Early the next morning, with a faint shimmer in the air, Severus waved his wand and dismantled the ProtegoTotalum and Salvio Hexia charms he had cast around his four-poster bed the night before.
It was another brilliant, sunlit day. Up in the Great Hall, the enchanted ceiling was a clear, unblemished blue, the exact color of cornflower petals. Severus decided he was actually going to enjoy his first peaceful Sunday since the O.W.L. exams ended.
And a good day, naturally, began with a proper meal.
Severus had just loaded his plate with a mountain of bacon, ham, and sausages and was preparing to dig in when Patrick Abbott suddenly sat down directly across from him.
"You should eat some vegetables. It's better for your constitution." Patrick muttered, deliberately adding roasted cauliflower and cabbage to his own plate. "Mary told me about it. She says Muggles actually study the science of a balanced diet. You'll make yourself ill if you only eat meat."
Severus blinked, genuinely taken aback. Patrick had barely spoken this many words to him throughout their entire fifth year combined.
"I—er... thank you," Severus replied slowly. He had been so single-mindedly focused on building up his physical strength with protein that he had completely forgotten basic nutrition.
"You..." Patrick started, playing nervously with his fork. He saw the confusion on Severus's face and plowed ahead. "Mary told me about that, too. What happened yesterday in Hogsmeade... it was surprising."
Severus sighed internally. Why is everyone so obsessed with the details? Are there no simpletons left in this castle?
He set his knife down, his expression flattening into a mask of calm detachment. "I presume you are aware of what occurred by the lake the day before yesterday."
Patrick gave a slow, grim nod.
"It was not a pleasant experience," Severus stated coldly. "I spent a long time reflecting on it. I realized that I am no longer willing to tolerate such unpleasantness—whether it is inflicted upon me, or upon anyone else."
Severus turned a hand over, palm up, a gesture of quiet resolution. "I have made mistakes in my past. But I intend to change course, rather than continue down a blind alley. Surely, you have no reason to object to someone striving for the better?"
"No..." Patrick said, looking slightly embarrassed. "Severus, I think... I think it is a good thing. I was just a bit shocked, that's all."
"Out of curiosity, Abbott," Severus said, casually adding some roasted vegetables to his own plate. "Are you and Mary Macdonald close? Why do you care what she thinks?"
A faint flush crept up Patrick's neck. "Oh... we are friends..."
"I see," Severus said, taking a long sip of pumpkin juice to hide a rare, fleeting smirk. "She is a very kind girl."
After finishing a heartily balanced breakfast, Severus decided to take a walk on the grounds. Knowing his former "friends" would likely hex him on sight, he looked across the table at Patrick. "Care to join me for a walk? It is too fine a day to spend brooding in the dungeons."
The gentle sun warmed the sweeping lawns, which were dotted with relaxed students. Some were sunbathing by the lake, others chatted cheerfully in small groups, and a few sat reading under the shade of the beech trees. Thin wisps of smoke drifted from the chimney of the gamekeeper's cabin in the distance, curling over the dark canopy of the Forbidden Forest.
The two Slytherins strolled slowly down the sloping lawns, the tall grass rippling around their ankles.
"Severus..." Patrick began tentatively, having noticed that Severus was deliberately steering them in a wide arc to avoid the edge of the Black Lake. "I was thinking... since you've changed so much... perhaps you could try to make peace with Potter and the others—"
"No."
Severus stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to face Patrick, his obsidian eyes completely devoid of warmth. "No, Abbott."
"I have chosen to change myself, but that does not mean I must accommodate the sins of others," Severus said, his voice quiet but deadly firm. "No one deserves to be humiliated like that. In that regard, James Potter is no different from Mulciber or Avery. Tell me, would you advise Mary to go and make peace with Mulciber?"
Panic and guilt flashed across Patrick's face, and he stammered, "S-sorry, Severus. I didn't mean it like that—I just..." His voice trailed off into silence.
Without another word, Severus turned and walked directly toward the edge of the lake. Patrick hurried to catch up.
The water and the sky seemed to bleed into one another, a shimmering expanse of violet-tinged blue. The giant squid was lazily basking in the warm shallows, while a few older students swam nearby.
"Let us sit for a while," Severus said, his tone softening as the tension faded.
He crouched at the water's edge, idly watching the rippling water. He glanced sideways at his companion. "Why are you in Slytherin, Abbott? I confess, I don't see any of the traditional house traits in you."
"Oh," Patrick sighed, crouching down beside him. "I'm a pureblood. The Abbotts are all purebloods. My grandfather and my father both told me I was destined for Slytherin."
Patrick stared out at the pearlescent surface of the lake, speaking almost to himself. "The Sorting Hat actually offered me another House. But I told it I needed to be in Slytherin, and it respected my choice."
"But was it your choice?" Severus asked quietly.
Patrick let out a long breath. "I know what you mean. Perhaps not... but the Hat didn't offer me Gryffindor, and I simply didn't have the courage to defy my family..."
They fell into a companionable silence, watching the gentle lap of the water.
Suddenly, a vivid memory from the future flashed through Severus's mind.
A stern-faced Professor McGonagall stood in the Great Hall with a roll of parchment, calling out the very first name of the 1991 Sorting.
"Abbott, Hannah!"
A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line and sat on the three-legged stool. The patched, frayed Sorting Hat was dropped onto her head. A moment's pause, and then the Hat shouted
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
For the first time in what felt like lifetimes, Severus felt a spark of genuine, unburdened amusement. He let out a low chuckle.
"Abbott," Severus said, a strange twinkle in his dark eyes. "If you ever have a child... make sure you respect her right to make her own choices."
"I suppose I will," Patrick replied, looking thoroughly bewildered. "But... why a 'her'?"
"Who knows!" Severus laughed aloud, pushing himself to his feet. "I think Hufflepuff would have suited you perfectly, Abbott." He dusted off his robes. "By the way. The spell that hoisted me into the air is called Levicorpus. The counter-curse is Liberacorpus. It is cast non-verbally."
Patrick winced, rubbing his legs as he stood up, his joints popping from crouching too long. "Ouch... Why are you telling me this?"
"Just in case."
Another cryptic remark.
"Come on," Severus said, gesturing back toward the castle. "Let's head back. It's almost time for lunch."