PUREBLOOD DISGRACE

Severus stared at the worn family tapestry through his black eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. Of course, his parents had made him memorize it, but whenever he misbehaved, he would have to stand there staring at it until his father came out of his study to talk to him. Naturally, this mean that he had to see it wuite a bit.

Still, the tattered shape it was in made him scoff. Supposedly, it showed his family's long and glorious lineage. Long and glorious indeed, for the family to end up so poor. Glaring at the stupid thing, he wished he could tear it down then tear it up.

But before he could think anything else so senseless, the door to the study opened magically, nd a voice boomed from within, "Come in, Severus."

The boy complied silently and swiftly, knowing that anything else meant immediate punishment. "Yes, sir?"

"Your Hogwarts letter arrived," Mr. Snape said without looking up from the desk where he had was scribbling something with a black quill. Severus remained still, not sure how to respond. "Well?" Mr. Snape demanded.

"Well what, sir?"

"Well, I want to hear your thoughts," he demanded.

Snape was startled that his father wanted to know anything about him, so he stuttered out, "I... uh... have been waiting for this for a while..."

"Yes, you have," he cut him off. "And you know that I am not exactly required to let you go. And even if I allow you, I can easily pull you out."

"Yes, sir." Severus felt his face growing hot as he struggled to keep his temper under control.

"However, it is in the best interests of my family..." Severus noted that he did not say "'our' family". "...that you attend Hogwarts School, and that you succeed there."

"Of course, sir." The boy forced out the automated response.

"One thing that concerns me is your future House.. It would be a disgrace if you ended up in anything but Slytherin, and disgrace, as you know, is something that the House Snape can not and will not tolerate... In other words, if you are not sorted into the great Pureblood house, I will remove you from the school."

"Yes, sir." He wondered how long he would have to stand there, but he didn't dare ask, and he didn't have to wait long anyhow.

"Now, you will accompany your mother to Diagon Alley to get your supplies. Dismissed."

Severus silently bowed and marched from the room to where his mother was standing in front of the fireplace with a ceramic jar of floo powder in her hands.

"Take some," she rasped, and Severus complied coldly, then stepped into the fireplace.

"Diagon Alley!" He threw the powder down and disappeared in green fire to find himself standing in Diagon Alley seconds later with his mother behind him.

"Hey, look who it is!" a voice called out. "Snivellus Snape and his mummy." James Potter's hazel eyes were mocking, and even more so when his little fan club started laughing with him. The most distinct laugh was that of short, chubby Peter Pettigrew, who could not stop squeaking happily.

"Give it a rest, Potter," he snapped.

"Yeah," someone jeered from behind the Snapes. "Just because you're a rich little brat doesn't mean that you can insult the poor little slimeballs of the world."

"No one asked you, Black," Severus said whirling. James nodded agreeingly.

"Sirius," urged Black's older cousin, Andromeda, "let's just get this over with."

"Sure. He's not worth it." He moved off easily, followed by his equally graceful and dark-haired relation.

Severus felt his mother's hand shove him along, so he finally sulked away from James and company's taunting. But all the same, he looked around cautiously before entering the second-hand bookshop as his mother was off buying his cauldron. Fortunately, no one he knew saw him go in, and just as he was sighing in relief, he collided with a boy coming out.

"Sorry," whispered the boy hoarsely.

Snape shrugged, and only stopped to help him pick them up to see what year he was. Oddly, they were all books on his own list- "A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration", etc. The boy, though, looked older, not only because of the two diagonal scars across his face, but also because of wise but pained look in his brown eyes that made him seem old and experienced.

"Hogwarts, too?" Severus asked as the boys straightened up with books in their arms.

The boy nodded, but before he could say anything else, his parents hurried over. "Remus!" the woman scolded. "Don't talk to strangers. Right, John?" She turned to her husband, who was dressed in Muggle clothes and looking distinctly out of place.

The boy, Remus, nodded repentatively and lowered his gaze, before he was addressed by Snape again. "You a halfblood?" At the boy's acknowledgement, Severus felt an overwhelming disgust. Dropping the books, he turned on his heel and stalked farther into the bookshop.

Then, he smiled wryly, analyzing what had just happened. Maybe he was indeed Slytherin material. Or, at least, his reaction back there seemed to tell him he was. Sufficiently cheered, he determined then that he would not disgrace his family.