will be written on the inside of the chocolate box. Severus... if you get caught, I need you to give me your word that you will not mention my name.'

'Of course I won't. I mean, you have my word.'

'Good. Of course, if you should run into such trouble, I will do all I can in my power to assist you, and as you know, my powers are extensive. But that will only work if I am not implicated.' He smiled, showing all his teeth. 'As for payment, well, I'll make sure you are amply rewarded for your trouble.'

Severus, who hadn't even thought about payment, blinked in surprise, and then smiled again. The thought of having some gold of his own was definitely an appealing one. He watched Lucius down the rest of his drink and rise to his feet. 'I should be going, places to go, people to see. See you again soon, Severus.' He held out his hand, encased in a soft dragon skin glove, and Severus shook it. Malfoy left the pub swiftly, and disapparated the second he stepped outside, leaving Severus alone to think over his new career as a smuggler.

*****

'Would you rather be eaten by the giant squid, or smothered by a leviafold?' Severus and Lily were sitting at either end of the deep sill of one of the windows on the east side of the castle, leaning against the thick chilly stone of the castle wall. The summer evening light through the stained glass cast coloured shadows across their faces and clothes.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Neither,' she said, in a rather bored voice.

'You have to choose one,' Severus persisted.

'No, I don't,' she said with a huffy sigh, raising her book so she didn't have to look at him.

A sick sense of dread settled over his stomach. 'Are you angry with me? What have I done?'

'Oh, I don't know, sometimes I wonder if I really know you at all Severus!' She snapped the book shut suddenly. 'Sometimes you still act like a stupid kid, with your 'getting eaten by the giant squid' nonsense, then others you do things that are really mean and awful.'

'Like what?' he challenged her.

'Like what you did to Lupin and Pettigrew.' She glared at him, and he was suddenly struck by how fine and neat the freckles across her nose were. He was so absorbed he didn't even hear her next sentence.

'Come on, it was Lupin and Pettigrew,' he responded, when he snapped out of his reverie. 'They're fair game. Potter and Black do things like that to people all the time, and Lupin and Pettigrew cheer them on.'

She knew he was right and it was making her crosser. 'What if they have? You can't excuse your own actions just by saying someone else does the same, or something worse! You hate Black and Potter, so why would you want to go round acting like them?'

That one put him at a loss for words, and he spluttered for a moment. 'It's different,' he said eventually. 'It was self-defence.'

'Self-defence?' Her voice rose in pitch and volume. 'They were eating their lunch! They had their backs to you! They hadn't even seen you!'

'It was a pre-emptive strike,' he told her, using a phrase he'd heard Lucius use at some time or other.

She made an exasperated noise, then said, 'I know you're lonely...'

'I'm not lonely!' he snapped. 'I'm fine.'

'If you say so,' she said, and reached out to rub his arm, sending shivers up his spine. 'I worry about you sometimes, Sev. You always look so tired. You'd tell me, wouldn't you, if something bad was wrong?'

'Nothing bad is wrong,' he muttered, wrong-footed by this sudden change in tack. 'I don't always sleep very well, that's all.' Lily didn't know about his nocturnal activities on behalf of Lucius' import-export business, and he was keen to keep it that way. Lily would definitely not approve.

'Have you heard from your Mam at all this year?' she persisted, still using that too-gentle voice.

'I never hear from her during the term, you know that. She won't use owls and I don't want to get Muggle post all the time. She'll be all right,' he added, in an unconvinced tone.

'You know, I was thinking... maybe she and my Mam should get together sometime. I think Mam finds it hard not being able to tell people the truth about me. It might be nice for her to have another person to talk to who knows about magic.' She trailed off, seeing the look on Severus' face. 'What?'

'Look, Lily, Mum's not really the sociable type,' he said. 'She keeps herself to herself, you know. She doesn't like talking about magic, she wants to forget all that. Even I'm not allowed to talk about it at home. I don't think she'd take too kindly to some other Hogwarts mother turning up and trying to have a chat about our Charms results.'

Lily looked hurt, and he felt a surge of frustration at her lack of understanding about his life. Her good, kind intentions just made him feel all the more unworthy and shabby in comparison. Sometimes with Lily, as with Lucius, he felt that that he lived in a completely different world with completely different rules, and that they were just too satisfied with their own lives to even recognise the fact.

Despite that, he felt a swoop of disappointment as she began to gather up her books. 'Well, I ought to go. You're coming to Sluggy's end-of-term bash?'

He grimaced. 'If I can get my dress robes to fit.' Much as he enjoyed Slug Club, the dressing up part was one aspect he had never got used to.

'You can always come to me if you get stuck, I'm a whizz at Extending Charms. You shall go to the ball, Cinderella!' She squealed as he made to chase her. 'See you on Saturday!'

Sighing deeply, he returned to the windowsill. He was tired, it was true. There had been two extra deliveries that month which meant more disturbed nights sneaking in and out of the school, plus the worry of finding extra space to hide the contraband. Even so, it gave him a thrill, getting into and out of the castle without detection, knowing that no one even as much as suspected what he was up to. He'd always been well suited to lurking and creeping, and now he had subterfuge off to fine art.

Being out and about at night had also brought him to the interesting realisation that he was not the only person wandering the castle after hours. On several occasions he'd heard the familiar voices of Potter and his gang, though he'd never actually seen them. Knowing that they were sneaking about at night made him even more convinced that they were up to something big - and he was certain that the secret was to do with Lupin's lycanthropy.

Lily had reacted in much the same way as Lucius had when he suggested it to her; laughing it away. Of course, she didn't really understand about werewolves, and had pointed out that Lupin was thin and weedy and about the least fierce person she could imagine, with the possible exception of Pettigrew. But Severus was absolutely convinced. He'd started keeping a diary of Lupin's 'funny turns' and absences from class, plotting them against the phases of the moon.

Whereas once he'd gone out of his way to avoid Potter's crew, he now hung around near them, following them and eavesdropping. Whilst they never directly incriminated themselves, he had managed to glean some useful information, and on several occasions had tipped off Filch about their plans. He'd thoroughly enjoyed seeing the smug Gryffindors being dealt out detentions and docked points, although to his immense irritation it didn't seem to stop everyone thinking how wonderful they were.

Potter's talent at Quidditch meant he was now the top scorer on the Gryffindor team, and a sure-thing to make captain the following year. To make matters worse, Black had also joined the team. The two strutted around the school, heads high, grinning arrogantly. Their arrival was usually greeted by much giggling and blushing from any girls present, so their progress along a corridor was accompanied by a kind of Mexican wave of excitement. People had started making huge banners with Potter's face on in the run up to Quidditch matches. It was like Severus' vision of hell.

As he prepared to return to the common room, he comforted himself with the thought that the Gryffindors' popularity would only make their eventual fall from grace even bigger and more painful. There was no question in his mind that they would fall from grace, because he had already determined it would. And when Severus Snape set out to do something, he did it properly. Potter and Black would one day be sorry they'd crossed the Half-Blood Prince.