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Severus nodded curlty. Of course he meant Sirius Black. The boy had been a constant pain in his ass since Severus had stepped off of the train seven years ago. When he was being honest with himself, which was seldom, he acknowledged that while he despised Lupin, Potter, and the other one equally as much, the three of them held certain qualities which made them redeemable somewhat in his eyes. Sirius Black was nothing more than an entitled cretin who lived to shove Severus’ face in the dirt. When one took in Severus’ friendship with Regulus as well, it was clear to see that Severus and Sirius were practically destined to hate one another.

His eyebrow  quirked at the mention of her being attacked. “Who would attack you?’ He blurted out, not understanding how anyone could see the slight girl in front of him as a physical threat. Unless… There were two reasons why people were attacked in Severus’ eyes. Either they were a threat, or a meal.  And Mary didn’t look all too much like a threat to him. But who would want to attack this girl in front of them? Though he didn’t know the answer, he could bet that it wore a green and silver tie. 

"Mary, I’ve given her time. And to be honest, it’s probably for the best that her and I aren’t friends anymore. What with us running in different circles and all." It physically pained him to vocalize that he thought that his separation from Lily was for the best, but what was he supposed to do? Moon over her like a lovesick fool in public? He already did enough of that in his dreams. 

He wanted- needed- to change the subject. Mary was beginning to feel like a friend to him, and he had given her a back story that few knew about, but he wasn’t about to sit there and dissect his relationship with Lily in front of her. It just wasn’t going to happen. “Where are we going?” He parroted the phrase back to her. “I figured the two self-proclaimed pariahs could do with a bit of reconnaissance of potions ingredients in the forest.”

Mary reached out, giving his arm the smallest of squeezes, "I know it probably won't mean much, especially since I'm not him, but I am sorry that he's cruel to you." She pulled her arm away, curling a strand of hair between her fingers. At the question, she looked at him with slightly wide eyes, mouth opened, name on the tip of her tongue. Then she promptly closed it again, glancing away, "No one," she answered softly, "At least not anyone I can say or else he'll hurt my friends and mother." Her heart gave a pained little thumb, "Forget I said that, please. I'd..rather not- Gah." Giving the strand of hair a frustrated little tug, Mary scowled at the ground. There was so much she wanted to say. So much she wanted to scream about, and she'd never wanted to spill it more than right now in the safety of the forest and with someone who had never thrown a cruel word at her. Biting down the words, she nodded slightly, "Different circles, hmm?" She knew better than to ask, but there was, of course, a certain level of fear behind the idea of 'circles'. Fuck it. She was so tired of being afraid, "Well, I think you should probably tell your different circles to fuck off. The fact that we can't all sit and realize that we aren't so different from one another is the cause of all the strife- in both of our stories, I'm assuming." She smiled a bit, glancing around again. The idea of potions had her eyes lighting up, "Really? Severus Snape, what exactly are you hiding in the woods?"

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

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Mary blinked at the question, a smile splitting across her face. Intrusive, yes, but not something Mary minded discussing, "Yes," she told her, "I stalled him a bit. If I would have known what the houses were, he probably would have put me in Ravenclaw." Her brows creased slightly, "For the life of me, I can't figure out why I ended up with the Lions. Maybe they just needed someone to attempt to keep order." Not that anyone listened, but ah well. The brunette smiled easily, "It isn't any problem, really."  "Oh, sports," Mary grinned, "I bet they do like that. You've helped Ravenclaw kick our arses more times than I can count- even with James as our seeker." She pointed along with her, "Do stop blowing up the first years homeowrk! You, yes, you, we mustn't tell everyone that their marks aren't as good as the rest of the years. Those are supposed to be private." She giggled, "A court of idiots. We're surrounded by idiots, Marlene."

  Marlene looked at the brunette curiously. “Did the hat consider Ravenclaw for you?” she asked, before realising that could be construed as rude—or if not rude, a bit intrusive. After all, your sorting was essentially someone judging you, aged eleven, after probing into your innermost thoughts and wow, Marlene had never really thought about how stupid the sorting system was before. At least you get all the pretentious assholes in one group, she thought wryly, though she hoped nobody thought she was like that. “Fuck, sorry—you don’t have to answer that,” she added on. “I was just curious,” Marlene admitted with an impish smile.

Marlene cocked her head to the side. “I may have yelled a few of those phrases during especially aggravating arguments—to be fair, we mainly snark at each other rather than yell, but sometimes—but no, I’ve never really told them that. They don’t tend to listen to me much,” Marlene admitted with a wry smirk. “They like me best when I’m playing Quidditch, but otherwise… I don’t quite live up to their beloved Ravenclaw archetype, I’m not sure if you noticed,” she said, finally cracking a proper grin. Marlene laughed at Mary’s suggestion. “Merlin, that would be beautiful,” she said, imagining the site. “You, stop being pretentious, and you, control yourself in the common room,” she playacted, pointing at a random spot in the corridor and imagining it was the Gryffindor Table.

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That answer satisfied Mary, and she met his gaze when he turned toward her. Her face was serene as she listened, "And by certain Gryffindors...you mean Sirius, don't you?" Damn it, Siri. Mary let out a long breath, blowing a strand of her hair away from her face, "I know how it feels to be attacked." Hence the crying and the panic attack, "Though, I don't know if I'd refuse he-" She paused, thinking about what she was saying, "Actually, forget that. I know exactly what you mean." She had refused to let anyone help her, because she'd wanted to help herself. "Perhaps," her suggestion was soft, "Just give your friend a bit of time? Maybe all she needs is time to think...and you could show her that you didn't mean it? Though, I suppose it comes down to how willing to defy the other Slytherins you are." She shrugged, struggling a bit to keep up. She also kept glancing over her shoulder, as if afraid that Mulciber was going to be following her.  "Thanks," she laughed lightly as he slowed down, "I was going to start trotting." His next words brought another smile to her face, "You aren't burdening me, Severus. I'm glad I seem trustworthy, and I don't plan on sharing your history with anyone. it isn't their business, to be fair." Taking a moment to look around, she asked, "Where are we going?"

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

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[Past Post: Fifth Year] Dirty Blood- Isaac and Mary

"Peeves! Come on, now!" Mary laughed, rolling her eyes as she followed the poltergeist down the hallway. Most of the other students had adjured to their Friday night activities- of which Mary had never really been involved in. Sirius had tried to bring her along once…but then there had been the girls who made fun of her robes and scuffed tennis shoes, so she’d mostly avoided any get togethers since. It didn’t bother her, really. "Peeves," She sighed, pausing in front of a door, "You should probably know that you’ve stolen an empty scroll. I haven’t even started the essay.” Which was a problem, but Peeves never failed to amuse her and help her procrastinate. Sighing when she got no response, Mary turned, blinking in surprise when she nearly bumped into a Slytherin, “Excuse me.” She stated, assuming that would be the end of it.

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Mary waited, holding her breath without realizing it. The explination..hadn't been what she expected to hear from him. For a moment there was a small silence. He'd called someone that word. Part of her recoiled. Sure, she'd said it. Sure, she also claimed it didn't bother her, but the reality was simple: The word was said in anger. It was bread in hatred and meant to offend those who 'qualified'. It hurt. Her gaze fixated somewhere along the edge of the forest as she mulled over her own words, "I'm sorry I upset you." She finally replied softly, "And I'm sorry that you lost a friend over that. I don't know the entire story, and I won't...pry, but.." She looked at him again, eyes serious, "Did you mean it when you called her that? Do you think muggleborns are dirty? Or do you only regret it because you lost a friend?" Blunt, but to the point. Mary didn't like sugar coating things, and it was important. She desperately wanted to hear someone tell her that muggleborns were just as good as pureploods, though she wasn't sure Severus would be that person. She only hoped he didn't honestly believe people gifted with magic from a muggle family were any less. The fact that he was offended suggested the opposite, but she wanted to make sure. Letting out a long breath, her lip curled slightly, "Although, I imagine it's hard being in a house where it seems like a common word without picking it up." She wasn't angry at him, if that was what he had been expecting, but she wasn't going to ask who she'd been, just in case it was a friend and her loyal temper decided to make a visit.

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

  Why does it bother you? Why does it bother you? Severus could go on for several days on why the word bothered him. It was the word that kept him awake at night, rolling through his head alng with green eyes that gloweed of betrayal and hurt. Mudblood, mudblood, mudblood. He was sure as lng as he lived that that word word would haunt him forevermore, especially hearing it out of a girl’s mouth who shouldn’t be saying things like that. No one should be saying things like that. Ever.

"I lost my best friend because of that word. The best sort of friend I could’ve ever hoped for. I used it in a fit of anger and now she’s no longer in my life. That word… it pains me." Severus spoke slowly, being particular of his word choice, knowing that it could mean the difference between his budding friendship with Mary and another sneering Gryffindor who hated him. 

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Mary listened, shuddering, "I'm glad the hat went with Gryffindor then, that sounds horrid." What an interesting person, she found herself thinking, "Have you told the other Ravenclaws any of that? If they're half as smart as they seem to think they are, they should be able to listen to reason, right?" She nodded with a slight grin, "After we deal with Peeves, we could go give a grand speech in the great hall. We'll grab someone from every house and just tell everyone what they're doing wrong."  It was a joke, of course, the idea of Mary getting up in front of a crowd was a little bit more than laughable.

  Marlene tilted her head to the side. “Kind of—mostly, yeah. Some stereotypes refer to quiet, bookish ones, and there’s a few of them too—they’re totally fine—but yeah, if there’s a superiority complex stereotype, then they’re on the money,” she said disgustedly. “People tend to forget that Ravenclaw—so yeah, Rowena—wasn’t all about being smart; I mean, she obviously prized intellect, but also learning, wit and wisdom—and she must have valued it more than her own pride,” Marlene theorised, “at least to some extent, or else she’d have never been able to compromise and properly cooperate to start up Hogwarts with people who had very different opinions and personalities to her, who would have been better at some things,” Marlene concluded. “That’s what I think she’d be disappointed by—her prized students tearing each other down and trying to claim a monopoly on learning and intellect,” she said in a disgruntled tone. 

Looking back at Mary, Marlene shook her head. “Sounds awful,” she said sympathetically. “I’d hate to be a prefect in Gryffindor—I don’t think I’d mind Gryffindor,” she said thoughtfully, thinking she would actually quite like it, “but being a prefect—or even just a non-mental person—would be very difficult.,” she finished, returning Mary’s sympathetic look.

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"I'll have to buy some as well. I don't know why I didn't think of it before-" She curled her fingers around the coin, but then he was jerking away and furious. Her jaw dropped and for a moment she stopped her walk, looking at him, "Severus.." Picking her jaw up off the ground, she scurried to walk beside him, reaching a gentle hand to his shoulder, "I'm sorry. I don't usually think when I say it. I didn't realize it would offend you." She let her hand fall away, crossing her arms and sighing as she continued to walk, "I guess, people have flung it at me enough that its lost its meaning." That's a lie. It still stung each and every time someone said it to her, "Ironically," Mary's laugh was slightly bitter, "I might not even be a muggleborn."  Why was she telling him this? Why had she almost told him that she'd been attacked? When had she turned into such a damn blabber mouth? Apparently, it was amazing what would happen if someone actually gave her the time of day. Her eyes focused on him, the way he walked, "Why does it bother you so much, Severus?" She murmured, curious.

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

"I buy them in bulk during our Hogsmeade visits." He said suddenly, placing the galleon in her small cool hand. It’s so soft. He yanked his hand back and hissed when she uttered the foul word. “Don’t say that word around me." His eyes were dark and angry. He despised the word, and refused to hear it unless in the presence of the Slytherin boys. But even then he hid his disgust behind gritted teeth. 

He nodded silently, his mouth still shocked shut in anger, and he turned, walking slowly out of the courtyard and onto the ground with her.He tried to return her playful smirk, but his face contorted into something much more like a grimace. “I’ll let you know.” He managed to choke out, his eyes still focused on the ground before his feet.

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Mary raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips, "I'll only take it back if you tell me where I can buy them around here. Then, I'll buy the next pack." She held her palm out, "Deal?" Oh, so he hadn't known that she was a muggleborn. Her eyes turned dark as they fell to the ground, "Yes. A mudblood." Her head snapped up, surprised that he wasn't condemning her...She mulled over his words. He wasn't raised with the same beliefs? Did that mean there were non-bigoted purebloods? Or was he not a pureblood? "Can we walk? I don't do well standing in one place."  The easy smile was back despite the sadness that still lingered in her eyes, "Okay, well, when you figure out what exactly you're getting from me, just let me know, alright?" The smirk was playful, "And as a Gryffindor, I promise that once I figure out what I get from you, you'll know it."

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

  Severus toyed with the galleon that she had pressed into his hand for several moments before holding it back out to her. “I wouldn’t feel right keeping this.” Really, he just didn’t want to face the fact that being in his house came with certain expectations, and Severus wasn’t sure if those expectations were things that he wanted for himself. “Your blood status?” He asked before the obvious answered dawned on him. “So you’re muggleborn.” He said, not phrasing it as a question. Obviously it didn’t matter to Severus. Lily had been his best friend before- well before she wasn’t anymore. 

"Purebloods are supposed to hate everyone like you, but I, well… I wasn’t raised with the same beliefs." He stated simply, hoping that she could draw her own conclusions about his parentage from that. The only one who knew that his father was a muggle was Lily, but Severus felt a strange kinship with the girl, and if she was hiding her lineage, then he knew that he could trust her with his. 

Severus laughed darkly. “I’m a Slytherin, Mary. Everyone always wants something. There’s no charity or selflessness in Slytherin. You do something to get something in return. That’s how it’s always been for us. It’s why we’re ruthless.” He needed her to understand that there were certain things ingrained in him that were part of his personality, and being skeptical was one of those things. 

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"I just-" Severus found it hard to form words around the girl. for fear that she would take them incorrectly. "It’s not that I don’t want to be friends, Mary. It’s just that I think it’s safer for us not to be. Let’s call a spade a spade here, your housemates torture me and I’m willing to bet that mine aren’t picking your flowers. You’re friendly enough that I don’t fancy seeing you get hurt." He flicked his cigarette and put it out beneath his toe. "I don’t have a good track record with Gryffindor girls." He said quietly, more to himself than to her. 

He met her gaze with a half smirk. “If I know about something, I can give you a heads up. After all I’m not willing to see you get attack by some snakes, even if they are my housemates. I guess- I don’t really know what I want from you, Mary.” He said frankly. “I’ve never really met someone like you. You confound me.” He spoke earnestly, hoping that maybe she’d be able to understand why he was at such a standstill with her.

Severus prided himself on being able to categorize people quite easily. But not this girl, not Mary. Every time he expected her to say one thing she said another, and Severus was stumped.

Mary chewed on her bottom lip, nodding, "It probably is, but...if we're still calling Spades Spades, If this war continues..if it comes here, we're going to end up on opposite sides, aren't we? I mean, I've already been att-" She cut herself off, furious that she'd almost spilled her guts about it, "My blood status makes me a target, and you're expected to hate me and anyone like me...so." She gestured a bit helplessly, "I'm not like most Gryffindor girls, I suppose. Much....quieter." 

She pushed away from the wall slightly, offering a gentle smile, "Why do you have to want something from me?" Now, for some reason, she was calm. The fear was still there, but she didn't think any of his housemates would curse her when they were speaking, "Can't we just...talk without wanting something from each other?" Brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face, Mary waited for his response. If he sent her away, she wouldn't push it anymore. 

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

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Mary was listening with slightly amused eyes, "So, it is exactly as the stereo types say it is," she teased, "Sounds like a horrible envirnment for learning. Rowena would be ashamed." Clicking her tongue, her expression softened as she glanced over at the Ravenclaw, "I understand. Gryffindor common room is literally the bane of my existence. I can't walk in there without handing out detentions like candy, or dragging drunk fifth years to the loo." 

  Marlene clapped excitedly. “Wicked,” she said, walking alongside Mary. At Mary’s words, Marlene pulled a face, though she didn’t realise it. “Er—no, it’s fucking dreadful,” Marlene confessed honestly, before glancing to the side of her, at Mary. “Or at least, I think it is. I mean, if you like intense competing to be the one who loves the sound of your own voice the most, or has the biggest superiority complex, then it’s totally great,” she said dryly. “But I can barely breathe in there with all of the competitiveness and pretentiousness, let alone do anything productive without losing my mind or temper, so—yeah, trophy room it is,” she finished lamely. Marlene owned everything she did, and she wasn’t ashamed of her opinions on her own house—she supposed she just didn’t like the potential impression that she was running away from her house. She wasn’t scared of them; she just couldn’t stand the constant migraine that was being around them all the time.

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Mary leaned against the wall, letting him talk. Her dark eyes were focused somewhere to the far side of the lake. Her stomach gave an unpleasant lurch, despite the fact that she'd never really figured they'd actually make it as friend. Snakes and Mudbloods just never seemed to actually be capable of much more than flinging disgusted words toward eachother- yet, here they were. Was it a pleasant conversation? Not by any means, and Mary was still reeling from her encounter with Isaac, but she stood by what she'd said.  "I don't fully understand how me saying you aren't ignoring me is too kind, or untrue, but alright, Severus." Her lip quirked up as she let the butt of the cigarette fall to the ground, "So, we won't be friends," was the final conclusion, "Because I'm not going to be a whiny little girl, and this is a war after all...but we can be two people who have decent conversation and smoke cigarettes together. No harm. I just ask that if your housemates tell you to hex me, I get a little bit of a heads up. I don't intend to be hurt again, so if you tell me to back off, out, up, over- whatever, I'll leave." She closed her eyes, leaning her head back. After a moment she reached into her bag, rummaging around until she found a gallon. She'd been saving it for Hogsmeade. Pressing it into Severus's hand, she sighed, "To pay for all the cigs I've smoked."

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

  Severus pulled out a cigarette for himself and lit the tip with ease. He’d been upping the habit lately, but for good reason. It was nice to have a female around him who didn’t bitch and moan about the stench. He quirked an eyebrow at he sudden movement but offered no other comment than. “Okay there?” Which he muttered darkly. He didn’t do “friendship” well, and Mary needed to know that. 

"Look, everything you’ve said is kind and, if I’m being honest, seems wholly untrue. But you need to know: I’m not a nice guy. I won’t be prick and ignore you, but I’m not super friendly, I don’t smile often and I tend to have the disposition of a rotten egg." He shrugged his shoulder and looked out onto the grounds, taking a drag of his cigarette. "And as much as I’d like to be your friend, my loyalty is to my house, my safety depends on it, as I’m sure you understand." 

He didn’t like being blunt with her, but she needed to understand. Severus snape was not a secret puppy dog. He wasn’t going to present her with daisies or fall magically in love with her: he didn’t operate that way. He enjoyed her company probably more than he even understood, but it didn’t change the fact that he had a history with Gryffindor females, and he wasn’t willing to suffer through that pain again. 

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Mary laughed at the abruptness of the question, shaking her head, "I'm just suffering from a lack of oxygen, a dose of fear, and now, nicotine." The cig trembled slightly between her fingers as she took another long drag, but her thoughts were becoming clear again- no stupid terror to ruin her mind..or at least that was what she thought until someone shouted and she jumped, "Damn it."  Squaring her shoulders, she forced herself to focus on Severus and what he was saying. The question caught her off guard, but her lip quirked up in a shy smile, "Yea, I do. You..listen when I talk, and you haven't started shunning me...and you have cigs, so that's a plus...and I won't let people be ass holes to you if I'm around." A light flush covered her cheeks, "In case you couldn't tell, I'm not so familiar with this friendship thing."

Not all Slytherins [Sev and Mary]

"You shouldn’t be my friend?" Severus asked incredulpously. Surely this girl couldn’t be serious. Had she heard the rumors about him? The things that people had been saying? He was- he was a monster. “Mary, are you on drugs?” He smirked slightly, but the shock remained. He had a hard time believing that this girl legitimately thought that she was “rotten luck”. 

Where has her self-deprecating nature come from? It certainly wasn’t a traditionally Gryffindor trait - he thought bitterly of Potter and his cronies -  but at the same time he also couldn’t imagine her strutting around the courtyard like Mckinnon. Mary was…. definitely something else

"You think we’d make good friends?" Severus was a right mess at this point. Why on earth did this girl want to be his friend?

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"It was something else," Mary agreed, smiling softly, "What about you? Anything fun about your childhood home?"

  "Hm," Remus began. "That sounds like an odd place to live— and er, grow up."

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I keep hearing these stories about people cooking other than the house elves, and I really don't understand how I"ve missed out on all these cooking parties!

  Usually when I go down to the kitchens I’m the one cooking… They love to assist. We swap recipes.

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Mary grinned back at Marlene, eyes alight at the prospect of the adventure before them, "Then, to the trophy room we go." While most people seemed to have serious problems with Peeves, for some reason, Mary didn't. Perhaps it was because when he tried to torment her, she was too busy laughing at him to really take offense at anything he was saying or doing. It must've been annoying not to get the reaction you were looking for. As she started walking, Mary cocked her head curiously,, "Really? I always assumed your common room would be...the perfect place for homeowrk really. I guess I should have known not to listen to stereo types."

  "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Marlene said with a beam. She’d known that leaving her essay with Peeves wasn’t an acceptable course of action, but she’d not been looking forward to dealing with him alone. Marlene’s heart swelled with affection for Mary, so grateful for the girl’s help. Marlene made a face. "Yes, not burned would be good," she agreed. "I left it—and him—in the Trophy room,” she added. “It’s a better place to do my work than the common room,” she said by way of explanation, involuntarily making another face at the thought of her common room.

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"I went down to the kitchens," Mary explained with a laugh, "They're so eager to make people food, so I figured I'd request it." She raised the pizza, grinning, "Cheers!"

  Ooh… —Takes one slice off of the platter, a smile displayed on her face just before taking bite of her slice— Where did you even get this pizza from?