But as the boy stood to answer their claims Severus felt an unaccustomed pride. He wasn't sure how the boy did it but somehow he looked every inch the noble heir to an old title that he was. In that moment someone could have told him Potter was the heir to King Arthur and Severus would've had no trouble believing them. Potter laid into the trio with Slytherin skill making a complete mockery of their claims and completely denouncing them as he did so.
He didn't just cast aspirations on their characters. He demolished them. And when his little snakes got done spreading the word around the castle, none of them would be holding their heads up proudly as they strutted like peacocks on the walk through the halls anymore. Those three may have believed they owned Potter but Potter was showing them otherwise in a way that couldn't be denied.
When he had paused, Severus hit him with the Soothing Throat charm, somehow knowing the boy needed it even if he hadn't given any indication of such, hoping the boy wasn't planning to back down now that he had the three in a less than righteous position. Potter had them on the ropes now and if he didn't finish them off, they'd only return with backup to make him regret it. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't disappointed.
What took place that day was monumental. Harry hadn't only ruined the trio in Hogwarts. Because Severus did see the avid interest of his Slytherins and knew they would make absolutely certain the entire school and beyond heard of this confrontation. But he had marked Ms.
Granger permanently in a manner worse than the one the Dark Lord had used on his followers. He at least could conceal the mark that disfigured his person. She could not. It was on her face where no clothing would ever hide it without drawing attention to the fact she was hiding something.
Everyone who saw her, would immediately see her mark. Even if she took to wearing a scarf over her lower face. He couldn't help feeling gleeful. For too long he'd put up with people who knew of his own mark looking down on him for his mistake in judgment. Now that negativity would be cast on her as well. Misery does love company and he now had someone to share in his own misery. Not that he'd be actually talking to the chit.
Or sharing his own experiences of being shunned and looked down on with her. He wouldn't. When he'd taken his mark of shame, he'd only done so because he thought he would be gaining a place to belong. A home and a family he could be a part of and do something good for the world in the process. She got hers through greed, jealousy, malice and spite.
Though only a small portion of the population would actually know exactly what her mark meant, no one would miss seeing it. Even those who could read runes wouldn't necessarily understand her marking as it wasn't a straight rune. The rune she now bore was a patron compilation punishment rune standing for every wrong she'd committed against her admitted and acknowledged patron. Unless his children and their parents made sure information about this confrontation was spread throughout the magical community. He'd have to make certain it was. The public deserved to know just what that mark meant and why she had it. It was his duty as a citizen of this world to do what he could to make sure they knew.
Because if she'd use him, the boy who had actually saved her life. Twice. For her own gain. Then she'd use anyone. He was certain none of the students in the Library today actually knew or understood exactly what the rune was but he'd tell his students tonight in their common room what he knew of it. Of course he'd have to get a hold of that book Potter had thrown down on the table first. But that shouldn't be a problem. Irma was sure to get him a copy of it. For now, those studying in the Library today, one thing was clear. To them, the meaning of the mark was crystal clear just going by what they'd heard Potter telling her. She was scum according to her own values and morals.
Ginerva gave Harry an appraising look of her own now. In a superior tone of voice, hoping to cow him into not attempting such actions against herself, she addressed him. "I hope you don't have such plans my brother and myself, Harry. As much as we count her as a friend, we aren't like Hermione here. You may be able to do things like that to her, though I doubt it, because you do outrank her. But you don't outrank us. We're purebloods, remember. Different rules and laws apply to us. We have rank and privilege you don't share."
"We've been your friends. Sharing what we have with you. Spending time with you no matter your mood. When no one in this school wanted anything to do with you, we were at your side. We've helped you with the things you wanted to do when you were ready to do them. Remember?"
She drew herself up straighter as if trying to intimidate him with her non-existent social standing. "And you do owe us, Harry. Our family took you in. We gave you a place to stay. We fed you and provided a bed for you when you didn't want to be at your relatives house. Invited you to go places with us in public. Letting society see we thought kindly of you and offered you the protection of our name and station. Mum took the time to buy you clothes and your books and supplies for school. Ron shared his room with you and helped you learn how to fly a broom so you'd be better on the quiditch field. He taught you the rules of the game and how to do the moves Seekers are supposed to do so you could have a chance of catching the snitch during our school games. We gave you food off our table and made sure you were entertained at our house. Our family taught you about this world. We took care of you, Harry. You owe us for that."
Harry sneered at her his disgust with her practically dripping from his expression. "No, actually I don't, Ginerva, but let me tell you what you owe me. Try your life, little girl. If your brother hadn't tried to kill me by shoving me in the back into a dark passage, you'd be dead right now. Worse than dead really. Because you spent your entire first year keeping secrets while you played with fire."
"But he did. Straight into the Chamber of Secrets, a place I had no familiarity with and no desire to be. Because I knew whatever was down there was deadly dangerous and had already killed someone in this school."
"Instead, you're standing here demanding access to money you were never entitled to. You're nothing more than a greedy, little girl with delusions of grandeur and pie in the sky dreams of how you will marry me and somehow become the toast of High Society. A position I've noticed you do nothing to prepare yourself to hold."
"You don't work to improve yourself at all. Nor do you study politics or the peculiarities of the different charities my wife would be expected to be involved in. You don't try to learn the manners a high society lady of my station would need to know and display though there are several girls in this school that have those mannerisms on clear display every day. Hell, you don't even attempt to bring me information I can then use to help me build alliances for my future station and everyone knows that is what high society wives do when they socialize. In short, you do nothing to make yourself worthy of this position you seem to want."
"You seem to think that being a pureblood makes you more important than I am while covering anything and everything you do against me. It doesn't. In either situation. You're not more important than I'm because I'm the next Lord Potter. You're merely the daughter of an untitled pureblood of limited means with six older brothers. Yes, it would be quite the social coup if I were to marry you but you are in no way entitled to be my wife just because you're a pureblood as you claim. Or because Twinkly Wrinkly favors your family."
Twinkly Wrinkly? Severus thought in surprise. Where the hell does he come up with these names?
...
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