Like Father, Like Son

Harry awoke the next morning feeling much better than when he had fallen asleep. He had come to a decision last night, about what he should do regarding Snape… er, his father.

It wasn't really his fault, Harry thought. He had been under a memory charm, and was only doing what Dumbledore had told him to. So, while rather shocked and disgusted that he was actually a Snape, he couldn't really blame the guy. But, he could be mad at his Headmaster, and that sounded fine to his ears.

Harry really wasn't much for grudges, but in this instance, he felt that he had a right to be. Out of nowhere, this man comes, and within the course of a few months, springs two enormously shocking surprises on him. It just wasn't fair for him to be lied to, not now that he knew at least the partial truth.

So he would try to get along with Snape. And, he guessed that yesterday during their fight in Ollivander's, the Potions Master had been right. He really did need to start getting used to being called Sameth. It was rather odd, though, even for the Wizarding World. Maybe he could get it to be shortened to Sam?

At least, during the school year.

Today, Harry decided, while stretching, he needed to train. He could go to the Room of Requirement after a small breakfast in the kitchens (after all, he had promised to go see Dobby), and a shower.

He did the latter first, and went into the bathroom.

Snape was up early, after a night of searching. He had decided not to press so much on the boy, but wait and follow his reactions to the situation. The two needed a serious talk, though, soon. Somewhere private. Dumbledore's required time together would be a perfect time.

They were to meet again in three days. The Headmaster had started up a schedule for the two, so that there would not be any conflicts in timing.

Severus finished up organizing the supply room, a task which he had forgotten about last night, while he was thinking. Then, he felt like going somewhere a little more cozy than his cold, unfeeling rooms. He remembered this place that Dumbledore had told him about, where he could go if he ever needed a place of his own.

Dumbledore had stumbled on it one night, and it had been filled with chamber pots. Severus had been in there before, himself, one night, many years ago, but like many other late-night wandering students, he had seen it as a broom cupboard, where he was safe from the caretaker.

All you had to do was walk past the door, and think of what you needed. Then, if you opened it up, you'd be in a place to suit those needs. Apparently, the Founding Four were quite the creative bunch, as Severus had not heard of anything like this before.

So he walked up to the hallway, and thought

"A place where I can work things out within myself. Somewhere calm, and comfortable"

When he opened the door, he wasn't quite sure to expect. What he did see, however was far from anything he'd ever thought.

Harry was in there! He hadn't apparently noticed that Severus had entered, and the Death Eater used his training well to remain that way.

He entered the room, closing the door. Harry was oblivious. He was deeply engrossed in a book. He was sitting on a white, creamy couch, and there were bookshelves surrounding him. Then, father on, there was a wide open blank space, with a table at the far end.

Harry shut the book, and marked his place. Then, standing up, he went to the other side of the room, where it was open and empty. Placing what appeared to be a stuffed bird on the table, he turned to it, and muttered a few words.

Severus, from where he was standing at the door, could not hear exactly what he said, but got the basic meaning of it when the bird came to life, and began to fly around.

It was a reanimation spell! It bound together the fibers of an existing creatures past spirit, and brought it back to the earth for a short time. It was only used on animals, and part-humans, like werewolves or vampires. It didn't really work on humans, except bring their bodies, not their sprits back. And, as the bodies lasted only a few minutes at best, they were ineffective for most dark uses. It still was nevertheless very strong, potent magic.

It was necromancy. Severus was greatly impressed with Harry's abilities. Not even most supporters of the Dark Arts could do even the simplest spells in this field, nor would want to.

Harry must be practicing for battle.

He had been watching too long, Severus realized. His mind was starting to wander, which was never good when one was trying not to be noticed. It was a miracle that the boy had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't yet noticed him.

Severus decided to make his presence known.

"Harry?" he asked.

Harry spun around at his voice. He'd never been interrupted in here without inviting the people first. The he turned and saw Severus.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He felt like his privacy had been intruded.

"I was just looking for a quiet place." Severus answered. "I guess the room does not work for more than one person individually at a time."

"Yeah." Harry looked rather put off by having the man here, but couldn't quite figure out how to broach the subject. He opted instead for silence.

"Was that… necromancy?" Snape asked, still disbelieving what he had seen.

"Umm, yeah, actually. I've been training for, well, I've been training, and it just seemed right to pick up a bit of the darker stuff, as well."

"I see. Have you continued your Occlemency lessons at all, too?" Snape's memory in the Pensieve hung rather tediously in the air for a minute, before Harry replied.

"Actually, I have. Before bed, to prevent anything." Harry fidgeted nervously. "I did mean to apologize, for snooping, Professor. I shouldn't have looked into your past like that."

Snape blinked. That was unexpected. Harry was actually initiating a conversation. With him.

"It's okay, Harry." was all that he could softly say. Then, an idea came to mind. "As long as you are preparing, why don't we work on a short lesson, now?"

Now it was Harry's turn to be surprised. Sure, Snape had been trying yesterday at Diagon Alley to be nice, but he didn't really think that he'd ever get used to hearing his old, greasy git of a professor be kind. And he was actually offering to help him?

"Er. Okay."

Then, all of a sudden, there was a presence in his mind. Something that was not right, digging into his brain. Memory upon memory came up to the surface, and it was he could do to clear those away before more came. He couldn't concentrate to attack back, to fend this intruder off.

Scenes were now flashing before his eyes. He was back in the cupboard underneath the stairs at the Dursleys, spiders crawling bravely across his mattress, Aunt Petunia screaming at him from the door to make breakfast.

Then, before he could fully comprehend that one, there was another image. He was at school, on top the roof, a crowd of children below, staring and making fun of him.

Another memory. Uncle Vernon coming at him this summer, yelling at him for being a freak. He was being punched, hard, slapped across the face, punched hard in the stomach.

This time, he reacted. He had tried so hard to forget, and now, that event, not even a full two weeks passed, had crept up on him and he was hit with the full blunt of it. He nearly broke down, but instead, in another, safe part of his mind, recalled what he had been taught.

He screamed, and shouted a banishing charm. The thoughts were gone, and Harry was there, pressing back hard in his mind against the unknown presence.

He was gaining back land in his mind. Then, finally, he was free of the unnatural sensation, and he turned his mind to the present. He opened his eyes, which, he hadn't realized, had been closed.

Laying on the floor in front of him, silently, was Professor Snape.

Harry went over to him, felt his face. He was breathing rapidly. After a moment or two, his eyes fluttered, and opened.

"Harry?" he said, as loud as he could, which, wasn't all that audible.

"Yes, sir?" Harry said, helping him as he stood up. The "sir" sounded funny to his own ears, but what else was there to call the man? Severus and father were way too intimate, and Snape was too formal.

"That was, by far, the best you've ever been at expelling me from your mind. Excellent work."

Harry couldn't help but feel pleased with himself after this, although he tried not to show it.

"Are you okay, sir?" Snape nodded his head yes. "What made you fall, then?"

"It was the force of your banishing spell. Not only did you use it in your body, as would have been sufficient, but you screamed it in your mind. The force alone was enough to knock me out for a few seconds there." Snape took a seat at one of the couches, Harry in a chair across from him.

"May I, Harry, ask you a question about one of the memories?" his voice was tentative, unsure if he was overstepping his boundaries or not.

Harry considered for a moment. It was, after all, fair. He had taken a secret look at Snape's personal history before, too.

He nodded, not wanting to speak.

"Was that… when your Uncle was hitting you… this summer?" Severus winced as the words came out. 'What a great thing', he thought in his mind, 'bring up the boy's obviously troubled past just when you are having a nice conversation with him. Real smart.'

Once again, Harry nodded. This time, he couldn't speak.

"Then, that must have been less than two weeks ago! Do you still have any bruises?" Snape knew this was way past the boundary, but he had to know. God damn it, this was his son, and he had been hurt. If only he had known… Well, things would have turned out differently.

Harry looked at him, then shook his head. "I made a healing potion, this morning." He explained. "I didn't want to first use my new wand on my body without really testing it, first."

Severus agreed. Although everything seemed fine with the new Ollivander creation, things still could be off.

They were both silent for a while, the all-too-familiar heavy air settling over them. Then, Harry stood up.

"Do you want to duel?" The invitation surprised Severus. It was a friendly gesture. Harry needed to practice, and he was asking his father to help him.

Severus nodded. "Okay."

The two spent the next hour pacing back and forth across the room. Severus, at first, held back, unaware of the boy's skill level. But he had proven himself a worthy opponent for someone his age, although he would have to definitely work harder if he wanted to be an Auror, as it was commonly believed he would.

His defense was the best. His return spells needed to be worked on. He could properly defend himself from most things sent his way, but as for return curses, he was particularly struggling to keep up. He would have to practice and learn new ones.

Eventually, both of them stopped fighting. Harry was still full of energy, but Severus needed a break, particularly after his fall earlier. Neither again said anything, until Severus decided he needed to go back down to his rooms and work a bit.

"Well, Harry, thank you. Continue to practice Occlemency at night, and study some return curses. You know how to properly keep yourself safe, but you also need to learn to do damage. How about, instead of meeting as Dumbledore proposed, in the dungeons next Saturday, we meet here. We could work on brewing some potions, since you seem to have picked up a knack for it."

"Okay, Professor." Harry returned to his book, as Severus left.

Harry was confused. He had been hating his teacher, then today happened, and they were actually getting along. In fact, Harry felt as if he knew the man better from fighting him than he could have for talking to him for that long.

It was strange. He was still very upset, but most of that anger was redirected towards Dumbledore. He sat down. He could get used to being his father's son, especially if he had to act the part.

And, when Snape had inquired about his beating, it had felt, almost nice. Despite the Professor's attempt to hide his concern, his eyes, and voice had betrayed him. He couldn't help but feel a little happier at this. Someone, actually worrying about him, wanting to protect him. Not just someone. His father.

He was actually looking forward to brewing potions. Normally, he dreaded Potions class, but something told him that this would be very different.

Severus made it down the hallway before actually processing the information. It was one of the tricks he had picked up as a Death Eater. Get out of danger, then think about it.

He had actually had spent time with his son, and felt glad about it. He was proud of the boy. He obviously had talent. Watching him, seeing him look and act so much like him, was a sensation that he'd never get used to. He didn't want to get used to it, it was such a nice feeling.

And Harry had actually agreed to meet with him again. He was putting forth an effort. But, why? Perhaps he wasn't the only one thinking intently last night. Maybe Harry had come to some revelations of his own. He could only hope.

Severus went back to his office. He had just entered when he found the second unexpected person in a room for that day. Awaiting his return was Remus Lupin.

"Hello." Snape greeted the man cordially.

"Severus. How are you?"

"I'm all right. You?"

"Good. The full moon approaches, in about a week. Which is why I am here to see you. Can you make me a Wolfsbane potion?"

"For a week from now? Yes, I should be able to." Severus thought quickly. The Wolfsbane potion was difficult to brew, even for one as experienced as himself. But it wasn't impossible. A week should give him sufficient time.

"Have you… talked to Harry, yet?" Remus asked, timidly. The shy werewolf hadn't wanted to intrude on the two's relationship, but he was concerned for both of the Snapes.

"Yes, actually, we just spent an hour dueling." Severus answered nonchalantly.

"What? You were fighting? Surely that is not advisable! Did Dumbledore know?"

"Calm down, Remus. It was his idea. He needed to practice, he said, so we worked through a few things. We didn't even argue. It was quite the experience."

"It definitely sounds like it, Severus. I am glad, though, that the two of you are communicating. School starts in another three weeks. You'll need to know each other fairly well by then."

The Potion's Master's face got a rather sarcastic expression. "You didn't hear? The Headmaster," this word he nearly spat, "has decided that after keeping us apart for so long, we must have required time spent together each week."

Remus bemusedly asked "Did he really?" Then, on a more serious note, "Don't be bitter at Dumbledore, Severus. You know he only means for what is best for everyone. He can't be perfect all the time."

Severus responded vaguely, then changed the subject. The two were talking like old friends, which they were, when Severus sat up like a shot. He hurriedly rushed into the other room, grabbed his cloak, and left.

Remus began to run after him. "Where are you going, Sev?"

"I have business to attend to." Grabbing his arm, he raced to the main Hogwarts exit, and out of Remus's sight.

Remus picked up his things, and left the room. He wandered around a bit, and then went to Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore was in there, by himself. He welcomed Remus in, and the two talked for a bit, and Remus told Dumbledore what Severus had done.

"Ah, yes. He's been summoned. I expected that to be happening soon."

Remus looked troubled. "Do you think he's safe? I worry about him, returning to spying. It could be disastrous for both of them, Severus and Harry, if he should be caught."

Dumbledore sighed. "He has to go back. His scar provides Voldemort with the link to him, and with it, he can cause excruciating pain, and torture, without being in the same place. Has Severus ever told you what it is like to be summoned?"

"No."

"It is a modified Cruciatus curse. It causes just as much pain, but lets the user retain some strength, so they may Apparate to him."

Remus was shocked. He had no idea that Snape suffered so much for his job, and for his loyalties. Even later, when he was alone, he kept thinking about that conversation. Severus was too brave, risking all for his side.

He should've been a Gryffindor.

Snape ran out through the grounds, until he had reached the boundary. He was in so much pain, but he kept up his stride. He was used to this. As soon as he reached the border of Hogwarts land, he apparated. The mark made sure he got where he was supposed to.

He arrived at an old abandoned church graveyard, just in time to hear the bells chime two. He was on the top of the hill. Severus made sure to note his surroundings. The geography of an area was important to any smart Death Eater.

He waited. Then, he was greeted by two men, whom he knew very well. One was Malfoy, the other Lestrange. They led him down a path, into a dark wooded area at the bottom of a hill. Then, there was a clearing. As Snape stepped into the circle, and brought up his hood, he could feel the presence of Voldemort.

He kept his mind neutral. The Dark Lord was an expert at Legilems, and could easily pry into his mind if it was left unprotected.

"Severus." the hooded Lord Voldemort said, motioning forward his servant. When he was directly in front of the Dark Lord, Snape knelt down, until he was nearly eye level with the snake that always traveled with Voldemort.

He kissed the hem of his lord's robe. Then, standing up, he slowly backed into place among the circle.

"Severus, you are here today to be inquired into about your whereabouts yesterday." Voldemort said very eloquently, with an air of dignity and ease.

At least he wasn't mad.

"Yesterday, my Lord? I was at Hogwarts, and then in the afternoon went to Diagon Alley." Severus said with another bow.

"And who, may we ask, were you accompanied by?"

"My… my son, my Lord." whispers went up around the circle. Voldemort hushed them all with a lazy wave of his hand.

"A son, Severus? I believe that this is the first that I've heard of him." the Dark Lord questioned, obviously curious. He had heard that Severus had been out the day before, with a boy who looked exactly like him. His source? Lucius Malfoy.

"He has been living with his mother. This is the first time in years that I have seen him. His mother, a pureblooded witch, recently died, and I am the only family he has left." Severus hoped the explanation would suffice.

"How does he feel about… your involvement with our group?" Severus knew where this was headed. The Death Eater's had always been what you would call a "family oriented" group.

They had always tried to get the sons of former Death Eaters, or dark supporters of Grindawald to join. They figured that if the child had been raised in a dark atmosphere, he was more likely to be sympathetic to the cause. And, hate mudbloods.

"He does not yet know, my Lord. But, I would expect him to be quite willing to follow. I was unaware of his mother's sentiments."

"As you know, there will be the beginning of training for our new recruits. Perhaps you could convince him to join, Severus?"

"I will try my best, my Lord."

Then, Voldemort turned to other business, finishing the meeting as he normally would. Severus stood perfectly still, not letting his heart beat. This would certainly change things.

Dumbledore must be informed right away. They were now after his son, if you thought of it like that. Sameth would be too dangerous, though, if around these people, considering his past. But there would have to be an excuse made.

Plus, no doubt Draco Malfoy would be watching him all year. It would just be so hard, to work things out. When he got back to the castle, he'd have to have a talk with both his son and Dumbledore.

The meeting was adjourned. Severus was back into the folds of the Death Eater community. He had missed the first meeting, at the end of Harry's fourth year, and had been labouring since to prove himself worthy.

He returned to outside Hogwarts grounds, then stepped through. He was lucky. Today, the Dark Lord had not felt like using any curses. No Cruciatus, not even a simple pain inflicting curse. It was suspicious. The Dark Lord had seemed preoccupied, really. Like he was just having a meeting to take his mind off of a plan he had.

He went into the castle, and then back to the Room of Requirements, hoping Harry might possibly still be there. He wasn't, so he headed up to Dumbledore's office.

There, both Harry and Dumbledore were, speaking about something. He could hear their voices from below. He knocked on the door. The Headmaster had taken off his password guarded door for the summer break, making it easier for the staff to contact him.

He entered the room. Dumbledore looked up, and Harry turned around to face him.

"Ah, Severus. Glad to see you are back. Remus said that you had to leave suddenly, on urgent business."

"Yes, Headmaster. I was summoned to a meeting." Harry gaped. "The Dark Lord has found out that I have a son. We were seen yesterday at Diagon Alley."

"What?!? What did he say to you?" Harry's voice rang in, surprising Severus. Hell, the boy even sounded like him.

"He wants me to try and persuade you to become a Death Eater. He asked what your feeling were on our "organization." I told him that I didn't know, as you had been living with your mother, but that she was a pureblood.

No matter what I end up telling him, this year, you'll be watched Harry. I won't tell him that you are against him, then he'll become angry, and even order your death. If not by me, he can arrange it through the dozens of other new Death Eaters, begging to show him that they are truly his subjects. And we cannot allow that to happen."

Dumbledore nodded. Harry was looking extremely nervous. Severus couldn't blame him, it was a very terrifying situation.

"Well, what options do we have?" Harry wanted to know the truth.

Severus didn't say anything, looking pointedly at Dumbledore. "Well," the Headmaster began. "We have a possibility of three choices.

One. Severus tells Voldemort that you are not a supporter of the Dark side. You become an enemy to him, and you will be targeted, and, so will Severus, for failing to bring you to the Dark Lord.

Two. You remain ambiguous. Severus reports that you are not opposed to joining him, but would wish to finish your education, and work on your skills first. This would not work very well, as the average initiation is made during the winter of sixth year, and Voldemort does not like to make special circumstances for anyone. He would also probably catch on quickly, and once again, both you and Severus would be under a threat."

Here he paused, and thought. Severus cut it. "The third option? Surely it cannot be to…"

"Yes, Severus." Dumbledore brought his voice up again. "He joins the Death Eaters, and becomes our second spy."

"What!?" Severus was speaking softly, but the passion in his tone was unmistakable.

"Dumbledore. This is Harry Potter we are talking about here. If he joins Voldemort, he will be even closer to threat. He will have to begin training, and… it just won't work. I won't see him end up like me!"

Harry had been quiet. "But, sir," he said, addressing Severus. "They won't know it's me. I'll be Sameth Snape, too them, and it would be perfectly normal for the son of a current Death Eater to join. It is the only explanation that won't result in suspicion or death."

"What are you saying, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "Will you do this? Will you become another spy. It is not a decision to make lightly. Think on it for another day. Return to me tomorrow with your answer."

Harry nodded, and left. Severus had the feeling that he would be returning to the Room of Requirement to do some serious brain-wracking.

"Dumbledore! How can we put him in danger? It is absurd! If he gets killed or injured, the whole chance of defeating Voldemort is gone, forever. Do not forget about the Prophecy!"

"I cannot make him do this, Severus." Dumbledore's voice was heavy with age, bearing down with years of wisdom. "But, it is the only plausible chance we have. Besides, no one will know where the real Harry Potter is."

"But, won't they suspect him? It is rather coincidental, is it not? Harry disappearing at the same time Sameth appears?"

"We will say Harry left during the summer. We do have another new student, a fifth year, joining our school this year. It will not seem so suspicious when there are two of them."

Snape closed his eyes. The reasoning was good, but there was something niggling in the back of his mind, some unease and doubt that remained. He would, like always, have to place his trust in Dumbledore.

The two finished their conversation. The decision would rest with Harry.

Harry was, in the meantime, sitting in his rooms. He had already made up his mind, why did he need to think about it. He and Severus would both be safe this way.

He looked in the mirror, pulling up his sleeve. The skin there was pale and creamy. What would it look like, permanently disfigured with a Dark Mark? When Voldemort was killed, 'if' his mind corrected him, what would happen to him?

He sat there for quite some time. Then, he saw an owl fly towards his window, and he hurried to open it. The hot August air came into the room, making it feel stifling. Harry allowed the owl to fly to Hedwig's perch, and then closed the window.

There was a letter from Hermione. He quickly opened it up, and saw it was full of information about her summer, her vacation, and her plans. There was also an invitation to meet her in Diagon Alley in a few weeks, to purchase their school supplies.

Harry thought he would wait to answer it tomorrow. He'd talk to Dumbledore. Perhaps this would be the perfect timing to "disappear"?

He could write back, saying he was going off to train for his fight against Voldemort. He could ask her to tell Ron, too. Then , he could ask that no owls be sent to him, as he needed complete concentration in his work.

It sounded somewhat realistic. Maybe it would convince Hermione, especially if it came from his pen.

He decided to take it with him tomorrow, when he went to tell Dumbledore about his plans.

Snape was back in his lab, beginning to make the first batch of the Wolfsbane potion. It had to simmer for two days, so if he started now, he could preserve it until Remus could drink it in six days.

He started by adding the base ingredient, an infusion of wild root herbs, mixed with water. He slowly brought it too a boil, adding the necessary pickled worms stomachs, one at a time. Then, on to the next ingredient, which was dragon liver. After this was added, the potion needed to be stirred anti-clockwise eighty times.

Severus was very precise in his actions. To him, potions brewing was an art, one that had to be preserved and cherished. He finished the eighty strokes, and then let the cauldron sit. It had to remain in this stage for at least eight hours, but it could be left for longer, any amount of time up to forty-eight hours.

He went to sit back in his rooms. The cold green and black did not bother him as much as it had this morning, when he had been searching for refuge in the Room of Requirement.

He was a Death Eater. He had condemned his son to the same fate. He knew Harry would accept the challenge, just because it would save Severus's life. He couldn't take it.

He wished now that he could stop spying, but Voldemort would always have control of him. He rolled up his sleeve, and saw the mark there, grinning at him evilly. It was a constant reminder to his enslavement of mind, body, and soul.

So, he felt almost comfortable amongst the Slytherin colours and memorabilia. The tapestry of two snakes on the wall, drop of blood between them. The Snape coat of arms. This is where he was born to be. It was in his blood.

This is where he belonged.

Well. Another chapter. What did you think? Let me know, Read and Review.

I'm starting to get my ideas for this story into place, thanks to some very excellent help from The Vampire Story Hunter.

Also, special thanks to Kneh13, who other than being an excellent writer, has reviewed every single chapter of this story. Thanks a lot a lot!

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