Chapter 61: The Strange Get Stranger
{A/N: Here's Another Update...Late Post...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
The Grounds, Hogwarts, Wizarding World...
Following the altercation with Potter, Phaeron had been pleased to note that the Gryffindor avoided him like his life depended upon it. It seemed true for the rest of Gryffindor house as The Slytherins became more vigilant under Draco's direction. The animosity between houses only seemed to intensify with Gryffindor's golden boy being bested by the Slytherin Hero's only son. There was enough tension to cut with a knife in the Great Hall at every meal time with both tables watching the backs of each of their token hero's child. Phaeron went about his day as his mother had instructed. He had not desire to have her return to the school nor did he wish her to got to Azkaban for killing Potter's father for some unknown reason that the adults seemed to be keeping from him.
The young Slytherin still wore the attire Ursula had transfigured for him in fact he preferred it. It had a certain appeal for the raven haired boy and the added bonus of making him look even more like his father was used to his advantage. At the present time said young wizard had been sitting by the lake when his headache returned in full force.
"Are you okay?" asked Ursula concerned.
Phaeron was about to speak when his vision suddenly clouded.
{ The drunken brute was back. His grip on Phaeron's collar had tightened. The raven haired wizard tried in vain to get out of the strong man's grip. He felt the heavy rain of blows from the brute's back hand across his face and his vision blurred. He was sure blood was dripping from his face in some fashion.
"Get up freak!" shouted the drunken brute.
Phaeron again found himself on the outside watching as another raven haired boy about his age now got to his feet only to be knocked back down by the drunken brute again. When it was over the boy crawled into his bedroom hearing the door to his parents bedroom slam shut. There was nothing he could do passed this point.
Phaeron followed him inside and he leaned against the door trying his best to catch his breath.
"How did you get here?" asked the raven haired boy appearing to be looking at Phaeron.
The young Slytherin pointed at himself and the boy nodded.
"Phaeron." said the raven haired boy. "What are you doing in my memories?"
"H-How do you know my name?" asked Phaeron.
Everything shifted and the boy grew taller. More to until he towered over the younger Slytherin. Phaeron blinked finding himself face to face with his father, Severus Snape.
"Father?" said Phaeron stunned by what had just occurred. "I-Is that really you..without the portrait?"
Snape dusted himself off and chose to bite back the sarcastic remark that had been threatening to come forth.
"Answer my question boy." he said still a little short tempered.
It had not really been the boy's fault. The connection had brought them here.
"Where are we?" asked Phaeron. "I-I thought I was sitting at the lake..."
Snape blinked.
"The lake?" he said. "Hogwarts?"
Phaeron nodded.
Snape sighed understanding what had happened.
"The school, it still reacts to me as if I am headmaster." said the Potions Master. "It knew I needed your help."
Phaeron arched an eyebrow at this.
"H-Help?" he asked.
"Phaeron I need you to listen to me very carefully." said Snape focusing his attention on his son. "I don't have a lot of time but apparently my magic is strongest here due to it being infused with the portrait...I need for you to keep trying to reach out to me...like before...if we can establish a secure connection then you I would be able to block the soul binding that is being attempted on me."
"Soul binding?" asked Phaeron confused. "Father who's trying to bind you?"
"Never mind that." said Snape. "Just focus on our connection."
The raven haired boy nodded.
"I don't have a lot of time for incessant questions son, but I promise to make things as clear for you as possible." explained Snape. "For now just know that I am trying to find my way back to you and your mother."
"H-How is this possible?" asked Phaeron. "Y-You died in the war before I was born."
"I was on the verge of death before I was able to escape my body." said Snape. "I've been trapped outside of it with my magic infused in that damn portrait I would have to find another way to reenter my body...for now I just need the binding stopped...can you do that for me...son...can you keep our connection to stop this binding?"
"Yes sir." replied Phaeron. "W-What about mother?"
Snape sighed.
"I'll work on her end myself." he said. "I just need you to focus."
"Alright father." said Phaeron.
Before Snape could say anything more he felt the strange sensation of being blanketed in magic that wasn't his own. He looked at his son with an arched eyebrow of his own.
"What did you just do?" he asked.
"I gave you a bit of my magic to ward off the binding." explained Phaeron with a smile. "Draco taught me how to do it."
"Draco?" asked Snape skeptical.
"Yes." replied Phaeron. "He's the new DADA Professor of Hogwarts."
"Draco taught you Dark Arts magic?" asked Snape in disbelief.
"And uncle Lucius." said Phaeron. "They said one must always be prepared for what one must face in the wizarding world...they said you use to be DADA Professor of Hogwarts as well."
Snape sighed.
"Listen Phaeron...the dark arts are not to be trifled with." he said. "None the less I thank you for sharing your magic with me."
Phaeron smiled at his father.
"Tell no one at the school what I've told you the one who seeks to bind me is around." said Snape. "I will not have her get wind of my defenses against her methods."
"Her?" asked Phaeron sure it might have been a Potter.
"I have to go." said Snape not answering his son's question.
"Wait father..." said Phaeron finding himself alone once more.}
The memory shifted and he was suddenly back at Hogwarts with both Ursula and Zaire staring at him.
"Phaeron can you hear us?" they asked in unison.
The young Slytherin blinked and turned his attention back to his friends.
"Sorry." he said. "Just day dreaming."
His friends shook their heads.
"You know I think Potter gave you one too many blows to the head. said Zaire.
"I'm going to have to agree with Zaire here." said Ursula inspecting him. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine." replied Phaeron remembering his promise to his father.
The Great Hall, Hogwarts, Wizarding World...
The Hall was filled with the usual sounds of students chatting away and polishing off their supper in record time. Phaeron had been eating in relative silence which had not been a new thing for him but the expression on his face had been one of sadness as he looked up at the staff table to the spot that had once belonged to his father in between Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. The vivid images of the strange man that had been drunkenly beating the raven haired boy replayed in his mind. He put down his fork feeling his head start to ache once more.
The images had been blurry while he had been experiencing them but they seemed to have cleared up over time.
It became clear to the boy all at once the drunken brute was his father's father, Tobias Snape whom his mother had told him about and The battered woman was Eileen Snape, his father's deceased mother.
Phaeron stood up unable to process the images any further.
"Phaeron are you aright?" asked Ursula confused.
The raven haired Slytherin looked at her shaking off the remaining images of the visions.
"I-I think I better go lie down." he said.
He moved away from table excusing himself from the meal and headed down to the Slytherin dungeons. He found it a bit hard to breathe as he realized that the raven haired boy from his visions was actually his father. Unable to get much rest like he intended, Phaeron sat down to his desk and wrote a letter to his mother. He had quite a few questions about his father that he knew she had the answers to and he knew he could trust her with his father's secret if necessary.
When he finished the letter it was quite late and he ended up turning in for the night with thoughts of his conversation with his father on his mind. He just hoped that he could be of some assistance to him. If there was a way to bring the man back, then his mother could be happy again and he would have his father back.