Disclaimer: Feh, I've done this three times already, if you haven't figured out yet that I don't own Harry Potter then you're clearly an idiot.
A/N: Chapter four is another flashback, and deals with Severus' childhood years (pre-Hogwarts) while being raised by his older brother. This one's longer, hope you're happy emma! Thank you all for reviewing! Enjoy!
Chapter Four: Flashback – If Only
March 14th, 1963:
"Gemmy play?" the child asked, waddling toward him.
Germanus barely glanced down from his paperwork. "No, not now Sevvie. Didn't I tell you to stay with Erika?" Erika was Severus' caretaker when Germanus was busy. She took care of him a lot.
"Yes," he replied. "But I wanna play with you, Gemmy! Pees?"
"Severus," he sighed. "I already told you that I'm busy. Don't bother me further. I'll send for you when I'm ready." Erika picked that moment to show herself, running in with a panicked look in her eyes that eased the moment she saw Severus. "Don't lose track of him again," Germanus warned. "I'm far too busy to play nursemaid."
"Yessir," she said, nodding. "Come on, little master," she cooed, taking Severus' hand and leading him away as he looked sadly up at his brother.
"Bye, Gemmy," he said, waving his hand.
Germanus grunted in reply, his quill still scratching away.
*************************
February 9th, 1964:
"Why can't I play with Vinnie?" Severus whined for what must have been the fifth time that day alone.
Germanus rolled his eyes. "Because he's a servant, Severus. One must never grow attached to servants."
"Why?"
"Because they're beneath you, and you'll have to separate from them completely eventually. Vinnie will be schooled here with the other servants, and you'll go to a private school elsewhere," he explained. He thought he was being admirably patient with the boy, really. Sevvie could be a pain when he wanted something badly enough.
"I'm gonna go to school? When? With other kids?" he asked, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "I wanna make friends."
"You 'want to' make friends, Sevvie, not 'wanna'. Yes, you will go to school, but not for a long time yet, and yes, there will certainly be other kids like you there, though you'll still have to watch out about making friends with commoners. It's never good to make friends outside one's social strata."
Severus quirked his head and frowned slightly. Germanus had to admit that he was cute when he did that. He was cute whenever he stopped talking for a few moments. "What's that mean?"
"Never mind. I'll explain it when you're old enough to comprehend what I'm saying."
"I want friends now!" he pouted, crossing his little arms.
"Didn't you like playing with Representative Rozen's boy yesterday?"
"She's a girl! Girls are dumb! She tried to make me a girl, too! I don't like her!"
Oh, now he remembered. Erika had complained about washing off all that ghastly make-up. "What about Representative Sachek's boy the day before, hmm?"
"He's two! He's a dumb baby!"
Germanus sighed. "None of the other Representatives under my jurisdiction have children anywhere near your age group!"
Severus frowned again. "No friends?" he asked.
"You can make friends when you go to school."
"Why can't I play with Vinnie?"
Germanus clenched his teeth and tried not to scream.
*************************
August 25th, 1965
Germanus was in trouble.
Erika was far too sick to be let anywhere near Severus. Germanus would never trust anyone else with Sevvie's safety. This meant that he was stuck looking after him personally for at least a few days. Normally this would only be a minor annoyance, but he had a major meeting with the other Seneschals that day about the dodgy international policy regarding Dark wizards. He had to be there, which meant that he had to bring Severus along.
The meeting would be several hours. Sevvie's attention span was measured in minutes.
Not only that, but the other Seneschals would not be pleased with the boy's presence.
But he had no choice.
Taking a deep breath, he picked Sevvie up and entered the conference room.
All the other Seneschals were already there. And, as expected…
"Seneschal Snape! What on earth do you think you're doing, bringing a child in here? Is this some kind of ploy?" growled Tseng Yu Wang, the Seneschal of Asia. He was a podgy, sputtering bureaucrat who also happened to be the most paranoid man Germanus had ever met.
"Keep your pants on! I'm sure Germanus has a good explanation for bringing his little brother along! How ya doin', Sevvie?" Anna Ravenspoon, the Seneschal of North America, had certainly done things more controversial than bring a family member to a meeting. For one, she was the first woman Seneschal in history, a fact that irked a few of the more chauvinist Representatives, even those she held sway over. When she had come to a meeting dressed as a Muggle hippie, there had been more than a few whispers over her competence. Germanus himself was rather fond of her, even if she was too flamboyant, and she had always been fond of Sevvie.
"I'm fine," Sevvie replied, clutching Germanus tightly.
"In fact I do have a good reason for bringing Severus. His nanny is sick and I wouldn't trust his care to anyone else. As for your ploy theory, Seneschal Tseng, I'm afraid I don't know of any in which a five-year-old would play an integral role."
"Oh, let the kid stay and let's get on with it!" Aaron Rengart, the Seneschal of Australia said.
"Very well, the boy stays, but you had better keep him on your side of the table, Seneschal," Tseng spat.
"He can come over to my side of the table any time!" Anna shouted. Germanus mentally rolled his eyes. He appreciated her support, but sometimes she was confrontational before it was necessary. It always became necessary at some point during their meetings, but for a shouting match to break out before they even started the discussion was never a good sign.
"Everyone just forget that Sevvie is here, all right? We're here for business, and a very serious piece of business, I might add. Topic number one: Dark wizards have been popping up all around Europe and while it is known that some of them are not Europeans it has been impossible to get any background information on them because of the policies of certain Asian and African countries. We request that a law be made that forces the authorities of all countries to share information about any Dark wizards who are suspected of committing any crime that would be considered a felony by the country it was performed in."
"The practice of certain Dark spells is not illegal in many of the countries under my jurisdiction, Seneschal," the Seneshal of Africa explained. "In fact, in some it is encouraged."
"Dark magic may not be illegal in all places, and I'm not saying that it should be, but murder is," Germanus pointed out. "For one, a man by the name of Wong Yu Wing killed seven children –"
"That is a rumor, nothing more. You have nothing to back that up!" Tseng exclaimed, pounding his meaty fists on the table.
"How about the bodies of the seven children? Isn't that evidence enough?!" Anna growled.
"There were no witnesses –"
"He practically confessed –"
"This isn't about just one killer! Whether he is guilty or not is irrelevant! The point I am trying to make is that these wandering rogues are able to skip about from country to country doing whatever they damn well please because the authorities won't share information and have been doing so for decades," Germanus said. "I hardly think this point requires further discussion. I move to call a vote on it immediately."
"I second," Anna said.
"Very well. All in favor?" A collective 'aye' came from the Seneschals of Australia, North America, and Germanus himself. "All opposed?" The other three Seneschals quickly stated 'nay'. Germanus heaved a deep, long sigh. It had taken the authorities of various countries in Europe years to work their petition up to this level, and to have it so callously stripped down was unfair.
But that was the way it was.
"Gemmy?" Severus asked. Germanus had almost forgotten he was there because he had been so unusually quiet.
"Yes, Sevvie?" he whispered.
"Why do they want little children to die?" he asked, looking up into his brother's eyes.
The room went deadly quiet. All eyes turned to Germanus, who had gone very pale.
After long moments, Germanus worked up his nerve. "That's a very good question, Sevvie," he said, his voice quivering.
Silence. Severus was still looking at him. He didn't know how much longer he could stand it.
"Come on, you old codgers. A re-vote, just this once, I know you feel guilty…" Anna said.
"I knew that child was a ploy!"
"Oh shut up!" she growled. "Come on, it's not right for a little kid to lose his faith in justice so soon. And if we can't understand his sort of logic anymore, then we shouldn't be here deciding the fate of the world."
"It's against policy-"
"It's not like anyone is going to know! Besides, there are loopholes. Ahem," she began, "I wish to propose a new motion for a law to be made that forces the authorities of all countries to share information about any Dark wizards who are suspected of committing any act that would be considered a felony by the country it was performed in."
"That's exactly the same as the one we just turned down!" Tseng cried.
"No it isn't," she smirked. "I used the word 'act' instead of 'crime'. So there."
"But-"
"All in favor?" she asked. This time five of the six said 'aye', looking at Severus as they did so. "All opposed?" The Seneshal of Asia didn't even bother to say 'nay'. "Right then. Law's passed. Next?" she said, smiling brightly at Severus. He smiled back.
Germanus smiled too – but he never brought Severus to another meeting again. It simply wasn't a place for people who couldn't stop caring.
*************************
November 17th, 1967:
"I want a real wand. I'm tired of my play one," Sevvie said. Since he was alone so much of the time, he had taken to spending hours in the library reading up on spells – especially curses. Practicing them with a toy wand, however, was near impossible.
"Well," he began slowly, "I suppose there's no reason why you can't have one." There was no reason why he couldn't, except that it was illegal to give anyone under the age of eleven a 'real' wand. Of course, since Germanus estimated that he could blow up a small country and only get a few nasty looks thrown his way as punishment, he supposed that giving his little brother a wand prematurely wouldn't get him into any trouble. He could always explain it away by saying he had some sort of security concern.
"Can we go get one now, Gemmy? Please?"
Germanus chuckled. "There's no need for us to go anywhere, Severus. We will summon a wand maker to come to us, just like we do with the tailor. Ollivander would be best, I believe. I got my wand from him, and it's still going strong."
"Can he come soon?"
"Of course. I'll send him a class four summons immediately." Which, in layman's terms, meant get off your arse and come immediately. There were five classes of summons, and only Seneschals could send out class fours or fives. The class fives were rarely, if ever, answered; they were sent out only to the worst wizarding criminals, and was less a summons than a warning that the ICW had that wizard's number. The last class five summons had been sent out to Grindelwald during Wizarding War II in the early forties; needless to say, they were not sent out often.
It was only a few hours later that Ollivander arrived with his stock. "Seneschal, sir," he puffed. "You need a wand?"
"Er, yes, but not for me. My little brother-"
"He's here!" Severus cried, running into the room. He grinned up at Ollivander, and looked around him to see all the boxes levitating behind him. They were piling themselves up in an orderly manner throughout Germanus' office, and more were still coming through the door. "Can I get my wand now?"
"Seneschal, I do believe he is quite underage-"
"Yes, yes," Germanus said. "I'm well aware of that. Don't worry, you won't get in any trouble."
"I'm not worried about myself, sir!" he frowned. "I'm only concerned that he might not be old enough to take proper care of a wand."
"I will, really!" Severus cried. "I'll do whatever you tell me to, just please let me have a wand!"
Ollivander smiled. "With that sort of enthusiasm I can hardly refuse you. Let's see here," he dug the measuring tape out of his pocket. "Stretch your arms out." Severus did so, and the measuring tape began flying around, taking measurements everywhere.
"Which is your wand arm?" Ollivander asked, looking around at the boxes.
"Right," Severus replied, giggling when the measuring tape hit a particularly ticklish place.
"Hmm…" Ollivander gestured with his wand, and a box came flying into his hands. The measuring tape stopped and placed itself back in his pocket. "Try this. Thirteen inches, rosewood and unicorn hair. Wave it around a little."
Severus took the wand gratefully and waved it around the room. Nothing. His face fell, and Ollivander snatched the wand away. "Nothing to worry about, child. You'll find your match; the first try rarely works out." He put that wand back in its case and brought out another. "Willow and dragon heartstring, eleven and a quarter inches. Quite bendy." Severus waved it around and once again got nothing. The same thing happened with the next five wands.
"Tough customer. Never fear, there are plenty more wands to try out."
After about thirty more Germanus was growing bored, and Severus was getting tired of waving his arm about.
"Perhaps his personality is not formed enough yet for a wand to make a decision about him. He is awfully young for a wand, you know. Nevertheless, we shall keep trying," Ollivander declared. "Yew and dragon heartstring, twelve and three-quarter inches. Worth a shot."
Severus took the wand, and green sparks shot out. Both Severus and Ollivander looked elated. Germanus was just relieved. "My goodness, what a surprise! I've had that one in stock for decades; it has been terribly picky. The dragon heartstring was from a particularly stubborn dragon: a cross between a Hungarian Horntail and an Ukranian Ironbelly. It killed seventeen people before it was finally taken to task, and even then it took the death of five wizards to bring it down. It had the size of its Ironbelly father and the aggression of its Horntail mother. A beautiful creature, but deadly."
"Interesting," Germanus said, although he thought it was more disturbing than interesting. "Why would the heartstring of a killer dragon be put into a wand?"
"May as well put its parts to some use, I figure. There is no such thing as an evil wand, you know."
"Yes, well, I suppose you must be going. You'll be paid at the door; obviously I don't keep money on my person." he stated.
Ollivander smiled. "Of course, Seneschal. Good day to you both."
"Bye! And thanks!" Severus called, still looking at his wand as if it were a precious treasure.
If only he hadn't let Severus get that wand.
If only he hadn't let Severus have unrestricted access to the ICW library.
If only he hadn't sent Severus to…
**************************
August 3rd, 1970:
"Hogwarts," Germanus said, walking stride for stride with Seneschal Ravenspoon, their collection of guards surrounding them.
"Ah, so I take it that you're turning down my offer to have him go to Salem?" Anna grinned.
"Regrettably, yes," he replied. She had always known he would turn him down, but had asked anyway. He wouldn't let any of the Seneschals, not even Anna, have jurisdiction over his little brother. All the others had asked, as well, but Germanus refused to let his brother be used as a political tool. He would have to be mad to send him to Pepperdragon in China.
"I would have thought you would be sending him to Durmstrang, though. It's your old alma mater, isn't it?"
"Yes," he sighed. "But that was during the war. Durmstrang was far enough removed from the rest of the Europe at the time that the war had less of an effect on it than the other schools. They nearly blew Beaubaxtons to smithereens, you know. I'm fond of England, and my mother was English, so I thought that Hogwarts would be best. It's actually situated in Scotland, but all the English children go there, and they won't make fun of the accent I've passed down to him. I'm having his school supplies sent here as we speak, though I think he's already mastered all the first year spells, and quite a bit more," he grinned wryly. "Ah well, I suppose that just leaves him more time to make friends."
"Poor kid. He must be terribly lonely here," Anna remarked.
"It can't be helped. I wish I could have spent more time with him, but you know how things are."
"Yes, I know," she replied, though her response seemed oddly strained. "I'd best get back to my rooms now. Sevvie will probably pop in there shortly."
Germanus stopped in his tracks. "Severus? Why would he be in your rooms?"
Anna looked surprised. "You mean you didn't know? He's gobbled up all the 'interesting' stuff in the library already, so now he's moving on to my personal collection. He's especially interested in dragons, and as you know I have an affinity for them, myself."
He frowned. "He shouldn't be bothering you like that. I'll have to talk to him."
"Oh, don't! He's very well-mannered and sweet. I like having him there. Besides, I'd rather that he look up dragons than all that Dark Arts business he's become so fascinated by. And Erika needs a break once in a while."
Germanus didn't catch the barely-hidden criticism. "If you say so. But if he ever does bother you, feel free to kick him out. I won't hold it against you; Merlin knows I've had to do so sometimes just to get a moment's peace. Have fun." With that, he and his guards turned the corner and headed back for his office.
Anna rolled her eyes. "I swear I love the man dearly, but his parenting skills are nonexistent," she muttered.
Merlin, how right she was.
