Title: Shanen Dies
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters:
Prompt: MPreg Challenge #44 – MPreg Archives
Word Count: 6,689
Rating: T (Some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.)
Summary: Seventeen years ago Severus had a child. A son he was assured did not survive its' birth… [Severitus]
Author's Notes: …
Disclaimer: I own nothing …
"You must see reason. Even I thought he could be trusted. I went so far as to vouch for him against those who would either use his position against him or arouse unfounded suspicions against him," said the older man.
"I respect your word, I do," the younger replied. "But I cannot believe what it is you are accusing him of."
"Tell me, young man," the older said in a grandfatherly tone. "Has he assured you of his true position in this war?" To that the young man had no reply.
- - -
"My boy, you may think you know better than I on the matter but I assure you it is true," the old man insisted to his former student. "He does not trust you."
"Trust me or not he would never – could never – betray what we have like you claim," the young man maintained. "He would never contemplate turning me over to Ministry authorities for bearing with what I do. He knows too well the value of keeping my condition to secrecy."
"Do you have his solemn oath to keep your secret safe?"
- - -
Deep down neither believed a word the old man had claimed. After the separate meetings with the Headmaster the two had confronted one another and their distrust brought a rift between them. Were it not for the fact they were in the middle of a war they each secretly believed they would have mended their differences. Alas, neither could be aware of just how strong an impact their actions would have on the fate of the wizarding world.
- - -
December 27, 1980 - - Hogwarts Cemetery
Severus sat on the stone bench located near the bottom edge of the small grave in the cemetery that was part of the Hogwarts grounds. He gazed at the miniature rosebush he'd planted with the aid of a single rose and a special charm, the ever-blooming petals of its' flowers a warm dark pink in the frozen setting of late December. He gazed across the headstone, the words upon it bearing the name Shanen Amias René. His feelings of loss and mourning as strong as the moment he'd been made aware of the cruel fate of his precious child. His son – no, their son. His lover and he had separated on no amiable terms shortly before he'd discovered that he himself was pregnant with their first child. He had been both thrilled and depressed by the news. Two months along in his pregnancy Severus had been placed in hiding by Albus Dumbledore.
It had been a difficult pregnancy but Severus had been optimistic and taken all necessary precautions. The child, though unexpected, was greatly anticipated and loved. But, nearing the turn of the summer months, he'd gone into premature labour. He'd been told later by Dumbledore that it had been the stress of it that caused his body to give out. He lay unconscious for two days. Disoriented upon waking he did not immediately realize anything was amiss. Minutes passed before the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry entered the room Severus was lying in. The disorientation soon wore off and Severus instantly inquired after the welfare of his child. Dumbledore patiently, and as gently as he could, explained the horrible news. The child – a boy he was told – had been stillborn. Complications with a condition inherited from one of its parents, he was told.
If asked he would never have been able to tell just how long he sat there in the snow covered cemetery when a Hogwarts house elf popped out of nowhere beside him.
"Master Professor Snape sir," the small creature squeaked. "Master Headmaster Dumbledore is requesting sir's company in Master Headmaster's office at this instant."
"Thank you," he replied quietly, barely sparing the small creature a glance as he reluctantly rose from his seat. "Please tell the Headmaster I shall be with him shortly." The house elf bowed deeply and popped back out of view.
Severus entered the Headmaster's office "Severus," Dumbledore said sternly as the young potions master took the seat in front of him. "Five months I have sat by and watched as you grieved the loss of your son and I have kept my peace with it but it has got to stop." The younger man looked at the Headmaster sharply. "If you continue on this path there will be a second grave right next to that child's."
"How, pray tell, would that be so terrible?" Severus' soft voice asked. "What have I left in this life that holds any meaning, Headmaster? Relief of one's sins is a far distant hope for a Death Eater in times such as these." He sighed and closed his eyes. "My son, an innocent of all crimes, was denied even his first breath while I go on. My lover has gone on to find happiness elsewhere. I am a man broken in heart and spirit, whatever blood I have is draining from what little soul I still possess." He opened his eyes and looked back to the older man. "I would welcome death if only to be with my son." Sighing again he re-closed his eyes. "Then at least I would be relieved of one pang of longing."
"Your debt to me has not yet been repaid, you know that Severus," Dumbledore's harsh voice cut through Severus' self-pity. "For what I have done for you, you owe me more than this. I save you daily from risk of persecution at the Ministry should you be found with the Dark Mark on your forearm whilst Voldemort still walks free and in your gratitude you swore your services as a spy to me. Your foolishness, however, led not only to your involvement with a certain Order member but also to your falling pregnant with said member's child. We were forced to put you in hiding for half a year loosing invaluable information on Voldemort's plans on where he is to move on next only to have our efforts have been for naught." Severus' hands clenched into fists as they rested on the arms of his chair. "I am sorry to be so harsh with you but these are the cold hard facts of the matter. You owe me much more than this apathy."
"You would have me forget my child and his fate for the sake of a service?" Severus demanded fiercely.
"Yes," Dumbledore answered coldly. Severus shot from his seat in shock. "The child is dead, Severus. You can do no more for him. But for other children – those who still live – the information you gather as a spy for the Light we can use to spare their lives so that they may live on. Ensuring their lives is far more important that one dead infant!" Severus felt the shock at Dumbledore's words radiating through him. As they sank in something inside Severus Snape froze and an icy mask fell over his face.
"As ever, Headmaster, you are correct," Snape replied in an even, indifferent tone. "I gave my word and I will fulfill my duties to you. You will find no cause for complaint." He turned and walked from the room. "Good day to you," he said over his shoulder, not bothering to look at the old man.
- - -
Three and a half years later
Remus Lupin watched as Severus exited the graveyard. When he was sure the Potions Master was gone, he entered and deftly made his way to the grave Severus had been visiting. It had a small miniature rose bush growing from it. The small bit of magic he felt radiating from it told him it had been enchanted – probably with an ever-bloom charm. He took careful note of how small the grave was before inspecting the headstone. The name Shanen Amias René was not very significant to him, aside from the fact that one of his older brothers had been named René. Reading the surname, however, sent a shock through his spine, momentarily freezing his blood.
"Oh Merlin," he breathed. "All this time I left him to bear this alone," his voice was forlorn and tinged with regret. Lupin-Snape the surname read. "What hope have I for forgiveness now?" He hugged himself and stared at the tiny headstone of his son. His son. There were no words indicating either date of birth or date of death, just a date. July 31, 1980. His son would have been the same age as Lily and James'. Right down to the day. He remembered not even knowing Lily was pregnant. Then again he'd spent so much time away on missions for the Order that it was no wonder he'd missed it, and he could understand the Potter's wish to keep it secret. As it stood, little Harry would be nearing his fourth birthday while his son lay entombed in the cold, unforgiving earth. He did not realize he was crying until he felt a hand on his cheek.
"You need not hope for forgiveness," Severus' soft voice spoke. "I am equally at fault for what became of our relationship." Remus turned to the other man.
"Do you think it would have been possible, if not for the war, for us to have found a common ground and moved passed it?"
"My lycan, the war is over and here we stand talking amiably again," Severus replied with a tiny grin.
"So we do," Remus nodded. He wrapped an arm about Severus' waist and leaned his forehead against his loves'. "What happens now?"
"That is for us to decide."
- - -
July 31, 1997 – 12:07 AM
It had all been done with very little fanfare and, to Harry's astonishment, was quite anticlimactic. They'd been able to locate and destroy all of Voldemort's horcruxes then quickly vanquish the evil wizard himself. Early in May, the Headmaster had set up a small duel between himself, Ron, Hermione, and Harry. The three of them had been against the old man. Harry felt it a bit unfair for them to be ganging up on him, but he'd put up a fair fight. Ron had been knocked out early – hit with a simple stunner. After a good hour Harry had been successfully disarmed. But while Dumbledore was disarming Harry, Hermione had sent a rather complicated befuddlement jinx at the Headmaster followed by a simple 'accio' spell on the Headmaster's wand, thus ending the duel. As it happened the Headmaster's wand was called the Elder Wand and was more powerful than any wand in creation. Since Hermione had beat Dumbledore in a duel she'd taken over as Master of the Elder Wand.
It turned out that once she'd analyzed the prophecy she'd discovered that there was a loophole in it that very few magical people would have noticed – after all, as she'd pointed out when she was merely eleven: some of the greatest wizards in the world didn't possess "an ounce of logic". It seemed that prophecies were very vague in general and had plenty of room for interpretation. She'd concluded that Harry himself did not necessarily need to be the one to "get rid of" Voldemort, merely that the two would not be able to adequately exist in the world at the same time without causing imbalance – most likely, Hermione figured, due to each of their popularity with large numbers of individuals (since Voldemort's powers, while dark, were definitely a source of popularity). The actual killing – in whatever sense of the world was deemed to fit best – would actually be performed by anyone on the opposing side. She'd shared her findings with Dumbledore and some time later Dumbledore had devised the duel plot.
So when the time came to fight Voldemort, the Dark Lord had been so preoccupied with fighting Harry he didn't notice Hermione behind him until he'd pathetically been taken down with the aid of a simple stunner. Prior to the battle they'd set up what was to happen next. Right on cue Lucius Malfoy – a man who'd surprisingly turned out to be a spy for the light – appeared behind Hermione and threatened her with his wand. As they'd practiced with stunner spells Lucius pointed his wand at Hermione and began uttering the killing curse, and as practiced Hermione ducked and rolled out of the way. The "misaimed" curse then hit the stunned body of the Dark Lord and ended his life. Immediately following this action Lucius grabbed hold of Harry and side-along apparated the two of them just outside the wards protecting Hogwarts while Hermione followed on her own and the three raced to safety where the remainder of the Order had similarly apparated close to the school.
It was strange to Harry not be bound to that horrid house any longer. The moment he'd been officially declared seventeen Harry Potter had magically packed his things and took off from Number 4 Privet Drive. The Knight Bus had dropped him off near the lawn of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, just outside of the wards, and instead of going straight in Harry chose to sit on the banks of the lake, leaning against his school trunk. It was mostly cloudy tonight and he was able to see a few stars through the gaps.
The wind brushed against his face and he inhaled the faint scent of honeysuckle it carried. He closed his eyes and felt the elements around him. He'd never noticed how tangible they were. He figured it was the fact that Voldemort had been dealt with only a mere month and a half prior that allowed his senses to be heightened enough to thoroughly enjoy everything about this night.
He leaned his head back and allowed the senses to wash over him. As he sat there by the banks of the Black Lake he heard something he hadn't noticed before. It sounded like music. But it was unlike any music he'd ever heard before. He didn't only hear it with his ears but he felt it. His blood pumped through his veins to the beat of the melody and his skin tingled. He felt drawn to some unidentifiable force of nature, almost like a lover seduced one into their embrace. His heart beat louder and louder in his ears as he gave himself over to the enchanted tune. The notes rose and fell, and at the peak of the crescendo he opened his eyes and watched as the clouds parted and the perfectly formed sphere of the night called out to his soul. And he knew his life would never again be the same…
- - -
Remus raced through the halls of Hogwarts as fast as his battered body would allow him. It was the full moon last night and he'd stayed the night in the Shrieking Shack – despite the fact that he'd been under the influence of the Wolfsbane potion and there was no need for him to separate himself from others. But last night, the night that his long deceased friend's son turned seventeen, he'd felt the sentimental need to go back to the aged house that had once been their refuge during their time as students. Sirius had accompanied him in the guise of Padfoot – though there was also no need for that as the man was neither in danger of being bitten nor of being arrested since Wormtail had been caught shortly after the battle against Voldemort and Sirius had been acquitted of all charges.
In a strange twist, even with Voldemort gone Dumbledore had still insisted that Harry stay with his Aunt and Uncle until he turned seventeen to ensure his safety while there were so many Death Eaters still on the loose. They'd appeased the old man's fretting by going along with it and soon Harry would be free to go anywhere he pleased.
But this morning, the morning of Harry James Potter's seventeenth birthday, Remus Lupin's mind was on something entirely different. During the night his bond-mate, Severus Snape, had taken a stroll through the Hogwarts' gardens and been attacked. What was strange about the whole situation was that, during the summer, the Headmaster had altered the wards on the school to only admit select persons onto the grounds. A stray werewolf could never have gotten in. Sirius had been with Remus the entire night and the two had never left the Shrieking Shack (Sirius had jokingly conjured up a variety of dog toys and the two had played tug-of-war and keep-away like children. At one point Hermione – whose animangus form was a small snow leopard – had arrived and joined in on the games).
Remus burst into the Hospital Wing, Sirius and Hermione hot on his heels, and made a bee-line for Severus' bed. Madame Pomfrey had healed most of the Potions Master's worst wounds but there was still some smaller damage that she was currently working on. Hermione – who was training as Madame Pomfrey's assistant – immediately began to help the older nurse in healing the man.
"What happened?" Remus asked, shaken at the sight of his lover in an enchanted sleep on the hospital bed.
"As you can see he was attacked by an animal," Pomfrey explained as she took a small break, allowing Hermione to continue alone. "By the bite wound on his forearm it was clearly a werewolf that attacked him."
"But I-"
Madame Pomfrey immediately held up here hand. "Of course it wasn't you, you silly man," she half grinned. "The imprint of your teeth that Severus had taken during one full moon was enough to tell us that. Besides you had taken your wolfsbane potion – a potion not only invented by Severus himself but also brewed by him." The matron eyed him for a moment. "For Merlin's sake, sit down on one of these beds before you fall down."
Remus complied and Sirius took a seat on the chair next to his bed, propping his feet up on said bed. Madame Pomfrey began to check him over for injuries. "What else can you tell us about the attack and the stray werewolf?"
"Judging by the size of the teeth marks this stray werewolf is smaller than you are in your lycan form," she explained. "So it is either younger than you are or just slighter – if that is at all possible," she said in a scolding tone as she examined his small frame. He grinned sheepishly. Suddenly the door to the infirmary was thrown open and all three Malfoys rushed in, a fourth form floating in between them.
"Madame Pomfrey," Narcissa called. "We found this young man out on the Quidditch pitch." The young man in question was laid upon the bed across from Remus. He had a slight form and looked to be on the losing end of a particularly bad brawl. Narcissa covered the lower half of his nude form with a sheet before performing diagnostic charms on him – during her time at Hogwarts she'd proven to be a skilled healer and had aided Madame Pomfrey during the heavy battle periods between the Order and Death Eaters.
"We were unable to figure out who he was," Lucius explained. "But he was so injured that we thought it best to bring him here right away before informing the Headmaster, who is currently at the ministry anyway."
"There's another thing," Draco said as though he was calculating his words. He eyed Remus and Sirius a bit before continuing. "We found Harry's school trunk beside the lake."
"Harry's here?" Sirius sat up straight. Draco reached into his pocket and took out a small rectangular looking box. He set it onto the floor and enlarged it to reveal the trunk with the letters "HJP" on the lid.
"We also found these," he said as he opened the trunk and extracted a pile of torn up clothing. "They were next to the trunk." Sirius shot out of his chair and took the torn cloth from Draco. Madame Pomfrey just managed to keep Remus from jumping up from the bed himself. Sirius was turning the clothing over in his hands.
"I don't understand," he said quietly.
"What don't you understand?" a raspy voice asked. Everyone turned to the bed where Severus was now sitting up in. Hermione had completed the healing of his wounds and woken him up. She handed him a glass of water which he drank from.
"These clothes," Sirius replied. "They're completely shredded but there is no trace of blood." He set the pile onto an empty bed and transformed into Padfoot. He sniffed the clothing and sniffed the trunk. He whined and looked around the room. He paused his searching as a peculiar smell entered his nose. Sniffing the air he concentrated on it.
There were many scents in the air, some of which belonging to the people in the room. The more he thought of it the more this strange scent reminded him of Draco in the way that the young blonde's scent was an intricate mixture of Lucius' and Narcissa's making it into something uniquely different. This confused him because not only was Sirius able to tell that this smell was made up the same way Draco's was, but he was also able to identify where – or from whom – this scent hand originated. Padfoot followed the smells in the air first to Remus, then to Severus, then finally to the unknown person who was still being worked on by Narcissa. He jumped up onto the bed next to the one this person lay on and peered at him with a tilted head. Finally he transformed back into Sirius, still staring at this young man.
"What have you got, Padfoot?" Remus asked. Sirius stared at Remus, head tilted to the side and studied him. "Sirius?" Sirius ignored him and turned his gaze to Severus and did the same thing. He then turned back to the still unconscious figure. "Sirius?"
Sirius opened his mouth and shut it again, crossing one arm over his chest and holding his chin in deep thought with the other. He opened it again and shut it, unsure of how to phrase what was in his head.
"What is it Black?" Severus asked with no trace of annoyance in his voice. The two men had figuratively buried the hatchet years ago when Remus and Severus had bonded. Now that Voldemort was gone the two could publicly act amicably with each other.
"I-" Sirius paused again. "I can hardly tell you," he finally said. "I can barely make sense of it myself." He turned again to the unknown man. He walked closer to him and peered into the man's face. "It's like I know him. But I don't."
"What about Harry's clothes?" Hermione asked.
"That's even more confusing. The scent on them is definitely Harry's, but it's faint. As if he hasn't been near them in hours. Plus there's no sign of blood on the fabric so he wasn't attacked." Sirius transformed into Padfoot once more and sniffed the stranger from head to toe and back again. When he returned to the head he sniffed the hair carefully. He suddenly froze. He knew this scent. He knew the scent of this man. He knew where it came from. He also knew the scent that still clang to the hair. He transformed back into a man and jumped back, nearly tripping over the next bed. "Holy Merlin's Nightcap!"
"What?" the others asked startled.
"Sirius, what is it?" Hermione asked.
"It's- It's- He's- It's-" Sirius stuttered as he pointed at the stranger. "And you!" he whirled around and pointed at Remus.
"What?" Remus squeaked slightly.
"And you!" Sirius pointed at Severus.
"What are you yammering on about Black?" Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Merlin strike me down," Sirius collapsed onto a nearby bed. "I can't believe it."
"What can't you believe, cousin?" Draco asked.
"When did you two have a kid?" Sirius asked staring from Remus to Severus and back.
"What are you playing at Black?" Severus asked darkly, sitting up higher on his bed.
Sirius looked into the eyes of his remaining best friend's bond-mate and levelly replied. "Severus, I'm perfectly serious when I say that you and my dear friend Remus have a child and that that child is currently within the walls of this infirmary."
The room remained in dead silence.
"Our child died, what you say is impossible."
More silence.
"What?" Sirius asked astonished and Severus closed his eyes and let his head fall. Remus sighed.
"I think it's time we told them, love," Remus said. "It's time they learned the truth of our history." Everyone who was still standing took seats on either infirmary beds or chairs as Severus sighed.
"Black, do you remember back in 1980 when word got around that I'd been captured and held hostage by the Order?"
"Yes," Sirius nodded. "We did not know then that you were a spy."
"Shortly before then, Remus and I had been together. We broke up due to meddling by none other than the esteemed Headmaster of this school."
"He convinced each of us that the other was not true in order to separate us," Remus explained.
"Not long after our separation, I discovered that Remus hadn't truly left me after all," Severus looked up. "I discovered that I was pregnant with his child."
"He hid you?" Sirius asked. "Dumbledore, he hid you didn't he? That was why he was so irritated for over half a year, wasn't it?"
"Yes, he did hide me," Severus replied. "He was also displeased with having to do so. It was costing him valuable information on Voldemort. I believe that it was during this time that you Lucius became a spy as well."
"Yes," Lucius nodded. "Though no one knew it at the time and indeed not until last year."
"You said your child died," Draco said. "How?" He asked this so innocently that Severus replied without pause.
"I was seven and a half months along in a rather difficult pregnancy when I went into premature labour," he explained. "I lost consciousness. I asked the Headmaster later what had happened and he told me that I had gone into labour and passed out due to the stress of the pregnancy. It was explained to me that the child had been stillborn due to a condition inherited from one of his parents."
"His?"
"It had been a boy. Dumbledore had taken care of all the necessary arrangements and had the infant buried in Hogwarts' cemetery."
"Hogwarts has a cemetery?"
"We're getting a bit off track here," Hermione interrupted. "Sirius, why are you so sure that Remus and Severus' child is here?"
"Because he is," Sirius stated. "He lies unconscious here before us." Everyone turned their attention to the stranger. Severus stiffly stood from the bed and slowly approached the bed. He stared at the prone figure that lay there. He studied the face of this strange person. The longer he stared the more familiar this person became.
"Where did he come from?" Remus' voice was choked with emotion as he moved to the other side of the bed.
"He's always been here," Sirius softly replied.
"What do you mean?" Severus asked gently as he sat on the bed beside his son. His son.
"It's Harry."
- - -
The small phrase haunted him as he sat beside the still unconscious figure of his long lost son. "It's Harry." Inside, Severus was beside himself. How could he have been so close to this boy all these years and not even known it was his own flesh and blood?
What was he thinking? Of course he couldn't have known. He could never have even suspected. Dumbledore had done a thorough job of convincing him of otherwise. He had long since made peace with the fact that his only child was dead. It may have been the real reason he had been so hard on Harry all this time. Harry had been the exact same age Shanen would have been. Harry had lived while Shanen had not. Severus was jealous and in pain. He knew it was selfish, but he'd actually wished it could have been the other way around at times. Little did he know all this time how much that would have been so had it not been for the intervention of a meddlesome old fool.
Oh, how he hated the old man right now. It was all to clear now just how manipulating the old coot was. The greatest crime Severus felt the old man had committed was making Severus hate his own son, and vice versa.
"You really need to stop beating yourself up about the past," Remus' voice sounded from the chair beside his.
"How can I not?" Severus asked quietly. "My son hates me and I treated him so unforgivably."
Remus took a slow breath. "Love, it will all be forgiven. Trust me."
Severus turned to the other man. "How can you say that as if it is so easy?"
Remus took his hands. "Severus, love, our son is a werewolf," he explained. "As, I am afraid, are you now." He traced a hand over the scarred over bite on Severus' left forearm – in the place where the Dark Mark once had been.
"What significance has this?"
"Individuals who are born werewolves have different abilities than those who are bitten. Lycan-born infants, regardless of whether or not they were inside a lycan or non-lycan parent, are fully aware inside the womb," Remus continued. "They remember from roughly three months into the pregnancy what it was like inside their mother, or in your case father. They can hear what goes on outside their carrier's body. They even remember their own births." Remus cupped Severus' face in one hand. "And they remember everything that happens after." He pulled Severus to him and held his bond-mate. "That is why he has not yet awoken. I don't know what Dumbledore did to him, but our son is remembering what happened to him before that old man did it."
- - -
No one had informed the Headmaster of the news of Remus and Severus' son so he remained blissfully unaware as Hermione researched in the library. Finally she'd found the answer she was looking for. She raced to the hospital wing as fast as she could.
"I've got it!" she exclaimed to the people inside. Sirius and the Malfoys had rejoined the couple and Madame Pomfrey was exiting her office to see what the disturbance was all about.
"You've got what, Granger?" Draco asked without malice. They, too, had buried the hatchet, though this was in face of maturity not necessity unlike Severus and Sirius.
"I know what Dumbledore did!" she said happily.
- - -
It was another day before the young man awoke. When he did it was with some confusion. He was unaccustomed to how sharp his senses were due to lycanthropy. It took him a good five minutes to get used to controlling how to focus his eyes. Luckily his parents had been present when he awoke and his father had been able to talk him through it.
An hour later Severus was pleasantly surprised to be resting against the headboard of the hospital bed cradling his seventeen-year-old son in his arms. His bond-mate watched them from his chair nearby.
"How could you ever forgive me for the way I treated you?" He asked his son, running a hand through the boy's dark-blonde highlighted hair.
"Easy. I wasn't me."
"What do I call you now, my child?" Severus asked his heart for once completely content.
"My name," his son grinned.
"And what, may I ask, is your name?"
- - -
The whole school watched in interest as a strange student entered the Great Hall behind the Head boy and girl at the welcome feast. He hadn't been on the Hogwarts Express and he hadn't come in with the first years, which had already been sorted. Shortly after the feast started the Head boy and girl had left and soon returned with this boy. He was obviously a seventh year. Though no one had ever seen him he looked eerily familiar. The three stopped in front of the head table.
"Welcome to Hogwarts young man," Dumbledore greeted. "I don't believe I have seen you before but you appear to be a student here."
"I am," was all the young man said.
"And in Slytherin."
"Yes."
"How is it you were sorted without my knowledge?"
"I believe I can answer that, Headmaster," Severus replied from Dumbledore's right. Remus sat next to his bond-mate – the recently re-instated Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Dumbledore turned his attention from this strange boy. "I also believe you have seen him once before," Severus continued in a voice loud enough for all to hear. "Allow me to re-introduce my son to you, Headmaster."
The Great Hall went silent.
"Your what?"
"My son, Headmaster. Shanen Amias René Lupin-Snape."
"I believe, Headmaster," Remus spoke up. "You know him better as Harry Potter." Many teachers and students gasped.
"And I believe you are both very much mistaken," Dumbledore practically boomed as he shot up out of his seat. "If you three would please follow me we shall discuss this in my office, away from prying eyes." The Headmaster made to exit the Great Hall when Severus stopped him.
"No I don't think we shall."
"Severus, you would do well to tread carefully in this matter," Dumbledore warned as he surveyed the students through the corners of his eyes.
"I think it is you who needs to tread carefully, Headmaster."
"Severus, my boy, I saved you countess times from-"
"I am very well aware of what you saved me from, Albus," Severus interrupted. "And it has recently come to my attention that there are certain things that I didn't need saving from."
"Now, Severus-"
"You know, I understand that you obviously had to perform a variation of a blood adoption ceremony in order for my son not to appear as though he were my own," Severus spoke evenly as Dumbledore reclaimed his seat. "But what stumps me is that even the best blood adoption ceremony performed by Merlin himself wouldn't be able to subdue a particular genetic trait."
"A trait you were well aware that our son possessed," Remus pointed out. "It was inevitable."
"It is that question that I posed to young Miss Granger here and, clever girl that she is, she was able to procure and answer – in great detail," Severus smirked at the obvious discomfort Dumbledore was experiencing.
"I really think we should save this discussion until we are in more comfortable surroundings, gentlemen," Dumbledore tried one more time but was ignored.
"There exists a rather recently invented ceremony – developed within the last thirty years I believe – that, if performed on a lycan-born infant below the age of two, will actually suppress his or her lycanthropy until he or she reaches the age of seventeen," Severus explained and turned to his son. "Something that is rather hard to hide, wouldn't you say, Albus?" he turned back to the Headmaster. Dumbledore had taken on a far off look. "However, the reason it is not a widely known ceremony is that it would require the use of dark magic. In fact, I have proof that dark magic was used in this case. However, I do concede that not all dark things are evil."
"Have you quite finished," Dumbledore asked in a hushed tone.
"Almost, Headmaster. There is just one thing that needs to be cleared up."
"Even if this ceremony was successfully performed," Remus continued the explanation. "The blood adopted child would be required to spend at least one week of every year with their adoptive parents. Lily and James Potter died when Harry was just one year old. How exactly did you keep the blood bonds active all this time?" The Headmaster sighed. It was done and there was no ignoring the subject now. He ignored the curious stares he received from students and faculty alike. He even wryly took note of the Aurors from Department of Magical Law Enforcement that had entered the Great Hall during the conversation.
"I see no point in denying any of it. No doubt your son's memories have all returned intact," he sent a sideways glance at Shanen who merely rolled his neck and shoulders creating barely audible cracks as his joints popped and ignored the old man. "You may as well know the rest." Dumbledore sighed and told his story. "At five forty-three on the thirty-first morning of July in 1980 Harry James Potter came into the world. He was a small and sickly thing. It was immediately apparent that he would not survive the day. Lily and James so desperately wanted this child, and after he was born the healers discovered she would be unable to conceive any other children.
"A plan begun formulating in my head and I arranged for the infant to be placed in an intensive care ward where no one, not even his parents, be allowed to see him until I got back. I raced to Hogwarts with a vial of labour inducement potion in my pocket. As you know, Severus, the labour inducement potion is both odourless and tasteless. It was as simple as having the house elves pour it along with a comatose potion into your morning tea." On Dumbledore's other side Minerva McGonagall had long since gained an expression of disgust at Dumbledore's actions. The more she spoke the more she felt betrayed by the person she thought was her friend. She could only imagine what Remus and Severus were feeling.
"I called for the healer in charge of the Potter infant and asked him to also bring along a vial of the infant's blood. You see, I had always planned to find somewhere to place your child, Severus. Your services as a spy were just too valuable to lose as you played parent. So I did a blood replacement ceremony – the type of blood adoption that used to be performed when one is literally replacing a child that is or has died."
"That would be the same blood replacement ceremony that was banned in the mid to late nineteenth century?" Lucius Malfoy asked from his seat near the end of the head table.
"Yes. The very one."
"That still does not answer the question as to how you ensured Shanen's true form remained repressed."
"No, it does not. As for how I accomplished that," Dumbledore continued. "I acquired a piece of Lily's heart." Nearly the whole hall gasped at this admission. To remove a piece of a person's body after they have died was, in the wizarding world, considered one of the worst forms of desecration imaginable. "After the reassigned Harry was placed in the care of Lily's sister, I returned and implanted it next to his spine. While the outward effects of his lycanthropy could be repressed his lycan blood was still acidic to foreign objects in his body. The older he got the more the piece of Lily's heart would erode until he reached the age of majority when the last of it would disintegrate. Placing him with Mrs Dursley was a precaution. Through Lily's heart she and Harry were tied together allowing for the protective wards that surrounded the Dursley's home until Harry reached the age of majority."
As the Aurors approached the head table Minerva found her voice and asked a question that had just struck her. "Albus, tell me the truth. Was this the only blood replacement you performed?"
"No. There were many others. Some parents were aware of what I did but most were not. One that I did where the parents were fully aware of it was Percival Ignatius Weasley. He actually died in childbirth. In his case it's the fact that he and Arthur both work in the ministry and cross paths from time to time that keeps his bonds active." With that said Dumbledore went with the Aurors without resistance.
- 30 -
THE END
chapter updated: August 12, 2009
A/N: OMG, I never thought I'd ever finish this! I've had writers block with this fic for well over a year. I could never think of an ending. I had no clue about how to proceed after Remus poses the question "How exactly did you keep the blood bonds active all this time?" Finally, after all this time, I finally found something that I was satisfied with.
Hope you all enjoyed this (whether in part or whole) and look forward to all you reviews.