"It feels a bit strange without Dobby around," Pandora said, setting down the dish in her hand. "I've actually grown quite fond of that little elf who loves freedom and work."
"Severus," Lily said, standing across from her, frowning as she looked at Snape, "are you still not going to tell us why Dobby ended up like this?" She took a deep breath. "You're not dabbling in some dangerous dark magic, are you?"
"You've already gone to Professor Dumbledore about it," Snape said with a shrug, walking over to the long table to start organizing the potion ingredients Dobby usually handled. "He's vouched for me." He pressed the flat of a silver knife against some sopophorous beans. "The professor also told you I need to keep it confidential."
"But not even to us?" Lily asked, her voice tinged with worry. "I'm a—"
"Of course I trust you," Snape interrupted quickly, looking up to see two faces filled with concern. His expression softened involuntarily. "But this is for your safety. I don't want you getting involved in these things."
Pandora suddenly stepped in front of him, her pale silver eyes locking onto his, shimmering with worry.
"If you're the one taking risks, how can I not worry?" She slid an opal bracelet—Snape's gift to her—off her wrist. "You wear this. I haven't needed it in a long time."
Snape froze, awkwardly scratching his hair as a wave of guilt washed over him.
"Don't worry," he said, straightening up and flashing a confident smile. "Trust me. Have you forgotten who I am? Hogwarts' youngest potions genius, dueling champion, and student council president—"
He dragged out his tone playfully, earning an eye-roll from Pandora. "But," he continued, shifting gears and pointing to the slightly messy workbench, "do you need another house-elf to help with the work? I can go to the kitchens and find one."
"No need," Lily said, shaking her head. "We don't want to replace Dobby's work while he's petrified."
"Even though we don't know exactly what happened," Pandora added with a nod, "you said Dobby saved you. I'm not about to let him lose his job."
"Alright, fine," Snape replied, his gaze drifting to the wooden door. "When Dobby comes back, we'll have to throw him a grand welcome party." Snapping back to the moment, he gently slid the bracelet back onto Pandora's wrist.
A moment later, Lily slapped her forehead. "The Focus Club meeting is about to start, Severus. We've got to do our presentation today."
"What?" Snape looked up, suddenly remembering that it had been over a week since he founded the club.
"There's an event tonight," Pandora said, pulling a crumpled piece of parchment from her pocket. "I'm going too. Barty asked us to share our O.W.L. experiences with the others." She glanced down, quickly scanning the parchment, her lips moving silently.
"Should be fine. Good luck," she muttered to herself, tucking the parchment away and giving Lily a thumbs-up.
"Studying?" Snape couldn't help but ask. "That's what your club meetings are about? Sounds boring."
"You'll see when you get there," Pandora said, looking at him. "Want to come?"
"You're the president," Lily added. "You've only shown up to the first meeting. You can't keep dumping everything on Barty and Abbott, can you?"
Snape grinned sheepishly. It was true—after founding the Focus Club at the dueling club, he'd left all the organizing to Barty Crouch Jr. and Patrick Abbott. He felt a bit guilty about it.
"Alright, I should check it out," he agreed. "I wonder how Barty's doing."
"He's doing great," Pandora said, packing her bag and pulling out two silver star-shaped badges engraved with the number "1."
"Here," she said, handing one to Snape. "About a quarter of the school has joined our club. To be precise, almost every Muggle-born witch or wizard is in it."
"You even have these?" Snape said, surprised, as he watched Pandora and Lily pin their badges on. "How come I haven't seen you wear them before?"
"It was Barty's idea," Lily explained. "They were just made a few days ago. Cost him quite a few Galleons."
"Alright, I'll wear mine too." Snape pinned the badge to his chest and asked, "So, where do we hold these meetings?"
"Second-floor classroom," Lily replied, heading toward the Room of Requirement's exit. "Patrick got it approved by Professor Dumbledore."
As they walked down the corridor, they passed a few younger students who greeted Snape respectfully, noticing the badges pinned to their chests.
"Even first-years are joining?" Snape asked quietly.
"Barty says we need to start young," Lily said with a laugh. "He's planned different activities for every year."
Pushing open the classroom door, Snape found the room much larger than it appeared from the outside, clearly expanded with magic. Over twenty fourth- and fifth-year students sat together without feeling crowded.
Barty Crouch Jr. was already at the front, his blond hair gleaming under the lights. Beside him stood Patrick Abbott, both looking radiant.
When they spotted Snape's group, their eyes lit up, and they hurried over.
"Severus!" Patrick said warmly, pulling him into a hug, his voice rising with excitement. "You finally made it!"
"I was starting to think you forgot we existed," Barty said, hugging Snape before adding, "Come on up. You're hosting tonight."
"No way," Snape said, waving him off. "You know I hate that stuff. I'm just here as a regular member today."
"But you're the founder," Barty insisted. "Everyone wants to hear from you."
"You've got this," Snape said, taking a seat. "You've been running things fine. I just want to see what you've been up to."
"Fine," Barty sighed, giving in. "But you're at least saying hello to everyone later."
At that moment, a small figure squeezed through the crowd.
"Snape… sir!" a stammering voice called. Snape turned to see Quirrell looking at him excitedly. "I'm so glad you're here!"
"Quirrell?" Snape said. "What are you doing at an O.W.L. event? You're only a first-year."
"I come whenever I can," Quirrell said, his face flushing red. "Even though tonight's for fourth- and fifth-years." He nervously rubbed his fingers. "I love it here. Barty says I'm welcome anytime."
"Of course," Snape said, clapping Quirrell's shoulder. "I'm glad you like it."
Lily and Pandora exchanged a glance and chimed in, "Severus, why don't you sit with Quirrell? We'll take the back."
Once everyone settled, Barty stepped to the center of the room. "Everyone," he said, pointing to Snape, "let's give a warm welcome to our founder, Severus Snape!"
Applause erupted, and Snape stood to nod in acknowledgment. He noticed the students' eyes filled with admiration, which puzzled him.
"I haven't done anything," he thought. "It makes sense for Quirrell to look up to me, but why are they all so enthusiastic?"
As Quirrell stopped clapping his red hands, Barty announced, "We have three parts tonight."
Patrick waved his wand, and a massive cake appeared in the center of the room, frosted with the words "Happy Birthday, Ed."
"First, we're celebrating Ed Smith's birthday," Barty continued. "Then we'll have life updates, followed by a discussion on O.W.L.s."
At that, the candles on the cake lit themselves, and the room broke into a chaotic rendition of the birthday song. Ed, a Muggle-born boy, was speechless, his eyes welling with emotion.
"Make Hogwarts your home and us your family," Patrick said warmly, placing a birthday hat on Ed's head. "Make a wish."
After cheers, Patrick waved his wand again, sending slices of cake floating to everyone.
Snape took a large slice and swapped it with Quirrell's.
"Here, take this one," Snape said, eating his cake. "How's it been going? Anyone giving you trouble?"
"Just the first few days," Quirrell said, shaking his head, his mouth full. "Since joining the Focus Club, it's stopped." He swallowed and added quietly, "Barty even sorted out two Ravenclaw kids who were picking on me."
"That's great, Quirrell," Snape said with a smile. "By the way, when you hit third year, I recommend taking Professor Cuthbert Binns' Muggle Studies class…"
After the birthday segment, Barty invited a few students to share updates. Unexpectedly, a fifth-year Hufflepuff boy seized the moment to confess his feelings to the girl next to him, who shyly reciprocated.
The room exploded in cheers and applause.
Caught up in the excitement, Snape clapped along, only to wince as someone pinched his back sharply. He spun around, but Lily and Pandora were still cheering for the new couple, leaving him unable to tell who did it.
As he turned back, grumbling, Barty had written on the blackboard: "O.W.L.s: Complete Guide and Top 100 Must-Do Questions."
"Most of you here are Muggle-borns, half-bloods, or pure-bloods from fallen families," Barty said, his expression unusually serious, his voice echoing in the room. "You might not realize how important this exam is for a long time." He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "But it determines whether you can take N.E.W.T. advanced courses, and those results will directly shape your future after graduation."
The room fell silent.
"Kids from prominent families, like I used to be, are drilled on the importance of these exams from childhood and get specialized training," Barty continued. "Compared to them, we're already behind." His voice grew stronger. "The wizarding world is even harsher than the Muggle one. We have to start working now to prepare for the future."
"Many of you have been bullied by pure-bloods like I once was," he said, his tone sharpening. "Thanks to Severus Snape, we've come together, and things are better here at school."
"But," he said, waving his wand to conjure the Ministry of Magic's logo in the air, "if you want to protect yourself and your friends after graduation, we have to fight for better positions."
"Maybe one day, you'll realize they've already taken high posts at the Ministry and amassed great wealth," he said, looking at everyone meaningfully. "But if we're on equal footing, and they reject us without reason, never forget—you're a witch or wizard."
With that, Barty raised his wand again.
Snape sat in stunned silence. Where had Barty learned this? He was practically giving the club a political mission.
Later, Lily and Pandora took the stage to share their study and exam tips for Potions and Charms.
By the time the event ended, it was late.
Students left in small groups, each one thanking and saying goodbye to Snape, Barty, and Patrick sincerely.
Snape noticed Barty knew everyone's names, even their family situations and academic struggles.
"With the wizarding world's small population, if this keeps up," Snape thought, "in a few years, forget old Crouch—even the entire Ministry might not stand a chance against Barty."
After the last student left, Snape asked, "Barty, where'd you learn all this? You've got everything so detailed. I didn't expect them to be researching this much."
Barty grinned shyly. "Hearing how you used Muggle tools to make potions inspired me. I secretly bought a few Muggle books, and—"
"You're doing amazing," Snape said, clapping Barty's shoulder. "Why don't you just take over as president? You're basically running it already."
To his surprise, Barty's smile vanished. He turned serious. "The Focus Club will only ever have one president, and that's you, Severus." His blue eyes locked onto Snape's. "Please don't say that again."
"Oh… alright," Snape said, genuinely touched. What a loyal friend. "No problem," he added. "Let's head out."
He resolved to put more effort into the club. The young witches and wizards deserved it.
The three descended the stairs.
At the entrance hall, through the high windows, Snape saw the full moon casting silver light on the castle's stone walls.
Something suddenly occurred to him.
"You guys go ahead," he told his friends. "I'm stepping out for a bit."
They looked at him curiously, but Snape shook his head, signaling he'd be fine alone.
Outside, it was silent, without even a breeze.
The Whomping Willow stood still under the bright moonlight, looking harmless.
————
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