Library, England – July 3, 1975
It had already been thirty minutes since they both sat down without saying much. Severus didn't know how to feel about this boy… Marcus. Apparently, he was a wizard, and he even went to Hogwarts.
He sighed in annoyance and forced himself to focus on his reading. Minutes later, he pulled out a worn notebook from his things and began to scribble hurried notes for a spell he had in mind.
At least the trip was worth it, he thought, sketching a small mental smile.
"And what are you doing?" Marcus suddenly asked, closing his book and staring at him intently.
Severus shot him a sharp look.
"None of your business."
Marcus ignored the comment calmly. He raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly."So you want to create a dark spell."
Severus hardened his expression, controlling his emotions with the little he knew of Occlumency, his wand gripped tightly under the table. He stared at Marcus, considering cursing him right then and there.
Marcus, however, spoke with a dangerous calm:
"Snape… first of all, you can't use magic outside of Hogwarts. And second… I could kill you before you even say the first word of the spell."
Suddenly, Severus felt something invisible tightening around his neck—metallic claws pressing into his skin, leaving small cuts from which drops of blood began to flow.
Even so, Severus smiled with a confidence he didn't entirely feel.
"Interesting. That's not common magic…" Severus murmured with interest. "A practitioner of Dark Arts, or whatever this is supposed to be?" He chuckled. "How curious… and then they say we Slytherins are the only ones who like playing with fire."
Marcus laughed softly with a false smile and loosened the pressure. The weapon, now visible, shrank back to its original size.
Severus studied it closely.
"A whip…" he said quietly. "But not just any whip. One enchanted to stretch—and one you apparently control with surgical precision."
He touched his neck, feeling the small wounds.
Marcus chuckled a little. "I suppose one has to be creative to defend oneself without a wand. You know, with that stupid rule about underage magic outside of school. A stupid rule for me," he muttered under his breath.
"You're absolutely right," Severus nodded, amused by Marcus's remark. "And don't worry… I'm not going to ask how you did it."
"Good, because I wasn't going to tell you anyway," Marcus replied, still smiling.
For a while, silence returned. They both sank into their respective books, not exchanging any more words—yet not feeling uncomfortable either.
Neither of them imagined that this would be the beginning of a friendship… and of many nights of unrestrained passion.