Hello hello again!
I'm going to save all my thoughts/ comments for the end, and just jump right in.
Onwards! Chapter 9.
***
Severus Snape Had a Son!
It is fact! Severus Snape is the father of a 15 year old boy. He (the boy) remained in hiding until this year in Greece, and there is speculation whether he is the illegitimate fruit of Lily Evans and the late Death-Eater-turned-spy potions master or the product of a shallow fling or even, a Death Eater raping spree within or outside British borders.
Mr. Snape- his given name is yet unknown- is already enrolled in Hogwarts, having up to now been schooled in the obscure but highly respected Athens' School of Magick. History buffs will know that over the centuries, some of the most famous or most notorious wizards and witches studied or passed through that school, which focuses on cutting edge research- even in the Dark Arts. Who knows what the younger Snape already knows, and how he intends to use it?
In truth, little else is known about this potential half-brother to Harry Potter himself (maybe even a doppelganger?), but we intend to find out. Is this new Snape carrying a grudge that will cause mayhem in the Wizarding world just a little after the defeat of You-Know-Who, or is he here on some other agenda?
Soon, an article will shed all the light necessary into yet one more of Severus Snape's secrets- perhaps the most sinister of them all.
Rasmus growled and crushed the copy of the Daily Prophet into a ball which combusted under the ire of the young teenager.
"Harry bloody Potter's brother!?" he screamed at the top of his lungs at Nikos, who winced, sitting on a stool at a safe distance in the class where Rasmus was expecting Professor Bai to come and test him. "What the hell !? Harry bloody barn-owl's brother!?"
"Half-brother," Nikos amended. "Roc, we knew this could- would, rather- happen once you came to Britain."
"Yes, guess so. But argh! I want to ring the neck of whatever filthy little tart-" Rasmus' fingers were demonstrating how he would throttle the reporter when a voice from the wall interrupted him.
"Language, son."
Rasmus' hands dropped like logs at his sides, but his brooding semi-crouched stance did not change. Snape's portrait sighed.
"If you act in this manner, you will be giving them what they want. And by the way; if I were alive, I would have words with you about not telling me what you have come here to do- or, that you haven't done it yet. What are you waiting for?" Snape demanded, while shooing a gaggle of dancing nymphs from the painting he had invaded. He glared at Nikos, too: "Or what are you waiting for?"
"Severus, we won't perform the ceremony unless there's no other way to ensure that whatever they are doing won't be done, primarily because we also want to find out who these people are- an arithmantic imprint is like an unidentified fingerprint if you don't know whom it matches- and if your body is gone, we won't have any more bait."
"Isn't Dumbledore's body enough bait?" Snape's portrait sneered.
"If your body is obliterated, they will probably switch triads anyway, Severus," Nikos sighed. "They won't be targeting Dumbledore's body either- maybe not even Grindelwald's. They can't know that anyone but them knows."
Rasmus sighed, twisting his wand in his grip.
"And anyway, father- I… I'd like not to have to do something like that to you, if I can avoid it," he muttered softly. Snape sighed and made a half-move that he seemed to hold back as he folded his hands vexedly.
"Oh, son," he said softly, almost tenderly. "You know well that whatever is left in the ground is not me. I am not my flesh. Nobody is."
"Snape! What's the meaning of this!?" Harry burst through the door, wand in one hand and newspaper in the other. "You did this, didn't you? What are you up to, are you trying to sully my name?"
"What did you just say?" Rasmus' voice rose sharply. "Sully your name? you apologize for that, Potter, or I will really make you!"
Nikos remained silent, and at the sideline, and the portrait didn't move. Harry's eyes were alive with gleaming anger, and his cheeks flushed with adrenaline as he sneered.
"I am the victim in this, and you want me to say I'm sorry? You're just like your father!" he brandished the newspaper.
"Expelliarmus!" Rasmus bellowed while Harry was still talking, and the force he put behind the spell was so much that not only was Harry disarmed, he was thrown backwards. Rasmus charged him, fists flying. It was all he could do, for Harry to keep him at bay. He was not used to close combat, and the muggle way- duels with wands was what he expected within Hogwarts.
Professor Bai rushed in, hearing the racket, and his eyes widened as he took in the scene.
"Unhand Potter, Snape!" he yelled, adding to the racket, but as he took out his wand to break up the fight, Nikos slid in between, wand at the ready, a dangerous grin on his face.
"Why don't we let the lads work this out, Mr. Bai?" he said in the amiable manner he usually employed, but with an iron edge to it. Bai frowned.
"I don't have time for this," he said and tried to hex Nikos away, only to find his spell bounce off a shield harmlessly.
"Well, I say you do. You don't want to have your spells bounce off while those two are having it out. Best is to watch- and maybe learn something about my godson," the greek added quickly. Bai's jaw seemed to twitch, but he nevertheless glanced over Nikos' shoulder and noticed it was a fist fight, not a wand fight, and thus not too deadly. He lowered his wand.
Harry was giving as good as he was getting. He was stronger than Rasmus, but also slower than him, and while his blows were apparently impacting more, they often missed or glanced off.
"Stop it!" Harry choked out when at some point they were in an impasse, each grabbing to the other, Rasmus by the hair, Harry by the ear, both rolling on the floor completely ignoring the two adults in the room.
"You-apologize!" Rasmus tugged at Harry's hair. Harry retaliated with a knee to the midsection to throw Rasmus off. Rasmus doubled over, but he got on his knees anyway. "Apologize! Isn't it enough that you- you let him die, you bastard?"
Harry's eyes widened a little and he took a step forward.
"Accio wand!" he snarled. His wand flew in his hand.
Rasmus' dropped into his palm as well, but he still talked.
"You think I didn't put two and two together, about how he died, even from the gossip columns? You think I wouldn't know you let him die? You let him bleed out, didn't you? Did you jeer over him, too? Did you show him just how glad you were he was out of your hair, Potter?"
Harry simply stared, his expression horrified. Rasmus' eyes were pained, and slowly becoming red-rimmed, but his face was almost impassive, his lip curled.
"You know what? You can stuff your apology- if I have to beat it out of you, it's as good as a bad penny. Kind of like you."
Harry was still speechless, even as Rasmus once more bumped past him and to the exit.
"W-wait," he called out, and his voice was chagrinned, but Rasmus had already stormed off.
"I… I didn't – i…" Harry glanced awkwardly at Nikos and Bai.
Nikos sighed and put away his own wand.
"Don't worry, kid," he said. "He calms down easily- you can tell him then. Mr. Bai-"
"Professor," Bai said mechanically, and didn't seem to be completely focused.
"I understand your testing appointment was disrupted, and the duel was not exactly magical. You did, however, get a sample of what will be happening, at least at first, around Rasmus. You want to consider if you want that taking place in the advanced practice classes," Nikos said, and then took leave to go find his godson.
In the silence of the room, the portrait finally spoke up.
"Played just like a Potter, Potter," the sneer made Harry's skin crawl and his heart burden with guilt.
***
"Mental, I tell you! Snape, a son? I bet it was that weird bloke we saw at the book store," Ron said, shaking his head as he and Hermione walked towards the Gryffindor common room. The Hogwarts Express hadn't yet arrived, but it was expected by sundown.
"Probably," Hermione said thoughtfully, then bit her lip a little anxiously. "Oh goodness! Do you suppose Harry talked to him?"
"Why would anyone want to talk to Snape's son?" Ron snickered, and Hermione hit him up the back of his head, huffing.
"Will you grow up! You act as if you don't know what Snape did for all of us! For Harry! You know how much he fought to protect everyone from the Carrows, from Voldemort! The least we can do is give his son a bit of slack!"
Ron winced.
"Okay, okay. I know. It's just force of habit, I guess," Ron said.
"I think it's obscene," Hermione said angrily.
"Oy. I guess it's tough being Snape's son- Skeeter is virtually saying he's evil in this drivel."
Hermione scowled.
"She certainly hasn't made things easier. Imagine that trainful of kids arriving all ready to see Snape's evil Greek spawn," she scoffed.
"Especially if he's actually Harry's half-brother," Ron added.
"Oh no. Harry would have read that allegation too, wouldn't he?"
"Guess," Ron frowned, wondering why she was suddenly so worried.
Hermione grabbed his hand.
"Come on! We must get to Harry, now!"
"What is it?" Ron asked, but he did follow Hermione's lead and broke to a sprint.
"Don't you get it?" Hermione panted. "Snape having a son from Harry's mum would mean that the Daily Prophet said-"
"That Snape- oh gross! We gotta find Harry!" Ron agreed, turning a slight shade of green.
***
And that's that! If you recall that Skeeter had agreed not to do an article on Rasmus before a certain deal, you remember correctly.
Wizarding press is lovely, eh? (and any press, really)
Oh, by the way! I was doodling while waiting for an appointment, and Rasmus came out. I haven't sketched in AGES, but since he looks pretty much like I imagine him, I thought I'd share: http:/ /i748 . photobucket . com / albums / xx125/ ignus_ramus / rasmus1 . jpg
Does he look like how you imagine him? (probably not, so carry on and forget you saw that)
Duj: That's true. But then again I guess it's not a standard hazard.
Moira of the mountain: He is his father's son, and his mother, too, was a potions mistress, so he grew up loving potion making.
Review at will! See you tomorrow.