Chapter 26: Defiance

Chapter 26

Defiance

Dumbledore had believed Sirius, especially after what Sage had told him. Dumbledore was an old and wise enough wizard to respect Sage's powers. With his knowledge of Black's innocence, he could not let the man receive the Kiss. He had known Black for a long time before Harry's parents were killed, and while he was a trouble maker and irresponsible, he had a good heart. He was also Harry's Godfather.

Needless to say the headmaster was quite pleased when Harry and Hermione were successful in helping Black and Buckbeak escape from Hogwarts. Sage was happy too. He knew Black was innocent and it wasn't fair for him to be railroaded, even if his uncle did have a grudge against him. The man had already suffered enough, being in Azkaban for so long.

Sage was sitting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione telling them about his visions and how he knew Black was innocent when his uncle came flying in. He wasn't even completely through the door when he began yelling about Harry and his friends having something to do with Black's escape.

Of course the Minister was having none of Snape's accusations. But Severus was maniacal, madder than Sage had ever seen him, and that was saying something. He looked ready to devour the Gryffindors. Headmaster Dumbledore finally came in after hearing him yelling.

"Potter, you helped him escape! By Gods Potter, I swear I'll have your neck for this!"

The headmaster interjected that the three students had not left the hospital wing. Poppy confirmed that they had not left. Sage nodded and looked at his uncle.

"Sir, I've been here the entire time too," he lied. He had come back with Dumbledore in time to let Harry and Hermione back in the room. But it appeared he had been there the entire time.

"Silence!"

"Severus, calm down," the headmaster said, putting a hand on him.

Severus swatted it off in indignation. After a completely harrowing five minutes Snape finally stalked out. Sage sat with the three others in the hospital wing hoping he had escaped his uncle's anger for the night. He's be better off if he did not see his uncle until the next day, especially after he contradicted him like that. Severus would be fuming about that. On top, Black had escaped. He wasn't sure his uncle would even be able to control his anger. Sage did not want to be in front of it to find out.

Severus slammed the door to his office. His own damn family, his own nephew, had stood against him. Sage did not even have an excuse like the Gryffindors, Sirius Black had definitely not confunded Sage, not unless he managed it right under the headmaster's nose. Regardless of the danger of it for Sage's future, the boy should have been put in Slytherin! The only reason the hat had not was because of its possible consequences for a young Magi. Sage had come with all the qualities of a Slytherin and now he had intermingled with those meddling, annoying Gryffindors, and he was turning in to a disconcerting mix between the two houses.

It was the typical Gryffindor lack of control and respect that angered Severus. The boy had to learn when to keep his mouth shut. He had been crossing the lines between respect and disrespect with discouraging frequency.

Severus paced back and forth across the room, his robes swishing about around him. He crossed his arms and snarled.

He had lost the Order of Merlin because of the meddling of a bunch of teenagers, and the headmaster had not shown any sign of being displeased with the matter, Severus knew Dumbledore and he had recognized the look on the man's face. Nobody else saw triumph, but he had.

After all he had done for the man he believed a convict and a bunch of teenagers over him. He had seen Black, he had seen Lupin trying to protect him. Hell, Granger never would have stupefied him if she had not been confuded, the girl was too proper for that, or at least she was too much of a sycophant. No, stunning a professor would have fallen under that girl's rules not to be broken list. She might follow Potter and Weasley, but she never put more than one foot out of line, much less throwing her whole body out of line.

Severus growled in anger. He had risked his life many times over and Dumbledore had no gratitude. He had no gratitude that Severus had agreed to take on and teach the boy, even if it was his own nephew.

He continued stalking back and forth, his fluid movements making no sound against the floor. The only sound in the room was his snarling or growling.

Worst of all, he had gotten so angry, he had let himself betray his emotions. He had made himself look crazed, but he wasn't. Why couldn't any one else see what a trouble that Potter boy was. He was as impudent as James, and he would drag his friends into just as much trouble. Just like James had.

If only the boy had more of Lily in him, more wisdom, more reservation, more sense. If only someone had cultivated that in him, instead of giving him a big head by making him some sort of celebrity.

It was not as if Potter had done anything himself to make the Dark Lord fall, it was sheer luck, actually it was Lily. Lily was the smart one. Potter probably just sat there staring at the Dark Lord's wand, drooling all over himself. That did not deserve celebrity status! If Dumbledore did not allow the boy such liberties, maybe he would be more like Lily, maybe he would learn. Severus ground his teeth together. "Ergh."

His mind dismissed Potter and traveled back to Sage. That boy certainly had no reason to act so stupid, so impudent, it wasn't in him. He could have grabbed him by his thin neck and thrown him straight out of the hospital wing. Severus had more sense than that, but he couldn't help his fantasies. If only it were ethical to treat children that way when they were disobedient.

But he remembered what it was like to be treated that way, and he knew it was not the right way from first hand experience. An able mind could inspire any emotion without using brute, uncontrolled violence. He was determined to do so.

A couple of slaps here and there, a well deserved lecture, the withdrawal of certain privileges, and the assignment of less than desirable duties worked so well for him. Sage would be sorry. He was probably already sorry for his cheek. Sage was smart enough to know when he acted badly, unlike Potter who had no remorse. But his nephew's voice kept resounding in his head, saying that he, Severus Snape, was wrong. That he, Sage, knew better. Than in the whole of an hour of being around Black, he knew the man was innocent.

Severus knew Black, he knew Black. He had seen Black capable of murder at the age of sixteen, and Black had shown no remorse then. He thought murder was a joke. Sage did not know Black.

The stupid boy, he would scare him tomorrow. He would stare at him until he wanted to run away. He would talk poisonously.

He clenched his fists tightly and pursed his lips. He would not have his own nephew behave that way.

Severus found him during the afternoon the next day and dragged him by the arm all the way from the Great Hall down to the dungeons. Sage's arm was numb. His uncle let go of his arm at the door of his office. Sage stood by the door, as far away from Severus as he could get.

"If you ever speak against me again, you will be sorry that I ever took you in."

Severus said this so coldly, so poisonously, that Sage was rattled. The man had not even raised his voice. In fact, it was in more of a whisper, but it was worse than a yell. He knew that Severus would be angry, he had expected it. He knew that they would eventually get passed it, they always did, but then next few days, or weeks, would be hard.

"Yes, sir, I don't know what came over me." He did know what came over him, but he knew better than to say anything contrary.

Sage's fear showed on his pale face and the way that he stood so closely to the door. He hoped that he could placate his uncle slightly if he was extremely respectful and seemingly penitent. Sometimes that ploy worked, although Severus saw through it with about as much frequency.

"When I tell you to do something, you will do it. Apparently this was not clear, is it clear now?"

The boy had come expecting yelling. Severus smiled to himself, he knew that this method would be far worse.

"Yes, sir." The boy answered, swallowing.

The tall man came right up to him and looked down at him. Sage could feel his angry breaths.

"You had better not step out of line anytime soon."

"I won't, sir."

He did not like Severus to be mad at him, much less mad enough to punish him. He wasn't planning on stepping out of line again anytime soon. It was not as if it had been on the top of his priority list to begin with.

He wished that he did not know Black was innocent, because other than that he had no allegiances to the man. He could have cared less if he did not know that the man had suffered enough already. It took a lot for him to disregard his uncle or disobey him.

Sage had seen the brunt of his anger before and those few times made him not want to see it again. The most powerful weapon Severus had against Sage was that he was all Sage had, and if he disowned him, he wouldn't have anybody.

He also believed that his uncle was a good man and deserved to be respected. It was a combination of things that made Sage want to please him and respect him. Severus preyed upon these things, he knew his nephew well. They were cut from similar cloth.