Hey everyone,
Thank goodness I got to wait a month with this chapter. I now know what I want for Snape and I what I want the conversation – conversation, not duel – to be like between him and the Marauders. And for all those who are expecting Sirius and James to harass and belittle Snape over his actions, sorry, not this story.
I got plans,
Venquine1990
Chapter 42
Various Truths
14th of August 1995
Headmaster's office, Hogwarts
Snape's POV
The minute the Auror that works for Dumbledore showed up, I felt betrayed and thought that Dumbledore no longer trusted me as working for him and spying for his cause. But the man told me that Dumbledore was busy elsewhere and that he was here as a neutral party to take me to a meeting with those wretched Marauders.
Instantly I was on edge, ready to defend myself and rage at Potter for failing to protect Lily – my Lily – but when Shacklebolt showed me that he had their wands, I was shocked and confused. With Potter back with his kid, I was sure he'd be out for my blood and that my days of torture and humiliation were going to make a comeback.
Instead did I tentatively hand the man my wand as well, not revealing to him that it was only one of those fake wands that those Weasley twins made that I had a secret Wandmaker fix so that it would work just as well as my own without changing into something else at any given time. A snake never reveals all his scales.
"You're not this trusting." Shacklebolt suddenly says as we are leaving the dungeons and it takes me a bit to make sure I don't stumble or look too startled. "You're expecting some kind of confrontation and I can understand why and am expecting at least a small one myself, but Sirius, James and Remus are not here for that purpose."
This makes me glare at the man, who can't possibly know the Marauders the way I do and yet the man only turns to look at me and says: "I respect your skills as a spy, Snape, so I'd like you to do the same when it comes to my skill as an Auror – and a witness counselor." And this last tidbit of info shocks me as I didn't know this of the man.
"Witness counselors are supposed to be able to assess situations, their surroundings and those they are with on a better level than spies. How did I not know this of Shacklebolt? Does the Dark Lord know? Is that why he's not targeting him? Because the Dark Lord knows Shacklebolt will be able to detect it when he's in a hostile environment."
These thoughts give me a new sense of respect for the tanned man as well as for Albus for managing to recruit him and I ask: "What impression did Black leave you with when you left him in the office?" I ask, feeling that a man who's spent twelve years in Azkaban is more of a threat than someone who played puppet for longer.
"He's definitely protective of his son the same way Lucius would be of Draco and Amelia would be of Susan. He's troubled by things that happened in the past and I can tell not all of them have to do with the confrontations between you both. And he seemed reluctant, as if he wants to share secrets, but isn't sure it's safe to do so."
At this I roll my eyes as only a Lion would dare to share secrets with a Snake they know is working for their enemy. Yet when we enter the office, do I instantly look back at the door, having sensed some kind of magic that is unlike Albus' wash over me and settle onto my skin like a layer of cloths as I passed its threshold.
"Yes Snape, I enchanted the doorway. No, nothing humiliating or painful. Yes, I already walked through the door after enchanting it myself." Black states as he sees me looking back and I glare at him as I ask: "Feeling threatened, Black?" Something I definitely don't mind as Black made me feel that plenty of times.
But unlike every other time this past month and a half, does the man remain calm and say: "You may think of me what you want, Snape, but I remain a protective father and you and I both know you are already aware of my reasons and that they're valid. I may be a Lion, but I was raised a Snake in a den of Snakes, don't forget that."
"And you turned your back on that same den." I think, hating the memory of how much it hurt Regulus that first year to not have his older brother in the House with him and how some Snakes even sought to punish him for his brother joining the Lions. Yet I don't focus on this as I know I need to keep my wits about me here.
Black then turns to Shacklebolt and asks: "What spells did you detect?" And I know he wants the other man to answer as a way to prove that the spells are the ones he says he's done. And while I am well aware that he's trying to accommodate me, do I just sneer as he is seriously wasting his time if he thinks it'll make me trust him.
"A spell to make sure that everything that is said by the five individuals in this room can't be shared unless accepted by all five individuals, this seems to somehow even encompass the portraits." Shacklebolt whistles at this, but I already know how Black did this and just look at Headmaster Black's portrait, who is sneering.
"As well as – how did you manage to encompass that spell into this room?" Kingsley asks and Sirius mutters: "By being glad that there's such a distance between the dungeons and this office." Black answers and instantly both Shacklebolt and I spot it; Black's body is showing a strong sign of someone recovering from fatigue.
This makes me look back at Shacklebolt and the man says: "A spell to make sure that whatever is said in this room, if not accompanied by the words in my opinion are to be recognized as truth. But not a personal or situational truth, truth as recognized by Lady Magic herself." And this level of magic actually floors me with shock.
I turn to Black and remember what Shacklebolt told me about him. He seemed reluctant, as if he wants to share secrets, but isn't sure it's safe to do so. This fact combined with the knowledge of the level of magic Black was willing to cast to get this done makes me know it. I really am dealing with a Snake in Lion's clothing.
I cross my arms, partially to give off a sense that I am willing to defend myself if necessary and say: "Alright Black, you have my attention. What is so urgent, you feel this level of power is needed?" And Black answers: "There are certain events in the past that you know only bits about, but not the whole thing – and you do deserve that."
The man makes me raise my eyebrow at him as he always struck me as the last person willing to share entire stories or personal secrets with anyone. "There are three things I want to share with you, Snape. One concerns Lily, one concerns Sora and one concerns Remus here. Yes, I am talking about that night and its consequences."
This infuriates me and makes me want to snap. But the tone Black is using, one I heard Lucius use every time he addressed someone of equal standing to him in High Society, catches my attention and piques my interest. "There is another reason Dumbledore didn't expel us or give us a harsher punishment. One he never told anyone."
Here Black turns to Lupin, who says: "In the month that that event happened, Dolores Umbridge was running a campaign against werewolves. But she was also running a second secret agenda against werewolf supporters and people who associated with them. And the law she wanted passed was more against them than against werewolves."
I am steadily growing angrier as I really don't see what this has to do with the event in question or why Dumbledore didn't give this lot the punishment they deserved. "Severus, if any info about that event had leaked back then, you, I myself, James, Sirius, Peter, Albus, Minerva and every teacher who knew about me – would have been killed."
My arms turn slack and start to hang besides me as I can barely believe that the man would dare to make such a ridiculous claim, but then I remember; the spell Black put on the room. I turn to Shacklebolt and he nods as he says: "It's true. Her law would sentence anyone who even met a werewolf to the Veil.
Just the fact that you had seen Remus in his form, seen it even if only by a glimpse, would have made you eligible for breaking that law and sentenced you to certain death. The whole reason it wasn't passed was because this was one law the ICW struck down, because in other countries a lot of werewolves have Animagi for friends.
The ICW was certain that the same counted here and didn't see reason to let this law pass as it, in their eyes, would take a lot of people the desire to become Animagus." At this Black nods and says: "The Brits may deny it, but a lot of countries in the continent see a werewolf as a potential for others to study and become Animagus."
And then Lupin deals the finishing blow as proof as he says: "The Transfigurations teacher for Beauxbattons is also a werewolf and the amount of Animagus that register in France is usually quite equal to the amount of students that take Transfigurations for their NEWTs. France really supports werewolves more than England."
And suddenly I remember something. A few months after Black got arrested and Potter kil-kidnapped, Lupin left the country and traveled for a bit. I had my doubts about him, so I used my teacher's allowance to have someone of Knockturn Alley spy on him and my contact told me Lupin had settled in Lyon, France, after a few months.
"So that's why." I think, but decide this doesn't matter. Yet at the same time this news does make the whole situation about what happened all those years ago. "There is also one other thing about that event; the true reason Dumbledore didn't punish Sirius." Potter suddenly says, but I already recognize what it is.
"I take it a mate's punishment is worse?" I ask and Potter nods as he says: "I was the one who found out I was Sirius' mate. When I found that out, I studied everything, mostly because I did see a future for us, but I wasn't sure Sirius did the same. I had my line to think of, so I made sure to know it all, the good and the bad.
I learned how a mate can punish a Veela when the mate thinks the Veela went out of line and applied it in the weeks that followed the event. I just didn't show this to the public because Dumbledore warned me about not letting the public know something happened on Full moon night, to protect Remus and his secret."
And while I always thought that Dumbledore had just held a hand above their heads because he favored the Marauders and the Lions in general over the Snakes, does all this make it a whole lot easier for me to understand why Dumbledore never wanted me to continue harboring hatred for the event, because of the facts he withheld from me.
And while I hate it when people aren't honest with me, but still expect me to be honest with them, do I also feel a little better about what happened all those years ago. Yet while I am not willing to show it to these three, do I feel as if a weight of pain, anger and resentment has finally been lifted off my shoulders after all these years.
"So, what else is there that you wanted to share with me?" I ask, feeling a little more willing and ready to hear what they have to share with me." You know that we have two sons, not one, right?" Black asks and I nod, wondering what this is about and Black says: "There is something about Sora – that even he doesn't know about."
This intrigues me and I remember that Black mentioned three things, the night of the Willow, Lily and his own son. Wondering if the latter two could be connected somehow, I listen to the trio of men as Potter says: "When Sora was underway, our biggest fear was that he would look nothing like Lily, breaking our ruse.
We had to keep that up, at least until we had two kids, as that would allow us rights and privileges that would make it safe for us to be together, regardless of Walburga, Lucius or anyone else who'd want to either rule or break us. But we were both magically powerful for our age, so the chance he'd be a clone of ours was very high.
Yes Snape, that's what gave us the idea to make Harry look like a clone of myself. Sora was already gone to his old universe by that time, so we felt our chances to do what we wanted and be who we wanted to be were too slim to risk yet. But it was Lily who gave us the solution when our fear for our Sora-clone overwhelmed us."
This makes me scoff, even if everything so far does sound like what these two would go through and how they would think in situations like this. And the thought of Lily coming up with a solution where these two could only let themselves be overcome by their concerns and fears is also something I can easily, amusedly, see happen.
"She gave him a part of her core." Black suddenly says and instantly my amusement gets replaced with shock as I cannot believe my ears. "Lily. While James was pregnant, after it was established that Sora's body was well-developing within him, Lily used a ritual to transfer a small part of her core into the unborn infant.
That's why Sora has brown hair, the red of Lily's makes Sora's black tinted lighter and turned it red. You can even see a shade and glimmer of red if the light hits bits of his hair just right. Saw a few myself over the last few days. It also makes sure that Sora is going to be an expert and just as great in Charms as Lily was.
It was all for the ruse, in case Jamie and I could not more than one kid. To be honest, both Harry and Sora were completely unexpected and when either of them came, we weren't ready or planning to have them yet. So we didn't know what it would mean for the future and that, combined with those times, made it really hard on us.
But Lily helped. She planned alongside us and came up with solutions to cases we feared could be a possibility. Say we could only have one child. Then we'd need to keep up the ruse of us not being together for the rest of our lives. Those were our thoughts and Lily's thoughts and ideas were the answers we couldn't find ourselves."
"She did realize that this ritual is borderline Dark and that it tethers on the border more than most other rituals of this kind, right?" I can't help but ask and Potter answers: "She didn't care." At which I can only think: "Of course she didn't." Yet I also ask: "Why are you telling me this, exactly?" And the answer just astounds me.
"Because your friendship deserves a second chance." I look at the three men, unable and partially unwilling to believe that these words came from the semi-leader of the team that made my teenage years from being a living hell and then Black asks: "Remember David Brewesko?" I nod, yet wonder why he asks at the same time.
"He dated Lily just as James started pretending to be into girls to hide the fact that he was playing for the same team, if you catch my drift. Yet as you probably remember, she changed a lot as she dated him and shortly before she ignored the very fact that she ever dated him, he was expelled, yet the reasons were never explained."
This actually intrigues me as this is one thing even Lily never told me, yet at the same time I can't imagine why they would know. "Why did Dumbledore tell you? Even Lily wouldn't tell me." I mutter and James says: "Dumbledore didn't tell us. He got told by Brewesko that we were involved and called for us. Brewesko told us."
I look at the man and he says: "I know you consider us nothing but bullies and that what we did to you is the worst anyone of our age back then could do to anyone. What you don't know – is that Brewesko dated Lily, so he could drug her and make her his personal whore and baby-birther, all because he fell for my acting.
But before you accuse me, Brewesko went on. He said he was also studying Pettigrew, Remus and myself and that anyone we would grow a crush on would gain the same honor, his words not ours. That is why he was expelled and why Lily never said anything. She never knew the whole truth, only that she was drugged."
"That alone, for someone as great with Potions as her, was a great blow to her pride and she didn't have it in her to admit to this. However, there is something else, something that links to the day you hate above all others. It's something we found out after Lily and James started planning their wedding and Jamie and my bonding.
Brewesko was smart. He created one of the potions he drugged Lily with out of a recipe all his own and because of that, did one ingredient, that has a special effect on witches of a certain power level, stay within Lily's system. And somehow – and we still don't get how – he drugged her with that ingredient – on that day."
I look at the three, not wanting them to say it and feeling a raging fury as I can't believe it. "She was never mad at me, was she? She never actually cared for what – for what I called her. That – that – you KEPT THAT SECRET FROM ME!" And I yell this at Lupin more than at Black and Potter, hating him more for it.
But Lupin shakes his head and says: "No, the ingredient doesn't cause anger. It reacts to personal decisions, specifically personal decisions that concern relations. If someone is drugged with this ingredient and ends a relation, whether it be a friend, a father or a lover, they will never be able to go back to that relation.
They can grow to care for the relation, love the relation, feel like they can't live without the relation, they will never be able to go back. They will only be around the relation as someone who is no longer a relation, a stranger, a person that they share a public space or certain situation – like a war – in, but never a friend, lover or family."
I look at the man shocked and turn to his two friends who nod and Black says: "And before you ask, you were constantly around Death Eaters that killed potential traitors. We couldn't go up and say Hey, remember Lily? She forgave you, she's just drugged to not be able to let you know or we'd have to later go up to Lily and say
We told Snape how you really felt and the Death Eaters he was with killed him, sorry. We couldn't do that to you and we certainly couldn't do that to her." This makes me grimace with the need to hate them, because I know I would have done something like that in a heartbeat, just to see them suffer at those others' hands if I could.
"This still doesn't explain –.""Sora shares one other thing with Lily; he sees the best in everything. His own mate is one with a past as dark as Azkaban and he loves him regardless. Heh, sometimes he loves Riku even more than I love James and I never thought I'd see someone love another more than I love my own mate.
Sora cares for almost everyone, but right now Harry is most important to him. And don't forget, Snape, Sora came back in time to protect Harry and save him from Molly and Ginerva and the books are the answer to Voldemort's demise. And we do have Albus and Kingsley and others in on the reading from time to time."
At this I nod as I know I would have considered that chance threateningly low if it was just them and I ask: "So, when do you think you will have the answer?""By the end of summer at the latest. We're nearing the Christmas of Harry's Fifth and there are only three books." Lupin says and then Black utterly astounds me:
"I died." We all look at him, even the portraits and he says: "In the future that Sora came from. I died, Snape. And Luna Lovegood? She's a Windspeaker. She already indicated to both me and Harry that my death is still very much a possibility. I have no doubt we will read of it at some point in this book and know it might still –."
But then I turn away in disgust as Potter pushes him to the ground and silences him the only way a mate would, by kissing Black senseless. Yet the mate is obviously desperate to change his Veela's mind as he breaks the kiss and growls: "Unless you want a repeat of what happened after the Willow, you will not finish that sentence."
And I look away again, this time in annoyance as Black decides to comfort his mate the same way Potter decided to silence him. "The point is, Severus, that we will probably have Voldemort down by Harry's Fifth Year Christmas, the end of the year at the latest. And while we still need to discuss this with Riku –."
Here Lupin turns to Black and Potter for a second, but the two are now just lost in each other and are, thankfully, keeping their cloths on while doing so before Lupin turns back and says: "Are we hoping that you will have Riddle target Sora. Sora is better capable of fighting him off and has Riku to defend him to boot.
That, to us, will be the perfect excuse for you to grow closer to a young man that, in a way, embodies part of the friend you lost so long ago, but will also give us something to distract Voldemort with while we hunt down whatever gave him the chance to survive that night." And this information absolutely astounds me.
"Wait – Black is willing – to have me – endanger his son?" I can't help but ask and Lupin says: "The stronger of the two who also has experience in war and has already, according to what we've heard so far, taken out another war lord, one who did things just as despicable and manipulative as Riddle to several of Sora's friends.
Sora, even though he hasn't been exactly direct with his past endeavors, has already proven himself to be someone who fought and lived through the war without letting it affect him. And we just know that it's the part of him that is Lily, that sees the Light in anything and everything and that believes in those around him, that allowed this.
Because of this, we know he can manage it to have Voldemort after him, because he has already had someone after him and managed to evade and take that person out. We don't like it, but – if we have to go by what Sora has shown us so far and another reason – he really is our best chance to distract Voldemort, so we can take him out."
This, while it all sounds as if the prophesy just came too late and should have been about the elder of the two, can I not help but ask: "What is the other reason?" And Lupin shrugs as he says: "Kairi and their teacher are bringing back more and more of Sora's friends that are wanting to help him end the war. We're just getting all the help we need."
And this is the news I had not expected myself to have been waiting for this entire meeting. This is the news that makes me nod at the man and ask: "What do I do?" To which Black says: "Tell Riddle that you either see Sora as a threat or want to use him to get to Harry, but that you need to gain his trust and respect to do this.
Convince him that you will need to put your spying skills to the ultimate test, if you can play into his Slytherin ambition it might be easier, and make sure that, even if you don't treat him the way you do treat Draco, you will treat him and Harry better than you do now. And we both know Sora won't like you if you hurt Harry."
And while I know that this will indeed require all of my acting and spying skills, not to mention an incredible amount of sweetening up the Dark Lord if I want him to agree to this, do I turn back to Lupin and ask: "Christmas?" And the man answers: "The end of the year, at the very latest." At which I nod, take back my wand and leave.
Wow, that happened,
So while I planned on just a couple of pages between Sirius, Remus, James and Snape, a few pages between Hagrid and Dumbledore and a bit of stuff of Sora learning what it's like to host guests within his family home. But like I said, I didn't know how to do the Snape bit, until sometime this month and the 3 topic thing made that possible.
So yeah, Snape is now going to make sure that Voldemort stops targeting Harry and that he believes what Snape temporarily believed about the prophesy and is going to be a little more neutral to Harry and co. Oh, don't get me wrong, he's still going to have his bloody asshole moments, but he's not exactly a main character.
Now next chapter will be focused on what should also should have been part of this and will have Hagrid realize the error of his ways and Sora learning what it means to be the Heir to a Most Noble and Most Ancient House. And yes, I know he is Heir Black, but Harry is asleep, so he will take on his brother's role.
Though to be honest, there is a chance that, like with this chapter, the whole thing with Hagrid will become a whole chapter of its own. If this happens, I will probably just give Sora a bit of a chapter before he feels like getting back to the reading. I am not entirely sure what that will be yet, but I just felt like giving you a bit of a head's up.
Just so you know,
Venquine1990
