A Life Turned Upside Down
Chapter 9 – I'm Proud of you
"I'm proud of you Alex." Snape said as he entered the chamber that the boys would be sharing.
"Why?" Alex asked shifting on the sofa he was sitting on to get a clearer view of his father. He certainly looked a lot better now that he had washed the blood from his face.
"You stood up for what you believed in tonight Alex." Snape replied coming to sit next to Alex.
"However, Draco as much as I appreciated you standing up for me please try and refrain from bellowing at the top of your lungs next time." Snape said and he saw a mischievous smile creep across Draco's face.
"Wipe that smirk off your face right now Draco Tobias Snape." Snape said and suddenly threw a cushion at his unsuspecting son.
"Hey!" Draco exclaimed which caused Alex to smirk in amusement and then suddenly Alex felt himself being hit with the same offending cushion.
"What was that for?" Alex said removing the cushion from his face and glaring at his brother.
"No reason." Draco smirked and Alex was about to throw the cushion back when he suddenly felt a pain shoot through his arm.
"Argh!" He whimpered and clutched his left arm.
"Alex?" Snape suddenly became alert after watching his two sons interacting happily. "What's the matter"?
"Hurts." Was all Alex could whimper.
"Let me see." It wasn't so much as a request but a command.
"It's not the transformation is it father?" Draco piped up.
"No Draco." Snape muttered as he rolled up Alex's sleeve to see a large bruise around Alex's wrist. Snape then grimaced as he could see that the wrist was clearly broken, anymore activity and the bone was going to rip through the skin!
"Draco, run into my office and collect a potion from behind the desk. It's a nerve replenishing potion." Snape requested and Draco jumped to it. "Now Alex, you've got a nasty broken wrist here. I need to heal it now else things could get pretty nasty. I need you to trust me; there's going to be a bit of pain as I need to reline your bones." Snape soothed but Alex only nodded as he writhed in pain.
As quick as a flash, Draco was back. He handed the potion to his father who instantly conjured a measuring flask as he poured the violet coloured liquid into the flask according to the assigned dosage. "Pomfrey will go spare that I've used some of her potion." Snape muttered to himself as he lifted the flask into Alex's mouth and aided him in allowing the cool liquid to slide down his throat.
Snape then muttered a charm he had picked up as soon as he had come to Hogwarts and Alex screamed and writhed as the charm and potion took affect. Draco squirmed as his brother let out a piercing scream; this just confirmed how wrong Draco was about Alex, well Harry, he had thought golden boy had it all and that he could handle pain but apparently not.
Snape placed the flask and potion down immediately and pulled his son into his arms rocking him backwards and forwards trying to sooth him. Wishing he could make the pain go away. Soon Alex stopped his screaming and sheepishly pulled away from his father.
"Sorry" He muttered quietly looking rather embarrassed,
"Alex! Do not feel the need to apologize, I know how painful that potion and spell is." Snape soothed and then looked to the mantel piece above the fire. It was fast approaching midnight.
"Come boys, we must prepare for the night ahead." Snape said helping Alex up and over to the bed nearest the door, whereas Draco walked to the one to the left nearest the window. "You must only dress in your boxers tonight. Tonight is the night you both transform into what you should have looked like had you not been under a concealment charm." Draco sighed as he removed his shirt but Alex looked reluctant.
"I'll show you my scars if you show me yours." Draco whispered to Alex so that Snape could not hear.
"I will be back in a moment when I have required the appropriate potions." Snape said and abruptly left the chamber.
Alex stood up and turned to see Draco already in his boxers and clambering into bed. Alex gasped and Draco did all but wink at him. Draco had huge long gashes across his back accompanied by plenty of smaller more fresh scars. Alex then got undressed and turned to see Draco staring at him.
"We'll see about some concealment potions for those tomorrow shall we?" Draco asked. "After all I shouldn't be needing my stock anymore." He said and Alex smiled at him.
Alex was just about to get into his ridiculously high four poster bed when Snape came in and gasped. "Oh my." He muttered.
Alex spun around and this caused Snape to curse and then mutter "Blasted muggles."
Alex quickly jumped into his bed and pulled his covers up to his neck. "Alex, you should not be ashamed about something you had no power over." Snape said approaching Alex's bed.
"I let it happen." Alex whispered averting his gaze. "I deserved it."
"I doubt you asked them to knock the hell out of you did you Alex?" Draco interrupted and when Alex didn't answer Draco continued ignoring the warning glance he had gotten from his father. "Besides, chicks love the scars." He winked and Alex smiled and lowered the covers revealing a large amount of scars.
But one mark caught Snape's attention, "Alex? Were you branded?" Snape said lowering his sons covers so that he could get a better glimpse of the letters pressed into his son's skin.
V.D
Alex simply nodded and grasped his father's hand and allowed him to trace over the mark with his finger. "I'm owned." Alex said softly.
"When?" Snape breathed.
"As soon as Dumbledore left." Alex smiled weakly. "So I had a rough summer, I'm away from that now and about to start again. Not many kids can ask for that can they?" He winked at his father causing him to smile.
"No, I suppose not." He smirked. "Right anyway. I think it is safe to presume that both of you will grow a few more inches… especially you Alex. You will finally look more like a teenager instead of an 8 year old." He smirked and Alex blushed.
"Moving on, I am going to give you a numbing potion as well as a dreamless sleep potion so that neither of you shall feel a thing and won't wake up until I come and wake you." Snape said handing both boys two flasks of potion, they both drank the potions and lay back on there pillows feeling drowsy.
"Well, goodnight boys." Snape said moving over to the door. "I shall wake you in the morning. Sleep well." And with that he extinguished the light and left the room.
"Alex?" Alex felt himself being gently shaken awake causing him to sit up sharply and wince. "Sorry Alex didn't mean to startle you." And suddenly Snape's face came into focus.
"Old habits die hard." Alex said softly and his father smiled as he went over to wake up Draco.
"Draco? Wake up Draco." Snape said shaking Draco gently,
"Go away." Draco grumbled and rolled over. Snape mumbled to himself and then heard Alex approach him.
"Allow me." Alex said smirking mischievously. Alex then conjured a bucket of ice cold water and threw it over Draco.
"ARGH! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL…" Draco screamed jumping out of the now sodden bed.
"Draco language." Snape chastised.
"Me? He threw a bucket of ice over me!" Draco complained pointing at the now sniggering Alex.
"I saw nothing." Snape smirked and then admired his two sons. "My, your transformations certainly make you look… different."
"In what way?" Draco asked suspiciously.
"Well for starters you hair… it's a little less perfect." Snape chuckled lightly as he watched Draco walk over to a near by mirror and gasp.
"MY HAIR!" He near enough screamed.
"Oh come Draco, it's not that bad." Alex giggled.
"NOT THAT BAD?!?" Draco yelled, "IT'S HIDEOUS! IT'S FILTHY!"
"I take offence to that Draco." Snape smirked. "I would not complain, it's a perfect combination of your mother and I"
Snape watched as Draco ran his fingers frantically through his dirty blond almost brown hair in pure shock. Draco hadn't really altered that much, he only looked less like Lucius and more like Narcissa. However, Alex had completely changed; he actually looked like a 14 year old instead of an 8 year old. His hair had become a jet black colour and was shorter and neater; he was now the same height as he and Draco but still had Lily's startling green eyes.
"Well? Shall I we get ourselves together and head down to the great hall?" Snape said shaking his head as the memories of Lily came back to him. He smiled as both boys nodded. "I shall see you in my office in ten minutes." He said and with that strode off and out of the room.
Both Alex and Draco swiftly got dressed into their Slytherin robes, Alex felt strange as the serpent hissed on his chest he was so used to the Gryffindor lion roaring that he felt like he was a completely different person. But then again he was! He was no longer James Potter's little clone but a Snape.
Alex suddenly had a thought and turned to see Draco watching him. "I know what you're thinking." Draco muttered.
"What?"
"I'll stick by you Alex, you're not going to be flavour of the month in both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin camps." Draco said seriously.
"Thanks Draco."
"Don't mention it." Draco smiled and then led his brother out of their chamber and into Snape's office.
