Chapter 10: Uncomfortable Truths

The Sitting Room, The Potter Residence, Wizarding World...

Regulus Snape had been silent as everyone in the sitting room stared at him as if he had been a ghost. The silence had been eerie given no one seemed to blink as they tried to come to terms with the revelation of the strange American's identity.

"I-I just can't believe I've never noticed it before." said Hermione stunned. "You look so much like him...it was probably the accent that obscured what should have been easy to pick up on."

"Tell me about it." said Harry looking a bit pleased as if he had found a long lost brother. "I had no idea he was Snape's son when we met either."

"Look...I'm gonna go." said finding the entire situation more awkward than he was used to.

He stood up, his impressive height even more a significant indication to his link to the late Potions Professor.

"You're welcome to stay." said the former boy who lived.

Regulus sighed not understanding why the geek boy had been so interested in him.

"Thanks, but I've got some...stuff to work out." He said slipping his hands into his pockets.

"I'll bet." Replied Hermione. "Merlin forbid the brothels continue to be used without you."

"Well, aren't you an insufferable know it all." He said unintentionally echoing the nickname given to her by his late father.

Hermione's eyes widened as did Harry's as images of Snape came flooding their minds.

"You sound just like him you know." said the stunned witch.

Regulus rolled his eyes. He had to listen to his mother go on and on about Severus Snape for years and given her recent death he didn't wish to go down that road any time soon.

The tall raven haired American wizard made up his mind to leave and put some distance between him and these Brits as possible.

He turned his attention to Albus Severus Potter. The boy had been intensively following the conversation between Regulus, his father, and aunt.

"Listen...kid I gotta bail." He said. "I've got some...issues to work out and to be honest I'm not really a social kind of guy."

"I'm sorry about your mother." said the green eyed little wizard meeting Regulus' obsidian gaze. "She was...nice."

Both Harry Potter and Hermione Granger-Weasley had noted the stunned look on the older raven haired wizard's face.

"H-How the hell did you know that?" he asked apparently shaken.

"Regulus what's he talking about?" asked Hermione inquisitive.

Harry had a saddened expression on his pale face as he looked at the only son of his former Potions Professor.

"I believe Regulus has recently lost his mother." said the green eyed older wizard.

Whatever emotion the tall raven haired American wizard felt had been quickly suppressed. The three onlookers watched as Regulus got to his feet and walked out of the front door.

The sound of thunder clapping in the distance signaled his immediate departure.

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Knockturn Alley, Wizarding World...

The moment Regulus Snape touched down, he headed for the nearest pub. He had no use for the bombarding waves of old memories that were on the verge of assaulting him.

He had not wanted to think of them. Nor feel the pain of their loss as fresh as the day he lost each of them.

The emotionally inept wizard settled for drowning his sorrows in the bottom of numerous mugs and bottles that night.

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Knockturn Alley, Wizarding World...

Having gotten blackout drunk in the wake of being reminded of his dead parents, Regulus Snape awoke leaning against some abandoned shop's counter with shattered glass all around him and blood oozing from his hands.

He had not recalled what happened exactly, but he got the feeling his destructive side had managed to have it's way.

It was a well known fact that he had gotten it honest. His father had a temper even when exercising self control.

Regulus attempted to get to his feet only to find that he couldn't keep his balance. He was much too weak to even summon a minor healing spell to do away with the flesh wounds via the glass cutting his hands.

"Fuck." He muttered to himself. "What the fuck did I do?"

Resigned to waiting until his strength returned, he found himself looking at the small black boot covered feet of a very annoyed witch with a slender body wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

"You are what your father often referred to as a dunderhead." Said the voice of Hermione.

Regulus couldn't help but smile in his near on lucid state of mind.

"Well hello gorgeous." He said in a charming tone.

"Unbelievable." muttered the amber eyed witch, "You know you could give Sirius Black a run for his money when it comes to being shameless."

The flicker of heat behind his obsidian gaze only proved to annoy her all the more.

"Getting blind drunk and breaking into a shop is definitely on the stupid things to do list." She continued. "And further more, it appears you need healing."

Regulus had not heard a word she said. All his focus had been on her body and watching her lips move. The drunken wizard had been convinced he wanted her more than anything.

"Are you even listening to me?" she asked annoyed.

"Yeah...I'm a dunderhead for getting drunk...I totally heard what your hot mouth said." He replied. "But you gotta know I'd do you in a heartbeat with a cherry on top...but shit you're married and I probably should not have said that out loud...fuck!"

Hermione had not known what to say to the vulgar and blatantly disgusting words she had just heard.

"I take it back you are worse than Ron and Sirius put together." She said. "You are quite horrible...and You certainly have a high opinion of yourself."

"I..I'm..sorry...it's difficult to think when I'm this drunk and my dick's this hard." said Regulus honestly.

"I don't see how a vulgar git like you could ever be Professor Snape's son." said Hermione.

"I guess not, since he spent more of his time with you Brits than with his own wife and son!" said Regulus angrily. "I'm starting to believe he cared more about precious Potter than his sick wife and as you put it...vulgar American yank son."

Hermione didn't understand where all the anger was coming from.

"Professor Snape risked his life to save both the muggles and Wizarding Worlds." She said amazed that Regulus could be so bitter when it came to his father. "He died a hero."

Fueled by his boiling rage, Regulus managed to get to his feet albeit clumsily.

"What the fuck do you know!?" he snarled angrily. "As far as I'm concerned he was just too chicken shit to actually fight...so he let that snake faced prick kill him."

Hermione found herself enraged by this ignorant American wizard, he knew nothing of the struggles she and her friends had to endure nor the pain and suffering inflicted upon his father night after night despite his masterful performance of hiding it all.

Professor Snape had risked everything to give this ungrateful git a peaceful life away from the fighting and bloodshed. Bloodshed that still kept her and her friends awake at night via night terrors.

The now angry witch drew back and slapped the wizard known as Regulus across his sallow pale face before she could catch herself.

To his credit, the drunken wizard weathered the blow valiantly. Hermione had been shocked by her own actions and took stepped back from him.

"I'm so sorry..." She said.

Regulus rolled his eyes.

"You think that's the first time I've been hit in defense of the great wizard Severus Snape?" he asked bitterly. "You can go home now I can survive just fine on my own."

Hermione knew that there was no changing his mind but she couldn't in good conscience leave him bleeding. She drew her want and whispered a quick healing charm.

"You are still welcome to stay at Harry's place." She said before leaving.

Regulus sat back down and rested his head against the empty shop's counter. The rage behind his obsidian eyes becoming all the more profound in the visible glow of an eerie flame.