Chapter 112: A Mother Knows
{A/N: Here's Another Update...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S
The Infirmary,Hogwarts Castle,Scotland, Wizarding World...
Phaeron awoke to the familiar setting of being in the school infirmary. He had vaguely recalled the events that had lead him to being dropped off onto the Quidditch field via Bellatrix LeStrange and his father...his father! The raven haired wizard sat up faster than a bolt of lightening and quickly came to regret his impulsiveness in a matter of seconds. He focused his efforts on moving once more recalling all that his father had gone through his entire life. This pain paled by comparison. The teen aged wizard moved quickly getting to his feet and fighting a wave of dizziness that over took him. He balled his fist and summoned his wand to him. There had been no one in sight as he spelled on his attire, the very same attire that had been similar to his Potions Master father.
He had gotten half-way to the door when he was suddenly surprised to see his mother racing into the infirmary. The bushy haired witch had been just as stern in appearance as ever as she looked him over. He could see the rage behind her amber eyes and did his best not to let it dictate his actions when it came to what he had planned. He was going to find his father and he didn't need his mother tagging along. This was a fight that she didn't need to finish for him.
"Mother..." Phaeron began.
He had been silenced by a very quick and not to mention painful slap across his sallow pale face.
The teenage wizard simply stood taking in the heated sting from the blow. He deserved it. He knew he had but that was neither here nor there. He had to find his father. Bellatrix was doing something awful to the already beaten wizard and he just knew it.
"Mother..." began Phaeron again.
"You're just like him." she said almost bitterly as she narrowed her amber eyes at him. "So weak for that bitch...have you given no thought to the consequences?"
Phaeron didn't need to ask how she knew he had slept with Bellatrix LeStrange mostly because he figured she invaded his mind while he was too weak to defend against her invasion. She saw everything. Every sorted detail. Even the numerous times his father had been with the deranged witch that she had shown him via her pensive.
"Mother..I know you are angry with me...but not as angry as I am with myself...but to be fair...I am hardly to blame for what a deranged woman caused me to do just to get back at you and father." said the raven haired wizard. "Besides it's does little good to place blame when Father so urgently needs our help."
"You think I don't know that?" said Hermione barely concealing her rage. "That bitch has been trying to get her legs wrapped around him since she brought him back."
Phaeron arched an eyebrow at this.
"H-How long has this been going on?" he asked.
"Since before you were born." replied Hermione bitterly. "He swore to me that he was done with her."
"Father is hardly to blame for her being obsessed with him." said Phaeron understanding his father's predicament a little better due to his own experience with the deranged witch."
"It doesn't matter." muttered Hermione. "He's not the same when he's around her..."
"Mother...we can't just leave him." said Phaeron noting the hurt in the bushy haired witch.
It had been strange to see her out and about without her hair pulled back in that tight bun she usually wore. He supposed it had something to do with his father being around that allowed her to loosen up a bit.
"I HAVE NO INTENTION ON LEAVING HIM!" shouted Hermione as her rage continued to get the better of her.
Phaeron had never seen his mother give in so much to her emotions.
"I am going to find your father...and we are going to finish this war once and for all." said the bushy haired witch. "He shouldn't have to worry about that bitch doing something to either one of us given the little time he has left."
The raven haired wizard had caught what she said.
"What do you mean by little time he has left?" he asked.
Hermione took a breath and noted that she and Severus had not discussed the possibility of his impending death with either of the children yet. He had taken off to save Phaeron before they could even come to an agreement on when it was to take place.
"You're father and I wanted to sit you all down and have this conversation..." began Hermione. "But it appears Bellatrix has forced our hand."
Phaeron had not like the way this conversation was going.
"Mother?" he said getting a terrible feeling in the pit of his belly.
Hermione closed her eyes as she tried to find the words to soften the blow she was about to deliver. It proved to be easier said than done.
"Phaeron..." she began. "Your father is dying...the curse that Harry Potter put on him all those years ago was still active and it's been slowly draining him of his magical abilities for the passed six years."
Phaeron shook his head. He didn't want to believe this. Not after all that they had gone through to bring him back...not to mention his recent antics.
"No." he said refusing to listen to any more.
"Phaeron there is nothing that we can do...your father and I have tried everything..." she continued.
The raven haired wizard saw only rage as he suddenly took off out of the infirmary. Hermione thought to give him a moment to process this new information considering his behavior toward his father while under Bellatrix LeStrange's influence. She knew deep down that Phaeron never would have said those things to hurt his father. Let alone aid the witch in harming the dour wizard, if he had been in his right mind.
It took her a moment to recognize the pure rage that had filed across her son's sallow pale face. He had truly looked like his father...especially when he had come face to face with Sirius Black.
Oh for Merlin's sake Hermione, he's going to kill Harry!
The bushy haired witch sped out of the infirmary and into the corridor. There had been no sight of Phaeron as she neared the open corridor. She go toward the gate at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and apparated to the Burrows. She had hoped they still lived in the same area or she'd never reach them before Phaeron.
The Potter Residence, The Burrows, Wizarding World...
Phaeron Snape touched down in the open grassy field with a look of pure rage filed across his sallow pale face. His black robes billowed in the wind very much in the style of his father's and his lengthy raven hair had been blowing behind him as he walked briskly toward the large house in the center of the field. There had been two more houses stacked a little ways in the distance but they weren't of any importance. Harry Potter had been the reason he was losing his father all over again. He balled his pale fists as he thought of all the things he would do once he got his hands on that bastard Harry Potter. Some wizarding hero he turned out to be. More like a murdering bastard.
From the comfort of his front porch, Harry James Potter could see the dark figure heading toward his house with an aura that could only have come from a Snape. Wither it had been Snape Sr. or Snape Junior remained to be seen. From what he could tell it had been someone with the intent to make him answer for his crime of murder all those years ago.
The green eyed wizard grabbed his wand and made his way toward the grassy field. His house had been behind him as he took his steps toward what appeared to be his certain doom. There had been a twinge of fear in him as he stared down his enemy feeling his blood freeze in his veins. His heart beat thunderously in his chest as he kept walking.
"It's time for you to answer for your sins Potter!" spat Phaeron as he glared at the elder Potter.
Harry had half-expected Phaeron to be the one to show up. If his night terrors had been any indication of any thing.
"I knew it would be you." he called out to the younger Snape. "I've always known it would be you."
Phaeron drew his wand.
"It's time for you to answer for what you did to my father." he said.
"I have no doubt that, that is the reason you are here." replied Harry.
"My father is dying Potter." said the raven haired wizard bitterly. "That curse you put on him is still causing damage."
Harry had been sorry to hear that given all that happened in the wake of his decision to cast it all those years ago. He felt himself understanding all too well the rage that had been filling the younger Snape at the prospect of his father's death. He also found himself understanding the Potions Master a bit more as memories of confronting the man came back in rapid succession.
"I am sorry that he's dying." said Harry in a calm tone. "If I knew anything about how to fix it I would."
"Don't bullshit me Potter." replied Phaeron narrowing his obsidian eyes at the older wizard. "You wanted my father dead...your actions were simply delayed a couple years."
"You don't understand..." said Harry attempting to explain himself. "I was told that he was responsible for my parents' death...and then he had killed Dumbledore."
"You knew for years that the dark lord is the one that murdered your parents." said the raven haired Slytherin bitterly. "And Dumbledore is alive and well."
"At the time...he wasn't...it wasn't known then..and as for my parents...I guess I was looking to blame him because...I couldn't bare the thought of my father's dearest friends having something to do with it...and..I hated him...so it was easier." continued Harry. "When Sirius died I didn't think it was fair that Snape lived given all he had done...I didn't know Mione was pregnant when..."
"Save your sob story for a Gryffindor who might indulge your guilty conscience Potter." spat Phaeron. "I have no use for it."
Harry sighed. So it has come to down to this. A war with Voldemort and his end is at the hands of a Snape of all people.
"EXPELLIAMUS!" came a voice from the center of the field.
Harry had been knocked off his feet and it had been apparent that Phaeron had been as well.
The green eyed wizard found himself looking up at Hermione Jean Granger-Snape.
"M-Mione?" he said in disbelief.
The bushy haired witch stood in front of Harry Potter with her wand trained on her enraged son as he scrambled to his feet gripping his own wand.
"Stand aside Mother." said the raven haired Slytherin bitterly.
"Killing Harry is not going to save your father's life." said Hermione sternly.
"I DON'T CARE!" shouted Phaeron letting his emotions take over. "IT'S NOT FAIR WE HAVE TO LOSE FATHER ALL OVER AGAIN WHILE THIS BASTARD GETS TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY!"
Hermione understood all too well the fury behind her son's words.
"Phaeron...this will not help you...and it will only succeed in hurting your father." she said.
The raven haired wizard arched an eyebrow at this.
"What do you mean Mother?" he asked. "His murder would be avenged..."
"Your father has such plans for you..." said Hermione almost fondly. "Those plans were all that kept him going during those dark time in the war."
Phaeron glared at Harry Potter whom had gotten to his feet.
"Phaeron..your father never wanted you to be like him." continued Hermione. "He never wanted you to have blood on your hands...never wanted you to feel the weight of guilt as he and Harry have."
The raven haired teen closed his eyes.
"I hate him...Mother." said the teen aged Snape. "I hate what this bastard Potter's done to our family."
"I know." said Hermione a bit sympathetic. "But this is not what your father wants...not for you...not for any of us."
Phaeron lowered his wand and glared at Harry Potter.
"I will never forgive what you've done." he said bitterly.
Harry looked down at his feet with a grim expression on his pale face. His green eyes filled with sorrow.
Phaeron walked a ways away from them to get some fresh air.
Harry turned his attention to Hermione. It had been so long since she had been here...and even longer since she had stood between him and certain death.
"T-Thank you." said the green eyed wizard.
Hermione narrowed her amber eyes as she looked at him.
"I didn't do this for you Potter." she spat bitterly. "I did it for my son...he doesn't need to throw his life away on garbage like you."
The green eyed wizard nodded.
"M-Mione..." he started.
"That's Mrs. Snape...Potter." she said bitterly. "And I have no further wish to converse with you."
With that she took her leave of Harry grabbing Phaeron as they disapparated from the Burrows back to her home in London. There was no use in Phaeron returning to Hogwarts, she needed his help to locate his father if they were going to stop Bellatrix from doing whatever it was she had planned to Severus.