Archive of Our Own ^beta

Severus was feeling different today. Lucius and Narcissa had forced him to try new things after officially accepting his role as their younger brother last summer. He was glad Abraxas was open to accepting him after learning his dark past. Now, he stood at the common room doorway, his outfit and image cleaned up and his nerves on edge.

Eventually, Lucius spotted him peeking from his dorm doorway and gave a friendly wave. Many noticed this and turned in his direction while he pushed his way through the mahogany door. Everyone gasped at the difference now that he was taken care of.

Like every pureblood, Severus was a slim tall teen but because of his malnutrition, he's rather stunted. His long black locks were finally free from old potion fumes and were neatly tied to a neat ponytail trailing off his shoulder. He also wore a few pins to keep his fringe from falling into his face. (Though it was failing spectacularly...) Many snakes dropped their jaws insight of his pale face and large round onyx eyes that were squinted previously from lack of eye care. He now wore round glasses and his lips were plum pale pink.

"Um..." Severus began softly while awkwardly playing with the hems of his new robes. "Shouldn't we be at the Great Hall for breakfast right now?"

Many snapped out of their stupor and finally began reacting positively around their adorable younger snake. The girls cooed at his cute appearance while the boys grinned joyfully at the change. Lucius accepted high fives from Nott while Zambini and Narcissa began gossiping about the school's reaction. Soon, they all followed Severus' idea to head for a meal and show their little snake to them all.

At the Great Hall, many eyes went to the incoming Slytherins. They were usually early so their sudden lack of punctuality made them wonder. When they realised one of the snakes were being surrounded, many tried to peek through the crowd's and listened to their conversations.

Eventually, Severus had enough of being crowded and squeaked out, "Guys! I have Transfiguration later! I need to eat!"

Many chuckled while silence fell upon everyone while he revealed his new looks. Gryffindors gawked in shock while Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws smiled at the improvement. Kingsley was among the Ravens who had a red face and Quinn Raven, a fellow 7th year was eyeing the pretty boy with wide eyes beside a dazed-look Xenos. The Marauders were shocked silent while Amelia Bones and Lucy Davidson from the Hufflepuff table were sharing knowing looks. They had always wanted to talk to the smart snake but his grouchy appearance made many avoid him. Now, they were hoping to approach him.

After his first class with Mcgonagall, (who barely said anything to the snake) Severus found himself cornered by the Marauders, especially James who was slightly flustered as he glared at the shorter boy.

"So, finally decided to take a shower, Snivellus?" He tried taunting to see how the snake would react. "I wonder whose soap you stole to change this much!"

"You do know I'm still the same person, Potter," he hissed back while tightening his grip around his books. "Leave me alone! I didn't do anything to you guys!"

"Oh, shut up," Sirius snapped, frustrated he couldn't feel true anger at the teen now that he was rather pretty. "You're just a slimy snake-like all hose Slytherins!"

"Hey! That's enough!" A gruff voice called out, surprising the young Marauders. Looking up the stairs, they could see three Ravenclaws glaring at the bullies. Xenophilius was glaring at them with Kingsley and Quinn by his side. They were returning from the library when Xenos felt Nargles surround him so he led his friends along, chasing those invisible creatures. Kingsley and Quinn were glad they followed their classmate, now watching the Slytherin being released from the strong grips.

"What the hell?" Snapped Sirius but Remus quickly pulled him back. "Moony! We can't just let them off the hook!"

"Shaklebolt is the new Ravenclaw prefect, Padfoot," he quickly whispered. "Let's let them go! We can't get into trouble!"

Peter sneered in frustration. He wanted to talk to the beautiful snake alone and lock him away for himself. But now, he was interrupted by those bloody Ravenclaws. He decided to fall back for now and followed his fellow Marauders away.

Severus glared at the trio and fixed his collar before huffing, "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Kingsley quickly said while Quinn eyed the books Severus held. "We just wanted to make sure you're safe... Bullying is bad."

"No shit Sherlock," Severus huffed but suddenly recalled the prefect and blushed heavily at his language. "S-Sorry..."

Quinn waved it off with an amused smile. Xenos gentle cast a spell to smoothen out the ripples in his robes. Kingsley awkwardly played with his sleeves before hurrying away while spluttering. Xenos smiled knowingly and bowed slightly before rushing away, telling Kingsley he was scaring the Nargles. Quinn stayed back, watching Severus who was flipping through his schedule. He sighed in relief and Quinn took it as a sign to try talking with the Slytherin.

"You free right now?" He asked slowly, not wanting to rush things with the cutey. When he noted the questioning look from Severus, he quickly added, "I-I mean, I-I wanted t-to t-talk to you about t-those books!"

Severus took in the seniors looks for a moment. His black locks reminded him of Sirius but his were neater and combed. From his way of fumbling with his hands around his face and nose bridge, Severus figured he used to wear eyewear. 'Contacts...' He finally made his way to those books and his eyes widen in recognition.

"Isn't that the latest edition of Advance Spell Craft by Ronaldo Humphrey?" He gasped while his onyx eyes sparkled with interest. "I heard it was super rare to find since it was officially published back in Brazil! I didn't know they sold it here!"

The Ravenclaw could feel his own eyes sparkle at his luck. He was internally glad Severus was interested in such a topic and quickly replied, "Y-Yeah! I just finished reading the first chapter! This edition mentions the collaboration of Ancient Runes from Egypt and the Ancient Malawi folk!"

"T-That's so cool!" Severus knew he was in too deep and wanted to know more. Nervously rubbing his heel on the stone floor, he whispered, "C-Can I read it?"

Quinn considered this carefully before grinning. "Sure! We can meet up at the library during weekends if you want! I've always wanted to ask you about Potions! Professor Slughorn always shows off your work that is even more effective than Ministry approved potions! He says you know so much! And Potions is the only subject I just can't seem to click with!"

Only then did they notice how close they were at this point and both pulled back awkwardly. Quinn rubbed his sweaty nape while Severus curled a stray black strand of hair around his fingers. It was a habit he had whenever he was embarrassed by his over-enthusiastic demeanour. After a long moment of silence, they both heard the bell chime and jolted in their places.

"C-Crap! I have Charms!" Severus spluttered while quickly trying to locate himself. "I... I uhh... I gotta go!"

Quinn quickly copied his schedule and pushed the copy into Severus' hand while explaining, "I'm always in the library during my free time! Come on over if you wanna read my book! I'll be sure to bring it for you! I-It's nice officially meeting you, by the way! I'm Quinn Raven!"

"T-Thanks!" He chirped while hurrying down the stairway. Quinn quickly leaned over the banner and watched him disappear. But before he could run down the hall, he momentarily glanced up and added, "I'm Severus!"

After hearing his soft footsteps distance themselves, he settled down on the stairway and grinned to himself. "Severus, huh..."

-----

During Charms, Professor Flitwick approved of his improved image and gave three points for it. The Hufflepuffs didn't argue much to his relief and he took the only empty spot, a seat beside his fellow batchmate, Selene Ayaki Ariti. He awkwardly sat down and peeked from his fallen fringe to examine her. She was a shorter brunette Puff with iridescent tips. Only when staring into her blue eyes did he realise she was staring at him as well.

"Um..." He began softly, not used to the staring. "Is there something on my face?"

She blinked owlishly before whispering, "You're Severus Snape, right? Slughorns legacy?"

Severus snorted and hid his face behind his textbook when realising everyone was looking his way. Once he was sure they had returned their attention upon his Charms teacher, he peeked over his shoulder and smiled upon the Puff and gave a discreet nod. She smiled, even more, wider and scribbled on a small parchment before sliding it underneath the table. Apparently, she wanted to discuss her odd hair state. It was the outcome of a Potion failure and she was hoping he could discuss with her an antidote.

After reading the note, he gave her a curious look and scribbled back, 'Why? I think that's pretty cool...' Her eyes widen at this and she gave him a wide smile before nodding while returning to her class. LittleAyaki Ariti never felt ashamed of her hair after that but Severus was oblivious to her joy. They left the class with a new friend each and no regrets in their talk.

---

Severus was walking down the halls when he stumbled upon the Marauders who shoved him hard enough for him to lose hold on his strap and his books, parchment and quills scattered out. He leaned down to pick them up and when he reached out, he realised two older female students were also at his aid. He flushed at the help and scanned them both. One wore the Gryffindor red scarf and a badge on her uniform. Her hair was tied in a neat braid while a bow and arrow hair clip was by her ear. The other student wore the Hufflepuff yellow pinafore and the Head Girl tie. Her curly hair was tied in messy braids and her amber eyes scanned the scattered items.

"Here you go, kid," the puff said kindly while offering an arm full of parchment. She raised her eyes to glare at the Gryffindor juniors while her fellow Gryffindor behind her stepped forward and nabbed their sleeves to avoid them escaping. "This a frequent situation?"

Severus' head bobbed slowly, unsure of what was going. Luckily for him, the Head Girl was used to this kind of situation and levelled the Gryffindor juniors with a stern glare. Once she took in each of their expressions, she huffed heavily and nodded at the other prefect.

"Help me bring these brats to McGonagall, babe?" She asked casually, surprising the younger teens. "I'm sure you scored an O in your charms to cast a simple Leviocarpus..."

"Sure thing, babe," the other prefect grinned before harshly snapping her glare back at the disgusted look of the Marauders. "What? Homophobic much, brats?"

Before they could say anything, they dragged the Marauders away while Severus held most of his belongings in a heap. He blinked twice in surprise before lowering his head and realising another Prefect was there. He recognised the Head Boy from his house, Ford Alvis Grey. He was considered a pureblood despite being a half-blood in secret since he was the best in using Dark Arts. He often spent his time in the library across Severus' table, offering his own teaching on the tough subjects.

Now, he gently leaned down and offered a hand. Severus accepted it slowly and let him get pulled up before eyeing the silver head. He had always wondered silently if he was related to Lucius but never questioned it out loud. His silver eyes shimmered in the dark of the hall shadows as he wandlessly spelt his belongings into his bag.

"You okay, Sev?" He asked softly while the crowd that appeared during the Marauders were apprehended slowly dismerge. "Did they hurt you?"

Severus slowly shook his head in denial before walking by Fords' side. As they walked, Severus silently thought of the idea of homosexual relationships. He knew in the Muggle world, it was hated and imagined the Magic World would also despise it. But seeing those two made him wonder and he glanced up at his knowledgeable senior.

"Hey, Ford?" He asked softly into the empty halls. Ford glanced slightly downwards towards his favourite junior and quirked the corner of his lips to show he was listening. "Is homosexuality okay in the Magical World?"

Ford froze momentarily and quickly hide his surprise and flustered state of mind behind his passive mask. Growing up with his mother in the Magical World made him learn a lot about the facts behind the scenes. He was actually a bastard child after his mother had a fling with a Muggle and only afterwards did his mother realise her own sexual orientation of liking the same sex. He himself secretly found the little snake by his side adorable and had been planning to court him. But Ford decided to let the younger learn more about their world before bringing his intentions up. Instead, he decided to answer for now.

"Nope," he quickly said while adding, "Actually, genders isn't a problem in the wizarding world, Severus. Even if wizards marry wizards and witches with witches, the submissive partner could carry a spawn if their magic is compatible."

"Really?" Gasped Severus with a wide smile and flushed look. Ford mentally frowned, concerned if his intended had someone in mind. Instead, he gave a knowing smirk, making the shorter to blush as red as tomatoes. "I-I was just curious after seeing those two..."

"Oh yeah..." He mumbled while thinking of his fellow prefects. "Delta began courting Lucy after the first prefect meeting. Apparently, it was love at first love. Well, girls will be girls..."

They continued making their way towards the library, side-by-side. Severus was actually looking forward to meeting Quinn and checking out the book. Ford must've noticed his good mood since he eyed the shorter boy at the corner of his eyes before they entered the realm of books.

"Something good happening later?" He questioned politely, not wanting to push Severus with anything personal.

Severus blushed heavily at the idea of showing much emotion and he cupped his heated cheeks which brought a chuckle from Ford. He glared at Ford as they entered and silently swatted his arm before heading straight for their usual seat. To Ford's surprise, he caught sight of his academic rival, Quinn and the duo gave dark glares. Severus, oblivious to their rage, skipped forward with a huge smile to Fords' surprise. Ford could only silently grunt as he watched Quinn get Severus' attention with the book and he huffed while plopping down on the seat across them.

Little did the trio know, as Severus read the interesting book while Quinn and Ford gave each other deadly dagger-like glares, the entire school would soon be filled with rumours of their little Potion Prince's love life and a betting pool set up among Hogwarts students and staff to see who'll eventually be chosen by the quiet snake.

Ever since that very day, the Marauders never hurt Severus and Severus' school life grew joyful. Even after losing Lily, his childhood friend and crush, he had two seniors who lent their shoulders for him to cry on. And when he congratulates them on their graduation ceremony, nobody was surprised to see them propose to him on the spot...