This is a replaced chapter, because half of the information here before was wrong. I had a good look at Lexicon for the first time, and I realised that I was SO wrong. - blushes.
I fixed up a few of the characters, so I have Regulus Black insted of Lucius Malfoy...and changed Snape's birthday to its actual time.
It was really weird, I was flamed by the biggest Arsonist the other night. It's actually quite sad that some guy (you don't write like a girl, whoever you are) spent at least twenty minutes writing down insults for just one chapter. It's actually quite a piece of work and I'm somwhat bemused that someone would go into all that trouble. If you want to see it, just click on reviews and take a look for yourself.
Apart from that: I don't own Harry Potter, JKR does.
Silence and shimmering silver smoke hovered over the potions class as the students concentrated on their work. Professor Slughorn sauntered in between the desks and cauldrons, his stomach leading the way before him. The professor was at a stage to judge who had the best Well-Being potion, but was at a loss to decide who would win the bucket of chocolate frogs he had bought the evening before: young Severus Snape had already finished his work and was bottling the clear yellow liquid, yet Lily Evans' potion had released the sweet lavender smell and simmering gently on the cauldron which had failed to appear in Snape's. Snape had already noticed this and his eyes burned towards the bottled potion he held in his hands. That delightful smell was suddenly overwrought with the smell of burnt rose; it seemed that James Potter had once again added basil at the wrong time of the experiment. Slughorn shook his head and laughed discretely.
"Time's up!" he said, and he inspected each student's cauldron. He smiled bleakly over the Griffindor boys' potions, "nice try Lupin, but you forgot the golden apple peel, same for you Mr Black." He hummed over James' and Pettigrew's work then laughed out loud, "Amazing Peter, you've succeeded to make Au Claire, the skin cleanser potion, 10 points for Griffindor for accidental genius!"
He approached Snape's table and took up a bottle of the potion, Slughorn smiled warmly, "you've taken it from the cauldron a little too early Severus," he said gently. Snape nodded grimly and made a note in his textbook. Walking over to Lily's table he laughed, "This is the winner of today's competition! Well done Lily, here are your chocolates. 20 points for Griffindor!"
The girl took the chocolate gratefully and shared a small smile with her close friend. Slughorn dismissed the class and they moved towards the door.
"Severus, could I see you for a minute?" Slughorn called for the tall, peaky young man. Snape waited until everyone had left the dungeon.
"I'm sorry professor! I did everything right, I don't understand what went wrong." Snape spluttered, as Slughorn sat at his desk.
"Calm down, Severus…you did everything right." Slughorn held out an open hand to calm him down.
"I don't…understand." Snape enquired, brushing back his lank black hair.
"One of the factors in making the Well-Being potions depends on the mood of the maker: if the maker is in some way depressed, sad or unwell, the potion fails to react properly. I'm just enquiring why my star student wasn't up to par." Professor Slughorn looked kindly at Snape, his large hands clasped together on the table. Snape bit his lower lip and looked down nervously.
"Nothing to be worried about, professor." He lied softly. How could anyone understand what was going through his head? Snape blocked his mind from any intrusions. Slughorn frowned.
"I know something is on your mind, Severus," he said curtly, "but I won't enquire much more, if you think if it private…here's my suggestion: take some of this potion, two drops in your drink. It will help you feel better until the end of term." Slughorn passed Lily's potion to Severus. The boy pocketed the potion carefully, and nodded gratefully to the professor.
"And Severus?"
"Yes Professor?"
"I hope you are coming to the Christmas Ball this year?" Slughorn smiled.
"Uh, yes professor." Snape replied.
"Excellent! Bring someone along, if you want."
"Uh, yes…alright." Snape mumbled, his jaw clenching.
Gathering his things and walking out, he noticed a large bulge in his school satchel. Alone in the corridor, he sought for the object and withdrew a bottle of clear blue potion and a note wrapped around it.
To Snivellus: Au Claire Potion.
Use it well.
Trust us, you need it.
Yours Sincerely:
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs
He destroyed the paper in a burst of flame, but nothing could compare to the fire inside. He burned all the way back to the Slytherin common room, clutching the bottled until his knuckles stood out in his thin pale hand.
"Macbeth," he muttered the password to the entrance and walked straight to the large fire burning away. He prepared to throw the bottle into the fire, when a thought came to him, exacting revenge. Besides, he wasn't one to waste a good potion, judging not the maker.
"Hello Sev," drawled a voice behind him. Snape swivelled around to glance at the dark third year boy behind him.
"Regulus." Snape said curtly, "cut your hair, it's getting too long again."
"You're not the prefect." Regulus raised an eyebrow, flicking the shoulder length hair away from his face.
"Well, at least tie it up. You're beginning to look like a girl."
"Girl? Ha! Everyone can tell that I'm a boy…"
"Only because you wear pants, not because you look like a man." Snape said shortly, while Regulus stuttered.
"I am a man!" his voice broke a little. Snape laughed.
"You're twelve, Regulus. Tell me that once you get laid." Snape turned to the fire, smiling slightly.
"I bet that I'll get laid before you." Regulus muttered, falling into a bright green armchair, "and you're three years older than me."
"Nearly four actually, I turn 16 in a few weeks."
"Which makes you a…"
"Capricorn." Snape finished.
"You into divination?" Regulus asked.
"No, I have to put up with Littlechild babbling on about it at night. Anyway, are you trying to fill your big brother's shoes? Getting laid before I did?"
"Hands down." Regulus smiled, flushing a little. Snape shrugged.
"I'll tell you when I do…I'm not betting anything."
"Because you're scared that I'll win."
"No, because I'm broke…and knowing you, the price will be high."
"Fine. I'll tell you then, and I'll be laughing." Regulus pouted.
"Fine by me. I'm in no hurry." Snape smiled and shrugged a little, his dark eyes glittering in the firelight.
"I bet you're gay." Regulus muttered. Snape began to laugh.
"I can assure you that I'm not…anyway, have you seen the girls at this school? They're either porky or they're mudbloods." Snape sneered. It felt that he had to lie about his parentage, especially around so many purebloods in his house.
"James Potteer is pretty good looking," Regulus leered. Snape turned swiftly, his wand raised.
"Scourgify!" he shouted, and Regulus began to spit out yellow soap bubbles, "never say that! That is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard!"
"I take it back! I take it back!" Regulus cried, while a few older Slytherins laughed, "ugh, Sev. Lye soap?"
"It's because you're dirty." Snape grumbled. He turned and walked towards the boy's dormitories. He didn't dislike Regulus Black, but the more he talked to him, the more he felt he had to hide the truth about his life. The more he lied, the more he felt that he needed to bury the truth, lest they surfaced before anyone. He jumped onto his four-poster bed and pulled back the curtains. Here he was furthest from people, from the light, from reality.
"Accio Box!" he waved his wand, and a large wooden box zoomed through the curtains. As he opened it using magic, light emitted from his wand and he looked at each of his personal material: photos of his family in happier times; dress robes of dark grey; his muggle music cassettes; some superman comics and special expensive lotions he was saving for a particular night in the future. Gritting his teeth, he placed the Au Claire potion with the others, and he gently placed Lily's potion in his dress robes. He then scrounged around the bottom of the box and retrieved a small photo: the colours were not accurate of the time but you could clearly see the deep red hair of Lily Evans waving a Griffindor flag at the last house cup.
TBC...