Chapter 35 - Problems Are Coming McGonagall's Way Too... 

[Chapter Size: 4000 Words.] 

Third Person POV 

Hogwarts. 

... 

... 

Severus stared at Lestrange. 

It wasn't enough that he had changed his appearance and, apparently, used some kind of invisibility skill without anyone noticing or even knowing how Severus had done such a thing without an invisibility cloak. 

Now, he was openly challenging Rabastan, while everyone's eyes quickly shifted between Lestrange and Severus, who was walking toward the platform. 

Lestrange clenched his teeth, but at the same time, he felt that if he tried to answer Severus's provocation, he would end up in serious trouble. He didn't understand exactly why, but he knew that this new Severus Snape standing before him was extremely dangerous. 

And that was what made him act cautiously. "I don't think you can cause trouble like this on the first day, Snape," even so, Lestrange said, trying to save face in front of all of Slytherin. 

"Really? Then why am I seeing so much nonsense about blood purity here? Tell me, does your blood give you power?" 

Lestrange was about to respond, but Severus simply interrupted him in front of everyone. 

"I believe it doesn't." 

Silence fell over the hall. 

"What gives you power are your actions. If you stay trapped in this nonsense about who is pure-blood and who isn't, you'll only have a convenient excuse to justify your failures in life." 

Severus continued walking slowly toward the platform, his eyes returning to the crowd. 

"Those who use that as an excuse are nothing more than lazy and ordinary people." 

The students began to watch him attentively, and even though many wanted to immediately refute him, strangely, they couldn't interrupt him. 

"The great families stood out because they had members capable of carving out their place in the wizarding world. People who did something worthy of being remembered, of having their names recorded in history books, and who also accumulated wealth and power." He looked directly at Lestrange. 

'Although they could have achieved great things, whether for good or for evil...' 

"But I'm sure those same ancestors would be furious or even ashamed to see their descendants using the family name as an excuse to display mediocrity." 

"What are you talking about?" Lestrange shot back, and many of his companions beside him seemed to agree. 

"I'm saying that if you think you're superior, then prove it in practice." Severus raised an eyebrow. "And don't treat it as something that came from your birth certificate." 

He turned his head again, and his eyes swept across the entire common room. "Your ancestors did incredible things. They built the names of your families. They made your surnames respected." 

He spread his arms. "... But what are you about to do?" 

The hall fell silent, with no one able to immediately refute him. And his skill with speeches immediately prevented that, because he wasn't going to let anyone speak. 

"What is the point of carrying the Lestrange name if you're just going to be another forgotten name in history?" 

Lestrange locked his jaw. 

"I'll tell you." Severus smiled. "That's pathetic." 

The students widened their eyes when they heard him say that as he turned back toward the seventh-year students. 

"If you want to show that you're a Malfoy, a Lestrange, a Rosier, or any other important name among the Sacred Twenty-Eight..." 

He pointed at the group of older students. "...then prove it through actions that are truly worthy of belonging to that name." 

Severus shook his head. "Not by bothering children like a bunch of bullies. Prove that you're better by showing superiority through your magical talent, your inventions, not by dragging others down..." 

He let out a small laugh. "You do realize how pathetic you were being tonight, right?" 

His eyes returned to Lestrange. "You want to be Slytherin's leader by acting like this?" Severus's laughter echoed through the hall. 

"Belittling children and talking about blood purity when you've done nothing except be born with your name. After all, I've never heard the name Rabastan Lestrange mentioned for anything other than being a Slytherin student... It's ridiculous." 

His experience as a king made his speech flow without being interrupted even once. 

Meanwhile, several students began watching him as a small seed of doubt grew within them. Without realizing it, Severus was turning Lestrange's grand speech into a joke in front of the entire house. 

Was this the leader they wanted? A man who had gathered all of Slytherin that night just to pressure first-year children? 

A man who, after delivering a grand speech, had been overwhelmed by an unknown icy force to the point that many students fled to warm themselves and was now being defeated in an open debate before everyone? 

And worst of all... He couldn't even interrupt Severus. 

It was easy when Severus had more than enough experience to deal with such a situation. But in the minds of all the Slytherins that night, Severus Snape had, until a few months ago, been nothing more than a skinny and timid boy. All they remembered of him in recent years was a boy who had been humiliated in front of the entire school and was depressed after losing his friendship with his former Gryffindor friend. 

Seeing him interrupt Lestrange like that divided opinions. Some were beginning to look at Severus with new eyes. 

Others were beginning to think less of Lestrange, who had lost the debate and turned his own speech into something pathetic, while Severus completely eclipsed him, at least for the moment. 

Even those who stood beside Lestrange, and there were many of them, looked at him waiting for a response. They expected him to react. 

To refute Severus. 

But Lestrange remained silent. What else could he say? 

Everyone had heard it. He couldn't openly debate. And if he attacked Severus at that moment, he would only confirm that he was even worse than the words Severus had just spoken. 

"It seems everyone is gathered." A voice suddenly came from the entrance. 

Everyone immediately turned their eyes in that direction. 

Severus looked at whoever was approaching and then at Lestrange, who was still staring at him with a burning look of resentment and anger. 

Then his attention turned to Professor Slughorn. Rabastan instantly changed his posture. 

"Professor," Rabastan said with a friendly smile. 

Professor Slughorn gave a courteous smile when he saw him. "Ah, Lestrange. I see you're already organizing all of Slytherin. That's very good, my boy. Worthy of a leader of your year." He praised the boy with his usual flattery, having no idea what had been happening a minute earlier. 

And even knowing that the Lestrange family was clearly aligned with Voldemort, Slughorn maintained the same friendly smile and the same ingratiating tone. 

Slughorn took the opportunity to move toward the center of the hall. At the same time, Regulus Black discreetly approached Lestrange and quietly apologized to him. 

It was clear they had managed to keep Slughorn occupied for quite some time. Neither he nor the professor had any idea what had just happened, since all they had seen was Lestrange on the platform, while Severus had been below, hidden from view by the sea of students stretching from the entrance to the platform. 

Although both of them sensed that there was a strange and hostile atmosphere in the room, neither questioned it immediately. 

They simply continued forward. Lestrange glanced to the side, and Severus had vanished. 

No one seemed to have seen him leave, and that only raised more questions. 

Meanwhile, Severus was standing beside Heloísa. "Are you alright?" he asked from a more secluded corner after pulling the girl away while Professor Slughorn began delivering a speech full of nonsense to all the students. 

"I am..." Heloísa replied. 

But she still couldn't stop looking around with a hint of fear. 

Severus sighed and then touched her head. "Sorry about that. But Slytherin is a little complicated." He looked at her seriously. "I still think you shouldn't have come here." 

Heloísa shrank back slightly. "I thought that..." 

"It doesn't matter now," Severus interrupted her. "You're going to tell me anything that happens to you. If anyone bullies you, you come to me immediately. Understood?" 1

"Yes." She nodded quickly, and then a small smile appeared on her face. "I saw how you dealt with them. It was so cool!" Her voice was much more excited now. 

She knew Severus was special. She had just watched him face all those older students without showing the slightest fear. His speech wouldn't change Slytherin, but it had managed to embarrass Lestrange and intimidate everyone who heard him. 

And that was exactly what Heloísa had seen. She had seen how he managed to interrupt that speech and make practically all of Slytherin pay attention to him. 

"Don't get too excited. I certainly won't be well regarded by Slytherin after tonight. At least, not by most of them after what I did." 

"Did I bring trouble to you?" Heloísa's expression immediately changed, and concern appeared on her face as she looked at Severus. She wasn't even paying attention to Professor Slughorn's speech being given at that moment. 

"You didn't do anything. That couldn't be changed anyway." He replied with a faint smile. "I was eventually going to have problems with those people. It's not something I can avoid. It just happened faster than I expected." 

Severus knew this would happen in the coming weeks, but that was fine. Openly confronting Lestrange wasn't something that worried him. 

Heloísa nodded, although she still seemed concerned. Severus gave her a light pat on the head and instructed Articuno to stay with her. 

At least that way someone would be watching over her to prevent problems during the first few days. 

"Was that cold your doing?" she asked curiously. 

Severus shook his head. "It was the bird on your shoulder." 

Articuno kept one foot resting on each of Heloísa's shoulders because of his size. 

The girl looked up and around, trying to see him. But the bird had been invisible the entire time. 

"Really? Seriously?" she asked curiously. She could still feel the weight on her shoulders. 

"Yes. He'll protect you. But you need to avoid trouble and make friends. Those half-bloods are no different from you, you should stick together..." 

Heloísa nodded quickly once again. 

There were already several eyes turned toward them. Many had noticed the two of them in that corner, without realizing how Severus had managed to get there with Heloísa, since he had been quite discreet when he pulled her away from the center of attention along with the other first-year students. 

Even so, some students began approaching. "Are you really Severus Snape?" a boy asked. 

Severus recognized that he was probably in his fifth year, one year below him. Beside him was another student from the sixth year, also a half-blood. 

He watched Severus cautiously, but the curiosity in his eyes was obvious. 

"Yes, that's me," Severus replied, shifting the attention away from Heloísa. 

In the background, Slughorn continued his endless speech. The students were beginning to look sleepy. Unlike Lestrange's speech or Severus's, this one was as boring as History of Magic classes taught by the ghost professor Cuthbert Binns... 

"What you did over there was pretty impressive." The fifth-year boy seemed much more talkative than the student beside him. "You openly stood up to Lestrange. Not to mention that you practically challenged all the pure-bloods in the house." 

He looked at him with great interest. "I wasn't expecting that from you. But is it really you? Even your eyes have changed." 

Severus knew that those half-blood students usually gathered among themselves. After all, they were practically pariahs to a large portion of the house. Severus was simply the odd one out who spent time with the future Death Eaters. 

"You don't need to worry about that." Severus replied with a shrug. "After all, they're watching me, not you." Severus didn't even answer the question about whether he was really himself. 

Why would he keep repeating the same thing? Whether they wanted to believe it or not, he was there at Hogwarts. If he weren't really Severus Snape, wouldn't he have already been expelled by the Headmaster or by the magical castle itself? 

In fact, thinking about it, Severus was already expecting to be summoned the next day. 

Dumbledore kept his eyes on him for practically the entire feast and would clearly summon Slughorn himself for a conversation that night. 

Knowing that old man well, Severus could compare him to many personalities he had known in his past life. 

Those cautious looks... As if he were watching a threat emerge. 

As if Severus himself could become the next Dark Lord. As if he feared being unable to control him or guide him toward his own ideals. 

It was a petty attitude. And also an excessively selfish one. 

Because of that, Severus already imagined he would be dealing with that man the following morning. 

"That's true. But even so, it was impressive," the fifth-year student said after hearing him. 

"...And so, I once again welcome all Hogwarts first-years and returning students! Remember that I will always be willing to listen to you, and my doors will always be open!" Slughorn declared openly. 

"Can he help too?" Heloísa couldn't help but ask. 

The group of four, half-bloods and Muggle-borns, remained gathered in a corner. 

Severus let out a small sigh. "I don't put much faith in those words. Not if you're not one of his favorites." 

The other two students immediately agreed. "That's true. He only supports those he believes are worth it in his eyes." It was the sixth-year student speaking for the first time. 

The other crossed his arms. "Most Slytherins are ignored by him. Even the pure-bloods. If you don't show talent or a bright future, Slughorn won't look at you a second time." 

That made Heloísa shrink back a little. 

"Slughorn is complicated." Severus shook his head. "He's just a coward, in other words." His voice was calm, but sincere. 

There had been many children who could have been helped by him, but Slughorn only saw the children he considered worth cultivating for a bright future. 

His gaze became distant for a moment. Even he could have been helped by Slughorn. But Severus had never been worthy of his attention. 

Even before his change, Severus had already been a natural talent in Potions. Perhaps one of the greatest talents Hogwarts had seen since its founding. Even so, Severus was too gloomy, shy, and reserved. He wasn't the kind of student Slughorn liked to display as a trophy. 

He wasn't someone whose brilliance could be cultivated to generate favors in the future. 

Lily Evans, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite—brilliant, charismatic, and popular. A student who, even though Muggle-born, had an obviously promising future. 

Severus had always been the opposite. Even knowing that his skills in Potions were superior to Lily's, he had never been the kind of student Slughorn would have any interest in promoting. 

He had never been chosen for the Slug Club, but that no longer mattered. This new Severus wouldn't need someone to open a path for him—he would build his own path. Because Severus would change this world with his inventions. There were so many things he could interfere with and reshape using his superior knowledge, and he would increase that knowledge even further as he learned more, whether from the Muggle world or the wizarding world... 

Slughorn finally finished his speech as the students applauded. Even Lestrange was clapping, although he continued searching for Severus with his eyes without finding him anywhere. He was hidden behind the crowd along with the other three. 

"Well, the old man may be a petty coward..." Severus replied without caring that he was insulting the professor. Even Heloísa and the two students looked at him in surprise. 

Heloísa covered her ears, not wanting to hear swear words. 

Severus merely rolled his eyes. Then he turned his attention back to her. "...But he's still useful. He'll be assigning you a room and asking someone to show you the way. Articuno will stay with you. He'll keep you safe." 

The girl nodded after hearing that. 

"I'm going to my room now," Severus said calmly. 

Heloísa nodded for the second time, and Severus said goodbye to everyone. 

"Good night." 

With those words, he headed toward his dormitory. 

The room contained three beds and a relatively large oval-shaped area. There was a desk for each bed. 

There was also a large window facing the depths of the Black Lake. From there, it was possible to observe aquatic creatures swimming through the darkness. 

As soon as he entered, Severus began taking out everything he had stored in his ring and his bag. 

Everything he needed was in his bag. He didn't have any trunks or anything similar, so he only needed to organize his belongings. 

In fact, he intended to get rid of the bag soon. He just needed to create more powerful rings to increase their internal storage space. 

He would do that in the coming weeks. Now that he had succeeded with the silver rings, the next steps would be easier. 

But what he truly wanted was to test other metals... Magical metals would be ideal, and the best one would perhaps be goblin steel. 

He only needed a small amount to make a few rings as well... The problem was that even that alone cost a fortune. 

And to spend money, he first needed to obtain it. 

'Perhaps I should sell these rings to the goblins.' Severus paused for a moment. 

They would certainly be fascinated by an object that didn't exist in the wizarding world... His surname would help as well. Even if he wasn't widely recognized as a king, the goblins would probably respect the name Pendragon more than the name Prince. 

"On one side, a prince. On the other, a king." He let out a small laugh. It was somewhat ironic, considering Severus's former status and reputation. 

In any case, he began organizing his belongings in the rings and the bag, and while he was doing so, the dormitory door opened. 

Avery entered accompanied by the other two roommates, and their eyes immediately turned toward Severus. 

He continued organizing a few books without even looking at them. But when he felt their gazes boring into his back, he turned his attention to the three of them. 

"Do you have a problem?" Severus asked directly, his tone carrying a clear challenge. 

The three hesitated. They simply didn't know how to deal with this Severus. In fact, they didn't even fully believe that this was the same Severus Snape they knew. 

One of them nudged another. Without answering, they headed to their own beds and began organizing their belongings. Their trunks had already been placed beside each bed, sent there by the castle itself. 

Or, more precisely, by the house-elves who carried out all that work without almost anyone noticing. 

"You're different. Very different. But that doesn't mean it's a good thing." Mulciber suddenly spoke, looking at Severus with a certain resentment. 

Whatever friendship they had cultivated over the past few years seemed to have ended that night with Severus's transformation. 

But would that matter to the current Severus? Of course not. 

If they tried anything, they would quickly discover that he wasn't someone as easy to intimidate as he had once been. 

After all, those idiots weren't even worth his attention. Were they really his friends? 

Even if they had provided him with some protection and status by letting him walk beside them, where had they been when the Marauders humiliated him in front of the entire school? 

Probably somewhere nearby, laughing along with everyone else. None of them tried to help him. None of them sought revenge. None of them did absolutely anything. 

Although they were Slytherins, Severus simply wasn't worth the effort or attention required to defend him. After all, he was still a half-blood. 

They only cared about him when they wanted to learn a new spell or when they needed someone to watch their backs while they committed questionable acts against Muggle-born students. When they needed help with their lessons... 

Severus merely snorted, not wasting any time responding to them. In any case, he had already set up a runic field to protect himself from those guys if they tried anything, and then returned to organizing his belongings. 

At the same time, elsewhere in the castle... 

An owl was flying toward one of the castle's windows, where a professor was sitting—none other than Minerva McGonagall. 

After settling the Gryffindor students into their house tower, she was already preparing her next lessons for the following morning. 

She couldn't help but sigh when she remembered that she would have Slytherin and Gryffindor together in one of the afternoon classes. Her thoughts returned to everything that would happen over the next few days. 

And to the changes that would begin the very next morning. These reflections were interrupted when the owl landed on her desk. 

Minerva jumped slightly. But her eyes also widened when she realized it was an owl from the Ministry of Magic. 

She picked up the letter. Her eyes quickly scanned the seal and saw that it was from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures — Animagus Registry. 

McGonagall broke the seal and opened the letter, and her eyes immediately widened even further. 

One of her students had officially become a registered Animagus, registered just yesterday... But what truly caught her attention was the following description. 

The student's name. And, most importantly, his animal form. 

Since Newt Scamander had overseen the entire process, the Ministry had been unable to detain Severus for more extensive questioning about his dire wolf form with powers to control ice and create blizzards. There had never been any record of such a creature. Even more so considering that this was the first time they had ever seen an Animagus transform into a magical creature... 

Even so, they were extremely interested. The letter explained that the Ministry wished to ask more questions about Severus's transformation. 

The officials had practically entered a state of euphoria upon discovering the first Animagus capable of transforming into a magical creature. 

That was why they were sending that correspondence to McGonagall. They hoped the professor would help mediate future conversations with Severus. 

After all, that transformation had the potential to completely revolutionize current knowledge about Animagi. 

"No wizard had ever been capable of taking the form of a magical creature..." The words left Professor McGonagall's mouth with an incredulous sigh. 

She took pride in her ability to transform into a cat, and now she had discovered that a Slytherin student—one who had never sought any advice from her—possessed the ability to transform into a magical creature? 

All known Animagi transformed only into ordinary animals. 

And even that was already considered one of the most difficult forms of magic to master. Very few wizards managed to achieve such a feat during their entire lives. 

But Severus had broken a rule that had been believed to be absolute. 

In the letter, they assumed that she had been the one who taught Severus. So, although they were euphoric to learn more about the transformation, they wanted to arrange a meeting with her to hear about her training of young Snape and what had made him so different from every other Animagus in the world. 

No! They wanted her to give a lecture to a group of enthusiastic wizards, many of whom she knew personally and even considered friends, since they all shared an interest in that field of Transfiguration. 

But she hadn't done anything! How could she be dragged into such a situation?! 

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