Chapter 45: Late Night Visits to Snape's Office

Disclaime – I borrowed a large amount of text for this chapter directly from JKR as the scene was completely recreated with Sage inserted. That piece of this chapter is directly from her and no infringement was intended. For those of you who don't know it is out of HP year 4 ;-) Thank yo and have a nice day.

Late Night Visits to Snape's Office

Sage stared blankly at the tabletop, his jet black hair falling into his face, not quite seeing the table anymore but rather looking past it. The muscles in his arms had throbbed for a long time, but he had ceased to feel the throbbing after the hours passed by. There were parts of his hands that were completely rubbed raw from handling the thick grain sandpaper and other parts that bore nasty cuts. He no longer heard the scrapping of the paper against the wood of the lab tables in the potions classroom, because he was quite used to it. In fact, it almost was soothing.

Four long tables out of ten were looking nearly new, because they were sanded so deeply. The spills and spots of many classes barely shone through and, with a new staining, would completely disappear. He had been working on this loathesome task for a week now and felt no closer to being done with it.

His Uncle was coming up with some rather tedious and laborious tasks for him to keep him infinitely busy. If it was not academic or practical, it was menial. It did, however, clear his mind.

As he pulled his watch from his pocket, he yawned, covering his mouth and closing his eyes. He shook his head to jolt himself awake a bit, sending his hair flying in all directions as it was growing longer now. He banished the sandpaper into a cabinet with a sloppy gesture and went to see if he could gain permission to leave for some much needed sleep.

When he entered the man's chambers, he heard the unmistakable sound of a shower. Sleep would have to wait just a while longer, he lamented.

I'll have to stay standing, because if I sit down on that couch I will undoubtedly fall straight asleep. I'd really like to make a solid six hours of sleep tonight.

Looking around he sighted a large stack of papers and a ledger. Curiosity and a knowledge that his uncle would not leave anything out that he did not want Sage to see, led him to examine the papers.

Second year papers.

Gracefully, for it being so late, he picked up one from the top of the stack and read it, knowing exactly what student wrote it.

"Dreamless sleep potion cannot be taken in large quantities because it builds up in the system of the user. This is also the same reason why it cannot be taken everyday. If someone were to take too much of this potion, they would fall violently ill and lapse into a coma."

Sage snorted. No mention of what specific ingredients build up in the body…No mention of how much was too much for one dose… No mention of how often it could be taken… No mention of what sleep potions might be taken in larger doses or more frequently… The boy had definitely earned his D. He clearly had no idea how to research a paper on potions.

Putting the paper down, his eyes travelled to the ledger. Severus had been marking the grades down.

Bored, and afraid to sit down lest he fall asleep, Sage took up the quill and began filling in the grades while he waited for his uncle.

Macnair, D. Too bad. Crevy, P. Annoying little git. Nott, P. He must have gotten help, he's as thick as Crabbe. Huntington, A. She could have done better…

He got lost in names and letters as he stood there leaning against the table, writing in grades for the professor.

"What are you doing?" The professor asked coldly, having come into the room silently.

Sage startled, nearly running a black line of ink completely down the length of the page.

"Sorry, sir. I was bored waiting, so I started filling in the rest of your grades for you."

Severus raised an angular black eyebrow. His nephew had not done anything of the like for him in as long as he could remember, not that the boy had never done anything like that before… It was simply strange that he was doing so again now.

"Have you been long?" The man asked, relaxing his stance.

"No, perhaps a quarter hour." He said, while marking the last few papers into the book.

"And?"

"Four are done, Uncle," he said as he almost looked down but instead pursed his lips.

"Chairs too, I expect."

Sage nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Well then, unless you would like to mark my first year essays in my gradebook, I would suggest that you head back to your room," he smiled evilly.

"Perhaps tomorrow, sir," he said, not wanting to outright turn the man down. He was not sure if he was serious or joking and it was best not to guess, as the consequences were not worth the risk.

Just as Severus had sat down to a cup of tea and some more essays, a loud wailing issued from the hallways, and within seconds Sage came running back into the room completely out of breath.

"Uncle, your office – it's, it's open. The torches are all, all lit. Someone's been in there. The, the cabinets are ajar."

The Professor jumped up with fire in his eyes, spilling ink all over the table.

"You did not go in there after I left, did you?" He asked harshly, as if insinuating that Sage had left it open carelessly for someone to enter.

"No, sir. I, I wouldn't go in your office without your – permission," he said, breathing heavily.

Severus motioned to the table and the ink disappeared, before he ran out the door, which Sage had left open.

Sage followed him, pushing his hair out of his face.

As they neared the office Severus pointed at him and ordered, "Look in the locked cabinets immediately and see if there are any potions visibly missing. You should know where everything is and it was fully stocked. Then, look to see if any ingredients are obviously missing. After that, relock everything, put out the torches, re-ward the door, and come find me."

Sage nodded quickly, "Yes, sir."

He stopped running at the door to the office and Severus quickly disappeared from view. Sage was fairly sure that whoever was there was no longer there, but he was still keyed up just the same. He felt an odd sort of dread emanating from within himself. Something akin to how he felt when evil was lurking about. He started with the cabinet containing fully brewed potions.

Polyjuice…Living Death…Veritaserum vials…He rattled off all the potions in his head as he looked through the cabinet, which appeared untouched.

He followed into the cabinet with rare, expensive, or rather illegal ingredients. It was easier to see if the liquid ingredients were full and not missing, but the dry ingredients were different. It was difficult to tell if they had been disturbed.

Veela blood…Vampire blood…Vampire saliva…YUCK…Boomslang skin…Unicorn horn…Dragon scales…Boggart blood…Gillyweed…Powdered Ginkgo…Thestral hoof… How in Merlin's name am I to tell if any of this is missing? It looks fine. I'd have to weigh the dry ingredients and there just is not time. As least none of the potions are missing.

He waved the cabinets shut and locked and did the same with the torches. Once he exited the office, he re-warded the doors and added something new. An alarm of sorts that would go off if anyone that did not bear Snape blood un-warded the door. He was surprised his uncle had not done so himself.

The second Sage saw Moody talking with his uncle and Mr. Filch, he felt anger rush up inside of him. The man's crazy eye pegged him before he had even exited the shadows and did not leave him, even as he stood next to Severus. He nodded to his uncle, to let him know that he had found nothing obviously missing.

As he stood there, his headache got worse, and he began to feel more sick. Moody. It had to be Moody, or Moody and Karkaroff working together. Sage had already headed Karkaroff off once when the man was trying to go into the dungeons, perhaps he had Moody give it a try. He finally tuned into what was being said.

"Dumbledore happens to trust me," Snape said through clenched teeth. I refuse to believe that he ever gave you permission to search my office."

"Of course Dumbledore trusts you, old fool," Moody growled, "Trusting man, isn't he. Believes in second chances. But me – I say that there are spots that don't come off, Snape. Spots that never come off, d'you know what I mean?"

As his uncle grabbed his left arm reflexively, as if the Mark burned, Sage lunged forward toward Moody, but his Uncle put his right arm across Sage's chest and pushed him back forcefully.

"That's right Snape, you'd better keep your little progeny in check if you know what's good for him. Just give me a reason, and I'd not hesitate to rid us of either of you. And I don't mean expelled there, boy." Then he added quietly eyeing Sage, "So don't try to play Death Eater around me, Junior."

Sage growled, unable to find words to voice exactly how angry he was.

His uncle voiced it instead, "Threaten my nephew again, Moody, and I'll be sure you get thrown out on curb by way of the school governors. Better yet, I wouldn't walk down any dark corridors if I were you."

"Go back to bed, Snape, because you are obviously already dreaming!"

"You do not have the authority to send me anywhere!" Snape hissed, letting go of Sage, "I have as much right to prowl around this school after dark as you do!"

A light suddenly went off in Sage's head. What exactly was Moody doing in the dungeons at this hour…His rooms were on the upper floors somewhere. There was no way that he heard the screaming egg. Sage decided to keep quiet, not letting Moody know that he was on to him.

"But your nephew does not, perhaps he will find himself in detention."

"You do not have the authority for that either, Moody. As my nephew, he is my responsibility to discipline, not yours and not anyone else's for that matter. And he would leaving me. You would have to go straight to the headmaster to overrule me, and I think he would laugh you right out of his office if you tried to convince him that I was being too soft on Sage!"

Moody laughed maniacally, "Oh, I have no doubt that you aren't soft on him, Snape. You'd be surprised exactly what this eye can see… Especially what I've seen in the past month, glamor charms don't work that well. I'd just like to have him alone myself for a little while. Just like I would you."

"Stay away from him, Moody. I wouldn't want you to get hurt. You do not know how dangerous he is when he is angry."

"Oh yes, Snape, I'm very afraid of a sixteen year old boy who was trained by a Death Eater that did not even have the stomach to stick to his decisions!"

Sage jumped against his uncle's arm again, "You were certainly afraid earlier this year when you tried to curse me!"

"Don't praise yourself, boy, that was not real life… No witnesses, best policy, ehh Snape. That's how we got a lot of the Death Eaters. The Mark after the fact was enough for the Ministry. We just said that they put up a fight."

Sage looked at his uncle, who was hissing, growling, and baring his teeth all at the same time, clearly trying his best not to start an all out duel with Moody in the dungeons. He was clearly holding his wand in his pocket with his left hand.

"Sage, leave," he ordered.

Sage's eyes widened, "But, sir-."

"I said leave, NOW," he yelled, grabbing Sage's shoulder and pushing him backwards, back towards Severus's chambers. "Don't question me!"

Moody smiled menacingly, "Yes, boy, you'd better listen to him. You wouldn't want another beating, now would you?"

Sage, who had turned around to leave, swung back around again, and took one more lunge at Moody "Fucking bastard git." Three torches nearby went flying in different directions.

Snape grabbed him again but just barely. "ENOUGH!"

Sage took a step back, his fists balled so tightly they were plaster white. He turned and left in a fury before his uncle yelled at him again.

When the door banged open, Sage jumped a foot in the air, from his position of the sofa.

"GET UP!"

Sage rocketed up, knowing that his uncle was in no mood to be messed with.

The Professor got right into his face, glaring at him in such a way that it made him feel faint.

"SIT DOWN!"

Confused, but slightly frightened, Sage sat down again. He looked up at the man hesitantly.

"If you ever, EVER, question me again, especially in a situation like that, you will find yourself getting the beating that Moody was baiting you with and you will damn well deserve it!"

Sage looked down at Severus's knees, knowing that at this time it was completely appropriate.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking?"

"I didn't want anything to happen to you, sir."

"You could have been killed, Sage. Moody is very paranoid and unpredictable-."

Sage interrupted, "You could have gotten killed too-."

Severus stopped him midsentence with a glare that was more potent and stinging than a slap to the face.

"It is not your responsibility to look after me at this point in time, it is mine to look after you. That said, this is exactly what I was talking about when I said that there would be times where you trusting and obeying me could save one or both of our lives. With you gone, I stood a much better chance of being able to manage the situation, because I would not have to worry about you if Moody got out of hand. I have fought Alastor Moody many times before and have beaten him each time, many times when I was barely twenty. You, on the other hand, have not been taught how to duel at all and you cannot be expected to defend yourself if you cannot do practical exercises. This could have had dire consequences if Moody had been quick to his wand!"

Sage blinked and then guiltily licked his lips. "I'm very sorry, Uncle, I was not thinking."

"No, you were thinking, but not listening as you should have been. When I order you to do something, I expect you to do it. Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes, sir, I understand you."

"Now, listen to me very clearly. You will not allow someone to bait you like that again. CONTROL, CONTROL, CONTROL! You did not see me lunging at Moody five times? You did not see my wandless magic making torches go flying? You were allowing him to beat you, and he did not even need to draw his wand. You were so blinded that you completely stopped listening to me. That could have gotten us both killed in another situation similar to this."

"I'm sorry I disappointed you, Uncle," he said, blue eyes wide. He was not ready for any of this. "It won't happen again, sir."

Severus took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He had made his point and scared the boy out of his wits.

"Sage, I do not enjoy yelling at you, but perhaps you understand now why everything is so serious. Now think about this and what you should have done, then clear your mind and get some sleep."

Sage stood up and nodded and tried to avoid his uncle's penetrating eyes, "Thank you, sir."

As Sage left his uncle's office, the scene replayed in his mind, there were at least six times where he should have taken a deep breath and grit through it. There were two other things, however, that were sticking out in his mind, like pieces of a puzzle that were beginning to fall into place. First, he had felt sick around Moody numerous times. Then, the man had said something strange, that seemed out of place. Sage tried hard to remember what it was as he passed his uncle's office once more. Then, it hit him.

"Oh yes, Snape, I'm very afraid of a sixteen year old boy who was trained by a Death Eater that did not even have the stomach to stick to his decisions!"

Sage repeated the line over and over in his head. The way Moody had said that simply did not sound right and it certainly did not sit well with him. A Death Eater that did not even have the stomach to stick to his decisions. It simply did not sound like something an Auror would say, not that Moody was your typical Auror. It sounded slightly like Moody was upset that Snape had not stuck to his decisions, but that was an odd thought.

It's got to be him. It just has to. He was in the dungeons. He had no reason to be. He's the one that's after Harry, him and Karkaroff together. I'm sure of it. First Karkaroff trying to come down here, then Moody. It only makes sense. But Karkaroff was a Death Eater, why would Moody of all people want to work with him?

As Sage rounded the corner to the stairs, he thought he heard someone talking, but when he looked up the stairs, he saw only Moody walking up them. Thinking it wise, he was about a half a second from turning back down the corridor to avoid Moody, when the Auror turned around quickly and faced him. Sage was ready, in case the man had his wand, but he did not. His heart thumped quickly in his chest as he hoped that the man would turn around again and leave. Not that he was afraid, but he did not want a confrontation. He certainly did not want one after the conversation he had just had with his uncle.

"Not feeling so confident now that your Uncle isn't here to protect you, boy?"

Sage inhaled through his nose quickly before saying, "I'm feeling just fine."

"You must be used to the Cruciatus then if you recover from it so quickly."

Moody was trying to bait him again. Sage bit the inside of his lip and willed his blood to simmer down.

He hissed, "I told you once already. My Uncle has never used that on me, and he never will."

"There is much that you do not know about Snape then."

"I know more than you do."

"I doubt that, boy, I doubt that. You were not around when Dear Severus was a few years older than you."

"I don't care what you say. I'm tired of you trying to slander my uncle. I'm on to you, you know. You are just trying to take eyes off yourself. I only have one thing to say to you… Harm any person of relation to me and you will be sorry."

Moody laughed but for a moment, Sage had caught onto a shift in his eyes.

"If you so much as go near Potter," Sage said, his voice growing louder and stronger, "I'll rip that magical eye right out of its socket and that'll be all that's left of you!"

Moody grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall, "You don't scare me, Snape, Magi or not. And have you not noticed that I've been helping Potter, your dear cousin."

Sage put his arms inside of Moody's and forced the man's grip off of him.

"Hurt Harry, and I'll bloody kill you."

Sage did not even see Moody grab his wand, they were so close together, but in an instant he was jolted off his feet, banged into the wall hard, and fell to the ground. Somewhere in the progression of the curse, Sage had the piece of mind to retaliate with a spell of his own.

Moody went flying down the corridor twenty feet, an angry rash spreading up his body. It was the first thing Sage could think of that was not deadly, even though he wished it could be.

Sage tried hard to breathe but gasped. It was rough and tight and burned. He gasped again and it was wet. The memory came back to him, and he knew that it was the same spell that his uncle had used on him when he had come back from Lyon Llyonyss unexpected. He also knew that he had no idea what the counter could be. He tasted blood now.

When he saw Moody move, he put his hand up and concentrated as hard as he possibly could through all the pain and bound Moody's magic so that he couldn't attack again. For the moment.

Every word of his uncle's flew through his mind about life and death situations. He tasted blood. He thought frantically and then settled on yelling, "Help!" as loud as he possibly could. Miraculously he managed to magnify his voice and he hoped that his uncle would hear him. He thanked Merlin that the man slept so lightly.

Out of nowhere he heard another voice call, "Stupefy" and Moody's resistance to his binding left instantaneously as the man became unconscious.

Sage couldn't see anything or anyone for that matter and he was completely confused. He heard footsteps but was not sure where they were coming from.

Harry had not left as Professor Moody had asked him to while they were climbing up the stairs. No, once again his curiosity had gotten the better of him. After seeing the entire display between Filch, both Snapes, and Moody, Harry was anxious to see what would happen. A small piece of him did not want to leave the two of them alone either, because he knew no good could come of it.

His eyes widened with shock as Moody mentioned the Cruciatus. Did Snape really use that on his own nephew? Was that why he came back that one night all scruffed up?

He caught himself sighing as Sage came back that Snape had not used it. For some reason that made Harry feel better. The idea of Snape using the Cruciatus on anyone was not a pleasant one.

Unconsciously, Harry walked a few steps closer, clutching his cloak around him tightly. Moody and Karkaroff? Karkaroff? Does he think that Moody is the one who is after me, him and Karkaroff? Didn't he just say that the one thing that he hated was a Death Eater that had gone free…I'm sure that Karkaroff must be a Death Eater, so why would Moody? He stopped thinking for a moment to focus back on what was going on.

"If you so much as go near Potter," Sage said, loud enough for Harry to hear every word, "I'll rip that magical eye right out of its socket and that'll be all that's left of you!"

Harry gasped, but covered his mouth quickly. He did not want his presence known. He really does believe that Moody's after me, but why does he care? I don't need his help. Moody then grabbed Sage by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

It was said in an insidious, low tone, but Harry still managed to latch onto the words, "You don't scare me, Snape, Magi or not. And have you not noticed that I've been helping Potter, your dear cousin."

The way the words came out made Harry wonder if they were sincere or not. He walked down a few steps again, feeling the need to do something if it came to that, but he stopped suddenly.

"Hurt Harry, and I'll bloody kill you."

He's going to get himself killed! What does he know about what is going on!

Harry nearly fell over when Moody cursed Sage, sending him flying into the stone wall like a ragdoll. When Harry recovered, he stood frozen in fear and uncertainty. Blood was coming from Sage's mouth, but he was somehow holding Moody back, albeit straining a lot. Harry turned to run up the stairs to get the headmaster, but then stopped and looked back down at Sage. He could be dead by the time he got the headmaster and came back.

"HELP!"

Harry startled again when Sage yelled, but it jolted him into realizing that he had to do something, regardless of what trouble he might get into. He ran down the rest of the stairs, pulled out his wand and aimed it at Moody, who was still struggling to do more damage to Sage.

"Stupefy!" Harry exhaled sharply in relief as Moody fell onto his back, limp. As he turned to run towards Sage, not having any idea how to help him, he saw Professor Snape running around the corner with his wand ready.

Not in a hurry to get caught by Snape, Harry fled back up the stairs, knowing that he was not leaving Sage alone.

Within seconds air came flooding back to Sage, but as soon as he took it in, he reflexively leaned over on his side and hacked up a lot of blood. The man's cold, thin, fingers pressed into the artery on the side of his neck.

"Do not move, do not talk. Nod if you understand me."

Sage nodded, spitting blood out of his mouth and coughing repeatedly. It stayed that way for a few minutes. He couldn't talk yet even if he wanted to. He could barely breathe. He sat back and took a great gasp of air before sputtering more into his sleeve.

"Severus, what is going on here?" Another voice asked. Sage immediately knew that the voice belonged to the headmaster.

"I just got here myself, headmaster, but it appears that your pet Auror cursed my nephew. Moody looks like he has a rash. As I was running in Sage was binding his magic but someone stupefied him before I got close enough to do the same. I did not see who it was."

"Curious, Severus." The headmaster frowned. "Is he all right?"

"He's alive and will continue to be."

Sage was sitting against the wall, his mouth open completely so that he could breathe easier, blood dribbling down his chin.

He jumped slightly when his uncle touched his ribcage on both sides just above his xiphoid as pain shot through his body. He promptly coughed up some more blood.

"Don't move," the professor admonished as he aimed his wand.

Sage suddenly felt warmth inside his chest and then a lot of heat, a painful amount of heat. Was his uncle probing him?

His uncle looked back up at the headmaster, "His heartbeat is racing and irregular. To be expected. His blood pressure is very low, he's lost a lot of blood as you can see," he nodded in the direction of Sage's hacked up pool of blood. "But he will recover with some rest."

Severus stood up and put his hand down to Sage. Sage grabbed it with his right hand, which was not all bloody and allowed the professor to pull him up with a tight grimace.

Dumbledore nodded and then walked over to Moody. He promptly woke the man up.

"Are you all right, Alastor?"

Sage heard his uncle snarl, the man was still holding his arm to help him stay up.

"Where is he, that little Death Eater brat!" Moody screeched, "I'll bloody kill him!" He eyed Sage and then pointed, "He tried to kill me, Albus. Thankfully, he missed, but he has the Dark Mark. I saw it clear as day."

Sage raised both his eyebrows in shock. He looked at Severus, who was looking at him in disbelief. "Sir, sir I didn't, I swear I didn't." He said to his uncle, pausing to cough into his sleeve. "I didn't try to kill anyone!"

Dumbledore looked at him, and both Sage and Severus were slightly surprised that there was even a hint of disbelief in the headmaster's eyes.

"Look at his arm, headmaster, he has the Dark Mark! He tried to kill me, just like he threatened at the beginning of the year!" Moody continued to rave.

Severus looked back down at Sage, sternly.

"I wouldn't, sir, I wouldn't," he whispered to his uncle, his blue eyes hurt and pleading.

Severus narrowed his eyes, and Sage knew he was looking into his thoughts. He thought back to the scene that had erupted to bring the memories to the forefront, so it would be easier for his uncle to see.

"I believe him, headmaster," Severus said.

"Of course you would, Snape, you're a Death Eater too and the boy's relation, hardly impartial." Moody yelled.

"Alastor, that's enough," the headmaster said, mildly. "You will wait for me in my office, either way you and I must have a talk."

Moody grudgingly left, his fake leg clunking up the steps.

Dumbledore watched him go before he looked at Sage and Severus, his face not displaying any hint of what he was thinking. I sincerely hope that it has not come to this.

"Mr. Snape, I believe we need to have a little talk as well."

Sage opened his mouth to say something in his defense but found himself speechless. He had no idea how this all had happened. Ever so slightly, he pushed against Severus more, knowing that his uncle was at least on his side even if the man was also angry. It was somewhat laborious to stand. His head felt quite floaty.

"I believe that we can use your office?" Dumbledore asked more to be polite.

"There is plenty of room for us there, Headmaster," Snape replied.

The older man shook his head negatively, "Alone, Severus, I need to speak with him alone."

At this obviously accusatory statement, Severus took a step forward.

"I'm sorry, Albus, but I will not have you interrogating my nephew like this. It is already clear how you feel, and I am plenty aware of your biases."

The headmaster also seemed to go cold, his eyes becoming serious.

"I will hardly be interrogating him, Severus, as you have likely already taught him how to beat Veritaserum, besides the fact that I know that your Veritaserum does not work on you because of the way you make it, so it will not work on him either. In addition, you've taught him how to occlude already. How exactly do you expect me to interrogate him?"

"He won't push you out, Albus. He allowed me to see. Moody cursed him first and there was no killing curse involved, from either party."

"As Alastor pointed out, Severus, I am afraid that you are not impartial. There is no way for me to know if you are telling me the truth about what you saw. Sage also could have shown you what you wanted to see and can do the same for me."

Severus growled, "He cannot fool me, Headmaster, even if he could fool you. He is telling the truth."

"Yes, you are a more skilled Legilimens. But as I said, I cannot trust you in this matter Severus, you would never sacrifice your nephew."

"Then question him, but you are not questioning him alone!"

"I'm afraid that you have no say in this, Severus. He is still a Hogwarts student and this is a serious matter."

"Fine, but I will remember what you have made of your trust. I know where I stand, still, after all these years. You would choose to believe a beat down, old psychopath…"

"Severus, I do not-."

"Do not try that now, Headmaster. Do not. Take him. Talk to him. I have no doubts, none, about what has occurred here," he said, holding Sage forward.

Without another word, he turned on his heel and stalked back in the direction of his rooms. His dark figure disappeared within the shadows almost instantaneously.

Chappie 45 and 46 Author Notes

VD – I'm happy everyone is back too. It means a lot that I could take a break to sort things out and still have a following of sorts. Snape does have a thing about controlling emotions, but the funny thing is that in certain situations, he is even not that good at it. I think those are the situations where he knows that he does not need to control it and that he can let the anger out and have no consequences come of it – for example at Sirius, or Sage, or Harry. You are right that no one is near as good at it as him, so who better to get on Sage's case so that he can do it. Harry (and co) is going to make a comeback now. They will be very involved in the end of the fic and all (well not too much Ron but hey, can't have it all). Hee hee, Amanda annoys me too, that's why I sacked her, planned all along.

MCMish – I does not matter how often you review. What matters is that I know that you are reading and enjoying. Review when you feel particularly motivated or when something in the fic strikes you. ;-)

Carpathia – Thanks for saying that I keep everyone in character, because it is difficult when you put them with different people, with difference circumstances and situations, I appreciate that. Also, Sage and Severus have a very unique relationship and what I have shown you is not everything. I have only written their relationship at Hogwarts and what with acclimatating and the prophecies, neither of them has been their usual self. Which is why they are not getting on so well. You'll see soon how they interacted before Hogwarts and what's is store for them in the future. I've shown a little through the flashbacks, but there is a lot more to their relationship and especially to Severus. He's just pissy right now, ;-) best I can explain it. So, you will get to see more of what you were hoping for.

Xiomara – Sorry about the pot thing being confusing. I akm going to have to repost those chapters with a note so that everyone knows. The earlier chapters were taken down. ;-) You are right about Severus needing a reality check sometimes, and Sage knows exactly when to give it so that he doesn't get in trouble. In those moments, he can really capitalize on the fact that he knows that his uncle does care for him… much the same way Severus capitalizes on the fact that he knows that Sage cares for him too and can guilt-trip him like no other. ;-) Sage is getting things back together. There will be a few more bumps to Sev being happy with him, but the one thing that will stay true through the bumps is that you will notice Sage being more mature and in control about it. He remembers how to smoothe things over with his uncle.

Diaphanous – Thanks for what you said about my writing the second task with Krum and Hermione. I do not really remember being jealous like that and I still am not, so it was hard to write, especially from a guys point of view. Sage is the kind of person who can react violently when he is really jealous or upset, but he is more prone to take it out on himself than on others. I hope that you liked this chapter. Let me know what you think of it. ;-)

VD – Damn fanfic for not posting your entire review. I thought it ended a bit short. Hee hee. Sage os such a lovely boy, in more ways than one. I am going to try to post a drawing I did of how I see him sometime in the future, or perhaps email it out. I loved the stiff drink part too. I like to throw in some laughs, it's essential, and with both of them being sarcastic Snapes, it is rather easy. They speak for themselves.

Eline – Sorry about the confusion with the chapters, IO'll have to fix that. Your english is great by the way. Thanks for the detailed reviews, they are a reall help. I'll never leave my story hanging either.;-) Harry and Sage will have some issues that will continue for awhile and you will see why, especially when I write the fifth year. **imagine this, how will Harry feel when Sage knows more than him… What will Sage say when Harry asks him to help with Sirius and the DOM…** They cannot get along sweetly for awhile, but at the end of this fic, you'll have some interesting Harry and Sage interaction. Afterall, Harry isn't stupid and he knows deep down that Sage is a good guy. The same way that he knows that Snape is as well. It is simply wanting to admit it and act like it. Let me know what you think of Harry's part in this chappie. ;-) Im curious to know!

Lady J 44– Draco get at BRAIN, Draco gets a brain *dances around*! Yes, Draco will have a brain in my fic, but he is not going to change too drastically. AKA, he will not magically (hee hee) become friends with the Trio. And Draco isn't a coward in my fic either. Sometimes I just wish I could say things that would ruin my entire plot, but I can't. You'll just have to wait and see. Draco's role get's bigger as we go along.

Lady J 45- Yes, Sev is rather broken and he needs a bit of fixing… Wish I could tell you stuff here too, buit I can't. Just have to wait and see again. Also, I do not believe that he would be soft of his kin, at least not in the way that you would imagine Sirius or Remus etc being. I see him as being a rather caring 'Slytherin Pureblood Traditionalist', that's my coined term for that. Which means, he is no Lucius Malfoy and he isn't his father, but he's not opposed to hitting Sage in a more minor sense. He also isn't the kind of person who is going to let himself not be in control. Ultimately, being an SPT, means that he wants Sage to be respectful, cultured, academic, and proper. Hee hee, sounds so stuffy!

Eline 45 – Thanks for saying that Snape is in character, I'mn always concerned about that. I hate when people give Severus a relative and turn him into a mush ball. He simply is not that kind of a person, for so many different reasons. (By the way, I'm in training to be a clinical psychologist, so I think that helps me with the characters and such).

Elalien 45 – Yes, poor Sage, and I would smash wood too. In fact, I have before. Karate is such an outlet for anger and all sorts of negative emotions! And Yes, I have moved the entire Sage/pot, Sage/Quill, Sage/Karkaroff thing up in time and deleted the previous ones. Sorry about that! Yes, Sage has not had an attack for awhile and that does mean something, you'll just have to wait and see what that is!

Lady J 46 – I've never been called a poo bumhead! Hee hee. I cannot believe you read at the library, I am so honored. I love it when I hear that my fics inspire such emotions. I cry reading ALL THE TIME! Hee hee. And I always tell the authors too, bc that says something that can't be put into words. Glad you thought that the internal thoughts were funny. I hope it wasn't confusing, but for that conversation, I thought that something would be missing if the thoughts weren't in there. Hope to hear from you soon!

VD 46 – I'm glad you thought Snape was cool, that's what I was going for… comforting but not mushy. It makes me happy that you adore my version of Snape, that is my ultimate goal. ;-) What did you think of him in this chappie… ;-) How do you think he feels being left out and with what Dumbledore said to him? What does he think about Sage and what does he tell Sage?

Xiomara – 46 I am glad that this chappie was better than what you were hoping for. That's so great! Thanks for the comments about how I write realistically. It was difficult to write about Sage talking about Hermione to his uncle, and very difficult to make it believeable and IC. You are so gracious with your praise. Let me know how you feel about this chappie, it was hard too and an important chappie. Lots of plot eggs laid so that they could hatch later. ;-)