Silvanus Snape
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes!
Severus vehemently put his glass down on the table, angrily kicking the pile of test parchments waiting to be graded. 'Last day of classes, huh? Holidays? And now that! Did Albus have to remind us in the last staff meeting of the school year that Harry bloody Potter is coming to Hogwarts in a year's time?'
He poured himself another whiskey. He didn't drink, beware. No. In fact, he had received said bottle of old Scottish whiskey from Minerva five years ago. It had been his trophy for winning a bet about how many minutes it would take the Slytherin Seeker to catch the Snitch. Downing the half-full glass, he pushed the bottle away. Two glasses was more than enough. He still had his Head of House duties to fulfil and to check if his little snakes didn't leave any of their belongings in the morning.
Noticing that his foul mood hadn't lightened at all by his drink, he retired to bed, seeing the image of James Potter and Sirius Black taunting him in front of his eyes. Suddenly, a thought penetrated his mind. 'I will go and take a look at the boy,' he decided as he drifted off to a nightmare filled sleep.
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As soon as the students had boarded the Hogwarts Express in the morning, Severus told Minerva something about running a few errands and apparated to Little Whinging. Knowing from the Headmaster's annoying talking about the 'saviour of the wizarding world' where the boy lived, he headed straight to Privet Drive, transforming into his snake form as he entered the Dursleys' garden.
'At least they teach him to do chores,' he mused as he observed the boy work in the garden, 'but he looks like the spitting image of James Potter.' In absolute annoyance he watched the boy do his chores, pushing all thoughts of surprise at the child's stamina to work the whole day in the hot summer sun without taking a break to the back of his mind. 'How am I going to bare seeing that disgusting face every day for seven years?' he thought, horrified as a faint idea popped up in his mind, slowly taking over his thoughts.
Suddenly, the boy seemed to have spotted him and left his work for an instant, turning to him. "My, you're a beautiful snake. I've never seen such a pretty green pattern on black ground," he said in obvious amazement and in fluent Parseltongue.
"Follow me, little one," Severus replied and slithered ahead towards the back of the garage, glad to see that the boy curiously trailed along. Arriving behind the garage that saved them from looks from the house, Severus quickly transformed back into his human form, gripped the boy's arm, and apparated away, before the boy could even realise what was happening.
Severus apparated them straight into the parlour of his old home at Spinner's End. From the outside, it was nothing more than a poor Muggle house, but inside Severus had changed it to a huge, magical house, even if it wasn't as big as Prince Manor, his second home. Here at Spinner's End, he only had one house-elf, Sophia, who had already looked after him when he had been a child. He released the boy's arm from his firm grip, observing how Harry curiously glanced around and finally trained his green eyes on him.
"Where are we, sir? This place is beautiful. And why did you bring me here?" the boy asked in a very small and polite voice.
"We're in my home, and here is where you're going to stay from now on," Severus scoffed. "That's all you need to know for the moment. Let me take you to your room.
Before they even reached the staircase, they heard a faint pop, and Sophia stood in front of them, bowing deeply. "Welcome home, Master Severus and his young guest. What can Sophia do for Masters?"
"This is Silvanus, Sophia, and he'll be staying with us from now on. Please prepare the smallest bedroom for him," Severus explained firmly.
"Excuse me sir," the boy spoke up hesitantly, "but my name is Harry. I'm just Harry."
"From now on your name is Silvanus," Severus replied in a dangerously quiet voice. "Do you understand me, boy?"
"Yes sir," the boy replied, throwing Severus a frightened glance.
Sensing that he had spent more than enough time with the brat, Severus strode ahead to the second floor, opening the door to the smallest room in the house. Of course there were enough larger rooms with huge windows and balconies, but for the boy the room with the tiny window had to suffice.
"This is your room," he told the boy, pointing to a door within the room. "Through this door you get to the bathroom. Take a shower and make yourself presentable. Sophia will call you when dinner is ready."
"This is my room?" the child asked, disbelief written over his face. "But sir, you must be wrong, I don't deserve such a beautiful room. I'm only a burden and a good for nothing freak, who deserves to live in a cupboard."
'What is the spoilt brat talking about?' Severus thought but didn't let the surprise show on his face. Instead he queried, "Did you understand what I told you about taking a shower, boy?"
"Yes sir," the child replied, and the disbelief was replaced by an expression of absolute pleasure.
'Oh well, so much about antagonising the boy. I obviously made him happy,' Severus mused. 'All right, I'll have more than enough chances to thoroughly annoy him.' That thought made him feel much better, and he retreated to his Potions lab, knowing he still had an hour left until dinner, which would be enough to brew the potion he intended to make the boy drink at the next opportunity. 'Maybe right away; dinner tonight is as good as any other time,' he pondered as he set up his favourite cauldron.
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Harry hesitantly explored the room. It held the largest single bed that he had ever seen before as well as a desk with a most comfortable looking chair, a huge wardrobe, and a book shelf. Through the small window, bright sunshine was streaming into the room, and he could see a park stretching from the house to a nearby rivulet. 'This place is absolutely gorgeous,' he mused. 'How did I end up here? Did the Dursleys know someone was going to take me away?'
Suddenly, Sophia appeared with a faint pop. "Master Silvanus, you need to take a shower like Master Severus instructed you. Otherwise, he will be very angry. I prepared everything for you in the bathroom. If you need me, you only have to call my name. I am Sophia." With that, the elf bowed and popped away.
'Is this all real?' Harry wondered. 'Am I dreaming or delirious maybe?' Unable to find an answer, he decided to take the shower first. 'The water isn't boiling hot or icy cold as it is at the Dursleys,' he realised, feeling extremely happy as the warm water ran over his body. Only his back hurt a little as water came into the still open wounds of his uncle's latest attack that had taken place the evening before.
To his utmost surprise, instead of his hand-me-down clothes he had left on his bed earlier, he found new clothes. His own clothes were gone. 'Am I supposed to wear these?' Harry pondered; however, seeing that they seemed to be exactly his size, he hesitantly put them on, observing himself in the mirror in absolute amazement.
"Ah, you look much better now than in these rags," the mirror told him, causing him to flinch back badly.
'Do mirrors talk here? This really has to be a dream. It's just too good to be true,' he thought sadly, fiercely pinching his left arm in order to wake up. However, nothing happened, and shortly later, Sophia was back, instructing him to follow her to the dining room.
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Severus impatiently glanced at the clock. 'Two minutes past six. What is the dunderhead doing?' he thought in annoyance, glaring at the boy as he finally entered the room behind Sophia. However, instead of sitting next to him at the only other spot on the table that was set, he hovered behind the table.
"What are you doing, boy? Sit down NOW!" he said, irritated, between gritted teeth.
"I'm not allowed to sit at the table," the child had the gall to reply in a barely audible voice.
"If I tell you to sit down, you will sit down. Do you understand me?" Severus hissed.
"Yes sir," the boy replied, hesitantly slipping into the seat.
'At least he managed to find the correct seat,' Severus mused but was pulled out of his thoughts when dinner appeared on the table, causing the boy to look at everything wide-eyed.
In spite of knowing that the child had to be very thirsty after working the whole day outside on such a hot summer day, Severus had instructed Sophia not to give him more than one glass of pumpkin juice until his bedtime, so that he could be sure that the boy would greedily drink his potion mixed into pumpkin juice right before going to bed that night.
Severus observed the boy eat a few bites, before he pushed his plate away. "Eat your dinner," he admonished him.
"I'm sorry, but I'm full," the boy replied in a small voice, and Severus noticed contentedly that tears appeared in his eyes.
"Go back to your room," he instructed the boy, causing the child to hurriedly stand up from his seat and flee the room.
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Harry returned to his room, glad that he remembered the way. He spent a few minutes looking out of the small window, pondering if the tall man would allow him to go down to the tiny river some time, when his eyes fell on the bookshelf. Several books were waiting to be discovered, and Harry happily pulled one out. 'A Beginner's Guide to Magical Herbs,' it read. 'Hmmm, sounds interesting,' Harry mused, looking at the next. 'A Beginner's Guide to Easy Healing Potions.' Harry skimmed the rest of the books, until he discovered one called, 'An Introduction to Britain's Magical World.'
Totally shocked to discover all the books were about magic, Harry crouched on the floor next to the small window, engrossing himself in reading the last book. The book was so interesting that Harry was startled badly when Sophia appeared with her usual pop, carrying a glass of juice.
"It's time to go to bed, Master Silvanus," she instructed him gently, causing Harry to throw a hesitant look at the bed.
"Am I supposed to sleep on the bed?" he hesitantly asked.
"Of course," Sophia replied, placing the juice on the night table. "You must drink this before you go to sleep," she told him, waiting for his appreciative reply.
"Thank you," Harry said gratefully, feeling very thirsty. He hurried to the bathroom to get ready for bed, only to discover light pyjamas on top of the bed as he returned to his room. He quickly changed his clothes and slipped under the covers, gulping down the juice, before he lay down.
'Oh no! They poisoned me,' he realised as his body exploded in pain.
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Severus smirked as he observed the boy enter the dining room for breakfast. 'He looks much better; thank Merlin, now he won't remind me of James Potter all the time. However, he still has Lily's eyes,' he mused, unsure if he should be pleased or annoyed by the fact. He closely studied the boy's face, not noticing that the child merely pushed his food around the plate instead of eating. 'His scar is gone!' he suddenly realised in excitement, pondering the matter for the remainder of breakfast. 'Probably the dark magic in my blood caused by the Dark Mark interfered with the connection between him and the Dark Lord and destroyed his scar,' he finally decided as he finished his breakfast.
"Eat your toast," he admonished the boy, finally realising the child hadn't eaten anything.
"I'm not hungry," the dunderhead had the gall to reply, causing Severus to grit his teeth.
"If I tell you to eat, you will eat. Do you understand me?"
"Yes sir," the boy replied as a small shiver shook his body.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Severus queried, suddenly becoming aware of the beads of sweat that were building on the boy's forehead.
"I'm fine," the child said quietly, obviously trying to keep himself from shivering.
With three steps Severus strode around the table and firmly placed his hand on the boy's forehead. "You're burning up! How dare you tell me that you were fine," he spat, glaring at the boy, who cringed under his stern look.
"Follow me," he instructed the child, striding ahead to the boy's room. "Lie down." Noticing that the boy sighed in relief as he lay down, curling up on his side, Severus called Sophia. "Bring me a thermometer and a fever reducer please," he instructed the small elf, causing the requested items to appear on the night table mere seconds later. He stuck the thermometer under the boy's tongue and gently gripped his wrist to feel his pulse, noticing that the boy looked at him in surprise.
"Thirty-eight point two, you have a fever and will stay in bed for the moment. Sit up, so that I can give you a fever reducing potion," Severus instructed the child, glad when he gulped the light green liquid down without complaining.
"Thank you, sir," the boy said, throwing Severus a surprised, but grateful look, "for checking on me and giving me medicine."
"It's normal people do so when their child is sick, isn't it?" Severus sneered, causing the boy to shake his head.
"No, sir. No one ever did that for me," he muttered quietly, causing Severus to frown.
"Do you have any idea what causes your fever? Are you in any kind of pain?" he queried in a slightly friendlier voice.
"No sir."
"Very well, I'll be back to check on you later on." With that Severus left the room, heading to his lab. 'Thank Merlin that I went to Hogwarts last night and told Albus and Minerva I suddenly had to take my son in because my former wife died,' he thought. 'Maybe I'll have to call Poppy to let her check on the boy, if he still has a fever later on.'
During the rest of the morning, Severus brewed several potions, which he had promised Madam Pomfrey for the hospital wing. However, he couldn't help wondering what could be wrong with the child. 'He behaves completely different from what I expected,' he mused, 'not at all like his father, at least not so far, but he still has James Potter's blood in him, even after taking the blood adoption potion.'
Around noon, he returned to the boy's room to check on him, hoping that he wouldn't have to wake the brat. 'There is nothing worse than a dunderhead just after waking up,' he knew from his experience with his little snakes at Hogwarts. Knocking at the door, he immediately entered the room. To his surprise, the boy was lying on his stomach, deeply engrossed in one of the books that he had asked Sophia to place into the boy's room, 'A Beginner's Guide to Easy Healing Potions.'
"Open up," he instructed the boy, sticking the thermometer under his tongue.
"Cag I ak dodi..." the boy mumbled around the thermometer, causing Severus to throw him a menacing glare, checking the thing was still in place.
"Shut up and wait until the reading is finished, otherwise we'll have to start all over again," he admonished him, deciding to speak to the brat while he was forced to be quiet.
Severus pulled the chair from the desk over to the side of the bed, and took a seat. "Like I told Sophia yesterday, your name is now Silvanus Snape, and due to the blood adoption potion you drank last night, you're now my son. You must not tell anyone your former name."
Taking the thermometer back, he frowned. "Your fever is still going up. I'll call Madam Pomfrey. She is the Mediwitch at the school where I'm a professor, and she'll be able to help you."
"Sir," the boy queried, "what am I supposed to call you?"
Severus remained pensive for a moment, before he replied, "For now, you may call me 'Professor' or 'Sir'."
"Professor," the child spoke again in a small voice, "I don't think it's necessary to call someone. My relatives never took me to a doctor, but it always went away by itself when I was sick."
"Silvanus, your relatives might be dunderheads, but now you're living with me and I'm responsible for you. Therefore, you will receive proper medical treatment," Severus replied firmly and stood up, crossing the room with a few long steps.
A few minutes later, Severus returned with an older woman in tow.
"Hello sweetie, I'm Madam Pomfrey," the Mediwitch greeted the boy warmly.
"Hello, I'm Silvanus," he replied shyly, only to back up in fright as Pomfrey pulled her wand, waving it at him.
"Is he not used to magic?" the Mediwitch queried, shooting Severus a surprised glance.
"Ah, you know, my wife was a Muggle. Maybe she never told him," Severus replied thoughtfully.
"Magic?" Silvanus asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, sweetie, you and your father are wizards, and I am a witch. Now, I'm going to use my wand to check what's wrong with you. Is that all right?"
"Of course," Severus replied firmly, causing Silvanus to throw the kind woman a still frightened yet appreciative look.
Pomfrey waved her wand at the child, frowning. "Severus, what happened to him?" she asked sternly. "His whole body is covered with bruises and welts, and those on his back are badly infected.
"My uncle," the boy began in a small voice, causing Severus to interrupt him.
"As far as I know, she sometimes left him with her sister and brother-in-law, and they seem to not have treated him well."
"Not treated him well?" Pomfrey raised an eyebrow at her colleague. "He is abused, Severus. Do you have Murtlap cream?"
"Yes, I just brewed some this morning along with several other potions for you," Severus replied and called Sophia, who brought the requested cream in the blink of an eye.
"Sweetie, stay on your stomach and let me take a look at your back. This cream will make you feel much better," Poppy said, turning to the boy, before she pulled his covers back and waved her wand at his T-shirt, letting out a loud gasp at the sight of the child's back. "This uncle must be worse than your father was, Severus," she muttered darkly as she gently began to spread the cream on the infected wounds. "I'm sorry, Silvanus, but you'll have to stay in bed until your fever is completely gone, and you may not take a shower or a bath until I tell you otherwise. I'll come back to check on you tomorrow."
After gently covering the wounds with gauze, the Mediwitch straightened and followed Severus out of the room. "I can see myself out," she said softly. "Be nice to the kid. He is such a cutie."
"Thank you, Poppy," Severus replied, deep in thoughts, and returned to the boy's room.
"You heard Madam Pomfrey. Stay in bed. I'll check on you later on. If you need something, call Sophia."
"Thank you, sir," the boy replied with a genuine smile on his face.
'That kid is strange,' Severus mused in confusion as he stepped into his study for the afternoon. 'I set up my most intimidating expression I normally use for Gryffindor dunderheads, and he smiles at me and thanks me. I obviously failed completely in my attempt to make his life miserable.'
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Two days later, Silvanus was finally allowed out of bed. He had spent the time reading, enjoying himself thoroughly.
At breakfast, Severus admonished the child harshly. "Did no one teach you any table manners?"
"No sir, I'm sorry, but I wasn't allowed to sit at the table. Could you please teach me?" Silvanus replied in a soft voice, taking the wind out of Severus' sails.
"Sit straight and keep both hands on the table. Close your mouth while you chew."
"Yes sir."
'I can't win with this child,' Severus thought in exasperation, quietly finishing his breakfast. "Remain here for a moment. I made a schedule for you," he said firmly. "You will do chores either in the garden or in the Potions lab between breakfast and lunch. After lunch, you will spend an hour of quiet time in your room, and after that, you're going to study. I shall teach you for an hour, and afterwards you will do the homework that I assign until dinner. After dinner, you may stay in your room and do as you wish. Your bed time is eight o'clock. If you're through with the books in your room, you may ask Sophia for more. You're responsible for keeping your room tidy. Do you understand me?" he queried, expecting the boy to protest about his chores, studying time, and bed time.
However, Silvanus showed him a genuine smile. "I'm allowed to study the whole afternoon? Thank you so much, sir. I read two of the books in my bookshelf, and they were so interesting; I'd love to know more about Hogwarts and about Healing Potions."
"Very well," Severus replied, sighing in exasperation. "Today, you will assist in the Potions lab and clean cauldrons for me."
"Yes sir."
'Oh well, he definitely is used to doing chores,' Severus realised quickly, noticing during the first week that the boy managed to do all of his chores in the lab and in the garden in a fast and perfect way. 'Just like his father, good at everything,' he thought in annoyance. 'Even the Potions studies he seems to like.'
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'It's like a paradise here,' Silvanus often thought when he went to bed in the evening. 'The chores are harmless compared to those at the Dursleys, the professor is much nicer than Uncle Vernon, I'm allowed to read and study more than half of the day, and when I was sick I didn't have to do chores but was allowed to stay in bed. He even fetched someone to make me better. Plus, I get food three times a day, and I can eat as much as I want. I love to be here.'
However, one question always remained, which he was unable to answer. 'Why am I here, and why did the professor give me the potion, so that I resemble him, and why did he even change my name? He behaves like a real father. He checked on me when I was sick, and yesterday, he even called me in from my chores in the garden when it began to rain. At the Dursleys, I always worked in the rain.'
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Severus had a different problem. 'Does the boy know when his birthday was?' he mused. 'Self-centred as he is, he'll surely know. However, what does he expect for his birthday?' On the guardian papers, which he had filed with the Ministry, Silvanus Snape's birthday was stated as August 20th, 1980, three weeks later than his real birthday. 'Well, I'll just wait if he says something. More pressing is the problem of what to do with him when I have to return to Hogwarts.'
Severus finally decided to leave the boy with Sophia for a year, when something happened that made him reconsider the matter. July passed and to Severus' surprise the boy didn't lose a word about his seemingly forgotten birthday. Severus continued to treat Silvanus like one of his Gryffindor first year students, but the boy remained polite and behaved as if he felt being treated like a prince. So far, he had never asked why Severus had taken him in, and the Potions Master was extremely grateful. 'How in the world could I explain my reasons? I didn't even think properly before abducting him,' he mused. So far, he had even avoided taking the boy to Hogwarts; although he could tell Albus and Minerva couldn't wait to see his fake son. 'Well, a tiny part of him is my son,' he consoled his bad consciousness.
One morning, only three days before Severus had to return to Hogwarts in the middle of August, he woke up feeling outright ill. His throat was extremely sore, his whole body ached, and he had a terrible headache, 'and probably a moderate fever,' he assessed his condition as he dragged himself out of bed and into the lab to down a Pepperup potion and a fever reducer.
Unfortunately, the potions didn't help at all, and while Severus was sitting at the breakfast table over a steaming mug of tea, watching the boy wolf down his toast, he decided to brew a batch of the flu potion right after breakfast. Unaware of the fact that Silvanus was observing him in concern, taking in his deeply flushed cheeks that looked even darker in his absolutely white face, he looked up startled when the boy suddenly spoke up.
"Professor, are you feeling well?" he asked in concern, raising an eyebrow at him in a very Snape-ish manner.
"I merely have a bit of a cold, but that should not be your concern," he hissed, shocked at how hoarse his voice sounded. "You will help me prepare some ingredients this morning," he continued as firmly as possible, ending up in a coughing fit.
"Yes sir," Silvanus replied softly as his eyes began to twinkle happily, although he was still watching the man in concern.
Severus rarely let the boy prepare ingredients. After giving him a few Potions lessons and noticing that he obviously enjoyed brewing together with him, he had decided to let him scrub cauldrons or work in the garden and leave any help with the brewing process as a special treat or reward for some time.
An hour later, Silvanus had prepared all the ingredients, proficiently as Severus had to admit, and had proceeded to handing him the respective ingredients right in time. 'He is very adept at Potions,' Severus noticed, 'probably because of my genes.' Suddenly, a bout of dizziness overcame him and he had to hold on to the table to steady himself.
"Sit down, Professor, I'll finish this," Silvanus said in a gentle voice.
'Does the dunderhead expect to be able to brew the flu potion without having brewed anything before?' Severus painfully cleared his throat. "How would you know how to finish a third-year level potion?" he croaked in disbelief, causing Silvanus to smirk.
"Last night, I finished the second-year book, and Sophia brought me a new book. The flu potion was the first potion I studied this morning before breakfast, plus the recipe is laid out on the table. Don't worry, sir; it's no problem. My aunt taught me to cook when I was three."
Severus let himself sink on a chair, observing in absolute amazement how the boy brewed a flawless potion. "You are very adept at brewing," he couldn't prevent himself from commending the child in awe.
"Thank you, sir," Silvanus replied as he bottled the potion into small phials. "I think you should go to bed, sir; you don't look well," he said softly, gently steadying the professor as they walked up the stairs.
While Severus changed into pyjamas, which afforded a lot of energy, Silvanus hurriedly left the room only to return instants later with a thermometer as well as a wet cloth, placing both on the night table along with the phials he had brought from the lab.
"Here," the boy told him, holding the thermometer out for him, and Severus grudgingly closed his lips around the ice cold thing. While they were waiting, the boy sat on the side of his bed, gently bathing his hot face with a cold cloth.
'Feels good,' Severus thought, unconsciously leaning into the cool touch.
"40.6," Silvanus gasped as he took the thermometer back. "Professor, are you sure that the flu potion will work, or should I ask Sophia how to call Madam Pomfrey?"
Severus sighed. "I believe that it's the wizard's flu, and the potion should work. I'll ask Sophia to bring me the next dose in four hours, and it should be gone within forty-eight hours," he whispered in exhaustion.
"All right. I'll stay with you and give you the potion every four hours," the boy promised and gently helped Severus to sit up, pressing the phial against his lips.
'Thank Merlin it tastes as if I had brewed it myself,' was Severus' last thought, before he succumbed to the potion and drifted off to sleep, unaware of the fact that his adopted son remained at his side the whole night, studying the third-year potions book, bathing his flushed face every now and then and waking him up in time for his next dose of potions. He merely noticed that Silvanus was always there when he felt his potions wear off.
Only after the second night when he felt considerably better, Sophia was there to check on him. "A very fine son you have, Master Severus," the elf told him in a soft voice. "He spent forty hours at your side, trying to make you feel better. But a while ago I sent him to bed. We don't want him to fall ill as well now, do we?"
"Of course not," Severus replied, dazzled. "I'm sorry; I didn't know that he was here all the time."
"He was, but he was dead on his feet when I sent him to bed, and he only agreed because your fever broke during the night. I offered to take turns with him yesterday, but he wouldn't leave your side," Sophia said softly. "He is very much alike you, Master Severus."
When Severus woke up the next time, Silvanus was sitting on a chair next to his bed, completely engrossed in his potions book.
"Silvanus," Severus whispered, causing the boy to look up, startled.
"Hello Professor, how are you feeling?" he queried, glancing at his wrist watch.
"Much better. Thank you so much for looking after me," Severus replied hesitantly. 'I feel so bad for what I did to him, but on the other hand I'm beginning to feel proud of him. It's just as if he was my real son and not the one of my archenemy,' he mused, averting his eyes to the bed cover.
"Professor?" the boy pulled him out of his thoughts, causing Severus to throw him a startled look. "Sophia instructed me to make you eat some soup," Silvanus explained, holding a bowl and a spoon out for him.
Severus obediently ate a few spoonfuls, before he handed the bowl back, lying down in exhaustion.
The boy carefully adjusted a cold cloth to Severus' forehead, before he sat down again and spoke up in a soft voice. "You'll probably be well enough to get up tomorrow morning. Sophia told me that you were going back to Hogwarts tomorrow and she was going to teach me during the school year."
"That's what I planned," Severus replied thoughtfully. 'Maybe I should take him with me and teach him potions. He is brilliant, just like I was at that age. He really is my son now.' He let out a few harsh coughs, rolling his eyes as the child threw him a concerned look. "Would you perhaps like to accompany me to Hogwarts and stay with me during the school year?" he offered, slightly hesitating.
"Really?" the boy queried in obvious excitement. "I'd love to come with you, sir, and I promise to stay out of your way, sir."
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During the next hour, Severus instructed his adoptive son what he was supposed to say if anyone enquired about his history, his mother, his birthday, and other personal topics. Silvanus agreed to everything, before he finally asked in a quiet voice, "Why, sir?"
"Why?" Severus queried, raising an eyebrow.
"Why did you take me from the Dursleys and adopt me, sir? I mean I'm really glad that you did, I'm very happy to have a father, I just thought..." He slowly trailed off.
"For now it will suffice to say that I'm glad I did so, and as to the reason why, I'm going to explain at a much later time."
"All right, sir; I think it's time for your next dose of potions anyway," Silvanus replied calmly.
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In the morning, Severus felt much better, even if not completely well yet. To his surprise, he noticed that he was getting excited about taking his son to Hogwarts. 'He is my child now, Lily's and mine, and he is a boy that I can be proud of,' he mused as he downed another dose of the flu potion.
"Professor, are you really well enough to go to Hogwarts today?" the boy asked in concern. "You're still running a slight temperature, and you don't look very good."
"Of course," Severus scoffed, regretting his tone immediately. "Before we move to Hogwarts, however, we need to make a trip to Diagon Alley to buy proper clothes for you."
"You're in no condition to go to town," Silvanus replied firmly, "and you already bought clothes for me when we went to Diagon Alley last month."
"We didn't buy proper school robes," Severus contradicted. "Let's go right away, as long as I'm under the influence of the potion. Meet me in the parlour in ten minutes."
"All right."
"I take it you already had breakfast?" Severus added as an afterthought.
"No sir, I waited for you. I thought we could have breakfast together," Silvanus replied softly. "But you're right; we should go first, so that we'll be back before your potions wear off."
Forty minutes and a visit to Madam Malkins later, the two Snapes were back. "Sophia will collect your robes later on," Severus told his son. "She'll also prepare our luggage. I intend to leave as soon as she returns with your robes, since I need to attend a staff meeting at Hogwarts at two o'clock. If you wish, you may accompany me, so that I can introduce you to my colleagues."
"I'd like that, sir, but I think you should rest a bit before we go, if possible," the boy instructed him, and Severus felt his body completely agree to the suggestion.
He went back to bed, sighing in relief as he lay down. 'I wish we didn't have to move today,' he thought. 'I hope the boy looks so much like me that everyone believes him to be my son. What if anyone recognizes who he is?' he mused, feeling the heat creep through his body. Instead of getting some much needed rest, he worried if it was the right decision to take the boy with him to Hogwarts.
"What have you been doing, sir?" Silvanus scolded him lightly as he checked on him. "Your fever is much higher than in the morning. Can't you tell the Headmaster that you're not well enough to move to Hogwarts today?"
"No," Severus replied shortly and called Sophia, asking the elf for a fever reducer and a headache potion.
Twenty minutes later, Severus motioned his son to step into the fireplace together with him, and the two Snapes took the Floo to travel to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
"Minerva, Albus, this is my son Silvanus," Severus greeted his colleagues, feeling the effects of the fever reducer nullified as he noticed the Headmaster and his Deputy throw his son disbelieving looks.
"My, who would have believed that you have such a gorgeous son?" Minerva finally voiced her surprise, before she turned to the boy. "Hello Silvanus. I am Minerva McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts."
"Thank you, Professor," Silvanus replied politely, remembering Severus' instruction how to address his colleagues.
Minerva spoke with the boy for a few minutes, questioning him about his past, while the Headmaster made small talk with his Potions Master.
"I believe that it's time to head to our quarters in order to be back in time for the staff meeting," Severus finally said, causing Minerva to turn to him, letting out a gasp.
"Severus, are you feeling all right? You look outright ill."
"I am fine," he replied indignantly. "I just recovered from the wizard's flu." Seeing that Silvanus opened his mouth to contradict, Severus threw him a menacing glare, mouthing, "Shut up."
"Silvanus, your father is very stubborn," Minerva smirked, causing Severus to glare at her.
"What would make you believe that Silvanus was different? He is my son."
Minerva chuckled. "Well, Severus, you can hardly deny that, whatever situation he gets himself into. He looks like the spitting image of you, except for his beautiful, emerald eyes."
'Lily's eyes,' Severus thought, looking proudly at his adoptive son. "Very well," he said aloud. "I believe that I should show my son our quarters before the staff meeting. Would it be all right, if he joined us?"
"Of course, my boy," the Headmaster replied gently, offering Silvanus a lemon drop, which the boy politely declined.
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The two Snapes quietly walked to the wing, where the teachers' quarters were situated. "There are two ways to get to our quarters," Severus explained as they went, "one is here through the teachers' wing, and one is through my office, which you'll find in the dungeons. I'll show you the way another time."
"All right, sir," Silvanus replied, looking around with interest.
A stern looking man greeted them from the portrait guarding the entrance door. "Salazar, this is my son, Silvanus," Severus introduced his son, before he gave the password, "Lily."
"Who is Lily, sir?" Silvanus queried, smirking.
"Your mother," Severus replied shortly. "The Headmaster asked the house-elves to add a room for you. Let's see if it's already done."
He crossed the living room, stopping dead in his tracks as he noticed that Silvanus wasn't following. The boy was still standing at the entrance door, curiously glancing around. The living room was a circular room with huge bookshelves that covered the walls. A sofa and several comfortable seats were arranged around a large fireplace, and a magical window was switching between views on the lake, the Quidditch pitch, and the road to Hogsmeade. At one side of the room was a small table with the pattern of a wizard's chess set, on which the chess pieces were always ready to be played with. Severus often played chess with Minerva on Sunday mornings, and he resolved to teach his son how to play at the next opportunity.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir," Silvanus suddenly said, apparently noticing he was waiting for him.
"The black door leads to my bedroom, the purple one to the bathroom, and the green one to the lab. The blue door is new and has to be yours," Severus explained, noticing terrified that his voice still sounded hoarse.
"Thank you, sir," the boy replied enthusiastically as he opened the blue door. "This room is absolutely gorgeous. It's very similar to my room at home, though."
"Well, considering that all your books and clothes are already in their proper place, Sophia must have been here," Severus said matter-of-factly. "If you ever need her, you can call her. She can pop in and out Hogwarts at anytime. Now I believe it's time to head to the staffroom. You better take something to read with you; it might take a few hours."
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Three hours later, Severus was sitting in the staff meeting, absentmindedly watching his son read the fourth year Potions book. His potions had worn off a while ago, and although he was nearly over the flu, he still didn't feel overly well. He had tuned out the Headmaster's talking about new curriculums and other Ministry inventions long ago and was startled, when Minerva suddenly addressed him.
"What did you plan to do, Severus?"
'Oh no! What was the question?' Severus groaned inwardly as he brought both thumbs to his head to massage his temples in a faint attempt to get rid of his headache. "I'm sorry, Minerva, I must have missed the first part of your question," he replied in a small but firm voice.
"The question was what you planned for your son to do during the upcoming school year. Did you think of hiring a tutor for him, or were you planning to let him attend first year classes, or..."
Severus sighed. "I'm sorry, but the decision to bring my son here was a very spontaneous one, and we haven't talked about the matter yet. So far, I have been tutoring him, and my original plan was to have Sophia tutor him during the school year. However, Silvanus suddenly decided that he wanted to join me at Hogwarts. There are several possibilities I can imagine. Of course I could hire a tutor for him or ask Sophia to come and teach him. I can also imagine him assisting me in the Potions classroom for a year. He is very adept at Potions and already managed to brew a flawless flu potion for me a few days ago. However, if it was possible for him to attend first year classes, this might be the best solution, provided that Silvanus wishes to do so."
"Each of these solutions is fine with me," Silvanus replied softly. "I'm very happy to be here."
'He looks very pale today. I hope he didn't catch the flu from me,' Severus mused as he once more tuned his colleagues' voices out. He was only brought out of his reverie when Minerva brought the Sorting Hat into the room, placing it onto his son's head.
'Why do they have to sort him now?' he wondered as realisation set in. 'Probably to see if he's already ready to attend Hogwarts. Otherwise the Hat won't sort him but tell him to come again next year.'
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Professor McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on Silvanus head, causing him to frown, since he couldn't see anything under the Hat's large flap.
'Ah, this is extremely difficult,' a thin voice penetrated his mind. 'You have three parents, each of them belonging to a different House. Yes, I know I sorted your mother into Gryffindor, because she convinced me, but originally, she was a Ravenclaw. Your first father was a Gryffindor, and your second father is a Slytherin. I have no idea where to sort you.'
'Ah, please, I don't mind where you sort me, but please sort me, so I can attend Hogwarts.'
'Of course you can attend Hogwarts, silly boy,' the Hat replied and called out, "Everywhere but Hufflepuff."
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"What the..." Severus blurted out but quietened as the Headmaster raised his hand.
"Easy, Severus, let me speak to the Hat first." Albus turned to the Hat that Minerva had placed on the table. "Why is it that you can't properly sort the boy? Is it because he is too young?"
"No, I sorted him already. He belongs to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. It's not because of his age, but because of who he is, and that's my last word on this matter."
"Stubborn old piece of cloth gone nuts," Minerva muttered in her Scottish accent, causing everyone to laugh, but Severus agreed completely.
During the next hour, the teachers discussed the Hat's antics, before they finally decided that Silvanus could attend the first year classes together with the Gryffindors and Slytherins and that he could stay in his father's quarters during the school year.
"This decision is not necessarily a permanent one. If you ever change your mind and want to stay in a dormitory, just tell us and we'll find a solution," Minerva gently told the boy, causing him to throw the teacher a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Professor. For the moment, I'm very happy to stay with my father."
"Very well then, let's head to the Great Hall for dinner. As usual during the holidays, I expect all of you to show up for dinner on a daily basis," With that, the Headmaster concluded the meeting, and everyone walked down to the Great Hall.
Severus motioned for Silvanus to sit between Minerva and himself, feeling very self-conscious as he noticed Poppy taking the seat next to him. Not feeling hungry in the least, he took a few pieces of salad on his plate, noticing from the corner of his eyes that Minerva piled a little of everything on his son's plate.
"Severus, are you feeding your son properly? He is very thin," Minerva's voice penetrated his ears.
"Minerva, believe me, Severus is feeding his son better than himself. The child was much worse when I saw him two months ago. He was outright malnourished," Poppy threw in, causing Severus to sigh in relief.
Half-heartedly listening to his colleagues, who were still talking about the Sorting Hat's behaviour, Severus pushed the food around his plate, hoping that dinner was over soon. Suddenly, he heard Minerva admonish his son because he wasn't eating.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I'm not hungry," Silvanus replied in a small voice, causing Severus to throw him a concerned look.
"Silvanus, are you feeling ill?" he queried, noticing the boy's eyes were glazed over and his cheeks were deeply flushed.
"No sir, I'm fine."
"I believe that immediately, considering whose son you are," Minerva snorted, firmly laying a hand on the boy's forehead, before she turned to the Mediwitch. "Poppy, he is burning up."
Poppy leaned over Severus, casting two spells at the boy. "You're very ill with the wizard's flu, sweetie. Let me take you to the hospital wing," she finally said in a firm, but gentle voice.
"No, please don't," Silvanus replied, panicking as a violent shiver shook his body. "I want to stay with my Dad."
'He called me 'Dad', but oh well, that's only because of the fever that he is spiking,' Severus mused, not noticing that Poppy pointed her wand at his head, taking his temperature as well.
"Severus, you're going to bed as well," Poppy told him in a firm voice, before she shooed both Snapes out of the Great Hall and straight to the hospital wing.
Before Severus could protest, he found himself in a crispy white bed in the hospital wing, noticing that Silvanus was sitting in the bed next to him, obediently downing the potions that Poppy handed him. The Mediwitch gently helped him to lie down and tucked him in, before she came to his side, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.
"Severus, my spells tell me that you're having a relapse," she said thoughtfully. "Did you have the wizard's flu?"
"Yes, but I'm fine. I might have overdone it a bit today, because we had to go to Diagon Alley to buy school robes for Silvanus," Severus admitted in a small voice, realising terrified that his throat was beginning to hurt again.
Poppy sighed. "You overdid it too much, Severus. You have a setback, and let me warn you. You will remain here until I allow you to get up. You don't want to give your son a bad example now, do you?"
Severus merely contented himself to throw his colleague and friend a menacing glare, causing the Mediwitch to chuckle. "I'm sorry to tell you that your glare isn't very impressive coming from your glassy eyes." She handed him a phial, watching in amusement as her colleague followed his son into a much needed healing sleep.
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It was a few hours later that Minerva entered the hospital wing to check on her youngest student and his father, noticing terrified that the small boy seemed to be captured in nightmares. She sat on the edge of his bed, knowing that the preventive potion, which Poppy had forced her to drink earlier, would prevent her from catching the flu. Gently bathing his hot face with a cool cloth, she was just about to wake him up, when she pulled her hand back, listening in confusion.
"No, Uncle, please don't, I'm sorry for being a wizard, but please..."
"Yes, I know there's no magic, I'm Harry Potter, only Harry, a freak and a burden to everyone..."
"Harry?" Minerva gasped, throwing her friend a disbelieving look.
"Let me wake him up from his nightmare," Poppy replied calmly, gently shaking the boy's shoulder.
"Harry?" Minerva queried, "Are you Harry Potter?"
"Yes," Harry mumbled, sleepily rubbing his eyes, before he sat up with a jerk. "What? No, of course not, I'm Silvanus Snape," he hurriedly corrected himself.
"Very well then, my boy, go back to sleep. We only woke you up because you had a nightmare," Poppy said gently, quickly spelling a fever reducer laced with a sip of calming draught into his system.
"Oh well, he's probably much better off as Silvanus Snape," Minerva quietly said to Poppy as they watched the boy peacefully drift back to sleep, resolving that no one would ever hear the boy's secret from them.
The End