Chapter 6: What Do You Want For Your Nephew, Severus?

A few minutes passed uncomfortably as the two looked at each other. The sides of Snape's lips curled with distaste. Sage ran out of energy to look up at his uncle and ran a hand through his sweat slicked hair. He scratched his arm absent-mindedly. When Severus let out some kind of sigh, or maybe it was a hiss, Sage looked back up at him.

"Because of what you are, I cannot allow mistakes like these. You must learn control and some discretion would be wise. You cannot yet do the things I would do, you do not have the control for that, and you are fifteen and a student. You would do well to remember that."

"I'm sorry, uncle," Sage answered, sounding just slightly exasperated.

"Stop saying you are sorry. First, you are not. Second, it would not matter if you were. I have a class to teach, and I'll deal with you later. You can either stay here or go up to the hospital wing, but I do suggest you find a potion for your nausea and headache either way. You look at if you are about to black out."

When Severus came back into his rooms forty-five minutes later, he found Sage passed out on the couch laying on his side. He scowled, walked up to him, and stared at his sleeping face. He put his hand up against Sage's head. He temperature was elevated, but he would live.

The professor's peace was shortly interrupted by a tapping on his door. He knew that tap anywhere. With a flick of his wand, the door opened and the headmaster did not look very happy.

"Ahh Severus, I figured I might find what I was looking for down here. You've heard then?" Dumbledore asked raising an eyebrow. He looked down at Sage on the couch.

Severus motioned them out of the room and into his study.

"Of course I have heard," he said finally, once they had both been seated. "Moody tried to curse him. I told you that it was not a good idea to bring that man here, Albus. He's paranoid, he could have killed Sage with whatever curse he used."

Dumbledore shook his head lightly at Severus as if he were still a student. Snape raised his eyebrow and threw an imperious look at the older man.

"Yes, yes he could have. That is true. I shall speak to him. But Sage could have killed him as well."

"Possibly, but being able to kill a rat does not mean that one could kill a man. He is likely too young to have that ability, even as a Magi."

Dumbledore looked at him critically, as if he were under-exaggerating the significance of what happened.

"You do not find it slightly disconcerting that he did not think twice before using an Unforgiveable, Severus?"

Severus snorted, "On a rat? Albus, please."

"It must start somewhere, must it not?"

The potion's master glared at the old wizard. "Sir, you aren't serious."

The headmaster did not answer, but the look on his face told Severus that he was indeed serious.

"He's fifteen, he used it to prove a point, not for some sinister purpose as you would see if. He didn't want Moody to berate him anymore. If you ask me, he put Moody in his place."

"Severus!"

Snape scowled, "Well he did."

The headmaster stared over his half-moon spectacles at the younger man.

"You aren't going to tell him that, are you?"

Severus pushed his lips together and frowned, shaking his head. "Of course not! Albus, really. I am going to properly admonish him and give him plenty of detention."

Dumbledore narrowed his glare over his glasses and leaned closer to Severus.

"Somehow I am not so sure you are even angry Severus."

"Don't you ever give over? Does it really matter if I am angry or not? I'm angry he did not show better control and proper discretion, if that makes you feel better. He even controlled himself fairly well, if he hadn't let his emotions get in the way."

"Ahh, yes, how very Slytherin of him," the headmaster answered with sarcasm.

Severus stood up and crossed his arms, "Yes, how very. What's wrong with that? Your biases towards Slytherin are worse than mine towards Gryffindor, and you are the headmaster. Really, better to be a smart Slytherin and alive, than a brave and stupid Gryffindor and dead like damned Potter."

Dumbledore stood up as well, "You are changing him Severus, and I am not so sure it is for the better. What sort of pressure are you putting him under? He's still just a boy, Severus, Magi or not."

Snape took a decisive step forward and let out a huff of air in anger. He took a deep breath and composed himself. "Yes, I am sure it is better for him to be naïve. I am sure it would be good if he just played Quidditch and broke rules and disrespected everyone until the time came for him to face the Dark Lord. Yes, you would like him to be like Potter. I, on the other hand, would like my nephew to be prepared and to live."

The headmaster sighed and softened. It was no use to get angry, because Severus could match him point for point and beyond in that emotion.

"You can prepare him without inspiring all this change in attitude in him. I'd say he's rather becoming a handful."

" He gives me no problems."

"You think, Severus, that all that you demand from him can extend infinitely? It cannot. Eventually his frustration must be let out somewhere, to someone."

"It will so long as I demand it from him. He has much to learn. Self- control must come first, and he cannot learn self-control unless he is asked to do things he does not want to do."

"You can not expect him to be able to manage his emotions if you think to not let him have them or acknowledge them." The headmaster threw his arms up in frustration.

"I do not deny them to him, headmaster, I ask him to manage them and conceal them. It is not the same thing."

"But to someone who does not know how to manage something as great as that, it is denying them. It is easier for him to shut down completely. Surely, you have noticed that happening, Severus. He pushes his emotions away in order to please you."

"Stop this circumlocution, Albus, pushing his emotions away is not denying them, it is managing them."

The headmaster shook his head vehemently. He was beginning to get angry again. "To you, Severus, because that is what you have been doing since you were barely older than Sage. You disremember what it was that made you turn back, it was not denying your emotions, it was recognizing them. Our emotions are what tie us to our values and morals, and to this world, Severus, they are not expendable."

"If I remember correctly, it was I that was chosen to teach him. I think there is a reason for that," Snape retorted haughtily. "Idealism doesn't produce results."

"There is a reason but doubtful the one you acknowledge. Sage needs to succeed where you have failed, Severus. He needs to be able to manage two persons within himself without losing sight of who he is. Ask yourself why it is Sage that was chosen. "Born of both the Dark and the Light", Severus, he needs to have the strengths of both. You were chosen to teach him because you were the one to change your line. You were the one that turned away from that, but what you portrayed for so long has turned into what you are or what you punish yourself for being.

"You are still in darkness, Severus, because you believe you need to be to deal with your part in this and that you deserve it. You deny yourself, you have since your brother died, since Lily died. It was too difficult for you to be both, Severus, so you still act the part. Now you are trying to push that on your nephew. Only when you realize that there is another part to yourself, will you be able to teach him, teach him to recognize that in himself too."

"You wish me to allow him weaknesses. You wish for me to make him vulnerable. I will not do that, Albus, I cannot. He must take this seriously. There is nothing wrong with that."

"No, there is not. He must take seriously his work and his training. I agree with that. To be chosen is to be above others, to be above others without abusing that privilege. He was chosen to rid our world of a great Darkness he must be part Dark to do that. But, Severus, he must also have the Light. He must have a reason to take his training seriously. He does not have one, he has no purpose. Why should he strive for our side, if his life is not grounded in it? If he has no happiness, what does he have, obligation? Don't you see it, Severus? That boy is drowning, he is failing already, and you think he is doing well. All he is thinking about is death. You are trying to make his life grounded in nothing, so that he is not vulnerable. Perhaps that may save his life, but at what cost, Severus? Would you wish your life upon him, Severus?"

"Why should I care to wish that upon anyone, sir. I made choices that did this to me," the potion's professor answered bitterly.

Dumbledore pointed at him as if what he had just said was the key to understanding everything.

"Yes, Severus, and he has done nothing. Severus, it is written that he will die, sooner than later. How do you want him to live his life? As you live it?"

"You go too far," Snape hissed, his voice shaking with anger.

"Do I, Severus? You prove my point for me. Why are you so concerned, why are you training him? Because it was written? Severus, I think not. You are training him because you do not want him to die. You just told me as much. You are training him because of that piece of you that you deny. You are training him because you love him, Severus, and you don't want to lose him. That is your purpose, and he needs a purpose like that."

"Get out," he answered harshly motioning to the door.

The Headmaster, though, was never that easily intimidating by Snape posturing.

"Accept the fact that he is going to die, Severus, and think about what you want for him. Think about what he needs. It is not written which side will fall, Severus, why? Because as it stands now, it could go either way. What will make him stronger, Severus? If he is to succeed, he must be willing to die, willing to die for something. You would give him nothing to care for, nothing to die for. If you are not careful, he will die for nothing too."

"I said, GET OUT." Snape yelled, his fists clenched and his arms shaking with irritation.

"You are as self-righteous as you were when you were a child, Severus, perhaps you need to learn that Severus Snape does not have all the answers in order to help your nephew."

There was a knock on the door to the study just as Severus turned his back, and the headmaster had turned to leave. Severus turned around to see exactly what he did not want to see: Sage standing in the doorway, trying his best to look stoical.

"I'm trying not to get you expelled," Severus yelled at him, giving Dumbledore a look that said not to contradict him.

Sage caught the look but was unsure what it meant. He knew that they had been talking about him. He looked first at the headmaster, and then at his uncle.

"The headmaster seems to think that you are acting out because I am pushing you too hard. That I am being too heavy handed with you."

Sage distinctly felt as if he had stepped onto a battleground and had not known it. He glanced from his uncle to the headmaster. Finally, he turned back to Severus, his eyes wide, and both his eyebrows up in question

"Sir?"

"Well, am I too hard on you?" Severus asked shortly.

Sage wet his lips. His heart was beating loudly in his chest. "No, sir, of course not."

Dumbledore scowled, "What do you expect him to say, Severus? He does not want to disappoint you."

Sage looked at the headmaster, and set his jaw very much like his uncle. Both of the Snape's stared at the older man for a minute before the silence was broken.

"He is being no harder on me that he has to be, sir. I am fine."

Dumbledore remembered those words from a long time prior. Severus had spoken those same words. The headmaster knew the situation was not the same. Severus might be hard on Sage, but he knew that he could never be what his father was to him. But, if Severus could not show Sage another side, with more frequency that once in a year, which it was becoming apparent he could not, someone else would have to.

Read it, Review it, please!I love your notes :D 3/2020

A/N -

MCMish - if I left Sage do what I wanted him to, he would probably deck Severus. Maybe he will sometime. I am glad you liked the chapter! Ohh and the reason Sev did grab his hair was because he really thought that Sage might have killed someone, or crucio-ed someone, especially because he was so sick afterwards. But, we all know that there is another reason why he got sick, don't we?

White Owl - Good to see you again! I hope that you finish the prequel and enjoy it. Let me know what you think. By the way. I LOVE horses, been riding since I was 10. Now that I am graduating with my BA and moving home for my Ph.D I will be able to start riding all the time again. Horses are such unique animals.

Jasmin Flower - his personality is a little sad, yes, but it is a must for the plot. He is growing up too. I think 15 is definitely the time for attitude problems. If I keep writing at this pace, he may be ten years older before you know it. It will be difficult to keep Sage different from Severus, while having him act more similar to him.

VD - if you thought the points Snape brought up were unthought of, I hope you found Dumbledore's to be the same. I'm glad Sage did what he did as well. He will continue to act haughty in the future. Sage's new demeanor isn't a façade, well not entirely. He is really changing.

Sibyl - Snape really isn't very angry. He hates Moody. Sev struggles between wanting Sage to be proper all the time and hating his enemies so much that he does not care if Sage tells them off. As we will see with others as well. He'll act angry about it soon enough though, he did say that he would deal with Sage later!

Jewel Little Bird - Snape's biggest concern is Sage keeping control of his emotions. As this chapter points out, though, we aren't sure whether what he is doing is right. Is he asking Sage to deny his emotions or control them? Does Sage know the difference? What implications might this have? Hmm, we'll see.