A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know he isn't of any importance….but some things just need to be explained and coincidence was never a good explanation…so this is my version…with some help from a friend who insists JKR is lying…Anyway, this is a one shot fic….please don't expect any more than this chapter.
Dedicated to: Who else but a Katie Bell….a.k.a., my good friend, Amelz.
The Answer to Many Questions Thy Name is Evans
It was one of the hottest days of the summer and all but two residents of Privet Drive were cooling off in their air-conditioned homes. But this story doesn't take place on Privet Drive. You won't have to travel far. Magnolia Road is right between Privet Drive and Magnolia Crescent. If the road signs had not been there you would not have known the difference. Both Privet Drive and Magnolia Road were filled with square houses and perfectly trimmed lawns. It was here that Harry Potter decided to take his evening strolls everyday of the summer.
On this particular day Harry needed to get as far away from his Aunt and Uncle as possible and these days he couldn't go far. He had promised Sirius and Mrs. Weasley that he would stay with the Dursleys, though he didn't necessarily feel like obeying Sirius or Mrs. Weasley either. He still had no word of what was happening in the wizarding world. The Daily Prophet wasn't revealing any information and letters from Ron, Sirius, and Hermione said nothing of great importance: only that they promised not to say anything and he has to stay with his Aunt and Uncle. So Harry ventured off to find his cousin, Dudley.
Dudley and his gang of miscreants 'went out to tea' everyday, but not surprisingly, they always came home hungry. Harry laughed at how gullible his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were when it came to their Dudleykins. He knew that Dudley and his gang would go out each night and beat up kids younger than they were. The gang would hold them down and Dudley would beat them up. This is what came of Dudley watching so much violent television when he was younger. Tonight Harry found them by the empty swings in the park. Only one swing was in motion. It carried Dudley and every time he swung forward there were shouts of pain and joy, a mix that could only mean one thing: Dudley had found his victim of the night.
As Harry walked closer he saw that one lawn on Magnolia Road was not up to the usual standards. The hose was still running and left a flood over half of the lawn. There were mud marks on the driveway as though someone had been dragged through the mud and down the driveway. His eyes followed the tracks, which ended some twenty feet away from the park. He looked at the house number: 13 Road. He knew this home to be that of the Evans'.
The Evans' of Magnolia Crescent were a silent family. They didn't participate in any festivals or competitions. Mrs. Evans never called on any of the other residents of Magnolia Crescent or Privet Drive. From what Harry had seen he wasn't even sure there was a Mr. Evans. He had always assumed Mrs. Evans was a single parent. Her son, Mark, was ten, and he reminded Harry of himself. He was skinny, but his hair was greasy, and his eyes were piercing. None of the kids at school really liked the Evans kid and sooner or later his mother took him out of school and started teaching him herself. No one ever sees Mrs. Evans anymore and Mark is only seen when he waters the garden. No one knows why he does it. They know the Evans' will never fit in this part of town, but never the less the lawn is watered and mowed everyday.
Harry looked back over at the swings. Dudley had now dismounted and started using Mark as his punching bag. Harry had seen enough. He started to make his way over to the park, but just as he took his first step an owl dropped a letter on his head. He tore the letter open.
Don't get into any trouble!
-Sirius
Harry put the letter away, turned around, and made his way back to Privet Drive. "One more day," he said, "Tomorrow will be the day. Something will go wrong tomorrow. They'll come get me tomorrow." And though his lips were repeating the words over and over again his mind knew the truth. He wouldn't get to see his friends and godfather tomorrow, and thanks to them protecting him he couldn't help Mark Evans.
Mark fought his way home. His lip was bleeding and he was sure he had two black eyes. His stomach hurt like mad. Dudley had more rage than ever tonight. He had known that when he scoffed at him while the gang made their way past his house, but he had been cooped up for so long he just had to have some action. "Mum will be furious when she wakes up!" he thought.
When he reached his home he quickly turned the hose off and then went inside.
Harry Potter yet again needed to escape his Aunt and Uncle. He walked the same way he had yesterday, along Magnolia Road. This time he was watching out for someone. "Number 8, Number 9, Number 10." He sped up, "Number 11, Number 12…" and he stopped in front of Number 13 Magnolia Road. There was the boy, ten-year-old Mark Evans, watering the lawn. There was no flood today and the driveway was crystal clean, as though the mud stains had never been there. Mark looked like himself with the same greasy hair and the same piercing green eyes, but he had no bruises, no black eyes, and his nose showed no signs of bleeding.
"What are you staring at?" asked the boy. Harry was startled. He hadn't expected the boy to talk to outsiders. "I said what are you staring at?" Mark repeated.
"Nothing," Harry shrugged and started to walk off.
"Wait!" called Mark, "I know you. You're name's Potter, right? I remember you from school. Dudley used to chase you!"
"Yeah," said Harry, "yeah." He wasn't used to being recognized outside of the wizarding world. It was the only thing he liked about staying with his Aunt and Uncle; he was a nobody. He started to leave again, but Mark stopped him.
"I just want to let you know," he started, "my dad doesn't have it in for you. He just has a really bad past that he would rather regret having."
Harry stared at Mark oddly. What was he talking about? His father? Harry hadn't even met Mr. Evans. "What-,"
"Mark come inside!" shouted a shrill voice from the front door. Harry turned around. There was Mrs. Evans. She had long, flowing black hair and a kind face, but her voice was anything but kind. "I said come inside!" Without another word Mark Evans turned off the water and ran inside, leaving Harry confused as ever.
The inside of Number 13 was the exact opposite of the outside. The outside was pale and clean. The inside was dark and all the blinds were shut. Everything was a mess. There were strange liquids everywhere and books spread all over the floor. The inside was also much larger then it seemed on the outside. The inside looked more like the size of a small mansion. When you enter through the front door you will see one large, dark room, surrounded by eight doors, all-leading to a separate place.
"Mark, I believe your father will want to speak with you." Said his mother.
"But Mum," argued Mark, "Dad is in his study. You know he never wants to be disturbed there."
"Let me talk to him first. I believe it's time we tell you something." She left Mark and walked toward one of the middle doors, a dark green one.
Mark was alone in the middle room, left to stare at the mess and the eight doors that surrounded him.
The first door to his right was a dark red color and opens up to the kitchen, which is blood red with pewter countertops. In place of a stove there is a huge cauldron with a fire lit beneath it. The second door is a dark blue color. This is his room. Inside everything is the same color as the door outside with the exception of the moving posters on the wall of different people on broomsticks. The third door is a dark purple, but the inside is just as bright as the exterior of the house. The room is a nice beige and has different pictures of flowers all over with books on the desk that have a moving figure with the biggest, whitest smile you have ever seen. The fourth door is a dark brown and if he stepped inside it would be as though stepping into a garden. This is the greenhouse where a variety of strange plants are grown.
The first door to his left was black as ebony. Inside is the common room, which is also black with dark gray furniture. A small fire roars at the end of the room. The second door is a dark yellow and inside is his study. This room has shelves filled with books that no Muggle has seen before. In the corner lies a black broomstick with the words 'Nimbus 2002' written on the handle. The only light that shines in the room comes from the aquarium-like container that holds a long, black snake. The third door from the left is a bright orange color and inside is the room where his mum and dad sleep. The room itself is also a dark orange and one side of the bed tilts as though the person from the other side is almost never there. The last door is a dark green, and until this moment Mark had never been in the room.
The door opened and his mother came out. "Mark," she said, "your father would like to talk to you." She opened the door wider to reveal the room's contents. It was also dark green, like the door. Two desks sat with so much parchment you couldn't see the desk itself. Like Mark's room there were posters, but instead of Quidditch players there was a man on them with a phrase under the picture: Have you seen this wizard? There were different people in each picture and only one was recent. That was the picture that came out only two years ago. It was of Sirius Black. The others had names like Bellatrix Lestrange, Barty Crouch, Jr., and one without a picture that had the name He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the corner there was a cauldron that bubbled and right above was a cabinet with potion materials. And sitting at the desk, dressed in black robes with the same greasy hair as Mark, sat his father, Perseus Evans, more commonly known as Severus Snape.
"Your mother tells me that you were talking with Potter today." He started, his mouth barely moving,
"Yes, sir," replied Mark.
"And she also tells me that you told him I do not 'have it in' for him and that I just have a really bad past. Is this true?"
"It is sir," Mark said, trembling. He hadn't realized what the consequences of his actions might be.
"Sarah," he said, turning toward his wife, "Can you please go inside. I would like to talk to Mark alone."
Sarah Evans looked at her husband, nodded, and walked out the door, closing it behind her.
"Mark," said Snape, "It's time I tell you the truth about your relations with the Potter boy and my relations with his mother."
Mark didn't say a word. He just looked at his father, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. His father rarely spoke to him, let alone tell him anything about his past.
"When I was born I was given the name Severus Snape, as you well know, but my parents didn't want me, so I was sent off to an orphanage. I stayed there Until I was your age. No one wanted me. I had grown malicious and hated all human beings. Then one day a couple came and when they saw me they knew I was the one whom they would adopt. Their last name was Evans and when they found out that their surname was in my name they changed the others around and called me Perseus. They had two daughters, one my age and the other two years younger. Their names were Lily and Petunia."
Mark interrupted, "By Lily do you mean Lily Potter? Harry's mum?"
"Yes, Mark, Lily was my adopted sister and we had more in common then my adopted parents knew. We both possessed magical powers. When we were eleven we both received a letter from Hogwarts telling us what we were. But that was the only thing we had in common. I was a pure blood wizard and she was a Muggleborn. She was kind and understanding and I hated everyone.
"That first day of school no one liked me. I was a Slytherin so the other houses hated me, and my own house didn't like me at all. I had one friend and that was a boy two years younger than I named Regulus Black. That's when the trouble started. His brother, Sirius didn't like that he had befriended me. He thought that I would teach him my evil ways and he would become like his dear mum and dad. But I would not give up my only friend. He and his friend, James Potter, had their revenge on me. They made me the joke of the school and always played pranks on me. Lily would stand up for me, but I didn't need nor want her help and she too came to hate me.
"I moved into the Black house when Sirius moved out. I joined the Death Eaters with the Dark Lord, as Perseus Evans. But then something horrible happened. The year Harry Potter was born Regulus decided he no longer wanted to be a Death Eater and Voldemort sent me to kill him. I did not know what to do. Regulus was my only friend, but I feared for my life. I killed him and then I started to work for Albus Dumbledore.
"When the Dark Lord killed Lily and James I refused to take in Harry. I still hated James and would not be haunted by his memory, but Lily on the other hand, even when she hated me, was kind, so I moved myself and your mother to this house where your mum and I promised we would keep an eye on him while he was at my other adopted sister's house. Petunia still refuses to believe I still exist."
"And what about now?" asked Mark, "What about the Dark Lord's Return? What about all these papers? What about you always leaving us in the middle of the night?"
"I still work for the Dark Lord," replied Snape, "And I still work for Dumbledore. I changed my name back to Snape when Harry defeated the Dark Lord. I joined the Death Eaters as Severus Snape and take out memories of my school years so that the Dark Lord cannot see that I was Perseus. I changed my looks and no one cared about me enough in my school years to find out my real name."
Suddenly there was a pop in the room and Mundungus Fletcher appeared. "Hey Snape, just letting you know I'm about to start my watch—hey! Is this your kid?"
"Go to your watch Mundungus. Mark, go to your room and stay there. Don't worry about the lawn again. Just stay in your room and bring some books. You'll be there for awhile."
"But Dad—,"
"GO!"
Outside of 13 Magnolia Road sat a large black snake. As soon as there was a pop he started to slither away.
Months later Voldemort sat in the Malfoy house, talking to an old house elf named Kreacher.
"And Master often gets in fights with an old fiend," said the house-elf.
"And who might this old fiend be, Lucius?" asked a high pitched voice.
"If I'm not mistaken," started Lucius, "the only person Sirius ever hated was Perseus Evans. But my Lord, no one can find him. We've searched everywhere!"
Just then Nagini came slithering in through the door. "Ah, Nagini," called Voldemort, "Back from your long patrol I see. Did you find our dear friend Perseus?" Nagini nodded his square head. "Ah, so you see Lucius, someone can find him." And then in parseltongue, "Now Nagini, where is our little friend?" He and the snake conversed for a bit and then Voldemort took out his wand. "Lucius, I am afraid you yourself have been betrayed." He started to write out Perseus Evans with his wand.
"And how is that my Lord?" asked Lucius.
"As you will see," started Voldemort, swishing his wand to scramble and reassemble the letters. The letters formed the words 'Severus Snape'. "You are not the most cunning of my Death Eaters. It seems as though Severus has betrayed us all. Nagini here tells me that he is a skilled Occlumens, even better than I."
"Would you like me to kill him?" asked Lucius.
"No," said Voldemort, "I think we ought to keep him for safety. He can help us a lot. But I do believe that we should refresh his mind as to what happens if you betray the Dark Lord."
"My Lord?"
"I wish you to go pay his wife and kid a visit."
"But what about your plans for tonight my Lord?"
"Meet us there."
"Yes my Lord."
Now we all know what happened that night. Harry Potter came to find Sirius at the Department of Mysteries. Sirius disappeared forever. And Voldemort left with less Death Eaters than he had come with. Harry learned of the prophesy.
As the Dursleys drove back to their house from the station everyone was silent. But Harry noticed flashing lights as they drove down Magnolia Road.
"How rude," said Petunia.
"Must be those good-for-nothing Evans'!" said Uncle Vernon.
Harry looked out the window and saw that the lights did indeed come from ambulances outside Number 13 Magnolia Road. "I wonder what happened to them."
Severus Snape cleaned his desk and office and packed up. Right before he was about to make his way out the door Dumbledore stepped in. "Severus," he said, "There's news from your home. Earlier today Mrs. Figg was going to check on your son and wife and when there was no answer she got Mundungus to magic her in. The two of them found Mark and Sarah dead with no marks or sign of struggle."
"What are you crazy Dumbledore? My wife isn't dead. My son's alive! He's coming to Hogwarts next year!"
"Severus,"
"No! They are not dead! They can't be! Take the spell off!"
"What?"
"Take the apparating spell off Hogwarts! I need to get there!"
"Okay Severus, calm down." Dumbledore took his wand out and said a charm. "Go ahead." And with a pop Severus was gone.
Severus arrived in his study where everything was torn apart, all his papers, the posters, everything. He entered into the main room and saw St. Mungos Healers about to load the bodies of his wife and son onto carts. "NO!"
Everyone in the room stared at him. He made his way to his family and just stared at them, sobbing. Then with a pop Dumbledore arrived. "Let him be," he said to the healers. They all left and soon the two heard the roar of the car jetting off.
"Dumbledore," said Snape, still sobbing, "It's worse. They know what I'm doing."
"Severus, I understand if you want to go into hiding. It's okay. I have others."
"No Dumbledore, the job must be done, and Voldemort will pay for what he has done. But right now there is work to be done. You must get Harry away from here."
"Yes, Severus, you're right. I'll send Fawkes to tell Molly."
"And Severus, you know what this will mean right? You have to come out. You have to understand why you're parents abandoned you. You must continue your real mission."
"Yes," said Snape, "The reign of the Half-Blood Prince has begun."
A/N: Nah, I don't really believe Snape is the HBP, but I really liked ending the story like that. Please tell me how you liked it!