Chapter 6: Limited Inhibitions
{A/N: Here's Another Update...}
My Thanks To All My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy S.S.
Unknown Pub, Wizarding World...
Another round of wild turkey and a side round of firewhiskey and they still had not been enough as Regulus Snape seemed to ease back into his unsavory means of comfort following the tragic death of his long suffering mother. He had to go about planning the funeral alone, unlike when his father had died and she made all the arrangements, of course he saw no point to it given they didn't even have his body to lower into the coffin after everything was all said and done. His father had been very thorough in keeping them from being found out about by anyone friend or enemy.
About halfway into his forth or fifth round, a strange looking freckle faced man with overwhelmingly noticeable red hair and bright blue eyes entered the place. He had been a pasty sort of fellow, filling about the middle but way too sure of himself to do anything about it. He wore attire befitting a nearly middle aged man attempting to capture the glory days of his being in high school but failing miserably.
Regulus had gotten a look at the wedding band on his finger that he seemed intent on hiding from the rest of the world but to no avail. His face wore the wrinkles of responsibility and the consequences of a poor diet.
"Afternoon Earl." he said, his voice at least sounding as that of a fully grown man with a twinge of adolescence. "I'll take the usual...got a big match coming up."
"Sure Ron." replied the old barkeeper with an aged leather face and short gray hair.
"What's been going on around here?" asked the red head man known as Ron.
"Aside from some crazed loon scaring the daylights out of us normal citizens of the wizarding world?" asked the barkeeper Earl. "The bloke's burned down where they manufacture The Daily Prophet."
"Between you and me, that place needed to go, of course not at the expense of national fear and the injured but come on Earl, The Daily Prophet was a rag of a newspaper." said Ron taking a sip from his mug.
The swirling golden liquid had a good deal of froth at the top and he seemed to enjoy it.
"That doesn't mean it should have been burned down that way, decent witches and wizards made a living from that paper too." said Earl.
"I don't dispute that." replied Ron still enjoying his drink. "It's just rather hard to feel sorry for a paper that made my life a living hell."
Earl sighed.
"I just hope Potter's got it in him to put a stop to yet another wizarding war, he isn't some boy from a prophecy and with Snape dead...there's no telling what could happen." he said seemingly weighted by the aspect of another long war in the magical world.
"Indeed." replied Ron. "None of us are getting any younger and we've the children to think about."
The red head scanned the pub and came across a strange new face.
"Who's the bloke in the back?" he asked inquisitively.
Earl followed his line of vision and smirked.
"That there is a Yank." he replied. "Didn't catch his name, but he's the moody sort...doesn't socialize much."
"I'm not surprised." said Ron with a sigh. "Looks like he's in good shape whomever he is, I wonder if he plays Quidditch."
"Ron, I don't think his sort play Qudditch." replied Earl.
"That's too bad." replied Ron. "He'd make one hell of a beater."
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Unknown Pub, Wizarding World...
Regulus had been enjoying his drink in the farthest part of the darkened room. He had been contemplating returning to the brothel before heading back to Spinner's End when suddenly a strange drunken man swiped the glass out of his hand causing it to shatter.
"What the fuck are you doing here yank boy?" he asked in a gruff tone.
The raven haired wizard rolled his eyes. This wasn't the first time he had to put some fool on his back because of a little cultural difference.
"I was enjoying my drink until a balding fuckwad interfered." replied Regulus annoyed.
"Did I say you could enjoy a drink in my pub?" asked the bald fuckwad.
"I don't recall needing to ask your permission to spend my galleons." replied the raven haired wizard.
"Well, now you do." said the bald man with a menacing glare. "And I say you aren't allowed here."
Regulus sighed getting to his feet and demonstrating that he towered above this aggressive balding drunkard. Upon seeing the American stand, Ron also got to his feet. He couldn't in good conscience leave the new bloke to do his fighting alone in a foreign country. The balding drunkard's friends crowed around them making their intent known.
"Alright gentlemen." said the red head known as Ron. "Let's not do anything too hasty...after all we can't have our guest thinking all our countrymen are mental idiots."
Enraged one of the balding drunkard's fellows turned on Ron attempting to fight him. The red head proved to be a much more capable fighter than anyone would have given him credit for at first glance.
He whipped out his wand and wiped the floor with the balding drunkard's friend in an instant leaving it an even match.
"Now." he said with a smirk, "where were we?"
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The Alleyway, Wizarding World...
Blood trickled down Regulus Snape's lip as he continued to attack finding himself moving in sync with the red head wizard known as Ron. The fight inside the pub had spilled into the alley way despite the pouring rain and the limited space.
Regulus tackled one of the drunks and rammed them out the back door where the red head wizard Ron and the other fellow of the balding drunkard followed. Blows were traded wand and physical wise with blood being drawn on either side.
The red head wizard seemed to be having the time of his life despite becoming winded the longer the bout went on. Regulus ended up leveling the balding drunkard and took on the friend that Ron had done his best to hold off.
Everything had been going their way until a strange man appeared wearing black robes and casting hex after hex in their direction. The brawl had been settled by Regulus knocking the final rude drunkard out only to find that Ron was about to be hit with a hex he couldn't defend himself against.
Regulus had not known this Ron, but instinct dictated that he return the favor the red head wizard had given him by stepping into the brawl. The raven haired wizard whipped out his own wand and made short work of the attacker and turned his attention to the winded red head wizard.
"Are you alright, Freckles?" he asked seemingly concerned.
Ron attempted to catch his breath and sighed.
"Not as young as I use to be." he replied with a seemingly sad smile.
"No, you're just not in as good a shape as you use to be." replied Regulus noting the chubby belly in front of the red head wizard.
"Thanks for the help in my self loathing." replied Ron with an annoyed expression.
"Any time, Freckles." replied Regulus.
"What's a bloke like you doing to get people all steamed up?" asked Ron curious.
"I suppose it's part of my charm." replied Regulus casually.
"That other wizard, he wasn't with the one we were brawling." observed Ron.
"I gathered that with the strange rob and the intent to kill you." said Regulus. "By the way who do you know that wants you dead?"
"Aside from my wife if she finds out about my visits to Madam Lucy?" asked Ron with a chuckle.
"You're married?" asked Regulus as if surprised by this turn of events despite seeing the wedding ring on his pale finger.
"I-It's complicated." replied Ron. "We married young and after the trauma of the wizarding war."
"So you think that justifies cheating on her?" asked Regulus.
"Hey I didn't recall asking you for judgement on my relationship." said Ron angrily.
"And I didn't recall needing to get mixed up with some red head freckle faced jerk that cheats on his wife...and if she's hot by the way you should burn in hell." said Regulus. "Who ever you are, there are people trying to kill you and being anywhere you are is a danger in it of itself."
Ron sighed.
"I don't really know who tried to kill me." he replied. "And this by the way is my first time noting the attempt, I assumed it was someone after you."
"I get into trouble just fine on my own." replied Regulus. "As far as the attempts on my life, all in a days work given who my father was."
"Who was your father?" asked Ron curious.
"He's dead and buried as far as I know." replied the raven haired wizard. "I suggest you keep to the shadows or go find some protection or something, you my can handle a one on one fight but anymore numbers and you'd be a goner."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." replied Ron. "I'll bet I'd be cocky too if I was your age...what is your age by the way?"
"Are you kidding me?" asked Regulus. "I'm thirty eight."
The red head wizard known as Ron's eyes widened. The strange American wizard had been only a year older than him and he was as fit as a fiddle.
Before Ron could say anything more, Regulus had put his in his pockets and made his way toward the nearest brothel.
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The Granger Weasley-Residence, The Burrows, Wizarding World...
Hermione Granger-Weasley's amber eyes had been wide as Harry Potter described the events of the previous night to her. The strange double serpent sigil had gotten a lot of attention unwanted or other wise but the latest attack on The Daily Prophet had been something that had shaken the entire wizarding world.
"What do you suppose they want?" asked Hermione holding a brand new edition of The Quibbler. "The attackers I mean?"
"They appear to have some kind of vendetta against me." replied Harry Potter sitting at her kitchen table with a piece of toast in front of him. Beside the toast was a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. "I can't think of anything that I've done in all these years to warrant such drastic actions towards me."
"Really Harry?" asked the amber eyed witch with her brow arched. "You can't think of anything?"
"Getting Snape's portrait into the Headmaster's office was the right thing to do." said Harry gripping his toast and tearing it in half. "He was a good man despite his faults."
"I was there Harry." replied Hermione with a sigh. "You don't have to convince me...I've always admired Professor Snape, but he kept so many secrets for so long...and the way everything played out...you can't truly blame everyone for still feeling a bit sore about it."
"Well I don't care." replied Harry biting into his piece of toast. "Snape may have been a git but he saved my life and the lives of everyone else in the wizarding world."
"I agree." replied the amber eyed witch still going over The Quibbler article on the recent events surrounding this mysterious masked wizard. "But whomever this is they seem to have a personal agenda concerning you."
"I bet it's Malfoy." said Harry bitterly. "He was always trying to make a fool of me and this little stunt was just enough to shake public opinion. "
"Harry, Draco is happily married with a son of his own." replied Hermione. "Scorpius I think is what they named him."
"Well, I think the entire Malfoy family is rotten to the core." said the green eyed wizard bitterly.
"I would have to disagree." said the amber eyed witch meeting her best friend's gaze. "They saved your life and lied to Voldemort during the second wizarding war."
"So what Mione, that doesn't excuse a life time of being evil." he replied seemingly bitter.
"Some people say the same about Snape or your father." said Hermione truthfully. "Or Sirius."
Harry sighed.
Given the antics of the very wizards he held in high regard, he knew he had no real right to judge anyone.
"You're right Mione." he said conceding the point. "As always."
"Naturally." she replied amused but her amusement quickly faded when she glanced back at front page of The Quibbler. "This can't be the start of another war Harry, we have children of our own to consider this time around."
Harry sighed thinking the exact same as he stared out the window. As he focused on the far off distance, something happened, his already limited vision blurred and he found himself falling into the darkest recesses of his own mind.
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Unknown Location, Unknown World...
High winds blew as the sky darkened above. A lone figure cloaked in ebony and vast darkness stood atop a grass-less hilltop. The rock and rubble crumbling beneath his dragon hide boots as he shifted his weight or lack there of back and forth. His palms had been sweaty and his heart beat thunderously in his ebony clad chest. Lengthy raven hair had stretched out like the wild mane from a stallion as he stood in the wind.
"Why did you call me here Severus?" asked the thunderous voice of Albus Dumbledore.
Severus Snape immediately fell to his knees holding his wand in a relaxed position to assure the superior elder wizard of his submission.
"Please..." he begged like an insolent child. "Please don't kill me...I beg of you."
The Headmaster of Hogwarts looked upon the whimpering death eater with absolute disgust.
"You sicken me." he said not at all bothering to hide the contempt behind his tone.
"Please..." said Severus lowering himself into the dirt in an attempt to appease the greatly enraged elder wizard. "I-I beg you...I have information...it...it pertains to the Potters and The Dark Lord."
Albus Dumbledore moved in a much more swift manner than even Severus Snape anticipated as he closed in on the death eater before him catching him by the collar in his rage.
"What do you know about the Potters?" demanded Dumbledore with his expression harsh and his blue eyes like ice.
"I-I know about the prophecy." replied Snape. "I-I was the one that spoke of it to the dark lord."
Dumbledore threw the younger death eater wizard onto the ground almost ready to end his miserable life.
"P-Please...Headmaster...I know that I am less than nothing to you and that my words mean equally so...but you have to save Lily." he managed despite the fear and the anguish filling him. "Do what you will to me..but Lily must be saved...she is a good woman...she doesn't deserve to be killed by the dark lord."
"Do you really believe that I'd listen to the ramblings of a foolish boy dead set on regaining the affections of a girl whom has forgotten him?" asked Dumbledore still harsh in his tone. "Does her one year old son or the husband she swore to spend her life with mean nothing to you...are their lives not just as innocent?"
"Then save them." replied Snape knowing that he'd say whatever needed to be said to ensure they survived. "Hide them Headmaster, hide them all if need be just save her."
"I cannot change the dark lord's mind Severus." said Dumbledore.
"Please." pleaded Snape unable to hold back the tears that had been streaming down his sallow pale cheeks. "Please Headmaster, save them."
Dumbledore's harsh expression had not faded as he sighed.
"And what will you give me in return for such a favor, Severus Snape?" he asked as if in disbelief of the death eater's commitment to his old friend.
"Anything." replied Snape without a moment's thought.
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Unknown Location, Unknown World...
The death eater known as Severus Snape entered a strangely cozy flat his obsidian eyes falling on a small crib where a nearly two year old baby boy with raven hair and obsidian eyes not so unlike his own rested peacefully. His small pale hand had been balled into a fist and in front of his sleeping face.
"Sleep my little prince." said Snape softly. "For you are my redemption."
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The Kitchen, Granger-Weasley Residence, Wizarding World...
Harry Potter had been stunned as he found himself blinking away the remnants of the strange memory that had been hidden deep within his mind.
"Harry are you alright?" asked a concerned Hermione whom had been in front of him.
The green eyed wizard blinked for a moment then straightened his glasses.
"I-I'm fine Mione." he replied unsure what had happened to him.
"You mentioned children then went off to some other world." said Hermione still visibly concerned for her best friends.
"I-I think I've just experienced one of Snape's memories." said the green eyed wizard seemingly shaken.
"How is that possible without the pensive?" asked the amber eyed witch.
"I-I don't know...but I...I saw him and Dumbledore...they were talking about my parents...it was the moment Snape switched sides I think..." said Harry seemingly unable to grasp it all. "Then...everything changed and there was this baby...he couldn't have been no more than two or something and he was asleep in a crib...he looked so much like Snape...and he called him "Little Prince."
"Little Prince?" asked Hermione with an arched brow. "What a strange name."
"I don't think it was a name." replied Harry. "More like a nickname...like Snape's...Half-Blood Prince name...only he said it with a good deal of affection."
"Do you think Professor Snape had children?" asked Hermione. "Perhaps it was his son."
"T-There's been no record of anyone being born to Snape...we checked when we were looking for the Half-Blood Prince." said Harry confused.
"Yes, but we hadn't found out just whom the Half-Blood Prince was until Snape told you that it was him." said Hermione seemingly intrigued. "What if Snape hid his child, given his position in the first and second wizarding wars, it would make sense."
"Snape was a clever bloke, it's possible...given the boy looked so much like him." he said still amazed. "If Snape's boy was two when Voldemort attacked my parents that makes his son..."
"A year older than you." replied Hermione doing the math in seconds. "He'd be my age."
"I-I suppose so." replied the green eyed wizard stunned.
"Well, if Snape's son is indeed out there...where do you suppose he was sent to be shielded from the war?" asked Hermione.
"I don't have a clue." replied Harry. "Just as I don't have a clue whom it is that wants to challenge me so badly."
"One thing at a time I suppose." replied Hermione looking back at The Quibbler.
"I suppose." agreed Harry.
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The Brothel, Wizarding World...
Regulus Snape sighed looking up at the ceiling as his back was pressed against the mattress of bed he had been briefly occupying with a spent woman whom had been fast asleep beside him. He hardly recalled her name as he pounded all of his fury and loneliness into her wet and warm center. The added euphoria from the brawl and drink had been beneficial to say the least.
The raven hair of the thirty something wizard had been sticking to his sweat blasted pale flesh as he continued to recall the wild nature of his night. It was clear that he had a deep rooted need to seek out unsavory things and often found himself in situations where his life was placed in jeopardy or his adrenaline kicked in.
It didn't take a particularly brilliant mind to conclude that he had gotten this from his father. The self destructive patterns seemed to have been ingrained when it came to the Snape men in the family. His grandfather was a brutish drunkard whom had taken his misfortunes out on his own wife and son. His father was a self loathing drunkard that took out his rage upon himself at any cost. He himself had been something of a thrill seeker, a cross between a brutish drunk given his need to brawl now and again and self loathing where he risked his life for the decidedly dumbest of reasons.
No matter the generation, it appeared that all Snape men had a taste for drink and bedding women. Given the only kindness dealt to them in consideration for their varying looks, they were very well endowed and knew how to use such a gift to their advantage.
The sleeping whore to his right had been pleased given that he had pounded her until she seemingly lost consciousness. He smirked given all the crap she had given him about being able to best him due to the country he grew up in. She spoke of breaking him like she had so many before him. Regulus had been amused to say the least as he proceeded to show her otherwise.
It was strange, given that the entire time he had been bedding the wanton whore that had accepted his coin, his mind had traveled back to the unobtainable married witch Hermione. She had been a beautiful young woman with the warmest set of amber eyes he had ever seen. He had half expected her to come barging in again and throwing hexes.
He felt it was almost worth it to see her again. Her fiery temper was amusing if nothing else, and her spell work was impressive, he had not a scar on him from that night and everything had been in it's proper place. He didn't know whom the idiot she married had been but he didn't think him worthy of such an intelligent and passionate witch.
Feeling his libido stir once again, Regulus turned his attention to the sleeping whore beside him. He still had a few hours to go yet before the dawn and he'd be back out into the street and searching for his next distraction. Anything to avoid what had been the inevitable funeral for his long suffering mother.