Chapter 53: Promises and Promises

Promises and Promises

Sage woke up underneath what seemed like a heap of blankets and still felt rather cold. With his right hand, he pushed the microsuede grey blanket out of his face and looked around. A candle lighted next to him as he had willed it and a split obligingly went down his skull.

Not a good idea to use wandless magic, indeed. He thought. Blast that hurts. Why is it that I can deal with most things, but a good headaches just gets me?

He tried to sit up, growled in painful frustration and fell back a few inches onto the bed, feeling rather helpless.

Dim light creeped into the room as the door opened slightly and quietly.

"Sir? How did you know I was up?"

Severus smiled slightly. It was surprising how much of his skills his nephew had yet to discover. Their shared genealogy ensured that Sage would have the ability too, he just had to fine tune it. It was a trait reminiscent of the ancestry and relation to The Snake, Nag, or however you would call him.

"I heard you growl," he stated simply. "Well, I hope that you have learned something from this experience…"

Sage sighed, why did the man have to get on him so quickly, "You may as well say that you told me so, Uncle."

The man stared at him, "…"

Sage scowled and then winced, "I should have taken your advice and rested, sir, though I am not sure what difference it would have made."

"You will rest now."

"I do not have much of a choice, do I? I cannot really move."

"A good thing it is too. It won't do for you to be sick during your OWLs. This was a particularly strong one as well."

"Yes, yes it was," he stated, his eyes become glossed over and vacant.

Severus frowned. Sage's reaction after having the vision concerned him, and now Sage was being distant.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?" He asked, directly.

Sage looked at him for a moment, his blue eyes looking very drained, his face looking worried.

"Can I ask you something first, Uncle?" He said, quietly.

"Yes, of course."

Severus's brow was raised. His suspicions were up. It was bad, very bad. He is very bothered.

"Last year you told me that you did not know that Voldemort was going to try and kill my father. I was just wondering what you would have done had you known that it was going to happen?"

The professor could not hide all the shock that was on his face, no matter how hard he was in control of himself.

"I would have gone there and tried to stop it, and I would have died," he said it stately and solemnly, without hesitation.

"Would he have wanted you to do that though?"

Sage watched closely as his Uncle's face expressed the thoughts that were going through his mind. His black eyes were not bottomless pits at all.

"No, I don't expect he would have. He would have seen no need for both of us to die."

"But you would have done it, because it was the right thing to do, because he was your brother and you cared about him?"

"No question, even knowing that he would not want me to, I would not have been able to not try and help him. And it was not because he was my brother or because I cared about him." He stopped for a brief moment and collected a breath as if what he was about to say was so difficult that it was stuck in his throat, but he did not go on.

Sage looked down at the blankets briefly, not knowing whether to interrupt the silence.

"Sir, if you had known what was going to happen, would you have told him?"

The man's eyebrow quirked up again. Why is he asking me this?

"I do not know, Sage, what I would have done. I probably would have had to tell him, even if I did not want to, but I think that he was the one who knew what was going to happen."

Sage frowned, "You think he knew that he was going to die?"

"Yes, I am almost absolutely sure that he did know, and it was he that did not tell me what was going to happen."

"Ohh."

Severus took inhaled deeply through his nose, "You saw something happen to me, didn't you?"

Hastily, Sage looked away, his hands instantaneously balling into fists.

A very rare sigh escaped the man's mouth. This is why he was so upset, is so upset. No wonder…

He touched Sage's shoulder. "Look at me," he said, quietly, suddenly feeling very overrun.

Sage looked at him, his eyes showing a loss that had not even occurred yet.

"You saw me die?"

Swallowing, Sage answered waveringly, "Yes." He choked and self-consciously ran his hand through his hair.

Severus let out another sigh. He was so very bad at dealing with situations like this, so very unpracticed. Sage looked so young when his large blue eyes were aggrieved and slightly watery like they were.

"Sometimes the future is malleable, sometimes it is not. It is very likely that I will die in this. I will not lie to you, Sage, because you are too old for such lies. We do not know when, we do not know how, we do not even know if it will happen for sure. Visions are not pictures of a static future necessarily. They are a picture of the future as a product of the moment. At a different moment they might not be the same… You must promise me something…"

Sage looked up at him, showing an immense amount of control for the magnitude of emotion he was feeling.

"What?" he asked, his voice slightly raspy.

"You must promise me that if this future is not malleable, that you will not try to change it at the expense of your life."

Sage started, visibly aggitated at the thought.

In one swift moment, Severus made Sage stop with his mouth open. His eyes had become so very serious and empathetic that Sage did not need to feel the man's other hand on his other shoulder to know how strongly his Uncle felt about this promise.

"Promise me," he repeated, keeping Sage's eyes locked.

Almost in a whisper he said, "How will I know if it is malleable or not?"

"In that moment when a decision needs to be made, you will know. If you will lose your life, then it is not malleable. Do you understand?"

Sage nodded, "Yes… I just don't know if I can have the knowledge that you are going to die without trying to do something about it."

"That is why you must promise me, Sage. The absolute last thing that I want is to die only to have you die right along with me. Whatever I must do, I must be able to do it knowing that you won't do something foolish."

He closed his eyes for a brief moment before saying, "I promise."

"You must hold to that promise. Nothing, nothing is more important than that. If anything should happen to me, do not let me die in vain."

Sage bit the inside of his lip. The extent to which his Uncle had apparently thought about his fate was crippling him with emotion, emotion that he was not used to feeling, and it seemed as if he was feeling it twenty-fold.

"Okay," he responded, not trusting himself to be able to say more than that without sounding like a blithering idiot.

"Will you be all right?"

"Yes, sir, I'll be okay."

Severus stared at him, wondering if his statement was true. Seeing someone's death was a heavy load, let alone seeing someone's death whom you were close to.

Silence took them for a long time, as both were lost to their thoughts.

Finally Severus said something very quietly, which was uncharacteristic of him.

"As much as I would have liked to try my damnedest to save him, I know that he would have much rather I lived. I honor his memory much more by being here when he cannot be, than by dying beside him. He would have wanted this for me. He would have wanted me to have another chance to do things right, as I should have. Although I wish he could have been here for you, instead of me."

Sage looked at him with those blue eyes, surrounded by those dark, long eyelashes. He frowned.

"I wish I could have known him, sir, but I am happy."

The man shook his head, "You should have had a father."

"I was not supposed to have one," he answered quietly, "that was decided before I was born. You were chosen, Uncle, for a reason. The prophecy…it said so." He stopped and took another deep breath. "And I think you were right, he knew. That first day at Lyon Llyonyss when I entered my llywen for the first time, I think I saw him. He said something about having to leave me, but that his blood would stay with me, or something like that."

A strange look crossed Severus's face. One Sage was sure he had not seen before. It passed before Sage had the opportunity to analyse it further.

"You should get some more sleep, and do not worry about what you have seen. Remember what you promised me and remember to live day to day with the future in mind. Do not live day to day with the future overcoming the present or in fear of the future. It could easily overwhelm you, and you are not so weak and foolish."

When Sage heard the sound of knocking on his Uncle's door, his heart began racing. Immediately he remembered how Hermione had come to check on him and give him his homework after one of his other visions. Would it be too much to hope that his absence had made her worry about him again and that she was at the door now?

He watched with rapt attention as Severus went to the door. His eyes were nearly bugging out of his head. The door opened further. Sage's heart seemed to stop.

In the doorframe stood Draco Malfoy, who was certainly no Hermione Granger.

Draco smirked, "Don't look so disappointed."

Sage forced a smile.

"Expecting Amanda Macnair?" He asked raising his eyebrows, a sly smile on his face.

"Not exactly…Someone else… Although you are always welcome. Sorry if I seemed slightly unexcited to see you."

Draco sat down on the leather chair at this side and drapsed his arms over the armrests.

"I can certainly not offer the comforts that a girl would."

"So you understand?"

Draco nodded, his grey eyes looking mischievious, "Of course. On the other hand, I could keep you company. It must get rather boring all cooped up in here with Professor Snape working."

Sage patted a book on the couch next to him, "Astronomy and I have been bonding."

"Surprised I came?"

"No, I would not say that."

Shrugging, Draco said, "I asked the Professor what had happened and if you were all right. He suggested that I come and see for myself… So, if it isn't Amanda you are hoping for, should I take it that you are no longer together?"

"That assumption would be correct."

Draco leaned forward, his eyes narrowing, "So…did she not…"

Sage arched an eyebrow at him suspiciously, "Cousin, are you asking me if I stopped dating her because she wouldn't sleep with me?"

Wetting his lips in anticipation Draco answered, "I was, but perhaps I was wrong by the way you say that. How was it?"

Sage brushed the hair out of his eyes and answered flatly, "We didn't. It never got to that point, or did you forget that my Uncle kept me otherwise engaged?"

"As if you could not find a spare opportunity?!"

"No, didn't care to."

Draco leaned even closer and whispered desperately, "Are you CRAZY!"

"Perhaps," Sage said, lifting a cup to his mouth.

"Who is this girl that has attracted your attentions away from someone that you already had in your pocket?"

"…" Sage stared at Malfoy harshly.

"Well, I suppose I don't need to know. So, did you ask her out yet?"

"No, I don't think she fancies me much, at least not anymore."

"Why are you wasting your time then? At least half the females in this school would love to be your girlfriend."

A quizzical expression crossed Sage's face, as if he were wondering it there was any validity to what Malfoy was saying.

"She's different."

Draco slapped him on the arm, "Then stop wasting your time, dolt. Get on it, talk to her, ask her out."

"I don't think it will do much good."

"Hey, at least then you will know for sure. If she says no, then you'll know you can move on."

"Since when are you an expert? I don't see you with a girlfriend." Sage said spitefully.

Draco chuckled, "She's French, and she goes to Beauxbatons with Fleur. Ask her, she knows her quite well. They are both part Veela, as I am."

"Really?" Sage asked, clearly shocked.

"Yes, really. You seem surprised, I'm insulted," Draco added in mock hurt.

"Well, why every would a girl want to be with an arrogant prick like you?" Sage asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Everyone makes sacrifices to get their girl, and you know as well as I what acts are put on here at Hogwarts."

A pensieve look shadowed Sage's face, his brow furrowed deeply, "So I should talk to her, regardless."

"Most definitely. The benefits outweigh the possible risks, don't you think?"

"I suppose."

Draco smirked again, "No, trust me, the benefits far outweigh the risks."

"What benefits?"

"What are the two of you talking about so heatedly," the Professor suddenly asked, showing up in the living room.

"Nothing," they both answered a little too quickly.

A frown appearing on his face, Snape stared at both of them critically. He snorted, a knowing look crossing his face, before he turned to the kitchen shaking his head. Boys, who the hell do they think they are fooling?

A/N

Thank you all so much for reading and review. Not long to go now!

Nick – Thanks for the review. I am glad that you are enjoying the story. Since you left me your email, I will send you emails when I update, I have a list I send it out to. I will also follow Sage through to the end, although I may write before JKR writes the corresponding year. Let me know what you think.

Xiomara – Yes, that was very difficult for Sage, but even more difficult was trying to have this conversation with his Uncle. What did you think of it, did it go ok? Animal planet rules, but I ony get to watch TV when I am on break! Graduate school is a bitch.

Lisa – I will pass you willingness on to Sage, in case Hermione does not take him up. He may need someone to turn too. Good luck with school, I hope to hear from you soon.

The Seductress (Yes, Miss Darkshadow, this is you!) – Silk, I agree, for sure. Sage's boxers are silk in case you or anyone else wants to know. Assorted dark, broody colors, hee hee. Perhaps we will get into that later! If JKR kills Snape, I will write hate mail with you, because that would be SOOO wrong. If she does kill him off, it had better be at the very end of book 7. ;-)

Anonymous – Wow, a death threat! I am glad you feel so strongly about Snape. I share those sentiments. ;-)

Carpathia – Yes, I like them getting on too. Writing those harsher more physical chapters was very difficult. It needed to happen, but it needed to happen in a way where Sev did not seem like an abuser, because he most certainly isn't. He cares very deeply about Sage, whether or not he is able to show it or realize it. ;-) Pretty much everything is not done, so you are right. There will be much much more training and Voldie. You'll have to see when we get there!

Thanks to all of you that I do not hear from that are reading. I hope I bring you some enjoyment!