Chapter 89: The Fallout
{A/N: Here's Another Update...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S
{"Here I stand, helpless and left for dead...Close your eyes, so many days go by...Easy to find what's wrong...Harder to find what's right...I believe in you, I can show you that...I can see right through all your empty lies...I won't stay long, in this world so wrong...Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight...Don't you dare look at him in the eye...As we dance with the devil tonight"} Dance With The Devil, Breaking Benjamin
The Grounds, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland...
Another day since the truth about what happened to Severus Snape in the Fortress of Solitude had been sweeping across the wizarding world. Phaeron had mostly kept to himself and went out of his way to avoid all things Potter. Sadly this included both Lily Luna whom had been quite fond of him and Albus Severus whom had been one of his closet friends. The raven haired Slytherin spent a good deal of time in the library working on his studies. He didn't seem to smile any more as his face began to take on the same emotionless mask that often been a staple of his father's persona. He sent letters back home to let his parents know how everything had been going but he held none of the same interest in Hogwarts or people outside of his family, of course The Malfoys had been the exception. He would occasionally chat with Ziare and Scorpius but spent much of his time alone. When he did venture from his father's quarters, he had been by the lake. Surprisingly, James Sirius Potter kept his distance. The world wide news of Harry Potter attempting to murder Severus Snape, a known war hero with a family had taken some of the smugness out of the self-important prat. For the most part people compared Harry's accidental near murdering of Severus Snape to his countless crimes and death eater past and simply dismissed it. Others dismissed it due to his hand at ending the reign of Voldemort citing the boy had good reason.
Of course there were some spurred on by Lucius Malfoy who publicly attacked the integrity of Harry Potter for such a dubious deception and betrayal. He had even attacked Dumbledore's regime for covering it up. They countered that Snape had been alive so the argument was a rather moot point. Lucius brought up the eleven years Hermione Granger believed her husband to be dead because of Harry Potter's callous. Of course he didn't get far.
The feeling of the general public was divided to say the least.
As for the others who had known Harry and Hermione on a personal level what he did wasn't so easily dismissed.
Ginny Potter had been furious when she found out that her husband, whom she supported for so many years had in fact been the cause of the great rift with Hermione Granger. She had been told that Snape's death was simply a tragic accident by Harry and Dumbledore both. She believed Hermione had been so overwhelmed by grief that she outright blamed Harry for something he had not meant to do. To find out all these years later that Harry had intentionally tried to murder Snape was earth shattering.
Harry had not expected her to pack a suitcase and leave to stay with her parents. His children had not spoken to him since the events of what happened at Hogwarts. Albus Severus wanted nothing to do with him and had even ventured into the infirmary to tell him so. The young Slytherin Potter had confronted his war hero father about what he had done to his best friend's family and then his gall to name him after the very man he nearly murdered to absolve his guilt.
Lily Luna wouldn't even look in his direction avoiding him as if he had the plague. She had still been hurt about Phaeron and all that her father had done to his family, she couldn't blame the bitter young wizard for his hatred of all things Potter. It still brought tears to her eyes to see her friend so lost whenever she noticed him sitting alone by the lake and wishing she could join him. She had been harboring a crush on the dark wizard ever since she could remember and now he seemed to be ever farther out of her reach thanks to what her father had done.
James Sirius had been utterly shocked to hear that all those years of Harry James Potter being the renown hero he looked up to and wanted so badly to be like, the man had been as devious and sick as any death eater that occupied Azkaban. He had noted Phaeron and his positively dark mood since the truth had come out. He still loved his father and had remained proud of the wizard's accomplishments but the bad blood between Potters and Snapes had been a large part of even his persona. He had always hidden behind the comfort of his father's heroic reputation but had recently begun to wonder if his hatred towards Phaeron Snape had been ingrained. If so it seemed to be just the thing to give voice to the darker aspects of his own twisted nature.
Hermione Granger-Snape paid no mind to the numerous apologetic grams she had received in the wake of what happened at Hogwarts. She had been enjoying a quiet afternoon with her newly returned husband. He had made it a point to tell the rest of the wizarding world that he wasn't of any mind to rejoin them given his treatment and didn't give a damn about their meaningless awards or half hearted pity.
Still the knowledge of her eldest son's first heartbreak had been weighing heavily on Hermione. Phaeron insisted that he had been fine but letters from Scorpius Malfoy had painted a different picture of her son's plight. Severus had explained that this was something Phaeron had to work out on his own lest the risk driving him into the depths of his rage.
It annoyed Hermione to no end just how much their son took after his stubborn father.
The Grounds, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland...
Phaeron opened his obsidian eyes and found himself staring into the open sky that loomed above him. The big Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor had been coming up and there had been buzz all through out the school. James Potter II had declined to participate in the up coming match and had quietly with drawn from his own circle of friends. It was clear to all who had known him that he was still reeling from the discovery of his father's dark deed.
Albus Severus didn't even know what to make of James II's new attitude.
Word had gotten back to Harry and he came up to the school to speak with his son in person.
Harry Potter had been at a loss for words as his eldest son glared at him with unbridled fury.
"Will you at least say something?" asked Harry trying desperately to reach his son.
"What do you want me to say Harry?" asked James II annoyed. "That I'm happy that you tried to kill a seedy death eater like Snape...that I understand completely why you mistrusted him all those years?
Harry had not know what to say to that.
"I'm still your father." said the green eyed wizard.
"A lot of good that does me." replied the somber Gryffindor.
"Jimmy." said Harry still grasping at straws.
James II ignored his father and made his way toward the forbidden forest.
The Lake...
Phaeron had been busy skipping stones when he felt the familiar presence of his father Severus Snape at his side. The somber Slytherin teen looked up at the silent Potions Professor as he bent down and picked up a stone. His obsidian eyes looked out over the lake as if he had been transported to another place in time.
"It'll get better." said Snape throwing the stone into the murky depths of the lake.
"I'll bet." replied Phaeron. "Is this how you felt about Lily Evans?"
Snape seemed to be caught a little off guard by his son's line of questioning.
"Sort of." replied the dour wizard upon recovery. "She didn't exactly return my affections."
"Bummer." replied Phaeron throwing another stone.
"Something like that." replied Snape.
"Father?" said Phaeron as if he had been struggling with the words.
"Yes?" replied Snape as he picked up and threw another stone.
"Was Lily Evans the first witch you ever...?" he trailed off.
Snape smirked. All this time Hermione had been pushing for him to have "The Talk" with Phaeron and here they were right down to it.
"Yes." replied Snape looking into his son's eyes. "I believe I fancied myself in love with her after that...at least until I met Narcissa."
Phaeron's eyes widened.
"Draco's mother?" asked the raven haired teen showing signs of amusement for the first time in a long while.
"Well I wasn't a monk at the age of 16." replied Snape shaking his head. "I'd say no more than you are son of mine."
Phaeron smirked at this. It didn't take much to know his father had glanced at his passing thoughts about Ursula.
"Well what do you expect given who my parents are." replied Phaeron. "It's not like you and mom actually use the silencing charm at home."
Snape's face went a little red hearing his son say this. He had no doubt in his mind Hermione would be quite embarrassed when she found out about this...if she found out.
"Never mind boy." said Snape trying to regain his composure.
Phaeron laughed for the first time in a long time. His father had been plenty awkward when it came to anything personal.
"Who else?" he asked seeing how far he could push this.
"Quite a few witches and one rather deranged case before I married your mother." replied Snape evenly. "But that is neither here nor there...the point is Phaeron...you will find exactly whom you are suppose to be with and when you do...do everything in your power to ensure she doesn't get away."
"Well to be fair you fought against a nutter wizard when you earned mother's affections." said Phaeron in more of a joking mood. "I highly doubt anything like that will be about when my time comes."
Snape smirked at his son.
"Don't be so sure." he replied. "One thing I have learned when dealing with witches...it's all about picking your battles."
Snape threw another stone into the murky water and this timed it skimmed across the surface effortlessly. Phaeron had a smile on his sallow pale face by the time his father apparated from the grounds and turned his attention to reaching the dungeons.
Common Room, Slytherin Dungeons, Hogwarts Castle...
Albus Severus sat quietly on the sofa in the center of the common room. All eyes fell on him and Phaeron as the young Snape entered the room. Things had been a bit tense since Harry Potter's crimes against Snape had come into the light. Whispers had been all around about how treacherous a Potter could be. The younger Potter found himself being shut out by his own friends as the whispers continued. Phaeron made his way toward the empty chess set and attempted to play a game.
Albus Severus cautiously approached him.
"Phaeron." he said timidly. "C-Can we speak for a moment?"
Phaeron looked up at the green eyed boy with cold obsidian eyes.
"I've got nothing to say to you Potter." he spat.
"Well I have something to say to you." said Albus Severus. "While it's true that Harry Potter is a spineless sack of cow dung that has nothing to do with me or Lily."
Phaeron arched an eyebrow at this.
"You really believe that?" he asked.
"When Jimmy treated you differently just because your father was a death eater...me and Lily never once acted that way toward you." said Albus Severus. "You have always been a friend to us Phaeron...and I think it's unfair that our friendship is in ruins because of something that happened before either of us were even born."
Phaeron felt a surge of rage build as he got to his feet. All eyes had been on him as he glared at Albus Severus Potter.
"You may have been given my father's name out of guilt but do not presume to be of the same mindset as me." said the bitter teen wizard. "You've had your father you're whole fucking life...I spent years wondering about mine and only recently got him back...meanwhile Potter is branded a hero all the while he tried to kill my father and of course no one does anything...Potters can do whatever the fuck they like to anyone with the last name Snape and it's justified."
"I don't believe that." said Albus Severus.
"You don't have to." replied Phaeron bitterly. "You're a Potter."
"My name is Severus." said Albus Severus his emerald eyes meeting the obsidian ones of Phaeron. "I'm a Slytherin just like you...I didn't chose to have Harry Potter for a father no more than you chose to be the son of Snape."
Phaeron sighed looking back into the sorrowful eyes of his young friend.
"I-I don't hate you Sev." he said with his anger evaporating. "I don't hate Lily either."
Albus Severus sighed.
"We're your friends Phaeron." he said. "My father's cowardice not withstanding."
Phaeron nodded and shook the hand of the somber looking green eyed teen before him.
"Alright Sev." said the raven haired teen.
"Good to know I'm not hated." said Albus Severus.
Phaeron pulled the young Potter close to him and wrapped his arm around his neck.
"Not hated Sev." he said.
The other Slytherins watched cautious in case of a fight breaking out.
"What's everybody staring at?" asked Phaeron looking at them sternly. "Don't you all have studying to do?"
Albus Severus burst out laughing noting how very much like Professor Snape Phaeron had been even when he couldn't help it.
"Something funny Potter?" asked Phaeron turning his attention to the young wizard. "Don't you have a book report?"
Albus Severus stopped laughing and backed away from his friend.
"Not that." he said almost wounded. "Anything but that."
Phaeron smirked as he summoned the necessary study materials before them. Apparently his father had been right. Despite his rage at Harry Potter and his obvious feelings for Ursula, things seemed to be getting better.