Jacob accepted the hand offered to him and stepped onto the harbor. The bat rubbed against his cheek and then took off. A moment later the tiny snake hissed from his hiding place that was just inside his cloak next to the wand.
:Hessss gone to his mate, but he promissssessss he’ll be watching over you...asss will I.:
“Firs years this way!” said the giant man holding the lantern. Jacob was right behind him.
Ambrosial landed next to Stella and kissed her on the cheek. “Shall we join the crowds Milady?”
Stella grinned and excepted his arm before he led her to the Slytherin table.
Harry and Darcy grinned at them. The happy couple graces us with their presence. You almost missed the sorting.”
Stella sighed melodramaticly as Ambrosias helped her into her seat. “Parish the thought! We’d never miss such a momentous occasion!”
Aubrey rolled his eyes as both vamps took their seats. Darcy was in his own world, for there at the Ravenclaw table was Hermione, who was now looking at the entrance hall were the young first years were shuffling towards the front where the stool and hat now sat.
Harry saw this and nudged Darcy back to reality. He started for a moment and then blushed. Harry rolled his eyes as the sorting began.
Jacob could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He didn’t want to be apart from his rescuers! As each name was called he got more and more nervous.
What if he got sorted into Gryffindor! Then no one would be there to help him! He started rocking on his feet as panic started to take him over. Just then he felt his familiar licking his wrist. He looked down as the little snake wrapped around his wrists hissing soothingly at him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Mason, Jacob?”
The Muggle-born looked up before shuffling towards the stool. The moment the hat was on his head, a voice spoke in his ear.
“You need not fear me young man. I’m a magic hat. I’m only here to sort you.”
Jacob nodded silently.
“You’ve an average mind but lots of potential and desire to learn more. Ravenclaw would be my first choice. Yet, your attitude and demeanor shout Slytherin. Your ability toward speaking Parcelmouth would never be understood by the other students. Therefore you’d thrive in the house of Snakes.”
“I want be in Slytherin, that’s where Aubrey and Darcy are. I’d feel better with them...even though Hermione is very nice to me...and shes in Ravenclaw.”
“I see your point. Very well, Better be SLYTHERIN!”
Jacob grinned in relief before putting the hat on the stool and running over to the Slytherin table where he sat next to Harry.
Up at the staff table, Severus sighed in relief. At least his sons could look after the boy, he didn’t know what would have done if he’d gone to another house.
Minerva gave Severus a look. “I didn’t know you you cared so much for children. Is there something I should know?”
Her fellow teacher nodded and then cast a non-verbal privacy spell. “He’s got special needs. He’s not mentally incompetant but he may have difficulty taking information in and retaining it. Now that he’s in my house, I’ll be able to assist him."
The lioness nodded and filed that bit of information in. “Why wasn’t this mentioned during the staff meeting this morning?”
Severus was quiet. "No idea. My guess would be that the headmaster feared Mason would be treated like he was mentallyretarted...so instead of explaining it to us in detail, he just glossed over it and then sent me to retrieve him. Lucky for the boy, I read his file just before my sons and I left for our holiday. He has what the muggles call autism. We must be vigilant and keep an eye on him, Jacob may tend to be easily overwhelmed by too much going on at once. If he does, he may need to be taken outside the classroom for a few minutes to calm down. If things get bad enough, you can summon Harry to come assist. Though I doubt it’ll get that bad.”
Minerva nodded. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Severus only nodded and canceled the spell. Minerva was the only teacher on staff that he ever trusted with such personal information.
While all of this was going on, the sorting continued. The girl that had mocked Jacob earlielr was sitting on the stool. For the first time, Harry got a good look at her. She was a bit taller then him and had straight blonde hair with a haughty expression. Her blue eyes were looking at him with disdain and it was such that he found himself all but burrowing himself into Harry’s side.
“GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry smiled and put a comforting arm around his charge and then withdrew it as the last student was sorted. Once Dumbledore rose to his feet every eye was on him. Jacob listened intently as the warning about the forbidden forest was given and about the parts of the castle that were off limits to student....but his ears perked up when the headmaster waved his arms, said some funny words and then just like that, food magicly appeared before him!
His eyes widened and he looked up at Aubrey. “Is all this for me?”
Aubrey chuckled. “Eat your fill, but try not to overdo it. Professor Snape will provide stomach soothers after the feast.”
That was all it took for him to dive in.
As they ate, Harry heard a soft his in his ear.
:that unsssavory girl might be trouble...bewaresssss: :I know....I haven’t missssssed anything...ssssshe remindssss me of another Gryffindor who thinkssss I’m evil becausssse I sssspeak to ssssnakesss.: :Parsssel mouth issss a gift....not everyone can sssspeak it: Harry nodded.
:Itssss beacusssse Voldemort can ssspeak it.: Emme hissed loudly making several students next to him jump.
:That evil one makessss usss all look bad. The ssssoner he’sss dead, the better: Harry could only nod as the snake went silent.
Beside him, Jacob closed his eyes savoring the food. He’d never had food this good!
When the welcoming speech was done and the students dissmissed for the night, Harry and Ambrosias walked with Jacob between them with Darcy and Stella following from behind them. Jacob felt much safer now then he’d done before. He thought he might even begin to enjoy his lessons.
That is until the girl from before whom he learned was named Leslie Fielding appeared. She was speaking loudly to another first year.
"Did you see that boy from Slytherin? He was practically rocking back and forth...though I don’t know why they let that retard in this school...I guess we’ll have to put up with him till the men in white coats come and take him back to the asylum."
Jacob’s face flushed and he tried to hide in Harry’s robe. Darcy was ready to say something when Ginny showed up walking beside the rude first year and grabbed the back of her robes. The girl spun around and looked up with trepidation at the older girl with fiery red hair. “I would watch my mouth around here if I were you. Making fun of another student that has done nothing wrong to you brings shame on our house. If you keep it up. I will tell the nearest prefect. Am I perfectly clear?”
Leslie wasn’t to be intimidated. "Why should I listen to you? You’re not a prefect.”
“But I am.” Hermione said as she stood next to Ginny. "I have excellent hearing, Ms Fieldling. And what you said was abominable. 20 points from Gryffindor.”
That was enough to make the girl blush and hurry away. When she was gone, Harry flashed Ginny and Hermione a grateful smile and then ushered Jacob the rest of the way to the dungeons. Ginny smiled back at him and then walked with Hermione out of the hallway.
Jacob breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed once again feeling the reassuring squeeze on the shoulder Harry gave him. "Don’t worry I’m going to look after you. If you have any more problems you can tell us.”
He flashed a grin at his protectors.
This school might not be so bad at all. When they got to the common room, Harry and Ambrosias sat on a couch with their adopted cousin sitting between them. They all looked up when Snape’s office door opened and the proud man appraoched with his cloak billowing out behind him.
Jacob chuckled softly to himself. Harry noticed and put a hand over his charges’ mouth. Severus only looked at him and then addressed his house.
"For those of you just starting out, welcome to Slytherin house. Before you all proceed up to the dorms, I wish to lay down a few ground rules."
"Slytherin is a proud house no matter what other students may say. You will do well to conduct yourself accordingly. We are a family here and we will all strive to study hard and look out for each other. Starting tomorrow, every one of you first years will submit to a yearly exam in the hospital wing. This in non-negotiable.
For all of you first through third years, there will be a mandatory curfew. I will do a head count every night at precisely 10 pm and if I find anyone of you out of your beds, you will be given detention.”
The same rule applies to everyone else. For all of you older students, the curfew will be midnight. During the night, none of you will be permitted to leave the dungeons unless it’s with me. Should any one of you become sick you will find me or a prefect and you’ll be escorted to the hospital wing."
"Lastly, as your head of house, I will hold you all accountable for your grades. There is no excuse for any of you to get poor marks. Should any of you need help in any of your classes seek out help from the older students...during school hours my office is open to all students."
“That is all, you may go to your dorms now.”
Once all the students were gone, Snape exhaled softly and turned to his bedroom. It would be a long night. When he got in, he closed the door and pulled out the letter he had received earlier from his pocket and smiled.
He disrobed and changed into a comfortable set of Muggle sweatpants and sat back in his wing backed chair. A moment later, he opened the missive and with a private grin he read the message.
My dearest Severus,
I have returned to Hogsmead and taken up my job at the Three broomsticks. While away in Ireland, I found I had come into a rather modest inheritance which includes a small manor not far from Hogwarts. I would have come and greeted you today but that I was not quite settled into it. So much to be done to make it livable! But, perhaps this weekend you can come for a visit so we can make up for lost time. Much has happened during our trip to reunite with our clan. When you come for a visit, I will tell you all about it.
Yours forever,
Bridgett.
Severus smiled closed his eyes as a cup of tea was brought to him. Life was definitely looking better for him and his sons.
To be continued...