The three fates watched as the balance between good and evil started to lean towards evil.
"We must rebalance the scale," Past observed.
Present then advised, "The Eight need to be reborn."
"So they shall, we will spread them through the next two generations," Future whispered, as she wove their powers through time.
"Rebalance of the powers will happen and the death of the Dark Lord will happen," they intoned in unison, frowning as the scales tipped farther to evil.
~.~.~
September 1, 1971
Severus Prince Snape watched as all the parents hugged and kissed their children goodbye. At eleven years old, he knew not to bother feeling sorry for himself. That his home life, with his muggle father, who hated and beat him and his pureblood mother, would make him different in the pureblood elitist society. He knew he would find his area of study and excel in that, whether he had friends or not.
The door to his cabin opened and in stepped an eleven year old with patched robes. The boy sat across him and smiled. "I am Remus Lupin," the boy said as he reached his hand out in greeting.
Severus looked at the hand before shaking it with his own, "Severus Snape."
Remus smiled, "What house do you think you'll be in?" He pulled out a book on Charms.
"I believe it will either Slytherin or Ravenclaw," Severus said, as the train started to leave the station. He looked questionably at Remus, who had opened his book. "Don't you want to wave to your parents?"
Remus looked up and glanced sadly out the window, "No, they have already left."
Severus pulled out his own book in potions and sat back to read as their door opened to reveal two more boys, one with should length black hair and one with a black rat's nest and glasses.
"Do you mind if we join you?" the bespectacled boy asked. Both Remus and Severus nodded and the boys joined them. "I'm James Potter and this is Sirius Black."
Remus smiled, "I'm Remus Lupin and Severus Snape."
Sirius sat next to Severus, "Of all the houses, I hope I don't end up in Slytherin."
"What wrong with Slytherin?" Severus asked.
James shrugged, "Sirius doesn't want to follow in his family's footsteps. They are all from Slytherin and they give the house a bad name. I believe Sirius and I will be in Gryffindor."
Remus nodded, "I think either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor."
Severus looked out the window, "Either Ravenclaw or Slytherin."
Sirius looked at his year mate and realized like him that his home life probably made him believe that nothing is right or correct for him. Putting his hand on Severus' shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Even if you go into to Slytherin, we will find a way to be your friends."
"But not in public, especially if you are in Gryffindor," Severus said in a soft voice.
James shook his head, "Even in public." Severus perked up and smiled softly.
The other boys looked at Severus and frowned. They made it their mission to stay friends with Severus no matter what.
~.~.~
Entrance Hall, Hogwarts
"I am Professor McGonagall, your Transfiguration teacher," a stern looking witch said at the front of two massive doors. "You will soon be sorted into your houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. While you are here your house is your family. Any triumphs will earn you points, as any ill behavior will lose you points. Please follow me." She turned and the two doors opened.
Remus nudged Severus and pointed up, "Look at the ceiling." Both boys looked up and marveled at the night sky.
Severus relaxed, "Cool."
James and Sirius just smiled and followed their new friends.
McGonagall turned and stood next to a stool with an old hat, "I will call you up one by one. Black, Sirius."
Sirius gave a nervous laugh and walked up to the stool. McGonagall put the old hat on his head.
"Interesting mind. I see a lot in you that your choices will either guide you to the side of good or bad. Keep to your promises and be true to your friends and you will do great. Your bravery and courage against your family is what defines you," a voice said in in hat, before the brim opened up and yelled, "GRYFINDOR."
The table with red and gold clapped and welcomed Sirius to the table.
Several minutes and students later, "Lupin, Remus."
Remus walked slowly up to the stool and sat down. The brim of the hat fell over his eyes.
"Your bravery for accepting who you are and your courage to stand up and be different will define your life and make you stronger. Your friends will help you on the way. The dark one, Cassiel, will be with you for all time, Uriel," the hat spoke before it yelled, "GRYFINDOR."
Remus jumped from the stool and joined Sirius. He knew he would have to search the name that the hat called him, realizing that whatever it was had to be important. He smiled from seat at Severus and James.
Minutes later, "Potter, James."
James nervously went up to the stool and sat down. McGonagall looked at him with a slight smile and put the hat on his head.
"Ah, the next Potter heir. You are just the same as your predecessors, brave and strong, yet stubborn and foolish. You will bring into the world the next master of light while forging long lasting friendships with Uriel and Cassiel. Follow your heart and you will do well in this life," the voice said before yelling, "GRYFFINDOR."
James took off the hat and tried to think of who could be the light lords out of his new friends. He joined Sirius and Remus and looked to Severus who stood with his head down.
'There is no way I will be in Gryffindor and they won't want to be friends with me once I am in Slytherin,' Severus thought as McGonagall called his name. Dreading the results, Severus moved very slowly to the stool.
"Cassiel, you will bring about the peace that is so deserved by humanity and your mate will help you balance life, the good and the evil. Be strong and believe in those who are around you. I have faith in you. Your life so far has made you cunning and smart. You will do well in your trials," the voice whispered before opening it's brim and yelled, "SLYTHERIN."
Severus stood and as he walked to the table where majority of the older students sneered down at him, he thought about what the hat told him. It would give him some to research. He knew he had seen the name before. They knew he was a half-blood, but maybe this Cassiel thing would make him unique. His life was officially over.
James, Remus, and Sirius watched as Severus was segregated with the rest of the non-pureblooded students were put at the end of the table near the teachers and ignored by the purebloods. At that point they vowed never to let Severus be alone.
~.~.~
Severus followed the rest of the Slytherin students down to the common room. The older students sneered and walked fast almost as if they were trying to lose the non-purebloods who were in the back.
Once they were in the common room, a tall blonde stood in the center of the room and started to speak, "I am Lucius Malfoy, a fifth year prefect and behind me are the fifth, sixth, and seventh year purebloods. We are in charge of Slytherin house. If you are not of a pureblood status, you are not to ask us for any help. Though,you are required to be the best no matter what. Earn your points and don't get in trouble. Finally, you are not to hang out or be friends with anyone from the Gryffindor house." Lucius stared right at Severus when he said the last statement.
Severus stared right back before sneering. Lucius didn't scare him; his father was more frightening when drunk. Lucius looked back at him with a calculating look and nodded to the boy to his right. Severus narrowed his eyes and knew that he needed to learn all he could about Lucius sooner rather than later.
~.~.~
Lucius went up to his room thinking about the new first year, Snape. He had seen him hanging out with the Black and Potter heirs, who were powerful in their own right. Snape would be someone to keep track of over the next few years.
~.~.~
Severus was up before any of his dorm mates, showered, dressed and going out the door before the first one stirred. With his head in an advanced potions book, he missed seeing Lucius and a few of the older Slytherins.
Bellatrix Black sneered, "Looky, looky what we have here. A half-blood firsty."
Severus' head shot up and he saw the five older Slytherins. He tried to walk quicker and leave the common room but there were two blocking his path.
"You are a disgrace to wizardry, Mudblood," one of the tall dark haired boys stated, looking down his nose at Severus.
Severus chuckled darkly, "You are stupid not to know my family history. I am a Prince heir. You must be a LeStrange, there is something slow in your eyes that matches your father, who I had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting in Diagon Alley."
"Rabstian, stop," Lucius said, as the dark haired youth started to stalk towards Severus. "He is correct. I knew who his mother was and he is powerful whoever his father is. Are your parents that far gone not to teach you anything or are you as slow as Severus says?"
Rabstian stopped and looked down to the floor, "Our father has forgotten the old ways and the old families except those who he works for. Mother was committed to St. Mungos for trying to kill him." He could not lie to Lucius no matter who was around, not if he wanted to keep his place
Lucius nodded already knowing that, "Now, Severus, this is Rabstian and Rudolph LeStrange, Bellatrix Black, and Walden McNair. Welcome to Hogwarts. Remember what I said about Gryfindors."
Walden and Rudolph moved out of the way of the door and let Severus pass. Severus quickly made his way towards the Great Hall and spotted his childhood friend, "Lily."
The red headed witch turned and smiled, "Severus, I was wondering if I was going to see you before we started classes. I am sorry I couldn't find you on the train." They hugged before turning to enter the Great Hall. There were only a few in the Hall from Ravenclaw who ignored the two students who sat down at the Gryfindor table. Professor McGongall and Professor Slughorn came down the aisle to the two students.
"Ah, Mr. Snape, you belong at the Slytherin table. Here is your schedule," Professor Slughorn said, before heading back to the Head table.
McGonagall just shook her head, "Mr. Snape, you are welcome in the morning before the other students come in. For your safety against the older Slytherins, please be back at your table as the other students start to come in." Nodding to Lily and handing her a piece of parchment, "Miss Evans, your schedule."
James, Sirius, and Remus walked into the Great Hall and saw Severus sitting with one of their year mates with their heads together going over two pieces of parchment. Severus looked up and saw his new friends before getting up and going over to the Slytherin table.
James sat across from the red headed witch, "Do you know Severus?"
"Yes, Severus and I grew up near each other. My name is Lily Evans," she said, extending her hand.
"James Potter. This is Sirius Black and Remus Lupin," James said, as Sirius sat next to him and Remus sat next to Lily.
Lily looked at the three boys, "You aren't planning anything against Severus, are you? It wouldn't be very nice."
Sirius shook his head, "I was thinking of a prank war against Slytherin as a whole, but Severus is our friend and nothing will change that."
Lily nodded and started to ask the boys questions about what they knew about Hogwarts and the classes that they had though Remus was the only one interested in discussing the classes
Sirius and James just shook their heads and dug into the breakfast.
~.~.~
"Severus."
Severus looked behind him and saw Lucius coming down the corridor, sighing he turned and asked. "What do you want, Malfoy?"
Lucius sighed, "I am impressed with how you handle the older Slytherins."
"And?" Severus looked at Lucius with confusion. This is the leader of the Slytherins and next in line to receive the dark mark.
Lucius touched the first year's shoulder, "I do not want to join the Dark Lord and I am doing everything not to go down that path. I wish to help you while I am still here. If you will let me."
Severus looked into the older student's eyes and nodded before replying, "Thank you."
~.~.~
Lucius sighed as he reread the letter from his father. It was telling him about the arranged marriage to the first year Narcissa Black. He was to inform his wife–to-be and to begin courting her. His father's only wish was for Lucius to carry on the Malfoy name with a pureblooded witch and to join the Dark Lord. Neither was on Lucius' list of things to do with his life.
A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts, "Come in."
The door opened and Severus entered, "I wanted to ask you a question. I heard something mentioned and I know I read about it but I can't find it."
"What is it?" Lucius asked, still rereading the letter.
Severus continued, "It was the name Cassiel."
Lucius sat up in bed quickly, shocked, "Where did you hear that?"
Severus shrugged, "Do you know what it means?"
"Yes, it has something to do with a legend about the Fates' ruling eight. They are said to be archangels in human form," Lucius said, pointing to a chair for Severus to sit. Severus sat down and looked at the floor. "So are you going to tell me where you heard that?"
Severus looked up, "The sorting hat called me Cassiel and it said, 'You will bring about the peace that is so deserved by humanity.' I tried to look in the library, but I cannot find anything."
"There are some in the Restricted Section, but I will bring some from home that have more information," Lucius said, standing up and sitting on his trunk. "Did the hat tell you anything else?"
Severus nodded, "It said that my mate was Uriel."
Lucius smiled, "The Angel of Peace and Harmony with the Angel of Transformation. Both have affinities to the Earth. Cassiel is the Speed while Uriel is the Light. Once you reach your majority you are to learn more from the Fates. I wonder who the others are."
"You said there are eight," Severus said, looking up at Lucius.
Lucius nodded, "Yes, there is Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Zadkiel, Ariel, and Metatron. Michael is the Strength, Protection, and Truth. Gabriel and Zadkiel are the communication for balance. One is usually light and the other is dark. Raphael and Ariel are the Healers. Metatron is the Leader and Guardian of the Tree of Life."
Severus nodded, "Thank you for the information. I will be interested in the books you are bringing back after Christmas.
~.~.~
Christmas was an interesting affair for those who stayed. They had to avoid the group of pranksters that seem to be able to hit everyone, including the Headmaster who was transformed into a mismatch of all the house colors and when a student came up to talk to him, the colors would glow that student's house colors.
Severus had good fun helping with the pranks, but was preoccupied with what information would be in the books that Lucius was bringing back from home.
"Knut for your thoughts?" Remus asked, having followed Severus up to the Astronomy tower.
Severus jumped, "A little warning next time, Remus." He turned to look out over the snow-covered forest. "Only a knut?"
Remus chuckled, "Okay, so a galleon for your thoughts?"
"See I knew they were worth more," Severus smiled as Remus chuckled. "Just thinking about the future."
Remus smirked before poking Severus in his side. Laughing as Severus moved away from his fingers, "You are a first year, Sev, do not worry about the future until at least fourth. At least you know you will be staying with James over the summer."
Severus, staying as far away from the nimble fingers, "I know, but it is a hard habit to break. I never thought that I would find a place where I fit in and I am happy for the first time in my life. I am afraid that it will all disappear."
Remus moved over and put an arm around Severus' shoulders, "We will always be here for you. No matter what anyone may say."
Severus turned and hugged Remus, "Thank you."
Remus just hugged Severus back until his friend let me go. "Let's go find the others and make sure that they have not gotten into any trouble." As they left the Astronomy Tower, Severus couldn't help feeling that something would take away his happiness, but he realized that he would never be alone.
~.~.~
As Lucius rode the train back to Hogwarts, he thought about the conversation that he had had with his father before leaving.
"Lucius, you are going to be joining the Dark Lord's service as a recruiter while still in school and once you have graduated you will be entering his service as a Death Eater," Abraxas said, calmly sipping his firewhiskey.
Lucius glared at his father, "Sorry to disappoint you, father, but I have no intentions of joining that half-blood Dark Lord."
Abraxas stood, "You will join him or you will die. I can always remarry and have another Malfoy heir."
Lucius shook his head, "You would do no should thing, father. That would disappoint the Dark Lord more and then there would be no more Malfoy line. I am returning to school and I will be back in the summer. Until then." He swept from the room before kissing his mother on the cheek, grabbing his trunk and catching his ride to the train station.
Lucius shook his head to try and dispel the thoughts of his father and the Dark Lord and focus solely on his future. He was a Malfoy and no one would tell him what to do.
Severus greeted him at the top of the stairs, "Hello Lucius, how was your Christmas?"
"Uneventful," Lucius said removing and unshrinking the bag with books in it to Severus. "Here are the books I told you about. Keep them as long as you like."
"Thank you," Severus said, moving towards the Great Hall.
Once Lucius walked in, he couldn't help but join in the laughter at the glowing Headmaster. "Do I even want to know?" Severus smirking just shook his head.
~.~.~
Severus sat and read and reread the passage in front of him.
The oldest of the eight fated will be the one to learn of the identities of the remaining seven as well as their mates. Cassiel and Uriel, Zadkiel and Michael, and Raphael and Ariel are fated pairs. Only Metatron and Gabriel will be mated outside of the original eight.
Michael is known as the Angel of Protection, Strength, and Truth. He has the control over the element of Fire and is known for his temper. His aura is blue and gold.
Gabriel is known as the Angel of Communication as well as Zadkiel. She is the strength of the group and brings power to eight in order to rebalance good and evil. She has the control over the element of Water and is the calming effect of the eight. Her aura is Indigo White.
Raphael is known as the Angel of Healing. He has the control over of the element of Air. He is also known for his affinity with plants. His aura is Green and Deep Pink.
Uriel is known as the Angel of Transformation. This angel is always given the task of living through the prejudices of being a creature of the moon or werewolf. From this, he will learn to control the animal within at his majority and therefore control the beasts around him. He is also the Light of the eight and will lead any of his brethren from darkness to the correct path as well as any of the mates should they be on the wrong side. He has the control over the element of Earth. His aura is Gold, Purple, and Silver.
Cassiel is known as the Angel of Peace and Harmony. He is the angel that all the other angels will come to for balance and correctness in decisions, which will shape the world. He can bring peace to any being or creatures. He has control over the element of Earth. His aura is Black, Bronze, Purple, and White.
Zadkiel is also known as the Angel of Communication. He is what will decide what is righteous with the balance between darkness and light. He will come from a dark family, but with his mate Michael, who is light, will bring the proper balance to magic. He has control over the element of Fire. He aura is Blue.
Ariel is also known as the Angel of Healing and is only one of two angels that have an affinity of more than one element. She will be the speaker for the group hearing from the Fates that which they need to have changed. Before her majority, she will speak in words that no one will understand but Metatron as he will also have the connection to the Fates. She has control over the elements of Earth and Air. Her aura will be Pale Pink and Indigo Purple.
Metatron is known as the Guardian of the Tree of Life. He will protect all who fall within his domain of magic. He is the Judge, Jury, and Execution to all those who disobey their commands. He has control over all the elements of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Spirit. His aura will be Golden White, Violet, and Sea Green.
The main reason they are considered to be archangels are the wings that these fated individuals inherit. The colors of the wings will correspond with the colors of power each one has as well as a matching color to their mates. Metatron's mate will have Golden White, Violet, and Sea Green apparent in their mate, by physical feature and aura. The aura is usually a mix of two colors.
Severus closed the book and realized that he must be the oldest of all of them. He vowed that he would be there to mentor all of his family, for that is what they were, Family.
~.~.~
June 1, 1971, 11:00am, Room of Requirement, Hogwarts
It was the end of an uneventful first and all Remus was worried about was telling his friends his secret. He had talked to Albus the day before and the Headmaster agreed that his friends were trustful enough to know and if anyone had a negative reaction the Headmaster would take care of it. All his friends were smart and he knew once the started going over creatures next year in Defense Against the Dark Arts that they would figure it out. As he entered the room, he laughed as James and Sirius were on the floor wrestling while Lily just watched in amusement.
"Hello, Remus, did you have a nice walk?" Lily asked, as he sat down next to her. He nodded before spelling a cool water sensation on the grappling pair. Remus and Lily laughed as they jumped apart and glared at him.
Finally, Severus walked in, "Sorry, I am late. I had to make a calming draught for the seven years as they all started to freak out about their last exams."
"Here is how we will keep in touch over the summer," James said as he passed out small mirrors. "My dad showed me the spell over Christmas break and I finally got it right. All we have to do is say the name of the person we want to talked to and it will connect together."
Remus started to fiddle with his mirror, trying to compose himself and tell his friends his secret. Standing, he walked over to the window and sighed, "Guys and girl, I have something I want to tell you but I don't want to ruin our friendship and I am afraid that you will hate me." Tears were forming in his eyes as he whispered, "I am a werewolf." The silence which followed made Remus flinch.
James looked at everyone else, "Is that all?"
Remus's head snapped up and he stared at his friends who were all smiling.
Lily snorted, "Severus and I figured it out around Christmas and once we had told James and Sirius, we all decided that we would wait until you told us, but that we would have your back." She walked over to Remus and hugged him hard. Remus clung to her and cried. Everyone came over and joined in the group hug until Remus had calmed down.
Severus smirked, "And I found the potion that will help us learn our animagus forms. It should only take me the summer especially since I am staying with James for the summer."
"We should head back to our common rooms," James said, "Severus, we will see you tomorrow on the train."
They all left in their separate directions hoping the summer would feel short so they could be together again.
