AN: Wow! Thanks for all the responses to this story! I'm enjoying this story and I hope you are too!

Enjoy!

Third Times a Son

Chapter 8

Severus followed Griphook to the cart, when they approached the landing two other Goblins dressed in odd attire were waiting for them. "This is where I leave you Mr. Snape. These two guards will escort you down. May your life and journey be prosperous." He said, bowing low before he turned around and vanished. Severus was surprised he left him to go alone. He started to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, "this cannot be good." He mumbled.

They rode the cart in silence, Severus on one side and the two Goblins on the other. No one spoke and the further down they went, the more frightened Severus became. The tunnel became narrower as they descended, and he could hear the dragons somewhere off in the distance but could tell they weren't headed in that direction.

It felt like they traveled forever, twisting and turning, slowing down and speeding up all the while Severus sat there white knuckled. It seemed the lower they went the colder it became, and before they even stopped, Severus could see his breath every time he took one. The two Goblins sat stoically, watching Severus intensely but never uttering a sound. Severus studied the two Goblins; they wore matching frocks of dull reds and blues. Around their small forms a golden lattice of what looked like fabric but was actually chainmail, made of the finest metal that seemed to breathe when the owner did. Severus understood their meaning but were they guarding him or the vault?

Finally the cart slowed down and Severus took the time to look around properly. The tunnel walls were sleek black basalt stone, if there were such a thing, that sparkled when the light hit it at just the right angle. The air had a nip to it but it wasn't overly cold; a comfortable cold. There were no lights or candles hanging from the walls or ceiling but there was still light showing where to go just the same. The smell was fresh and not stale like you'd expect in the bowels of Gringotts.

They had to trek down a tunnel about ten yards before they came to an ornate ivory door. Severus raised a hand as if to touch the horses head for it looked like it was coming out of the door, but stopped inches from it. The door depicted a horse, head held high, with a rider holding a bow and arrow and atop his head a crown. It looked so real exiting the door itself but Severus stood back in awe of it, not sure if it was exiting the door or just an illusion. He studied the rest of the ivory door and saw it was just that; a plain ivory door, no other murals or etchings. 'The White Rider' he said to himself, 'Conquest', he thought. He looked to the two guards pale faced, 'Merlin…'

As they walked further, the air seemed to squeeze at Severus' lungs or was it fear? He didn't know, but they were soon upon a second door on the opposite wall. This door was in a stone like rubies with a war scene playing out. In the middle of the scene there was a man on a horse in the throws of battle, showing the rider wielding a sword up as to swing it down. Again, Severus stopped in front of it and studied the door. "A Red Horse...War" he said to himself. The door itself had more than just the horse, it had a graphic war scene depicted. Severus swallowed loudly and he grew more pale at the thought of what was next. What did his son get himself into?

Soon they were upon the third door, again on the opposite wall as the last. This door, Severus noticed, was as black as onyx. It's shiny surface showed a majestic horse with a stern man holding scales or weighing balances. All around him, etched in the onyx were wheat and barley, and on the ground at the feet of the horse were coins. Severus knew before he stopped which one this would be, "Famine on a Black Horse" he said. He studied the different grains and money found this to be true. A chill ran down his spine as he heard a whisper; 'a quart of wheat for…' he moved away as to not hear anymore and his pale face became even more pale. Chills went down Severus' spine and he walked faster - not listening to what the whispers had to say.

Finally, they came to the last door, again on the opposite wall. Here the guards stopped and took up the mantle at each side of the door, each standing stiff and holding a staff with both hands ready to defend. Where did those come from? Severus wondered before turning his attention to the door. He swallowed and studied the door he now owned.

It was plain compared to the others, pale green or 'ashen' in color with a strong horse and rider. The rider wasn't holding anything or wielding a weapon but all around the door there were depictions of Hell; hellhounds, demons, reapers with scythes and the like. Depictions of dead people lined the doors perimeter and some of them looked to be in excruciating pain. Just the sight of the door froze Severus where he stood. "Death riding a Pale Horse…" He looked and studied the door while his blood turned cold from the chill. How could Harry see all this and not tell his best friends? Although he wouldn't be telling anyone either, who would believe him?

He reached into his pocket and searched for the correct key. It seemed to fly into hand, like it knew he was looking for it. With the key in hand, he studied the door trying to find where to put it. It's not a normal door, with a door knob and a keyhole, it's another puzzle he'll have to figure out. In all actuality it seems more like a work of art hanging on the wall than a door.

Severus looked to the guards for help, but they stood like stone statues staring at the opposite wall. They would be no help. He studied the faces along the edges of the door, wanting to run his hand along them to find anything helpful but the thought of touching those faces that looked so pained scared him. Not finding anything along the sides he turned his attention to the hellhound and reapers. After a few minutes, he forgot himself and mumbled "Where in Merlin's name...?" He stopped when he felt something cold touch his shoulder, and he froze. That's when he saw it, the keyhole.

Of course it would be there, he thought and he reached up, turning the key sideways and slid it inside the horses nostrils. Once the key slid all the way in, it clicked into place and released a puff of white smoke or a breath through its nose, caressing Severus' fingers in the process. He jumped back, snatching his hand and cradling it to his chest. What the fuck?

Nothing was happening with the door, but Severus wasn't really paying it any attention. He was looking over his fingers making sure they weren't turning black or shriveling up. When he was satisfied that his appendage would survive he looked back to the door, to the place where the key should be and stopped breathing. Literally.

The horse was moving. It's head moved up in a huff while the reigns were pulled to the left by its rider. Severus looked up to the face of the rider but it revealed nothing. It was just the horse that really came alive but he thought he saw a small smirk on the riders face for a split second and then it was gone. Looking back at the horses head he followed the movement to see one of the faces along the perimeter smile at him, like it was waiting for him to notice it, before it morphed into a door handle. The scared man reached out automatically and pulled, the door began to open.

XxxX

Severus was a spy, right? And as a spy he thought nothing could or would ever surprise him, but standing in his vault, a horseman vault, he can honestly tell himself 'he's seen everything'. It's not a traditional vault, it's more like an office slash study slash safety deposit box. The size alone is endless, it's depth seemed as long as Gilderoy Lockhart's ego. Severus looked around in awe, he walked slowly trying not to step on anything while soaking it all in.

There were books upon books upon books all over the place. Scrolls littered the floor and sticking out of shelves and any other place that could hold them. It was like discovering the lost library of Alexandria. So much knowledge, he didn't know where to begin. Once completely in, the door shut on its own and instead of being enveloped by darkness, he found himself in a properly lit state. He stood in awe for several minutes just taking in his surroundings. The walls were decorated with paintings of all types; one wall had a mural of carnage not unlike the outside door and Severus shied away from that side; having seen enough of that in his lifetime. On the opposite side of the vault/room?, he saw a quaint little setup of two chairs, a small table and a hanging light. It was very intimate and rather odd to find in a vault. He walked to the setup and noticed on the table there was a book that looked fairly new and a bowl of jelly beans. They must be under some kind of stasis charm for they looked pretty tempting. He noticed one of the chairs had a fluffy black blanket thrown on it, like it was used not so long ago, while the other chair seemed to be more worn; more used. Curious, he fingered the book carefully, wanting to open it. When nothing evil happened he sat in the worn chair and scooped up the book.

As soon as he got comfortable, tea appeared on the table along with finger sandwiches and biscuits. He just about jumped out of the chair, wand in hand, but nothing else happened and the tea was steaming hot. He could use a harder drink he thought as he made himself a cup of tea as carefully as one could with shaky hands.

One he had a few sips down his throat, he set his attention back to the book. It had a black leather cover that was still stiff not worn and the pages were still crisp and new. He was afraid to open it, it felt like such a violation of someone's privacy to do so. He held it in his lap and studied the vault from this perspective. It definitely was large, the light tapered off the further into the vault he looked and he knew if he went further the light would too. He could live here for years and not see everything here. It was amazing.

He felt more relaxed now and eyed his tea cup suspiciously. A calming drought no doubt. Harry's way of telling him he knows this is a lot but it's okay. Nodding to himself, and smiling, he looked back to the book in his lap and opened it. He barked out a laugh at the inscription inside, 'property of the Master of Death', in Harry's untidy scrawl. He flipped a couple pages in and read a couple lines; "...the job was a hard one but one of necessity. Ty is a good teacher when it comes to understanding the feelings of others. I guess that comes with time and experience…" he flipped a few more pages; "Today was hard, the sickness around us unbearable. All those people, all those souls and the hundreds of reapers busy collecting was a sad sight to witness…"

Severus closed the book or tried to but it flipped itself to the cover page and stopped. Severus let go of the book before he realized there was something written there for him:

Dad,

I see you've made it this far, good. You're almost there, did you bring the Hallows with you? If not, that's okay, you can do this at home, but if you have them, take out the snitch.

Severus stared at the writing, Harry's again. He didn't have the Hallows, he didn't think he would have use of them here. He left them back in his room in a safe place.

When you have the snitch, bring it to your lips and say, 'my son is dead', and it should open. Inside is the resurrection stone. Take the stone out and put it with the wand and the cloak. If all goes well, you will know.

Harry

Severus smiled and closed the book. Now he knew how to get the stone out of the snitch but why? What would happen once he freed the stone, adding it to the others? Would he see Harry? Is that all this is about? Closure?

Suddenly he felt a chill run down his back, like someone touched him with icy fingers. "Harry?" He croaked but silence answered him. "Are you here? Am I supposed to do something else?" He asked the air. He felt stupid speaking into an empty room but he was sure he wasn't alone. He heard a noise further in and with the help of the calming drought in his tea, he decided it was safe enough to venture back there. He put the book back on the table, released his wand and stood.

Severus found it hard to navigate to the back, between all the shelves and such. It seemed the further back he went the more clutter there was. When he came to a clearing he stopped, turned full circle to look at everything slowly. Between all the furniture, paintings, books and papers thrown all over the place, it was a daunting task. How is this spot even clear? He felt a touch again and this time he turned to the direction the touch came from and saw it. There, on an old dresser was a box, a small jewelry box shining brightly in a golden hue.

He made his way to the dresser apprehensively and caressed the top, clearing away the thin layer of dust. He was afraid to open it, if he was being honest with himself. He's an old man, how much more can his old ticker take?

Squelching his fear, he lifted the lid slowly to reveal the only thing inside...a ring. Was he supposed to take it? Put it on? He didn't want to put it on, he didn't even want to touch it. He stood there staring at it, thinking about what to do; he really didn't want to touch it, when something brushed his cheek. Only Lily ever touched him like that. "Lily-bear?" He croaked. "Is that you?" He received no answer but felt a caress on his cheek again. "Oh God. What should I do?"

He felt strange talking to himself but these past few days have shown him anything was possible. He knew there wouldn't be a verbal answer but he'd get something and sure enough he watched as the ring began to shine, like a polished penny. Severus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and reached for the ring.

He held the ring in the palm of his hand, it was heavy and felt warm to the touch. He didn't dare put it on, not until he knew for sure exactly what this ring meant. He closed his fingers over the ring as he closed his eyes in surrender. He knew by accepting this ring he was accepting whatever was to come. He was accepting the unknown, the task silently asked of him without question. By taking the ring he knew he was accepting the fact that his son trusted him with all this knowledge out of his love for him. Love he so desperately wanted to reciprocate.

He stood there for a few minutes desperately trying to quell his emotions; regret, loneliness, desperation and loss. He felt these emotions ten fold since learning the truth, but the worst one out of them all was regret. This was all too surreal.

He could feel the ring hot against his body and felt it was time to go. He made his way back to the front, touching and stepping over objects in his way. He sat back in the same chair and stared at the bowl of candy. Jelly beans? Will wonders ever cease.

He picked up the book trying to decide if he should leave it or take it. 'What the hell' he thought and slipped it into his pocket along side the ring. He grabbed a couple jelly beans and popped a few into his mouth before he stood from the chair and turned to go. He came up short at the sight of a painting sitting propped up against the wall. How had he missed that?

It looked old, maybe a century old, the canvas was worn and the frame tarnished but it was the two figures in the picture that stopped him. The two figures, one tall and one shorter than the other, both wore dark robes of black that covered them completely from head to toe. The taller one stood with one arm around the other while holding a tall scythe in the other hand. The smaller figure stood with his arm around the taller ones waist and a black book in his free hand. Severus gaped at the book, it almost looks like the one in his pocket...but that's impossible; right?

He looked back up to the hooded faces, trying to discern a face in the darkness. He couldn't, but he would swear they were smiling under there. The only thing that was visible, and what made him gasp, were the eyes; one had shiny silver eyes and the other shiny green eyes. His son's green eyes. He shook his head, "Impossible...I've got to get out of here."

He exited the vault to the waiting Goblins who turned to assess him. He gave them a nod and started down the tunnel. The two Goblins fell instep with Severus silently. "How long was I in there? You looked surprised when I came out." He asked not sure if he was going to get an answer.

"Roughly ten minutes." The one on the right answered.

"Ten minutes? Are you sure? It felt like I was in there for at least an hour." He said confused. It was definitely more then ten minutes.

"It's possible, time slows down or speeds up, depending on how you look at it." The other said and Severus knew he felt a migraine coming on. All this secrecy, it's almost worse than in the war.

XxxX

The first thing Severus did when he got home was to take a long hot shower. The events of the last few days played over in his mind. Lily...What really happened? What does his son have in mind for him? Whatever it is, will he be able to handle it? If today is any indication…

He put his head under the spray of hot water and let the water coat and sooth his tired body. He's been so tense these last few days. Maybe now that he has the last piece he will get some answers. He turned under the water and grabbed the soap. What is the next step? Is he going to summon Harry? Would he learn the truth about what happened to his Lily? Did Albus have anything to do with that?

As he rinsed off he thought more about his relationship with Albus. Did he do this? Did he steal his son away and obliviate Lily? Did he betray him all those years ago? Severus shook his head 'no'. Albus was his friend, his best friend and he would never do that to him. If he did, then he would've known all along that Harry was his son. He felt his stomach drop. He turned to the wall and braced his hands. "No! There's no way Albus knew! He was my friend!" He slammed a fist against the shower tiles, "he was my friend…there must be another answer…" he trailed off. He stood there, letting the water hide his tears until the water turned cold. He turned off the water and watched as the water circled the drain. He felt sick, his eyes hurt, all his barriers were crashing down and there was nothing he could do. Who could do this to him? Why did he have to find out so late about it?

He dried off and slipped into his sleeping pants. He walked into his bedroom and sat on the bed. He was tired, he wanted a drink...but what he really wanted was for this nightmare to be over; his nightmare of regret and secrets.

He sat there and really thought about everything - liquor free. He could feel the sadness, the heart clenching feeling tearing him up inside. There's anger there too, just under the sadness, fighting to get to the top and he couldn't stop it any longer. He grabbed the closest pillow and threw it across the room, grunting loudly. It felt so good and he did it again with the other pillow. This time he screamed his frustration. He jumped up and swiped the contents on his nightstand off with such strength, the vials hit the opposite wall with a crash and shattered. He couldn't stop now, it felt too good to release this emotion and the nightstand was upended. He threw his hands out and without realizing it, he wandlessly emptied his wardrobe all over the room.

He stood there breathing hard, his wet hair sticking to his face and neck, his magic crackling on his skin, and his heart beating rapidly, "Why! Why would anyone do this to me?" He screamed in his room. "I hate you for telling me now!" Cringing at the guilt he felt.

He stomped through the mess he made and out into the living room. "Why didn't you take this to the grave! Why did you have to tell me!" He screamed to the empty room, grabbing a cushion and throwing it, losing his balance and falling to his knees by the hearth. Leaning forward and catching himself with both hands, "Why?" He whispered to the ground. "Why did this happen to me? Why would someone take my family?" He cried and he rested his head on the ground and wept. "I'm not strong enough for the pain." He murmured. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He felt the ache in his heart squeeze tighter and his breath hitched. "Harry, please help me." He pleaded.

He stayed like that until his breathing evened out. He didn't get up, he didn't want to, he just let himself fall to the side. He wanted a drink, maybe more than one but he wouldn't do it. Whatever comes in the future, be it the truth or not he wanted to be sober and alert for it. He won't let his son down...it'll be difficult but he's done harder things in his life.

XxxX

The next morning, Severus felt like crap, his face hurt, his heart hurt and his body hurt from sleeping on the floor all night. He woke up with the resolve to finish what he started, to search out the truth, to make his son proud by doing whatever it is he wanted him to do. So, he cleaned his room and made himself breakfast. Surprisingly, he had a huge appetite and he ate a whole English breakfast; a first for him. When he was done, it was time to get down to business.

He grabbed the snitch, the wand and the cloak from his room and laid them out on the table in the living room. He picked up the snitch and shook it, the stone was still inside. He brought it to his mouth and whispered "My son is dead" and it popped open, the stone fell from its hiding place and onto his lap.

He gently picked up the slick black stone and studied it. It looked like any normal black stone except engraved on one side was a triangle encompassing a circle speared by a line. Severus' breath caught in his throat. Could it be true? Slowly, as to not drop it, he placed it on the table between the wand and the cloak. He didn't know what he expected to happen but when nothing happened he began to feel stupid. He ran both hands through his hair and laughed to himself, really what did he expect?

Severus went to retrieve the black book he took from his vault and sat back down in his chair. He figured he could learn more about what Harry got up to and maybe not feel so out of sorts. He opened the book and turned past the first couple of pages when he heard a deep raspy chuckle.

His head shot up and he looked to where the sound had come, the chair opposite himself. He began to shake with fear, his onyx eyes opened in fright, and when he tried to speak nothing came out. He had never felt such fear, not even in front of the Dark Lord, because there, sitting in the chair staring back at him was a man donning a long black cloak that covered even his face. Two shiny silver eyes locked on him and the magic that rolled off the figure was enough to cause Severus' skin to crawl. He felt his heart sink and his breath leave him...was he dying?

The cloaked man chuckled again, the sound sending more fear through Severus' body and soul. .

"Took you long enough, Severus."

XxxX

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