Shaun Snape, Age 8
By Teacherbev
Summary: Part 3 in the Growing Up Snape series. Shaun is now 8 years old and dealing with his father Severus, loose Death Eaters, Merlin and magic.
AN: It is probably necessary to read the first two stories, Snape's Invisible Friend and Growing Up Snape in order to make any sense of this story. I appreciate all those who have read and enjoyed my stories, especially those who have taken the time to post a review.
Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, I am not a multinational bookselling company, nor am I a multi-million dollar movie company, so I don't own anything that you recognize. I am a retired former teacher who likes to twist plots and play with characters, so enjoy.
AN: I have decided to just complete this story first and then finish You Broke Him, You Fix Him, it is just too difficult to write a chapter of Daddy Snape followed by Snarky Snape so I ask those readers to be patient.
Chapter 6: Fledgling
Severus slumped backwards onto the bed he had just leaped in a single bound in his hurry to reach his then screaming son. His bandaged arms dropped lifelessly at his side as the heavenly sound of three phoenixes washed over him, surrounding him in waves of blissful peace and hope.
The two still unnamed healers from St. Mungo's looked gobsmacked and were both doing creditable impersonations of goldfish as their mouths opened and shut seemingly without conscious thought. Poppy, Albus, Remus and Sirius' faces alternated between pure wonder at the sight and relief at the boy's apparent recovery through his transformation. Poppy almost collapsed on the bed at the other side of the one holding the two adult and one baby phoenix in both physical and emotional exhaustion. She had been worried that even with the combined efforts of the three healers Shaun would not have recovered from the effects of the massive over dosages of totally inappropriate potions he had received at the hands of his inept and uncaring kidnappers. And she had been very worried that the formerly snarky potions master would have followed him shortly.
The baby phoenix' eyes were beginning to droop as the song of Niveus and Fawkes softened to an unearthly crooning, still soothing but now promising restful sleep and tranquility. Severus stood and scooped the baby into his bandaged arms, thankful the numbing and healing spells allowed him to comfort the tiny being. He stepped back and started to lie down again as Remus put a hand upon his shoulder, staying him just long enough for Sirius to pull back the covers. Remus then guided the man and his precious cargo into the bed and covered the two, one already asleep cradled in his father's loving embrace. Severus was asleep before his head completely hit the pillow, totally unaware of his friends gently tucking the covers around them before they too sought out beds in the infirmary and succumbing to the overwhelming urge to sleep that the song engendered.
The people in the infirmary were too deeply asleep themselves to notice that every being in the castle, from the largest half-giant to the smallest house elf were asleep within minutes, many just lying down were they had stood. As the music continued to spread it eventually covered almost five square kilometers. The inhabitants of both Hogsmeade and the Forbidden Forest soon joined the inhabitants of Hogwarts in peaceful slumber. If anyone had been able to resist the intoxicating slumber of the phoenix' song they might have wondered if this was how the story of Sleeping Beauty had begun.
Things at the Ministry for Magic was not so peaceful; nor was anyone there remotely near slumber, as the team of aurors and hit wizards returned from a thorough search of both the Malfoy Manor and the surrounding Sherwood Forest. Two humiliated and almost traumatized kidnappers had been found stuck almost fifty feet up in a huge oak tree, two dead kidnappers' bodies had been recovered, three more very alive but subdued kidnappers had been arrested and the Malfoy Manor had been found to be rife with dark artifacts, instruments for torture and hundreds of volumes on dark arts and forbidden blood magics. Madame Malfoy had been arrogant enough to write down all of her macabre and evil plans for the 'traitorous' potion's master and his son, many of them enough to make even the most hardened hit wizards turn green and almost loose the contents of their stomachs.
Many of the aurors and indeed many inside the Ministry itself, had doubted that Snape had actually been a spy, sure Dumbledore had vouched for him, but deep down, at an almost subconscious level, many had doubts about his trustworthiness. After reading of the nefarious uses for many of his organs and their need to be harvested while the victim was still alive and artificially kept conscious, those doubts disappeared.
Owls were sent with great urgency to notify the full Wizengamot about an emergency tribunal scheduled for two days from now, clerks scrambled to produce all of the properly filled out charges and the correct number of duplications necessary for a full tribunal. Magical Law Enforcement was a beehive of activity as the prisoners were processed, their statements taken, injuries attended and the credentials of journalists from around the world were checked and double checked. Word had already, somehow, leaked out and the trials were swiftly growing to the proportion of a World Cup Quidditch match in the number of people wanting to attend. The number of headaches for all the Ministry personnel involved, even peripherally, was growing at an exponential rate. Even the ministry potion's brewers and their apprentices had been called in to produce vats of headache and calming potions.
Only two hours passed while the inhabitants of a remote Scottish village and its surrounding areas slumbered under the mantle of the phoenix song, but as the sleepy witches, wizards, house elves, centaurs, acromantulas, unicorns, thestrals, and every other creature from the largest, Hagrid, to the smallest insects felt that they had never been more refreshed or full of energy. Sheepish grins were the norm as those in Hogwarts hospital wing awoke and realized what had happened. Albus actually grinned widely, his eyes twinkling at an astonishing rate, as he proclaimed, "Let us hope that Niveus and Fawkes do not often choose to sing a lullaby to their child!"
The medi-wizard from St. Mungo's straightened his rumbled green robes and turned to the Headmaster. "Forgive me for my lapse before, but my name is Carl Simpleton and my colleague is Miss Susannah Fortesque."
Albus shook the offered hand, patting the healer's hand with his free hand as he reassured him. "No, there is no need to apologize, it was much more urgent that you heal my grandson, Shaun, than you take the time to introduce yourselves."
Both healers looked startled, "Your grandson, Headmaster?" Miss Fortesque almost stuttered.
Albus leaned back his head and laughed, his first hearty laugh since the kidnapping began three very long days ago. "He is actually Professor Snape's son, but he calls me 'Grandpa' and Professor McGonagall 'Grandma'. He has adopted almost every adult staff member in the entire castle and calls everyone a variation of aunt, uncle, or grandparent. I sometimes suspect he thinks half of the students are his cousins!"
The very relieved group left the still slumbering Severus and Shaun under the very competent watch of Madame Pomfrey as they left to walk to the Great Hall for a well deserved supper.
Madame Bones had ordered a thorough search of the entire Malfoy estate. "I don't care if you have to completely dismantle the entire structure down to matchsticks, I want every bit of evil found, documented and confiscated to be destroyed. The Malfoy name shall become synonymous with evil and treachery."
Auror Moody had been drafted as a kind of human metal detector and had spotted multiple caches of items in secret compartments and even whole hidden rooms, but the mother lode was found in a series of tunnels reached by rolling up the carpet in the drawing room and descending a set of stairs accessed through a trapdoor in the floor. A warren of secret rooms and cells, their floors and walls bearing mute evidence of the misery of those who had been imprisoned within them, were found and searched. A large room, almost as large as the Minister's own office, was found completely filled with dark objects and books so vile the aura of evil that permeated them was thick enough to feel and almost taste. The entire core members of the Unspeakables and the Department of Mysteries had been drafted to identify and catalog the dark objects found.
Severus woke up to the familiar piercing glare of sunlight from the huge infirmary windows. 'I swear I am going to donate curtains to this miserable place some day!' was his first conscious thought before the events of the last three days came crashing into his mind. He looked down in awe and wonder at the tiny, wrinkled bird he still had safely tucked into the crook of his arm. His back was tired from lying in one position all night so he tried to roll over, still protecting the hatchling with his arm. He found he was stuck to the mattress by a sticking charm. He started to yell for Poppy when he realized she had most likely spelled him to keep him from rolling over and squashing his son in his sleep. A rush of gratitude at her thoughtfulness swept over him before he realized he didn't have his wand, both of his hands and arms were bandaged, the numbing spells had worn off long ago and he needed to use the facilities, badly!
"Poppy, blast it woman, come unstuck me from this bed!" He called gently. "Infernal meddling old biddy, where are you?" He said with great affection.
"Don't get your knickers in a wad, Severus! I'm coming. I assume you wanted me to get dressed in my robe rather than come in wearing just my bloomers, was I wrong?" She was still tying the apron she wore as part of her Matron's uniform as she came out of the door to her chambers.
Severus face turned deathly pale as he imagined the sight before two round spots of red appeared upon his cheeks. "Mercy me, are you blushing?" the Medi-witch laughed at the usually stoic wizard's obvious discomfort. She drew her wand and spelled him free, madly clutched the small bird he thrust at her and laughed again as she realized where he was literally dashing for. "Why don't I just watch Shaun for you for I bit, shall I?" She sent after the scrambling man.
Severus was glad his back was to the madly laughing woman as he blushed even brighter; realizing the hospital gown he was wearing didn't cover his backside at all. He took the time in the bathroom to cast a cleansing spell on his body and transfigured the hospital gown into his normal black teaching robes, ran a quick comb through his long hair and retied the leather strap he used to keep his hair in a neat ponytail. His dignity now intact once again, he gathered his robes around him like the thickest battle armor and stalked menacingly toward the still chuckling witch.
"I will thank you to hand over my son, if you please. I am fully capable of caring for him now. Thank you for your previous assistance." He spoke with accentuated formality, trying to regain his normal stoicism; his arms outstretched to receive the newly hatched bird.
"You're welcome, Severus, and I am very pleased that your son is healthy once again, too. Though I'm not sure how long he will remain a phoenix. Do you know anything about a newborn phoenix?"
Severus just shook his head, gave the witch a very rare, but most appreciated one armed hug in thanks and said, "I suppose I am going to find out right now, don't you think, Poppy?" He rendered the woman completely speechless by planting a quick kiss on her soft and weathered cheek, content in the knowledge that he had completely flummoxed the poor woman with his remark and unexpectedly kind actions.
He summoned his son's baby blanket from their quarters with a practiced flick of the wand he had retrieved from the stand beside the bed he had slept in, held out his arms and then delicately wrapped the baby bird within the soft folds of the blue fuzzy material. He pressed the bundle tightly to his chest, his lips just brushing the fuzzy little head, the soft black feathery down just beginning to color the top of the wrinkled little head. With a double flash of fire, a phoenix landed on each shoulder and began to croon softly to the duo. Poppy looked sternly at the two birds and scolded, "Oh no you don't! No more lullabies that put everything in a five kilometer radius to sleep. I have too much work to do right now!" She waved the odd quartet out of her infirmary with an admonition to Severus to go and feed his son. "Well, whatever it is you feed to a baby phoenix! I'm sure he's starving to death!"
Albus pulled at his long white beard as he pondered the question that Severus had just posed. "I don't really know. Fawkes came to me just a year before I defeated Grindelwald in 1944, but he was fully grown. And after a burning day, he grows very rapidly back to full size. I just feed him soft fruits for a day or so and then he is back to feeding himself. I don't know how long it will take Shaun to re-grow; especially as he is only a child, not an adult himself. He's also an animagus not a real phoenix. I can't even begin to guess." He finally admitted his lack of knowledge. Severus felt he should have felt better about finally stumping the seemingly omniscient Headmaster, but he was too frustrated at his own lack of knowledge to appreciate the situation.
Fawkes flew in front of Albus and flicked his tail feathers in the old man's face as Niveus did the same to Severus where he sat, his son cradled gently in the crook of his arm. The two men looked up and grabbed the offered feathers and disappeared from the Headmaster's office in a flash of fire only to reappear in the Founder's room in front of the portraits of the Four Founder's of Hogwarts.
Helga motioned Severus to move closer as she pulled her painted wand out of her painted robe and waved it in a complicated series of movements. She put the wand away and sat back, sighing in contentment. "He's just fine." The other Founder's were seated around her in Rowena's painting as it was the one with the most comfortable sofas and chairs in it. Godric nodded and looked down at his descendant fondly. "I remember Fawkes when he was just a hatchling. He was so fuzzy and tiny, just like Shaun."
Albus sat down heavily, "Fawkes was your phoenix?" He asked hesitantly, awe clearly evident in his voice.
Godric smiled broadly, "Yes, and he only appears and bonds to someone who is facing great evil at a time of difficult decisions. A phoenix can hibernate for long periods of time, but they always sense when they are needed." He turned to Severus and smiled at the sight of the two. "I envy you, young Severus, I remember fondly, the intense feelings of love and comfort that a baby phoenix has for his caregiver. I know that Shaun isn't a real phoenix, but I imagine the feelings he is broadcasting are still the same. If he follows the pattern that the baby Fawkes did, you will need to feed him a fine gruel with an eyedropper for the first week, then mashed soft fruits for a couple of weeks, then just offer a variety of soft fruits and vegetables, gradually adding grains as he wants them. It took about three months for Fawkes' feathers to fully develop the first time, and another three months before he was fully grown and flying confidently. I don't know if Shaun will be able to change back to human before he reaches full growth, if he will change back when he reaches the equivalent of eight human years or if he can change back tomorrow. But I will always be happy to answer any questions you might have, if I know the answer, of course."
Severus thanked the portrait of Godric and settled back to enjoy the lively discussion between Albus and the four on the questions that Godric had posed. It didn't matter to him how long it would be for Shaun to change back, he had his son in his arms and he was healthy once again.
The lack of sleep and the stress of the last few days overcame him again, the flow of decidedly academic debate slowly faded as he once again slept, his last thoughts before sleep of his son once again. "He's safe!"
The full convocation of the Wizengamot started with pomp and ceremony, after all, most times no one paid any attention to their meetings; they were about as interesting to watch as grass growing. Lord Dumbledore, resplendent in his plum robes, called the assembly to order and began the proceedings by rapping the end of his wand on a block of rowan wood.
Narcissa Malfoy was called forth as the principle defendant, the charges were read and Madame Bones called Auror Gumboil to administer the Veritaserum to begin the questioning. The first administration of Veritaserum to Narcissa Malfoy had revealed her informant to be none other than Healer Smythwick, the former head healer of the psychiatric ward that had ordered Severus' capture almost four years before. As the questioning of her plans and motives continued, a team of Aurors was dispatched to arrest Healer Smythwick at St. Mungo's and to bring him to the courtroom to face charges.
Narcissa wrongly blamed Severus Snape for her husband's arrest and subsequent murder at the hands of the corrupt former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. It had actually been Peter Pettigrew who had informed the Wizengamot that Lucius Malfoy had participated the night that the Potter's had been killed, but that hadn't stopped her from blaming Snape for the loss of her husband and the subsequent shunning by all of her former friends as the Malfoy name had been thoroughly besmirched in the rarified circles of wizarding society that she had once inhabited.
Two of the captured kidnappers turned out to be the two Rockwood boys, the older one a suspected death eater, the younger one having been expelled during his seventh year after causing a near fatal accident that had greatly injured Shaun. The last three had just been hired from among the brainless thugs that normally hung out in places like Knockturn Alley and the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, and had no further knowledge about anything that had been planned.
Healer Smythwick had been produced before the assembled Wizengamot began their afternoon session and he was formally charged before he too was given the truth serum.
He was questioned on the circumstances of how he had become acquainted with the Snape's, father and son, and it was revealed that a poorly thought out idea that had resulted in his being tried, fined and demoted, had evolved into his growing hatred of the potion's master and his son. That hatred had resulted in a rapidly growing obsession with revenge, that left him more than happy to supply information and a few barely legal and some blatantly illegal potions to the bitter widow.
It took only fifteen minutes for the assembled judges to render their verdicts. All of the defendants would have their wands snapped, the three hired mercenaries would each receive ten years in Azkaban, the two Rockwoods were sentenced to life, but both Healer Smythwick and Madame Malfoy would receive the kiss from the Dementors. It was also decided that young Mr. Malfoy would be placed with his Aunt Andromeda Tonks and that the Malfoy estate, after damages and fines had been paid, would be under the control of his Uncle Sirius who was the head of the House of Black until his seventeenth birthday.
It was a lively group that gathered at Hogwarts that evening to celebrate both the return of Shaun Snape and the successful outcome of the trial of his kidnappers. The house elves had outdone themselves in producing a feast worthy of royalty. Minerva confided in Albus and Severus that the elves had been so thankful that young Mr. Malfoy was no longer in their care that they were also celebrating below stairs as it were.
Toasts were offered and drunk to, dishes were sampled and complimented and a good time was had by all, except somewhere in North London, where a formerly peaceful family of three was trying to stop the never-ending tantrums and whining of the newest member of their family. As Nymphadora Tonks, know affectionately as 'Dora' to her father and mother, looked disgustedly at her new 'brother' Draco, she rubbed her forehead and though 'I get to leave to Hogwarts in just one more month! Thank you, Merlin!'
AN: Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate all the support and care that I have received through some troubling times and I want you all to know that you are appreciated very much. The next chapter should see Shaun back to being a boy and life at the castle returning to normal?
