The Here and Now

Chapter Eight – The Here and Now

The time spent in the Apothecary allowed Severus to regain his balance, and if he was a little quieter than normal for much of the afternoon, Lucius put it down to the encounter with the Potters and Pettigrews.

"There's an excellent restaurant three blocks away," the older wizard suggested when their shopping was done. "Do you like Moroccan food?"

"I've never had it," Severus answered, but added quickly, "I'd like to try it."

"This way, then." He led them down the street and finally stopped in front of a large grey stone building with a plain green door. A small hand-printed card on the door proclaimed it to be The Marrakesh. Lucius knocked on the door once and waited. A moment later, the door opened to admit them.

They found themselves in a large anteroom, filled with wizards and witches standing about and chatting amiably with each other. The patrons of this establishment were all well-dressed, and Severus was glad once again for his new clothes. There was no Floo here, although there was an ornamental fireplace on one wall. The floors were highly polished black marble. He looked around and saw a familiar face. "The Headmaster's here, cousin."

Lucius turned. "So he is." They edged through the crowd toward the tall wizard. As they got closer, it became apparent that he wasn't alone. He had an older couple with him. Seeing Lucius and Severus, he beckoned to them.

"I'd like to introduce you to my parents," he said, indicating the older couple. "Mother, Father, this is Lucius Malfoy, one of my staff. This is his cousin Severus." He paused a moment. "Lucius, Severus, my father, Tom, and my mother, Merope."

Tom Riddle, Sr., was a full head taller than his son, with a fringe of silver hair that matched the frames of the bifocals perched on his nose. A big man, broad-shouldered, with powerful square hands. A man who was no stranger to hard work. Severus was mildly startled to notice that he was wearing a Muggle suit. Mrs. Riddle, on the other hand, was a small slender woman with a pale thin face framed by long black hair, now shot through with grey. Her hand trembled slightly as she held it out to them in greeting. When Severus took it as gently as he could, he saw there was very little flesh on it.

"This is Merope's favorite place," Mr. Riddle said. "We try to come here once or twice a month." He put his arm around his wife and squeezed gently.

"Tommy doesn't get to join us very often," Merope put in, ignoring the flush that mounted on her son's face at the diminutive. "He's so busy at school."

"I have dinner with you when I can, Mother," the Headmaster replied. "Now let's find you a place to sit; it will be some time yet before our table is ready."

"Join us, Professor?" Mr. Riddle asked as his son settled his wife in one of the corner chairs. "I always like hearing about the school." He grinned. "I'm a Muggle, as you probably guessed."

"We wouldn't want to intrude on a family outing," Lucius demurred.

"You won't be intruding. Half the reason we come here is to meet new people. Come now, I insist!" He led the way to the alcove where his wife and son were. "Lucius and Severus are going to join us for dinner," he announced.

Their table was announced nearly fifteen minutes later, and they were led into the restaurant. It was divided into several rooms, each with a large, very low, round table. Thick mats and pillows surrounded the tables, providing comfortable seats and backrests for the patrons. "It's crowded today," Lucius observed. "We'll probably have company."

"The more, the merrier," Merope said.

"Company?" Severus asked, sitting down on one of the mats and adjusting a pillow.

"There's room at each table for six or eight people," Lucius explained. "Since there's only five of us, it's likely they'll put someone else here. It's quite an excellent way to meet people, as Mr. Riddle said."

Indeed, a moment later, another man was ushered into the room. Severus felt the tension-level go up as the man sat down next to him. He looked vaguely familiar, but only when Lucius greeted him with a civil, "Good evening, Greyback" did he remember seeing him earlier that day in Diagon Alley, and what Lucius had said about him.

"Evening, Malfoy, Riddle," he looked over at Severus. "Saw you earlier today, don't remember your name. Fenrir Greyback." As he held out his long-fingered hand, his shirt-sleeve fell back exposing a heavy iron bracelet on his wrist. There were letters engraved on it, but the only ones Severus could see clearly were Z-K-A-B.

"What do you do, Mr. Greyback?" Mr. Riddle asked after introductions were complete.

"I work for the Ministry. Nothing too exciting – I take care of the Owlrey there. What about you, sir?"

"I'm retired. I used to run a small business near Little Hangleton." He began talking about it – something to do with building houses. Severus quit listening, wondering what could possibly be so dangerous about a man who took care of an Owlrey. He decided to ask Lucius later.

~*~

The early dinner at Diagon Alley meant more time in the library at Malfoy Manor that evening. As far as Severus was concerned, this was a good thing. There were a number of things he wanted to ask about.

"Cousin Lucius, tell me about Hogwarts – the students, I mean. Especially the Slytherins."

"Well – as you probably know, there are usually seven to ten students in each year for each House," Lucius replied, "for two-hundred and some total. Your current fellow sixth-years in Slytherin are the Misses Bulstrode, Davis, Parkinson, and Brown along with Messrs. Crabbe, Goyle, and Nott." He lifted an elegant eyebrow. "As I am Head of Slytherin House, I cannot tell you everything about them, but I can at least give you some grounding."

Severus nodded. "I don't want to play up being your cousin. They'd never... be real friends."

"Wise, cousin Severus. Very wise. Well then. Of the lot, your closest academic rival is Miss Davis. Miss Bulstrode is temperamental and prone to physical violence if provoked. Miss Parkinson is fixated upon Mr. Nott, to the detriment of her studies. If she does not improve, she may find herself repeating a year." Lucius paused a moment. "Miss Brown is the protégée of Professor Trelawney. Remember what she says, but do not obsess on it."

"Who is Professor Trelawney?"

"Sybil? She teaches Divination." He made a wry face. "Flitwick considers her to be a charlatan, but I am not so sure. When she cares to wager on the results of Quidditch matches, she wins with great regularity."

"I've never met a real Seer," Severus said. "At my old school, the Divination teacher was a fraud. We used to sleep through her class. But you were telling me about the Slytherins."

"So I was. Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle are like two sides of the same coin. You rarely see one without the other. Mr. Nott is ... nondescript. Average in looks. Average in intelligence. Average in classes. Rarely gets into trouble, but when he does..." His eyes brightened with memory. "Last year, he spelled the ashtrays that the Ravenclaws were going to be Transfiguring into hedgehogs with a mirror shield. When they tried to do their assignment, the spells bounced back at them. Minerva was fit to be tied! Filius – that is, Professor Flitwick - was none too pleased either."

"I met Crabbe and Goyle in the Infirmary at the end of last term, and I saw them in the pet store today," Severus said. "There's a coatl egg there – I've read about them, but never seen one."

"Not surprising – they're not terribly hardy creatures. A British winter will likely kill the poor beast."

Severus drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair for a moment before asking his next question. "Cousin – do you know a Lily Evans?"

Lucius raised his head sharply. "I knew her. She was two years behind me at school. She's dead now."

"What happened?"

"She was the student I told you about who died as a result of a prank gone bad." Lucius said quietly. He studied his hands for a long moment. "She and I had something of an understanding, which infuriated Potter – James Potter, that is – and his gang. I still wonder sometimes if that prank was intended to get at me through her."

"A love potion – make her fall in love with one of them? It sounds like something they'd do."

"It wasn't the only time they meddled in my affairs. After Lily died, my parents attempted to arrange a 'proper' marriage for me – not my idea, I assure you. I found myself betrothed to Narcissa Black." He chuckled a little ruefully. "She only agreed to it for my money and the Malfoy name. Sirius Black convinced her to renege. So here I sit, unwed, with no heir – much to the despair of my ancestors." He nodded toward the stairwell, which was lined with portraits of other Malfoys.

"What is Professor Black like as a teacher? What do the Slytherins say?"

"He's harsh on Slytherins, and annoyingly biased toward young Potter. I suppose it's only to be expected – he's his godfather, after all. I know that he will not take points from his godson or his friends unless the Headmaster makes him. So – if young Potter and his friends give you trouble, come to me as your Head of House, and I will deal with it. You'll have no joy taking them on yourself."

"I sort of gathered that – Potter and those two friends of his are bullies."

"Oh? Who was their target? It can't have been Crabbe or Goyle – that would not have been a silent confrontation."

"It wasn't a Slytherin. It was another Gryffindor."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "So, there is trouble within the Lions' Den. Well, that is Black's problem, not ours."

"Why does the Headmaster let them get away with acting like that?"

"Their behavior at Hogwarts is more moderate. The Headmaster has no authority over them when they're out of school."

"I suppose that makes sense." Severus thought about their dinner companion. "Why is Mr. Greyback so dangerous? And what was that bracelet he wears?"

Lucius leaned back in his chair and regarded the younger wizard for a long moment. "Fenrir Greyback is a werewolf. He is under a geas that compels him to go to a cell under the Ministry every month where he can transform and not hurt anyone else. That bracelet is the focus of the Geas. If it were removed, he would be free. And no geas is fool-proof."

"A werewolf? Why didn't they just kill him?"

"It's complex. He's a Squib, not a wizard, so the Ministry believes he's safe enough in human form. They also believe that he's not completely responsible for what he did while shape-changed. And killing him wouldn't bring back the people he killed before he was caught. He didn't escape punishment. Everything he had was taken and given to the families of his victims. He spent six months in Azkaban, and then was released under the Geas. While he can be civil – you saw that tonight – he harbors a great resentment. That simmering anger will consume him one day, and no one will be safe when that happens."

"Resentment? What's he got to be resentful over?"

"Have you never considered what life must be like for a Squib? What must it be like to be surrounded by magic and have none of your own?"

Severus digested this unpalatable question. "Mr. Riddle seems happy here," he said finally. "He doesn't have any magic."

"The Riddles live mostly in the Muggle world. For him, a trip to Diagon Alley is much like being on holiday." Lucius changed the subject. "What are you reading tonight?"

"I want to finish the last chapter of Hogwarts: A History before the term starts. It's really interesting to see what things are like here and now. What are you reading?"

"The Definitive Kipling." Lucius smiled at the younger wizard's startled glance. "Kipling was a genius with the written word in his own way, particularly in verse."

"I haven't ever read any of his poetry," Severus said. "He was a Muggle, wasn't he?"

"A Squib, actually. He lived mostly in the Muggle world, particularly as an adult. In his private writings, he said he found it more comfortable." Lucius opened his book. "Listen, my young friend." He found the page he was looking for and began reading aloud in a solemn voice.

"One Man in a Thousand, Solomon says,

Will stick more close than a brother...

But the Thousandth Man will stand by your side

To the Gallows' Foot – and after!"

Severus listened carefully. "Are there such people?" He asked. "Does a Thousandth Man really exist?"

"I believe that James Potter and Sirius Black are each others' Thousandth Man. They were fortunate enough to find each other early in life."

"But they..." Severus thought a minute. "You're saying it's a personal thing – like the saying about one man's meat is another man's poison."

"Exactly. And before you ask, I have not found a Thousandth Man yet, though I hope to."

Severus looked around the library. "Are there any other poets who write like that? About real things."

"Hmm. What do you think of this:" He closed the Kipling book and recited softly.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth...

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by.

And that has made all the difference."

"Making choices..." Severus mused. "Recognizing the choice in the first place, and having the will to take the unpopular side."

"Very good! That is Robert Frost, if you're wondering. An American poet, and a Muggle." He pointed a long finger towards one of the bookshelves. "Third shelf from the bottom, near the left side."

The boy went over and found the book. "He's fairly prolific."

"Yes he is. You could do worse than read Frost, Kipling, or any of a dozen other authors. I'll recommend some others if you like."

Severus returned to his chair with the book. "I'd like that." He set it down carefully and picked up Hogwarts: A History. "But I still want to finish this as well."

"You can take the Frost book to school with you if you like. Just make sure that your recreational reading doesn't interfere with your studies."

He nodded. "I'll be careful."

~*~

Severus spent the following day packing and repacking his trunk. Every time he thought he was finished, he'd think of something else that he wanted to take along. He was aided in his endeavors by Skiffy who tsked at him when he wrinkled his new robes. The house elf whisked them away and returned them shortly restored to their pristine condition.

"I wish I was better at Charms," he muttered, as he emptied the trunk for a fifth attempt at packing. "Then I'd shrink everything to make it fit."

"Not good idea, Master Severus. Skiffy knows. Charm wear off – boom! Trunk explode. Bad, bad."

"Look at all this! How'm I supposed to get it to fit?"

Skiffy winked one green eye at him. "Skiffy pack for Master Severus?"

"Errm." Severus hated to take advantage of the elves. "Why don't you show me how to pack?"

"Master Severus is wise! Skiffy will show." The elf proceeded to tuck everything into the trunk with room to spare. "Big things first. Like cauldron. Put things in cauldron also. Shoes. Then smaller things. Then even smaller things. Lay clothes flat on top. Easy, Master Severus."

"You're a life-saver, Skiffy." Severus regarded the now-packed trunk. "I can even take a couple extra books if I want."

The elf nodded. "Take out clothes first." He waggled a finger. "Books under clothes, not on."

Severus closed the trunk and locked it. "Right. Clothes on top of everything else." He headed downstairs for dinner.

~*~

The following morning, Lucius Apparated them to King's Cross station. They crossed onto Platform 6 7/8, Severus pushing a trolley holding his trunk. There were a few other students there already; Severus recognized the Potters and Pettigrews. He gritted his teeth and reminded himself again that things were different here and now.

"I will be Apparating to Hogwarts," Lucius said, "and I'll see you at dinner." They shook hands, and he disappeared with a rush of displaced air.

Severus shoved his trolley toward the Hogwarts Express and hefted his trunk onto the train. He took a quiet pride in his strength; skydancing all summer had been good for him. It was a simple matter to find a quiet compartment, and he took out a book and began reading.

"Excuse me," A diffident tap on the door. He looked up, startled. A young man about his own age stood there. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Sure." Severus studied him for a moment, not saying anything. He was long and thin, with light brown hair that grew forward and flopped over his face.

"Derek Bourke. You're new this year?"

"Yes." He'd expected some minor interrogation, and was ready for it. ""Severus Snape. I'm in sixth year." They shook hands.

Derek sat down across from him, curiosity written on his face. "I'm in Slytherin – seventh year. Any idea what House you'll be in?"

"Slytherin also."

"Wicked! I saw some of the other Slytherins in the car. Want me to introduce you?"

"That'd be nice." Severus returned his book to his trunk and followed Derek down the corridor.

All the compartments were full – or nearly so – of students talking and laughing together. Severus desperately wanted to be accepted, to become part of this. To belong. Derek stopped in front of one that had the door propped open. There were three other boys inside.

"Chris, Marlowe, Isaac – this is Severus. He's a new sixth year. Severus, these're some of the other seventh years. The girls are – where?"

A red haired boy stuck out a hand. "Chris Warrington, Severus. Derek, the girls are in the next car up – Lavender brought a new catalogue from B&Bs, and they're all oohing and ahhing over clothes."

"Marlowe Wilkes. Good to meet you." Wilkes was short and dark. Severus shook hands.

"Isaac Scott." This young man was lanky and blond, with a burr to rival Professor McGonagall. His hand was cool and dry. "I think the sixth years are two compartments up, on the left. Oh, and watch out for the Weasley twins – they've been busy over the summer."

"Weasley? I met a Weasley at the bookstore," Severus offered.

"There's a lot of them," Chris replied. "Fred and George aren't bad; they can be funny. Percy was a little prig in school, and hasn't changed much from what my father says – they both work at the Ministry now. I don't know the two younger ones though."

"Ron and Ginny," supplied Derek. "Ron's in your year, Severus. You don't want to run afoul of him and his friends."

"Yeah," Isaac added. "His Head of House always takes his side."

"Professor Black," Marlowe spat. "I hate that man!"

"Come on, Sev – let's find your classmates." Once out in the corridor, Derek continued, "Once Wilkes gets started on how much he hates Black, he'll be ranting all the way to school." He pointed with an elbow to another compartment where two red-haired boys were talking and gesturing enthusiastically at each other. "Those're the Weasley twins. They like to play jokes, but they don't get mean about it. They're Gryffindors, so we mostly leave them alone and they leave us alone. They're actually eighteen, but had to repeat a year – don't let on that I told you. Ah, here we go." He opened another compartment that held three other boys and a girl. "Severus, these are Ted, Vince, and Greg. And Pansy. This is Severus – he's a new sixth year."

The boy introduced as Ted stood up and held out a callused hand, "I'm Ted Nott, the sixth year Prefect for Slytherin. Good to meet you. Join us?"

"Sure." Severus took a seat near the door. "Thank you."

"I'll leave you here then, Sev." Derek said "See you at dinner." He vanished back the way they'd came.

Pansy looked him up and down, making him glad for his new clothes. "Where are you from?" Her hand trailed over Nott's arm carelessly as she spoke.

"Devonshire. I've been home-schooled." Pansy was pretty enough, he thought, with her blonde hair and bright blue eyes. But there was something about the set of her eyes that he didn't quite trust.

"My parents wanted to home-school me," Greg said. "But they decided to send me to Hogwarts instead."

"You? Home-schooled?" Pansy laughed derisively, only to cut off in pain as Vince caught one of her arms and twisted. "Ow! Lemme go!"

"You know the rules, Pansy," Ted said. "Say what you like on holiday, but not here."

Severus made a mental note as Pansy glared, but stammered out an apology. Vince let her go, and she sat down rubbing her arm.

"We don't fight among ourselves at school," Ted fixed Severus with his stone-grey eyes. "We work together to achieve our ambitions, and not just in class."

"You'll learn more tonight," said Greg. "We always talk about what we want to do and how to do it on the first night of each term."

"Our Head of House will be there also, and he always has suggestions." That was Vince.

"Professor Malfoy," Ted explained. "He teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"He's a good teacher," Pansy contributed, forgetting her ill temper. "He'll explain how and why spells work."

"If you're good at Defense, we can use you in the dueling club," Greg waved a hand expressively. "Ravenclaw beat us last year, and I'd love to pay them back."

"The boggart wasn't fair," Ted agreed. "But Greg, you need to learn to cast a Patronus. I wish I was better at explaining them."

"It's not just happy memories," Severus said. "It's got to be... a really special memory." And my special memory has changed. It used to be when that Lucius made them let me out of that cell. Now it's this Lucius inviting me to come stay with him at Malfoy Manor.

"Sev's right," Pansy said. "Like a first kiss – that's a good one." Her eyes got dreamy, and Nott blushed.

"I don't have any memories like that," Greg complained.

"What about the time you beat Weasley in that duel?" Vince asked. "That was great – you took him out in two spells!"

"Or last year, when you nearly knocked Potter off his broom with that Bludger?" Ted said. "Gave us the game, you did!"

"That's right, I did." Greg brightened.

"So remember it," Severus instructed. "Relive it until you know every little detail. Close your eyes and remember hitting the Bludger... follow it through the air as it whistles toward Potter. See him try to dodge, and grab desperately for his broom. Remember the look on his face... " He trailed off as the other Slytherins stared at him.

"Damn, Sev, is that all there is to it?"

He flushed. "Pretty much. You have to live and relive the memory until it becomes part of you."

"Well," Nott said into the silence, "If you're willing, I'd like you to tutor some of us in Defense this term."

"Sure!" But I'm not going to ask for help with Charms. Not yet. They'd laugh at me. Charms is supposed to be an easy class!

Severus relaxed slightly in his seat and let the conversation flow around him, contributing where he could. Names flew by his ears, and he made mental notes. Lilac Brown of Slytherin and Robert Sharples of Ravenclaw – Head Girl and Head Boy respectively. Neville Longbottom of Hufflepuff – don't sit next to him in Transfiguration if you can avoid it. The Prefects for each of the Houses – Ted Nott, Hermione Granger, Terry Boot for Ravenclaw, and Susan Bones for Hufflepuff. James Moon of Ravenclaw – a walking disaster in Potions. The Sloper twins – the reserve Chasers for Slytherin this year. Many names and descriptions. As the train pulled to a stop at Hogsmeade, he wondered if this would work out. How would he keep himself from confusing his past with his present?