old habits die hard; snape

[colden]

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Today was just an ordinary day for Colden, there was nothing special about today and he had no expectations for it to turn special; he was busy studying for his N.E.W.T exams all be it rarely in the public eye as he didn't want to create a reputation where people thought he loved homework. When he wasn't studying he was usually with his fellow Slytherins poking fun at the first years and the mudbloods and ensuring that they knew their place. Alongside all the fun and games he was also on a mission, he was one of the many spies for the Dark Lord and such a task took up a lot of time but it mattered little to Colden, having been bestowed with such an important task made him feel important, powerful and special; something Colden had been after all his life.

He was an orphan and in essence that made him a nobody; his knowledge of his mother was limited at best and no one knew who his father was and that meant he was often left wondering about who he was. But Colden was a proud man and he would never let anyone discover his insecurities or his own doubt. He held himself with dignity and professed that he was a pure blood, he did quite well in making people believe that even with his slight disadvantage that he was someone you didn't want to mess with but Colden never had truly felt important or worth anything until he had decided to become a Death Eater. With the mark upon his arm he had found a purpose and a meaning in his life and the thought of loosing that was something Colden could not bear. He was a man with so little and so he felt it was only natural that he sought... no lusted after power. Sure he had money but it only went so far; he wanted...no needed respect and power and throughout his life at both the orphanage and here at Hogwarts he had slowly built that up through threats and instilling fear in others; and yet it was never enough

Making his way towards the Slytherin common room he neatly stepped around the various students going to and from their potion lessons and if he was correct in thinking then the fourth years would have just finished their class with Professor Snape and this meant he had ample opportunity to search out his favourite Hufflepuff and give her a bit of torturing. Colden had heard whispers that it was her mother that had been approached by his mother before her apparent 'betrayal' and mysterious murder. He was convinced that her mother had done something to his mother to make her want to turn against the Dark Lord and had somehow been involved with her death and he had grown bitter towards her and her family. Any chance he was given he would use it to torture them and make them miserable, today seemed more special then he had first thought.

He soon spotted the unmistakable blonde hair and blue eyes belonging to Sophia; such an innocent girl and a person who had so much handed to her on a plate. Her parents were always looking out for her and he knew targeting her rather then her elder siblings would drive her over protective mother into a wild frenzy and he could think of noway better to get back at that damned aurora then by harming her precious little princess. Admittedly Colden was jealous of what the family had; they had a seemingly perfect life and a wonderful and loving family who supported them and was always there for them no matter what happened. Colden didn't have that, he was still stuck at the orphanage after many failed attempts at trying to find him a family and had never felt a real connection to anyone. The only family he had were the Death Eaters and his fellow Slytherins and they weren't exactly the best family in the world. Why did they get to be so happy when he had to suffer? It was infuriating and he found that the closer he got to little Sophia the angrier he became.

Pushing a student aside he grabbed his wand from his pocket and sent a hex towards Sophia causing her bag to split open. As she went down to pick up her bag and her books he grabbed her robe and pulled her up; pushing his wand into her shoulder. "No big brother here to stop me this time." He hissed reminding her of his previous attempt to give her a nice little hex which had resulted in her brother defending her. "What's a weak little thing like you going to do now?" Pushing her against the wall he smiled darkly as she wriggled in his grip and began to cry, her friends and the other students seemed to shocked to help her...good, he didn't want anyone to get in his way and it meant that his goal to make everyone fear him was working. "You and your blasted family have been a thorn in my side, hopefully your mother will learn never to mess with the Kerl family again." Stepping back he watched as she shook in fear clearly upset and shocked by what was going on. She was so useless even for a fourth year; if she'd had any sense about her she would have defended herself better and would have at least made it interesting for him by putting up a fight; but it seemed that if he wanted that to happen he would have to pick a fight with one of her siblings. "Studefy!"

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S tatus: finished
T o: Snape
O utfit: click
N otes: enjoy
C redit: template by Marv of A Thousand Fireflies
L yrics: Here By Me by 3 Doors Down

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[SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #405142 4px solid; border-right: #405142 2px dashed; background: #161616; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] [/style][style=width: 400px; line-height: 24px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 40px; text-shadow: #505050 1px 0px 1px; color: #405142; letter-spacing: -4px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center;]----- OLD HABITS DIE HARD ----- ----- They say a leopard can't change his spots ----- Having kept abreast of this years essays, Severus was doing a right sight better than some of his fellow faculty members in regards to grading. It awarded him more time to patrol the halls, which he honestly didn't mind. With the pack of Gryffindor hellions he was consistently being forced to deal with, it gave Slytherin a considerable edge in this years House Cup competition. During his patrols, Severus was not above deducting points from the odd Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff student to even the score either. He'd never once deny that he was heavily biased toward his house, but he would also be the first to point out how biased against it the rest of the faculty tended to be whenever he was brought to task on his deductions and awards. More often than not, Severus tended to make points a little too blunt for even Albus to ignore and, despite how much certain members of the faculty would twist about in an effort to defend their prejudices to themselves, he usually got his way when it came to house points. It was one of those things Severus was secretly proud of, the accomplishments he made for his snakes where they couldn't see or hear about it. Though they hardly ever saw him in action for them, Severus knew his serpents where aware of how hard he fought for them. Which was, perhaps, the primary reason they respected him as much as they did. Although Severus would deny it until he was blue in the face, it always pleased him when one of his students came to him about something that was troubling them. He knew, better than any other faculty member, how incredibly difficult it was for a Slytherin student to trust an adult with their problems. As such, he frequently endeavored to make it clear that he would always champion Slytherin house and would never do anything that could endanger what fragile trust they did set in him. That was why one never heard Severus Snape belittle a Slytherin in his class, or degrade their efforts. However, certain transgressions could earn a Slytherin student a trip to Severus' office for a private discussion. Those talks were always polite and carefully critical of the behavior, making it clear that their Head of house did not approve and why. It was also made clear what the punishments would be the next time such a thing occurred. This gave his students a chance to realize their actions would not be tolerated, but it kept them from feeling cornered or put upon when in his office. From that discussion onward, it would be a personal agreement between them that repeat performances resulted in the punishment they discussed. If it became clear that the punishment did not deter the behavior, another discussion was held and a more severe punishment settled. More often than not, this second discussion rarely had to occur, as generally his students respected him enough to accept the first decision. Or, just as likely, they had learned to respect themselves enough to simply keep clear of the behavior Severus had described to them. Unlike other Heads of House, who tended to leave their students to their own devices, Severus took a very active role in his students lives and, one of the core rules he instilled in them beyond house loyalty, was respect of self. He refused to see his students turn out like himself and so, whenever he could, he subtly guided them away from such dark paths. As much as it hurt to admit, Severus was aware that one of the things he could have used as a child was an adult's intervention on his own behavior towards not only others, but himself as well. He could have used an adults perspective on his problems and he certainly could have used a teacher that genuinely cared about him. Which was why Severus worked so hard for each and every one of his Slytherin students. Perhaps if he put that same amount of effort into the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, he would be among the more liked teachers, but Severus simply didn't have the time in his day and frankly, life was easier when his students were intimidated. Rounding a corner, Severus stilled as he heard a familiar voice amid frightened murmurs. Moving silently, Severus cast a quiet Disillusionment charm upon himself and came up behind a small group of Hufflepuffs. There were about four of them, all looking utterly terrified of an older Slytherin who had one of them cornered with his wand. What's a weak little thing like you going to do now? Kerl hissed, causing Severus to thin his lips in irritation. It was a double-standard Severus wasn't entirely proud of, but when it came to bullying, Severus only stood for it when he himself was the bully. Still, he did not intervene, hoping perhaps that Kerl would unknowingly enlighten his professor on just why he thought it was acceptable to torment a younger student. Sure enough, he did. You and your blasted family have been a thorn in my side, hopefully your mother will learn never to mess with the Kerl family again! Realizing what was going on, Severus bit back a sigh even as he allowed his student to stun the poor Hufflepuff child. Wordlessly, Severus allowed himself to materialize before the frightened Hufflepuffs, resulting in wide eyes and, if Severus was entirely honest with himself, a considerable heightening of their terror. "Well?" He asked them coldly, announcing his presence to Kerl as he gazed at the girls. "Get out of my sight, you useless girls," He snarled, frightening them enough to get instant obedience, which angered him further. Not only had they refused to help their friend - and he didn't care how frightened they were, four fourth years should have been enough for one seventh year - but they abandoned her with two people who could very well mean her more harm. Useless indeed. "Kerl," Severus stated softly, stepping over to the boy and looking at him calmly. "Cancel this, and send her on her way. You and I need to have a discussion, wouldn't you agree?" He queried, raising a brow at the boy, not to dare him to question him, so much as to show how even now, Severus would not berate him publicly. tag: Colden template by eliza @ shadowplay

[colden]

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No sooner had the spell left his wand and the spell had hit his desired target, a unmistakable figure seemed to materialise out of thin air, creating a barrier between him and the girl. Distracted by someone having intruded on what he was doing he turned his head causing him to miss the look of shock and pain on Sophia's face as she slumped to the floor clutching her belly. The crowd that had gathered around the two of them seemed to back away slightly as Professor Snape snarled at the girls. Colden was not stupid, he had enough knowledge to know that despite being a fellow Death Eater, Snape also had a duty as a teacher and seeing a student being attacked wasn't a good thing. Still despite having this knowledge and knowing that Snape wasn't going to be happy at having just witnessed this Colden was to say the least a little pissed off at Snape for getting in his way.

There still seemed to be quite a crowd of people who thought such a confrontation was amusing and worth watching; clearly such folk didn't have much of a life to find something like this entertaining. In fact they were probably the type to watch those ghastly reality shows and badly acted soaps that now seemed to appearing on the television. How boring their lives must be to get a kick out of seeing a fight and if Colden had his way he would curse the lot of them. They were just like the kids at the orphanage; dull, annoying and unworthy of their lives and someday when the Dark Lord took full control he'd ensure that people like them who had so little to live for were taken care of. Luckily for them Snape's presence was enough to make them abandon their little sad attempts to have fun and soon enough the only people that were left were Snape, Sophia and himself.

Pathetic" Colden did as Snape asked him, not entirely pleased that he had to and watched as Sophia ran behind Snape, seeking some sort of protection. She held her wand slightly out, probably trying to save some of her dignity by fooling herself that she could stand up to him. She looked so pathetic, almost as if she thought that no longer having his wand out meant he was no longer a threat. She really knew nothing about him; he had lived eleven years before realising who he truly was and he had managed just fine without a wand and with the few odd bits of magic he was able to do. He had still been able to gain control of that ghastly orphanage and show people who was boss and that had been purely through his own strength. If Snape wasn't here he would have proved just that but he would just have to wait for another day to show these pathetic maggots just how strong he was and how frightened they should be.

But the thing that made Colden truly strong in his opinion was that he didn't need anyone else. Sophia was obviously too weak to stand up for herself as she was so often protected by her family and friends. Colden had never had that and he didn't need it either, he was a lone wolf' strong and deadly and yet when he did see her friends stick up for her his heart filled with bitterness. What was it that she had that made people actually want to help her? What made her so special to have friends like that? 'Don't be an idiot Colden; you don't need anyone.' Colden wasn't completely heartless; he did have friends some who he would admit that he cared for but he didn't need them and he could certainly survive without them. But either way he looked at it he had found that his power came from his independence.

He didn't see why he had to be punished; after all Sophia's family had started this when they had done something to his mother to make her turn from the Dark Lord and caused her to get killed. He wasn't certain on the details and whether or not they had betrayed his mother and had handed her over to be killed or whether they had killed her themselves either way they were somehow connected and he didn't see why he had to be punished for wanting to get justice for what had been done. Of course to outsiders it probably didn't seem like he was going to get punished; but Colden had been here long enough and had had enough talks with Snape now to know that he wouldn't be happy with his behaviour. If he was lucky he'd get a stern talking to and maybe some lines, but luck had never really been with him. Sighing, Colden adjusted the position of his bag on his shoulder and stepped aside allowing Snape to lead to way to his office. "Let's just get this over with. I have essays."

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S tatus: finished
T o: Snape
O utfit: click
N otes: enjoy
C redit: template by Marv of A Thousand Fireflies
L yrics: Here By Me by 3 Doors Down

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[SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #405142 4px solid; border-right: #405142 2px dashed; background: #161616; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] [/style][style=width: 400px; line-height: 24px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 40px; text-shadow: #505050 1px 0px 1px; color: #405142; letter-spacing: -4px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center;]----- OLD HABITS DIE HARD ----- ----- They say a leopard can't change his spots ----- Severus was quiet as he watched Colden’s movements, noting the way his student glowered at him before conceding to follow his instruction. He was, admittedly, grateful for the sign of respect that showed. Colden was not the first student in the snake pit to turn to the Dark Lord and, hateful though it was to admit, Severus also knew he would not be the last. The trouble with this, beyond the fact that another young soul had been dragged down into the darkness, was that those who joined the Dark Lord’s ranks at times felt they were above the rules of Hogwarts and therefore, no longer had to listen to their Head of House. For some, it did not matter that he was a senior and respected member of the Dark Lord’s ranks – they were cocksure and proud, certain that their youthful ambitions would ursurp him soon enough that respect now was no longer warranted. Those particular youth tended to lead the charges and, as a result, often ended up the first on the casualty lists. Those who survived just got darker. As such, it was a relief of sorts for Severus that Colden was wise enough to keep his head down for now. As Colden brought Sophia to and the young Hufflepuff scrambled behind him, Severus found himself resisting the urge to shift himself into a better shielding position. It wasn’t often that students outside of Slytherin sought shelter from him, and regardless of what house a student was in, doing so always meant they were well and truly frightened to the point they genuinely felt that Severus was the safest bet. Eyeing Colden for a brief moment, Severus half-turned and gazed down at Sophia. ”Go back to your common room, and stay there,” He snapped, his tone sharp enough and the situation frightening enough that she needed no further encouragement. With a quick glance between them, Sophia turned and darted away, joining and following her friends back to her common room as ordered. Resisting own his urge to sigh as Colden adjusted his bag, Severus gave a curt nod and spun on his heel, sweeping down the Hogwarts corridors in his usual fashion, knowing that Colden would not be far behind. It troubled Severus that he had been unable to truly reach the boy, that Colden, like so many others in the pit, had fallen through society’s cracks to a point where he would not longer be accepted fully into it should he ever try to reintegrate. His life, already so difficult, was now all but forfeit and the most tragic aspect of it all was that if Colden ever realized the truth of how well he had been deceived, he would realize exactly that and it would be far too late to do anything substantial about it. When they reached his office, Severus held the door open for Colden and waited until the boy was inside before slipping his wand into his hand. As the door fell shut, wards raised around the room, blocking outside interference and ensuring they would not be overheard. This was a common enough practice among Severus and his Slytherins that it was less a cause for alarm as it was a cause for disgruntled grumbling. Raising the wards meant that you were about to have a discussion with your Head of House, which meant many things depending on who you were and why you were there. The only things about discussions Professor Snape that remained consistent were the fact they were always strictly confidential and they were nearly always uncomfortable. ”Tell me, Mister Kerl,” Severus began, his voice low as he used the boy’s last name – a sign, in this office, of disapproval toward a Slytherin student – ”Just how much you think you will be able to achieve for the Dark Lord as an uneducated, unemployed layabout?” His tone, if possible, was colder than he’d ever used on Potter in his classes. He allowed the question to linger a moment as he strode purposefully to his desk. ”Because that is precisely what your future will entail if you find yourself expelled over your vendetta with a foolish Hufflepuff child.” Snapping his cloak behind himself as surely as he had snapped the statement, Severus took a seat behind his desk and steepled his fingers as he gazed at the boy calculatingly. There was no guarantee he could keep Colden under control now, but if the boy was lost to the Dark Lord then there was no point not using that to his own advantage in order to ensure the safety of his students. ”You’ve met Masters Crabbe and Goyle by now I presume,” Severus drawled, his disdain for the dimmest of pure-blood patriarchs imminently clear. ”I’m sure you’ve come to realize that despite their proud family heritage, their dim wits and in Goyle’s case, expulsion, have allowed them to bring nothing of value beyond their names to the Dark Lord’s ranks. You, Colden, only have but half of their name to bring.” It was an underhanded thing to say and Severus knew it, but he could not allow Colden to go on terrorizing the Hogwarts students this way. It was only a matter of time before he saw fit to kill that Sophia child, what with her family’s connection to Colden’s mother’s death. ”It would behoove you,” Severus said softly, his tone growing a bit more gentle as though to apologize for the cruelty of his earlier comment, ”To keep your head down while you are here. Drawing attention to your allegiance will bring nothing to the fold, for one thing. Having yourself expelled will bring even less. You have the potential to be of incredible use to the Dark Lord, so long as you continue to be as intelligent as you’ve proven to be in the past. Do not let your anger overshadow your duties. You belong to the Dark Lord now – it is your responsibility to ensure you do not do anything to disgrace him. There will be time in the future for vengeance – but not now, and certainly not in this school. Am I understood?” tag: Colden words: 1062 template by eliza @ shadowplay

[colden]

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Clearly his head of house wasn't pleased with him, but then again when was Professor Snape ever pleased? It would be a cold day in hell before Snape ever smiled...or showed any other emotion then his usual scowl and disappointed frown. Back in his early years at Hogwarts he had been just like the students around him, so scared of the Potions teacher with his black flowing cloak and sharp tongue; but over the years that fear had disappeared and for a while he had admired the teacher, that had not lasted very long and now he just found the man annoying for a variety of reasons. One being that it seemed Snape had it in for him, no matter what he did Snape always disapproved [not that he was looking for his approval], this year it seemed to have gotten worse. Colden would have thought that now he was a Death Eater, Snape would have been more encouraging of his efforts to cleanse the school of the scum who walked it's halls. Everyone talked about how Snape favoured his students and always...overlooked certain broken rules but for some reason said favouritism no longer seemed to apply to him. He wouldn't go so far as to say he was jealous but he didn't understand what Snape's problem with him was and he was beginning to grow tired of it. Perhaps his attitude towards him had something to do with his mother, after all they had gone to Hogwarts together and had both served the Dark Lord... maybe something had happened between them that had caused Snape to dislike him? Whatever his petty reason for disliking him Colden didn't really care; Snape was reaching the end of his prime and Colden had barely started his, and despite Snape's attempts Colden did not fear him.

Sophie scampered away pretty quickly when Snape snapped at her clearly aware that he wasn't there to protect her. Coward he thought to himself, he would never be so spineless as to run away from a situation; life had taught him that standing your ground was better then turning around and running. Back in the orphanage he had learned the hard way that running away like a coward only made a problem worse. Through his hardships he had fought to the top and had eventually showed them that he wasn't someone to be messed with, they had learned to fear him and to respect him and by the time he had left upon gaining his inheritance those pathetic muggles had learned to never cross him. He had gone through the same thing here at Hogwarts; he had been an unknown child and someone clouded with mystery...a bastard child. He had been mocked, ignored and generally pushed aside because of his disadvantages. Those whose parents had held ties with the Dark Lord looked down on him because of his mother's 'abandonment' during the first war. It had been difficult at first learning about his mother through other people but he had soon proven his worth among his peers and gained their respect. It had taken time and a lot of hard work; most of it which had involved fighting to some degree; so naturally those who ran away infuriated him.

But perhaps he had gone too far this time, Snape didn't seem at all happy with his actions. Why else would he put up the wards to ensure no one would here them? Discussions with his head of house were always private and confidential; a blessing really as it meant no one knew what happened and although rumours would then spread because of it, it developed an essence of fear, and fear was only a stepping stone away from respect and power, and if there was anything Colden desired in this world more then restoring his family name and finding the person who killed his mother; it was power. It was only natural really, he had been a nobody and had been ridiculed for it; only someone insane would want to return to a life like that. Which was why he didn't appreciate what Snape said; even if he left Hogwarts now he was still an educated man; an intelligent one at that and he was hardly some layabout. True, the inheritance he had gained from both his grandfather and his mother put him in a very comfortable position, so much so that he would probably not need to work for a while, but that didn't mean he would be unable to get a job. He had talent's other didn't and he was sure that even if he was expelled there would be someone who would want a man with his talents.

But that wasn't what had annoyed him, well...yes it had been annoying; but worse was how Snape had made his 'vendetta' sound...petty. Whether or not it was true, there was enough evidence to say that his mother had met with Sophia's mother; Kadey some time before her murder, and as Kadey was an aurora that had been one of the many working on trying to reduce the Dark Lord's numbers; all blame fell on her. She may have not been the one to cast the spell that killed his mother, but clearly the very fact that the two had been seen together had caused his mother to be thought of as a traitor. Kadey had probably used other methods to to arrange the meeting, maybe a threat or even the imperious curse; it was not unknown for certain ministry users to use such spells, they saw themselves as 'above the law'; especially when trying to catch people like him. He saw it as only fair to give her a taste of her own medicine and remove one of her own family members; eye for an eye, tit for tat etc. Hardly petty at all in his opinion. "My mother is dead because of that family." His mother had had a hard life. His grandfather; her father had been a cruel man and he had learned that he had tortured her frequently with various curses and spells because her existence had caused her mother's death. It was one of the reasons she had been so cold..so cruel in school and part of the reason she had joined the Dark Lord. If it hadn't been for the fact that his bastard of a grandfather was already dead Colden would have gladly killed the man for what he had done. He would never be able to fully comprehend the pain she had endured but when he had learned of her terrible fate he had sworn to never allow himself to go through something like that, to be stronger then others so that they would never dare treat him that way; there was nothing petty about him wanting justice for his mother, and the fact that Snape even implied it made his blood boil.

Crabbe and Goyle were a couple of idiots; both generations were and being compared to them was like a diamond being compared to a rock...or a mighty lion being compared to a single cell organism. It didn't matter that their names held more power then his; though why those names held any power was beyond him. As Snape had pointed out, the two were useless where as he, as a metamorph has so much he could bring. His mother too had been a metamorph and her talents had been used; but the view that she had betrayed the Dark Lord had tarnished the Vania Kerl name; something that Colden was determined to fix. "Those morons are hardly at my level sir." Colden replied as respectfully as he could despite his obvious annoyance. "I'm confident I can be of more use then them, after all I saw young Goyle holding his wand the wrong way just last week." It had been rather amusing and at the same time embarrassing to behold; the young dimwitted student had been trying to curse someone and in the end due to his own stupidity and uselessness had done it to himself; needless to say Colden had simply walked away, too embarrassed to want to associate with the young boy.

Snape's tone seemed to soften after his rather unfair comments; it was something which surprised Colden as he had hardly expected his head of house to show any sort of kindness let alone give him advice no matter how small to him, given the situation. Perhaps Professor Snape was right, he was supposed to be laying low, most of the wizarding world was in denial over what was happening and going around acting like a Death Eater within the school walls was only going to cause problems, he had worked too hard to get the Dark Lord to even consider allowing him to be one of his death eaters; the man had been sceptical because of his mother, if he blew this then he could kiss all his hopes and ambitions goodbye. "Yes Sir."

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S tatus: finished
T o: Snape
O utfit: click
N otes: enjoy
C redit: template by Marv of A Thousand Fireflies
L yrics: Here By Me by 3 Doors Down

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[SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #405142 4px solid; border-right: #405142 2px dashed; background: #161616; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] [/style][style=width: 400px; line-height: 24px; font-family: georgia; font-size: 40px; text-shadow: #505050 1px 0px 1px; color: #405142; letter-spacing: -4px; text-transform: lowercase; text-align: center;]----- OLD HABITS DIE HARD ----- ----- They say a leopard can't change his spots ----- Severus was quiet for a time after Colden snapped at him, knowing there was nothing he could say that would ease that particular pain. Lowering his hands to his desk, Severus clasped them tighter as he thought of Alina and her untimely death, the many signs he had failed to see in that time. "I am aware," Severus stated slowly, "That Kadey was involved in some manner. Sophia, on the other hand, was not even born yet." He leveled Colden with a calm look and, rather than preach anything that would cast doubt upon his own allegiances, Severus leaned back in his seat and stated simply, "I have always considered vengeance to be a noble pursuit in its own right." Rising to his feet, Severus clasped his hands behind himself and paced toward one of his shelves. "However, I am of the opinion that vengeance is not something to be taken lightly, nor is it a game. If you truly wish to make that family suffer, you will have to be far more cunning than harassing their youngest child whenever you get the chance. Bullying Sophia will only draw attention to the fact you have a hatred for the family, will only draw attention to yourself in ways you cannot afford if you truly wish to make them pay for what they did to your mother." Giving advice of a darker sort was not the sort of thing Severus enjoyed, though he knew it was a necessary part of being a double agent. He had to appear loyal to the Dark Lord at every turn when he was dealing with students who had fallen into his path, but he also had to ensure the safety of his students to the best of his abilities. It made him feel disturbingly like Albus Dumbledore, casting a child farther into shadow for the sake of a greater good. It sickened him, but at the same time, Severus had long since learned to accept the inherent evil that came from walking in the gray that fell between the sides of Dark and Light. "You would be much better off to gain their trust through Sophia. There is no deeper betrayal than finding yourself at the wrong end of a wand you believed belonged to someone you could trust. Sophia can be exceptionally useful to you, if you manipulate her properly. Tormenting her will only have you marked as an enemy to her and her family, and make it much more difficult for you to get any of them alone in the future." Taking a small vial from the shelf, Severus returned to his desk and took a seat, withdrawing a petal from the vial with his wand as he remarked mildly, I would hardly be having this conversation with you if I felt you functioned at their level Colden. I was merely drawing attention to the fact that you need to be careful, because although you have the potential to be of greater use to the Dark Lord, metamorphmagisis will not spare you his wrath should you disappoint him." Nor would blood status, but Severus opted not to mention that as he transfigured the petal with a lazy flick of his wand, turning it into a pale and slender quill. "I suggest you give Sophia some sort of peace offering. Find a way to get into her good graces. She's a Hufflepuff," He sneered lightly, "So I imagine it shouldn't be too difficult for you. Learn what you can from her, be subtle. Convince her she can trust you, and she will do your work for you when it comes to convincing her parents of the same. What you do from there depends entirely on how deeply you want them to suffer." Picking up the quill, Severus twirled it idly between his fingertips. "Her weakest subject is Transfiguration. Perhaps find a way to use that to your advantage." tag: Colden words: 673 template by eliza @ shadowplay

[colden]

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Bitterness formed in the pit of Colden's stomach at Snape's response to his outburst. He was such a hypocrite. How often had he seen Snape scowl at other students for petty reasons like his? And what of Potter, it was widely well known that Snape disliked the boy and he had overheard conversations hinting to the reason behind it; apparently from the times he had eavesdropped on Potter and his little friends; his father had not been too kind to Snape; and that was an understatement. "How am I any different to your Professor?" He retorted, aware that he was probably treading on thin ice by what he was about to say. "You prowl the hallways trying to appear menacing to all those around you, you are no different to me....You torture Potter for something his father did, her mother killed mine! How can you expect me to just stand there and let it go unpunished!" It didn't matter if Snape thought revenge was noble, the very fact that he made it seem like going after Sophia was redundant had been enough to make the hotheaded teenager upset.

He soon felt bad for what he said, well as bad as he was able to feel; he didn't like to waste his time with pity and guilt, but he had probably touched some nerve and Snape was being kind enough to give him some advice. He was right that revenge wasn't a game; that would make it something petty and childish, and Colden had never considered himself to be any of those traits, even if there were some people in the world who felt different. Many times people had called him childish for the views he held towards muggleborns but he just saw them as deluded and narrow minded. But maybe Snape was right, harassing Sophia and her siblings wasn't exactly getting him anywhere and as long as he was in Hogwarts he was unable to do any real damage...and as Snape had said, attempting to do so would only draw attention to himself something that; as a new recruit and a spy he couldn't afford to have.

However as Snape began to further explain his idea, a knot formed in his stomach and once again he found himself angry. How could he even suggest such a thing? Befriend her and the family? Why the hell would he want to subject himself to a thing like that The family were a bunch of muggle loving soppy traitors. To even suggest such a thing was beyond Colden's understanding [well it wasn't but the phrase seemed to fit right in his mind.] He had just joined the Dark Lord and unlike others he had been welcomed into the ranks of the Death Eaters and like his mother had been blessed with his master's mark. If he were to gallivanting off with such traitors it would only seek to ruin him and his fellow followers would only think of him as a traitor. His mother had been unfortunate enough to be falsely labelled as one, he would not allow the same to happen to him. He doubted that there would be much understanding among his peers if when questioned he told them it was all an elaborate scheme; the likely outcome would be them questioning him on why he didn't just kill them. It was more logical to do so; although prolonging it would give him more satisfaction, but the risk it came with...the humiliation of having to put up with pretending to be their friend won. "Why on earth would I subject myself to that? Besides, doing so poses more risks...or is it your intention for me to end up the same as my mother?"

Because he had lost his mother through her apparent 'betrayal' he had never known what it was like to live in a family, those that had tried to take him in had soon given up, finding him 'too difficult' or 'odd' to stay around. He had grown up a relatively lonely child, perhaps that was why he clung so desperately to the memory of his mother and was so desperate to clear her name. He had wanted a sense of family and Hogwarts had given him that, he had hated going back during the holidays knowing he was away from somewhere that he considered his home; somewhere where he felt connected with others and with his mother. But it wasn't just that, the other children had been cruel to him; thankfully that had soon changed and they had come to fear us, but it was still an uncomfortable place to have been and he was glad to be out of there. "You act as if my mother was no different to me" Colden replied after a moment's silence. "I think she would be proud of me and my strength, to know that I honour her name and what she stood for. She was a powerful witch and one who never allowed others to get away with crimes against her. I think if she knew that I was punishing the child of her killer she would be most proud."

Colden let out a long and breathy sigh; getting mad at Snape wouldn't solve anything and it wouldn't make things better. Although the two had not always seen eye to eye, Snape was still a role model, and in some ways [though you would probably have to torture him to get him to say it out loud] but Snape was probably the closest thing he had to a father. The man had welcomed him into the Slytherin house, had given him advice and taught him valuable lessons and had, on occasion been there to listen to him rant when there was no one else to talk to. And even now he was giving him advice on how to keep his position secure with the Dark Lord, true, he had powers most did not possess but that didn't mean Voldemort wouldn't toss him away without a second thought. That was one thing Colden worried about, the Dark Lord was...unpredictable and with everything already set against him and not having a real name to himself he couldn't afford to cause any trouble for his master.

And that meant disregarding Snape's advice. Associating with Sophia and her family would only make the cracks of the ice he was already treading on crack. He would be far safer just waiting till he left school and going after the family directly; maybe he could even use his metamorphic ability and give their deaths a bit of...theatricality. Maybe he could use the appearance of his mother...or one of their family members and watch the fear and horror in their eyes as he destroyed them, like they had destroyed him. Yes...that plan was far better then the one Snape had suggested, with his plan there was no need to try and win Sophia over or give her help...and there would be no need to worry about any misinterpretation. "If it's all the same to you sir, I'd rather not soil my reputation by associating with that family, nor will I lower my standards to help out that girl"

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S tatus: finished
T o: Snape
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