Not bad. To compensate for the scarcity of magic, they developed spells that consume it in minimal quantities yet remain quite effective in combat… — Grid thought, leafing through a book with interest. A shame I can't openly cast spells yet. I'd rather not draw attention to myself, and I doubt a place like this is free of monitoring charms. How tedious it is to read such elementary books… — Sighing heavily, he reached for another volume. "A History of the Magical World… Hm… He had already read this one. — Severus's notes from the book surfaced in his mind, along with a vast number of other books and the lessons of the old ghost that Severus had habitually ignored in favour of gazing at his red-haired companion. Though the boy had let almost everything pass through one ear and out the other, the Archmage had no trouble recalling every word. Interesting… This place is over a thousand years old, and its founders were Magisters at the very least, which means a great deal must be hidden here. Even in my world, many old men on the threshold of death left behind their legacies so their names would endure in history. I should dig into the history of this place — perhaps I'll find something worthwhile. — The book flew from his hand and returned to its shelf. I think I'll start with the founder of Slytherin. I have only two years to find whatever those four might have hidden, and if memory serves, Salazar was devoted to serpents and could speak their tongue. He supposedly kept a Basilisk as a pet — so perhaps he hid it somewhere in the school… No, that's absurd. — He smirked at his own thoughts and looked along the shelves. Surely a wizard of his calibre would not have left such a dangerous creature inside a SCHOOL filled with enormous numbers of children. Regardless of his feelings about Muggle-borns, this place was attended by enormous numbers of children from noble families. I doubt he would have risked his own standing out of sheer love for serpents. Salazar founded Slytherin House and admitted only clever and cunning wizards — predominantly from the nobility. He could not, by definition, have been a fool. — He picked up a book describing the life of the founder of Slytherin, but before he could even open it, Severus's memories surfaced once more — a complete account of the very book he was holding, along with several others. The question is: will I learn anything new here at all? It seems like he read everything already.
He put the book back on the shelf, cast one last glance at it, and turned to leave the section.
I'll need to finish processing the memories — this is far too inconvenient. I'll have to sort through every fragment tonight. And I should pay Slughorn a visit. He seems a decent enough man — I think we can find common ground.
By the time Grid left the library, it was already half past six. Two and a half hours remained before his meeting with the Head of House, and he intended to use that time to learn more about the man, as well as study Severus's mannerisms, gestures, and way of speaking more carefully — so as not to give himself away. He doubted he could currently stand against the Professors or the Headmaster simply because he had reached the rank of Archmage in his own world. Moreover, he had relied primarily on powerful spells that demanded enormous magical output, while the lighter, combat-oriented ones he had barely studied — only a few dozen, and even those were far too demanding for this world's conditions. For now, he needed to grow accustomed to this new reality, to the absence of a powerful magical core, and to learn how to survive within those constraints.
Two hours later.
After an intensive review and combing through his memories, he had found all the information he needed and left the room with a settled mind.
When he stepped into the common room, someone called out to him — the same boy who had spoken in his defence earlier that day.
"That was well handled. And I see you've finally realised that Gryffindor is not the best company to keep."
"You're right. They truly are not."
"Glad to hear it. We may lose five points today, but stripping Gryffindor of fifty will hurt their house far more," — the boy said with a satisfied smile and clapped him on the shoulder.
"What makes you think we'll be losing any points?" — Grid raised an eyebrow with a smirk, glanced at the wall clock, then looked back at the boy before him. "Let's talk another time — the Head of House is expecting me."
"Of course. If you ever run into any trouble, you can always come to me," — Macmillan said proudly, patting the prefect badge resting on his chest.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."
The moment Grid left the Slytherin common room and disappeared around the corner, Macmillan turned Severus's words over in his mind and also stepped out — though he headed in the opposite direction, toward the entrance hall, where a set of remarkable hourglasses stood. Instead of sand, they used gemstones, and it was on them that each house's point total was recorded.
A few minutes later, Grid reached Slughorn's office and knocked.
"Come in, Severus…"
The Head of House's office was decorated in dark green tones, much like the common room. In the corner, along the walls, stood two tall, narrow cabinets — one packed with books, the other with various potion ingredients — and between them a desk, behind which Slughorn sat, watching the young man enter with a smile.
"Take a seat. Tea?"
"No, thank you, Professor," — Grid shook his head and sat down across from him. "By the way — the word. Did you look into it?"
Slughorn smiled warmly at the young man and nodded.
"The word is indeed not classified as an insult. However, I would still ask that you refrain from using it toward Miss Evans and others whose parents are ordinary people. Even if it is not officially offensive, it remains unpleasant to many."
"Understood. I will not use it again toward Miss Evans or anyone else."
"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Now then — let us move on to the reason I called you here today," — he took a sip from the glass on his desk, and his expression became more serious. "What has happened to you?"
There it is — the question I expected. Now the important thing is not to give myself away… Hm? — For a fraction of a second he detected a faintly sweet scent, and his mind clouded slightly. Veritaserum… So I was behaving suspiciously enough to warrant that. — He sighed inwardly and, without any outward reaction, quietly purged the potion's effect from his system. "Professor, there was no need for Veritaserum. You taught us yourself always to be on guard in conversation with an experienced Potioneer, and I respect you deeply — I would not lie to you."
Slughorn was not in the least surprised to hear this. He had not doubted the young man would detect the potion — it had been nothing more than a test of Grid's abilities. Only a handful of Potioneers could neutralise its effects so swiftly, and the young man before him was one of them. When the Head of House noticed that the effect had been lifted, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
"Very well. Then tell me — what happened between you and Miss Evans? I was quite certain you were in love with her."
"I have little wish to say much about it, but I will say this: she betrayed me. Twice," — Grid said with a pained smile.
Seeing the sorrow in his eyes, Slughorn felt a flicker of unease. He had briefly entertained the thought that someone was impersonating the boy, or that someone had taken over his body — but the man could never have imagined the truth would be so straightforward. With that, Severus's behaviour no longer seemed so strange. The Head of House also knew about the incident that had followed one of the earlier examinations, when the four Marauders had hung Snape upside down, his robes falling to reveal his dirty underwear to the entire crowd — after which Severus had taken to wearing trousers instead. The culprits had naturally been punished afterward. Slughorn was also aware of the other torments those four had inflicted upon the young man over the years, and he had offered his help on more than one occasion — each time being declined. There was little more he could do. He would have gladly dealt with the Marauders himself, but he had no right to act unilaterally; to do so would have seen him expelled from the school on the spot, and quite possibly subjected to serious sanctions by the Ministry of Magic. And so all that remained to him was to deduct points and punish them within the bounds of school rules.
"I see…" — but before the professor could continue, Grid pressed on.
"Having thought it over, I realised I had been far too soft with everyone. I loved Lily, but she used that, keeping me like a tame dog on a leash. And do you know what the most absurd part is?" — the young man asked, looking at the visibly shaken professor with something raw in his gaze. "She went to my enemy. To the one who tormented me all these years, who humiliated me before everyone — and she even handed him a spell I created myself. So tell me, Professor — how exactly am I supposed to feel about her?!" — he raised his voice, staring at a pale Slughorn who simply had no idea how to comfort his student.
"Severus, I…"
"I apologise, Professor, for losing my composure. I think it would be better if I left," — he stood, and without looking back, walked toward the door.
Watching his student's retreating back, Slughorn wanted to call after him — but thought better of it.
He needs to be alone right now and cool down… — the man thought with a heavy sigh, lifting his wine glass for a calming sip. In all his long years of teaching, nothing like this had ever happened, and he simply did not know what to do or how to respond. I'll make sure to speak with him tomorrow.
In Grid's world, the ranks of mages are: Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Magister, Archmage, Great Archmage, Creator.
The British Ministry of Magic is the primary governing body of the magical community. Its principal aim is to prevent Muggles from learning of the existence of witches and wizards. The foundational document by which the Ministry operates is the Statute of Secrecy, which governs the relationship between the magical and Muggle worlds. The Statute also contains Article 73, which regulates matters relating to magical creatures.