Brainstorming, Plot Ideas, and Story Help
It might not be a wizard culture thing but it does work as a Slytherin thing.
In my fic the whole dynamic is painted a little differently though, it's an AU where SWM never happened and Lily and Severus never had that clear break-off. They are still technically friends but are not on good terms because they are siding differently. Severus and the Slytherin group are sort of good friends, or at least he sees them that way. Severus is more of the bottom of the totem pole and they still mostly view him as inferior because of his blood status, they can also be a little mean to him sometimes too. (He's almost like the Pettigrew of the group, the uncool kid who they let hang out with them) Severus who's been abused doesn't even think much of it because toxic relationships are sort of his norm. (Lily doesn't treat him the best either)
The whole thing is going to be a bit more sympathetic towards Slytherins and much less black vs white/ Good vs Evil. He's going to be very conflicted about changing sides to save Lily because at this point it's his seventh year and he still believes in Voldmorts core ideals (Like getting rid of the statute of secrecy) and is still full of ambition and wants to gain power. But ultimately he sacrifices what he wants and what he believes in to save her because letting her die is not something that he can live with.
Then I want a whole thing of him spying and feeling super conflicted and guilty because he's betraying his Slytherin friends. He also sees that bad things are happening on the Order side of things as well but after seeing first-hand how insane and power-hungry Voldemort is he ends up truly believing that Voldemort needs to be fought and realizes how much he hates pure-blood supremacy.
I think the best way to figure out how this would play out is first to characterize Mulciber, Avery, and Wilkes. Can you give some descriptions of them?
Ok, so I'll start with Wilkes. Cannon doesn't state Wilkes's gender so I went ahead and made her Felmale. She is always hanging out with her male friends and she's dating Evan Rosier (Who she does refer to as Evan, but currently in my fic everyone else in the group calls him Rosier) Rosier is a year older and not at Hogwarts anymore so their relationship is long-distance currently, and so far he has been mentioned only.
Wilkes is sort of bossy but also playful and sarcastic. She and Mulciber have this banter going on between them and she calls him an ass all the time but they seem to be good friends. She's the one in the group that probably dislikes Severus the most. She's very big on the whole mudblood thing and hates that he still hasn't completely written off Lily. She can't wait to leave school so she can join her boyfriend in the fight.
Mulciber likes to flirt but isn't the best at it because he is an ass. Might come off a bit sexist at times. He's sort of crude and doesn't mind the idea of killing or making dark jokes about it. He's a Quidditch player and he's known for being ruthless on the field.
Avery's is more like good friend material at least in the way he treats people. He's more thoughtful and nice to his friends. He's a little quieter and on the geeky side. He loves dark magic though, and finds it exciting and fascinating. His dad is an OG Death Eater too so it's been written in the stars since he was born that he would be a Death Eater and he's not the type to question those sorts of things.
Also to add the relationship between the group. I've written some fun scenes of them just hanging out, like them eatting Bertie Botts Every Flavored beans together and just have a fun time watching each others reactions whenever someone gets a nasty tasting one. Over all they banter and make jokes back and forth. Avery in particular plays the part of concerned and thoughtful friend from time to time, although Severus never opens up to him about anything and would not vent to him if he was having a hard time.
Okay cool, I can sorta imagine the dynamic between the four; I could see Wilkes as the de facto leader due to not only her ties to Rosier, but also her personality overall. Mulciber seems like the muscle of the group, someone Snape respects for his perceived strength. I feel like, of the other three, Snape would have the hardest time betraying Avery.
I think you hit the nail on the head with all of that. The funny thing is I added Wilkes as an afterthought and she just walked in and took over the position of leader of the group.
So what would you say? Should they use last names? Or should it be first names?
Depends on status and circumstances. I think Wilkes, Mulciber, and Avery would use last names when Snape was involved, but not when it's just the three of them; it could be a way to remind Snape of his place in the group.
I think Wilkes should call him Snape because she dislikes him the most in the group. He would be rude and snarky against her so he'd also call her by last name.
Avery seems the type to get along with Snape and should call him Severus.
Mulciber is also in the trio of Snape's Slytherin gang and he should be on first name basis with him and vice versa.
Rosier seems like a distant senior unlike Lucius so he and Snape should go by their last names with each other.
I'm glad you found my input useful, @namesakesnake!
Personally, I think it'd be better if they referred to each other by first names (agree with @naaga that you should keep last names for Wilkes). This would make Snape's reluctance to betray the Slytherins sound even more believable.
As to how to do that... I agree that only using first names would separate the characters from their canon selves. You can have Snape use their first names in direct speech, but make the narrator refer to them by their surnames. This can be tricky if you're using close 3rd person POV and the narration can be interpreted as Snape's own thoughts. So if you're finding it unconvincing that he's using first names aloud but last names in his head, you can keep to only first names and occasionally mention their full names. "Edmond Avery was waiting for him in the entrance hall." That way you're reminding the reader that Edmond and Avery are the same person.
You can also use Lily for that. She tends to use full names. She refers to James as 'James Potter' and to Mary Macdonald as... well, 'Mary Macdonald'.
One last suggestion... Maybe they've created nicknames from their surnames? So it's still close to how we know them from canon, yet feels more personal. Ave for Avery or something like that. I can't really think of anything good, but perhaps you're better than me at coming up with names lol
Now I've actually got to settle on first names for them lol.
