Chương 63: Chapter 62 - Making New Friends.

[Chapter Size: 4200 Words.]

Third Person POV

Hogwarts.

...

...

"You?", Severus asked the two, who immediately looked at him cautiously after being discovered.

"Sorry... We didn't mean to spy on you," Adrian said, a little apprehensively as Severus stared at them.

"So you were spying on me?" Severus asked the two boys with amusement.

"Not necessarily. We were passing by to gather some ingredients for our project, and we saw you running. Then we saw you create that tree and start casting spells," Ethan explained cautiously, his eyes shifting between the completely slashed tree. The cuts scattered across its trunk were still there, and many branches and leaves were strewn around it on the ground.

The spell was quite dangerous, as they could see. It wasn't hard to imagine that it was a Dark spell.

Severus looked at the tree and, with a simple wave of his wand, made the entire process reverse itself. The trunk began to mend, the branches returned to their places, and the roots sank back into the earth. In just five seconds, the tree was exactly as it had been before.

The two boys watched in complete amazement.

"So, I assume you're Adrian Ashcroft and Ethan Whitmore," Severus said.

"We didn't mean to bother you, Snape. It's just that we were really impressed. And it's not like we even saw everything that happened last week, even though I have classes with you. But we heard plenty of other rumors," Ethan replied, unable to hide the admiration he felt at that moment.

"Thanks... I think," Severus replied.

At that moment, the red phoenix appeared on his shoulder. He was already about to teleport back to Hogwarts, but as he watched the two of them staring at him, he couldn't help but think that perhaps it would be good to get to know some people.

Both of them were half-bloods, just like him. The difference was that the old Severus barely spoke to anyone. He didn't have a pleasant personality, and honestly, besides Mulciber, Avery, the rest of Slytherin's darker gang, and Lily, he didn't like talking to anyone else.

It was as if he had written across his forehead: "Don't come near."

And naturally, those students had never thought twice before ignoring him.

But now... Things had changed.

"I'm heading back to Hogwarts. Are you two going as well?" he then asked them.

The two exchanged glances before nodding. It was a great opportunity to talk to Severus and ask him some questions about all those changes.

Like most Hogwarts students, both of them were quite curious.

There was a great deal of envy and jealousy from some students toward the new Snape, but there was also curiosity and admiration, even among students from other houses, despite Severus still carrying the reputation he had in Slytherin.

So the group of three, accompanied by the phoenix, began walking toward the castle.

"So that phoenix doesn't belong to the Headmaster, right? It's the same one that appeared yesterday in the Great Hall?" Ethan asked admiringly as he watched the crimson creature perched proudly on Severus's shoulder.

"Yes. I found her during the holidays."

"But don't you already have a blue phoenix, from what we've heard? Does that mean you have two phoenixes? Or is it the same phoenix, only it changes color?" Adrian asked.

"The other phoenix has a weird hairstyle, and its tail is much bigger," Ethan said.

Severus shook his head.

"Yes, this is another phoenix. The other one can camouflage itself. Anyway, it'll be normal for you to see me with this one by my side. She follows me wherever I go," he said.

Although he still wasn't spending the entire day with Solis since she found him yesterday at the end of the day, she rarely wandered far from him.

That also meant he no longer needed to keep taking Articuno from Heloísa's shoulders.

"So what are you two doing this far from the castle at this hour? You mentioned ingredients for some kind of project?" Severus asked. Classes would begin at eight.

"We were already looking for some herbs that grow around here. We've been testing a potion we're creating in our club," Ethan said, making Severus raise an eyebrow.

"It's true. We invented a potion, Snape," Adrian said.

Severus was even more surprised by that. "Really? And what does this potion do?" he asked curiously.

"It's meant to help with studying. It increases concentration," Ethan said.

"So you want to create something that helps people concentrate and study?" Severus asked as the two nodded.

"Of course. It's not like we're cheating. I mean..." Adrian scratched the back of his neck. "Well... there's no school rule saying we can't use potions to study. Besides, it also helps with memorization. If it works, it'll be revolutionary."

Severus listened and became thoughtful. He already knew of various nutrients and ingredients capable of stimulating the mind, as well as some potions designed to improve certain cognitive abilities.

He could even develop a superior formula.

Even so... he was curious to find out what the two of them had created. He was surprised that these students were inventing something like this, but at the same time, potions like that could make people dependent and leave them in worse condition than when they started taking them. He wouldn't want that to be their fate.

"I'd like to see it. You mentioned a club, right?" he finally said. Not only to make sure they were safe, but perhaps it would also be worthwhile to get closer to some students from his own house.

'Well... having too many friends would also be a problem,' he thought.

Adrian and Ethan exchanged a glance. They also had many questions to ask Severus, and it certainly wouldn't be a bad idea to get closer to him.

"Of course, we have a Potion Innovation Club in Slytherin!" Adrian said excitedly. Severus had never heard of it.

"They say you're the greatest Potions expert in the school. Even better than our Potions professor's favorite, Evans. You won't... get mad if we say that, will you?" Ethan said, becoming cautious at the end, wondering if he had said too much, while frowning as he looked at Severus.

However, Severus merely smiled. "That's basically it. And don't worry. I won't be offended if you mention her. That's all in the past."

The two looked at him more at ease. They continued walking along the shore of the Black Lake until they spotted a group of young students farther ahead.

They looked like first-years. All of them were wearing Slytherin uniforms except for two Hufflepuff boys, who were being shoved back and forth by the group surrounding them.

They could hear the word "Mudblood" mixed in with the laughter.

"There goes our house intimidating other students again..." Ethan muttered, sounding somewhat uncomfortable.

Severus watched the scene. It was a simple one: two Hufflepuffs were being tossed back and forth while seven Slytherin students laughed and kept shoving them.

"You don't seem to like this," Severus commented, without taking his eyes off the group.

Ethan simply shook his head. "No. But what can we do? Nothing..." he replied, with a hint of shame.

Severus realized that neither of them approved of that kind of behavior. It was curious. The old Severus had also suffered from bullies, yet he simply ignored it whenever the aggressors were fellow Slytherins.

Quite an obvious contradiction. "Let's move a little farther away. I have a plan," Severus said with a slight smile.

The two nodded immediately. As soon as they were behind a small hill, Severus drew his wand.

From what he could see, there were seven second-year Slytherins intimidating two first-year Hufflepuffs. He could be reasonable, but also memorable.

He began making quick thrusts through the air while casting silent spells, gathering magical energy at a point near the group of students.

All the magic that struck the ground suddenly came to life. A stalk burst through the earth, followed by a huge cone-headed plant that rapidly emerged before the group.

The students quickly noticed it and pointed at it in alarm. Before they could react, the plant opened its mouth and spat a purple liquid directly at one of the boys.

He cried out in fright. The others merely watched in shock, unable to understand what was happening.

The liquid wasn't corrosive and didn't cause any injuries. The real problem was the smell.

As soon as he was hit, a horrible stench engulfed the boy, making everyone around him look at him with expressions of pure horror. Some even felt the urge to vomit.

But the situation only got worse. More plants began sprouting from the ground, spitting the same liquid at all the Slytherin students.

The children immediately started running in panic, screaming as they tried to escape. Their robes were completely soaked with the foul-smelling liquid.

Severus watched everything with satisfaction. The students fled toward the castle, shouting at the top of their lungs.

That smell wasn't going away anytime soon. Honestly... their day was completely ruined.

Severus didn't mind at all teaching a lesson to a few twelve-year-old children who used their position to intimidate younger students.

Meanwhile, the two Hufflepuff students remained completely frozen, staring at the plants without being able to move, terrified. However, the plants didn't attack them.

Instead, a few seconds later, they began to wither away, slowly sinking back into the earth as though they had never existed.

"Come on. We need to escort them back to the castle," Severus said.

Since the two boys still couldn't react, he simply stepped out from behind the hill and started walking down.

Adrian and Ethan followed him. The two exchanged glances for a few seconds before bursting into laughter at the situation.

"Are you two laughing?" Severus asked as he walked toward the children.

"That was incredible, man. You have to teach us that!" Ethan said, clapping his hands.

They had loved seeing those young pure-bloods, even if they were just children, running away in desperation in search of a professor or a prefect. Just imagining the excuses they would come up with while still reeking like that was already amusing.

The laughter caught the attention of the two Hufflepuff boys. They turned around in surprise when they saw the three approaching.

"Hey, are you two alright?" Severus asked, reaching them first.

The boys simply stared at him for a few moments before nodding almost automatically.

"Let's head back to the castle. Come with us," he said.

The two hesitated, which was only natural. After all, they were looking at three Slytherin students.

Severus noticed their hesitation. "Don't worry. We're not like that bunch of idiots. We're not here to hurt you. We're just going to escort you back to the castle so you can get to class safely." His tone was calm and gentle.

That was enough to make the two boys relax a little. Shortly afterward, one of them widened his eyes when he noticed the crimson bird perched on Severus's shoulder.

"Th-That's... that's a phoenix?!" one of them exclaimed, but immediately covered his own mouth after realizing he had shouted too loudly.

Severus simply smiled. He raised his arm, and Solis hopped from his shoulder onto his forearm. Then he brought the bird closer to the two children.

"You can pet her. She's nice and warm." The two boys hesitated for a few moments. But overcoming their shyness, they reached out and gently stroked the phoenix's head.

"Wow... You're actually touching a phoenix. I was never that lucky in my first year," Adrian said as he arrived with Ethan right behind him.

"Neither were we. In fact, we've never even gotten close to one until today," Ethan replied, nudging Adrian with his elbow.

The two children beamed at that. The simple fact that they were petting the very same phoenix that had appeared in the Great Hall was already unbelievable to them.

"Very few wizards ever get the chance to touch a phoenix. You're a rare case," Severus explained, and the two boys looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

"You were the one who did that to them, weren't you? But you're Slytherins too. They say you're all the same..." one of the Hufflepuff boys murmured.

"No. Just because we're in the same house doesn't mean we're all idiots. I simply don't like bullies," Severus replied, and the little boy merely nodded.

"You're Severus Snape, aren't you?" the other asked shyly.

"Yes. It seems you've heard of me too," Severus replied with a small smile.

"All the first-years talk about you. The older students say you've completely changed. They also say you're now the most talented wizard at Hogwarts. Some even say you're Merlin's reincarnation," the other commented excitedly.

Severus merely shook his head. "They're just rumors. Anyway, let's get going. By the way, what are your names?" He started walking again as Solis returned to his shoulder. All four followed him. Along with Adrian Ashcroft and Ethan Whitmore, the two first-year students, who introduced themselves as Oliver Hayes and Nathan Brooks, followed him.

It didn't take long before they came across numerous students hurrying through the corridors toward their respective classrooms. Severus headed straight to his first class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, which would be shared with Ravenclaw. Naturally, he went with Ethan, who was also a sixth-year.

Ethan went to sit with his group after hesitating for a moment, while Severus intended to sit beside Xenophilius. However, before he could enter the classroom, he felt someone grab his arm.

He could have simply remained still, making it impossible for the person to pull him. But he let himself be tugged out of curiosity, as long as they didn't try to force him.

He turned his head and found Greengrass. She had been trying to talk to him since the previous week, but Severus had completely ignored her.

"Tell me. What do you want now, Greengrass?" he asked calmly.

"Sit with me. I want to talk to you," the girl requested.

"If you want to talk to me, do it another time. I'm sure your friend Nott is much more pleasant company in your eyes."

Something had happened. This girl had been trying to talk to him all week, but Severus was always busy, and one time she managed to approach him in the Slytherin common room. Her friend, from the Nott family, didn't seem to like Severus very much. She called him a Mudblood and questioned why her friend wanted to talk to him.

In response, Severus said nothing, but instead caused tiny fungi to grow inside the girl's nose. They weren't thorny, nor did they cause any serious harm. But they left a large wart that gave her the nose of a witch straight out of Muggle fairy tales.

It was only a prank, but the girl screamed in despair and ran to the Hospital Wing. She didn't show her face again for the rest of the day. Even so, from that day onward, the look of disgust she cast at Severus had turned into pure hatred and fear.

Without waiting for any response, Severus turned his back on Greengrass and walked over to Xenophilius, sitting down beside him.

The two soon began talking. Xenophilius had always been considered strange by the other students. But Severus knew he possessed unique talents.

Besides, he genuinely enjoyed his company. The two of them almost always stayed together during their shared classes.

"Heloísa was asking about you," Xenophilius commented.

"I figured. After all, I didn't show up for breakfast today. I had a few things to take care of." The problem was that, from that moment on, his routine had changed.

If he truly intended to strengthen his body, he would have to run every morning before classes, turning it into his new daily training.

In any case, class began with Professor Sharma giving a brief summary of the book's content before assigning a ten-line essay about a Dark creature native to Asia.

Right afterward, they headed to Ancient Runes class.

Professor Ravenshaw was extremely enthusiastic about teaching him new applications of runes. She also introduced him to several sets of symbols, while Severus quickly found ways to improve them, replace them, or even recreate them in other runic languages.

Everything went smoothly. Severus ended up earning another thirty points for Slytherin.

Not that he actually cared about it. He simply couldn't keep quiet at certain moments, making small observations and modifications that the professor insisted on writing down and praising.

The unexpected happened at the end of class. A Gryffindor girl stopped in front of his desk. It was none other than Mary Macdonald.

"Snape..." she called, as though she was reluctant to even say his name.

Severus noticed there was something beyond simple embarrassment in her expression. "Macdonald?" he replied.

Xenophilius also turned his attention to the girl, curious.

"This is for you." She handed him a small piece of parchment before quickly leaving to catch up with her friends.

Severus unfolded the note. "I want to meet you after Astronomy tonight, 8:00 PM." The handwriting was unmistakably Lily's. And the two letters "LE" at the end only confirmed it.

'Could this be one of the Marauders' traps?' Severus thought, remembering the werewolf incident.

They hadn't approached him at all during the previous week, clearly still dealing with the disappearance of the map. They were more lost than ever.

Severus even wondered if they would create a new map, which would be amusing. After all, he would simply steal it again.

In any case, Lily Evans was still unfinished business. Ever since he had returned to Hogwarts completely changed, she hadn't stopped watching him.

The gossip about the two of them had also spread throughout the entire school. Everyone wanted to know what their relationship was now after such a tragic ending.

Severus knew that sooner or later, he would have to talk to her. "So be it." He decided to meet her that night.

At lunchtime, everyone gathered once again by the shore of the Black Lake after passing through the Great Hall.

Some students were already flying broomsticks through the sky, even though it was forbidden. The prefects shouted at them to come down immediately, but most simply ignored the orders.]

Despite everything... Severus liked that atmosphere. Even knowing that many of the people in that school were hypocrites and that countless problems still surrounded Hogwarts.

"So what are you doing now?" Roberta asked, looking at Severus, who remained standing by the edge of the lake.

"He's trying to walk on water again," Heloísa replied with a laugh.

"Again?!"

Severus merely shrugged. He turned his attention back to the surface of the lake as he tried to harden the water's molecules through magic.

It was an extremely difficult process. He could walk by creating ice or even by solidifying the water. But that wasn't his goal. He didn't want to alter the water's physical state. He simply wanted to walk across it as though he were walking on solid ground.

At one point, he managed to plant his right foot on the water's surface. His eyes widened with excitement. He had managed to take that first step in just one week.

But when he tried to place his other foot down, he lost his balance. He immediately sank into the water, sending it splashing toward the shore. He still managed to brace himself before falling in completely, while his friends burst into laughter.

Severus merely shook his head and returned to them with one knee still submerged.

The group had grown a little larger.

The two Hufflepuff students had also joined them. They were friends of Roberta and Iris; one of them was Kimberly, from the first night they had arrived. Amelia was there as well, having invited another friend.

Severus chatted casually with everyone until he glanced to the side. He spotted the two first-year boys watching the group from a distance. They were the same ones he had helped that morning.

"Hello," Severus greeted them.

The group immediately stopped laughing and turned their attention to the two boys. They looked a little uneasy. After all, they hardly knew anyone there besides Severus.

The Slytherin simply smiled. "Hey, come over. Join us." The two exchanged glances before nodding and walking over.

"Oh... you're the first-year boys. I think I know you two," Iris commented with a smile.

"You know each other?" Roberta asked, looking curiously at Severus, wondering how that had happened.

The two boys then explained that they had been saved that morning from seven second-year Slytherin bullies.

"I guess our hero has struck again," Iris joked.

Severus merely rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Heloísa noticed that the two boys were completely mesmerized by the two phoenixes that always rested on her lap for Severus.

Their gazes shifted back and forth between Articuno and Solis.

"Come join us. This is Heloísa. She's also a first-year and a Slytherin, but she's a good person. Just don't annoy her, or she might turn your heads into coconuts," Severus said with a smile.

The two boys' eyes widened. "That's a lie!" Heloísa shouted, immediately protesting.

Everyone started laughing.

Severus returned to the edge of the lake and tried once more to walk on the water. After several failed attempts, he sighed. "That's enough." The next instant, he began freezing the water beneath his feet.

He then walked normally across the surface, leaving a trail of ice behind him.

"Hey! That doesn't count!" Iris shouted between laughs.

Severus merely shrugged. Soon afterward, everyone returned to their classes.

The next one was Care of Magical Creatures.

That day, they would be studying small, extremely annoying Cornish Pixies, which wouldn't stop rattling the bars of their cage while growling and trying to escape. Their voices were shrill and irritating, with so many of them screeching at once.

During class, Severus noticed Lily looking at him several times.

At one point, he raised his eyes and looked back at her. Then he discreetly took the note out of his spatial ring, held it up in her direction, and silently asked a question with nothing but his gaze.

Lily seemed surprised. It was the first time, after an entire week, that Severus had looked directly at her with the intention of initiating any interaction.

She simply gave a slight nod. That was enough for Severus to understand. The note really had been sent by her and not by the Marauders.

He put the note away and stopped paying attention to Lily. Whatever they needed to talk about would happen that night, not during class.

Severus turned his attention back to the professor, but at the same time, he kept his consciousness connected to the Cornish Pixies, observing their minds and even some of their memories.

Then something strange happened. The little creatures, which until then had been constantly shaking their cage, suddenly stopped.

One by one, they turned their eyes toward Severus. They remained completely still, staring at him in an almost unsettling manner, as though they had been hypnotized.

Severus frowned slightly. Even the professor found the animals' sudden behavior strange.

No one seemed to understand the reason for the change. Even so, no one realized that they were all looking directly at Severus.

The students merely assumed that the little blue creatures had suddenly started acting oddly.

Music class also passed without incident.

Severus practiced a few notes and, before long, was already able to play a fairly decent melody. He was learning faster and faster.

The professor praised him several times, while his classmates looked at him with admiration. At the end of class, everyone played together once again as part of a small orchestra project she had started.

Severus wasn't the only pianist in the class. But he certainly displayed exceptional talent. At the end of the day, he headed to a reserved classroom, where he found a small group of Slytherin students in the late afternoon.

It was the club Adrian and Ethan had mentioned. There were six more Slytherin students there, ranging from fifth- to seventh-years.

It was a group made up mostly of half-bloods and a handful of pure-bloods who weren't part of the house's traditional cliques.

None of them were truly integrated into the larger groups led by the pure-bloods.

Severus knew very well that, if he hadn't spent so much time alongside Mulciber, Avery, and the others, he would probably have been among those students from the very beginning.

Although, with his old personality, that might not have happened either. He had never really fit in with any group except the pure-bloods who shared ambitions of future greatness.

But this time... it was different.

As soon as he entered the room, he displayed a small, friendly smile.

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