Last Time :"That's all well and good, but that doesn't tell me who he is." Harry cut in with exasperation.

"Have patience, child." Teldrom admonished. "He is one you have already met and are not particularly fond of." 'Joy' Harry thought, 'Why doesn't he just say it?' "His name is Severus Snape."

'NO WAY!'

Chapter 3, Ritual

"What?"

"It's true."

Harry stared at the man wondering when the world went insane. There was no way.

"He hates me. There is no way I can be the git's son." Harry felt his temper rising. It was preposterous. If Teldrom didn't look so serious he would have laughed.

Teldrom scowled at him as if he had known what the boy was thinking.

"He doesn't hate you, but Harry Potter, son of his dead rival James Potter. He doesn't even know the real you."

"Exactly," Harry exclaimed, "He is so vindictive he is willing to show cruelty to a student over something that happened before I was born."

Teldrom sighed in frustration before answering Harry's challenge, "Harry, he isn't the only person who acts that way, he's just one of the few who has turned such an attitude toward you." He looked the young man in the eye. "Can you think of anyone you know and like that has acted the same way?"

Harry blinked, taken aback. His first thought was to deny liking someone like that. But then he remembered what he saw in Snape's Pencieve. Slowly his mind turned to his Gryffindor friends and their treatment of the Slytherins. Harry blushed in realization.

Teldrom smiled although it clearly wasn't with amusement.

"I see you've figured it out." He stood and walked around to Harry's other side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "People do things for many reasons, Harry, and it's not always the most apparent one. I won't say his treatment of you was acceptable, nor will I ever, but I do want you to know he didn't hate you personally."

Harry closed his eyes feeling like the world was converging upon him. He understood everything Teldrom was telling him but all he could think about was Snape's biased remarks all the years he had known him.

'Late again, Potter?'

'So you think you know more than anybody else in class, Potter?'

'Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Mr. Potter.'

No matter what Harry did, no matter how hard he tried, Snape would find some way to humiliate him. Publicly. The man just couldn't seem to distinguish between Harry and James Potter. Harry's hands clenched into fists as they rested in his lap. Snape just couldn't see through past grievances.

Suddenly his eyes flew open. He swung his head around to see Teldrom now stood directly behind him.

"Wait!" Harry said, his heart thumping dangerously fast. "If I'm Snape's son than how will the other Gryffindors react?" He allowed nervously when Teldrom didn't answer. "They- they'll treat me like the Slytherins, won't they. They will act like Snape."

Teldrom looked on as the demon child worked himself toward having a break down. He had known his father's identity would hit him hard and had tried to ease the boy along so this wouldn't happen. He had failed, the boy had nearly reached his breaking point. He frowned, he really didn't know how to deal with teenagers. He hoped the boy could handle being treated like an adult, that he was mature enough.

"Harry," the boy continued to stare at him as if he couldn't really see him. "I know this must be hard for you but you can't let this destroy you." No response, "Understand, Harry, you are still the same inside as you were before. It is not as bad as you think."

"How is it not that bad?" Distant. Emotionless.

"Haven't you always wished to have your parents back? To have a true family?" Teldrom cringed at his rather hopeless, desperate optimism. There wasn't much anyone could do to help someone in such a state. It was something they had to get through on their own.

But it had done something, although for good or for ill he didn't know.

The boy turned away from him, a look of deep thought on his face. Several moments passed before he looked him in the eye again.

"Can-can we talk about Sn- my father later?" he sounded almost afraid.

Teldrom smiled. The boy was beginning to believe him.

"Of course." The boy smiled weakly. "But first I must tell you your father thinks you've been living here your entire life." The boy frowned. "We must decide how we are to proceed. Everyone believes you are dead. You can no longer go by the name Harry Potter."

"Than what name will I use?" Harry clearly didn't like the sound of that.

"You should go by the name your mother gave you, the name your father knows you as; Raven Snape."

"Raven?" the young man scrunched his face up. Teldrom nearly laughed.

"Yes, is that acceptable?" Harry nodded. "Excellent. Raven, what do you wish to do now?"

"Um..." Harry, now named Raven, blinked. "You said something about the charms on me breaking down. How long will that take and what else will change?"

Teldrom returned to his seat, glancing around the room as he thought about the boy's question.

"On it's own it could take up to a month, although I think it best if we remove the spells as soon as possible." Raven sighed. "As to what other changes might occur, one of the spells cast was a suppressor."

"Suppressors?" Raven suddenly looked quite alarmed.

"Suppressor," Teldrom stated calmly, "There is only one and it has already started to fade. It only blocks your demon powers."

"Oh," The boy relaxed slightly. "What type of powers? What can I do?"

"The most obvious so far is being able to sense the presence of others." Raven didn't seem to comprehend the meaning of his words. "I'm sure you noticed the order guards stationed around Privet Drive."

"You mean I could tell they were there because I'm half demon?" The boy had paled. He paused before continuing. "Wait, some of them would speak to me so they really weren't trying to hide from me."

Teldrom ground his teeth as he prayed to every god he had ever heard of for patience. Surely the boy could reason all of this out on his own.

"The only reason they stopped trying to shield their presence was because you could find them. That doesn't mean anybody else would have noticed them."

For several minutes there was silence. Teldrom watched as Raven began fiddling with the ties of his tunic, his eyes fixed on some indistinguishable spot above the doors on the far wall.

"How," Raven began slowly, uncertain. "How do you know so much about the order?"

That caught the monk off guard. 'Of all the things the boy could have asked he questions that?'

"I have several people working in the order as well as the ministry and the death eaters."

Raven nodded. "Is that how you knew about the attack?"

Teldrom decided to end the subject before it moved into dangerous territory as it seemed to be approaching. "Raven, you will know in time but now it is time for you to return to your room." Seeing the boy was about to argue he continued. "You have not fully recovered. You need your rest."

Raven gave a frustrated sigh.

"When will we remove the spells?"

"Tomorrow, child. The sooner the better."

Raven bit his lower lip. On the one hand he really hated the idea of Snape was his father but... Teldrom didn't seem to be lying. He sighed once more; everything always happened to him.

He glanced at his right hand where the words 'I must not tell lies' remained carved into his skin. He brought his other hand over and began running his fingers over the pale scars.

Teldrom stood slowly, "Come, I shall walk you to your rooms." Raven rose to his feet and followed the older man from the hall.

As they walked along the hallway Teldrom explained they would need to perform a complex ritual to remove both the disguising spell and the suppressor. Raven really didn't hear much of what was said other than "start at seven" and "will last twelve hours."

How would everyone react about this? What would Sirius have thought? Raven clenched his jaw as a wave of sorrow over came him. He gasped, his chest constricting. He tried to push the memories away as he had since the night at the ministry.

Raven didn't realize he had come to a halt as he closed his eyes trying to keep a grasp on the present.

"Raven?" His eyes shot open. Teldrom was standing in front of him with a look of concern on his face.

"What?"

"You tell me. One minute you're following me, the next you stopped." Teldrom tilted his head to the side. "You okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Raven looked down at his feet. "I was just thinking about Si- my godfather."

"I see." He could hear the sympathy as Teldrom spoke.

Raven raised his head to meet the older man's gaze.

"I'm tired." He paused. "Can we continue?"

Teldrom didn't say anything as the turned and lead Raven a few doors down. Opening the door he revealed the room Raven had awoken in earlier.

"This will be your bedroom for as long as you are here."

Raven nodded as he walked into the room and collapsed onto the bed. He was beginning to get a headache.

Teldrom was about to leave when the teen sat up.

"What will I tell my friends? My-my father?"

"We'll figure that out in time."

The boy nodded as he fell back against the pillows. It wasn't until Teldrom left that he let the full weight of everything that had happened fall upon him. The death of Sirius, his torture at the Dark Lord's hands, and now this.

He curled around himself. He wasn't even a Potter, he was Raven Snape. He didn't know how to feel about that. He had a live parent. He maybe Snape but still. He had the one thing he always wanted but...

His mind turned to the night before and he let loose an involuntary whimper. He had never believed he could be so afraid or in such pain. Most of that night had been a blur. He had been helpless.

Raven buried his face into the pillows and began to sob.


Location : Unknown, July 8Th, 11:58 pm

This is getting ridicules. How is he supposed to grab the boy if they keep moving him?

He suppressed a sigh. If this lasted much longer the others would find the boy before him.

He rose from the large slab of marble that was to be used in the reconstruction of the Arntix. Turning he strode toward the edge of the clearing where the shadows from the moonlight on the trees made it nearly imposable to see for any great distance.

Slowly the man faded, as if becoming part of the shadows. Moments later the clearing and the surrounding forest were empty of all life except for the crickets.


Location : Temple, Meeting Room, July 9Th, 6:35 am.

Raven shifted nervously as he watched Teldrom finish a elaborate design upon the floor of the room he had met the monk in the day before. The symbol appeared to be a circle that contained a square, each corner touched the line of the circle. Within the square was another circle, just large enough for a person to sit in, its edges brushed each side of the square. Every blank space of the outer circle and the square was filled with ancient runes.

'Wish I had taken Ancient Runes instead of Divination.'

Teldrom rose to his feet rubbing his back after being bent over for so long.

"Done." He examined his work. "Well, we can get started at any time."

Raven approached him apprehensively.

"How are we going to do this?"

"First you sit in the center and I do the rest. After I begin the spell work you will most likely go into a trance. There is very little for you to do during that, in fact you will probably lose track of time all together."

Raven frowned, he hated not knowing what was going on around him. It made him feel vulnerable.

"Aside from waiting until they wear off, is this the only way?"

"Yes."

He groaned and carefully stepped into the inner circle. Teldrom had spent nearly an hour working on those runes, he would probably be killed if he smudged any. He slowly lowered himself to the floor. He looked up at the older man.

"What happens if something goes wrong?"

"Don't worry, if anything happens you will remain unharmed."

Raven had just realized Teldrom hadn't said anything about what would happen to him, when he began to chant the opening of the spell.

He felt it take effect immediately, it was similar to what would happen right after drinking a vial of Dreamless Sleep. Slowly he began to feel something strange with his hair. Then a tingling along his skin all over his body. Finally he felt a twinge of pain as his bones shifted slightly to form the true structure of his body.


Three hours later...

Teldrom sighed as he finished the first and easiest part of the spell, removing the charms on his appearance. The original spell work must have broken down far more than he had anticipated. It had only taken three hours to remove each and every strand of the charm web that had completely covered the boy. Half the time he had expected.

Now for the hard part. The suppressors wouldn't be destroyed so easily, or painlessly.

After only half an hour of chanting he felt the first cut grace his cheek. He desperately hoped these spells had broken down like the last ones.


Five hours later, 2:50 pm.

Raven gave a quiet moan as he sat up wondering when he had lied down in the first place. He glanced around him at the symbol on the floor, surprised to find most of the white markings had been burned black. He shakily rose to his feet as he looked for Teldrom.

"Awake already, Raven?"

Raven stumbled slightly in shock. He awkwardly turned to see Teldrom sitting on the end of the head table. He made his way to him trying not to trip over his own feet as he went.

It wasn't until he was within arm's reach of the man that he saw the blood. There wasn't a lot of it and Teldrom didn't seem to be too badly injured but it startled him.

"What happened?"

Teldrom cocked his head to the side and gave a small smile.

"Your demon powers back lashed." Raven stared at him in horror. "Don't worry. It's nothing but a few scrapes and bruises. I will be fine."

Raven was still uncertain but he moved on to another matter that was bothering him.

"Why am I having such a difficult time walking?"

At that Teldrom laughed.

"Most of it is caused by your slightly different body structure, the rest is from your new height." He continued to smile. "You've probably grown about two inches. Even after you get the hang of walking you'll be whacking your elbows on everything."

Raven made a sour face. Just what he needed.

Teldrom gingerly slid off the table and began to slowly walk toward the door. Raven rushed forward as fast as he could as the man stumbled but caught himself. He reached out to steady the other man.

"Oh, I'm fine." Teldrom waved him away. "I just haven't done such a magical work since I helped place those spells on you when you were a baby. All you're doing is making me feel old."

Raven blinked in shock. Teldrom was one of the ones to put the charms on him?

They slowly made their way into the hallway and entered the first room on the right. It was similar in size to Raven's room but it was set up as a sitting room. Several arm chairs were placed in a circle in the center of the room.

Teldrom stepped around one chair and sat, settling into the soft cushions. Raven cautiously followed suit, his hair falling down into his face brushing his nose and cheeks. He gasped in shock. Carefully reaching up he took a hold of his hair.

"Did," He broke off in a strangled squeak as his throat protested. He coughed for a moment, then tried again. "Did my hair grow? It seems longer than before."

"It didn't grow, Raven." Teldrom said quietly. "Your hair was that long, it simply has a different texture now. You will probably need a slight hair cut to straiten it out."

"Oh."

There was a long pause.

"How do you feel?"

Raven blinked. How did he feel? He really wasn't sure. He knew this new body was more comfortable than his old one, it gave him a sense of belonging. It was everything that came with it that made him uncertain. How does one deal with being half demon and the son of a man who had always treated you like dirt? He shrugged.

"I know it is difficult for you, but you have to make the best of it." Teldrom suddenly smiled. "It could have been worse."

"Really?" Raven raised a skeptical eyebrow, unaware of how much he looked like his father. "How so?"

"You could have been Voldemort's son."

"Ewww." Raven chuckled along with Teldrom. "I'm sorry but my god. I mean, Voldemort, reproducing? Ewww. That was an image I didn't need. Erk."

"I'm sure most agree with you." Teldrom had begun to say something else when a knock came at the door. The older man sighed and called for the other to enter.

A young man with bronze skin slipped into the room and bowed to Teldrom. Raven had a sneaking suspicion he had met this guy before. If only he could remember when.

"Ah, Osis." Teldrom smiled at the man. "What news do you bring from the Order?"

Raven blinked. So that was where. He must have seen him going to a meeting. Osis glanced at him, uncertain, but at Teldrom's nod began his report.

"I bring news of the death of Harry Potter." Osis swallowed sadly, "Two nights ago Voldemort attacked Privet Drive and killed the boy."

Teldrom stood and paced around the room. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Preparations must be made."

"I came as soon as I could." Osis grimaced. "There's more. The Order now knows about the demon boy."

Raven, who had been trying to wrap his mind around the news of his own death was shaken from his thoughts by this pronouncement. Did Osis know the 'demon boy' was here? He tensed.

"What happened, Osis?"

"It seems Voldemort somehow found out about the boy. Snape warned them. They will be coming on the fourteenth."

"Damn, it's too soon." Teldrom made eye contact with Raven and tried to smile. "How many will be arriving?"

"Four: Snape, Lupin, the elder Weasley, and Dumbledore himself."

Teldrom sighed. "Thank you, Osis. If that is all..."

Osis nodded and swiftly left the room.

Raven felt himself relax, but only slightly. "What are we going to do, Teldrom?"

"We will do all we can to prepare you for the upcoming events." He returned to his seat looking older than his years. "We will have to be cautious. There are many things I must teach you if you are to survive this charade."

Raven nodded.

"We only have five days. You need to be trained in your demon magic."

"When will we start?" Raven asked.

"Now."

Raven groaned. He'd been afraid of that.

Teldrom laughed.


Location: Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office, July 9, 4:35 pm.

Severus ground his teeth as he was offered another lemon drop. If he had wanted any of those god forsaken candies he would have asked. Why didn't Albus just explain why he had called him up here?

"Severus, my boy," Albus said, "I know this is going to be hard on you but I need to you to tell me everything you can about your son."

He sighed. He really should have expected this.

"I've told you the most important parts, Albus." The old man raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "His name is Raven. His mother was a pure blood demon. I receive letters once, maybe twice a month telling me what Raven's been up too. That's about it."

"What about his powers?" Albus pressed. "Even a half demon would have some impressive abilities."

"Teldrom told me Raven wouldn't come into his powers until sometime in his sixteenth year. He turned sixteen on the fourth, so he may not have any powers at all yet."

"Even so, do you think he would be willing to help the Order?"

Severus scowled as the full understanding of Albus' request sunk in.

"You want him to be a weapon for the Order!" He leapt to his feet with a snarl. "Well I won't let that happen."

"Calm down, Severus." The headmaster looked more tired then the potions master had ever seen him before. "That wasn't what I meant. To be honest, I would be happy if he simply chose to be neutral. I meant no offense."

Severus glared at the man for a moment more before returning to his seat.

"I have no wish to speak on the subject of Raven at this time." He said, "Was there anything else you wished to discuss with me?"

"Oh yes," Dumbledore gave a grin his eyes twinkling, "How is this year's syllabus coming along?"

It wasn't until some time later as Severus was leaving that Albus brought up his son again.

"You know, my boy?" Albus said as Severus walked down the stairs to the statue. "After your outburst earlier you have proved that you would make a wonderful father."

Severus froze, every muscle in his body tensing. He heard a chuckle behind him as Dumbledore shut his office door.

'Huh?'


I am so sorry this chapter took this long! I wrote and rewrote this so many times that I felt like putting my fist through the computer screen and taring up my notebooks in frustration. I'm still not entirely happy with how it came out and it will probably be redone at some latter point. I corrected part of the first chapter that mentioned Raven's birthday. It is now officially on the 4th of July in 1980.