Under Obsidian Heavens

(Insert Disclaimer here)

Um… nothing to say.

Chapter One:

Two thousand miles away, Severus looked grimly up at the Malfoy Manor. It looked almost abused. The paint was cracking and Death Eaters heavily guarded it like a fortress. Some were on the roof, gazing down at him. One stood next to the door and another beside him. Yaxley followed him as quickly as he could.

The one by the door sneered as he stepped into the light of the lamp he held.

"Any news?"

Severus did not hesitate as he opened the door. "The best kind of all." He muttered as he and Yaxley disappeared into the house.

What seemed like hours later, Severus stepped into Dumbledore's old office. He had escaped the Crucio curse again but he grimaced on how long he can keep avoiding it. One of the paintings cleared its throat. He looked up and saw the blue-eyed wizard with that annoying twinkle in his eye looking down at him.

"How is Mary?"

"Well." Severus replied wearily. His attention was drawn to the large eagle owl on his desk. By it, a small box, about the size of an envelope and the height of three fingers one on top of the others, sat awaiting him. He walked up to the bird and gave it a treat. It flitted away from his desk and out the window into the early morning darkness. Sitting down, he noticed three small, red balloons on the top of the box. He then remembered that that morning was the triplets' birthday. He opened the box carefully. Inside he found a letter from Mary and three other letters written by children.

He read the letter from his wife first.

Dear Severus,

It grieves me that I could not be there with you. I would give almost anything to see and hear your voice again. But I would be too much of a distraction. He smiled. Just know that I will take care of everything and that I hope this all ends soon.

With much love,

Mary

He then turned to other three letters. He hesitated before picking up the first one. His children haven't even seen him before. He has never seen them! How will they know that he is their father? Will he… he grimaced… live to see them? Touch them and hold them when they got nightmares?

He grabbed the first letter. It was written delicately yet there was innocence to the wording.

Dear Sir…

I guess that since Mom says that you are my dad, I guess then you are not a sir. He gave a small chuckle. Thank you for the magic paper. Now, Gabby's drawings move!

Love you!

Hope to see you soon!

Symphony

With a sad smile, he picked up the second letter.

Dear Daddy,

His eyebrows furrowed. Daddy? He began again.

Dear Daddy,

Today I picked a flower that was all green and had four petals. Like this:

A four-leafed clover with a smiling face waved up at him.

Mom says that you and Sev look a lot alike. Do I look like you?

Below, a crude stick figure with yellow hair, two different colored eyes, and a smile wearing a blue triangle for clothing waved up at him next to the clover.

Thank you for the glowing flower. Mom put it in a cup and on my window. She says it will glow every new moon and every full moon. Tonight is a full moon! I am going to stay up! But I'll do it without Sev catching me.

Gabby

Severus noticed a small tear on his cheek and brushed it away. He picked up the final letter. The writing was like chicken scratches and barely readable.

Dear Dad,

I'm not good at writing letters… Mom is trying to get me to write more but Symphony makes fun of me. She says that I am nothing like you. She says that you are smart and can write a bagazillion letters without stopping. Sometimes I wish she would just go away…

Sev

P.S. Are you really my dad or is just a joke Mom is playing on us? I wish you were my dad.

Sev

Severus sat back. Just like me. He thought as he looked in the box again to make sure he didn't miss anything. He did. Another envelope lay inside. The words 'Family Photos' written carefully on the front. He hesitated.

"What is wrong, Severus?" Dumbledore's voice came from across the room.

Severus ignored as he turned the envelope around and opened it. Inside a note that said,

Don't tell Mary that I took a photo of your kids. She talks so fondly of you.

B. Pardonly.

He put the note down and pulled two pictures out of the envelope. The top photo was of three children, around the age of six, laughing. Two golden haired girls had their arms wrapped around a black-haired boy who smirked as if enjoying the attention. The second photo was black and white of a familiar witch sitting by the window looking out. She was wearing a muggle sundress and her hair was cut short. The photo only caught one side of her face but he could tell a shadow of a smile dancing on her lips. She never turned to face the camera but Severus could see her rotating his ring around her finger and her chest rising and falling.

Then a dreadful thought came to his mind. She's never going to love me the same. He thought of the night Dumbledore begged him. Begged his death from an already guilty wand, a guilty man of the same crime he committed on a well-loved idol of the wizarding world. He returned the photos to their envelope and put the envelope back in the box along with the letters. Just as he put the box securely away in one of the thousands of drawers, the fireplace turned up in green flames and two figures stepped through.

"Ah, Severus Snape." One of the figures said with a sneer. She was portly and in dire need of a bath. But no one dared tell Alecto Carrow that. No one even mentions it if she or her thin-limbed brother were in the room.

"Alecto. Amycus. Pleasure to see you both. What do you wish of me?" He stood and glared menacingly at them. Dumbledore's expression behind the heads of the Carrows told him that he was again surprised in the change of emotion. One moment, he was smiling sadly at the laughing, careless faces of his children, the next, looking as though someone had spat a foul name at him.

Amycus casually took his wand out. "The Dark Lord sent us-"

"To be my Deputies. I am fully aware of your roles here. Anything else?" Snape cut off. He looked at their mildly stunned faces and sneered. "Or were you just stopping by for a cup of tea before you went on your duties?"

The twins looked smugly at each other. Alecto spoke. "And what does the headmaster wish to be our duties?"

Inside, Snape's heart was straining. He hated what he was going to say next but he knew that he had to have their complete trust before the end. "Amycus, Defense against the Dark Arts. Alecto, Muggle studies. What you do in your free time will not be decided by me. Now go!" He ordered. For a moment the twins stood there and smirked at him. "Did I stutter? I am sure there is a student in dire need of discipline." He watched at their faces lit up as they flew out the door.

With a lazy wave of his wand, he shut and locked the door. He put his face into his hands and tried to block out Dumbledore's irksome humming. Then all too suddenly it stopped. He looked up. Dumbledore was moving through the picture frames, giving his many apologies, and looking at something behind Severus. He followed the late Headmaster's gaze up to the top of the staircase behind him.

"What are you looking at?" Snape demanded softly.

Dumbledore looked at him. "Thought I saw something." He shook his head then looked at the hearth.

Severus stood and went to it. He gave Dumbledore a confused look but then with a burst of blue flame, he was knocked to the floor hard. He shoved the attacker from him, it trying to hold his chest, and stood, drawing his wand.

His attacker was small, dressed in ash covered traveling robes, and on the floor shaking. A hood was drawn over its head and hid the face rather well from Severus's prying eyes. If he hadn't known better, he would have said it was Mundungus but it looked too delicate and innocent for some reason.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" Dumbledore's voice boomed, cracking the stiff silence. The attacker whipped around onto its knees and looked up at Dumbledore. His hood fell back in the process revealing black hair and what looked like golden hair underneath it. Severus was dumbfounded. It was a child! "What is your name?"

"Where is my mom?" The boy demanded.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I do not know. But I can point you to the nearest person."

He pointed at Snape. The boy turned around and looked up. For a moment, both struggled for words. It was Snape who finally bent down and took the boy's cheek in his hand. The boy's eyes were blacker than night. And he looked almost exactly like Snape when he was around six.

"Who are you?" Snape asked. He knew exactly who the boy way, but couldn't believe it.

The boy broke from his stupor and held out his hand. "Sev." He said simply. Snape took his hand.

"I am Severus." Snape said in a low whisper. The boy looked at him in confusion.

"Why are you whispering?"

"I am speechless. She was right, Dumbledore! He does look like me!" A small smile graced his face.

Sev's eyes widened. "You're my father…" He breathed.

Snape gave in and nodded, wordlessly. Sev leapt up into his arms with a happy shout. "I knew that Symphony was wrong!" Something caught his laugh short and the boy pulled away looking around frantically. "Where are they? Symphony and Gabby? Did they come here?"

"No one but you." Snape said, a familiar dread rising in his chest. He went to the fireplace. "Minerva to my office. Now!" He turned to Sev and for the next several minutes tried finding a safe place for him, finally finding it in an old chest by his desk. A meek knock at the door came just as Snape put a silencing spell over the chest. "Enter."

Minerva entered, confused as of why Snape sounded so winded. He stood in front of his desk, leaning almost lazily against it. A small smile spread on his face. She noted how… out-of-character it seemed.

"Yes, Headmaster?" She tried painting a bored look on her face and avoided making eye contact.

The smile faded and was replaced with a more characteristic sneer. "I have called you here to tell you that should you find any student who is harboring fugitives, that they are to be brought immediately to my office. Pass my words along. I trust you can do that."

"Yes, Headm-"

"Have you seen two blonds, smaller than first years wandering the halls?" He interrupted. She looked into his eyes and found a glimmer of… what was that?

"No, sir."

The glimmer faded. "You are dismissed. And do not forget my words. They are for everyone's good."

"Yes, Headmaster." Minerva exited the office, both confused and furious. Neither emotion showed on her face as she returned to teach her class.