The Guardian

Hey guys! Welcome back to my fanfiction stories, if you are familiar with my work. And welcome newcomers, if aren't familiar with my work as well.

Anyway, this is my newest addition to the 'Severus Snape Series' I'm doing. In terms of ranking which story was made first, this will be the fourth installment to the series, although it is (technically, in chronical order) the first, as it will be serving as a prequel before Redemption, The Mysterious Traveler and The Unknown Hero (its story will take place 40 years before any of the three stories). The original working title was actually 'The Infiltrator', but the plot changed a couple dozen times and I decided to change the title to 'The Guardian' instead. I'm really excited to do this one because it's going to be pretty unique to the other three that I've been dong.

Just a heads up, this will not feature Severus Snape as the main character. He will appear (in the present-day parts), but he is ultimately a minor character this time around. I know this breaks the rule I've been following with the other three stories, but it's for a good reason.

Another warning I should inform all of you (as stated earlier), this story is part of an on-going series called the 'Severus Snape Series' (originally called the 'Severus Snape Trilogy', before it was expanded beyond three stories). So this story will contain SPOILERS (in a way) that are in some of the other installments, although that won't happen until later on in other chapters. Without giving too much away, this story is critical to the series. I normally don't like doing stories that rely on the support of other existing stories, but this is an exception that I feel is needed.

You can find my other three stories (Redemption, The Mysterious Traveler & The Unknown Hero) on my profile page.

I don't plan on this one being a big story, so it might turn out to be small. But that might change later on if the story expands.

As a disclaimer: I Do Not Own Harry Potter!

Second disclaimer: I do not own the 'Archer' picture I'm using the poster for the story to make it look good.

Without further ado, please enjoy my fourth installment to my 'Severus Snape Series': 'The Guardian!'

Chapter One:

Brothers

"Before embarking on a journey of revenge... dig two graves."

- Confucius

As the youthful night carried on and the full moon rose higher into the beautiful sky above, a wolf's howling could be heard from a distance, including other animal cries from the vast forest that surrounded a large castle in middle, with a large lake not far from it. The stars and moon lit up the peaceful landscape, allowing for everything to be seen, except for what lied in the darkness of the forest. A mixture of peace and fear everywhere.

From within the castle of the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom, a white-haired man in wizard robes stood in front of a large window, exposed by the light shining through. His hands were in his pockets, eyes closed as he debated with himself what to do with the situation he was in. Questions and scenarios ran through his mind as he focused long and hard, blocking out his surroundings. Sighing, he opened his eyes and stared out towards the lake, watching the light reflect off the water.

"Sir?" came a voice from behind, reminding him of the company present at the moment.

Turning around, he came face to face with a young sixteen-year-old boy, whose hair was lower than it originally was and no longer greasy, a noticeably crooked nose, wearing black robes that had green stripes on the collar, along with the symbol of a snake on the left upper chest. The boy's black eyes stared directly into his, a look of desperation and hope within them. A look that the man was all too familiar with.

"I need to know..." the boy's expression was filled with determination. "You may have fooled the Headmaster, but I know you're not who you say you are. The things you know about me, about Dumbledore, about the Dark Lord... none of it makes sense to me, except for the fact that every time I try to figure you out, I always come back to the same conclusion... you've been lying about who you are."

"I've never lied to you, Severus," the man replied. "Aside from the Headmaster and the staff, I've told no such false facts about me to you."

"You've lied by omission!" the voice of Severus Snape grew heavy with anger and frustration.

"Yes, I have," the man slightly nodded. "But I've never told you anything about me that wasn't true. And it isn't like you've kept certain details about your life hidden by omitting them as well."

Severus huffed as he turned away.

The man chuckled as he walked to his desk and removed a large, warm coat off of it, slipping into it.

"Let's take a walk," he declared. "I think the night is too good to miss out on."

Touching the young Slytherin by the shoulder, he led him to the door of the classroom and walked on out, making their way through the giant castle of Hogwarts. Despite a run in with Argus Filch and his cat, the man dealt with the caretaker and sent him on his way, managing to save the young student from punishment for being out past curfew. The rest of the journey was done so in silence, eventually finding themselves on the shoreline of the lake, just a few feet away from the water.

The cold wind of January brushed against them, making the man thankful for his coat, while Severus never once shivered against the wind, despite the poor clothing he had for such conditions. Some snow was still on the ground, but not enough to cover the entire area. Not to mention the barriers that protected Hogwarts made sure to keep the grounds from becoming muddy or too wet, allowing for easy passage.

The two stared out towards the water, basking in the light of the moon.

"Severus," the man began with a small, gentle voice. "There are things about me that I've taken a vow to never tell anyone. A vow that my brother and I made... and have broken, on several occasions."

Severus turned to the man, eyes filled with curiosity at the mention of 'brother' in his sentence.

The man's eyes stared off into the distance, his mind lost in thought. A sad expression filled his face, with the hints of tears behind his eyes. Almost as if he had ventured off into another world and left his body behind.

He turned towards the young Hogwarts student and spoke in a serious, but calm voice, "What I'm about to tell you must never reach the ears of anyone else."

Despite his heart racing with excitement, Severus kept his expression neutral, "Then why tell me?"

"Because my time here is coming to an end. And before I leave, I want to offer you a choice that will affect the rest of your life. But in order for you to understand and believe a word I say, I must start at the beginning. The beginning of when all of this started for me. Only when I'm finished can you understand and take my offer seriously."

Severus stared deep into his eyes, searching for any hint of falsehood in his words, but found none.

"Alright," he nodded.

The man nodded back and turned towards a large tree that wasn't far from them, pointing directly at it, "Let's use that tree as a shield against the wind and rest our legs."

Severus's expression turned to fear and dread, feeling the need to run away at the sight of the tree but followed his DADA teacher up to it. After conjuring up a Muffilato spell, a heating spell and two chairs, the two sat beneath the shade of the tree, protected by the cold wind and air of the night. And looked out towards the beauty in front of them.

Despite feeling uncomfortable where they were, Severus pushed back the negative feelings and waited for the professor to continue, who was silent for the moment. He stared out towards the lake and beyond, completely lost to whatever world he was in

After what felt like an eternity to the Slytherin, the man spoke, "You're right when you said I wasn't who I said I am. I find it no surprise that it would be you to figure it out first, instead of Dumbledore. Out of everyone in my travels, you have always been the most fascinating to me, Severus. Not Harry Potter, not Hermione Granger, not Gellert Grindelwald, not even Albus Dumbledore."

Severus frowned, half of the names he said were unknown to him. Although he began to wonder if Harry Potter was someone from his rival's ancestry.

The man smiled, "At first, I thought the same as everyone else about you. An evil, twisted person who cared about nothing in life and wished to become the worst humanity had to offer. The way you treated students, especially Harry Potter... There was a time your very name filled my heart with hatred."

Severus felt dumbstruck to the information he was being told, almost as if someone came out of nowhere and smacked him across the face, leaving a series of mixed emotions from shock to anger, with no idea how to react.

"But as I grew older, I realized how wrong I was. Everything you've done in the name of the girl you loved, despite all that has happened to you... It opened my eyes to the truth." He paused. "You're a victim of a prejudice far worse than what any werewolf or muggleborn has endured."

The Slytherin sneered at hearing the word victim, angrily whispering, "I don't need your pity!"

The man continued, almost as if he didn't hear him, "You were judged before anyone got to know you, for the life you were born into, the House you were Sorted into. In different ways, others saw you as a weakling they could take advantage of, whether it be to bully around or to use for their own gain. And worse, no one did anything about it. You were left alone and forced to take up with those who offered you some form of safety. I realize now that the reason you're so mean to everyone else is because that's how they all treated you."

The sound a distant howl sent chills down Severus's spine, almost forgetting his anger.

The man closed his eyes and reopened them, a newfound determination deep within them as he began his tale, "Forty years ago, I wasn't the man that I am now. Back then, I was very different. One could say, unrecognizable-"

The view of the lake and the trees disappeared from his vision as he turned his eyes to the full moon, his heart skipping a beat at the one memory that refused to leave him be.

Over a vast, plain field of grass and hills, the full moon lit up the sky and everything around it, with thousands of stars in the sky. On the top of an abandoned windmill, two ten-year-old boys laid on the Gable shaped roof for support, pointing up towards the sky to sort out shapes that the stars seemed to make from their own imaginations.

"I think that one resembles Hogwarts!" said the boy on the left, one hand behind his short golden hair.

The boy on the right, with white hair, rolled his eyes and moaned, "Will you stop saying everything looks like Hogwarts?! It's only making me feel like our eleventh birthdays are never going to get here!"

"I can't help it! I just can't wait to go! I mean, we're going to be wizards, Derek!" his face lit up with excitement as he turned towards him. "We'll learn all sorts of magic from the best teachers. And we'll graduate to become Aurors, like father!"

The boy known as Derek smiled, unable to contain his excitement as well, "You're right about that, bro! You and me, we're going to be the best of them all." He placed his arm under his brother's neck and waved his free arm into the sky. "We'll chase down them bad wizards and become heroes. I bet we'll be the ones to take down Gellert Grindelwald."

The boy with the golden hair giggled, "I would like that... To become a hero."

"We both will become heroes, you and me!" Derek promised him as he leaned up to look out towards the horizon, getting a glimpse of a tiny house on the other side of a river that laid between it and the windmill.

The other boy leaned up with him, sitting in silence as they stared in awe at the view of the beautiful landscape before them, feeling the cool wind against their little bodies.

Suddenly, the flashing of a light from across the river caught their attention, turning to see that it was coming from the porch of the small house. A female's voice called out, just barely reaching them.

"Derek! Brandon! Dinner is ready!"

Smiling at each other, the two got up, being careful not to fall off of the windmill.

"Race ya!" Derek cried out as he ran towards the edge of the windmill and took a leap into the air.

"HEY! NO FAIR!" the boy known as Brandon chased after him, jumping off the edge as well in an attempt to catch up to him.

The two brothers fell into the river and hit the cold water with a splash, going under the surface. Thankfully, the bottom was deep enough from the height they jumped from, ensuring they wouldn't hurt themselves in the attempt, as long as they made sure not to land wrong.

Breaking the surface, they swam to the riverbank and pulled themselves out of the water, making a run for the front door of the house.

"OH, FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THAT?!" the angry voice of their mother filled their ears as they got within feet of the front door, only to feel a hand on each of their robes make them come to a complete stop.

"Oh, come on mum," Derek whined, trying to escape her grasp and beat his brother to the finish line. "I was about to beat Bran!"

"You?! I was about to win!" Brandon argued as he too tried to escape the hand that restrained him.

"Not a chance, little bro."

"I'm only younger by a minute and a few seconds! And don't call me little!"

"Oh, sorry, I probably should have said 'barely average' then," Derek smiled as he dodged a punch Brandon tried to throw at him.

"If I had a Galleon for every time you boys frightened and, or angered me to my magical core, I would be the richest witch in the entire world!" their mother's voice rang in their ears. "Now, turn around!"

Once they had turned to face their mother, they came face-to-face with her wand pointed directly at them.

"AAAHHH!" they both cried out together, holding out their arms in front of them in an attempt to protect themselves as they began to fear that they had pushed their mother too far. However, much to their relief, their mother muttered the 'Hot-Air Charm' and found that their robes and bodies were completely dried.

Smiling with satisfaction, she put her wand back into her robes, "Now that you're both dried and won't be track water across the floor, I want you to two to wash up and set up the table, while I get the food ready."

"Yes, mum," the two said at the same time, quickly rushing inside for the sink. Once they had washed their hands and faces, they began to take out dishes and silverware, bringing them to the table. Once they were all set up, their mother brought the food and set it up at the center.

The two boys licked their lips at the sight of the food, which happened to be chicken, rice and baked pie. When they thought their mother wasn't looking, they attempted to steal a piece of the chicken legs, only to see her hand reaching for her wand once the food was inches from their wide mouths.

"If I find even one piece of the food gone, I'll hex you both to your bedrooms and let your father and I enjoy the meal to ourselves!" she warned, making the two look at each other with wide eyes and put the chicken legs back, taking a step away from the table in fear.

After helping their mother with the dishes from making the food, their father arrived home.

"And how are my little 'heroes'?!" he hung up his hat and coat, hugging the two boys as they ran up to him and threw themselves onto his big chest. With his muscular arms, he hoisted them up and they sat on each side of his shoulders. "You guys go on wild adventures today?"

"Yeah!" Brandon nodded. "Today, we hung out at the windmill and tried to rebuild some of it."

"We thought we could turn it into a base," Derek added.

"A base?" their father pretended to act surprised. "For what?"

"For when we become heroes, like you!" Brandon replied.

Their father laughed and kissed the top of their heads, "But you two are already heroes!"

Their mother smiled as she walked up and kissed him on the lips, earning a "yuck" from both boys as they turned away in disgust.

"Your children scared the crap out of me when they jumped off the windmill and into the river."

Their father's face lit up, turning to each of them.

"You did? Was it fun?"

The two brothers nodded with smiles on their faces.

"Nothing to worry about my dear. They're just doing what their old man did when he was a ch-i-" he stopped talking the moment he saw his wife raise an eyebrow at him, tapping her hip where her wand was. "Um... I mean... that was a very bad thing you did, boys. I should take you out back and give you a whopping."

He leaned into Brandon and quickly whispered into his ear, "I'm so proud of you."

"Yes, I should do that! But I because I'm in such a good mood right now, I'll let it pass just this once. Do it again and I'll make sure you never go near that windmill until I say so."

He turned to Derek and quickly whispered into his ear as well, "Next time mum isn't around, we should all try it together."

Sniffing the air, he put both his sons down and approached the table, "What are we all standing around for? There's food that needs to be eaten at this moment!"

Shaking her head, their mother turned to them and nodded towards the table, smiling.

Smiling back, the two ran to their chairs and grabbed ahold of their silverware, ready to dig in. Once their mother sat down next to their father and said their prayers, they began to eat and talk about their day, enjoying the meal for the night before they all did the dishes together as a family after it was over. Afterwards, the two brothers were sent off to bed, getting into their pajamas as their father and mother sat at the edge of their beds, telling them a bedtime story.

However, once a few hours went by, both Brandon and Derek quickly snuck out of their beds and tiptoed own the small hallway, making sure the darkness kept them hidden as they spied on their parents from the living room, both of whom were sitting next to the burning fireplace.

"How bad is it?" they heard their mother ask.

Their father shook his head, "Grindelwald grows stronger every year, gaining more followers to his side. The Ministry has tried to search for him, but he keeps on changing locations. He's even sent out false information on where he'll be next, some of which are traps for Aurors to walk into."

The boys felt their hearts racing at the news.

"But that's not all that worries you, is it?"

They watched as their father's head hung low, almost as if he was ashamed.

"Druella, what would you do if you've found a way to end the war that we are in right now?" he looked up at her. "Even if you had a feeling that it was wrong, would you still do it to end something so terrible before it could potentially end so many lives? To make sure our children grow up without a single worry for what's to come tomorrow?"

Druella frowned at him, "Vincent, what are you talking about? How could you possibly know how to end this war? Do you think you can find Grindelwald?"

Vincent shook his head, "No, I can't locate him. But I think I know 'those' who can."

"And who are they?"

"I don't know," he spoke with a hint of fear in his heart. "But they asked me to do something I'm not so sure is right."

"What do they want you to do?" Druella reached for his hand and grasped it, feeling him squeeze back.

"They asked me to locate someone, someone I may have been in contact with."

"And what are going to do to this person if you give them this information?"

"That's the thing, I don't know. They promised that if I help them locate someone, they'll help me locate Grindelwald. Seems too good to be true, but I can't help but wonder if they really can do it."

Silence passed between them as they stared into the flames of the fireplace.

"Vincent," Druella used her hand to lift his chin up to look at her. "I... honestly don't know how to answer that question. To potentially sacrifice one person for the possibility of bringing down a madman who will hurt many more. It's too big for anyone to know the answer. But I do know this... if these people do indeed know where Grindelwald is, they would have done the right thing and brought the information to the Ministry. You want my opinion on it? Don't do it!"

Vincent stared into her eyes and smiled, leaning forward to kiss her.

Both Derek and Brandon silent did a 'yuck' at the sight, pretending to vomit.

"I knew I married you for a reason," he smiled.

Druella raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure it wasn't because of my certain 'qualities'?"

"Oh, don't worry, 'those' were part of the reason too."

Not liking where this conversation was going, the two brothers retreated back to their room and silently closed the door, getting into their beds.

"Do you think dad's going to be alright?" Brandon asked.

Derek paused for a moment before answering, "Sure he will. He's dad, after all."

"But he didn't sound too good just now."

The sound of footsteps could be heard from outside their room, forcing the two to lie down and pretend to be asleep. They heard the door open and felt the eyes of their father on them, who was watching them with a look they couldn't see. A look that was filled with love, worry and confliction. Their mother approached from behind and kissed him on the cheek, resting her chin on his shoulder as they watched them.

Once the door was closed, the two brothers rose from their beds and began to talk again, quickly changing the subject for what they should do in the morning.

So, how was it? Please leave your reviews and comments in the review section down below.

I apologize for any grammar errors. Trying to do my best in editing, as I am the only one doing all of this.

Like I said, this will not feature Severus Snape as the main character, but I wanted to include him in some way and I figured why not have him be the audience (in a way).

I know this story seems confusing, but I promise that I have the plot figured out. At least, the major points and direction. But I promise you that it's all leading up to something.

Once again, this is part of my 'Severus Snape Series', so I recommend checking out my other three stories (all of which are incomplete at the moment, until they are).

The rating for this story may be 'T' for now, but it may go up to 'M' if I think it needs to be.

Hope you guys like the first chapter and I'll see you in Chapter 2! :)