Favorite

There were two kinds of men in this world: the domestic kind and the non-domestic kind. Albus Dumbledore belonged to the latter, though he believed himself to be the former. He wanted to run Hogwarts properly, but too many people kept causing him trouble.

Sirius Black broke school rules by wandering the Forbidden Forest at night only two days after starting school. He was also the first Black ever sorted into Gryffindor. The family disgrace had to be washed away; if he was expelled, so be it. With his family's influence, he could transfer to Durmstrang.

The whole school was buzzing with discussion. Besides Sirius, another person was being talked about: Severus Snape, the Slytherin first-year who had reported the two of them. While following them, he had also happened to rescue a lost Hufflepuff first-year. Everyone praised him, especially Bella's group. They quickly accepted him, allowing him to sit with them during meals.

She had a deeply uneasy feeling. That was not how things had happened, yet it all felt strangely familiar. Where had it gone wrong?

"You shouldn't have opened the door." That demonic voice sounded behind her ear. "Stupid woman."

She kept staring at the boy, who looked as lovely as an angel, and he stared back at her. After a distortion of images like Apparition, the bustling Slytherin table vanished. The Great Hall was cold and quiet again. No one was discussing Sirius's nighttime wandering, nor was anyone talking about the House-elf attacked with Unforgivable Curses yesterday. Everyone looked tense, while Snape remained alone, reading and eating in a corner of the Slytherin table.

He was not handsome at all.

Pomona rubbed her aching head. The taste of honey cake was gone from her mouth, replaced once more by bitterness and a jumble of strange flavors, as though it were some kind of punishment.

"What did you feed her?" Neville shouted.

No one answered.

"You poisoned her!"

If she died, then that person would have no ties to the past. He could freely pursue the wealth, women, and power that all non-domestic men desired. So long as he had power, he could have anything he wanted. He would no longer be the poor boy who wore his mother's shirts, just as no one now remembered that Tom Riddle had grown up in a Muggle orphanage.

Only this time, it would not be Death Eaters following him, but the Order of the Phoenix. He had proved with a single tear that he had always loved Harry's mother, Lily, and had even earned Harry's forgiveness. But Neville would die because he tried to stop that demon.

The more someone had once been trampled beneath others' feet, the more they wanted to stand higher. If Sirius had not escaped from Azkaban, Wormtail Pete would have remained a hero forever. He even had an Order of Merlin, First Class.

"Snape!" A shout rang through the Great Hall. James Potter strode over menacingly with a group of Gryffindor boys. Sirius willingly played his foil, as though James were the ruler of their little clique.

Snape looked around. None of the other Slytherins had any intention of helping him. Those aristocratic boys and girls were instead watching with expressions of eager amusement.

Slytherin had a strict hierarchy. Tom Marvolo Riddle's appearance had caused some confusion in that ranking, but its broad structure remained unchanged. The first tier consisted of wealthy and influential pure-blood families; the second, pure-blood families; the third, wealthy half-blood families. Severus Snape was at the very bottom: a poor half-blood. Without strength, he too would be a target for bullying in Slytherin. Gryffindor and Slytherin, where strength reigned supreme, were not like Ravenclaw, where one could climb upward simply by being a "bookworm."

Pomona could hardly bear to watch what came next. The consequences when boys fought were completely different from when girls did. James Potter was far too flamboyant and domineering.

"Stay away from Lily Evans!" Though she did not look, their voices still drifted over.

"Why should I listen to you?"

"What kind of name is Severus? I think Greasy Sniveler suits you better." Sirius Black chimed in from the side. "Don't you think you look disgusting?"

"I'd say you're sticky like snot." Another unfamiliar Gryffindor laughed loudly. "Lily Evans just can't shake you off."

"Shut up, Potter!" Lily, who had rushed over from somewhere, hurried into the Great Hall. "Who I make friends with is none of your business!"

"Say something, Snape. Don't hide behind a girl!" James Potter ignored Lily entirely and instead taunted Snape.

It was only the third day of school, damn it!

The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs who did not want to get involved left their seats one after another, though some stayed to watch the show. Everyone waited for Snape to speak, but he said nothing. There were no teachers in the Great Hall, and the Gryffindors outnumbered him. Where the hell was Pringle?

"Coward," Sirius Black said coldly. "Come on, James. He's just a Greasy Sniveler."

"Shut up, Black. You're so childish!"

The boys sneered, chanting "Greasy Sniveler" together as they cheered and left the Great Hall, as if they had carried away the House Cup.

Once they had gone far enough, Lily called again, "Severus..."

"Stay away from me!" Snape rose and quickly moved away from Lily. Lily looked utterly heartbroken.

Was this your idea, Dumbledore?

"If I said it wasn't, would you believe me, Pomona?"

She turned around and found herself in the headmaster's office. Silver instruments chimed everywhere, and his pet Phoenix was still dozing in its nest.

"When did you come back?"

"I never left." The old rascal picked a sweet from the candy bowl on his desk. "Here. This is your favorite."

She did not take the sweet. Instead, she ate the chocolate Frank had given her from her pocket. It was rum-flavored.

"How do you feel? Better, aren't you?"

"What should I do, Headmaster?"

"I prefer it when you call me Professor, Pomona. If you had been born earlier, I might even have been your Transfiguration teacher." Dumbledore pointed at his nose. "You always liked asking why my nose was crooked. And don't you think that even I could not possibly come up with the idea of making an eleven-year-old a professor?"

"Then how old should I be?"

"You are older than him, Pomona. I know you want to take part in his growing up, but you were not there at that time." Dumbledore sighed. "People's wishes cannot change fate. Do you remember when Harry used the Time-Turner to save Sirius? We all thought fate might have changed, but Sirius still died."

"You mean... even if I used the Resurrection Stone, he would still die?"

"Oh, you really used it?" Dumbledore looked at her through his half-moon glasses. "Do you remember where Severus Snape died in the final battle?"

"The boathouse."

"And then?" Dumbledore continued.

"I don't know what you're asking, Professor."

"Have you never wondered why first-year students have to arrive at Hogwarts by boat?" Dumbledore stroked her hair. "You should devote more of your energy to your friends. Do not pour all of it into him. You have always been my favorite student."

"What about Minerva?"

Dumbledore thought for a long time before finally saying, "She is the friend I trust most."