Start of Term Notices: For returning Hogwarts students please proceed to read. For those readers not returning, however, please be warned that this is the THIRD fic in a series. If you have not read the other two, you will very likely get completely lost, which would be very bad. Just click on my pen name above to link to the other stories. The first is "Snape's Student Sage" and the second is "Sage and the Prophecy of Merlin." If you are a new reader, please give this a chance, you may thank me in the end.

ENJOY ALL

Disclaimer: Potter ain't mine.

ASSERTION: SAGE SNAPE IS MINE. STEAL MY NAME FROM ME AND ALL HE WILL BREAK LOOSE!!!!

Chapter 1

Musings

As quickly as everything had come, there was nothing left in the wake but doubts, and everyone felt it undeniably. Especially two black-haired, light skinned young men.

Harry Potter was the worse off wizard of the two. The luck of his wand core was not something that escaped him that easily. Nor was Cedric Diggory's fate, for that matter. Harry now had another scar from an encounter with Voldemort, but this one held an entirely different meaning for him. While the first was a reminder of his mother's sacrifice, the second was a reminder of his weaknesses and the harsh reality of his inabilties.

And now, he was banished from the world of magic for the summer and someone expected him to come to terms with what had happened. Not Sage though... Sage knew that this would forever change Harry Potter, as much earlier events had changed himself.

Sage was sullen and quiet and recuperating, but he had not dismissed Potter, as much as he might have liked to do so. No, every now and again, his thoughts would light upon his wayward cousin. It made Sage grateful to be a Snape – strong and stoney, resistant to the winds of fate. Most of all it made Sage grateful to have an uncle like Severus.

He scoffed when he thought of what Sirius Black could do for Potter. Although Sage was not biased enough or condescending enough to think that Sirius was not a strong or resourceful wizard, he knew one key thing: Sirius Black was a Gryffindor and not a Slytherin.

Severus Snape, on the other hand, was as Slytherin as a wizard could come. That, in and of itself, was valuable in a time of war and subterfuge.

Potter would be prone to deception and Sage certainly would not be. Potter would be impulsive and Sage would be calculating. It would make all the difference.

It was in this mindframe that Sage sat by the lake in cream colored pants and a dark grey, silk shirt meditating. He had been doing it daily ever since he had come back from Lyon Llyonyss the first time and now he felt a duty to do it well. Plus, it was the only way for him to escape and clear his mind. Productivity and asylum, who would have thought?

He had the striking feeling that this year would be how last year should have been, only now instead of preparing for the future, he would be struggling to prepare for the present.



Severus stared across the table at his frowning nephew. Sage was poised, fork in hand, staring at his pork chop as if it were altogether something else.

He finished chewing and raised an eyebrow. "Sage?" He said, drawing the name out with his deep, bass voice.

Sage jerked his head upward, completely jostled, "Sorry, sir, what?"

Severus fought the desire to roll his eyes, such behaviour was hardly characteristic of him.

"Thinking about something?" He queried.

Sage put his fork down and put his hands on the table, sitting back slightly.

"I am concerned," Sage stated simply.

Severus scowled at the boy's brevity, "About?"

"You."

Severus answered frowning, "Me, why ever would you be concerned about me?"

Sage glared at him full-force, which was becoming increasingly more daunting, even to another Snape.

"You cannot go back," he replied, raising his eyebrow testily to accentuate his words.

"It is not for you to say, unfortunately," Severus retorted harshly.

Sage stood up to his full height, which was now also daunting, but not to his uncle who was still a bit taller.

"Who is to say? Dumbledore? He would use you as a pawn! I know what I have seen and if you go you will die. I will not allow that to happen. Whatever I have to do," he growled.

Severus did not even bother getting up where he once likely would have. It was exactly what the boy wanted and he would not give it to him.

"Sit down! And don't take that tone with me. You will learn to control yourself."

Sage grudgingly sat down, huffing and crossing his arms.

"I am in control of myself. I need you to do this, Uncle. I cannot train myself. You don't have just you to think about anymore."

"Do you think I am not aware of that, Sage? Precautions will be taken."

Sage leaned further across the table, "What precautions?"

"That is not for you to know either," Severus answered, taking another bite.

"It is my right to know!"

"Tone, Sage, and it is not your right to know."

Sage's lip curled distastefully at being admonished, but he let it pass.

"Sir, how can you take this so lightly?"

"Lightly? You are mistaken on that. I am not taking this lightly; however, I do choose exactly what I portray to everyone. It's best you learn that."

"Uncle Severus, I cannot afford anything to happen to you." He said genuinely, picking his fork and knife back up.

"I know you cannot and the reverse is true as well, which is why you must concentrate harder this summer and be stronger and more resilient."

"I am and I will, sir."

Severus quirked an eyebrow again, resting both his eyes heavily on his nephew, "Then you have nothing to worry about then. Trust me, precautions will be taken. Even Dumbledore weighs your vision heavily and will not allow me to simply go back. There are other ways, and we will leave it at that."

The last words put the final stamp on it and Sage knew it. He pushed the green beans around on his plate before he finally muttered, "Yes, sir."

"Now, if you would cooperate, I would like these last few weeks to be as comfortable as they can be with Miss Granger's impending visit. Until then, I expect your help in the lab in the mornings and devotion to your training the rest of the time we have."

"You will have it, on both counts... Thank you again," he said, quietly.

"I seriously hope that I will not regret it," he said, a little harsher than he had meant to. Granger wasn't quite as annoying when Potter and Weasley weren't around.

"It is important to me... since I am going to be leaving again." Sage said, looking down ever so slightly, which made his black hair fall around his cheekbones.

"I know it is, which is the only reason why I would allow it. Hopefully this allowance will make you work all the harder while you are gone. I expect no less of you. Need I say that a repeat of last time is completely unacceptable?"

Sage sighed, "No, sir, I've already given you my word, I won't come back this time."

"I'll beat the bloody pulp out of you if you do," Severus said in his death whisper. It was enough to make Sage's hair stand on end.

Severus arched an eyebrow again, "And I'll beat the bloody pulp out of you if you do not conduct yourself properly while you are visiting Miss Granger. Clear?"

"Yes, sir, clear."

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Sage kisses for you!