Albus + Severus + Potter
By I heart Venomous Tentaculas
Albus Potter was in trouble. And not the talk to a teacher and get a detention kind of trouble, oh no, this was the blow up the entire fifth floor boys bathroom kind of trouble. The second year Slytherin was in the Headmistress' office waiting for her to be debriefed by his wonderful astronomy teacher, Professor Sinistra. Really, the potion wasn't supposed to blow up the bathroom, just the one toilet, and no one had been seriously hurt, so there was really no reason to be here. As he sat on the chair that was normally occupied by his brother, James, he looked around the room. It was the second time he had been up here, once when he was nine, because the babysitter ending up having something to do that night and James had gotten in trouble, again. The only difference that Al could decipher was that there where either two new portraits, or that they had been covered at the time. Considering the fact, Albus decided that the latter was the most likely of the two and looked at the portraits very carefully, while attempting not to show that he was interested. It was something every Slytherin learned early in the school year, he had figured out that it would be very good to learn when one of the older students where thinking about pranking the 'ickle firsties'.
And he was missing the last Quidditch match of the year (Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff)! He was supposed to be there, cheering on his brother. Albus personally wasn't in either house or good at Quidditch but he agreed with his many cousins, it was fun- to watch. As soon as the teachers (or anyone else, for that matter) knew that he looked like his father but didn't share his talent on the pitch, they left him alone – usually. But Lily (who wasn't yet at Hogwarts) and James were both amazing at Quidditch, and James was playing chaser.
After he had finished this thought one of the two newer (to him) pictures moved, like he was waking up.
'Oh, hello there. Who are you?' the portrait asked. This portrait had long white hair, a long white beard and was wearing a thick purple robe.
'I'm Al. Al Potter.' The other new portrait snorted, which led Al to believe that he had been awake all this time, and simply faking sleeping. Of course, that was what Al had thought, really, but it was nice to be sure.
'Really, and what did Potter's brat do to end up here?' the other portrait said, without opening his eyes. Al took that time to study him. He had black, greasy hair, and was wearing black as well. His sarcastic demeanour meant he could be no one else, to Al's mind. This was Severus Snape. Which would mean...
'Come now Severus. Do not be that rude. At least look at the boy before you judge him,' the other portrait, Albus Dumbledore, his mind supplied, chastised the darker of the two.
Al remained silent. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, though how, in a portrait, Al wasn't sure.
'Albus, you do realize that I don't need to see him to know what he looks like. Black, messy hair,' check, 'brown eyes,' that was Lily and James, actually, 'Gryffindor,' Slytherin, 'and a perchance for trouble,' well, that was unavoidable. It was in the genes. The Marauders as a grandfather, a grand godfather, and a sort of adopted father (not that Al had ever met Moony, but he considered his son an older brother), Fred and George Weasley as uncles, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom as surrogate uncle and aunt, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley as uncle and aunts, and Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley as parents meant that it was embedded in his skin. Of course, only a year previous had he learned why they were known as trouble-makers.
'I do think you will be surprised,' interrupted Al's mental rambling.
The portrait cracked one eye open. Then both eyes. Then blinked. And blinked. And blinked.
'Shock does not become you, Severus,' Dumbledore commented, his eyes twinkling even more, not that Al knew that that was even possible.
'A... A... A Potter... In Slytherin?' Dumbledore just chuckled.
'Ye... Ye.. Yes,' Al mocked, just a little bit.
'What did you do to the hat? To convince it to put you in Slytherin,' asked Snape sharply.
'He did not Confund me, nor bamboozle me, as I am sure you are thinking,' interceded the hat. It seemed that everything in the office was coming to life. 'He truly belonged in Slytherin. Just as his father could have.' Snape looked outraged.
'HIS FATHER?'
'Severus calm down, you are going to give yourself a burst blood vessel.' Indeed the man seemed to be getting a very deep shade of puce.
'I haven't seen that colour on a person since Mr. Dursley ended up being in the same house as us that one Christmas.'
'Mr Dursley? Are you perhaps referring to Vernon Dursley?'
'Yeah, dad's uncle. He wasn't very glad to see us. Of course, no one in our family was happy to see him, either, but he could at least have pretended like we did,' Al said off-handedly.
'You pretend. Just like your father,' Snape said snidely (try saying that five times fast, thought Al).
'Of course, I don't like being a prat to anyone really, but after you shut my father in a cupboard for ten years and beat him up when he's out of it, you can't really expect me to like him,' Al said. 'But don't tell Mum or Auntie Hermione. They still don't know about the cupboard thing. Actually, dad only told me about it, so if you could just pretend that you didn't hear that it would be much appreciated.'
'Of course.'
Snape merely grunted, which Al, having lived with Flint and Bulstrode took to mean yes.
'What is your name again? I'm afraid that I have forgotten it. One of the problems with growing old, I'm afraid,' Dumbledore asked kindly.
'Albus Potter, but I really prefer Al.' The old man smiled a watery smile.
'Ah, my name is also Albus, though I am sure that your father wouldn't name you completely after me. One of the problems with having a long name. Albus Percival Wilfric Brian Dumbledore.'
'I suppose I shall introduce myself then. Severus Tobias Snape.'
Al looked around as if there was some way that he could not give his name.
'Full name then. Out with it.'
'I highly doubt it could be worse than my name. Do not worry child,' Dumbledore said calmingly.
Al grunted, then, seeing no way out of it, said 'Albus Severus Potter.'
Silence.
More silence.
'I'm afraid that that could possibly be worse than my name, which I had though the worst in a long time,' commented Dumbledore.
'Your father willingly named one of his children after me?' Snape asked shocked.
'Yeah!' said Al, offended. 'Mum was all for naming me after Fred, or someone else, but dad wanted me to be named Albus Severus. So, I guess its okay.'
'Ah, yes. Did you have the brother who once ranted on about your name? Something like 'Mum wanted to name him after someone else, just about anyone else, but then Dad stepped in and was all like 'He was one of the bravest men I ever knew' and, well, what can you say to that? So really, it wasn't Mum's fault, because then Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron backed Dad up, and so he has this horrible name. Not like Potter wouldn't be bad enough! I and Al and Lily had to be named for six of the most famous people of this century! Al can't even have a really NORMAL name, so that he wouldn't stick out as much, but, like me and Lily, dad and mum had to name us after people who are almost as famous as our whole family!',' asked Dumbledore.
'Yes, that sounds like Jamie. He's a prat most of the time but he really does care for us. I think.'
Just then a cheer sounded, and the door slammed open. In strolled Professor McGonagall and she didn't look pleased. Albus gulped.
'Shock does not become you Severus,' she said with a small smirk, before sitting down at her desk. This was going to be a long conversation.
A/N: I finished it! Yay! I've had this on my computer for ages and I haven't figured out how to finish it, so here it is. By the way: Happy Holidays (Ages ago, I know, but like, umm Happy 2055th anniversary of Julius Caesar's assassination on March 15)! And, if you were hoping this was another chapter of 'Dear Mum' Sorry, but I moved and a whole lot of crap has happened lately… And also I don't really have any excuse.