A Memory Found
by: Mystical Dragon
Remus looked over at Dumbledore and had to hide a smile behind his glass of pumpkin juice. Dumbledore was enjoying, a bit too much, being a grandpa and Severus was on his way to being spoiled. Dumbledore had already let Severus have quite a few treats and was now debating on whether or not to give him a piece of chocolate cake.
"He wants me to have it," Severus hissed at Draco, trying not to talk to loud so no one else in the Great Hall but Draco and Dumbledore would hear him.
Remus was sitting next to Severus and eavesdropping on them while everyone else down the table talked of Quidditch, Christmas, and the new pet Hagrid was trying to decide on (either a Erumpent or Graphorn). Needless to say everyone was trying to dissuade Hagrid from his endeavor.
"You can't have it," Draco hissed back, equally low. "You're allergic to chocolate."
Remus blinked. He hadn't known that.
Severus folded his arms and looked away, scowling. "Christmas is coming," he said, annoyed. "And I get chocolate during Christmas."
"On Christmas Eve, it isn't Christmas Eve yet," Draco said. "Ivan will save this cake for you."
"Draco," Severus pleaded, "please. Just a bite."
"No," Draco said flatly.
"Frog spawn," Severus spat, folding his arms and slumping back against his seat.
That was the same insult Severus had used while a student.
Draco glared at Severus. "Watch your language."
Severus blushed and fiddled with his plate.
"That's not a bad word," Dumbledore defended Severus.
Draco nodded his head. "It is to him."
"If I had chocolate in me I wouldn't use that word," Severus said idly.
"I'm going to put chocolate in you in a minute," Draco growled. "I'll shove it down your throat with my fist."
Severus turned to Draco and opened his mouth. "Go ahead," he said, with hope.
Draco rolled his eyes, putting his head on the table. "Severus!"
"All right," Severus relented. "I'm sorry, Headmaster (Severus had been warned not to call Dumbledore grandpa while in public since the students and teachers still at Hogwarts wouldn't understand) I'll behave. But I'm going to eat an entire cake on Christmas Eve."
"And throw up like you did last year?" Draco asked, amused, while he chewed on a carrot.
Severus shook his head a little. "I wouldn't have thrown up," he said testily, "if you hadn't spun me around and then landed on me."
Draco shrugged, blushing. "An accident!"
"Brothers," Severus snarled and then darted a hand out, snagged the cake, and shoved it into his mouth.
Remus looked down at the small boy, hands in front of his mouth so no one notice the cake and looked, smugly, at Draco.
Draco stared at Severus, trying to look stern but a smile kept tugging at his lips. Finally, Draco looked away and snorted, his shoulders shaking.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled like mad. "Does he do that often?" he asked.
Draco nodded his head. "Once he snagged a bag of candy bars and flung himself underneath mom and dad's bed. The bed is so low he and Ivan are the only two that can fit underneath it. So Ivan joined Severus and they finished up the bag. Six candy bars each."
"If you wha le me hap choclat, I wha na hap do it," Severus said around a mouthful of cake. Remus wasn't quite sure what he had said. Something about not having to steal chocolate if Draco would give it to him?
"So it's my fault," Draco said, folding his arms and staring at Severus, his face incredulous.
Severus nodded.
Remus grinned.
"You're a git," Draco said playfully, poking Severus's bulging cheeks.
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"Are you sure telling him is a good idea?" Dumbledore asked Draco as the two of them sat in his bedroom; Draco was on the chair and Dumbledore was on the edge of the bed.
Draco shrugged, trying to listen for the voices through the door. "Ivan agreed to let Dimitrius tell Sev about his parents so I guess it's okay. Dimitrius isn't going to mention that he was the one to do it, though. And then Ivan will remove the memory charm. Severus never saw Dimitrius that night so he won't know that Dimitrius had anything to do with it."
"Why are they doing that?" Dumbledore wondered.
Draco sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I think Ivan has decided to turn Severus back into an adult soon. I'm not sure if he's going to let him grow up some more in the sphere or not but Ivan wants Severus back as Head of Slytherin House before school starts after the holidays and Severus is going to need some time, once he's an adult again, to deal with everything that has happened."
"Shouldn't you be in there with Severus?" Dumbledore asked, knowing how gentle Severus was. This didn't seem like something he could handle on his own.
"Lestrange is in there," Draco said, looking guilty. "You can disinfect your rooms after he leaves."
Dumbledore didn't say anything to that. Nathan Lestrange had been lost to Voldemort before he had even started Hogwarts but Nathan wasn't letting Voldemort have Severus. That was rather odd, Dumbledore thought. Was Nathan's allegiance faltering?
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Nathan moved away from Severus, he was looking through one of his father's sketchbooks with Ivan and didn't notice, and headed to the fireplace where Dimitrius Savin was standing.
"Why did you do it?" Nathan demanded.
Dimitrius looked at him. "How do you know it was me?"
"Guilt. Your face is riddled with it. Its the same sort of look Severus gets when anyone brings up Sebastian Wilkes or Evan Rosier. They were both murdered on his information."
"Strange, I thought I was the only person to feel guilty for killing. Cezar was on the wrong side, the evil side, so of course I should be glad that I murdered him," Dimitrius said, looking back at the fire and rubbing his eye.
Nathan watched him, wanting to know the truth about why he had killed Severus's parents and not just the sugared information he had given Severus.
"Why?" Nathan asked again.
Dimitrius glanced back at Severus and then at Nathan and told him the reasons. About Cezar being the Emperor's General and the rigid class structure and about how many peasants died yearly because of the laws the nobles upheld. And then he told Nathan about how he had murdered Cezar and what Vasya had done to ensure no one would ever find her son. "I'm sure you find my reasons disgusting since you are with Voldemort and his pure-blood group," Dimitrius added, without rancor. "We peasants aren't worth the skin on your backs. Worse than Muggles."
Nathan eyed him, unsure of what to make of this man. "Would you do it again if you had a second chance?"
"I'd do it sooner," Dimitrius said, his face disgusted. "Many peasants died because I waited as long as I did. But the thought of killing Cezar and Vasya revolted me too much to go through it until I realized I had no choice."
"Aren't you sorry for what you did?" Nathan queried.
"Very. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't do it again. I'm sure Severus feels the same way about those two people you mentioned," Dimitrius said. "Are there any murders you regret doing?"
"None," Nathan said shortly.
"Well, I guess the two of us are at odds. You believe in something I killed to end."
"Joining Dumbledore's side, are you?" Nathan asked.
Dimitrius shook his head. "No. This side is too much like what I overthrew."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. "What are talking about?"
"House-elves are slaves here. Humans had no right to do that to them. House-elves have always served humans, they like doing it, but the humans go and enslave them. And they way they treat them now? It's intolerable. And the way these people feel about Muggles? A Muggle Protection Act? Muggles don't need protection. They've been killing each other, and us, for centuries. Rather high-handed of the Wizard and Witches to think they do," Dimitrius shook his head. "Reminds me of the way the nobles acted around us peasants. How many laws did they have to keep us in our place that looked like they were for our good. It certainly didn't stop them from letting us starve to death while they glutted themselves on our labor. And most peasants believed it was their lot in life to be peasants and they had no business being on equal footing with the nobles. That mind-set was the first thing I had to correct. It took me years," Dimitrius's eyes were narrowed.
"Planning on doing something while you're here?" Nathan asked, curious.
Dimitrius shook his head. "No. I'm not well. And the only thing I would do would be to free the house-elves but I think a house-elf needs to be in charge of that, not a human. They have to want it. Or just one of them. It would only take one to disrupt things."
Backing away, not knowing what else to say, Nathan went back to sit with Severus. Seeing him, Severus immediately got up and cuddled next to him on the sofa.
"Daddy, this is my mother's potion notebook," Severus said excitedly. "Can I try some of the potions out? I even found the one that Ivan uses for my hair to keep it ungreasy."
"A little later, Sev, you need to rest for awhile," Nathan said, putting an arm around him and thinking.
Who would have believed that Severus had real parents? But, as Ivan said when he came to get Nathan, Severus had grown up thinking he had been abandoned until Karkaroff's torture had broken the memory charm placed on him. Ivan hadn't been more specific than that and Nathan wondered how Severus had dealt with the realization. To go through your entire life feeling like you were worthless, that your own parents hadn't even wanted you, and then to suddenly be told that wasn't the case. Nathan was sure it must have unbalanced Severus. Severus had always been much nicer, less aloof, than he let on.
Severus closed the book and hugged it to his chest while he leaned against Nathan.
"Daddy?"
"Mmmm?" Nathan murmured, turning to the window and watching the snow fall against it.
"Thank you for adopting me."
Nathan looked down at him and smiled. "You're welcome."
"You make a good daddy," he continued.
Nathan grinned, liking the compliment. "I'm sure you're father was better than I was."
Severus shook his head. "No, he and mother were just like you and mommy. They loved me and you love me. Mother was smart to take me to Knockturn Alley where you could pick me up."
Too bad that wasn't what had happened. Nathan picked Severus up and placed him on his lap, feeling chills running through his body.
"I wish they hadn't died," Severus admitted. "I miss them."
Nathan slowly got off the couch and carried Severus to the window, rocking him side to side as he looked out. Harry Potter was down there, throwing snowballs at a red-haired boy. Did Harry miss his parents? Stupid question. Of course he did. Like Nathan missed Elizabeth. Staring at the top of Severus's head, Nathan sighed. Everything had been so much clearer before he had decided to raise Severus. Nathan had never been fond of Voldemort but he had offered Nathan the best chance at changing what Nathan had always felt was a corrupt system. But Voldemort's dogma was just as corrupt. It had been a case of choosing the lesser of two evils and Nathan wasn't so sure he had chosen the more evil one but they were both evil and therefore, like Dimitrius had said, not worth supporting.
Blowing out a breath, Nathan looked over at Dimitrius. "Which side would you join if you were me."
"The house-elves," Dimitrius said with a shrug. "Or the Dark Elves."
Glancing back at Ivan, who had stayed on the couch, Nathan nodded to him.
"I'm on your side, Ivan," he said.
To his surprise, Ivan looked at him, his purple eyes intent. "Do you mean that?"
"Yes," Nathan said, honestly.
Ivan smiled, showing all his teeth. "Perfect," he hissed and Nathan wondered what he had just agreed to.
"Are you on my side?" Severus asked, pulling away, his eyes large and bloodshot from crying. "Are you on the good side now?"
"Ivan's side," Nathan said. "I hate the Ministry, Severus. I will never join it and since Dumbledore supports the Ministry I hate him too."
Severus looked at Nathan and then at Ivan. "He can help," Severus affirmed.
"Help what?" Nathan asked, staring between the two of them.
"We, me and Ivan, are going to open the Shadow World one day. As soon as we figure it how. You can help us figure it out."
"The Shadow World!" Nathan said, shaking his head. "Oh, no!"
"Oh, yes," Ivan said, his voice steely. "You already pledged your allegiance to us."
"Dimitrius?" Nathan asked, looking for a way out.
Dimitrius nodded his head. "Sounds like a good idea to me."
"Figures," Nathan said, staring at the man. "Dumbledore will never agree to this."
Severus leaned back in his arms. "Grandpa and Draco don't ever have to know. Ivan told me not to tell them about it so I won't."
Nathan looked at him, into those black eyes. "If Ivan were to ask you to jump off a cliff would you do it?"
"Jump off a cliff, Jacenty," Ivan said.
They were suddenly next to a cliff and Severus sprung out of his arms. Nathan screamed and tried to catch him but Severus disappeared.
"Yes," Severus answered from behind.
Nathan whirled around to stare at the boy, feeling his hair and robes being whipped about him by the wind.
"You're crazy," he finally managed.
"He trusts me," Ivan simply stated. "That is why he wants to open the Shadow World. He trusts me. So must you."
Nathan didn't trust. "I don't think so."
"The Shadow World has got to be opened," Ivan said, his voice rising in strain. "You humans have no business subjugating the other species to you. Only the Dark Elves were ever able to keep all the species in line, which is why we were banished, and now only humans aren't suffering for it. You must help us find a way to open it."
Severus was standing next to Ivan, his small face serious, trusting, and Nathan slowly nodded his head. "Okay. What do I do?"
"Go back to Voldemort and go through his books, his belongings, everything he has. Go through the other Death Eater's stuff too. Hopefully with their obsession with the Dark Arts and everything illegal one of them might have something that has to do with the Shadow World. Jacenty will search Hogwarts."
They were back in Dumbledore's living area and Nathan nodded his head. "Fine, I'll do it. Severus, go tell Dumbledore and Draco about your parents."
Severus wiggled out of his grip and ran off to tell them, gathering up the two books first.
"When are you going to turn him back into an adult," Nathan asked, nodding at the closed door that Severus had gone through.
"Tonight," Ivan said, looking at him. "Jacenty will want to save his Slytherins from Voldemort and we need to figure out a way to do that. That will take some time. And Jacenty will be unbalanced with all that has happened to him. Can you stay here tonight and tomorrow?"
"If Dumbledore will let me," Nathan agreed.