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Warning: This story is a strong T, just to warn you. There is swearing, main character death, attempted rape, mentions of a lemony nature, and relatively descriptive violence.

It All Comes Back to Snape - Book 1

Past and Present

Introducing the Half-Blood Prince:

Sat, Dec 16, 1977.

Severus Snape was miserable.

The morning sun was shining on the fresh glistening snow. The Scottish air was invigoratingly crisp but not unbearably cold. The sound of delighted laughter and chatter filled said air as hundreds of students were taken down to the train station for winter break via the thestral drawn sleighs that nearly all of the blissfully ignorant children thought were simply enchanted vehicles.

But none of this was a positive to Severus.

The sun was too bright and made him squint against the glare. Severus hated snow because it reminded him of the last time he'd played with Lily in the park, making magical snow angels, before his father dragged him home and beat the shit out of him before forbidding him to see her again. (He did anyway, just much more discreetly.) His muggle overcoat (his robes and uniform weren't allowed at home) was too old and thin to ward off the chill for long, but he was too depressed to bother saying a warming charm. The laughter made his head and heart hurt because the last time he'd laughed with actual joy had been that same snow filled day about seven years ago. And the bony, black, horse-like thestrals, while magnificent, just reminded him that his life was a shitbox of tragedy that no one could ever understand.

Because only those who have seen death can see them. And Severus had seen too much death already.

He'd seen the scrawny stray kitten that he'd befriended as a toddler kicked to a flying death by his father. He'd watched countless animals die under his and his mother's hand as they illicitly practiced his magic in the woods as a young child for the dual purpose of preparing him for a hard life ahead and providing food for them to eat since his father tended to drink away what little money they did have from his government pension. He'd seen an old beggar man gasp his last breath on the streets of Cokeworth, not a soul caring that the accomplished war vet who told the most amazing stories was homeless and hungry and sick. And last year, he'd even seen a fellow student die after a particularly bad Quidditch accident that Severus had just happened to see the aftermath of, having been in the hospital wing to deliver fresh potions at the time. The Hufflepuff Seeker had died within a minute of arriving, his skull cracked nearly all the way open from a terrible crash. Madam Pomfrey had been beyond devastated at her inability to save him.

And thus, as stated before, Severus Snape was miserable.

Not that this was much different from his usual state of being, but today was even worse than normal.

MUCH worse than normal.

The reason for his current melancholic state was currently snogging her face off in the sleigh in front of him, and looking quite blissful about it, too.

He couldn't bear to look at them any longer. But to change his seat so he was facing the other way would only incite the teasing comments of his 'friends' sharing the sleigh with him. As is, Brian, Robby, Crissy (a sixth year who was Robby's girlfriend of the week), Evan, and Ruby (who was plastered to Evan's side like a leech, as usual) were engaged in a painful recounting of the previous evening's events. Including who danced with whom, who got drunk and made an ass of themselves, and of course, the highlight of the night; one surprise engagement done on bended knee with the biggest fucking diamond ring ever seen, followed by a teary eyed 'yes', and a kiss that made every girl fan themselves in envy.

Fucking Potter. Can't he keep his hands and lips to himself?

WHY did he have to propose to her at the winter ball last night in front of everyone?

And why did she have to bloody well say yes?

Severus wanted to eviscerate him. He wanted to leap between the carriages and punch that self-satisfied smirk right off his pure-blood face. He wanted to steal Lily away from him and hide her in some enchanted castle forever, never to be sullied by the likes of James Potter again. He didn't even care if Lily didn't love him in return or never touched him with those perfect red lips; he just wanted her away from Potter. He wanted her to see that her precious 'Jamie Bear' was not as sweet and good as she thought he was.

But no matter how much Severus wanted those things, he knew he would never act upon his wishes.

Because, despite everything, he still loved Lily as his first and only real friend, and the thing he wanted most in the world was for her to be happy.

Somehow, James Potter made her happy.

The evidence was glaring him in the face in the form of her brilliant smile and soft laugher as Potter whispered something hopefully not too revolting in her ear. The way she was willingly wrapped up in his embrace. The way she held him back. The way her eyes sparkled whenever she looked at him.

Merlin, I hate him so.

Because her eyes hadn't sparkled at Severus for years, not since they were kids. Now she was basically a woman grown who knew what she wanted and was happy to take it.

James 'Look At Me, I'm A Bloody Brave Gryffindor' Potter. That's what she wanted. Him with his classic good looks and his filthy rich parents and his perfect bloodline.

But he understood that Lily had every right to go after a secure future. Especially in this time of open warfare between Lord Voldemort and the Ministry.

She was too smart to fall for a homely looking half-blood with little money and a disgraced mother.

All of the girls were.

Severus had never had a girlfriend.

Most of the time, he convinced himself he didn't want one because it would just be a distraction from his studies and potion making experiments, but he knew he was lying to himself. In his heart, Severus just wanted to be normal. He wanted to feel loved by someone other than his mother. He wanted to be needed for more than his academic skills. He wanted to be kissed by someone who thought he was desirable.

He wanted to be kissed the same way Lily was kissing Potter; lovingly, passionately… endlessly. Merlin.

Severus averted his gaze, determinedly staring at the passing trees off to the side of the road. His friends droned on, not caring that he wasn't contributing to the conversation.

Their 'friendship' was basically all an act anyway. It was more of a mutually beneficial arrangement. They let him hang out with them so he didn't feel quite so much like a loser and they all benefitted from his superior academic skills. Severus was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge and they had no qualms about picking his brain whenever they were stuck on the drafting of an essay or doing homework.

And for those truly challenged individuals that couldn't be bothered to do their own assignments, Severus was quite happy to do them in their stead.

For a price.

School robes and books weren't cheap. And his father certainly wasn't going to pay for them. His mother had had to hide away whatever pennies she could over the course of his first eleven years to fund his first year of Hogwarts. After that, Severus was on his own.

Well, except for Lucius, who liked to give generous presents. They'd only been in school together for one year because his cousin was six years older, but it was enough for the well respected Malfoy boy to help pave a decent place into the Hogwarts hierarchy for Severus.

They hadn't known they were cousins when they first met, but Lucius had taken pity on the clearly dirt poor boy in cheap robes, feeling like he was somehow familiar, and offered Severus his protection from the school bullies until Severus established himself as someone to be respected, despite his age and size. (His mother had seen to that, teaching him every curse and spell she knew, thank Merlin. Thus the poor animals.) It turns out Severus had the exact same colouring as Lucius' mother with jet black hair and eyes. The same colouring as Severus' mother, too. Pure-blood Prince colouring, to be exact. With some tentative digging, they figured out that their mothers were sisters, with Severus' being a disowned and thus no longer acknowledged member of the Prince family because of who she'd married. (Not that she'd had much of a choice, after she'd found herself pregnant by the muggle soldier who'd seduced her when she'd travelled to Cokeworth to investigate a magical mystery for the Ministry. Apparently Tobias Snape had been quite capable of being charming when he wanted to, and used to be passably handsome in his uniform.)

Severus spent a lot of time at Malfoy Manor over the school breaks after that, which his father had no problems with because he didn't care what Severus was doing, as long as it wasn't 'that devil cursed magic' in his dump of a home. His aunt Elena was the sweetest woman who was more than willing to overlook his half-blood status. She also, discreetly, and when she could safely do so, went to see Eileen, overjoyed to be reunited with her beloved older sister. Lucius' father, on the other hand, barely tolerated Severus' presence, but did so to appease his wife. Severus was careful to avoid the imposing man as much as possible, and if he was in the same room, like during meals, he very carefully kept his eyes down and his opinions to himself.

Abraxas Malfoy, just as light in colouring as his son with matching silver blond hair and silver grey eyes and nearly identical features, was quite set in his opinions on blood purity and was a firm supporter of Lord Voldemort. Severus found him highly intelligent and quite intimidating. He was also very ruthless with those he found unacceptable. Including his son. Lucius had had to conform to his father's beliefs and standards right from the start or suffer extreme punishment. It was a wonder there was a caring bone left in his body, but Severus knew that underneath the pompous exterior he presented to the world, Lucius would always be the softhearted boy who had been the favourite Prefect of all the little Slytherins while he was there.

And so did his fiancé, Narcissa Black. Cissa was another example of a pure-blood who was raised to behave as though the rest of the world wasn't worth the dirt under her shoes but somehow still had a heart underneath the snotty exterior. Lucius and Cissa had been together as long as Severus had known them, and now they were finally tying the knot and making it official with a Christmas wedding.

And Severus was actually part of the Groom's party.

Not the Best Man, of course. That honour had to go to another pure-blood for the sake of appearances, and so fell to Lucius' best school mate, Richard Nott, even though their friendship had become lukewarm at best without school to bind them together.

Severus was just chuffed to be included at all.

I can't wait to see Lucius again. It's been months.

Just have to make it through a day at home before I can go to the Manor.

Merlin, I don't want to go home at all.

But Severus had to at least say hi to his mother or she'd be very sad and he couldn't do that to her.

He startled slightly when the sleigh came to a stop, jerking his blank gaze away from the trees beyond the railroad track on one side of the road to see the train station on the other. Finally.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Severus glanced at the sleigh in front of his as the self proclaimed 'Marauders' and their girlfriends disembarked with good natured ribbing at the couple who were so wrapped up in each other they hadn't even noticed that their sleigh had stopped. Lily blushed as she pushed away from Potter and then jumped down from the sleigh with easy grace, looking delectable in muggle jeans and a long burgundy coat that almost matched her hair.

Her eyes flicked towards Severus and they looked at each other for two whole seconds. His breath caught and his chest tightened with longing and misery because there was no gleam of friendship or warmth in her big emerald eyes. Only resignation at how things were now. "You did this to yourself, Severus Snape," she thought very clearly, knowing he'd pick up on it with the eye contact. Then she turned away and smiled up at Potter as he jumped down beside her, dismissing Severus as someone she didn't associate with anymore.

I know. I'm so very very sorry. His thoughts had been made vocal on more than one occasion in the past. But Lily would never forgive him for his one slip of the tongue under a moment of stress. (He had even vowed to never say the word 'mudblood' out loud again, mostly to her deaf ears.) Nor could she understand that his friendship with his fellow Slytherins was merely for his nearly desperate need to feel like he belonged.

And… she very much disapproved of his experiments into the Dark Arts.

She just couldn't see that the Dark magic was what called to him. What made him feel powerful. What made him feel like he was worth something.

But Lily was so firmly entrenched in the Light, she would never understand.

Lily was an angel.

Severus felt like a minion of the devil himself, trying to claw his way up the pile of other minions for a glimmer of recognition at the top.

It was an accurate enough description of his life in regards to Lord Voldemort, who he had yet to meet, but was fairly certain he would be following for the rest of his life, considering everyone else he was associated with did.

Potter flicked his gaze at Severus as he put an arm around Lily and guided her towards the waiting train. Behind his round glasses, his hazel eyes were colder than the snow upon which they trod, and the warning was clear to see in the forefront of his mind.

"Mine."

Severus hid his flinch and looked away. He didn't want to accidentally read any other thoughts from Potter's head. It wasn't worth the pain.

"Hey, Sev, you getting off the sleigh or what?"

He turned his lifeless eyes towards Brian as he rose to his feet, who was looking at him with negligent curiosity from his position already standing on the ground. Severus was surprised to see that everyone else had already walked away. "Of course," Severus said dryly, covering his tardiness with indifference. He moved forwards and jumped down to the ground, ignoring the step. "As if I would spend more time than necessary outside and in one of those ostentatious vehicles." (The matching sleighs were ornately carved and covered in gold highlights on top of shiny black paint. Despite what he'd just said, he thought they were rather beautiful.)

Severus was careful not to actually look into Brian's eyes (or any others he didn't want to read) as he talked because he had no desire to hear or see what the other boy was thinking. His innate ability as a Legilimens had always been there, even as a child.

It was always so comforting to know just how much your father despises you when he's swinging a ham sized fist at you.

NOT.

Only two people knew he had the skill. The first was Lily, because he used to think she was his soulmate and had kept nothing from her. The other was his mother, who'd warned him to keep it to himself because he would find himself ostracized even worse than he already was if people knew. Or… someone would try and enslave him and use him as a tool for their own gains.

Neither option sounded pleasant. Aside from Lily, who he trusted not to tell despite their falling out, Severus kept his secret.

Brian huffed, rolling his eyes. "I don't even know what that means, but don't bother to tell me. You know I'll never use such a fancy word."

Severus smirked in a way as to be nearly unnoticeable as they walked towards the train platform of Hogsmeade Station where Hagrid was saying goodbyes and Happy Holidays to all of the students as they climbed into the cars. No, you never would. Ironic, really, considering your pure-blood family is just as garish and extravagant as the rest of them, if not more so.

As some of the last ones to climb up to the platform, the hirsute half giant had no trouble focusing on them. The gamekeeper of Hogwarts Castle smiled under his substantial mustache, mostly focusing on Severus. (Hagrid didn't like Brian much because of a nasty prank the boy had played on him a few years ago that involved turning ALL of his hair neon pink and didn't wash out for a good month.) "Severus. Brian."

"Hagrid," Severus said, returning his smile, looking up at one of the very few people who made him feel short. He'd always liked the oversized man who didn't notice things like wealth and bloodlines, but judged people based on their personalities alone.

Brian nodded stiltedly with a faint sneer and continued on, leaving Severus behind. No loss.

"Goin' home, then?" Hagrid asked amiably.

"Unfortunately," the black haired boy replied to black haired man, tucking his hands into his pockets to hopefully warm them up a little. "But only for a bit. Then I'm off to Malfoy Manor. Lucius and Cissa are getting married."

Hagrid smiled wider. "Oh. Heard bout that, I did. Dumbledore mentioned it at supper the other day. Good for them. Good for them."

Their similar night dark eyes slid apart as they both thought about their own pathetic prospects for marital bliss in the future.

They stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Hagrid nodded at the train that was now whistling warningly. "Best you get on then, laddie, before it leaves without you."

Severus didn't really want to, but it was expected, and tradition, so he nodded. "Yes, I suppose I should."

He reluctantly turned and walked towards the train as Hagrid called, "Have a Merry Christmas, Severus. And say hi to Lucius and Cissa for me!"

"I will!" he called back as he jumped onto the step just as the train started to chug forwards. Tell Lucius and Cissa, anyway. I doubt my Christmas at home will be merry. It never is. He waved once at the simple but caring man, receiving a wave in return.

He stayed on the step, hanging on to the handrail for a few seconds as he watched Hagrid turn and walk back towards the patiently waiting thestrals, his massive shoulders slouched under his coat. Severus could easily sympathize with how lonely the uniquely bred man felt.

Brian was impatiently waiting for him as he walked into the train properly. "I don't know how you can be friendly to that bumbling oaf. He's stupid and he shouldn't even be employed by the school, being a dirty half-blood and all of the worst sort."

Severus glared at the back of Brian's oblivious head as they walked single file through the cars towards the ones unofficially designated for Slytherins. Fucking ponce. I dare you to say that to Dumbledore's face. "Hagrid's not stupid. And besides, he's very helpful to me in acquiring many of the ingredients I need for my potions. Some of which you enjoy on a regular basis, I might add."

Brian half turned, enlightenment in his pale blue eyes. "Oh, I get it. You're using him. That's fine, then."

That's not exactly what I said, but if it keeps you happy, what the hell. Severus smiled tightly. "Glad you approve."

"Nice to see your Slytherin side, that's all," Brian said as he found a seat with their usual group.

I almost wasn't, Severus thought, referring to how the Sorting Hat had almost put him in Gryffindor, muttering some nonsense about how brave he was. He'd had to threaten the mentally challenged hat with a perpetual hiccupping curse to get it to put him where he belonged. "Yes, well, I come by it naturally," he said dryly, still standing.

"Aren't you going to sit?" Ruby asked from Evan's lap, indicating the empty space beside them.

He shook his head. "Not just yet. I'm off to the dining carriage."

His friends laughed and Ruby rolled her eyes at him. "I don't know where you put it, Sev. You should be as big as Hagrid with what you eat. You just finished breakfast an hour ago."

Try hardly eating at all whenever you're at home and let's see if you say the same. Playing to their amusement, Severus looked down at his lean body and frowned at it comically. "I don't know either, but there seems to be some sort of malfunction with my innards. I have more than a hollow leg. It's like the food disappears as soon as it hits my stomach. I swear it feels like I never eat anything." He shrugged casually. "I have resigned myself to the nearly inevitable possibility of resembling a burnt broomstick for the rest of my days."

That had them snorting with giggles.

Dunderheads. So easy to manipulate.

Severus left them to it, walking back the way he'd come from and aiming for the centrally placed dining carriage. He wasn't actually after food for himself, but for his mother. No one knew it, but much of the food that Severus apparently gobbled down actually went into a magic container that he kept disillusioned by his plate and then hid in an undetectable expanded pocket of his robes.

This container was then given to the eagle-owl he'd raised from a chick, Elehootay. She was a beautiful brown and gold spotted owl that Severus had accidentally orphaned while training in the woods as a boy. She'd had to stay in the woods because his father would have killed her if he knew Severus had a pet, but he'd put enough protection spells on her nest to ensure no predators got her until she was big enough to fly on her own and hunt for herself. Now she lived at Hogwarts with him and they were both quite happy about it. Elehootay enjoyed the almost daily overnight flight home to Cokeworth to deliver the container of food to his mother, and usually brought back a little note from her that always made him smile.

Elehootay was already at home, waiting for him in the park near his house, since he'd told her to stay there after last night's delivery.

As he passed between one carriage and the next, he murmured a disillusionment charm of his own invention that worked far better than the chameleon version that was taught in school, rendering him completely invisible, even to himself. The next step had him adding a sound dampening charm, also of his own invention, that would conceal the sound of his breathing and footsteps. It was a variation of the Muffliato spell that he had invented a few years ago and made public knowledge, earning him a pathetic Certificate of Achievement from the Ministry. The spell was already being taught in school by Flitwick as if it had been around forever and it seemed that no one could remember who had invented it.

After that, he had publicized one more spell that he had made public knowledge via an outside source, giving credit to his alias, The Half-Blood Prince, in a popular wizarding magazine, stating only that he was an anonymous student from Hogwarts. (The only people at school who knew or had known that Severus was a disinherited Prince were Lily and Lucius. And since there were no other young Princes in the school system and hadn't been for years, everyone else assumed the name referred to a royal title as opposed to the pure-blood family.) This one was a jinx known as Levicorpus and its countermeasure, Liberacorpus, and had become so ridiculously popular that half the population of Hogwarts had ended up hanging by their ankles over the course of a week during fifth year. Including Severus himself, at Potter's wand tip, of course.

Severus had NOT liked being subject to his own spells and had kept the rest of his inventions to himself after that.

The Certificate of Achievement for that spell was hanging in Dumbledore's office, waiting for its owner to come claim it.

Severus had no intention of ever doing so. He liked the idea of the mystery haunting the school forever.

He moved through the next two carriages like something even less noticeable than a shadow, snatches of conversation caught on the way by.

"… Soooo romantic."

"…what she's wearing?"

"Did you see…"

"He's sooo dreamy…"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh."

"Shhhhh, they'll hear."

Severus paused at that last one. He peered through the rather steamy window into the private compartment and found what he was pretty sure was Black's distinctive curly head buried between the shapely legs of a sixth year Hufflepuff girl called Karen or Candy or Carol or something to that effect. From what he could see through the blurry window, the girl looked like she was about a second away from ecstasy. Damn. That bloody Gryffindor bastard has moves. She will undoubtedly reciprocate after a performance like that.

Despite how much he'd love for Sirius Black to get caught, the girl didn't deserve it, so Severus flicked a quick silencing spell on the door that would last for half an hour or so.

The girl's accelerating noises instantly vanished, Thank Merlin.

Severus moved on, somewhat uncomfortable in the trouser department, thanks to the show.

He reached the dining carriage soon enough and entered on the heels of a boy who looked about the right age for a third year. A hungry third year. Like most boys going through puberty, this one's appetite was voracious.

Severus secretly smiled at the boy as he watched him fill up a plate full of sausages and scrambled eggs and then take it to a table that already contained three other boys eagerly devouring a second breakfast. (One of the perks of the train rides was a perpetual buffet.)

Pulling out another bespelled container, Severus filled it with the breakfast foods being offered and then added a fragrant roll with fresh butter melting into it. The container was tucked back into his pocket and would be gifted to his mother with food just as hot and fresh as it was now.

Magic really was a wondrous thing. Severus couldn't imagine living without it.

Unable to resist the fluffy bread rolls, he buttered one for himself and ate it with great appreciation as he made his way back to the last Slytherin carriage. If anyone noticed the smell of fresh bread as he passed, they would merely get the urge to go visit the dining carriage themselves. He took his time in returning, not exactly eager to sit through more of the insipid conversation his schoolmates were inclined towards babbling on a constant basis. Occasionally, he'd have to plaster himself to a wall to avoid getting trompled over by two people walking side by side, but otherwise, his trip through the train was uneventful.

Until he reached the Gryffindor car full of private compartments again, that is.

As he passed by a steamy window only two down from the first one he'd encountered, he heard another feminine moan. That was quickly followed by, "Ohhhhh, Jamie, don't ever stop."

Severus came to a dead halt, he stopped breathing, and his head turned in slow motion towards the closed door of the compartment. Oh, the fuck no, they're not!

He took a step forward and pressed his considerable nose to the glass.

His heart broke into about a thousand pieces at what he saw.

Potter had her up against the outside window and they were most definitely going at it like possessed rabbits. He could see the blurry outline of their bare legs, with hers wrapped around his waist, and Lily's head and arms were thrown back against the outside window, fingers grasping the frame for dear life, with her curls tumbling around her. She looked like she was in heaven.

He watched for five whole seconds because he was too shocked to move.

But then he was running.

Running as if one of the beasts of hell his father was always saying was coming to carry him away was after him for real.

Oh Merlin. Oh Merlin. I'm going to be sick.

He screeched to a stop between the last two passenger carriages, gripping the railing hard until his knuckles went completely bloodless.

Breathe. Just breathe. I will NOT be sick over this. If father whipping me to within an inch of my life isn't enough to make me barf, then this shouldn't be either.

Come on, Sev, you're strong. You knew they were shagging. The visual proof of it isn't going to change anything.

I know. I know. It's just… hard to see.

Get over it, you whinging pillock.

And so, with a few more deep breaths, he did. Mostly.

But there was no way he was staying on this train any longer.

He needed off.

NOW.

Releasing the disillusionment and silencing spells, Severus stepped into the last carriage and was immediately met with too many sounds and smells. Too much talking. Too much laughter. Too much perfume and cologne. Too much body odour.

His already sensitive senses were working overtime.

Focusing past the plethora of stimuli, Severus made for the door on the far end of the open seating carriage.

Spotting him, Brian and Robby jumped up to follow.

"Hey. Sev! Where you going?" Evan called.

"Home," Severus said stiltedly, pushing open the last door to freedom.

This caught the attention of nearly the entire carriage of Slytherins and there was a sudden rush towards the back door.

Brian and Robby followed Severus outside onto the tiny deck at the back of the train.

"What do you mean you're going home?" Brain asked, incredulous.

Severus shot the marginally shorter boy a look of annoyance. "I mean I'm going home. I'm sick of wasting my time on these pointless fucking trains. Why should I go all the way to London and then apparate back to the Midlands?"

Brian and Robby looked at each other and shrugged as more Slytherins crowded out onto the deck and into the doorway. "What's he doing?" someone asked from the back of the pack.

"Aside from the tradition of it, I guess that makes sense," Brain said uncertainly.

"But the wards won't let anyone apparate onto or off of the train," Robby added reasonably.

Severus smiled a tiny secret smile. "True. But the wards don't stop anyone from WALKING off the train."

Their jaws dropped in shock and Severus grinned fleetingly at the reaction.

Then without another word, he glanced at his coat and mouthed the flying charm, flicking the wand hidden up his sleeve at himself. Immediately feeling lighter as his coat defied gravity, he walked down the stairs and stepped off into thin air. He was left behind in only seconds as he hovered in the cold December air and the train sped on without him.

"Holy shite!" Brian and Robby and nearly a dozen other students all exclaimed at the same time. (Or something similar.)

"What?! What did he do?" the same poor person at the back of the crowd called, too stupid to try looking out a window.

Severus gave the gawking Slytherins a jaunty salute and then spun right where he hovered, sending himself into an instant apparition, grateful he was past the age of majority and no longer had a magical trace on him. (The Ministry would definitely disapprove.)

Within ten minutes of his dramatic leave-taking, the students on the train were no longer gossiping about The Most Romantic Engagement Ever, but about the Best Exit From A Train In History.

To the students of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Severus Snape became a legend that day.

And James and Lily were caught with their trousers down as a second year Slytherin went running up the halls, banging open doors, telling everyone about what he'd seen.

The whole train heard about that in short order as well.

Severus MAY have factored in the possibility of such an occurrence happening when he decided to immediately evacuate the train, but you'd never get him to admit it.

A/N 3: I'm including a (not so) little list of people's ages and stats (or as best as I can guess if no canon info provided) at this point in the story so everyone is on the same page as myself. I had to figure all of this out for the purpose of writing my Snape books (took forever, lol), so I thought you all would appreciate it as well. (If not, just scroll on past. :P)

I will add to this list in the future if I run into more characters that I haven't thought of yet, so you can come back to this chapter if a new character is introduced and you didn't see it on the list when you first read it.

Characters in approximate order of age as of Dec, 1977:

Bartemius Crouch Jr.: 15, Slytherin, Short strawberry blond hair, Brown eyes, 5'8", Born early 1962. (Eyes and height are my best guess.)

Crissy Strapleton: 16, Ravenclaw, Long curly blonde hair, Blue eyes, 5'2", Born early 1961. (OC)

Regulus Black: 16, Slytherin, Short black hair, Grey eyes, 5'10", Born mid 1961. (Eyes and height is my own guess.)

Severus Snape: 17, Slytherin, Longish black hair, Black eyes, 6'2", Born Jan 9 1960.

Lily Evans: 17, Gryffindor, Long curly red hair, Bottle green eyes, 5'6", Born Jan 30 1960. (Height is my guess.)

Evan Rosier: 17, Slytherin, Short brown hair, Brown eyes, 6'0", Born early 1960. (Colouring and height is my own.)

Remus Lupin: 17, Gryffindor, Short brown hair, Green eyes, 6'2", Born Mar 10 1960.

James Potter: 17, Gryffindor, Short black hair, Hazel eyes, 5'10", Born Mar 27 1960. (Height is my own guess.)

Ruby Wilkes: 17, Slytherin, Long straight auburn hair, Hazel eyes, 5'4", Born mid 1960. (First name, gender, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Peter Pettigrew: 17, Gryffindor, Short brown hair, Grey eyes, 5'6", Born mid 1960. (Eyes and height is mine.)

Brian Avery: 18, Slytherin, Short golden blond hair, Blue eyes, 6'1", Born late 1959. (First name, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Sirius Black: 18, Gryffindor, Longish curly black hair, Grey eyes, 5'9", Born Nov 3 1959.

Robby Mulciber: 18, Slytherin, Longish curly brown hair, Green eyes, 5'11", Born late 1959. (First name, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Narcissa Black: 22, Slytherin, Long straight golden blonde hair, Blue eyes, 5'7", Born early 1955. (Height is my guess.)

Lucius Malfoy: 23, Slytherin, Longish straight platinum blond hair, Grey eyes, 6'0", Born mid 1954. (Height is my guess.)

Bellatrix Lestrange (nee Black): 26, Slytherin, Long curly black hair, Brown eyes, 5'8", Born 1951. (Eyes and height is my best guess.)

Poppy Pomfrey: 30, Hufflepuff, Long dirty blonde hair, Blue eyes, 5'5", Born 1947. (Age, House, Colouring, and height is my invention.)

Rabastan Lestrange: 32, Slytherin, short straight brown hair, Brown eyes, 6'0", Born 1945. (Age, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Rodolphus Lestrange: 35, Slytherin, short straight brown hair, Brown eyes, 6'1", Born 1942. (Age, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Fenrir Greyback: 37, Slytherin, Longish wavy brown hair, Blue eyes, 6'3", Born 1940. Werewolf. (Age, House, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Filius Flitwick: 39, Ravenclaw, Short auburn hair, Brown eyes, 3'9", Born Oct 17 1938. (I've amended the year from canon because it simply doesn't make sense with his accomplishments between graduating from Hogwarts and returning as a Professor. They have him already teaching at 19? Colouring and height is my best guess.)

Elena Malfoy (nee Prince): 43, Hufflepuff, Long straight black hair, Black eyes, 5'6", Born 1934. (OC)

Abraxas Malfoy: 44, Slytherin, Long platinum blond hair, Grey eyes, 6'0", Born 1933. (Age, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Bartemius Crouch Sr.: 45, Ravenclaw, Short brown hair, Brown eyes, 5'10", Born 1932. (Age, House, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Alastor Moody: 46, Gryffindor, Longish wavy auburn hair, One brown eye and one magical blue eye, 6'2", Born 1931. (Age, House, and colouring is my best guess.)

Druella Black (nee Rosier): 47, Slytherin, Long, curly black hair, brown eyes, 5'3", Born 1930. (Except for the name, mostly OC.)

Salinda Nott (nee Gaunt): 47, Ravenclaw, Long blonde hair, Blue eyes, 5'2", Born 1930. (Except for last name, mostly OC.)

Eileen Snape (nee Prince): 47, Slytherin, Long straight black hair, Black eyes, 5'7", Born 1930. (Age, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Cygnus Black III: 48, Slytherin, short auburn hair, brown eyes, 6'1", Born 1929. (Except for the name, mostly OC.)

Rubeus Hagrid: 49, Gryffindor, Long curly black hair with hints of grey, Black eyes, 11'6", Born Dec 6 1928.

Richard Nott: 50, Slytherin, Short brown hair, brown eyes, 5'11", Born mid 1927. (Except for last name, mostly OC.)

Lord Voldemort (Tom Riddle): 51, Slytherin, Short black hair with grey at the temples, Brown eyes, 5'11", Born Dec 31 1926.

Tobias Snape: 52, Muggle, Retired Major of the British Army, missing lower left leg, Very short grey hair, Blue eyes, 6'4", Born 1925. (Everything but name is my invention.)

Dobby: 58, House-Elf, bald, green eyes, 3', Born June 28, 1919. (Age is my invention.)

Pomona Sprout: 62, Hufflepuff, Longish curly grey hair, Black eyes, 5'1", Born May 15, 1915. (Age, eyes, and height is my best guess.)

Rolanda Hooch: 74: Ravenclaw, Short grey and platinum hair, Yellow eyes, 5'9", Born 1903. (Age, House, colouring, and height is my invention.)

Horace Slughorn: 75, Slytherin, Short and thinning grey hair, Light green eyes, 5'10", Born Apr 28, 1902. (Age and height is my best guess.)

Minerva McGonagall: 84, Gryffindor, Long salt and pepper hair, Blue eyes, 5'9", Born Oct 4 1893. (Age and eyes is my best guess based on her appearance in Crimes of Grindelwald.)

Albus Dumbledore: 96, Gryffindor, Long wavy silver hair, Blue eyes, 5'11", Born 1881.

Other characters in approximate order of age as of May, 1998:

Luna Lovegood: 16, Ravenclaw, Long curly blonde hair, Grey eyes, 5'2", Born Feb 13, 1981 (Height is my best guess.)

Ginny Weasley: 16, Gryffindor, Long strait red hair, Brown eyes, 5'5", Born Aug 11 1981

Ron Weasley: 17, Gryffindor, Short red hair, Blue eyes, 6'0", Born Mar 1 1980.

Draco Malfoy: 17, Slytherin, Short platinum blond hair, Grey eyes, 5'9", Born Jun 5 1980.

Neville Longbottom: 17, Gryffindor, Short dirty blond hair, Hazel eyes, 6'2", Born Jul 30 1980. (Eyes and height are my best guess.)

Harry Potter: 17, Gryffindor, Short black hair, Bottle green eyes, 5'10", Born Jul 31 1980. (Height is my best guess.)

Hermione Granger: 18, Gryffindor, Long (insanely) curly brown hair, Brown eyes, 5'5", Born Sep 19 1979. (Plus an extra third of a year or so for Time-Turner use.)