Hello, folks, I'm back! Thankies, reviewers, and do mind that no one so far has even hazarded a guess as to where the title came from. You can now guess the singer/writer of this chapter's title and the story title too. Also, I was wondering. Do you guys think I should finish this story up quickly, before the sixth book comes out, or would you still read it after the HBP comes out?
Windmills of Your Mind
Severus Snape was rarely a man interrupted by visitors, yet it seemed that on the one night he truly wished to be alone, fate had deemed worthy of such deviants. Severus, of course, was not thinking along those lines when he spilled his Firewhisky in his haste to answer the door.
The last sight Remus Lupin was expecting to greet him in the dungeon domain of the resident Potion Master was a drenched Severus Snape holding a bottle of Firewhisky, cursing everything from asphodel to zephyrs, and wearing a lumpy green sweater, obviously someone's first attempt at knitting. Therefore, it was perfectly logical to ask if he was indeed Severus Snape and that he was not hallucinating.
Severus merely sneered and stepped back to allow Lupin into his rooms. Surprisingly, his rooms were not dank and dark, though a little old fashioned. Lupin nodded gratefully at Severus and stepped inside. He sat gingerly on the black leather couch as his host cast a quick drying charm and sat once again in a wooden armchair.
"This wasn't supposed to happen, Lupin," Severus said, his voice slightly slurred by the alcohol he had consumed. Lupin nodded encouragingly, knowing that it was his fault he had decided to visit on a day he knew Severus was going to nothing but get drunk.
"I wasn't supposed to have a child," the ex-Deatheater said in a tone that would be called whining in a lesser man. Lupin barely managed to suppress his look of shock, hoping it had gone unnoticed. He met the Potion Master's eyes and questioned gently, "Children, Severus?"
"Since when was I Severus, Remus?" Remus shrugged cautiously and Severus took yet another swig of the Firewhisky.
"Yes, Remus, children or, in this case, a child. I wasn't supposed to- to do that with anyone, let alone Lily god-forsaken Evans!" His voice had risen to a slight wail and Remus eyebrows seem permanently anchored to his hairline. Yes, he had known Severus and Lily were going out, so to speak, but had not been told they had gone that far with it. He nodded helpfully, and Severus continued.
"She said it was a miscarriage, Remus. You do remember what that is, right? Right? It's where people lose their baby. Lose a baby! Before it's even born! Muggle problem altogether. Not enough innate magic to support a baby. Never a problem in wizard, not even Squibs! Not even Muggleborns! Lilyevans said she had a miscarriage! Mayhaps Lilyevans killed the baby? No, not Lilyevans! Lilyevans is- was a Charms Master. What does this say, Remuslupus?"
'Remuslupus', commonly known as Moony, was slightly startled at the Potion Master's regression to the way he spoke for his first four years at Hogwarts, but he knew he really shouldn't have been surprised.
"We were to name our child Libra for a girl or Sagit for a boy. Lilyevans' idea, keeping the Snape tradition and using astronomy for good names. I couldn't bear to tell Lilyevans we shouldn't have children. Sagitsnape would have been a good name. Good, strong Slytherin name. Strong, magical, old name. Not a stupid Muggle name like Harry or Jamespotter. I forgot about Lilyevans- Lilypotter now- for the most part until Harrypotter came here, to Hogwarts. Then I remember and thought I was stupid. Harrypotter was muchly like Jamespotter. Definitely not little Sagitsnape. I hated him, for his father, who got Lilyevans. I almost hated Lilyevans, for her miscarriage, but I couldn't bring myself to do it," Severus' voice took an almost hysterical tone then, and he laughed, a short harsh sound.
"You, see, I had just relaxed and convinced myself Harrypotter was indeed a Potter when Harrypotter did something exceedingly not LilyJamesPotter-like. He does something Severusnape-like, something Larissasnape-like and something Slomersnape-like. I have forgotten the first inklings, but then Harrypotter was a Parseltongue. Now, Parseltongue is something that runs in almost exclusively the Snape lines and the Slytherin root lines we inherit. It is also not something easily transferred by magic, as it is much like merely a foreign language. Many can learn it, but it would be a process longer that practical. Then, there are the people with the innate talent to speak it, just as an Animagus can speak the tongue of his form. What do you think of this, Remuslupus? Does it make sense?"
"I don't know, Poisontongue. What say you?" 'Poisontongue' was a nickname used by Remus and James, after they had formed a truce of sorts. Lily was the only one of their ragtag bunch that had not been an Animagus, and therefore, did not have a name.
"I say Harrypotter is really my Sagitsnape, the Prophetic Child. Not a fun predicament at all. Severusnape is scared, Moony. Harrypotter should not be bad Deatheater child. His lot is the Boy-Who-Lived. I used to hate him, Moony, but I can't bear to, anymore. With the Dark Lord out for my blood, I have to wonder why it always has to be him."
"What prophecy do you speak of, Poisontongue? Trelawney's or another's?"
"Sybiltrelawney had a true prophecy? Well, not that one, Narcissamalfoy's prophecy.
You've not heard of it? I suppose you wouldn't have. It was long ago in the Deatheater's circles. The Dark Lord killed another spy and his entire family, thinking he had resolved it. But, of course, it is rather hard to escape a prophecy, so don't think that's it. I suppose you want to hear it, no? Hmm… I believe it was… 'SINGLE CHILD OF TRAITOR'S LOIN… REBELLION AND SURPASSMENT HE COINS… ONE'S CLAIMED IMPOTENCE… IS REALLY FATAL POTENCE… THIRTEEN AND SEVEN AND ONE… WILL NOT STOP 'TILL JOB IS DONE… A LEADER WILL CHANGE THE FATES…'"
"Little Prongs-Poisontongue had another prophecy, Poisontongue. Dumbledore kept it from him until now. Now, when Padfoot is gone! That traitor and I are all that's left of the Marauders now, Poisontongue! You and I and Wormtail. I shouldn't tell you the prophecy, Severus. Ask Dumbledore, please. You should know it, especially if what you say is true. How soon will we be able to tell? What potion did you use?"
"I told Lilyevans to use the Unfaithful Wife Potion. It should start to wear off this Halloween, fifteen years after they died, but we will be able to test his parentage now and find out, but we'll have to find a strong blood-based Heritage Potion. They aren't really that common. Do you think Albusdumbledore should know? We'll have to soon, probably better now than later," Severus said, his eyelids drooping. Soon, he had drifted to sleep in the ensuing silence and Remus sat pondering the consequences this might have. As Severus looked comfortable where he was, Remus quietly left, counting on his fingers the times Severus had defied Voldemort before Harry had been born. He could only come up with two, so he figured he would ask Severus in the morning.
Until then, Remus Lupin had a research project.