Chapter VII: Boy From the North Country

We hate it when our friends become successful/And if they're Northern, that makes it even worse
And if we can destroy them/You bet your life we will destroy them
If we can hurt them, well, we may as well...
It's really laughable
Ha, ha, ha...

"We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful"--Morrissey

"I'm a loser/I'm a loser, and I'm not what I appear to be.."

Severus looked up from his book in irritation.  He was sitting cross-legged on his bed going over tomorrow's Charms lesson, before being rudely disturbed by Anthony Greengrass, would-be singing sensation.  It was half an hour before prefect Lucius Malfoy would knock on their door as the signal for lights out.  Severus usually used this time to study.  The big soft bed with the green and silver bedding was more comfortable then the saggy mattress and thin blanket at home.  The Slytherin dorm room was also grander than his tiny drab bedroom.  Unfortunately he had to share it with others.

Anthony had cranked up the old Victrola that he had brought from home and was singing along with the Beatles while Wilbraham Twilfit searched through a stack of records.  Avery and Mulciber were playing Exploding Snap on Avery's bed.

"You're burning holes in the bedding!" Bram exclaimed.

"Aw, who cares!  Stuff here doesn't belong to us!" Avery retorted.

"And so it's true, pride comes before a fall..."

Severus gave up on reading.  How could anyone concentrate with the racket going on in here?  He glared at Anthony who was still singing along with the Beatles, his wand clutched in his hand like a microphone.  He had a good voice and knew it.  He was often the center of attention among the First Year Slytherin boys.  Good looking, confident and rich, Anthony was popular with the students in the other Houses as well.  Severus decided that if Anthony had not been sorted into Slytherin he would have hated him.

He would have hated Bram Twilfit as well, with his monogrammed pajamas and talk about his family's thriving business.  Avery and Mulciber kept to themselves and didn't speak much to anyone else.
 
All of these boys were pure-bloods, as were the First Year girls who had been sorted into Slytherin with the exception of Suzanne Stern.  She was a half-blood like Severus, but her privileged background put worlds between them.
 
Severus bleakly scanned the room.  He was now among other magical children besides Lily.  He was no longer alone, but had never felt lonelier.  His eyes rested on another solitary figure who was sitting on his bed reading.

Severus climbed down from his bed and slowly approached the other boy.  Patrick Neely--that was his name.  He wasn't as outgoing as Anthony, but he wasn't hostile like Avery and Mulciber.  He wasn't as wealthy as Bram, but he wasn't poor either.  His hair and clothes were neat and he kept his area of the dorm orderly.  Occasionally he would look up from his book to comment on Anthony's singing abilities and  share some conversation with Bram, but the book  held his concentration.  Severus stood next to his bed until Patrick looked up.

"Yes, Severus?"  Patrick's eyes were green, but not bright green like Lily's.  They were more of a greyish-green.  Slytherin colors.  A small silver cross hung on a chain around his neck.  His accent was northern.

Severus felt awkward.  He rarely approached people his age since he found most of them to be stupid and boring.  His attempts at conversation usually failed.  For reasons that he could not figure out, other children were either insulted by what he had to say or would stare at him wide-eyed before they told him that he was weird.  Severus had decided long ago that it was better not to approach anyone.

"What are you reading?"  Severus pointed at the book that Patrick was holding closed, his index finger stuck in as a place holder at the page he was reading.

"Oh, this is just an old book that's a favorite of mine.  I like to read old books that I read as a kid before I go to sleep.  It helps me relax."  Patrick turned the book over so that Severus could see the cover.  Black Beauty by Anna Sewell.
 
"That's one of Lily's favorite books!"   Lily had read Black Beauty so many times that the binding was broken and the book automatically opened to her favorite parts.  She always cried because it was so sad.

"People are so terrible, Severus!   The awful things that they do to animals!"

"That's a girl's book," Severus sniffed.  Patrick was unabashed.

"Oh, I don't think so.  The welfare of animals should be a concern to everyone.  Plus it's a great story!   It made me appreciate the animals at home even more.  He gestured to some photographs on his nightstand.

What struck Severus was that some of the photos were magical photos, with the people waving and moving about, while others were Muggle photos with the subjects frozen in time.  There was a Muggle photo of Patrick on a horse jumping over a fence and another of an old woman in a floral dress and large brimmed hat.  There was a magical photo of a family standing in front of a large barn, waving at the camera.  The father wore glasses and a medical smock, the mother was a plump, serious faced woman who wore a large white apron over her dark blue robes and the little girl, who was about eight, was holding the paw of the family dog, getting her to wave at the camera as well.

"That's Granny," Patrick pointed at the photo of the old Muggle woman.  "That's me riding Barleycorn.  My parents board horses, but we own two."

"You live on a farm?" Severus asked.  He had grown up in a city and had only seen a farm once.

"It was a farm.  My father is a veterinarian.  He converted part of that barn into his office and animal clinic.  Muggles go in through the front with their animals.  They don't know that there is a back entrance because they cannot see it."  Patrick pointed to the barn door in the photo.

"That back entrance leads to where Mum works.  She takes care of magical creatures, tame and wild.  She was one of Professor Kettleburn's best students!"

"So your mother married a Muggle."

"That's right," Patrick said calmly.  He did not seem at all bothered by his half-blood status in a House that valued pure-bloods.  "They both have a shared love of beasts, magical and non-magical.  My sister Aisling and I also love them.  I cannot wait to take Care of Magical Creatures next year!  Mum told me that it was her favorite class, but warned me that Professor Kettleburn has a special fondness for dangerous beasts.  Unfortunately they don't love him back--he only has two of his original limbs left!"

"Was your mother in Slytherin?" Severus asked.

"She certainly was!  Sinead Connaught, class of 1956."

She was two years younger than his own mother, Severus thought.  Had Eileen known her?  Severus was about to tell Patrick that his own mother had been in Slytherin and had married a Muggle, but held back.

"Do you have any other books besides Black Beauty?" Severus asked.

"Sure!  You can borrow one if you like."  Patrick jumped off of the bed and pushed a large white cat off of his trunk.  He pulled out a stack of books and spread them on the bed.  Severus stared at the titles:  Lord of the Rings, The Once and Future King, Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz.  He had read all  of them.

"Those are all Muggle versions of magic," he said dismissively.
 
"That doesn't mean that they aren't good!  Here, take this one."  Patrick handed Severus The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle.  "Let me know how you like it."

Severus stared at the cover.  It was a faux tapestry featuring a unicorn, a red bull and a magician in a tall conical hat.  Not a book that he would have selected based on its cover.  He was about to say thanks, but no thanks when the door to the dorm swung open.
 
The boys looked up expecting to see Lucius, but standing in the doorframe was his fellow Fifth Year, Nero Flint.  He aimed his wand at the Victrola, shattering the record that was playing.

"Hey!" Anthony yelped.

"Shut yer cake hole!  You're keeping all of us in the House up yammering away to that Mudblood shite!  Lucius is at a meetin' tonight and put me in charge o' things.  So lights out and shut the feck up!"

The First Year boys scattered as they doused the lights and clambered into their beds.

"There goes living proof that Darwin's theory was correct," Patrick muttered.

Severus smiled in the dark and let out a short laugh.  It was the first time that he had laughed at anything said by anyone else but Lily since he had arrived at Hogwarts.

---

"Mind if I join you, Severus?"  Severus looked up from his breakfast and faced Patrick.  He often ate alone, sometimes reading a spell book between bites of food.  He shrugged and shifted over to make room.

"I'm glad that we have Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs this morning.  That's turning out to be my favorite class."

"They're a bunch of dunces," Severus muttered as he soaked up his egg yolk with a piece of toast.

"Yeah, a lot of them are, but I like having class with them better than the Gryffindors.  What a bunch of obnoxious blowhards!  You know who I can't stand?  James Potter!  He swans about like he's the greatest thing that's ever touched the earth.  What an ass!"

Severus grinned.  Patrick was the first student besides Lily who had seen through James Potter's facade.  He was well-liked by the other students, who all seemed to think that he was a smart, funny, all around great guy.
 
"Do you know that he and his friends made up a name for themselves?" Patrick went on.  "The Marauders!  Now, how stupid is that?  Why would anyone outside of a rock band give themselves a name?"

"Oh, I have plenty of names for them," Severus said.  "The Arseholes, the Shitheads, the Wankers!"

"All of those are more suitable than the Marauders!" Patrick laughed.  "I'll bet it was James who thought up that name, the big-headed git!  It could have been Sirius Black, though.  He's certainly full of himself."

"That cancels out Peter and Remus."

"Peter is barely able to remember the names of his fellow classmates.  He wouldn't be capable of even forming the idea of naming the group.  Remus, well, it isn't something that he would do," Patrick said.  He blew on his tea to cool it.

"My friend is in Gryffindor with them," Severus said.

"Is he?  What's his opinion?"

"It's not him, it's her.  She hates them too!" Severus said happily.

"Well, then I would very much like to meet this friend of yours.  She sounds like a girl with good taste."

"You'll meet her later today in Potions.  Right before Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws."

"Ah, yes.  So tell me, Severus, what is your impression of Ravenclaw, our so called sister House?"

"They're a bunch of self-important, grade-grubbing brown nosers who have an inflated sense of their supposed intelligence.  I'm still waiting to be impressed."

"Me too!  Although I have met a few of them who seemed pretty sharp," Patrick said.

"Really?  Well then you'll have to introduce me because I didn't notice!" Severus stood up to go to class and Patrick followed.

The boys spent most of that week together, mostly studying and occasionally talking.  Patrick respected Severus' need for silence and privacy and instinctively knew when to get up and walk away and when not  to pursue conversation any further.  He was tolerant of Severus' moodiness, which other students found offensive.  In turn, Severus found himself looking forward to spending his spare time with Patrick.  The boy was intelligent, but didn't draw attention to himself like Wendy Nott.  He was funny, but in a dry, low key manner, not in a loud obnoxious manner like the Marauders.  He was also quiet and observant, qualities which Severus prized.

Patrick received care packages from home quite often, which were delivered by his family's barn owl.  Warm mittens and a hat knitted by his grandmother.  Muggle books that he requested from his father and magical books sent by his mother.  Crayon drawings and clippings from the newspaper from his little sister.  The packages always contained sweets and home baked goods.

Severus had not received any packages from home and only one letter from his mother.  The flight of the owls delivering the mail into the Great Hall was the time when he would hunch over his meal or his book, studiously ignoring the other students opening up letters and packages from their loved ones.  He didn't expect a package from home.  Eileen did not knit and she was an awful cook.  He could not recall her ever baking treats.  If he had asked for a book she would have tersely responded in writing that he should either check it out of the library or wait until he returned home for the holidays.
 
"Take one Severus!  Mum baked them--they're really good!"  Severus startled out of his thoughts and looked at the miniature tartlets in the box that Patrick was holding.  The glazed jam made the pastries look like tiny gems.

"I don't want any!" he said harshly.  Patrick looked stunned, but closed the box and went over to offer tarts to Anthony and Bram.

---

It had rained steadily for the better part of two weeks.  The steady tattoo of rain drops drummed on the slate roof of the castle and rattled the window panes.  Students pulled the hoods of their robes up over their heads as they scampered from the castle towards the greenhouses for Herbology.  Suzanne lost a shoe in the thick, sucking mud as she daintily navigated a path towards class.

"Hold on--I have it!"  Patrick pulled it out and cleaned it off with a quick Aqua Eructo! spell.  He handed it back with a smile.

"You should really wear Wellies in weather like this!"

"I know, but they are so ugly!  Thanks so much, Patrick!" Suzanne gave him a smile and toss of her long black hair.

"You beat me to that, Sir Patrick!" a voice called out.  Severus looked up to see Billy Shears and Gary Martin walking towards them.  "I've been waiting for an opportunity to talk to her ever since she blew me a kiss at the Sorting."

"Dream on!  That kiss was for me!" Gary laughed good naturedly.
 
Severus ignored the two Hufflepuff boys.  Stupid, Muggle-born, Cockney bastards.  He quickened his pace, but Patrick slowed down to talk to them.

"This class is the best!" Billy said as he gestured towards the greenhouses.  "I never thought that I would be interested in plants, but these ain't like the ones that Mum and Granny keep on the kitchen windowsill.  I just wish this bloody rain would stop.  They've put off flying lessons for two weeks!  I can't wait to fly on a broom--that must be the best feeling in the world!"

"Better than being admitted into Hogwarts?" Patrick asked.

"Oh no, nothing is better than that!  I still can't believe that I'm here!  How great is this place, Gary?"

"It's the dog's bollocks!"

"Yeah, that's right, it certainly is!"

Patrick laughed with them.  Severus walked on in disgust.  If Patrick was going to waste his time with those imbeciles that was his choice.

"Wait up, Severus!"  Patrick ran to catch up, splattering mud and rain water along the path.

"Billy just told me that he heard that if it isn't raining that hard tomorrow we will have flying lessons.  How cool is that?"

"I've never been on a broom," Severus mumbled.  He pulled his hood closer around his face.

"I haven't either, but it can't be that hard.  Must be like riding a horse!"

Severus did not reply.  He had never ridden a horse and did not know how to ride a bicycle.  He did not like heights and fast motion made him nauseous.
 
"Gary said that the Hufflepuffs are scheduled for flying lessons with the Ravenclaws tomorrow, weather permitting.  That means that we'll be slated to fly with the Gryffindors.  I can't wait to see if that big mouthed James Potter really is the flying ace that he claims to be!"

Severus silently prayed that there would be a torrential downpour the next day.  He had no desire to straddle a broom and certainly was not eager to show his lack of prowess in front of the Marauders.

His false prayers to a God he didn't believe in were answered the next morning with brilliant sunshine.  He loped after his Slytherin classmates as they made their way down the still muddy path towards the lawn where the flying lessons would take place.  A red-faced, grinning Wendy Nott met them  as she walked in the opposite direction with her friends.

"How was it Wendy?" Patrick asked.

"Oh, it was brilliant!  My broom snapped up immediately on command and Mr. Carruthers let me fly a bit!  He let everyone who mastered the command fly a bit--just not too high."

"Nothing happened with me," her friend Sarah Abrams sighed. " Mr. Carruthers said that a lot of it is instinct."

"Don't worry, Sarah, it will be easier next time.  Have fun you two!"  Wendy gave a wave as she and the other Ravenclaw girls headed back to the castle.
 
Severus and Patrick reached the lawn where the broomsticks were lined up in neat rows.  Some of the Gryffindors were already there.  Lily spotted them and waved.

"I'm so nervous!  I just spoke with Wendy Nott and she said that it was fun, but she's been riding toy broomsticks since she was a tot!  What if nothing happens?  What if I tumble off?"

"No worries, Lily.  A lot of people have never been on a broom before, including me.  We won't fly that high today.  Besides, I'd catch you if you fell," Patrick reassured her.

"Thanks Patrick!" Lily beamed at him.  Patrick and Severus walked over to two broomsticks that were laying on the ground across from where Lily stood.  Severus glared at Patrick.

"What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?"

"That "I'll catch you if you fall" talk!  Are you trying to scare her?"

"I was trying to reassure her, Severus!  What's the matter with you?"

Severus didn't answer.  He stared down at the splintery wooden broom lying down next to him.  It certainly did not look aerodynamic.   James Potter had the same impression.

"What the hell is this thing?  It looks like it was made over one hundred years ago!  I'll be surprised if it flies!" James snorted.

"Doesn't look like it's good for anything except an arse full of splinters," Sirius Black concurred.

"I don't know why we even have to take flying lessons!" Joanne Rosier complained.  "The smart set travels by Floo Network and Disapparation.  Broomsticks are for Quidditch players and proles!"

The sharp tweet of a whistle cut her off.  An immense, barrel-chested man strode onto the lawn.  He was as wide as he was tall, with hands the size of small baskets and a bushy red beard.  Patrick nudged Severus.

"That's  William "The Wall" Carruthers!  He was the Keeper for the Wigtown Warriors in the fifties and sixties.  I heard that he had more successful blocks than any other Keeper during that time!"

Mr. Carruthers did not bother introducing himself.  Either he didn't want to waste time or presumed that all of the students knew who he was because he started right in with the lesson.
 
"Hold your dominant hand over your broom and say 'Up!'" he shouted.

Severus and Patrick held their hands over their brooms and called out "Up" like the other students.  Severus' broom remained motionless on the ground without so much as a quiver.  Patrick's immediately sprang into his hand.

"Blimey--look at that!" he cried in amazement.  Severus looked around at the other students.  Anthony Greengrass, Abigail Armstrong, James Potter and Sirius Black's brooms had also sprung into their hands like Patrick's. The other brooms remained on the ground, some motionless, but others were shaking and rolling over.

"The five of you go over there," Mr. Carruthers instructed the students who had been successful.  "The rest of you, try again!  Tone is everything--let those brooms know that you're the boss!"

"Up!" Severus shouted at the broom.

"THWACK!" The broom handle shot up and hit him hard on the nose.  The Marauders and several of the Gryffindors laughed.

"Broom--ten points!  Snivellus--zero!" James Potter called out like a sports announcer.  He and the other four students had mounted their brooms and were flying about four feet above the ground while Mr. Carruthers assisted the rest of the class.

"Ten points--isn't that a bit much?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, his nose is an easy target!" Peter crowed.
 
"Are you all right, Severus?" Suzanne asked.

"Leave me alone!" he snarled.  His face felt hot and his nose was throbbing.  He put his fingers up to it and stared at the trails of blood which were trickling out.  Mr. Carruthers stopped in front of him and tapped his nose with his wand, stopping the bleed.

"Stop making a spectacle of yourself, boy!  You're distracting the rest of the class!" he bellowed.

"Pay attention, everyone!   I want you to all straddle your brooms and grip the handle like this," Mr. Carruthers demonstrated the correct grip on his broom.  "Don't sit too far back or you'll fall onto your backsides!  Sit too far forward and you'll end up kissing the mud.  Maintain a firm grip, but not too tight.  The brooms will struggle if your grip is too tight and will end up bucking you off.  That can be fatal if you're in the air.  I'll come around and check your seating and grips."

Severus gingerly straddled the broom and gripped the handle with his left hand over his right.  The broom immediately began to violently buck like a wild horse.

"Whoa, stop, STOP!" he shouted.

"Eh-hee-hee-hee!"  Severus turned and scowled furiously at Patsy Cromwell, who was exploding into a cacophony of wheezy giggles.  She sounded and looked like a Muggle caricature of a witch, with her frizzy hair, facial moles and spindly frame.  Donatella Mammon was smirking and Joanne Rosier was shaking her fist angrily.

"Severus, you fool!  You're making us all look bad in front of the Gryffindors!"

Did that bint think he was doing this on purpose?  The Gryffindors, with the exceptions of Lily, Mary and Harold were all busting up over James' impromptu broadcast ("Another ten points for the broom!").
 
"Cut it out, James!" Lily snapped.

"Protecting your boyfriend, Lily?" Sirius asked snidely.

"No.  Are you egging yours on?" she retorted.

"LISTEN UP!" Mr. Carruthers barked. " On the count of three I'm going to blow my whistle!  At that time I want you all to kick off from the ground.  Give a good, hard kick and remember to keep your grips firm and your brooms steady.  Once you've risen a few feet, lean forward slightly and the broom should come down.  One, two,  three--TWEET!"

"Ah,ah, ah, STOP!" Severus panted as his broom rose from the ground, still bucking.  The broom shot upwards out of his hands and he fell to the ground, landing hard on his backside.  He heard the loud SKLORCH! as he landed in a large mud puddle and felt the cold water seep through his robes and underwear.

"GAME TO THE BROOM!" James Potter shouted.  His commentary was nearly drowned out by the collective laughter of the students.  Severus looked over at Patrick who was staring at him. His eyes were crinkled at the corners and his lips were pressed tightly together.  The corners of his mouth were twitching and Severus could tell that he was trying not to laugh.  He turned and faced James.

"You certainly are critical of Severus' riding abilities, but I haven't seen anything impressive from the likes of you!"

"I've been flying since I knew how to walk!  I'm the Junior Champion MVP Quidditch player in Godric's Hollow!"
 
"So you say," Patrick responded.  "I call bullshit on that!"

"I'll race you up to that tower and back!  Then we'll see who's full of bullshit!" James yelled.  He kicked off and raced towards the tower with Patrick in hot pursuit.

"HEY!  NO FLYING HIGH TODAY IN CLASS!  COME BACK HERE NOW! Oh, bloody hell!" Mr. Carruthers grunted as he mounted his broom and flew after them.   The students cheered on the boys from their respective Houses.

Severus stared at the two boys as they rose higher into the sky.  James wasn't bullshitting anyone--he was an excellent flyer.  However Patrick was certainly holding his own, considering that he had never flown before.

Patrick the feckin' traitor.  Severus' hands clenched into tight fists as James and Patrick landed on the lawn.  Mr. Carruthers landed behind them.  He grabbed each boy by the backs of their robes and dangled them above the ground as if he were holding two kittens by the napes of their necks.

"THERE WILL BE NO MORE SHOWBOATING IN MY CLASS!  DETENTION FOR BOTH OF YOU!  CLASS IS DISMISSED!"

---

Severus did not see Patrick until dinner time.  The Slytherin First years greeted him with  a loud round of applause as he sat down.

"Come sit with us, Patrick!"  Bram patted the empty space on the bench next to him.

"That was brilliant, Neely!  You're a natural on that broom!  You must try out for Quidditch with me next year!" Anthony cried.

"You certainly showed that big muckity-muck Potter that he's not the only fancy flyer at Hogwarts!" Abigail said.  "Seriously--where did you learn to fly like that, Patrick?"

"Thanks!  I didn't learn--it just happened!" Patrick responded.

"Well, I think that you looked amazing!" Suzanne said.  Her long black lashes lowered over her grey eyes as she gave him one of her beguiling smiles.

Severus was no longer hungry.  He pushed his plate away and headed for the Slytherin dorm.

"Wait up, Severus!"  he heard Patrick call out.  Severus kept walking.

"Is something wrong?"

"Funny that you would even have to ask!" Severus snapped.  He kept walking.

"Severus..." Patrick grabbed his shoulder.  Severus spun around and faced the boy.

"Leave me alone.  Go eat dinner with your new friends.  It looks like you're strictly A-list now after that flying show you gave them!"

"Ah, Severus, don't let that get to you!  Flying is tricky.  Most people don't get it right away.  I was just lucky."

"Lucky!  Yes, you and James Potter certainly enjoyed showing everyone!"

"How can you even think that!  He's a swollen-headed git..."

"Who everyone, including you, thinks is funny!"

"I don't think that he's funny at all!  There's nothing funny about someone else's humiliation.  Look Severus, I'm sorry.  I wasn't laughing at him.  It's just that--your face when you fell off the broom and landed in that puddle. Really, you just looked so comical I couldn't help myself!  I knew that you weren't hurt.  I'm sorry."

Severus turned away and continued to walk to the Slytherin dorms.

"Hey!  I said that I was sorry!" Patrick called after him.
 
Severus continued to walk on, not bothering to turn around.

That evening and for several evenings after, he sat on his bed reading his books and studiously refusing to meet Patrick's eye.  He burned a note that he found on his bed without reading it.  He walked alone to class with a quick, steady pace, refusing to look anywhere except ahead and down.
 
After a while, Patrick gave up, just as Severus thought he would.  At mealtimes he sat with Anthony and Bram.  They were eventually joined by Abigail and Suzanne.  Joanne ruled over her little clique at one end of the table,  Avery and Mulciber plotted together and Severus sat by himself at the other end of the table, hunched over his meal with only a book for company. That was the way things were for a very long time.