Chapter 5: Playing With Fire
{A/N: Here's Another Update...re-post}
My Thanks To All My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy S.S.
{"Lighter in my hand and I've got nothing to burn...Except a little turpentine inside of those five paint cans...Get grandpa's shotgun and we'll all take turns...But don't you ever say a word...'Cause you know momma's gonna hate that...The dice that we've been rollin'...With our lives are better stolen...When you're walking through the fire for fun...Tidal wave in motion...You can't hide from the explosion...In 3, 2, 1...We're smokin' dynamite...Too many fuses to light...(Got kingdom come, on the run)...Gonna steal, beg, and borrow...A thousand Fahrenheit and we're about to ignite...So keep the throttle to the bottom...We may never see tomorrow...If tonight's our time to go, the one thing I know...We'll need a coin for the ferryman...Leave us a coin for the ferryman"}Coin For The Ferryman, Nickelback
Diagon Alley, Wizarding World...
Citizens of The Wizarding World were stunned to find the familiar double serpent sigil looming above Diagon Alley once again as a flaming serpent swept through the alley burning everything that came into contact with it. The roar of the serpent had been one of intense fury as it swallowed all in it's witches and wizards were stunned to find the source of this monstrous spell had been a strange figure with his face covered by an ivory mask and a thick robe of the darkest ebony draped over his seemingly broad shoulders. The strange figure had not been surrounded by equally terrifying masked figures with their wands drawn as if poised for attack. Recollection of the death eaters of years passed swept the public as fast as fear. The apparent leader of this strange group aimed the twisted serpent with it's menacing body aflame at the terrified people as they watched him.
"Citizens of the wizarding world." began the strange dark wizard. "I bid you good evening and advise you to prepare yourselves, as you are about to witness the birth of a revolution...or to your feeble minds, the birth of destruction."
The accompanying masked robed men suddenly kneeled at once as if they were of one mind while the leader continued his speech.
"Tonight, I've come to deliver a simple message to your so called hero Harry Potter." he said seemingly embittered at the mention of Harry's name. "We are coming for him, and all of you other pretentious fools that thrived in the wake of a murder most foul."
To punctuate his point, the leader of this strange group unleashed his fiery serpent onto the building where The Daily Prophet had been produced. The same rag of a news paper that had slandered many a good name in the wake of Rita Skeeter's selfish ambitions.
The flame serpent burst into the building singing every scrap of paper, every pencil or pen, every machine or printing press while shattering window after window leaving glass to rain down upon the anxious public. The heated roar of the serpent of flame continued to demolish all in it's wake.
As panic filled the streets, not a single one of them noted the poise and control the strange dark wizard leader showed in keeping the flamed serpent's destruction to what he wished it to be. This had all been meant to send a message and nothing more.
Amazingly, there were only a few people injured from the broken glass and the stampede of citizens trying desperately to get out of the path of the flames.
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Spinner's End, Cokeworth England, Muggle World...
Regulus Snape had been surrounded by more empty bottles of firewhiskey as he lied in the center of his deceased grandparents bed. It had taken him nearly all of the night to make the old place livable before he passed out from exhaustion. He had worked up quite a sweat, mostly due to the drink and discarded a good deal of his clothing onto the hardwood floor below him.
As he slept, he began to dream of the days passed when he had simply been a child in the company of his father and mother some many miles across the ocean.
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It had been a cool August afternoon, Regulus S. Snape had been possibly close to three years of age when his father entered the house, Severus S. Snape had been an impressive man given his towering height and seemingly graceful movements. The older wizard's raven hair had been down to his shoulders and he was due for a hair cut as far as his wife had been concerned. Regulus had thought his father looked cool almost like some dashing form of bad-ass he couldn't yet describe at his young age.
The boy had known for years that many of his looks had been inherited from his father, they had the same lengthy raven hair and obsidian eyes, it would be years later that Regulus would find that he ended up with his paternal grandfather's athletic build more so than his father's lean figure.
Severus Snape entered the small but cozy flat where he had made his home with his wife and young son unbeknownst to much of the wizarding world or his former inner circle. Snape had gone over to his three year old son straight away pleased more than the boy could ever know to see him so happy and healthy.
"There's the little prince." said Snape, his familiar baritone drawl rumbling in the small boy's ear. "And what have you gotten into today?"
Regulus smiled warmly as his father lifted him off the floor and into his surprisingly strong ebony clad arms.
"Yay Papa, you're home!" said the boy excited to see the older wizard. "Are you going to stay longer this time?...me and mommy really miss you."
Snape sighed.
"I do not believe that is possible." he said seemingly exhausted as he thought about having to leave again. "The dark lord is a very demanding wizard."
Little Regulus pouted upon hearing this.
"I hate the dark lord." he said angrily. "He's mean and always takes you away from me and mommy."
Snape seemed amused by his son's stance on his current master.
"I sympathize with your sentiment." he said in his proper English talk.
Regulus had often mimicked it when he needed to, making it difficult for anyone to know for sure where he had come from and terrify them in terms of his suggested intellect at such a young age.
"I don't like when he hurts you Papa." said little Regulus meaningfully.
"Neither do I." replied Snape with a small smile. "But your mother isn't to know...she couldn't handle the thought of what happens to me in the dark lord's company."
"Okay Papa." said Little Regulus agreeing to keep their shared secret of what happens to Snape in the dark lord's company.
"So little prince, what have you learned today?" asked Snape gently sitting his son down where he had picked him up moments prior.
Little Regulus smiled and waved his little hand.
"Watch me Papa!" he said excited.
Snape stood with his arms folded across his ebony clad chest as he watched his son summon a bit of wand-less magic .
The Potions Master's eyes widened when he noted that his son set a good deal of his toys on fire in the small demonstration.
"Impressive bit of magic that." said Snape seemingly amused. "But can you control it?"
Little Regulus had been a curious sort and embraced his magical heritage from the very beginning despite his mother's anguish over his antics. His father implemented the need to control his emotions as well as his magic from a young age. The last thing they need was to draw unnecessary attention or to have him burn down the house due to one of his tantrums.
The small raven haired wizard had been far too pleased to demonstrate his magical control. He had practiced every day until he could get it just right to show his father.
"Good." replied Snape taking the boy in his arms and waving his hand to stifle the flames on the various toys that littered the boy's play area. "Do better."
Little Regulus nodded.
He had known his father was capable of wondrous things and he made up his mind to be just like him.
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In The Present...
Regulus Snape had been asleep when the tear streamed down his sallow pale cheeks as the memory image of his time with his father faded and he awoke to find himself alone and suffering the effects of needing to vomit.
The raven haired wizard jumped up out of bed and raced toward the small bathroom in the narrow hall as he flicked his finger and raised the toilet seat. He vomited the contents of his poor stomach for what seemed like hours before finally collapsing onto the floor and gasping for breath.
The image of his long dead father had filled his already dazed mind and did nothing to stop the silent tears that continued to stream down his sallow pale cheeks. The harsh reality that he had truly been alone in this world had set in once more as he got to his feet.
He reached the sink and rinsed out his mouth, preferring the brown water to the taste of vomit on his tongue. As he cleaned himself up, he noted his reflection in the half shattered mirror before him. It didn't take him long to note the dried blood and the angle of the break as having been deliberate and possibly done by his father during his time here while the second wizarding war was taking place.
They had indeed shared the same lengthy raven hair and pale skin. Regulus smirked as he noted the hint of five o' clock shadow creeping across his face. He had no desire to shave given his preference for when his father went without shaving when home.
He dried his face as best he could with his hands not seeing a clean towel in sight. He emerged from the bathroom with a look of amusement on his face. His father often referred to it as the loo, and attributed to many a laugh on Regulus' part.
The young raven haired wizard made his way to the sitting room and stood in the center of the morning chilled room admiring the darkness of the new day. He had only been dressed in his small clothes but felt it the perfect time to prefect his spell work. He summoned his wand-less magic playing with a few fireballs in each hand as he got control over his breathing.
He had always been attracted to the element of fire.
The sheer volume and unpredictability of it had been the most mesmerizing of it's properties. He often stared into the fireplace as a boy and enjoyed the dancing grace of the red-orange flames as they consumed the wood logs that fed them.
In a strange way, he likened his father to the untamed flames. The dark wizard certainly had the capacity to harm as well as benefit, there was vast unpredictability as far as he had been concerned and an unstated grace in which he moved.
His father had trained him in the art of magical combat as well as dueling. He had been surprisingly, well read having access to both American classic literature and English classic literature. Being well verse in studies from the muggle world as well as the wizarding one had been a priority as far as his parents were concerned.
He had been among the highest scored students at Ilvermorny and well liked given his charm and athletic build. He had played all kinds of sports from both worlds given his athletic talent on via his paternal grandfather.
Unbeknownst to his father, he had been well verse in charms and had invented quite a few. He had been proficient at Potions-making, although in North America it was referred to as Alchemy, while he would never be half the "Potions Master" his father was, Regulus settled for being adept at charms and a veteran Alchemist.
The young raven haired wizard had been studying martial arts and other forms of combat via his travels in North America following the end of the second wizarding war. He did what he could for his ailing mother but his rage had been a problem ever since he was given word of his father's death.
Many of his former Professors suggest he find a less unsavory outlet for his pain given his tendency to drink and bed women when his stress level increased to beyond his ability to deal with anything.
Exercise, study, and various projects have helped ease some of his initial pain, but the recent passing of his mother seemed to render them all useless.
Regulus concentrated his efforts in wand-less magic while incorporating it into his exercise. He had understood at a very young age that his father had gone through a great deal of emotional and physical trauma to become the formidable wizard that he had been.
Unlike Severus Snape, Regulus Snape had a relatively happy life up until the war took a turn for the worst. The last time the young raven haired wizard had seen his father alive had been the night of Albus Dumbledore's murder.
Regulus had been a teenager then and already had reached the impressive height he now had with a face full of stubble and his raven hair growing wildly as if of it's own accord.
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A drunken Severus Snape had arrived in time to see his teenage son, whom had been hidden from the world and all of his enemies both within and outside of the wizarding world. His obsidian eyes had been filled with a loathing but not for the boy or the crying woman whom only wished to cling to her seemingly ill husband.
"Severus." she said clearly upset as she attempted to get his attention. "Severus don't do this...don't leave us."
Her pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears as Severus Snape's attention had been on the boy that had been so much like him and yet so different.
"There he is." said Snape drunkenly. "The little Prince...my legacy of blood and death is now yours to do with as you please boy, I no longer wish to participate in this farce and will soon receive my just rewards."
Teenage Regulus had not known what his father meant but he knew he needed to help his father get well somehow.
"What's going on?" he asked confused as his mothers sobs increased.
"This is the last time I make this trip boy." said Snape seemingly bitter. "You are no longer a child and I need not shelter you from the truth any longer."
"Severus ,please." said Regulus' mother in an attempt to stop him.
"Let the boy know the truth woman." said the embittered Snape glaring at the boy before him. "You are the product of rape boy, this life constructed to give you the illusion of safety is not reality."
"Regulus, don't listen to this...your father isn't well." said his mother.
Regulus had been in a state of absolute shock as his father continued to enlighten him as to the truths kept hidden from him.
"I was a death eater when I took your mother, and I am a death eater as I stand before you now...the dark lord's second in command since I brought an end to that old fool Albus Dumbledore." said Snape still bitter. "You little prince will inherit my legacy of blood and death...it's inescapable...I know that now...I am as much my father's son as you are mine."
"Dad...you're...perhaps you should lie down." said Regulus unable to fathom what he was being told.
"I am done lying...to myself and to you boy." replied Snape as he moved closer to his teenage son. "I am the reason so many die here an now in the wake of this wizarding war, I gave the dark lord the prophecy that foretold of Potter's birth and his destiny to destroy the dark lord."
"W-Why are you telling me this?" asked the stunned teenager.
"Because you are my son." replied Snape with a coldness in his gaze that Regulus had never known before. "And you carry the same darkness inside you that I have long tried to deny in myself."
"Dad...you're upsetting mom." said the teenager.
"She should be upset." replied Snape without feeling. "She should be reduced to a pile of senders at my feet."
"You don't mean that Severus." she said as the tears continued. "You can't mean that..."
"Do what you will with your new legacy little prince." said Snape before he waved his hand bursting the door into flames and raced out into the night and apparated out of their lives.
"DAD!" called Regulus chasing after him with only the night sky looming above him as the tears streamed down his cheeks.
He didn't understand it then, but he somehow knew that it was his father's way of saying good-bye to them. It seemed if he could get them to hate him, then they wouldn't miss him so much if the inevitable did occur.
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Adult Regulus had worked up a fine sweat as the rain beat against the dilapidated brick house that had once been his father's childhood vastly sweaty raven haired wizard could still see the flames engulfing the door of his former home from the burst of magic Severus Snape let off before crashing through the them. His focus had improved, but he still had a ways to go before he achieved the status he wished to have to be on par with his late Potions Master father.