Chapter 8: About Pureblood, Muggle, Squib and Slayer.

Same night, in the Slytherin dungeon

Lex was sitting on one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, a little grin on his lips. He was reflecting on the events of the day, still a bit astonished by the fact that Dawnie was his. Their trip in Diagon Alley had been fun, she had managed to find a way to call him dad every other three sentences, introducing herself as Dawn Snape in every shop they had gone to. They had bought a lot of things, a new wardrobe in Slytherin colours for Dawn and Spike, choosing the same cut and material as his own for the vampire, but changing the silver snake embroidery for emerald green railroad spikes for Spike. Dawn's wardrobe had a more feminine cut in a softer material and lighter green tones with a sun and a moon melting together as embroidery. They bought her a wand, holly and moon-dust powder; "Another interesting combination", Mr. Olivander had said with a knowing smile. After that, they had gotten her books, some decorations for her and spike's new rooms, which were now on the left side of the living room. The castle had once again rearranged itself, and where the only empty wall of the Snape's family quarters contained now the two carved oaks doors of his new family members' rooms. His smile grew a little bit more, remembering what he had had the chance to see in Spike's eyes this morning, before his father's revelations. Love and desire, a combination he had seen only in his dreams. There was hope after all.

He was still daydreaming a half an hour later, when Severus finally emerged from his private lab, a dark snake curled around his neck. He took the time to serve two glasses of fire whiskey, before sitting in the second chair and giving one of the glasses to his son.

"Long day?" asked Severus with a low voice.

"Hum?" said Lex, turning his face to look at his father and seeing the dark snake curled happily in the curve of its new master's neck.

"I asked if you had a long day?" repeated his father with an indulgent expression on his face.

"Oh, yes! Well, not really, no! It seemed a bit too short to me, too many changes in one day, a little bit overwhelming, you know? Even for an ex-Sunnydaler, Slayer sidekick, Scoobie member." answered Lex with a gentle smile.

"Yes, I know." said Severus, returning the smile. "I found one of your pets. He came in the lab earlier today. He must have followed me after I went in your room to ask your vampire some more questions," he finished.

"Actually, he's your pet now. No, let me finish before you interrupt me" Said Lex with a wave of his hand to make his father listen to him. "My snakes are special, they've been asleep for more then a millennia now and can only wake for their true masters. Neutralis woke up in the shop, because she could feel me, and after we talked, she agreed to let me take care of her family until they woke. Last night her mate Sanguis and her chide Clavis woke when Dawn and Spike came into my room. And today, Obcuritas chose you as his master by waking up when he felt you come near. Only Luminis is asleep now, I think that each snake is meant for a member of my family. Neutralis for me, her daughter for my daughter, her mate for my mate, her older brother Obscuritas, the one who protected her, for my father, the one who protected me, and his mate Luminis for your future ………mate. Whoever she or he is. A family for a family!" said Lex with a strong voice and perfect logic.

Severus was silent for a long moment, but you could almost hear his brain working to process what his son had just said. When he finally put all the pieces together, his face hardened and he felt himself like a piece on a chessboard, once again something else was controlling his life.

"A prophecy?" he finally asked with an icy voice.

"A prophecy!" Answered Lex with finality. "But it's not time to tell you the whole thing, not until you find your mate. Don't look at me like that," said Lex, looking at the angry face of his father, his own voice beginning to tremble with a little bit of anger and sorrow. "I don't have a say in what's going to happen. I'm bound to that prophecy, just like you, Dawnie, Spike, or the stranger who is going to be yours. I never though I could be useful for anything other than going donut hunting, before the sorting-hat landed on my head. How do you think I felt when it explained my role in this new game, to me? I wasn't prepared for this work, which is going to be mine most of the time, I have nightmares where I see myself fail and Voldemort laughing and the people I love die. It's……………" at that moment, some tears rolled down from his eyes, tracing wet paths on his cheeks. "I'm not a hero, Dad, I'm just me and I need my father to trust me. I need you to love me and help me prepare our family for the coming battle. Until the time is right to tell the whole story to our family and friends. Can you do that for me, Dad, can you? Please?" finished Lex, eyes now fixed on the dancing flames.

Severus looked at his son, his heart melting with pride, love and sadness for the child who never had the chance to grow up and have a normal life like every other child. He took Lex's hand and made him stand before sitting him on his lap, surrounding him with his arms, rocking him lightly as if he was only four once again. If someone had seen the feared Potion Masters of Hogwarts at this moment, he probably would have had the surprise of his life, because that man was not here. Only a father concerned for the well being of his only child was in that room tonight. For once, his mask and persona were not in place.

"Hush, Alexander, hush. I trust you and I love you, my precious little Slytherin. I'll help you until the time comes, I'll help you" Severus continued to talk, shushing and reassuring Lex, until he was calm enough to get off of his father's lap to take place at his feet, leaning against his knees, looking in the fire place once again, basking in the heat.

"Are you still upset with me?" he asked with a voice, broken by too much sobbing.

"No, like you said you, just like me, have no control on what destiny wants from us," answered Severus with a calm voice, caressing his son's hair with tenderness. They stayed like that a long time, taking comfort in each other's presence, knowing that, whatever happened, they would never lose that special link between father and son. It was Lex who finally broke the shared silence.

"Before I had that outburst, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"This morning, you said I was a pureblood wizard, but how can it be when Mum is a Muggle?" Lex asked with a questioning voice, turning his head to face his father. Severus sighed lightly before answering.

"Your mother is not a muggle, Lex, she's a squib, but from an eight hundred year pureblood line. It's complicated,though. Let me try to explain. When a wizard or a witch is born with a genetic deficiency, the magic in him or her senses it and blocks all their access to the power, to make sure that he or she doesn't go insane, because of the amount of pressure the power is going to applied on that weakness. Most of the time, if a wizard married a squib, you have a full wizard or witch, in plain possession of his power, but you still have a possibility to have a squib. If a squib married a muggle, you have a possibility to have a muggleborn wizard or another generation of squib or a muggle. A Pureblood witch or wizard and a Muggleborn witch or wizard always give you a wizard, but with a squib and a muggleborn, you fifty percent chance of having a magical child and fifty percent of having a squib. On the other hand, if a squib married a squib, you have different possibilities. They could have a full wizard, or a muggle child. That poses no problem, and the child can have a normal, Muggle life. But they still could have a squib, and then the problems begin. You see, a squib can't access the power but they radiate with it, so they attract all the creatures who are power hungry. As a result, a squib has a higher chance of being turned by a vampire, or to be bitten by a werewolf or to finished as a sacrifice to some obscure god or demon. Also, it's this power that's called to activate the Slayer The Council calls the power of a young female squib by redirecting the power to a new access they create, and by doing that they permit her to use it in a different form to fight for them." Lex, who had listened to him with profound attention, interrupted him at that point to ask a question, which had been turning in his mind.

"But the weakness it still there, what happens when the pressure builds up too much and presses on it?"

"They go insane, until the power breaks them totally and takes over, destroying the girl's mind in the process. That's why the council lets them die young and why the girls have trouble controlling their temperament," said his father looking with a questioning expression at him.

"What would happen to a slayer who survives more then seven years?" An unpleasant suspicion began to make its way into Lex's mind.

"She would gradually became a psychopathic maniac, extremely homicidal, before she finally snapped and killed herself or her family and friends, depending on her state of mind at that moment, why?" asked Severus worriedly.

"Buffy! She was beginning to act really odd, before I left. She was on the war path, practically all the time. Searching for a reason to fight with everyone. She…she is the slayer, who had live for the longest time, almost eight years now. Do you think she could begin to snap?" asked Lex with a little voice.

"Well, that could explain her outburst and attempted murder on William." Answered Severus.

"I'm glad they're here, with us. I don't know how safe Will and Dawnie would be around her. "

"I'm glad too, I like my new grand-daughter and even William is beginning to grow on me, when he stops with his 'big bad' persona," said Severus with a smirk.

"I think I should write to Giles. He should know about Buffy, she still remain his slayer after all. But that would mean giving them a clue on where to find us. What do you think?" He asked looking at his father for an answer.

Severus was going to respond to the question, when a strange dark phoenix burst into the room. Landing in front of Lex, it extended his left paw for Lex to take a letter. He took it and after opening it, began to read aloud.

"It's from Dru, she's Spike's sire," He explained to his Dad before beginning. "My dark kitten, mummy is so happy! The stars have sung to her such lovely stories, about you and my Spiky. They told me a long time ago, the night I turned him,that he would take care of me until he found you, my kitten. I had to make him for you. But don't be sad, I'm not alone anymore, Miss Edith had told me a long time ago that the stars would give us two new childes, and they are beautiful, my kitten! They kill so nicely, they paint such lovely blood pictures for me. Oh, Miss Edith says I need to tell you that we are going to L.A to see Daddy. The stars gave us a spell to merge Daddy with the nasty soul, so they could be whole. But we need the help of the rogue hunter to do it; Miss Edith said that he is going to help us, because Daddy is his friend. She says that we are going to look after your almost family there and make sure that the loony slayer doesn't harm them, I'll tell the watcher all he need to know about how the slayers are made. You must continue to hide for the moment! Don't worry yourself, kitten, when Daddy is ready and I've made the little tree and the Watcher listen to the stars, so they can be together, I will bring everyone to help you. The stars tell me to tell your Daddy, that his mate will be with Daddy, when he come. Also, you must protect the little snake with a lightning bolt, he's been dreadfully hurt, you must find him quick or he's going to visit the burning kingdom and the slimy one is going to win. He must live my Kitten, he is Daddy's future, if he dies Daddy is lost for the light. Tell your Daddy that the stars said that the past needs to stay in the past, and that the funny hat must sing his song for the little snake again. Don't let the creepy old man see him, until he is well again and he trusts the dark warrior. Kiss my Spike and the lovely light for Miss Edith and me. The birdie is a gift for you and my Spiky; it's the first birdie I succeeded in turning! It was extremely difficult, so take good care of him; I called him Renfield, just like that bug eater in that silly Bram Stoker book. He's your first baby, so be good to him. He likes blood AB+.

Mummy must go now, but I promise to be with you before Christmas!

Take care; Mummy loves you, kitten. Goodbye. Yours, Drusilla and Miss Edith," finished Lex with an amused expression on his face, before his eyes found the black phoenix. "Oh Merlin, a phoenix, she turned a bloody phoenix, to give us a 'birdie'."

"She seems a little bit insane," murmured Severus hesitantly.

"Yeah, she's totally loopy, you can say it. It's a fact, but strangely, she likes me………a lot!" Lex said with a fond smile at the thought of Dru. "Do you have any idea who the 'little snake with a lightning bolt' is, since Dru seems to think that he's going to die if we don't find him soon?" asked Lex

Severus took a deep breath before answering.

"All the clues seams to indicate Mister Harry Potter," answered Severus with a dejected voice. "The dear saviour of our wizarding world. The son of James BLOODY POTTER! He's a bleedin' Gryffindor and a pain in my arse, ever since his first year!" he continued.

"Well, since you're the dark warrior of our family, it seem like you are going to help him heal and we are going to protect him from the old fool, until Deadboy comes. So, deal, and fast because I'm going to wake Spike and we're going to rescue Harry. And Dad, Dru is right, he's not James. He had nothing to do with what happened with the werewolf, he wasn't even born! What would you think, if someone was blaming me for some of the things you have done as a Death Eater?"

"That's not the same, it's not you who made these actions, you're innocent, they've nothing to say to …you," finished Severus, beginning to realise what his son was telling him. "Well, you may have a point, but I can't say that I'll stop acting like I do around him, or that I like the idea of having him with us for the next three months, but I will try to restrain myself," he said reluctantly.

"Good enough," said Lex with an amused voice, before poking his head in Spike's bedroom and yelling. "Spike, wake up, Dru sent a letter, we need to rescue her Daddy's future mate. Spike, get your ass out of that bed, it's urgent!

Spike! Spike, get the fuck out of memmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmpfffff." And he was kissed passionately on the mouth by a half-dreaming Spike for the first time. Forgetting everything just for a moment, he kissed back.