After a careful wash, Snape returned to the dormitory.
Avery and Mulciber had their arms and legs hanging out of their blankets, mouths open, snoring in chorus.
"Two idiots," he muttered under his breath, pulling out his wand and flicking it toward his own four-poster bed.
Muffliato.
Thinking about how the original purpose of this spell had been simply to let himself sleep through the snoring, he almost found it comical.
He tossed his dirty clothes into the empty laundry basket and lay down on his pillow.
"Ugh, tomorrow I still have to go to the Hog's Head for the Walpurgis meeting," he sighed heavily, rifling through his memories. "That's nothing but the Death Eaters' reserves..."
Gazing into the darkness, the faintly visible green-and-silver striped curtains before him, and accompanied by the strange buzzing sound in his ears, he tried alternating between calling out "System" and "Old Grandpa" in both Chinese and English.
No answer came. Eventually, Snape drifted off into sleep.
The next morning, Snape woke early.
After a moment's thought, he pulled his trunk from beneath the bed.
There weren't many clothes inside. Scattered among them were a set of old Gobstones and a few of the books his mother had passed down.
Among them was Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage, smudged with grime, its corners curled from constant use.
He fished out an ill-fitting pair of tattered jeans and put them on under his robes.
Normally, Snape never wore such ugly Muggle clothes at Hogwarts.
But for safety's sake, if the Marauders ambushed him, at least they would provide another layer of cover.
The rustling woke the others.
Avery stared, mouth agape, rubbing his eyes in disbelief as he glanced at Snape, then shook his head.
"Get dressed. Let's go to breakfast."
Snape saw exactly what Avery was curious about, but he had no desire to discuss it.
On the way, more and more people pointed at him, whispering, and occasionally chuckling under their breath.
He nearly lost control, tempted to fling a few Avada Kedavra curses just to make them all spit blood.
Hidden beneath his sleeve, he gave his wand a few discreet flicks and whispered:
Langlock!
The whispers choked off at once.
Several students clutched their throats, tongues glued to the roofs of their mouths, unable to speak.
Finally, the world was quiet.
When he sat down, Snape piled pork chops, beef, and lamb onto his plate.
As he chewed, he thought:
"The house-elves' cooking really is excellent. I should eat more meat and find some way to get stronger.
"But the most urgent thing right now is getting off Tom's ship before it inevitably sinks. Whether it's a double agent or a two-faced spy, none of them have ever met a good end.
"Besides, I have no intention of babysitting someone for seven years, only to die and have my secrets shouted to the entire school by Potter's brat.
"Walpurgis reserves shouldn't be a one-way trip like the full-fledged Death Eaters... that might be a problem.
"At this point, Voldemort should still have only five Horcruxes: the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, and the diadem. Nagini and Harry haven't yet had the honor."
Chewing slowly, Snape's gaze drifted up to the staff table at the far end of the Great Hall,
Behind half-moon glasses, a pair of brilliant blue eyes met his for the briefest second.
Snape shuddered violently, a cold sweat breaking out at once.
Quickly, he dropped his gaze, focusing on his plate, snatching up his knife to pretend to cut into his steak.
"Damn... almost forgot that part.
"Thankfully, I should already know Occlumency, though I'm not sure if last night's ordeal left any traces. I'll need to find a chance to test it..."
Outside the castle, the crimson sun lit up the grounds.
A breeze swept across the treetops of the Forbidden Forest, scattering patches of deep green light.
Argus Filch stood just inside the front gates with a long roll of parchment, checking faces one by one, making sure no one slipped out who wasn't allowed.
A group of students passed through, walking between the high stone pillars topped with winged boars, then turned left toward the path to Hogsmeade.
They followed the road, and when they reached Zonko's Joke Shop, Mulciber decided to stock up on dungbombs and prank supplies.
Though uninterested, Snape decided it was better not to separate from the others.
So he lingered in the shade by the door, passing time while flocks of owls of all sizes and colors flew in and out of the post office nearby.
"Look who it is," Mulciber said, coming out of the shop with Avery, a large paper bag in his arms.
Lily Evans and her roommate Mary Macdonald were walking lightly down the path, chatting happily.
"Perfect time to test out the new toys."
Mulciber reached into the paper bag and pulled out a dungbomb.
Just as he raised it to throw, Snape instinctively drew his wand,
Protego!
An invisible shield sprang up instantly, knocking Avery and Mulciber flat on their backs.
Dungbombs, stink pellets, and Fizzing Whizzbees tumbled everywhere, scattering across the ground.
Snape stared in shock at his own hand, as though the motion hadn't been his at all.
But what was done was done.
"The hell are you doing?!"
Covered in dust, the two scrambled back to their feet, glaring at Snape from the other side of the shield.
"Severus, are you insane?"
"Don't touch them. All right?"
"What? You'd stand up for those Mud-"
"Don't say that word!" Snape shouted.
His lowered arm rose again, wand pointed firmly at them.
Avery and Mulciber had drawn theirs too.
Two against one, but neither looked eager to make the first move.
"Listen, Severus, don't forget who you are."
"I don't need you to remind me, Mulciber."
The sun had climbed nearly overhead. The heavy air seemed to congeal, clinging sticky against their skin.
A breeze swept from behind Snape, and a familiar figure emerged through the shimmering heat to stand beside him.
Mary walked up and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
He had never expected anyone to step up and stand by his side. And certainly not Mary.
What a good girl, Snape thought. Even after all the times his crowd had tormented her with dark magic, she had still been willing to pass messages for him to Lily, and now she was here, standing beside him.
Lily joined her then, stepping up to Mary's side.
Snape instinctively averted his eyes, refusing to look at her.
"Mulciber, are you sure you want to cross wands with me?"
Snape didn't truly want to tear things open here, so he made a show of lowering his wand.
Mulciber shot him a hateful glare, then dragged Avery off, hastily gathering the scattered items before leaving in a rush.
"Thank you, Mary," Snape said uncertainly.
Mary gave him a small nod and turned away.
Even after Mary and Lily had walked far off, Snape remained rooted to the spot.
The Hog's Head, go, or not to go? That was the question.