I'm doing this because I'll be busy for a while on Raven's sequel and college and trying to find an idea for this story. Also...I'm bored and don't want to do my homework.
Woah! Thanks for the reviews!
Melissa Jooty: You know its great when someone does some analyzing on your story. It makes a lot of authors all fuzzy inside. Or at least me. Thank you. When I was reading a few of the 'Harry is betrayed by the Order', I didn't really think much on Sev until I noticed that some of the time, he ended up saving Harry. I thought that it was actually more likely for something like that to happen to Severus. The betrayed Death Eaters would want revenge plus most of the Order still doesn't trust him despite all that he's done. Thanks for the comments on how well my characterization is. Most times I don't even pay attention to it...except when Severus is insulting someone, and it's difficult coming up with something appropriate. I'm not as eloquent as him. Though Harry is a little pain in the ass in the book at times, I think that since he's older in this story, he's more mature and knows that Severus would do many things but only if he absolutely had to. I hadn't meant to concentrate on Julius like I did. He was meant to just be an extra character. Brea's boyfriend, but he's trying to be more. I don't know if he'll still have as strong a focus as before in the long run. I really don't know how I'll do the reconciliation but I'm working with the Remus idea. Thanks for that. And please recommend this.
lavondyss21: You were one of the first that replied to both of my stories. (hugs) Thank you sooooo much. It wasn't going to go the way it is now but I had a weird dream and it ended up like this. The arrival...I do my best.
TEC: You've got it so far. Keep working with it.
mux: But it's fun being evil and doing cliffhangers! You get more reviews that way.
Flora: I plan on explaining everything. It will just take a while.
Tazthedevilman: Yup. I figured everyone was going to figure out who Lex was quickly anyway. I had a different part 2 in mind but tossed it. Unfortunately I was still in the frame of mind on that part when I continued the story. I've just gotten to say Lex's whole name. Read again, more carefully, and you'll find who the kids' mother is and if you can't get it I plan to explain it later anyway. I'll go ahead and tell you that the kids are legally his. Don't worry. I hate Sirius with an unbridled passion. I hate bullies. I was bullied in school. Well at least until the profanity and fighting started...but ignore that. Now Audrey...(sighs) You were doing so well until you hit chpt 5. How you came up with Vampires confused me a bit until I remembered that I based the relationship between Severus and the others on that somewhat. I'll explain the Awakening later. Go back to 5 and concentrate on what Brea and Ash did, also concentrate on what Ash said to Terry about the building. Then look at what the boys were wearing when they burst into Julius's class as well as what they called each other. Check out what Sarah did in 6 too. I'll explain the hook up later. And thanks for the beta comment. It's encouraging.
Emerald: Thank you.
Mactunes: I like torturing Severus more but I needed a reason to bring him back to Hogwarts. He wouldn't go voluntarily.
Now that that's done on with the story.
TITLE: With Darkness Comes Anew
AUTHOR: Alia
STATUS/PART: 7
EMAIL: PG-13 (and it's uphill from there)
PAIRING: Severus Snape / (Give it a while)
SPOILERS: not including OotP
WARNINGS: angst, language
DISCLAIMER: I do not in anyway or fashion own HP. It belongs to Rowlings and friends.
SUMMARY: Leaving the Wizarding World after a devastating betrayal, Severus starts a road in life that will eventually rock his world.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'll be switching between either Lex or Severus as the mood takes me.
With Darkness Comes Anew 7
The man that stood before them merely raised an eyebrow.
Sirius shook his head. "N-NO!" He glared at Julius who was watching the entire thing with an amused air then back at the calm man. "You can't be-,"
"Severus Snape? I see, Black, that you haven't changed a bit. You still see things your way." Severus said with a cool demeanor. He watched as the others finally snapped out of whatever zone they were in.
Moody glowered at him causing Severus to chuckle. "You can't be Snape. Snape is over 40 by now."
Severus nodded. "And I am over forty years old Moody. It may not seem that way but I can guarantee you that I am." Julius chuckled at that. Lex, or rather Severus, would always be a Slytherin. There were few people he knew that could tell the truth but still lie at the same time.
"You can't be Snape. You have blue eyes," chimed in Remus.
Lex snorted. "Glamour, Lupin, and I can guarantee that there are plenty of potions to change eye color as well."
Albus just watched the man. His movements, his mannerisms. The same smooth baritone that had always been there. This man was Severus but at the same time different. But much could change in five years.
Dumbledore moved closer to the stranger who took a step back. Albus felt his throat constrict. "It is you, isn't it, Severus?"
The man narrowed dark blue eyes before giving a short nod to the Headmaster, his hair moving gracefully with the movement.
The old wizard smiled brightly, eyes twinkling madly. He took a step closer, arms wide to embrace his missing friend, when a hand was raised.
Severus frowned at Dumbledore. He spoke harshly. "I didn't come back for you Dumbledore. I didn't come back for any of you."
Julius decided to cut in. Personally, he would love to see how this went, but they needed to check on Potter first. Then he would let them have their discussion. He would need his total attention then. Brea wanted to hear about it later. "Lex, we really need to check on Potter."
Turning his attention to his friend, he nodded. "He's in the infirmary." It was a statement not a question.
'"Madam Pomfrey has him. He's being sedated right now so that he doesn't have to deal with the pain."
Lex grimaced but indeed nodded. "Take me to him. I need to see how bad he really is."
"Do you think that Voldemort was the one to send him the potion?"
Severus's eyes watched as a few members of the Order still flinched. He shook his head ever so slightly. Merlin, they still hadn't stopped that. Of course Severus wasn't being exactly fair. After leaving the wizarding world, it was a year later before he heard Voldemort's name again. He'd winced but only for a second. "I don't doubt that it was but I'll need to check out Potter's magical signature to be totally sure. Afterward, we can see what can be done."
"Severus?" The name was voiced softly by Molly Weasley.
Lex turned and raised an eyebrow in question.
"Can you help Harry?" She decided not to say 'will'. He wouldn't have come if he wasn't going to help.
"Mrs. Weasley, the reason I am here is to help Potter if only a little." He turned to Julius. "Let's go Caesar."
Hermione joined the rest of the Order of the Phoenix as they followed the two friends to the infirmary. Everyone except for Severus and Julius were silent. No one knew what to say.
Taking a quick glance at Dumbledore, she could see that the old wizard was contemplating the situation just as deeply as everyone else. No one, not even her, knew what to think or what to say. The only thing that was foremost in everyone's mind was: Severus Snape is back.
She shook her head. The silence among the Order was deafening. She unconsciously tuned in to the conversation between Snape and Fryer.
"So the fact that it's a potion could cause any number of problems? And so soon? Even I thought we had a bit more time." asked Julius.
Severus nodded in reply. "We won't know until I can get a good look at him. Lets just hope we aren't too late. Voldemort was a powerful wizard."
Julius continued the conversation. "By the way why were you so late? I didn't expect that."
From Hermione's point of view, Snape seemed to tense for a moment before shrugging his right shoulder. "It was a bit harder leaving home than I thought," he responded evasively.
Julius paused before saying softly, though it was still heard, "The boys didn't make it easy did they?"
Lex sighed. "They woke up right before I was about to leave. Then Emma started crying and-," he cut himself off.
Julius chuckled. "You can't blame them Lex. You've never been apart from any of them for more than a day. Are you going to call them over the floo tonight?"
"Of course."
Hermione watched as Dumbledore's attention had been caught by the conversation. If he came to the same conclusion as her, then Snape had changed a lot more than just physical appearance. The man apparently had a wife and children.
She took a good look at Snape as the man continued down the hallway beside Julius. She remember the foreboding aura that always surrounded Snape. The man could intimidate easily and had a frightening demeanor. But now as she looked at him, it was all changed. To be honest, Snape was quite handsome now.
Gone were the greasy locks of hair. It looked softer now but still gleaned however you could see that it was because the black hair was so fine. His skin was no longer ghostly pale or sallow. It seemed to have a healthy glow though he was still a bit pale. What surprised her a little was that his nose was straightened from whatever break he'd once had. That hadn't been expected at all.
There was also something about the way he moved that was a lot different from the way it used to be. Severus Snape used to stalk the halls of Hogwarts no matter what mood he was in. He always moved swiftly and gracefully, and he moved that way now except...except now Severus's movements seemed sensual, sexual, as if you being seduced by his mere movement.
Hermione shook her head at her thoughts. She was married for Merlin's sake. She didn't need to be thinking of how good looking her former Potions Professor was. Even though one thought stuck in her mind. /Did Snape always have that body? Oh Merlin./ Hermione blushed.
Finally, the group had made the short trip to the infirmary. Many of the Order members had left knowing that Madam Pomfrey would not allow all of them into her domain. The only people remaining with Julius and Severus were Dumbledore, McGonagal, Mr & Mrs Weasley, Granger, Lupin and Black.
Julius walked through first calling out Madam Pomfrey. The mediwitch bustled out of her office and immediately started on Julius. "Julius, what in the world is taking you and your friend so long. He should have been here- an - hour- ago..."
Severus watched as Poppy recognized who he was. "Severus?"
He nodded once then quickly asked, "Where is Potter?" He didn't want anyone to try and touch him again.
"Mr. Potter?" She glanced at Julius.
"Severus is the friend that I was talking about Poppy," Julius answered her question while saying Severus's name for the first time.
"Oh." She let go of a rush of air. Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat. "This way." She turned but kept trying to sneak looks of Severus as she continued to one of the private rooms.
Severus frowned the moment he laid his eyes on the two beds and their occupants. "Has Weasley been conscious at all during his time here?" he asked. Walking smoothly toward the beds, he immediately started to get to work. Striping out of the white shirt that lay over his black one and tossing it to a nearby chair, Severus grabbed a small bag from his pocket that enlarged instantly.
"He's been in and out but he continues to lose consciousness because of the pain even with the pain relievers he's been given." Pomfrey watched as Severus took a small amulet from his satchel.
Julius tilted his head slightly. "What have you got, Lex?" He ignored Poppy's raised eyebrows.
"A gift from a friend. I'll use this to scan Potter's magical signature." It was a large diamond inside of a emerald metal. There were intricate designs and symbols along the back.
"Why is the metal green?" Julius asked. He only got a smirk in return and immediately knew his answer. "Ahhh! I see." He laughed at Lex, then harder when he saw the look on the face of the other witches and wizards in the room.
Lex sat the amulet on the small table beside Potter's bed. Turning he narrowed his eyes at Weasley then turned to Julius. "When you bound them, you asked Weasley's permission didn't you?"
Julius nodded. "I couldn't use anything else."
Severus stared at Potter for a long moment. Dumbledore spoke. "What do you plan to do, Severus?" He could see Severus was very deep in thought.
Glancing at Dumbledore, he said, "We need him healed before we can really do anything. If he's still injured and the scan finds something, he'll react to it badly."
"How are you so sure about how he'll react?" asked Sirius. He was having a hard time watching his godson like this. The boy was beyond even ghostly white. It was as if there was no color in his face whatsoever. He entire chest was wrapped in bandages and blood was seeping out just ever so lightly. He was barely breathing and Sirius had to stop himself from rushing over to and checking his pulse. It was also very difficult for him to sit by and say nothing while Snape, the man they convicted to life in Azkaban, tried to help Harry. Sirius wasn't all that sure that Snape wouldn't try and kill Harry out of spite.
Severus didn't answer or else he would have given a scathing remark. He'd just managed to hold it back. During Restoration he'd been forced to get over whatever had happened with Black during school. His only dislike of the man came from the last five years. That and Black was still a foolish idiot. Sometimes it was just best to ignore him.
"Madam Pomfrey, gather whatever you'll need to heal Mr. Potter's wounds."
"But, Severus-," She thought she couldn't give him any healing potions.
He glared at her cutting her off. "Just do it. You'll understand in a moment. Julius, go to Weasley. You too Ms. Granger. I dare say your friend will need you." Eyes wide, the girl rushed over to Ron.
"What do you intend to do, Severus? You cannot scan him if he's not healed." Dumbledore watched dark blue eyes turn and look at him. Almost through him. Albus chuckled mentally. Whether they were dark blue or onyx, Severus's eyes were no less intense. In fact they seemed to have grown more so.
"You'll see. Are you ready Poppy?" The mediwitch nodded yes in response to Severus's question. "Good. Stand over there." He turned to the others in the room. "Only dark curses can be used on Potter at the moment but he still needs to be healed."
That was the only explanation Severus gave before he turned and walked between the two beds. Hermione was also in between the beds but sat besides Ron's head. Poppy and Julius stood ready on the other side of Ron's bed. "Poppy, do nothing until I tell you so. Do you understand?" The nurse was obviously confused but she nodded in agreement. Severus lay both hands over Potter's bandages and slowly began to chant.
Minerva gasped. The dark magic in the room was beginning to stifle them. She watched in shock and awe as Severus's hands began to glow a deep red. The wizard before her slowly began to raise his hands away from Harry's chest and moving slowly, eventually placed them both in the exact same position on Ron's.
The chanting began to slow then stopped completely. Severus, however, was suddenly in action. He ripped opened Weasley's shirt and ignoring the cries of dismay and horror, snapped at Pomfrey, "Heal him quickly."
Molly had fainted after seeing what Snape had done to her baby. Arthur had moved his wife to a chair before turning to Snape who was watching them heal Ron. "What have you done?" he shouted angrily.
"The only thing possible. Your son is able to be healed with white magic. Potter isn't." Severus spun on his heel and moved to the other side of Potter's bed. He lifted the boy's face and sighed when he checked Harry's pulse. "McGonagal, grab a vial of Pepper up."
No sooner was Minerva out of the door, Severus had turned to Black. Merely raising a hand and not even speaking a word, a small brown ball formed in Severus's hand. Sirius fell to his knees suddenly exhausted though there was no cause. Severus turned and pushed the brown ball slowly into Potter's chest.
Remus, who was kneeling beside Sirius, gasped as he watched Harry take a deep breath. The young man moaned softly before turning his head to the side. Green eyes opened weakly and looked at the person who stood before him. "Sev'rus," he whispered weakly and confused before falling to sleep.
Minerva came rushing in with the Pepper Up. "Give it to Black. He needs it." She nodded and obeyed Severus's command though she didn't understand what was going on.
Dumbledore had watched all of this in stunned silence. Everything had gone well in less than ten minutes since Severus had entered the infirmary. Harry was well, though still recovering and obviously exhausted, and young Ronald was also healing. Poppy and Julius had nearly finished with him. Sirius was standing back up though with a little help from Minerva and Remus. But the person that had caught Albus's attention was the young wizard that was again digging through his satchel. He didn't know if anyone really wondered, but Albus remembered that Severus's wand had been broken and burned immediately after his sentencing.
Although he was getting old, his eyes were not deceiving him. This entire time, Severus was performing very difficult magic without any wand. How had the potions master accomplished such a thing? Neither Albus or Harry were able to perform it so easily but here Severus, who had been gone from their world for over five years, could do it effortlessly. The older man was determined to find out.
Severus checked Harry's temperature then his pulse. He nodded his head in approval. He would start the scan the next time Potter woke up. This wasn't really magic. To be honest, it was more of a security measure he'd borrowed from a friend. Severus looked up as Julius came toward him. "Weasley's fine now. He's just sleeping."
"Good. Potter is recovering but is doing so slowly. I'll begin the scan the next time he wakes up which should be tomorrow."
Sirius stormed toward him and raised a hand to strike Severus. Ignoring the calls of the others, he swung. He didn't expect to have his wrist caught, especially with such surprising strength.
Severus held on to Sirius's wrist tightly in his left hand. When the man began to tug away, Severus continued to hang on, barely moving. Raising an eyebrow elegantly, Severus asked mockingly, "Why so violent Black?" He chuckled darkly. "I see some things never change." He released the animagus's wrist with a slight shove, causing Sirius to stumble back slightly.
"Sirius!" The disappointment and disapproval in Dumbledore's voice caused Sirius to flinch.
Black glared at Snape. "What did you do to us?"
Severus rolled his eyes. He glanced over at Ron Weasley who was being seen to by Hermione, Molly, and Arthur. "I've done nothing Black."
"Yes you did you bastard-,"
"Lupin, have you ever considered anger management for him?"
"What did you do to me and Ron! What did you do to Harry, you son of a bitch!"
Severus's eyes held an amused look. Albus was impressed. Usually, the younger wizard would be just as furious as Sirius at the accusations but he seemed to let them slide off him and with great amusement as well. "Well, Black I believe that I just healed your godson."
Arthur frowned as he stood near his son. "Did you have to do it that way?"
Severus snorted. "Did you not hear what Julius told you? I thought they heard it all Caesar."
"They did," replied the cured werewolf in a flat voice.
"Apparently not." Severus frowned at Arthur. "Potter can't have ordinary spells used on his person. He can only use dark curses. I'd have killed him had I used anything else. The spells I used had a line to cross. If I'd have asked either you or Weasley for permission then I would have killed him. It had to be taken without any permission or knowledge of what was about to happen. It was done for the best, Weasley. There was no other option."
He sighed and rubbed his forehead for a minute. "He needs rest. After at least five hours, I need you to wake him up Pomfrey. Feed him. Try and get as much food in him as possible. He may complain about his chest being a bit sore but don't give him anything. No potions and no salves. Then try to coax him back to sleep naturally. I don't want to try scanning his magical signature with him as weak as he is. He won't even be moving but it will take quite a bit of energy out of him."
Severus continued speaking to Pomfrey though he knew everyone else was listening intently. "Take blood samples from him as well. I'll need to see what is happening with that potion. Grab a few skin samples as well. I can wait until later for anything else I may need."
Severus turned sharply to look at the Headmaster. "Will your Potions Master mind if I borrow her laboratory or shall I use another place. I remember there being another laboratory a few halls down from the classroom."
Albus smiled but flinched inwardly as Severus scowled at him. In the past that would have had the old wizard's eyes twinkling madly which would just annoy Severus even more. Now however, Albus could see that things would not be the same. He answered Severus.
"Do not worry my boy," Severus's scowl turned into a glare for a moment. "I'm sure Professor Transt would be more than pleased to allow you into the lab." He didn't think it would do well for him to say 'her' labs. They had once been Severus's after all and Albus was reluctant to bring up what had happened between them just yet.
Severus nodded. "I should go speak with her now."
Julius stepped forward. "I'll go with you Lex." He didn't want to leave his friend alone just yet. And maybe the two could use a hallway that didn't see very much traffic. The students had already seen the mysterious figure on the motorcycle. No reason to give them the chance to start more rumors.
"If his condition changes negatively in any way, Madam Pomfrey, I want you to contact me immediately."
She nodded. "Of course."
"Let's go, Julius."
"Severus?"
Both wizards turned to look at the Headmaster. "I would like to speak with you later? If you do not mind?"
Julius took a deep breath. 'UH OH!'
Severus, or rather Lex at this point, raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, it's a command. It doesn't matter whether or not I mind."
"My boy, I did not mean-,"
"I am not a boy Headmaster." He seemed to straighten himself even more. "I will arrive at your office after dinner tonight. Let's go Caesar." He turned cooly on his heel and walked away.
TBC
Alia: jumped back Oooh! Better not touch Sev or you might get burned! (laughs evilly) Review, my children! REVIEW! (sighs) I make an awful evil maniac. Well practice makes perfect. If you have an ideas, please contribute.
