DISCLAIMER:

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books,

Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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Sam eyed Dumbledore while the old wizard benignly gazed back. The young man had to make a decision to tell the Head Master the truth, or pretend he was an imbecile from Hogsmeade who happened upon an old Hogwarts uniform.

"What do you want me to tell you old man?" Sam was never very good at playing the fool; but at making others play that role he was expert. "Do you want to know who wins the Quidditch Cup too, or something more earth shattering? Voldemort's death perhaps?" He paused, got out of his chair and wiped a hand over his face and began to pace the floor thinking. "No, Dumbledore, I underestimated you. I must admit it's a clever guise you use... But I know you; you're selfish and I lived with the consequences of your actions."

"Sam, you have me at a disadvantage. I do not know you. Please sit down and –"

"Don't try to mollify me!" The young man whirled on him, his hands hard fists at his side. "Argus Filch is my father! Don't try to worm yourself into my good books. I am not Snape, I will not be your whipping boy." Sam unfurled his fists, rubbed his hands together and muttered. "You would want to learn about your own end, don't you?" His lip curled.  "Yes… How one day you woke up to find Ronald Weasley about to slash your throat?"

"I can't imagine-"

"Of course you can't." Sam's voice dropped to a whisper. "You only have limited sight. If you knew what happened to your precious Harry Potter… " He smiled, but the expression fell from his face as a painful memory replaced it. "But can you imagine this, four children born as snakes. No, you can't, can you? Adders are viviparous. Really Dumbledore what do they teach here? Adders give birth to live young. My mother gave birth to four and I am one of them."

"Slow down Mr Filch, you're losing me. You are going too fast."

"Too fast? You can talk! The speed with which you threw my mother to the wolves was indecent! How could you let Fudge go to the press to deflect attention away from your precious school? What sort of decision was that? How dare you!" The young man was livid.

"All I know … and please correct me if I am wrong. Is that your mother was a snake and I was somehow to blame for information about your birth getting to the media?"

"We can be quick on the uptake at times, can't we?" Sam scoffed. "Yes, my mother was a snake. Once she was a frog then by Potter's ineptitude a snake. Don't play dumb with me Dumbledore you can guess the rest. My father and she mated Draco Malfoy transformed her back. I and my siblings are the result."

"Hermione Granger is your mother?" As if Sam's appearance was not enough of a clue, he exuded the calculating intensity of Severus, the emotional heat of Hermione Granger and the unfortunate burden of the intelligence from both of them, Ravenclaw indeed…

"Yes." Sam confirmed Dumbledore's suspicions with a curt nod. "You'd be glad to know that her story was front page news for weeks. The other stories I've heard about my mother's 'bestial perversity' would make you sick! How could you give that scum free reign to destroy her life?"


The Head Master was at a loss for words, there was raw emotion radiating off the young man. The hurt was as tangible as magic and by Sam's story justifiably so. The unpleasant nature of his birth would indeed be enough to make a grown man cringe. Undeniably the gutter press would lap it up – 'girl gives birth to snakes'. He shuddered at the thought and felt suddenly nauseous at the image of the photos. He felt a surge of pity for the boy, but this was followed by quick indignation. He did not know if he should comfort Sam or scold him for his inappropriate behaviour. But what words do you say? What comfort do you provide? How could he defend actions that you have not performed yet?

"But what about your father? Surely he would have intervened?"

"My fath- my father, my real father?" Sam sputtered. "What a joke! Severus Snape lived and died a snake. His last days spent curled up in an aquarium in Hagrid's hut."

"You mean Severus never transforms back?

"No, your precious Potions Master did not want to." Sam whined. "Obviously he had so much invested in being your lackey it wasn't a hard decision for him."

The Head Master ignored the insult. "Excuse me, you said he did not want to?"

"Oh brilliant!" Sam shook his dark head in disbelief. "Maybe it's not much of disguise this fumbling old man routine of yours? Here am I educating a Grand Wizard and the Head Master of one of the leading private wizarding schools? If only I had the parents to witness this? They would be proud." The sarcasm dripped like blood from a knife. He lowered his voice and gave Albus a pointed look. "Curses aren't all one sided Dumbledore."

"Is that why you came here to convince him to return to his human form?"

"Him? He can rot in hell for all I care!" Sam flicked his chin away and chewed his bottom lip. Dumbledore could see that the boy did not mean his words, but was trying to convince himself they were true. "Isn't it obvious why I came back?" Sam fought back a wave of emotion. "I wanted to see her before-"

Dumbledore looked sharply at him. "Before?"

"Before she died."

"Your mother- Hermione Granger?" Sam nodded his bowed dark head. "She dies?"


"You didn't leave her much choice, did you?" Sam's voice cracked and wavered. "Oh yes, she once had so much potential didn't she?" He gave a bitter snort, his eyes filled with tears and he looked away. "You told us not to dwell on the past, but she was our mother. Try telling a five year old he wasn't allowed to see his mother? I used to sneak into the library to look at her pictures in the school albums. Why looked so surprised? We live at Hogwarts, Filch insisted on it. Her parents disowned her, immigrated or some such rot. They couldn't get away fast enough, our existence disgusted them, disgusted everyone."

Sam looked askance and his voice became wistful as it fell on the bookshelves. "In every one of the photos she looked so happy. Like she had a bright future and knew it. She had such a real fire burning inside her." He looked back at Dumbledore as if challenging him to deny it. "I heard she was very loyal too? What good it did her. She ended up in St Mungos with pneumonia and self-neglect, you know? Fell into drink, dangerous drugs and died and we didn't even know her."

The weight of Sam's words hung over Dumbledore's head like the sword of Damocles. There was a lot of information to process, he would do that later he needed to deal with young Mr Filch now.

"So you took her old time turner and came back here?"

"Filch gave it to me." Sam fixed him with a hateful look. "He made you do the right thing Dumbledore and I will never forget it."

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tbc