Chapter 29: The Aftermath

Chapter 29

The Aftermath

The students stared blankly at Snape, still in shock. "I said, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS? NOOOWWWWWW!"

Everyone jumped. Sage pushed himself back further against the couch, he had nowhere to retreat to, he was trapped. Students were all looking around. Some were staring at him, wondering if they should turn him in, or apologizing for the fact that he was going to get turned in.

"BY MERLIN, WHO STARTED THIS! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?"

Sage swallowed hard, he could feel the floor start to shake under him. His body was tingling. He had never been so afraid in his entire life. He uncle looked rabid, ready to destroy. He stood up. Severus' eyes fell on him because of the movement he had made.

"I, I am," he managed to get out. He stumbled and grabbed both a startled breath and hold of the table. Suddenly a great gasp of wind blew across his face and over the room.

The floor began to tremble even more, something akin to a small earthquake. Glasses feel onto the floor and shattered.

Sage's fists were clenched. He didn't know what was happening, but he had some idea that he was causing it. He could see his uncle moving at him menacingly. The tremors worsened. He couldn't breathe.

This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening right now. This isn't real. I'm so dead. This can't be happening. I'm so high right now. I can't think. This isn't happening. No No.

The walls began to shake, students were falling to the floor all over the place, everyone started screaming.

"Severus, do something," Lupin finally said.

"What? What would you like me to do?"

McGonagall was finally losing her cool as she answered for Remus, "Stupefy him, petrify him, what does it matter, stop this."

Sage's head was swimming. He was feeling sick. His blue eyes met with his uncle's dark ones.

"Stupefying won't work, Minerva, the powers that are coming out of him are too strong, he doesn't even know what is happening. Only something stronger."

"Do it Severus, by Gods, just do it," Remus yelled back at the potion's master.

"Fine, I am doing this for everybody's good."

They stared at him. They weren't very good at staring.

Sage's head was reeling. His eyes were burning. Severus saw it, saw his eyes, saw that ethereal look and knew he had to act fast.

"Do it Severus. Before someone gets badly hurt!"

Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Sage. At the top of his lungs he yelled in his deep voice, "Imperio!" Yes, he had just sent an Unforgivable spell at his nephew. Controlling the boy for him was the only way any control was going to happen.

Sage was caught in a whirlwind suddenly and felt his surroundings melt. His body felt heavy. In the distance he heard a voice telling him to calm down, stop what he was doing, close his eyes, and walk forward. His mind was so swamped with alcohol and marijuana that he had no will to fight it and he submitted. He was weak, he staggered as he tried to walk, he nearly fell to the ground with exhaustion. Whatever he had just done had taken everything out of his already taxed system.

A few minutes, or maybe seconds later, he heard his uncle's voice say something and the world came flying back to him. Severus had lifted the Imperius Curse, he knew it was no longer needed, Sage was now too weak to do any real damage. A matter or minutes of uncontrolled magical power had rendered him defenseless and physically weak.

Sage looked up and he tried to step back as his uncle stalked up to him with Professor Lupin right behind. Professor McGonagall was already yelling at the other students.

His uncle looked so large and more intimidating than he ever had before. His snarl was vicious.

Before he even saw it coming he felt the impact and sting on his left cheek as his uncle gave him a back-handed slap. He stumbled backwards, hit the wall, and fell to the floor. His arm caught the floor first and held up his upper body, protecting his head from smacking into the floor.

A large, pale hand, grabbed his hair and another grabbed his arm and yanked him up off the floor. He fought back the desire to empty his stomach all over, almost more from fear than drunkeness. Another hand clasped around his other arm, digging into his bicep. His head reeled. Beads of sweat rolled down his brow.

"Lupin, he's harmless now. Help Minerva and meet me downstairs. I can take him from here. It's best to get him away from everyone in this state."

The digging fingers released his arm, and Sage suddenly became aware of the jerking, pulling, and tugging on his hair. He reached a hand up to the source. Suddenly his body was thrown forward and through he portrait hole.

The force of his body going forward was too much for him to stop and his head banged up against the stone wall. He could hear Severus growling and grinding his teeth. Before his head had fully rebounded from the impact, the older wizard grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him forward again.

"Stop, I'm coming." He slurred, trying to grab at his hair.

"If you wish to see tomorrow, I would HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" Snape's nose was flaring with anger.

Sage couldn't see where he was going and before they had made it very far, he tripped and almost toppled over straight onto his face. Severus grabbed the boy's arm again and hoisted him up. Sage could see the floor passing under him and it was beginning to make him sick again.

His world was still moving when his uncle threw him into his office and stood glowering over him. Sage was buckled over.

"You brought alcohol here? You brought Cannabis here? I'm going to-" He inhaled sharply and tried to keep his own control, "You are going to be sorry, boy."

Sage didn't respond. His black hair was flapping over his forehead, two tufts of it, one falling over each eyebrow and over his eyes. Finally, he stood up again, his eyes red and glazed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Severus yelled down into his face.

Sage put a hand over his ear and Severus was barely able to make out the words, "Fuck off. Don't yell at me."

Severus grabbed his arm and his hair again and pulled him straight up. He pulled on that thick black hair, until their eyes met. "What did you just say," he snarled.

The alcohol and smoke was heavy on his breath and his words were thick and heavy as if his stomach were churning itself apart. "I, I said. fuck off."

The look on Severus' face was enough to make most normal people shake, but Sage just swayed with his lingering buzz. He dug himself in, and he could not see a way to reverse the downward course. It didn't matter. He could say whatever, and it didn't matter.

Severus slapped him again, seemingly intent on slapping the sense back into him.

Sage caught himself with his hand on the wall, his mouth open. He put his other hand up to his other cheek. He was leaning down again, his face looking to the floor. His breathing was heavy and labored. If he was with his senses, he would have known he was fighting a useless battle, but he was too far gone to turn back.

"Look at me."

Except Sage didn't move.

"I said, LOOK AT ME!"

Sage didn't make a sound. Severus walked up to him and fwhapped him on the back of the head. Sage lost his balance and fell forward onto one knee. He quickly, but drunkenly, got up again.

Severus grabbed his chin and pulled his gaze up to meet his. "You will look at me when I am talking to you."

Sage quickly pushed his uncle's hand off his face and tried to back up away from him. The professor grabbed his nephew's shirt at the collarbone with both hands and slammed him up against the wall as Professors McGonagall and Lupin chose that moment to walk in.

They stood at the door in shock.

"Severus," Minerva began, but Professor Lupin stopped her with his arm before she even made a step forward.

The Potion's master barely even noticed them. His fingers curled around Sage's shirt as he pressed against the young man's collarbone, driving him harder against the wall. Sage grabbed his uncle's wrists and tried to push him off.

"Stop being foolish," Severus snarled in his face.

"Get off me!" Sage yelled back.

The man's face was ghastly white with rage. Sage's face was moist with sweat. The tension was wound to its limit.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you!"

"What the fuck do you care!" The lean youth challenged back.

Severus pulled him off the wall and took one hand off the boy's black shirt, which was now very stretched out. Sage cringed right before his uncle slapped him again. He put an arm up and tried to push the man away from him, at the same time grabbing his mouth with his other hand. One corner of his lip was bleeding. Severus grabbed the arm and pushed Sage up against the wall face first, but not hard enough to hurt him, just enough to get his attention.

"If I believed in it, I would beat you until you were rightly sorry for what you did, until you couldn't move. Don't push me. A couple of slaps would do you some good, I believe in that much."

Minerva jumped and protested at the arm Lupin held on her arm to keep her quiet. "It's not our place to interfere. He isn't doing any lasting harm and it is Severus' nephew. It is his right to discipline him as he sees fit. That goes before your being his head of house." Remus said quietly in her ear

"Why did he want us to be here then, Remus?"

Lupin shook his head, "I don't think he expected this would happen. I didn't."

Severus pushed his weight into Sage's back and held his one arm pressed painfully against his back too.

"I don't care, then bloody do it." Sage said, his voice stifled into the wall.

He got turned around and slapped again before he knew what had happened. McGonagall jumped against Lupin's arm, apparently not used to such heavy handed tactics.

"Sage, I am your uncle and you will OBEY me."

Sage didn't answer him, but he was visibly tiring. His mind was catching up with him and he knew he was only making things worse, but he had already gone so far. His body was less numb and he became more aware of the sensation of pain.

"Look at me." Severus was tiring of giving orders that weren't being listened to. He didn't give another warning. He grabbed Sage by the hair again and made him look at him. "Now, do you understand me?" Sage didn't respond again. His last bit of fight hadn't given away yet. "Merlin, don't try me, boy, do you understand?" He spat all over Sage's face as he yelled this down at him.

It was barely perceptible but he saw his nephew blink his eyes and make an attempt at a nod. He was giving in.

"Answer me." Severus said to him, softer this time. He wasn't going to let up until he knew Sage was completely throwing in the white flag. He was going to put his nephew in his place.

"Yes," the tall boy answered softly.

Severus raised an eyebrow and shook him a little bit. "What?"

"I SAID YES!"

"Unless you want another slap across your disrespectful mouth, I would drop that tone, NOW!"

Sage directed his eyes downward and didn't answer. Severus put his hand up and backhanded him again, although not nearly as hard. It was more of a warning than anything.

"Answer me, Sage." He shook him again.

Sage looked up again with his eyes. His stomach dropped.

"Yes, yes sir, I understand you."

Severus let go of his hair and took a step back. Sage eyed him warily, rubbing his mouth and cheek, which were now bright red. Professor Snape made sure to glare at him harshly.

After a minute or two, Severus looked up at the other two professors. He sighed.

"Lupin, Minerva, you don't need to stand there by the door."

Minerva came up and stood next to Severus in his threatening black robes and Professor Lupin stood off to the side a bit.

The older woman looked Sage up and down. "What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Snape," she asked him.

Sage took his eyes off his uncle and looked at her and then looked down. He really didn't have anything to say. He wouldn't know where to start. They wouldn't understand anyway. His attempt at shirking reality had sadly only worked for a short time. Now it was right back up in his face.

"Nothing, hmpf." She shook her head. "Never has a student dared to bring those substances into this school. Cigarettes? Bochman's Blasting Blue Raspberry Vodka? Marijuana? You were clearly not thinking. Regardless, you will explain yourself to the headmaster tomorrow morning. Until then I believe Professor Snape is perfectly capable of dealing with you himself." She walked out.

Sage looked at Lupin, who had a look of disbelief plastered on his face. The man stared at him for a minute before he chose his words.

"Whatever respect you have built up for yourself, you have managed to squash in just one night. You endangered a lot of students tonight as well as yourself. Many apologies are due. especially to your uncle. This little display," he said, "was shameful, disrespectful, and beneath you."

He too stalked out.

Sage looked down and held his stomach. The alcohol was catching up with him and he had just been through an ordeal nauseating in and of itself. He could feel his uncle's eyes boring a hole through the top of his head.

"Your cheek will most likely get you expelled. I hope you found it all quite worth it. I never thought you capable of such behavior, apparently I should have kept tighter rein on you," Severus said. "You lost total control of your magic. Do you even appreciate how dangerous that is?!"

Sage looked up and swallowed. His drunken and drugged anger had faded and he himself was surprised at all that he had said and done. Alcohol does change your perception of consequences.

"It is a small matter that you do not see fit to explain yourself to the two of them, but you will explain yourself to me."

Sage blinked his eyes and exhaled, "There is nothing to explain, sir. I did it, it felt good, end of story."

Severus closed the gap between them again, "As I said earlier, and this is your final warning, do not take that tone with me unless you want a slap across your mouth."

Sage crossed his arms. "Fine, sir, I won't say anything then."

The man kept good to his word. Sage pursed his lips after and looked up at his uncle again. His face was undoubtedly pink.

The professor raised a finger at him, calculatingly. "Do not think, boy, that I do not know something is wrong. Try as you may to hide it, I know you. Now, you will tell me what is going on. And you will tell me now."

Sage just kept looking at him without saying anything. He knew if he started to explain, he would lose his reserve again. Everything his life was based on was being taken away from him.

"You will stand here and think about it until you do see fit to tell me then." Severus scowled and seated himself behind his desk.

So Sage stood there shifting his weight back and forth in silence as his uncle worked on the papers on his desk. Bile kept rising up from his stomach. His head was pounding with pain. His body was warm and clammy.

"Sir, I think I'm going to be sick."

Severus lifted his eyes and laid a pointed glare on his nephew. His dark eyes were so cold, like they always were in the classroom. "I don't want to hear anything come out of your mouth until you explain yourself. And I do not suggest you get sick in my office."

Sage's mouth dropped open and he quickly slammed it shut. "Then I need to go to the bathroom, sir, or I am going to be sick right here."

His uncle slammed his open hands on his desk as he stood up and yelled, "SILENCE! I have had enough of your mouth tonight. I said you are not moving until you explain. You are responsible for getting yourself sick and you will deal with it yourself OR EXPLAIN!"

His eyes were wide as he watched his uncle sit back down giving him a look of complete disgust and disappointment. Sage's stomach wrenched, he swallowed it before it came flying out of his mouth. He longed to put his head on a toilet seat and let everything out.

He stood there in front of his uncle for four hours, until morning. Finally Severus stood and looked at him without blinking or shifting his gaze at all.

Bleary eyed, Sage looked back. The only things he could think about were what he had read on those scrolls, what the prophecy had said about his life. He had never asked for any of it, and the more he thought about it the more angry, scared, and sick it made him.

Severus stalked forward and grabbed him by the arm, leading him out of his office.

"Fine, I was giving you a chance to explain yourself to me, so that maybe I would see fit to help you to not get expelled this morning. Now you will have to explain yourself to the headmaster anyway. Get cleaned up and ready to go. You smell disgusting."