There were a few things one should know about 13 year old Albus Severus Potter. Firstly was that he no longer went by his first name. He hadn't since his first year at Hogwarts. Growing up his family had called him Al and only used his full name when he was in trouble. He had not minded and had actually liked his name. That was until the day he met the first of his namesakes. His father had brought home a portrait that Christmas of his eleventh year that was of Albus Dumbledore.
The man had a long white beard and twinkling blue eyes. He tried to offer Albus a lemon drop despite the fact that there was not a single lemon drop in the house and that the man was a portrait. He liked Albus Dumbledore don't get him wrong but he knew after that first meeting that he was no longer going to be called Albus. The man was an old coot and well just plain strange. He hadn't met Severus Snape but anything would better than being likened to a candy obsessed old man right? He told Albus so and instead of being offended the man had laughed so hard he cried and agreed that he should most certainly go by Severus. He didn't know why.
So when he returned to Hogwarts for the new year as an eleven year old (soon to be 12 his birthday was in January) his brother started calling him Sev and he had all of his friends do the same. It took a few months but soon enough everyone who mattered knew him as Severus Potter and not Albus Potter. He had been sorted into Slytherin and he fit into the house like a glove.
Like all Potters and Weasleys, Severus Potter enjoyed pranking and getting into extreme amounts of exciting trouble. The difference between him and his older brother James was that Severus Potter did not get caught. If he played a prank on you, you would never be able to pin it on him. The only person who could tell if he had done it was his older brother James who knew him too well. That and often he would tell his brother anyway out of sheer temptation to joke with someone about it.
Severus Potter had a few friends, he was an introvert who preferred a few close friends rather than hoards of people he hardly knew. His best friend was Scorpius Malfoy and that was because Scorpius understood Severus and his strangeness better than most. He spent his free time with Scorpius and his other friends but if he was feeling exceedingly antisocial Severus Potter would sneak away to an empty classroom and experiment.
It was a well known secret that Severus Potter was rabid about potions. He loved the idea of being able to create absolutely anything with just a few base ingredients. His eight birthday present had been a children's' potions set and from that moment on he'd been hooked. His father at first knew enough about potions to teach him what he wanted to know but after his ninth birthday it became clear that this was the one thing his father was utterly terrible at. At first his mother and Aunt Hermione could keep him informed about potions but by the time he was ten they were also out of their depth.
Much to his parents chagrin they learnt that since they didn't use potions much in their lines of work and they had forgotten a great many things. Even Aunt Hermione who normally didn't forget a thing had forgotten quite a bit about potions theory. So at the age of ten his father had hired him a potions master to tutor him. Once a week (on Fridays at 3pm) he would floo over to Master Thompson's home and learn about potions. While there the man had made it quite clear that inexact work wouldn't be allowed and he learnt that much of what his parents had taught him had been wrong.
When he entered Hogwarts he was the best in potions and he knew more than there was possibly to know about the subject. Yet to him he still did not know enough. At the age of thirteen he had discovered his new love. Experimenting. Severus would take a problem and using nothing but his brain create an entirely new potion to solve the problem. Granted the potions rarely worked as they were supposed to but Severus was nothing if not determined.
Often he would OWL Master Thompson for help but the man wasn't much of an experimenter preferring to take current potion recipes and improve them rather than create entirely new potions. Severus did not mind overmuch and was often found in the library devouring books about potions theory. Everyone knew that if you wanted to speak with Severus Potter then you would have to talk about potions eventually. He was the tutor for over half of the kids in his year for the difficult subject and therefore quite popular even if he did not socialize much.
Albus Severus Potter had green almond shaped eyes that he inherited from his father and his grandmother. He had his father's nose and his mother's chin. He also had his father's messy hair. When it was short no magic or potion could tame it and it stuck up in every direction. Severus had tried to find a potion but there was nothing. He found a solution by growing it out. As a thirteen year old he had shoulder length black hair the same color as his father's. It suited him quite nicely and he knew many girls thought it was cute. The long hair also helped him look a bit less like his utterly famous father which he was grateful for.
People told him that he took after his grandmother Lily but Severus didn't know how accurate that was. After all she had been in Gryffindor and he was in Slytherin. How alike could they truly be? Albus Severus Potter was currently sitting in a seat alone in the headmistress' office. He'd never been there before and was studying the portraits on the walls from his seat a permanent scowl disfiguring his face. He didn't know that most of the headmasters and headmistresses on the walls were trying not to laugh at how much like Severus Snape he looked.
His robes were burnt and singed and drenched in a ruined potion experiment. He was sitting in a chair not caring one tiny bit that he was ruining the chair. It wasn't his fault that the headmistress hadn't allowed him to change before sending him up here. The potion wasn't dangerous, at least he was pretty sure it wasn't so sitting in the wet ruined robes was hardly the worst thing that could have ever happened to him. The couch he was sitting on was likely to be forever stained. McGonagall was going to have to replace it.
"Mr. Potter." A voice he recognized easily rang out. "You do know that you are covered in potion and ruining that chair."
"Yes Albus." Severus said looking up and meeting the twinkling blue eyes still scowling.
"Would you indulge an old man in explaining why?" The man said not in the least bit bothered by his ire.
"It's all James' fault!" Severus yelped in self-righteous fury. "Lily and I were just having fun by ourselves and he wouldn't leave us alone. He is never going to grow up!"
Unaware to him his yelling had woken up another portrait of the school's most previous headmaster who was now watching him in confusion.
"I was tutoring Lily in potions, its my best subject you know." Severus said proudly. "She needed help with her class so I was helping her out. We were just fine in a classroom on the fourth floor. A potion brewing and I was explaining to Lily the theory behind the pain draught."
"That was very kind of you."
"As if I would ever let Lily do poorly in potions." Severus declared smugly. "Well anyway we're there minding our own business when James bursts on the scene like he belongs there! He's so arrogant and rude and loud and I can hardly stand it."
"You told me before." Albus said with a laugh.
"Well it's still just as true." Severus declared staunchly. "James Potter is an arrogant git who'll never brew a proper potion."
"Harsh words, Severus." Albus chided.
"Well you would be harsh too if he'd come in and ruined your potion to the point where it explodes all over you and destroys an entire classroom. I was barely able to protect them both from the blast with a shield charm."
"I suppose that would make me a bit angry. Are Lily or James injured?"
"Thankfully not." Albus admitted with a sigh his face finally relaxing from the snarl it'd been holding since he entered the office. "James is currently being reprimanded by the headmistress and Lily was sent back to Gryffindor Tower to get out of her ruined robes. The headmistress sent me straight up here and told me not to take any side journeys. So it's her fault that her chair is being ruined by my potion drenched robes."
"That is wonderful to hear. I do enjoy Lily she is always very kind."
"Don't know why she got sorted into Gryffindor." Albus complained. "She should've been in Slytherin with me."
"Albus." A voice cut in.
The voice was a deep baritone silky and smooth with an undercurrent of danger. Severus looked up at a man with a large hooked nose and shoulder length black hair much like his own. The man was sneering at him and Severus wondered who it was.
"Who is that?"
"Why don't you ask him?" Albus Dumbledore suggested his eyes twinkling merrily.
"Who are you?" The darkly dressed man asked impatiently.
"My name is Severus." He said easily meeting the man's eyes with a hint of derision.
A lot of people knew the man he was named after. Severus had never seen a picture of him or spoken with a portrait. He only knew that a lot of people had disagreed with naming him Severus. Including his Uncle Ron. He was used to people sneering when they heard his name but he did not allow them to speak poorly of the man he was named after. He dared the portrait to say something negative. The man stared at him in utter shock.
"Your name is Severus."
"Well my middle name is Severus but I can't stand my first name so I go by that." Severus clarified with a side long look at Dumbledore. "Everyone calls me Severus but sometimes people will use my first name if they don't know me well enough or if I'm in trouble."
"You were willing to go by the name Severus? Don't you know who that was?"
"I was named after a very brave man who taught in these halls actually. The man was the headmaster during the darkest year in Hogwarts' history. I know he was a spy for the light and lost his life in the Final Battle against Voldemort. I know he was a potions master and a veritable genius, I also know that he saved many lives and that I do not like it when people speak poorly of him." Severus said icily.
"I meant no offense." The man explained. "I was merely surprised. Who are your…?"
Before the man could finish his question the door opened to reveal Minerva McGonagall. She had aged well over the last few years and was now nearing the age of 100. Her hair was totally white now and she walked with a grace that can only be accomplished with age. She sat down at her desk and looked down at Albus who shifted nervously in his seat.
"Mr. Potter." She began ignoring the surprised squeal from the portrait directly behind her. "Your brother James admits to having tampered with the potion and assures me that without your quick action all three of you would have been severely injured. Your sister Lily assures me that you two were brewing a normal potion found on the first years curriculum and that you were merely tutoring her."
"Yes Ma'am that's true."
"We have had this conversation many times before Mr. Potter. You must not brew outside of the dungeons. This accident destroyed the entire classroom and if you had been in the dungeons the damage would have been much less." McGonagall continued her voice full of disappointment.
Severus knew he was still in trouble. He hated brewing in the dungeons. The Potions teacher was a total idiot and would never get out of his personal space while he brewed. That and the man wouldn't let him experiment.
"Mr. Potter your father has been called to help decide how to punish you three for destroying an entire classroom. Your sister is outside and managed to sneak into the Slytherin Dormitories and gather some clean clothing for you. Use my bathroom to change out of those ruined things. I need to bring James here and should return in fifteen minutes with both your older brother and your father is that understood?"
"Yes Ma'am."
He only hoped Dad would be patient, the door opened to reveal his red headed little sister. She floated in gracefully and handed him his robes.
"Hello Sev." She said in a lyrical tone. "I snuck into the Slytherin dorm for you. The password wasn't hard to guess."
"Thanks Lils." Severus smiled. "I'll just get out of my own ruined robes."
She smiled at him a gracefully took another seat on one that wasn't ruined. Severus took his leave and quickly changed out of his drenched robes. Once he was dried and no longer covered in potions residue he returned to find Lily in deep conversation with Albus Dumbledore while the man Severus had been conversing with before was staring at them, looking as if he was in pain.
"Are you okay sir?" Severus asked walking over to the man.
"What is your full name boy?"
"Albus Severus Potter sir. My father he's Harry Potter, my mum was Ginny Weasley." Severus said quickly.
"Do you know who I am?"
"No. I don't recognize you. The only reason I know who Albus is because my dad got a portrait of him in our house a few years ago. He wanted me to get to know one of my namesakes. I asked him why I couldn't meet the portrait of Severus Snape but my dad wasn't very willing. He said it would be hard to explain but my dad thought that Headmaster Snape wouldn't want to meet me and he might say something awful to me if I went." Severus explained quietly. "I've always wanted to meet him though. I know people aren't always pleasant Merlin knows I'm not. Sometimes I saw the worst things when I'm angry. Dad says I need to learn to control my temper before I end up saying something I'll regret forever."
"What does your father do?"
"Lots of things. He used to be the head of the Auror department but he recently started a new department in the ministry that he's the head of. It's called the WCS, it works with the muggle relations office and the auror department. The WCS or Wizarding Child Services works to help prevent child abuse among wizarding children. Muggleborn wizards are now checked up on at least once a year to ensure that the muggle parents are dealing with the incidents of accidental magic well and helping rehome abused children. It's something dad is really passionate about." Severus said. "He also writes books about defense. He got a Masters in defense two years ago."
"I see." The man said sounding pleased for some reason. "And you, how old are you?"
"I'm a third year. Lily's a first year and my brother James is a 6th year."
"I know about your brother boy. I want to know about you."
"Oh." Severus said surprised.
"What is your favorite class?"
"Potions no question. I'm rabid about them. My dad got me a potions kit when I was a kid for my birthday and I've been hooked since. I'm the best in the whole school." Severus said proudly. "I've even better than the Potions teacher we've got here but he's incompetent."
"I know." The man drawled. "I told Minerva time and time again that the man is too idiotic to be teaching such an intricate art."
"He always gets into my personal space when I'm brewing and he doesn't like it when I experiment. I think it makes him feel inadequate." Severus whispered.
The man smirked at him and Severus decided he liked this man. He got it.
"How did your father feel about your sorting?"
"He was really proud of me and told me that Slytherin was lucky to have me." Severus answered. "He punishes James something awful anytime he teases me about it. Dad can't stand bullying."
"I see. Why do you not go by your first name? Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard."
"He's an old coot with an obsession with candy that goes beyond what is healthy." Severus declared wrinkling his nose. "After I met him the first time I knew I'd never be anything like that so I decided to start going by my middle name."
"How did Albus take that?"
"He laughed and told me that I made the right decision." Severus said in a confused tone. "I don't know why he laughed and he won't tell me."
The darkly dressed man laughed too, the man laughed so hard he leaned forward and gripped his sides. Severus stared at him in confusion. At that moment the door opened and it reveal his father and older brother. His dad looked serious that was until he saw his youngest child. Lily spun around and ran at him. His dad pulled her up in a hug instantly smiling at her. Lily had dad wrapped around her finger.
"He's grown." The portrait whispered surprised. "He used to be such a waif."
"Did you know him?" Severus asked.
"Did I know Harry Potter?" The man snorted. "Watch this."
Severus turned and watched as the man straightened out made himself look fearsome and angry and powerful.
"POTTER." The man said in a tone that wasn't like yelling but made everything silent anyway.
His dad stiffened and flipped around to face the portrait. His dad's eyes hardened with some emotion he couldn't name and he put Lily down.
"Professor." His dad said in a respectful guarded tone, he'd never heard his dad speak like that before.
"After all these years Potter must you continue to haunt these halls with your spawn?" The man asked his tone dripping acid.
Severus opened his mouth to retort when he saw his dad's eyes tighten in sadness and hurt. Then he looked back up at the man and saw the name plate. He'd just been talking to Severus Snape, the man he'd been named after.
"Why Mr. Potter was I never told the name of your son?" Snape said in a tone that made it clear that there would be hell to pay if he didn't learn the truth.
"Last time I tried to speak with you Professor you threw me out and told me never to come again. I hardly think it's my fault." His dad said icily.
"Where's your Gryffindor courage Potter?" The man taunted. "You never listened to me in life why should it matter now that I'm dead?"
His dad's jaw tightened and Severus Potter had never seen his father work so hard to reign in his temper around another person. Not even Draco Malfoy could bother his dad this much.
"Minerva." His dad said instead. "James should be given detention for messing with a potion, points should be taken from both houses for the damage. I will exact my own punishment."
"And what will that be Mr. Potter?"
"I'll just need to speak with your defense professor. He's been asking me for years to spend a week as a guest lecturer. I've opted out each year so as to respect my children's desire to have a parent free Hogwarts. However as they have proven unable to not nearly blow up the castle I will just have to stay and keep an eye on them."
Severus opened his mouth in horror. His dad was really angry! Dad never went out in public like this since so many people would stare at him. Which meant that the entire school would be staring at each of them, talking about his dad and generally being a nuisance. Dad would be teaching a class! How embarrassing. He heard Snape snort behind him.
"I think that would be appropriate." McGonagall said. "50 points from Gryffindor and 30 from Slytherin. James you will be having detention for the next two weeks. You will be repairing that classroom brick by ancient brick. Severus if I hear so much of a whisper of you brewing outside of the classroom I will not hesitate to take 100 points from Slytherin."
Severus nodded in acceptance. He knew better than to argue.
"Minerva." His father continued. "If I may have use of your office for the next hour or so to speak with Albus and my children I'd appreciate it."
"Of course Harry." The woman said. "I expect all of you at dinner."
"Yes Ma'am." They all said even Lily.
The woman left and Severus stiffened as his dad frowned at each of them. He looked at James who had the sense to look ashamed.
"James Sirius Potter." His dad said in a tone that meant trouble. "Just because you were named after two trouble makers doesn't mean you have free reign to destroy things. You are 16 now you need to grow up. If I hear about one more incident like this I will send your mother in to deal with it."
Severus gulped, that was a very devious threat.
"I know that you probably didn't mean for things to get out of hand. You probably thought everything was just fun and not so serious. Severus also most likely provoked you. Lily most likely helped." His dad smiled a bit. "I want a letter written explaining to me what caused the potion to explode like that and you cannot ask for your brother's help."
"Yes sir." James said sadly.
"Lily." His dad said kneeling down. "Try to avoid your big brothers until they decide to stop trying to kill each other. I know school's tough right now but I promise it will get better. Just be yourself and people will flock to you."
His little sister hugged dad tightly and nodded before going to stand by James. Severus stepped forward and looked at his dad.
"Severus." His dad said. "The last time you allowed a cauldron to blow up was when you were 10. I ought to punish you just for that. Only us Gryffindors get to be piss poor at potions."
"Yes sir."
"Now. I want you to write me a letter about how you escalated the fight. I know you did don't try denying it. You may be able to slither your way out of trouble here but not with me. I know James wouldn't have messed with a cauldron unless you'd goaded him into it. A letter written to me and I expect you to not only sound sorry but mean it."
Severus nodded. He knew he could have been punished much worse than he had been.
"Now you three scamps go run off and cause some more trouble." His dad said finally smiling at them. "Try not to give Minerva heart failure."
"Bye Dad." James said giving him a hug.
"Love you Daddy." Lily said while walking out the door.
"I'll see you at dinner I guess." Severus said stepping forward.
"You will and trust me when I say I'm going to embarrass you."
"I know." Severus said trying to slip past his father.
He was too slow the man caught his arm and pulled him back.
"Sev. I know no pain potion would've caused that much damage." His dad said seriously. "Why didn't you place the ward I taught you around the cauldron while you were experimenting?"
"I set the ward to allow people related to me to put things in the cauldron so that Lily could help." Severus explained. "So James could put things in too."
His dad nodded relieved he hadn't forgotten.
"Very well. Would you mind telling me what you were trying to create?"
"Cruciatus potion." Severus said with a smile. "I want to heal long term damage like what you have. I know your hands still shake from the damage and I wanted to help."
"You notice too much for your own good." His dad smiled. "Good luck with the experimenting then. If you need any ingredients don't steal them just OWL me."
"Yes dad." Severus rolled his eyes. "I love you."
"Love you too. Now go run off and have fun with Scorpius."
With that Albus Severus Potter left the room and allowed the stairs to carry him down. He didn't know how to feel about his namesake now that he'd met him. Severus Snape seemed to understand him but he was also exceedingly rude to his father. Maybe he wasn't like either of the two headmasters.
Severus Snape was rarely surprised these days. He was a portrait in the headmistress' office. It wasn't like much exciting happened. He was woken by yelling and had looked down to see a young teen that looked and sounded much like himself. The boy had even complained about a James Potter and tried to teach a Lily potions. The teen was in Slytherin and was covered in potions residue. It looked so much like himself that he thought he might have gone insane. Then the boy had introduced himself as Severus clearly stating he was named after Severus Snape.
Merlin who would name their child after him? Then he'd heard the last name and seen those green eyes just like Lily's and he'd known. This was a spawn of Harry Potter. Then he had spoken to the boy intending on finding out what kind of child would survive being named something so terrible as Albus Severus. What he found surprised him and within himself he could admit to pride. Now he was alone with Potter. The boy was staring at him with resignation in his eyes.
"What do you want Potter?" Snape asked.
"Must you insist on this?" The boy begged. "I've done everything I could for you. I've done everything I could to atone for my wrongs against you."
"You never did anything to me." Snape interrupted.
"Obviously I did." Potter pushed.
"You did nothing. I am a bitter shell of a man Potter. I will never be kind to anyone."
"You were kind to my son." The man said with a grin.
"He has her eyes."
"And your name." Potter finished a glint in your eye. "You've no idea how hard it's been. He's just like you Professor or rather what you were once. He's who you were before Voldemort. He's what you could have been, what you should have been."
"Why would that make it difficult?"
"You're difficult. Severus always has to be right and his pride is easily pricked. He's stubborn, more stubborn than James ever was. He's smart too, I knew how terrible the mistake was when I gave him that potions kit. He's been obsessed with it ever since and he learnt pretty quickly that I'm not any good at them." Potter joked weakly. "He's powerful and skilled, cunning and willing to do pretty much anything to win. He was worried about being sorted into Slytherin and I constantly have to work to make sure he knows I love him and that I think he's wonderful. I've wanted to introduce you to him for years. When I was trying to find a potions master who'd be willing to begin the steps to apprentice him I thought of you."
"He's already started the apprenticeship?" Snape interrupted surprised.
"He'll start one his 14th birthday in a few months."
"That will make him 18 when he gets his Masters if he stays on track." Snape said in awe.
"I told you he was smart. I thought at the very least you'd want to meet him for that but I could never bring myself here. What if I brought him here and you said something awful? I don't care if I was hurt but the boy would hate himself. He'd hate himself if he knew how cruel you could be."
"Then why name your spawn after me?"
"Professor Snape up until your death you showed me your worst. I knew how evil and cruel and vindictive you could be. Your memories showed me however how much good you were capable of. When I held my son I saw that in him. I felt his magic and felt his potential. I knew he was capable of great good or great hurt." Potter said his eyes distant. "We named him for the two men who caused me the most pain."
Snape flinched and he heard Albus gasp in the portrait next to him.
"You professor know exactly what you did to me. What you cost me or maybe you don't. It doesn't matter. I let go of my anger and hatred for both of you long ago. As I healed from the war I let go of the pain and soon grew to see what kind of men you were. Both great and terrible. I held my son and knew he would be the same and if I was careful he could be good." Potter explained. "I named him that not because you two were great shining examples of goodness but because it reminded me of what I must do. I must love my children, I must protect them and I must teach them to be better than their namesakes."
"How could you forgive me Potter?" Snape snarled. "I took your parents from you."
"Albus took my childhood from me." Potter shrugged. "Boys and girls are made into orphans everyday Professor Snape. It's sad but my lot was not the worst it could have been. I survived when I could have died but instead of taking me and caring for me Dumbledore left me to the dogs. He left me to be treated like a house elf, to grow up in a cupboard with spiders and the mops. He left me to be abused because he was too much of a coward to do the right thing. Then when I came to Hogwarts he left tests for me. Tested me again and again and again, then he left me to die. Never giving me the advice and council I so desperately needed. He knew the hell he sent me back to every summer and yet he did it anyway."
Potter sounded so bitter and hate filled that he almost didn't recognize the man. He glanced over at Dumbledore who was crying silently the guilt and remorse clear in his features.
"And yet I forgave Dumbledore. I forgave him for my pain. I admitted to myself that I could see myself doing some of the same things he had done. Why would I not forgive you? At least you protected me." Potter said looking at them both with acceptance and even love in his eyes. "So when I held my second son and saw in him that potential. The potential to be great and terrible, I knew I had to make him good."
"I do believe you succeeded Mr. Potter." Snape said quietly.
"I think I did too." The man said with a smile.
Silence descended in the room as Albus calmed himself.
"You know Professor Snape." The boy said with a smirk. "I have to create a potions lab in my home to help Severus with his potions apprenticeship. I happen to know that there will be a wall free for a portrait. I haven't gotten anyone asking for the spot but if you wanted…I could make another portrait for you."
Snape looked at the man stunned.
"I'd be honored." He said quietly.
"The potions lab will be finished in three weeks and I'll have the portrait put up then." Potter said easily. "Welcome to the family Professor Snape. I promise you'll enjoy it. Now I've got to go and torture my children. Goodbye Professors."
With that Potter spun around and left the room. Snape couldn't help but feel something massive had shifted within him. He looked over at Albus who had a look of understanding in his eyes. Three weeks later Snape left his portrait and entered the new one. He looked at the small potions lab perfect for an apprentice and smirked. He was going to enjoy needling his namesake after all didn't he have to help make sure the boy was good as well?