Silence beckoned the greasy-haired dungeon bat closer to the flames of the fireplace that flared to life from time to time, but still burnt a startling shade of green. A tone almost reminiscent of the killing curse. His usual cloak had been shrugged off of his broad-shoulders and abandoned near the entrance of the manor, in the space between the foyer and the wet-room. His warily black hues seemed focused on the flames that danced over the wood as it chipped away, and turned from ember to ash. His left hand was pocketed in the muggle attired he'd chosen to wear underneath his robes at the will-reading, while his right hand gripped onto his wand. A grip that fluctuated with each second — tight to loose and loose to tight. However, the position of his padded-tips did not vary from the stick of magical wood in case of an attack. After all, the fireplace had been locked when he'd left earlier, and not a single flame should have burnt or rekindled on that time.

Someone had entered his house without his knowledge, and was most likely still inside.

With each well-placed and morbidly silent footfall, Severus Snape neared the 'supposedly vacant' living area, where the heath burned with a vengeance in reflection of the recent floo-travel. His head was tilted to the left side as his deadened hues narrowed and scanned the area. The manor held an eery atmosphere that stole the air from his lungs as his form quivered. It reminded him of a demon summons, or a meeting with a rather upset Dark Lord. Severus had been privy to the punishments of fellow Death Eater's — forced to watch as their lithe forms twitched spasmodically under the dreaded power of the cruciatus curse — driven mad by the pain and uncontrollable muscle spasms that resided after the curse had been released. He had treated some of them, but none of them had ever recovered. At this moment, the man felt as though he'd angered the Dark Lord from beyond the grave, and the spirit of the damned had returned to punish him. He felt as though he was about to face most imminent death.

Da-dum. Da-dum.

He could hear the sound of his erratic heartbeat inside of his temporal cavity as the noise echoed throughout his cranium, and encouraged a spike in his adrenalin-levels. He shivered as the air in the room became cold as though a dementor waited for him around the corner — prepared to relieve him of his soul and life. The grip on his wand faltered for a few second as his form reached the archway that led to the living area. Out of the corner of his inky-black hues a figure danced in the shadows. It moved but also remained still as it repositioned itself in the leather chair to the side of the room — the one near the book case — opposite his desk.

He sighed. It was a relieved sigh as defiance and fear fled from his form — drained away by the familiar face that greeted him in the corner of the room. He clenched his teeth in angst and pocketed his wand.

"Breaking and entering? How awfully mundane of you, Lucius"

He greeted in a spiteful tone as a sneer wore away his exhaustion. He hadn't spoken to Lucius since the Dark Lord's defeat — after he'd accused the other of lying to save himself from prosecution. Their friendship had been fractured and if Severus had to choose — it would never be repaired.

He paused as his form moved on autopilot towards the drink-cart opposite to the fireplace. He reached out and cupped the bottle — and made sure to take a whiff before it was poured. He had to make sure it wasn't poisoned. Once checked and dispersed, the man collected the glass and moved towards the office chair. The patterned leather frame was worn from decades of familia use, but was still comfortable and 'superior' in the way it demanded attention. He gestured for Lucius to speak as his hands motioned the glass closer to his own mouth.

"What are you doing here, Lucius? What do you want? I doubt very much that this is a social visit…"

Lucius remained unmoved as the other chattered and sneered. While the platinum blond pureblood had broken into the others home — it wasn't really his fault — as Severus had failed to change the private password to his floo-network after their friendship fractured. Granted, it wouldn't have been too hard to guess a newly crafted password as most were crafted around a certain flower. He waited until the other had poured his drink and finished speaking, before the weighted words left his own mouth. His tongue felt heavy from the statement as emotion unbridled his filter.

"O-Orion. Sev…"

He paused. He had forgotten that in spite of their familiarity with each other, the pair were no longer friends.

"Severus — Orion has been found. However, under the circumstances, I have no idea how to bring him home"

The dungeon bat seemed to falter as the half-empty glass slipped from his padded-tips, and shattered on impact with the laminated cedar below his chair. He swallowed and shook his head in disbelief. Maybe, he'd been wrong, and Lucius had truely tried poisoned him with an undetectable potion or herb.

"O-Orion? Lucius, Orion is dead. He burned in the fire the order started. He is dead, Lucius. Gone…"

He choked out as Orion had originally been his only godchild. However, upon his death and the death of Avery Senior, Lucius had named him Godfather to Draconis too. But, in spite of this, the man still missed his original charge. His little Orion — the same child that had vomited on the Dark Lord's shoulder, only for the monster to smile. He was truely special, but in spite of what Malfoy Senior claimed — was gone. He wouldn't and couldn't believe otherwise.

Lucius seemed unmoved once-more by the others words, and instead chose to shake his head in dismay. He knew the lie that Severus had been told — that all of them had been told — but the letter he'd received from Lily Potter dismissed the claim of the light and brought hope to his darkened heart. He coughed and straightened out in the uncomfortable seat in from of the desk. While the chair had been designed for comfort it brought none to the blond haired aristocrat as his left hand snaked into the breast pocket of his coat to unveil a dampened piece of parchment — which held the truth. He smiled, albeit faintly.

"They lied, Severus. The light. Dumbledore. The Potter's. Black. They all lied to us. He didn't die in that fire. He was kidnapped and charmed to look like another child. Tell me, Severus. You remember the Potter child, correct? Before the defeat of the Dark Lord and the unveiling of the supposed prophecy. You remember him and his sickly appearance, right? Lily had forbad you from seeing him as he'd been too sick to expose to the public. Most doctors had claimed he'd never make it through the night — and yet — a month after the fire the child was healthy. Albeit a little bit big for his age…"

He stated periodically, the filter between his brain and his mouth unwound. The words were released like a rapid-fire canon — but no acute accusation was made — merely speculated.

Severus attempted to make sense of the others claim in order to unravel the mystery laid out before him. However, all ties linked back to the same conclusion — the impossible conclusion that Orion was alive. He couldn't believe it. He refused to believe it.

"Lucius. Clearly, you aren't feeling well…"

His words were cut short as the blond man thrusted the parchment into his hands. He'd been so caught up in his mind that he'd failed to notice that the other had changed positions, displaced himself from the chair and moved to stand in front of his desk — in front of him. He had lost all wit as the other had taken control of the conversation with that simple move as Snape no longer looked down at the man to meet his gaze, but instead was forced to look up. He was silenced — miffed.

He sighed impatiently, and shook his head as his neck curved and inky-black hues flickered down to the letter. He paused. Captured by the familiar slanted 'i's and 'e's. His heart clenched inside of his chest as his hands gripped onto the paper a little tighter.

"Lily…"

He whispered faintly.

"All the evidence you need is there, Severus. The paper is laced with veritaserum. I tested it while I waited for you — hope you don't mind…"

He added in a snarky, but heartfelt tone. HIs own hands trembled as they reached behind him, in order to find and grasp ahold of the chair-arms behind him. He lowered himself back into the chair and waited.

Severus read through the letter again and again — unable to believe the words that lifted from the page and stained his brain with 'the real truth' behind the death of Orion. He felt sick to his stomach as his hands relinquished their hold on the letter, which fell like a feather in the wind to his desk. His inky-black hues were stretched wide in disbelief as his mind computed the implications of the letter along with the claim that Lucius had made earlier.

His mouth felt dry as his tongue lolled inside of the cavity, unable to move in sync with his thoughts. He paused and attempted to care down as his dual optics focused on the blond in front of him.

"O-Orion is alive…"

He gasped warily, half in shock and half in awe. His godson had survived the fire, but his former-love and crush had betrayed him.

Lucius smiled and bobbed his head. He understood the shock the other felt as he too had felt it. He leaned forward and pressed the base of his hands into the others desk to impose absolute control.

"That's right, Severus. Orion is alive. He was kidnapped and charmed to look like someone else. Harry James Potter, saviour of the wizarding world is my son — and I want him back. Will you help me?"

A/N: After two long years, I have returned. Yesterday, I rewrote the first chapter, and today, I provide you with another chapter — the long awaited second chapter. I do plan on continuing this but the posts will vary based on my schedule. So, please comment and tell me what you think.