There was dead silence throughout the Hall. One could hear a pin drop if there was one. The students were in complete shock. There was a loud crash of thunder, so loud it vibrated through the castle and caused everyone inside to jump.

Hermione was the first to notice Harry's expression. "Harry? What is it?" She asked.

But Harry wasn't listening. He was looking at Severus, who'd frozen to his seat.

"Another Snape?" Ron whispered, his eyes wide. "What could possibly be worse?" He and Hermione looked at Harry. Harry's face was white and he looked horrified. A memory surfaced from the depths of his mind.

Harry was reading an excerpt from an old copy of the Daily Prophet. It was about some breakthrough in the field of Potions. Skimming through it quickly, a name popped out at him.

"Severus?"

Severus looked up from his cauldron. "Yes?"

"Who's Arsenius Anastasius Snape?"

Severus' expression turned to stone. "Someone I pray you will never know, Harry" he said shortly, letting his gaze drop back to his potion.

That conversation had taken place over the summer, and though Harry let the subject hang in the air, he knew how much the name affected Severus. And now, he could only imagine what the man was thinking. He watched as Arsenius leaned back and turned to Severus.

"It's good to see you again, Severus." He said, letting Severus' name roll off his tongue slowly and deliberately. Everyone was watching them at this point.

Severus turned to look at Arsenius and their eyes locked.

"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?" Arsenius asked.

It was several minutes before Severus broke the eye contact. He stood up so quickly that his chair made a loud scraping noise, and he all but ran out of the silent hall.

A few seconds later, Harry also stood up. Without a word, he bolted out of the hall after Severus.

Severus was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. There was just no other explanation for this nightmare.

"It's good to see you again, Severus." HIS voice. Oh, God, it's not a dream. It's a living fucking nightmare.

Severus' hands clenched the edge of the table in front of him. Turning his head slowly, he met Arsenius' gaze from behind the headmaster.

"It's been quite a long time, hasn't it?" Arsenius remarked.

Unable to break the eye contact, Severus' mind fills with images he thought he'd long buried.

"You're nothing!" Arsenius screamed at him after class. " Absolutely nothing!" He hit Severus so hard that his head kept moving and hit the storage cabinet, leaving a bloody gash on the side of his head……another screaming fit, this time Arsenius threw Severus down the stairs in the Main Hall, where he landed, unconscious, in front of everyone……Arsenius knocking him to the floor and pinning him so he couldn't move. "Go ahead and cry!" Arsenius raged madly. "Come on, CRY! Cry, because it doesn't fucking matter! You and I are the only ones who'll hear you! CRY!"

Severus tore his eyes away from Arsenius' and stood, causing his chair to scrape the floor. Without warning, he almost ran out of the hall.

He made it as far as the stairs before he collapsed, his head in his hands.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and Harry came running over to him. "Severus!" He reached out to touch him, but Severus pushed his hand away and stood up again so quickly that Harry jumped back. Severus walked away from Harry, down the stairs to the dungeons, and was gone before Harry could say a word.

Harry heard Dumbledore tell the students to go on up to their dormitories. He could tell the man was trying to be cheerful, but his voice faltered in mid-sentence.

Either way, Harry didn't want to be found standing in the middle of the Main Hall when the rest of the school emerged from behind those doors. So he followed Severus down the stairs and into the dark corridor.

And it was dark. The torches hadn't been lit, and everywhere Harry looked was nothing but blackness. He considered himself very lucky to know where he was going, so he let his hand trail along the stone wall as he walked along. It took him almost ten minutes to reach the Potions classrooms.

The torches weren't lit here either, not that it surprised Harry, because Severus usually preferred his surroundings to be dark. One glance towards the office told Harry that Severus was in it. The door was slightly ajar, and movement could be heard, however faint it was, from inside. Harry made his way over to the door. He still couldn't see much beside his own shadow.

"You may as well come in all the way, Harry," Severus' voice emerged from the depths of his office. "As I'm sure you'd rather not remain a shadow on my floor."

Harry slid through the space between the door and its casing, felt around for a chair, and settled himself in it.

"Did you lock the classroom door behind you?"

"Mm-hm."

They were silent for a few moments.

"I apologize for startling you, Harry," the Potions Master said quietly. Harry shook his head, though he knew the man couldn't see.

"What you did was only a reflex. I would've done the same thing." Harry responded. "Besides, I should've known better than to try to touch you while you were in that state of mind."

"I can't believe Albus," Severus said, with a hint of anger in his soft voice.

"He knew about Arsenius' violent behavior, right?"

"Of course he knew, but that's not the point."

Harry thought for a minute. "Do you think he's changed at all?"

Severus was quiet. "No," he said. "He hasn't changed at all since I last saw him."

"How can you tell?" Harry asked.

"The tone of voice and the look in his eyes," came the swift answer.

"Great," Harry muttered. "Just what the doctor fuckin ordered."

Severus made a noise of agreement, before both lapsed into complete silence.

When Severus woke up the following morning, he didn't want to leave his rooms. Sure, he wouldn't mind not having to teach, but he knew it would look suspicious if he didn't show for classes, especially after what had happened the night before.

He was very grateful that he wasn't expected to attend breakfast. He dressed and headed down to his office. Looking at the clock in the classroom as he walked through, he only had twenty minutes to prepare for his first class. Not that he could remember which group he was destined to torture first. One glance at his roster told him it would be the seventh year NEWT class, followed by those first year brats. His NEWT class consisted of ten students, including Neville Longbottom, who had made some major improvement over the last year.

He sat in his chair and let his mind slip back a few decades. He could remember the days clearly. Potions was held in the last classroom of this corridor. He always sat in the back row, because he knew the Potions Master at the time wouldn't bother him unless he made some mistake or other. He had no friends, except perhaps Lucius, but that changed years ago. There was only one person who bothered to talk to him, and Severus didn't have the slightest idea what had happened to her.

Her name was Ari. Ari Potter. She was related to James, of course, but she didn't share his prejudices. She was the only Slytherin that James liked. He never hated her for being sorted into the "House of all evil." Then again, how could anyone hate Ari? She was too nice for that.

When Severus was in Hogwarts, Ari was the one who was there when he needed someone the most. She alone understood him and his pain, having been there herself. She did all she could to protect him, but when the Potions Master got rolling, there was no stopping him.

He never understood why he received the brunt of the Potions Master's cruelty. Severus figured that he was supposed to be the model Dark-loving Slytherin child, the future Death Eater, perfect in every area. If there was so much as one flaw, the world stopped turning. When Severus left Hogwarts, he was more than happy to put those memories away forever.

But Arsenius was here, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

The bell rang for classes to begin, jolting him out of his thoughts. He heard the seventh years enter the classroom and left his office. After taking attendance, he flicked his wand at the board.

"Potion's on the board. Get to work."

The class finished the potion and had the tables cleaned well before the bell would ring. Severus was surprised at this, but he had a feeling that they had intended to finish early for another reason. He was right.

"Professor Snape?"

He finished grading the last vial, closed his book and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"I-well, we were wondering..." she trailed off. From the next table, Harry balled up a strip of parchment and threw it at her. Severus watched as Harry also shot her a warning look, at which she shook her head.

"What is it you're wondering, Ms. Granger?" Severus was patient; there was over a half hour left of class after all.

"We were wondering, what happened last night?" Hermione asked quickly, looking at Harry and then Severus. Severus noticed that Harry seemed very interested in his desk.

"What difference does it make, what happened last night?" Severus returned calmly. Hermione's face reddened slightly.

"Why don't we put it like this," Harry began, with an attitude, "What's said and done in this room stays in this room. Absolutely NO exceptions. Got it?"

The rest of the class muttered their agreement. "Good. I'm holding every one of you to that," Harry said. He pulled out his wand and muttered a string of what sounded like complex spells on the room.

Severus' eyebrows were raised when Harry finally set his wand down in front of him and resumed interest in his desk.

"Can I ask a question?" Setarina Evanis asked softly.

"That depends," Severus answered. "Can you?" She smiled. "Go on."

"Who is he to you?" She asked. "I mean, if this even applies, which I'm sure it does, how is he related to you?"

Severus paused, his mind racing. He had no idea what he wanted to tell them, or if he even should. But if he shouldn't, Harry wouldn't have bothered putting all those spells on the room. Looking up, he caught Harry's eyes. This wasn't the boy's idea at all, but Severus knew he'd do everything in his power to make sure that what went on in this room stayed in this room.

"He was the Potions Master when I was here as a student," Severus began, looking every student in the eye. "He was a very strict professor, very anal, right down to the level of your arm as you stirred your cauldron. He made sure you knew exactly what you were doing and how to do it the right way." He paused, letting his gaze fall on Harry. "Your father despised him to no end, not because Arsenius was the Potions Master, but because of what he'd done to your father." Harry frowned. "I'll get to that in a moment, however."

"Arsenius was very clear about his expectations of a person, no matter what kind of blood they had. He pushed students beyond their abilities, towards a goal he saw for them that they, more often than not, could never reach. But he was also a very cruel man. If even the smallest thing went wrong, if you made the most insignificant flaw, you were punished as if you had committed a heinous crime. He fed on fear and emotions. He made sure you knew what was wrong and made you turn it right."

"Your father's older sister, Lora, was essentially the perfect student, especially in Potions. Somehow she became Arsenius' favorite, and the few times she did make a mistake, he only mentioned it to her. When she finished here, he had James, and expected him to be just like her. James, however, was gifted in Transfiguration and Charms, not Potions. No matter how hard he tried, or wanted, to be good, he couldn't master the art. Anyways, when we were in our fifth year, we took our OWL's, and unfortunately for us, Arsenius was overseeing the Potions practical. James' potion was perfect, which was enough of a shock for him. Arsenius was strolling between the tables, checking our progress, and stopped near James. James didn't realize he was there, as he was carefully adding an ingredient to his cauldron. Upon seeing Arsenius out of the corner of his eye, James jumped and ended up dumping the rest of the ingredient in at once. Not only did his potion explode, but Arsenius grabbed James by the arm and threw him across the room so hard that the storage cabinet fell over him. He was covered in glass shards and various ingredients that were not meant to come into contact with one another."

"The rest of us watched in awe as Arsenius strode over to James, grabbed him by his hair and physically dragged him out of the room, all the while screaming that he was nothing but a worthless piece of scum, incapable of so much as tying his shoelaces."

"The next time we saw James, he had bruises everywhere and had refused to tell Professor Dumbledore what had happened to him, blaming it all on the explosion of his potion. Somehow, James scraped by with enough OWL's to get into the NEWT class. On the first day of class, Arsenius got on him again for not holding his arm at zero degrees while adding essence of ershwood, and James punched him in the face, cursed him a few times, and walked out of the classroom. The rest of us had to deal with the aftermath, which was not pretty."

"Damn," Harry said quietly. Severus nodded.

"If you'd been there, you would think you were trapped in a prison cell."

"What about you?" Lileana asked. "Did he treat you better?"

Severus laughed harshly. "Treat me better? He'd no sooner treat me better than the Dark Lord become a Muggle's best friend! No, he treated me worse than anyone, even James. I was the one who was expected to be perfect at EVERYthing, and that included living. If I so much as breathed crooked, he flipped out, and I would find myself on the floor, trying to remember why I was there. I couldn't move without his permission, couldn't talk, eat, drink, sleep, nothing. The only things I could do were attend class, homework, and make sure I got perfect marks. And in class, if it wasn't James or another student getting harassed about their potion, it was always me. He used me to show the class how not to do something, and then he would make me start all over again until I did it the way he wanted me to. He made my life a living hell, and no one, not even Professor Dumbledore, could stop him from doing what he wanted."

The entire class was hanging on to everything Severus was saying. The room was completely silent.

"But..."

Severus looked up. "Yes, Harry?"

Harry looked at him. "But why you?"

Severus locked eyes with Harry. Suddenly, he realized something: he hadn't told Harry anything other than that Arsenius was someone he didn't want to know.

"Why me? Harry, I've been asking myself that question my entire life." Severus could see Harry trying to figure out that statement, but he knew that Harry wouldn't want to accept that answer until it came out of his own mouth.

"That doesn't answer my question," Harry said.

"But it does! You just don't want to accept it, and I don't blame you. Ms. Granger, have you figured it out?"

She shook her head. "Anyone?" They all shook their heads. Harry frowned at Severus.

"Harry, I know you spent most of last year reading the Potions texts. Tell me, how old were you when Arsenius left his position here?"

"Just over the age of one," Harry responded.

"When did I start?" The class was watching them go back and forth.

"September, before the attack. But how does that?"

"Don't you think it's a bit odd, that I would begin teaching here so soon after he left?" Severus was trying to make Harry see, because Harry was the only one who could understand. But Harry just shook his head. Severus sighed.

"What's my first name? And don't you dare say Severus, because it's wrong," he barked.

Harry thought for a moment, chewing on his lip in frustration. "Anastasius," he said.

"And his middle names?"

Severus could see the realization dawn on Harry before he spoke. "Anastasius Severus." He looked at Severus. "You were named after him."

"Anything else?" Harry shook his head. Severus could tell there was more, however. "Liar." Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Severus waved him off. "The bell's going to ringthere it is, class dismissed." He stood and turned toward his office.

"Answer the question first!" Harry said.

Severus turned slowly and met the gaze of every student. His jaw was set and a deadly glare was in his eyes.

"Fine. But keep this in mind: I've shared this with you all so that you know what to expect when you enter his classroom. Be careful what you say, do, and how you speak and act. Also, be careful what you say about me, because there's no one willing to take my place if he decides to kill me"

"And why would he want to do that?" Harry interrupted him.

"Because he thinks he has the right. Only one who creates something has the right to destroy it, Harry. Besides, I haven't completely fulfilled his goalshe doesn't know where my loyalties truly lie."

"But he can't just make you become something you aren't just because he wants you to," Setarina said.

"He can do that, and much more. It would be easier, because his blood runs through me, and in many ways, I am a lot like him. Which is why you all must be careful, especially you, Harry."

"What else is new?" Harry muttered. "But why?"

"He has his ways of detecting one's vulnerability, and yours are similar to mine. It doesn't help that you went after me at the Feast either...he knows that we've developed a friendship. Soon he will see that you, Setarina, and Lileana share a connection, and all three of you will need to be careful."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Lileana asked.

"You could end up like me, or if you're lucky, dead." Severus was getting worried the more he thought about what might happen while Arsenius was teaching in the same building as him and several hundred innocent students.

"You still haven't"

"I'm aware of that, Harry."

"Then why are you putting it off?" Harry was getting more frustrated, and nervous.

"Would you want to admit that" Severus broke off, staring at the wall.

"Come on, tell us and get it over with," Harry said, as gently as he could manage.

Severus locked eyes with Harry once again.

"He's my father."

Damn, two chappies in one day! 9 hours, actually, as it's almost 1AM for me. And because I've been staring at my monitor since I got up yesterday morning, I need to shower and get some sleep so I can get outta my house later! Cuz I really don't feel like spending my entire vacation in my room. If I get creative, I'll be sure to write up the next chapter after I've reenergized. TTFN!