59) Will it make a difference?

Alice looked at the figure of Severus from the corner of her eye.

His figure was sporting the usual laid back attitude for the eyes of everyone but she could see the slight anger he was harbouring inside of him.

The reason of the anger was not lost to her though.

The Headmaster had appointed him as the vice captain today. Normally it would not have aggravated him. Though in this case, the person above him was none other than Harry Potter.

Alice had never talked much with the boy. Though she had seen him around in the common room. The boy was bestfriends with Hermione Granger and Ronald Whitby.

From what she had seen, he was extremely well mannered. Unlike his cousin, he wasn't cocky or overbearing but instead was somewhat shy.

Mary had a huge crush on him though. Alice honestly believed that she would be the first to make a move on the boy. From what she had seen, the boy was totally clueless when it came to girls. So it fell upon Mary to ask him out.

She was a little worried for Severus. There was no way Severus was going to follow Harry Potter. The boy may be nice and good but he carried the name 'Potter' with him. It automatically made Severus hostile.

Alice really hoped that he grew out of it.

"What happened Alice. Someone caught your fancy?" Marlene asked from besides Alice as she looked at the blonde girl besides her. She had the thinking look which she usually got sometimes this year. It made Marlene a little amused. Alice never showed any such behaviour before. There must be something which was going on her head then this year.

"No, I was just thinking of our team," Alice said calmly as she lied smoothly. A habit which she was learning to do better every time.

"Can't say that it would be not fun. Mary is already sulking to not be in team with Harry. Plus Snape is the vice captain. I bet there would be much drama there," Marlene said amusedly thinking of the team.

James and Sirius were already going to make things complicated with Snape and Slytherins in the team.

She couldn't help but crave to see the drama which was sure going to happen there.

Alice sighed inwardly. She too was worrying about the same thing. Till now she didn't knew the limits of Severus' patience. She herself didn't knew what will happen if he decided to go all out on them.

She knew that he was powerful. Far powerful than anyone of their own age. Infact she knew that he could be the Hogwarts Champion if he wished to participate. And she was a little wary due to it. If he went all out on anyone, she couldn't help but be a little scared of that possible scenario.

His knowledge in dark arts and martial magic was very detailed. Infact he himself had taught her some jinxes and useful hexes. Some of them which could help her out in a tight situation.

Severus had a gift for using the abstract to optimize the tangible. In Alice's opinion, it made him more dangerous than anyone. Sometimes his knowledge terrified her. In Wizarding World, Knowledge was power. And it just made him more valuable in eyes of the beholder.

"Don't tell me about it," Alice said in agreement as she affirmed the truth in Marlene's words. She couldn't help but be wary about the whole situation. At times like this she couldn't help but thank that their relationship was a secret.

Ten minutes later the sixth year NEWT's students were walking out of the potions lab. Some of them were gossiping with each other, while some of them were eagerly discussing about their next class.

Severus too was walking with his group of housemates who were talking about their next classes.

Suddenly he heard shouts and sound of spells from the front of the gate from which they were exiting.

Slughorn too heard it as he immediately started to clear the way. Severus gently moved out of the way for Slughorn as all the students started to move for the area.

Severus too walked to the area hoping to know what had occured here. It would be fun if there was some ongoing tensions there.

He walked with his housemates and saw that the confrontation was a result of duelling done by third year Slytherins and Gryffindors who had arrived for the potions class.

"Immediately stop this at once!" Slughorn roared angrily as he looked at his next class of students who were duelling each other.

There were two Gryffindors who were duelling with two Slytherins.

Severus was however amused at the four students. Jacob Grey was duelling with two Slytherins with help of his friend.

He knew the Slytherin boys. They were none other than Saifan Shafiq and Auricus Devan. From what he remebered, they too were just as rebellious and headstrong. Moreover Shafiq was from sacred 28.

Slughorn's command was enough to stop them. The two parties stopped their spells at once and Severus saw that Jacob was sporting the effects of jelly legs hex whereas Shafiq was affected by a slightly powered babbling jinx.

"Enough of this. Thirty points from both Gryffindor and Slytherin for your actions," Slughorn commanded looking at them angrily on his portly face. The man knew afterall, when and whom he could intimidate very well?

Severus had the urge to laugh seeing the downcast faces of those four. When will those fools learn that points don't make much of a difference.

"Mr Grey and Mr Shafiq. You two will go to the infirmary to check on your injuries. Mr Rosier and Mr Prince will take you both to infirmary," Slughorn said with a commanding tone which he used rarely nowadays.

Severus had to supress a sigh. Becoming Slughorn's favourite had its own tensions sometimes.

That damned werewolf was absent today. Hence there was no male Prefect from Gryffindor.

Rosier nodded from besides Severus as he was spotted by Slughorn besides him.

Severus walked to the two boys as they continued to glare at each other. He calmly looked at the two of them.

"You two. Now to infirmary," Rosier said calmly as he looked at two students.

Severus simply waved his wand over in an arc and casted a 'finite' nonverbally.

Both of their jinxes effect immediately wore out at his finite.

Jacob immediately felt better. He immediately stood up better than before as he looked at Severus with a little anger in his eyes. Severus wasn't bothered in the least by it. He had better works than simply getting into a pissing off contest with a 13 year old student.

"Come on Grey," Rosier spoke up as he looked at the third year student glaring at his classmate. The boy for sure didn't knew his limits. Prince would thrash him in an instant if he wished so.

Earlier Evan had wondered that he and Prince were on same level but now he didn't think so. He was confirmed that they were on another levels as of now. Prince was more skilled than him as of now.

Severus simply walked along with them to the infirmary.

He and Rosier didn't talked much except some simple conversation about their next class and the incoming team.

"You going to follow Potter's command?" Evan asked knowing the reply he will receive for it.

"Hell will freeze before I follow a Potter willingly," Severus spoke up calmly as he looked at the doors of infirmary where they had finally arrived.

Evan had to supress the smile at his words. Some things never change though.

They entered the doors and found the school nurse Poppy. She was perhaps the only one whom Severus respected in the whole school. She had proved herself it via her actions afterall.

Evan started to explain more about the scenario to the matron as she started to immediately check upon the students.

Saifan Shafiq was the first one to be checked for injuries after which he was cleared out. Evan had simply dropped out from the infirmary after arriving. He never bothered to stay for the treatment of both. Afterall both of them were simply worn out from spells and sported some simple scratches only.

Severus too would have did the same. However he wanted some books from Madam Pomfrey which was the reason he was sitting simply.

The medical books on healing were guarded secredly. He wanted some of the books from the personal library of hers. Books which talked about anatomy in detail. The books he had, simply sported the spells, the applications and their effects. He wanted books detailing anatomy in detail which would be helpful to him.

He wanted to create a curse. A curse which affected the nerves of the area where it hit the recipient. His lacerating curse was already known to Harry Potter. He wanted another one for him. One which would be deadly enough but not kill directly.

Madam Pomfrey was a little confused at first but when he explained his plan to study healing, she wasn't much hestitating like before. Infact she loved the idea.

"Come over in the evening. I shall provide you the ones you need," Madam Pomfrey spoke up looking at Severus who was nodding along the conversation. A little was all it took and he had finally acheived what he wanted. He wasn't lying though, he did wanted to study healing.

"Severus, the boy. Jacob, talk to him. He is angry, angry at himself and some of its anger is directed towards you too," Poppy spoke up looking at the child she had started to understand and care for in her years.

"Do you really believe that it will help him? Pardon me Madam Pomfrey but I am not good with this type of things," Severus said a little hesitantly. If anyone other than her had spoke up something like this to him. He would have been on one of the receiving end of Severus' sarcastic comment. He respected Poppy greatly which was the reason he never gave her trouble.

"It will help him. I see a little of you in him at this stage. You would be able to help him. Besides you became cheerful surely he could become one too," Poppy said with a small encouraging smile. Perhaps the boy needed the cold hard truth now. She had tried to cheer him but the efforts have failed in the past month.

"I will give you privacy," she said softly as she walked away to the storeroom leaving both of them alone.

Severus sighed and ended the privacy spell which he had casted upon Madam Pomfrey's instructions.

"Grey. Jacob," he spoke softly as he took the seat besides Jacob who was sitting on the bed silently looking at one of the tapestry depicting three trolls swinging clubs.

"Oh Shit! I will be late for Potions," Jacob immediately said as he looked at Severus. He hadn't even sensed him coming to him but then again he had been very much absorbed in the picture and the depiction of the trolls. He didn't wanted to talk with Severus Prince who was responsible for near all his problems at the moment. He didn't wanted to deal with him.

"Calm down Grey. You won't go anywhere. Not until we have a conversation," Severus said calmly as his words stopped Jacob from leaving.

"I don't want to talk. I am late for class," Jacob said trying to bring some hurriedness in his voice hoping to get out of here.

"I never meant to cause trouble to you. I didn't knew that it will cause such problems for you," Severus said softly as he looked at Jacob. What he said was an absolute lie but the boy didn't needed to hear it.

"But you did! Everyone in Hogwarts hates me. They say that I will be a Dark Lord. They call me a Dark Lord!" Jacob said angrily as he looked at the man for whom the whole mess started.

"Listen well Grey. I will speak this only once," Severus said looking at Jacob as he raised his voice a little higher than before.

Jacob who heard the raised voice immediately calmed down himself. He was not going to lose his composure in front of him. He had cried on his bed and bathrooms but he had never lashed out on anyone.

"A man's character is defined by the company he keeps. While his capability is gauged by the enemies he has," Severus spoke up as Jacob frowned at the words spoke by Severus.

"The people of this Wizarding World. All of them are mindless sheep. They will hear and follow the masses like sheeps do. They will whisper behind your backs, gossip behind you while acting like lickspittles in front of you," Severus said slowly, hoping that the boy would receive his rare bout of wisdom.

Jacob frowned at his words however Severus was not finished.

"There is only one certainity in this world, Grey," Severus continued on as he looked at Jacob intently.

"A strong man stands above and conquers everything," Severus finished intently as his gaze bored into Jacob.

Jacob couldn't help but be a little confused at his words. Severus' words were harsh but there was no lie in it.

"What house you are in Grey?" was the next sharp question that Jacob received as he looked to meet the mocking face of his senior schoolmate.

"I am a proud Gryffindor," Jacob answered with pride and conviction in his voice. There was no way he was going to let his House Pride down. His words holding steel as he looked at the senior Slytherin.

"Then act like one. Stop acting morose. Pick yourself up," Severus said mockingly looking at the boy of 13.

Jacob nodded after some moments of silence on his part.

Severus got up from his seat. He turned to the exit not before turning to Jacob with his usual calm face.

"Jacob," Severus said with a small smirk on his face as the little Gryffindor looked at him.

"Remember. A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep," was the only thing he said before walking away from there.

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Send some powerstones :)

Next chapter will be the start of Triwizard Tournament