"What the fuck is he doing here?!"
"James Potter! You will watch your language!"
James's mouth gaped as he heard his mother's thundering tone. Euphemia turned to face the other boy in the room, her voice turning pleasant as she ushered him to sit down again, "Please don't mind my son, Severus. He's also in his fifth year, same as you. Perhaps you've met...?"
Severus's jaw hardened, and he refused to sit back down. Both Potter seniors looked at the Slytherin with worry, and after a beat of uncomfortable silence, Severus gritted out in a forced voice, "We're acquainted".
James scoffed loudly, the disbelief in his face slowly getting replaced with suspicion. What in Merlin's name was Snivillus doing in his house? The gryffindor couldn't think of a single thing that would explain Snape's misplaced presence in the foyer of the Potter manor.
For a spilt second, nervousness flickered in James's mind. Had Snape fed his parents some vicious lie while he was here? Was that why his mother was looking at him with disapproval? James was sure that the snake must have tried to manipulate them.
That greasy git would never pass the opportunity to whine and roll over in front of wizards stronger than him. Always so desperate to look like the victim. If James gets grounded for any of his lies, he was going to make the Slytherin deeply regret it once the term resumes.
"I can't believe you've never introduced Mister Snape to us, James!", Fleamont said loudly, sounding both amazed and disbelieving. James froze, but before he could come up with an excuse, his father patted Severus's back. The Slytherin almost stumbled forward, his ears turning red.
"Just now, Severus was telling us how the simple change of Fire Slug slime to crushed milkflower can solve the long lasting problem we've had with Sleekeazy potion. Such a simple fix it is! You're quite a genius Mister Snape", the man said warmly.
Severus nodded stiffly, not meeting the older man's eyes. He awkwardly nodded, "Thank you sir." But beyond the stiffened demeanor, a look of hunger echoed in his eyes upon hearing the praise.
James gritted his teeth, at least it didn't look like his father was angry. He took a deep breath before turning to his mother irritably, "That's fine and all. But what is he doing here?"
"Don't you remember?", His mother's eyes widened in surprise, and she smiled as she explained, "Your father had been looking for a potions assistant for months! All the hires of the warehouses are talented, sure, but they are no inventors. Mister Snape has signed up for the position- and how lucky we are on our own end to find a rare gem like him"
An arrogant smirk flickered on the Slytherin's lips, before he hid it away to nod at the woman, "Please, Missus Potter. I am honored to work for someone as renowned as Mister Potter"
Fleamont laughed, shaking his head pleasantly. Both he and his wife shared a pleased look, while both Severus and James glared at each other hatefully. If it were upto James, he would have alredy hexed that arrogant look off that bastard's face. Snape wasn't even that good, even Slughorn ignored him. Why did his father and other snakes act like he was the second coming of Merlin himself?
"If I may...where would I be staying?", Severus finally said, pridefully turning his head away from James and towards the older man instead. James mentally cursed at the other boy, angrily strutting away from them while his mother called after him. Fine, let the git bask in his father's praises as much as he wants. Knowing him, the Slytherin was probably getting a boner having someone pay the littlest of attention to his potions ideas.
"Oh, with James of course"
Both boys froze in their respective places when the last syllable left the older man's mouth. James stopped in his tracks and whirled around to look at his dad, and Severus visibly jerked.
"I had to move all the equipments from the basement, so all the rooms are quite...ah, indisposed right now. You don't mind staying with James, right? After all, you both already know each other".
If the universe was playing a joke on him, James wasn't having a laugh. His eyes flickered to see Snape open and close his mouth in horror repeatedly, without a single sound coming out. And beneath the anger and revulsion James felt at having to share his room with the greasy bat, a flicker of sadistic pleasure lit inside him.
If Severus was staying with him, it would give James plenty of time to play with the Slytherin.
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
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