Disclaimer – I don't own it, I am not making any money off of it, and I am not trying to infringe on it.
Chapter 7 – Excalibur (part 2)
Albus and Severus walked along the edge of the pond. While it was still early in the day, the summer sun had been long awake and the air was both warm and sweet. There were very few sounds to disturb the exquisite peace except for that of an occasional jumping fish splash or croaking frog. Minerva sat on a nearby large boulder, fiddling with the creases of her robes and trying to give Albus some time to talk with the child. The Headmaster had tried to convince her to be part of this conversation with Severus, but she had adamantly refused him, insisting that Albus was the only one whom Severus now trusted completely. Albus knew she was wrong – Severus trusted no one completely. Yet he was pretty sure that the boy's faith in the Deputy Headmistress was at least as solid as the boy's faith in him. And perhaps even less misplaced. He wondered for the umpteenth time that day if he really should be doing this. Was it really wise to be trying to release the magic that had been stored for almost forty years in a locked room? Should he be stirring up old, and painful memories in the boy? What effect would this have on the child? What was wrong with the way the boy was now anyway? He had become a respected Potions Master, wasn't that good enough? No, the truth was that it was not good enough. Severus had been meant to be more, and limiting his life a second time around was not fair to him.
Not that it would be easy to remove such a spell. If Severus was indeed as powerful as the symbols indicated, than it must have taken a fairly powerful wizard a lot of trouble to bind that magic to a staff and lock it away. Yes, Severus had been young and his magic not developed at the time, but to make sure the magic stayed bound like that throughout his entire life was no small feat.
Albus sat down on a small rock and tried to pull the boy into his lap, but the child wiggled away and sat instead on the ground next to him. He had found a small stick earlier and immediately began digging in the soft dirt with it. A moment later he triumphantly pulled out a worm and shoved it into the pocket of his trousers. Albus resisted making a face, and the boy continued his hunt for 'potion ingredients'.
Albus thought some more. He had known Severus' father – Augustus Snape. Indeed he had taught him at one time. He had been as surly as a teen as Severus was as an adult. But he wasn't nearly as bright as his only heir, and he was a cruel one to boot. Albus had caught him one evening torturing the mice he kept in his classroom for Transfiguration assignments. Augustus had been entertaining a group of Slytherins with his skill at hexes. After graduation the boy went into business with some of his more shady classmates. But few of the businesses worked out, and when a ministry audit of his last business was conducted, Augustus lost the remainder of the family fortune in fines. After that Albus had heard little about him until his infamous death during a Death Eater attack on Ministry aurors.
Albus shook his head. The man just didn't seem either bright enough or powerful enough to have done this by himself. And if he had done it, or gotten help, the question of 'why' still remained. Why would a man bind the magic of his only heir? Especially when that heir was no more than a baby? Surely Severus could not have voiced any objectionable opinions to his father at that age? Indeed, it seemed unlikely that the boy even spoke.
"Well," said old wizard aloud, "we will never find the answer to these questions just by an old man's pondering. "I will need your help child. I need to have another look inside your mind. This time I wish to know what you remember of your father."
At the word 'father', Severus swung his head up to glare at the Headmaster.
Albus nodded sadly. "Yes, I know those are not the best of memories. I don't need to see them all. Just a few. Will you trust me to have a look?" He extended a hand to the boy.
The dark haired child sat on the ground, frozen in place for a moment. Then he noticeably relaxed, took Albus' offered hand, and allowed the older wizard to pull him up onto his knee. Albus smiled at the child, and tried to ignore the fact that the he could feel the worms wiggling around in the boy's pocket through his robes. He took a moment to brush some of the dirt off the toddler's hands, and handed him two hard toffees. "You will need these," he said with a wink.
Once the boy had shoved the sweets into his mouth, Albus placed his hand to the child's temple. "Legilimens," he whispered.
Albus was standing alone in the room with many passageways. The doorframe that had been sealed shut with stone still had wisps of smoke coming from the bottom of it. Another of the doors stood wide open – it was the room of bright white, and Albus could make out the swirls of color in the distance. Another of the passageways Albus remembered led to Severus' more recent memories. But where would his old memories be hidden? "Show me" he mentally cajoled.
Albus could feel himself being drawn to an old, battered door at the far side of the room. The door was made of wood, and looked quite worn, but it also looked bolted shut. Albus reached out to give the handle a pull, just in case it was unlocked, when he was immediately transported to an old fashioned, worn out looking sitting room. A young baby sat near the hearth as a man and a woman screamed furiously at each other. The Headmaster could hear their hatred in the tone of their voices, but other than making out a few random words he could not understand what they were saying. He soon realized that was because Severus was far too young at the time of the memory to understand many words.
Meanwhile, Augustus stormed around the room, every now and then stopping his tirade to glare at the child. His wife, who Albus had never met, having been tutored at home as was often the case with girls in pureblooded families, looked no more than twenty. She was clearly growing more and more fearful of the man's wrath, because as his gestures became wilder she stopped her screaming and moved herself between Severus and her husband. Finally Augustus stopped his ranting and moved closer to her. He loomed over her slight frame and hissed something at her. She defiantly shook her head, and he responded with a sharp cuff - the blow landing squarely on her ear. The small child crawled out from behind his mother and looked up at her. Blood trickled down the side of her face and neck from her ear, onto her light gray robes. Augustus sneered and raised his hand again.
And that's when it happened. Albus saw what seemed to be a flash of light emanating from the baby's eyes. It headed directly for his father and a moment later the man was lifted off his feet and tossed like a rag doll across the room. He slammed into the wall and fell to the floor, a picture frame landing on top of him. Gasping, Augustus struggled to his feet. He looked around wildly for the source of the magic and then focused on his wife. He shouted something at her and then began to approach her with long strides. Again a flash of light from the boy's eyes, and again Augustus flew across the room. This time however nearly every object that was not in some way held down began to vibrate, and an eerie high pitched sound engulfed the room. The bright light continued to come from the boy's eyes, like a beacon of magical force. Augustus noticed it and pointed a shaking finger at his son. Severus' mother turned her head to her child and saw it too. She bent down and lifted up her baby, and the light, and the sense of power that filled the room, disappeared.
A moment later Albus was in another memory, this time outside. Severus' small head popped up above the pram. His father had another man pinned against a tree, his wand pointed at the man's throat. His mother was tugging wildly at his father's robes. Finally Augustus released the man and he immediately disapperated. The angry husband then turned furiously on his wife and pointed his wand at her, and shouted something. She fell to the ground and writhed with pain. Augustus loomed over her continuing to shout furiously, his wand still pointed at her. Then a flash of light from the baby's eyes appeared, followed by a beam that landed squarely onto his father's chest. The man was again lifted off the ground. But this time he spun wildly in place, faster and faster. Severus' mother sat up and recovered herself. She looked first at her spinning husband and then over to her baby. She jumped to her feet and ran towards Severus, shaking her head and waving her arms frantically. Severus let his gaze drop and Augustus landed on the hard dirt at the same moment that Severus' mother reached him.
Memory after memory flew by. Most were violent memories of Augustus' worsening temper towards either the boy or his mother. While Severus seemed to tolerate the assaults against his tiny body, mostly a harsh cuff or a violent shake, he lashed out with magic whenever he saw his mother being harmed. Sometimes he even intervened simply on the basis of a threatening scowl in her direction.
Suddenly the memories slowed to a halt and Albus found himself in a dim room. The child lay awake in his cot, watching through the bars, as his father fiddled with a crystal goblet, pouring a carefully measured vial of liquid into it. He was clearly setting up for some type of ritual. Incense burned in several places and a talisman circle surrounded most of the room. On one of the rails of the cot hung what could only be the tail of a therestral. Albus shuddered. He knew what Augustus was doing. This was going to be no simple magical limiting spell. This was a true magical binding. Something once used on wizards and witches who were banished from the magical world, but now days illegal. Very illegal, and very Dark Magic too. There was a knock on the door, and Augustus opened it just a fraction and peered into the corridor. Then he opened the door a bit wider and in slinked a relatively young and handsome Tom Riddle.
Severus was a bit older in this memory. Although Albus had little experience with the age group he guessed the lad was probably about 18 to 20 months along. Words were clearer now, although the two men where mostly whispering. Riddle looked over the older man's preparations and gave a nod of his head and a grin. Then they approached Severus, the goblet in Riddle's hand.
"Very yummy," came the voice. Smooth as silk. He held the goblet out to the boy.
Severus glanced suspiciously at his father who had a malicious grin plastered all over his face. "Drink boy. Mummy xcbasfaytd xysnrtyyox proud." Albus did not need to understand all the words to know the child was being conned.
Severus sat up and leaned towards the goblet. Riddle held the goblet to the boy's lips and thoughtfully tipped his head with a gentle hand. "Txvdspylm, good chap."
When Severus finished drinking, Riddle put the goblet down and said something to Augustus. The men then took out their wands and with a large hand Augustus pushed Severus' small body into the mattress, all the while pretending to smile at his son. Riddle put a hand on the child's head and held it steady. Severus' eyes narrowed, but he remained cooperative.
At a nod from the younger man, they placed the tips of their wands just below the back of Severus's left ear. Then they both began to chant a simultaneous incantation. As they chanted, the dark haired boy grew increasing uncomfortable. It was clear to Albus the boy was in pain. Augustus responded by holding his son in place with more force. Severus desperately began to squirm but with two large men holding him still, he could not escape. "No, no. Nooooo," he cried.
"So, at one time he did speak," thought the Headmaster, as he watched helplessly, unable to offer any assistance or comfort to the small boy. Then Severus' eyes widened measurable, and a light began to emanate from them. As his head was being held to the side, the beam of light struck the crystal goblet which had been laid on a nearby bedtable. The goblet shattered and chunks of glass flew everywhere, hitting the cot, the wall and the table. One shard struck Augustus' arm, and another sliced into the child's side. The boy screamed with pain. The older man nearly stopped the incantation when the goblet exploded, but Riddle's voice never even wavered.
A few minutes later a pale green aura began to surround the boy, who was now practically screaming. Then a high pitched whirring sound filled the room. Another minute later the lights flickered and the talismans began to vibrate. Riddle's voice, accompanied by Augustus', grew louder, eventually reaching a crescendo of power. It was then that a swirl of colors lifted out of the boy and swirled above him, eventually forming itself into a funnel shaped cloud. Augustus swallowed dryly but Riddle was grinning ear to ear as he continued to speak the incantation.
At that point Albus realized there was a furious knocking at the door, and then shouting. A woman's voice pleaded with Augustus to open the door. Severus tried desperately to turn his head towards the sound of his mother, but it was no use. He could not evade their grasps. "Mummy, mummy," he repeated over and over through his sobs.
And then suddenly the tornado of colors moved to hover over the child's head, pointing its bottom tip at the boy's eyes. It spun faster and faster, the colors blurring together in its speed, until it looked like nothing more than a thick silver spinning rod. "The staff" thought Albus. And then in a flash of brilliant light, the beautiful silver representation of Severus magical powers disappeared into his body. The noise and vibrations ceased, as did the incantations.
Riddle, and the child's father, let go of the boy and smiled at one another. The banging on the door continued. The men shook hands and they headed to the door. Augustus unlocked it and Severus' mother fell, face first into the room. The future Dark Lord simply stepped around her and walked out. She got to her feet and looked around her, horrified at what she saw. She ran as quickly as she could over to the cot and reached in, pulling the small boy to her. She hugged him to her chest.
"Oh Severus, my Severus."
Albus noticed that while the little boy appeared to be sobbing, he was now making no sound.
Author's notes:
I can't remember whose fanfiction I borrowed the use of the name "Augustus" from. I just remember seeing it somewhere once and thinking it was perfect.
Rosaleen – So, where you right?
Trin – Thanks for the offer, but I have plenty to do right now. I have been neglecting my family and sleep at the moment to get these chapters out so fast. Also, writing fanfic is a heck of a lot more fun than writing school papers.
