The morning of August 25th, 1991, began with silence—so complete that for a moment Cassius thought time itself had stopped.
He had been training and training harder and harder as each day passed.
He had reached the age of 11 yes, he had even acquired not one but also 2 wands, and learned dozens of spells, yes...
What he doesnt have yet... is a hogwarts acceptance letter.
The trainboarding would be in now less than a week.
And yet even still he was still kept waiting.
Then came the faint tap of a beak against glass.
He turned slowly from his desk, where he had been recording down all the words he knew in sindarin with the assistance of the Ravenclaw Diadem to dreg the memories of his previous life back to the surface, all while forming up a dictionary of sorts so that when he finally entered into Alchemy he could not only use Ancient runes but also Sindaring glyph's to see if they just like the language for incantation could be used for magical tool creation.
Outside the warded window, a brown school owl hovered uncertainly, its feathers soaked from the summer rain.
It stared at him through the window, hovering there almost as if it wasn't sure that it had arrived at the correct place.
Cassius flicked a hand, and the outer wards rippled open just enough for the bird to pass through.
The owl landed on the railing, feathers puffed, and extended its leg.
Seemingly satisfied that its task had indeed been completed.
The letter was thick parchment—aged, official, and so heavy with enchantment it hummed faintly against his skin when he took it.
The Hogwarts crest glistened in deep wax red: lion, serpent, badger, raven entwined.
For a long moment, he simply looked at it.
He'd known it was coming—eventually.
He had waited for weeks, watching each sunrise pass without so much as a whisper.
Most muggle-borns and half-bloods had received theirs in early July, giving even those living in the muggle realm enough time to purchase their school supplies.
Even Harry Potter would have had his by now, a month ahead of term, with it being hand delivered by Hagrid.
But Cassius Snape?
Nothing.
Not until now.
Perhaps that was his own fault for setting up such secrecy wards to keep his home secure from the muggle world, but surely the 2nd most prestigious magical body could break through the location of his home to deliver something simple as a letter.
Though then thinking on it, his mentors wards went beyond the fidelius charm and owls were not capable of delivering mail to these secret locations if they hadnt been provided with the secret to allow them access to the location.
He slit the seal carefully with a flick of the yew wand.
The parchment unfolded with a faint sigh.
Dear Mr. Snape,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Term begins on September 1st.
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
We await your owl by no later than August 28th.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress
He stared at the bottom of the page, his expression unreadable.
"Finally," he murmured.
But there was no joy in his tone—only the faint crackle of restrained bitterness.
He folded the parchment once, precisely, and laid it on the counter beside his wands.
"They waited until the last possible moment." His voice was low, sharp. "Of course they did."
He didn't need to guess why.
Dumbledore.
The name alone tasted of cold iron and old secrets.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts, the so-called greatest wizard of the age, had once led both Cassius's father and his mentor down opposing paths—and now, Cassius suspected, he was doing the same to him.
Perhaps Dumbledore thought it better that the son of Severus Snape never entered his school.
Perhaps he feared the implications.
But it didn't matter.
The letter was here.
He was in.
And that was all he needed.
Cassius conjured a quill and parchment with a flick of his wrist. His response was short, formal, and utterly without warmth.
To Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,
I confirm my attendance for the upcoming term.
—Cassius A. Snape
He sealed it with a simple wax rune and tied it to the owl's leg.
"Go," he said quietly.
The bird hooted once, uncertainly, then vanished through the half-visible barrier with a shimmer of air.
When the wards settled again, Cassius exhaled and looked around his flat.
Stacks of books continued to hover midair.
His dueling field still bore the scorch marks from his last practice run.
Potion vials cooled on the counter beside handwritten notes in both English and Sindarin, half of them containing first year brews while the rest contained potions found in Grindelwalds archives.
He took a slow breath.
Then he called up his status board.
The familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
Name: Cassius Snape
Magic: 2027
Skills:
Charms Lv. 4 (116,265/100,000,000 EXP)
└ Lumos Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Wingardium Leviosa Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Reparo Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Alohomora Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Impedimenta Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Reducto Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Bombarda Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Impervius Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Protego Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Petrificus Totalus Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
└ Diffindo Lv. 3 (1/100,000 EXP)
Transfiguration Lv. 2 (40, /1,000,000 EXP)
└ Vera Verto Lv. 3 (0/100,000 EXP)
└ Finite Incantatem Lv. 3 (0/100,000 EXP)
Physique Lv. 3 (1/10,000,000 EXP)
Flying Lv. 3 (1/10,000,000 EXP)
Magical Control Lv. 3 (194,836/10,000,000 EXP)
Thinking Lv. 4 (212/100,000,000 EXP)
Available Idle Slots (20)
Not bad for someone who hadn't even entered Hogwarts yet.
His total spell list was quite significant however he had noticed something, regular spells showed up when he learned them and even attempted casting them, but as for Jinxes and Hexes.
Try as many time as he could even when performing them successfully they never appeared on the list, so it simply meant to him that the Stinging jinx, hanging jinx, Dancing Legs, Leglocker would only ever be what they were, no increase in proficiency or performance was possible.
(Author note: And yes this is because i dont want to have a 1,000 word status as the later years come around when Cassius knows possibly over a hundred spells)
"So this is it," he said quietly. "Canon, at last."
It was strange, knowing that the world around him was following a script he had once read, for the most part.
Harry Potter, soon to step onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters for the first time.
Ron Weasley, with Scabbers hidden in his pocket.
Hermione Granger, brilliant, naive, still unaware of what she would become.
And him—Cassius Snape, the unknown variable.
The ghost that shouldn't exist.
A ripple of anticipation ran through him.
He wasn't just entering Hogwarts.
He was stepping into a story that had already been written—and tearing a page out to write his own name across it.
He turned back inside, eyes catching on the training field once more.
The wooden dummies stood silent, motionless now, scarred and half-charred from a hundred duels.
He raised his wand and muttered, "Reparo."
The air shimmered.
The dummies mended themselves with soft clicks and snaps of wood.
Cassius twirled the wand once in his fingers, then drew both—the agarwood and the yew.
They balanced perfectly in his grasp.
With that, he spread both arms.
Twin rings of light expanded outward, as his newest skill dual casting took form.
The room exploded in color—half golden sunlight, half swirling black mist.
The two forces clashed, folded, and merged into one another until the entire condo pulsed like a living heartbeat.
The magic he'd cast was a form of fusion magic, combining two seperately cast spells together for a syergistic effect, something he'd only ever attempted in theory before, the two contrasting magics collided and caused far greater destruction than they could individually.
The level at which he fought was getting more and more advanced as the days went on but when school finally began he'd need to cut back, his actions would be far more heavily watched at school and he'd need to play defence at the same time against Dumbledore and Quirrelmort.
Less than a week remained but Cassius felt ready, he was already equipped and ready to board the train tonight if possible all that remained was to look over his plans, and confirm everything he needed to make sure happened when he got to the platform, to ensure that all his goals were met, while doing everything in his power to derail the lives and plans of all those who simply do not deserve to get their way.
End Of Volume 1