A/N: Stop. Don't go any father. Open Google and type in 'Alan Rickman Die Hard'. It's relevant, I promise.

I just want add in a small detail, which you may or may not catch during the reading. I'm approaching all of my original characters from the perspective that they died young in the JKR timeline. Ex: Triss died from exposure while hiding from her homicidal father because James wasn't there to stumble across her and take her home. The real James Cage died as a small child from a disease easily treated by the magic his parents didn't have access to, but Lily did. Does that make sense? Great!

Chapters 9 and 10 are written and ready to go but I'd like some feedback before I commit to this sequence of events. And this? This is why reviews are so great. You guys keep me on my toes and occasionally catch things I didn't leave out on purpose. Good job :)

Guest from Chapter 5: You're very right. I'm 100% American, and Southern at that. As such the nuances of certain speech patterns escape me… and freak out my spell-check. There is also the small detail that Dragon, a Chinese man speaking very polished, unaccented English, raised James. I will see if I can fix some things when I go back to make some edits but the real beauty of reading is being able to cast any accent you want. As for Dragon, who ever said Dragon is from Tibet? Dragon was born in the Province of Shanxi, China in 1549 and began to travel and learn magic after the Shaanxi Earthquake of 1556 killed his family. The turmoil with Tibet didn't get really bad until the 1700s and is muggle in nature. That is my favorite thing about JKR's separation between muggle and magic: you can pretty much disregard muggle squabbles because the wizards? They don't care. There is a lot more to Dragon's history but I'm trying not to spit out too much information all at once.

It was early, too early for Sev to leave the warmth of his bed and the soft purr of his wife's snores. Sev stared at the bedroom wall, spooned behind Lily and absently rubbing her growing bump. His thoughts kept leading him to their late night and early morning passion. Sex had never been a priority for Sev and in her depression Lily often wasn't interested in the physical aspect of her marriage. The couple had even been abstinent during the course of Lily's pregnancy over fear of another miscarriage. The subtle movement against his fingers assured Sev that Baby S was not disturbed by the actions of his parents.

Sev on the other hand… He'd never experienced anything like what he'd felt with Lily in the early hours. It wasn't just the act itself, but the intensity. Until last night he'd never realized how… absent Lily was. It was like seeing James Cage, knowing her child was alive, had returned the spark of life he never thought he'd see again. It was a glimpse of the girl he remembered from Hogwarts, the one he thought died with James Potter.

Sev sighed. Laying there next to the beautiful woman carrying his child wasn't going to clear his head. Gently, he slid away from Lily's warm skin and crossed the dark room to his wardrobe. The sun wouldn't quite be up but a run would help clear his head.

After being teased all through his youth Sev made great strides to better himself after leaving school. With money left to him by his maternal grandfather it was easy to purchase new clothing suited to his frame and seek the assistance of a muggle cosmetologist. The woman had been thorough, teaching him about hygienic expectations that his mostly absent parents had neglected. The lifestyle changes were evident every time Sev looked in the mirror. Once long, oily hair was cut stylishly short and a nearly groomed beard drew attention away from his slightly crooked nose. The gangly body of his youth had filled out in adulthood, aided by a strenuous fitness routine including a daily run around the Black Lake.

Lily often joined him on his morning run but during her pregnancy just read by the lake while he jogged. Today Sev decided to let her sleep. He needed some time to himself and she would be tired from their late night activities. He ghosted a kiss on the crown of her head, tucked a stray hair behind her ear and was gone.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The early morning air was cool and the ground was damp with morning dew. The sky in the east was pink with the rising sun, providing just enough light for Sev to navigate down to the lake's edge. He stretched, warming his limbs and preparing his muscles for the activity. The first lap was easy, a way to clear his head. He allowed no thoughts to interrupt the serenity of his mind, his natural affinity for occlumency aiding his run.

During the second lap Sev allowed his shields to fall and realized he wasn't alone. Two figures stood in the glare of the rising sun, stretching as he had not long before. As he neared them he recognized the tall silhouette of James Cage and the much smaller frame of Trisstessa Summers. The girl's hair had changed again, now a rich shade of blue with eyes to match.

He slowed as he neared them. Lots of students used the trail around the lake for fitness reasons but all were much older. The trail cut close to the Forbidden Forest and occasionally a student, or even Severus himself, found themselves in precarious situations with animals that wandered a little too far from the brush. In his opinion the trail was too dangerous for two untrained eleven-year-olds, and as a professor and their Head of House his opinion counted for much.

"Good morning Professor Snape!" Triss greeted. Her sunny disposition was a little grating at this hour of the morning but Sev was well adjusted. On her better days Lily was a morning person too.

"To you as well, Ms. Summers. Mr. Cage. I trust you found the dorm room adequate for your needs?" he asked. Homesickness was his number one challenge with first years and making sure the dorms were comfortable had gone a long way towards lessening the number of children the Prefects brought to his office in the middle of the night, sobbing that they wanted to go home.

Triss smiled and nodded, James repeating her motions. Sev could tell that the morning was not the boy's favorite time of day and guessed he might push his companion into the lake if she continued to speak. Which she did. "They're lovely sir, and my roommate Daphne is very nice. We're all very excited for classes to start today!"

Sev nodded, pleased the girl seemed enthusiastic about learning but noticing one detail that increased his concern about the two children and their early morning fitness drastically. "I'm pleased to hear that, Ms. Summers. Now, can you tell me where your wand is?" While Sev's wand was attached to a holster on the inside of his forearm he could not see a wand on either child.

The children exchanged a look, clearly puzzled and James spoke. "In our rooms, Professor. Why do you ask?"

"Creatures are known to occasionally wander from the forest onto the trail. As untrained as you are, a wand provides at least some way to protect yourselves. Without one, I'm afraid I can't allow you onto the trail this morning," Sev explained.

The children exchanged another look, something Sev found deeply irritating. He was unpleasantly reminded of the silent exchanges between Sirius Black and James Potter in his youth. The fact that Cage was nearly identical to Potter at that age only annoyed Sev further.

"Umm, not to doubt you Professor but James and I will be perfectly safe. Our father was very thorough in teaching us to protect ourselves." Triss didn't mention that neither of them actually needed a wand. It wasn't a secret, but not something they really wanted to advertise after the debacle with Neville Longbottom.

Sev scowled. "Am I to understand your father is an experienced member of this staff, your Head of House, or an expert on the residents of the Forbidden Forest?"

"Our father is a Grandmaster and was one of the founders of The Academy in Shanghai. I don't think he has any Mastery in Magical Creatures, but he has been alive for a long time so it's possible. Does that count?" Triss asked. Her patience with the professor was growing thin.

For this part, Sev was struggling to control his tongue. It wasn't often that one of his snakes chose to argue with him and these two children were jumping up and down on his last never. 'Are they so short sighted that they can't see how dangerous it is to wander the grounds without a wand?' Sev took a deep, calming breath. "I do not appreciate nor tolerate lies from my students, Ms. Summers. You will report for detention in my office tonight after dinner. Now, I suggest you both go back to your dorm before I'm forced to start Slytherin's House Points in the negative."

Triss gasped and her face grew comically red. For a moment Sev thought the girl might cry, as if he hadn't had enough of crying females in the last twenty-four hours. She opened her mouth and Sev prayed she might talk back to him and earn another detention. Instead James spoke. "I propose a compromise Professor. If you feel we are so unsafe jogging on the grounds alone then maybe we can run with you? Obviously Triss needs her run to burn off some excess energy or she'll be a nightmare in classes."

Severus was impressed by the boy's logic, a trait he must have inherited from his mother. And Cage had a point. He would never hear the end of it from the other instructors if one of his snakes caused trouble in their classes, and he really didn't want his House to start the semester in negative points. The down side would be supervising two children when he was supposed to be relaxing and clearing his mind of the turbulence caused by the child in front of him. "I find your proposal… acceptable. On the condition that you tell me if you're too tired to continue so that I may escort you back to the castle. Understood?" The children nodded, Triss's formerly sunny attitude completely destroyed and her dirty looks made sure he knew it was his fault.

Sev set off at a slow jog, watching the children carefully to make sure they stayed with him. They kept up easily and by their next lap were actually outpacing him. Sev ran faster, his lungs burning as he pushed himself. All his earlier troubles were forgotten, his mind fully focused on keeping pace with the endless energy of the two eleven year olds. By their fifth lap Sev knew he had to stop but the children hardly looked tired even though they'd been going for well over an hour.

"Cage, Summers!" He shouted, slowing to a stop near the tree he used for his calisthenics, the next part of his routine. The children stopped and looked back at the sweaty Potions Master. "You may continue but you are to stay in my sight." The children nodded, running faster than they had before. Sev shook his head. 'Rotten children.'

Push-ups, sit ups, crunches and lunges. Sev completed each exercise methodically, finishing with several chin-ups on a transfigured tree branch. The children had done as promised and run from one end of the lake to the other at alternating speeds, where he could clearly see them. He was impressed by their speed and stamina, but chances were they'd be falling asleep in class by noon.

The sun had long since risen and breakfast would start soon. While many of the students knew their Potions Professor exercised early in the morning Sev didn't think crossing the entrance hall in sweats would enforce the strict, no nonsense teaching reputation he'd built for himself. And he needed to talk to Lily.

"Summers, Cage!" he shouted, drawing the children's attention to him again.

"Yes, sir?" the boy asked as they drew close to Sev, both children winded from their faster pace.

"You must return to your dormitory now. It is almost time for breakfast and I will not be here to make sure you don't feed yourself to the giant squid. Gather your things please," Sev requested. There was a bag over by his calisthenics tree that had to belong to one of the children since no one else was out at this hour. James responded with another "Yes, sir," and jogged to retrieve his bag. The girl waited with him, glaring not so subtly at her Head of House.

James retrieved the bag quickly and Sev observed another oddity. The boy was talking to a bracelet. "Does he do that often?" Sev wondered aloud.

"He talks to Sapphire all the time." The girls' response was clipped but Sev ignored her tone in favor of observing his newly discovered stepson.

As James drew closer Severus could see the boy's lips moving but it was the sound coming from those lips that made Sev's insides freeze and his bowels turn watery. The last time he'd heard sounds like that he'd been lying on a cold stone floor, beaten and tortured bloody and waiting for death. It was the language of Snakes, of the Dark Lord, and James Cage was speaking it.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"I hate him!" Triss shouted after they had separated from the 'him' in question.

James sighed. He hadn't slept well, woken often by a nightmare he couldn't quite remember the details of and Triss had been ruffling his feathers since he woke to her kitten-self biting his nose. He tried to hold his temper in check, but Triss's outbursts were wearing him thin. "It's your own fault Triss. Dragon warned us about the way of thinking here but you ignored him. We could have just snuck away, transfigured some sticks into wands, and continued with our run but you had to run your mouth," he criticized.

Triss stared him down, her eyes starting to water. "He called me a liar, James! How can you take his side?"

"I'm not taking sides, I'm telling you to stop acting so childish. Obviously the man doesn't know any better, but I doubt he'll be open to learning if you just lash out at him. You mouthed off, he gave you a detention. That's how it works here. Either get used to it or go home!" By the last sentence James was shouting and Triss was crying. It only took a moment for James to regret his words, but Triss had already fled down the hall.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

After cleaning off the grime from his morning workout and making sure Sapphire was comfortable in her terrarium, James made his way out of his room. The sleep assignment was two to a dorm but there were an odd number of boys in his year so by a stroke of luck James had his own room.

The stairway and common room were empty, everyone already in the Great Hall for breakfast. James walked over to the banister to the girl's side and started to climb, but after only a few steps the stairs turned to ice under his feet and he slid back down to the bottom. "What?" James wondered, attempting the stairs a second time with the same effect. "Right, then." James tapped the banister twice, muttering an incantation. Nothing happened. "She must be in the Great Hall already," James concluded, since the lack of effect meant there was nothing human or shape shifting upstairs.

As predicted, the girl was sitting at the Slytherin table, entertaining her year-mates with the various hues of her hair. Her yellow cat-eyes caught James's with a single warning: stay away. James was disappointed but understanding. He'd hurt her feelings and she needed some space. He would apologize later, when she had some time to cool off. It wasn't the first time he'd said something stupid to make her mad and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

Severus burst into Albus's office, still dressed in his sweaty exercise clothes. He was out of breath and felt a little faint. For his part, Albus looked startled to see the younger man. "Severus, what a pleasant surprise. Lemon drop?"

"Cage is a vessel for the Dark Lord," Sev burst out.

All the sparkle went out of Dumbledore's eyes. "I'm sure you are mistaken Severus. You're just a bit overwhelmed-"

"HE IS SPEAKING PARSELTONGE ALBUS!" Sev shouted. "The same language of the Dark Lord that suddenly disappeared without a trace six years ago! Right around the time Cage's family was murdered and Cage himself disappeared. The Dark Lord is possessing that boy, damn it!" Sev slammed his fists down on the desk, anxious for the Headmaster to see his point. "Say something Albus!"

Albus stroked his beard, pondering the news while Sev barely restrained himself from reaching over the desk and shaking the old man. "I can understand your concern, Severus. However, the Potter Line is a long one filled with many talents. It is very possible he simply inherited the ability from his father and Voldemort has nothing to do with it."

Severus desperately wanted to slap some sense into the old man. "Then how do you explain him even being alive? I know better than anyone alive how powerful and ruthless the Dark Lord is. That child should be every bit as dead as Lily thought he was, his head mounted on a pike in the Dark Lord's throne room, but he isn't. The only thing that makes sense is the Dark Lord killing the child and stealing the body!"

Albus nodded, patiently considering the Professor's explanation. "Alternatively," he began, "Your wife could be an extremely powerful witch with access to a vast amount of Blood Magic invented by earlier lines of the Potter Family. It is also possible this Blood Magic might have allowed this powerful witch to erect a very special shield around her son, a shield fueled by a mother's blood. This shield may have been so powerful that it turned Voldemort's Killing Curse back on him and tore his soul away from the mortal world, leaving a scared little boy to run away from a scary place occupied by his murdered mother." Albus paused. "I find your version compelling Severus, but overall I think mine is better."