Apologies once again. I need to get used to getting back into this story-style again... As most people know from my previous story, I get into hold-phases where I dont write for two or three months on a story but usually, those dont last tooo long and just because a chapter takes a few months to come up does NOT mean that all of my chaps will take this long. It just depends on if a muse bites me I suppose.
That being said, this is an un-betaed chapter. I wanted to get it out asap.
Thank you for everyone who reviewed. It does help to know that people are reading this sequel after so many asked for one.
On with the show!
Chapter two- Drifting
"As you all know, your NEWT's are next year," Professor McGonagall told them. "As well as your….last year here." Her voice seemed to falter slightly at that.
Hermione frowned over at Damien, who was staring off into space with a dazed look.
"Since this class is so far ahead than the other sixth year class…."
She nudged Ron, trying to get his attention only to find that her boyfriend was nodding off on his Transfiguration book, his mouth opened unattractively. Hermione shook her head in amusement; some things never changed….
"…for the remainder of the year we will be reviewing…."
'Then again,' Hermione thought sadly as she glanced over at Damien, who was still staring blankly ahead of him. 'Some things do….'
"…all of the spells you have learned in here over the past six years."
Hermione bit her lip worriedly.
"Now," McGonagall went on briskly. "Who can tell me the incantation for the spell that turns objects into worms?"
No one answered as most of the students were either asleep or were looking at her blankly.
Professor McGonagall's eyebrows dipped in anger. "Come now, this is a first year spell! Not even you Miss Granger? Miss Granger!"
Hermione jumped, tearing her gaze away from Damien. "Huh?" she asked and nearly every student gawked at her, which was no surprise. Hermione Granger had never responded with a 'Huh?' to a teacher's question.
"The incantation to turn an object into a worm?" McGonagall repeated, looking displeased.
Hermione blushed. "Oh, yes. Vermiculus."
Professor McGonagall nodded stiffly. "Do try and pay attention, Miss Granger. I would hate to see you slipping right when NEWT's are coming up."
But Hermione had already returned her gaze to her friend, who hadn't moved a muscle through the whole ordeal.
As McGonagall went on to lecture about the importance of review, she cautiously poked Damien.
Damien blinked and slowly raised his green orbs to meet her brown ones.
"You okay?" Hermione asked softly.
Damien nodded wordlessly and resumed his daydreaming.
It was a relief when the bell finally rang.
Ron gave a particularly loud snore before blinking himself awake. "Whad I 'iss?" he asked through a yawn. Hermione rolled her eyes and cuffed him on the back of the head impatiently.
"Come on, we've Potions after lunch!"
"Joy," Damien muttered sarcastically.
Hermione sighed. "I really wish the two of you would get along and just stay along."
"What do mean by that?" Damien asked coldly.
Ron raised an eyebrow at his cold tone.
"I'm just saying," Hermione said patiently. "That whenever I see you, you are always either recovering from a fight with him or getting into one."
Damien sneered. "Well, I'm sorry if I don't have the perfect relationship with my father, Hermione!" he snapped, striding away. "I'd like to see you try to get along with him without loosing your temper," he called over his shoulder.
Ron frowned and walked up to where Hermione was standing. "What's up with him?" he asked faintly.
Hermione shook her head. "I think Remus's death has affected him more then we thought. He was like this last year after Sirius died, remember?"
"Yeah," Ron said. "But he wasn't this sensitive was he?"
Hermione bit her lip. "I don't know, Ron. I feel like I barely know him anymore sometimes."
"Yeah," Ron said sagely.
They pushed open the doors to the Great Hall just as Damien was exiting them.
"Hey listen-" Hermione began, but was pushed aside as he ignored them and continued to walk away.
"He's always in one of his moods lately, Hermione, just leave him be," Ron said loud enough for the retreating Damien to hear.
"Ron!" Hermione hissed furiously.
"What?" he snapped back. "I'm not going to be all chummy with him when he's being a right git to us and everyone else!"
Hermione shook her head in exasperation. "He is going through a hard time, Ron. He needs us at a time like this to be patient with him and you yelling things like that certainly isn't going to improve his mood!"
By then they had sat down at the Gryffindor table by Ginny.
"Who, Damien?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah," Ron muttered as Hermione glared at him. "He practically knocked us down with the speed he was going to get out of the Hall."
"I wonder what was wrong, anyway," Hermione said.
Ginny sniffed peevishly. "It's like Ron said, he's just in one of his moods today," she said bitterly. "But I don't see why he has to take it out on us."
"You too?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah," she answered, sighing. "He sat down in a rage, ranting about how you wouldn't keep your nose out of his business-" Hermione blushed. "-and I told him that you were just concerned. Don't know what was so offending about that."
"He just got up and left?"
"Yeah."
Hermione glanced up at the teachers' table where she could see Dumbledore talking in a low voice to Professor McGonagall. Snape was absent.
"I wonder where Professor Snape is?" she asked quietly.
&&&&&&
Damien climbed up onto the chest-high stonewall that surrounded the edges of the Astronomy Tower. For a moment, he stared out at the sun beaming down on the grounds of Hogwarts, bathing every tree is sunlight.
Everything looked so peaceful. The students were milling around, some had taken food outside and were munching as they talked animatedly to their friends. For a moment, Damien almost let himself forget about everything….forget about Voldemort, forget about Remus's death, forget about the prophecy, and forget about the Dark Mark on his left forearm.
For a moment, he thought of Ron and Hermione, of his father and Ginny, of Draco and Pansy. Of the exciting thrill coupled with the slight nervousness of oncoming Quidditch matches and getting into trouble with teachers for setting off a dungbomb in the corridors, cramming for tests the night before in the soft glow of the fire in the Gryffindor common room….
But then he would open his eyes and see a random Order member walking into the school or teachers walking together talking in low murmurs. He would see prefects patrolling the corridors around the clock and Aurors posted around the barriers of Hogwarts.
He would see the small memorial that had been made for Cedric Diggory two years ago beside another, much newer memorial that was labeled 'Remus Lupin.'
Everything would then return to him: Voldemort was still alive and well, Remus was dead, the prophecy was riding on his shoulders, the Dark Mark still burned whenever a Death Eater meeting was called, and Ron, Hermione, his father, Ginny, Draco, and Pansy were all stationed at the top of Voldemort's hit list.
Damien took a deep breath and slowly sat down, his legs dangling off the edge of the tower tediously. Something that, Damien was sure, his father wouldn't approve of.
"I don't approve of it," a familiar voice spoke from behind him.
Damien didn't need to turn to meet his father's eyes.
"Why aren't you Occluded?" Severus asked, walking up next to his son, eyeing him cautiously. Dear Merlin! Did the boy have to lean so far off the edge?
Damien shrugged. "Sorry," he murmured. "My mind just slips sometimes."
"You know you cannot afford to do that, Damien," Severus admonished, keeping his voice gentle. He really didn't want to set Damien off any time soon again.
"I know."
"Would you please come back on solid ground?"
Damien threw a smirk over his shoulder. "What? Do I make you nervous?" he asked in a half playful, half mocking voice. "Do you think I'll fall?"
"Damien," Severus warned quietly, stepping up to him. "Do you enjoy mocking me?" he asked calmly. "Because I am sure you never used to."
Damien rolled his eyes and looked back out at the beautiful grounds of Hogwarts. No matter how many times he had seen this view before, it always took his breath when he laid eyes on it.
"Will you talk to me, Damien?"
"'Bout what?" Damien asked breezily, staring at three students who were walking down to Hagrid's hut.
"Anything, I don't know. You don't even have to talk to me, exactly."
"Oh, so we're back on this 'you shouldn't keep all of your emotion bottled up' thing again?" Damien asked bluntly.
Severus closed his eyes briefly before stepping up onto the wall as well. He hesitated, staring down at the ground far below before sitting next to Damien.
"Are you excited about summer?" he asked his son casually.
Damien bit his lip. "I dunno, I guess. What's there to be excited about?"
"No school perhaps?"
"I love this place."
"But you seem to not like the school work?" Severus pointed out.
"How would you know that?" Damien asked, arching an eyebrow.
Severus matched his expression. "Besides the fact that you are a typical sixteen year-old teenager like, unfortunately, the rest of my students, and you glare at me when I give out homework, I am your father, of course I know that you hate school work."
Damien smiled weakly. "It still seems kind of weird," he admitted. "To think that I'm not the only one looking out for me anymore. That I actually have someone who worries about me after my near-death experiences every school year."
"You have always had that," Severus said quietly. "You have always had a family, Damien, ever since you came to Hogwarts. Not only in the Weasleys and Granger, but in McGonagall and Dumbledore and Sprout and Flitwick as well."
Damien smirked. "But not you, right?"
"Of course not, you were Potter's son after all."
Damien scowled and looked away. "And I suppose you only care about me so much because I am your son, no?"
Severus narrowed his eyes. "You know that isn't true," he said quietly. "I didn't know you before this little secret was revealed. I never took the time to look behind the Potter Face." He looked out at the grounds again. "If I would have, I know that I would have seen a younger, more foolish version of Lily Evans."
Damien chuckled.
They sat in complimentary silence for a long while until the bell rang, breaking the peace between them.
Damien winced and closed his eyes. "No offence, but I really don't want to go to your class," he groaned and looked up at his father. "Do you think I could just….I don't know, go back to the Gryffindor common room and sleep?"
Severus snorted, stepping off the wall, "Not a chance."
Damien mentally cursed and stood on the wall taking a last breath of the fresh air.
"Don't you think it would be easier to get back to the dungeons if we jumped?" he asked, stretching as he looked down.
Severus narrowed his eyes. He reached up and quickly grasped Damien's arm. "No, now come on."
Damien looked at him in amusement. "Do you honestly think I would jump?"
"I don't know what to think about you anymore," Severus said in an over exaggerated hopeless voice. "For all I know, you could with all of the personalities you have now."
Damien chuckled again and looked off into the sky. "Maybe," he said, in deep thought.
Severus clenched his arm tighter, pasting on a mask of amusement, as if he merely thought Damien's statement was a joke. He gently pulled Damien back toward the tower.
Damien hesitated before jumping down beside his father.
A/N- Whoo! Okay, the first few chaps of this story aren't going to be that interesting, as is usual when a story begins. Once summer holidays come it will get better...I hope.