Severus was… rather surprised that he and Professor Slughorn were not only working together, but quite efficiently and creatively as well. Severus had never doubted Professor Slughorn’s intellect. He was quite clearly an intellectual, and a scholar as well. He was well practiced in Potions and Severus had no criticisms with his talent. However, Severus had always found Professor Slughorn to be a bit too much of a panderer to take seriously. The way he swaddled up to those with influence, or infamy behind their names.. it made Severus want to roll his eyes. So many of his less talented classmates were in Slughorn’s silly little club based on their name, or their parents, or their blood status. What right did they have to be there over Severus, who had never been invited. Over Severus, who had done things they couldn’t even have imagined only as a fourth year. He, who deserved such recognition, but who could not get it because he was Severus Snape, and not Edgar Bones or Regulus Black. Severus had held these criticisms close to his chest, as he was prone to do with most annoyances, no matter how large or small. But right now, in the heat of it, those thoughts fell away.
All in all, Slughorn kept a very level head in conflict, leading Severus to believe that he had made some escapes before. He was quick on his feat too, coming up with that Confusing Concation/Draught of Living Death hybrid right there on the spot. That was an interesting branch of Potions, attempting to mix two Potions. He’d read briefly about it, but not in depth, as of yet. He reminded himself to look into that. At that moment, Severus heard the crashing sounds of many figures rushing into the shop. He sighed, almost boredly, and nodded to Professor Slughorn. “That sounds quite alright to me, Professor.”
He pulled out his wand, pointing it ahead of him, just in case. He had a fair few new spells that he hadn’t tested yet that he could now put to good use to see how they interacted with actual people. “You lead the way, I suppose?” He cocked an eyebrow in Slughorn’s direction.
Horace opened his mouth to protest that his plan sounded more than simply quite alright. In fact, he would argue that it was fairly close to brilliant. Severus Snape’s lack of enthusiasm or appreciation for Horace’s talent was the primary reason he’d never invited this otherwise worthy candidate to his Slug Club. Oh Severus had the talent, of course, but the Slug Club wasn’t merely any old honour society. The Slug Club, as all great establishments, was meant for networking purposes. Students who held a name, a talent, or a personality that promised a bright and successful future were invited to attend, but there was one very important commonality amongst them. Each member of his elite group valued Horace’s opinion and held him in high regard. Of course Horace meant for the students to network with one another, but should he not also benefit from establishing a network of his own? His collection of former pupils had served him well over the years. He attended nearly every sporting match he wanted, had influenced many a policy in the Ministry, and had connections that spanned the globe. He would have shared all of this with Severus Snape had his talented student shown any indication that he would appreciate such a thing.
As it was, the sound of many footsteps and shouts barging into the main shop was a much more pressing matter and Horace resolved to let Severus’ comment slide for now. “I suppose that would be the responsible thing to do, yes.” Horace muttered, drawing his wand. He didn’t much like the idea of charging first into the unknown dangers on the other side of the door leading to the back alleyway of the shop, but as a Professor at Hogwarts it was his responsibility to protect his students. Even those as unappreciative as Severus Snape. “Well now, you’ve got your vials then?” He glanced over his shoulder, double checking that they were set. “Here it goes.” With his concoction in one hand, his wand in the other, Horace blasted open the door and tossed the potion into the alleyway. Quickly, he grabbed Severus by the sleeve of his robe and pulled him against the inside wall of the shop in order to avoid the explosion of his potion. “Wait a moment for the debris to clear, and then head straight for the castle. Whatever you do, do not stop.” He instructed, shouting over the sounds of the battle that raged around them.
