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Chapter 28"Are you all packed and ready for school?" Severus asked the students who stood in a row in front of him. That morning had seen the usual insanity of last minute packing. This was Severus' first time witnessing it though and while he had initially found their chaos irritating his irritation quickly gave way to humor. He himself had always been so organized as a child that he had never had the mad dash to get ready for school that his son and friends evidently always had.
Somehow, all of their belongings had floated equally between their three rooms, mixing their things up into a complete mess. Even Bill's and some of Severus' items had joined in the fray (although Severus had absolutely no idea how his things had wound up scattered through the Gryffindor rooms). The students had to be more careful than usual this year to sort everything out since they were no longer all living in the Tower. Before, they would just pack everything into whatever trunk was closest, sorting it out once they reached Hogwarts.
This year though they couldn't do that and had to make certain that all of Tallis' belongings were safely locked in his trunk. They also had to securely lock away anything that obviously belonged to Harry Potter, including his beloved photo album which had to remain behind at the manor. The cloak was given to Ron for safekeeping. No one would find that odd since few knew of the cloak and those who did know were fully aware that the trio shared everything that they had between them.
Three smiling faces looked up at Severus. "Yup. All ready sir" Ron said. He was, for once, happy to be returning to school. This was their last year there and he was getting closer to declaring his love for Hermione and his best friend was finally safe and happy. He was also no longer hated by the potions master. He no longer took potions but it still felt good to know that Snape would no longer be seeking him out to take away points or assign detentions or just generally belittle him.
Severus had a brief conversation with both Hermione and Ron about his past treatment of him. They both understood that much of his behavior had been necessary to convince others that he was a true Death Eater. Severus did acknowledge that he took it overboard at times and he conceded that the possibility might exist that he should have told them what was really going on earlier. While this might not have been enough for Ron a few months ago he had learned that it was best simply to set the past aside as Tallis and Severus had done for their own relationship. Sometimes it was easier to simply begin anew, and Ron preferred to see his friend's father as a completely separate person from the greasy git. He also knew that the conversation had been insanely difficult for his surly professor and that he only did it because he wanted to be on good terms with his son's best friends. Ron could see now though that Severus Snape was a good man, regardless of how prickly his exterior was.
Severus rolled his eyes. Ah, the exuberance of youth. "Here is your portkey. It will drop you outside the Burrow and Molly and Arthur will take you from there with an Order supplied portkey. Please double check that the potion was effective on both of them before you leave. Quickly now, where is Harry Potter?"
"I believe he is going somewhere to train but I was not told where" Hermione promptly replied.
"And when did you meet Tallis Snape for the first time?"
"About two years ago when Bill brought him home for Sunday dinner," Ron said automatically. The Weasley family potion had to be a bit more complex than that given to the others since they needed to convincingly tell others that they had known Tallis quite well for two years. They also needed to be warded against letting anything slip that could possibly link Harry Potter to Tallis. Since they knew Harry so well that was quite a lot to protect.
"Alright, you are free to go. Please be aware of your surroundings at all times."
Tallis gave his friends quick hugs. Both were pleased that Tallis had come such a long way that summer. He never would have voluntarily hugged them before this summer. He might have reluctantly accepted a hug from Hermione but nothing could have made him hug Ron back then, no matter how much he trusted him. His father and friends had worked hard with him, making him more accepting of casual touch. He was finally able to repress his instinctual response and realize that not all touch was going to result in pain. Ron and Hermione blinked out of sight as the portkey activated.
"Are you sure you are ready for this Tallis?" Severus asked his son. He knew that the ride on the train would be overwhelming for his son who would no longer have Ron and Hermione at his side to act as buffers. Tallis was in a strange position as both student and teacher. Dumbledore had "requested" that Tallis ride the train to school and Severus had finally acquiesced, knowing it was better to lose a small battle in order to win some of the more important issues later. Tallis took a deep breath and nodded. The two stepped over to the fireplace to floo to the drop off point in King's Cross. Not many people were allowed to use the floo since it would be too dangerous to let everyone know of it but professors were given full rights to use it as needed.
Tallis stepped into the fire and was pulled away to the station, soon to be followed by his father. Tallis brushed the soot from his beautiful emerald green robes and stepped aside for his father to come through. Everyone on the platform turned to stare at the two Snapes, clearly shocked regardless of the pictures that had been run in the paper. Quiet murmuring could be heard all around as speculation flew. Severus and Tallis stood apart, talking quietly together as the students gossiped blatantly about the new Snape.
Ron and Hermione finally appeared with Ginny, Molly and Arthur in tow. They all greeted the Snapes courteously but did not linger too long, according to their plan. Molly smiled happily at Tallis and gave him a quick hug and kiss in greeting before ushering her children and Hermione onto the train. A few students looked shocked to see Harry Potter's close friends so obviously friendly with the Head of Slytherin and his son. They had already seen the pictures and read the article but it still seemed a bit surreal. Evidently the small, beautiful boy really was dating Bill Weasley, judging from Mrs. Weasley's friendly greeting. It was almost too much for them to comprehend—a union between a family of the strongest Gryffindor sensibilities and a family that practically oozed Slytherin.
Draco Malfoy entered the platform with his mother. Narcissa gave a demure smile to her friend Severus and the two walked over to greet the Snapes. Draco was shocked when he had heard that his godfather had a son that he had never told him about but he was certain that he would learn more when they were somewhere that they could talk. He studied Tallis closely for a moment and then held out his hand in greeting.
Tallis took his hand and looked up at Draco smiling hesitantly. "It is nice to meet you, Draco," he said softly.
Draco smiled back. "It is nice to finally meet you too," he said, clearly slightly bitter that he had not been let in on the secret existence of his godfather's son earlier. Evidently all of his ire was directed to his godfather though and not at Tallis because he quickly warmed up to the smaller young man. "Let's go find a compartment on the train, Tallis. It will be full soon." Tallis turned to his father for a moment but did not say anything. They communicated briefly with their eyes, one searching for strength and the other giving it freely. Tallis nodded and turned back to Draco, ready to enter the train.
Draco walked by the small Snape, trying to find an empty compartment. They finally found one in the middle of the train and immediately settled into it. "Where did you go to school before this?"
"Veyle Academy" Tallis said rather shortly but not unkindly.
"Did you like it there?"
"It was nice. Very small but we got to move more quickly because of it. Do you like it at Hogwarts?" Tallis said to change the subject, not wanting to linger on the discussion of his "old" school. He knew that if he lingered too long he would be forced to elaborate and if the more he talked about it the easier it would be to catch him in a lie.
"It is ok. I'm a Slytherin and the school doesn't like us very much."
"Why?"
"They think that we're all dark lords in training" Draco said bitterly.
Tallis smiled softly. "How strange. How are the teachers?"
"Your father is great. He's the only one who really likes us much. McGonigall isn't too bad. She teaches transfiguration and is the head of Gryffindor, surprisingly. Gryffindors especially tend to hate us. I guess Professor Vector isn't terrible either. Flitwick's annoying but he is talented at least and tends to ignore house prejudices. Most of the rest are incredibly prejudiced or else incompetent. Dumbledore actually has a ghost teaching History of Magic and a third year drop out for our COMC professor."
Tallis wanted to snap at Draco for referring to Hagrid in such a way but he realized that Draco was entirely correct. As much as he loved Hagrid he had no business teaching students any subject, especially one that was potentially so dangerous. He hadn't even finished a basic education, much less achieved his mastery in any field. He was actually a danger to the students, teaching them without the proper credentials. Without control of his magic he had no way of subduing the wild and typically dangerous animals that he delighted in bringing to his class. Not to mention that the students never learned the most important aspect of the class—how to subdue violent magical creatures and protect themselves from harm should they be faced with an out of control magical creature. No one really needed to know how to properly feed a blast ended skrewt but they did need to know how to avoid or stop an attack by an enraged hippogriff. "That's too bad that he doesn't have better teachers—or at least more appropriate ones. I'll only really be dealing with Poppy and my Father though, thankfully. I assume that you are still taking potions?"
"Of course. I would never drop it, not while Sev was teaching it." Tallis nodded. "How did I never hear about you before now?" Draco could not get over this. He knew that his real irritation was with Severus and not Tallis but he hoped to get a bit of information out of his godfather's son. They would be brothers, of sorts. He hoped that they could be friends.
Tallis had been prepared for this. "My father wanted to shield me from the war. He figured if no one knew that he had a son then Voldemort could never ask him to bring his son in to be marked. So he kept me a secret from everyone. People at the Academy knew to try to be quiet about my presence so they didn't really talk about it much to anyone, even their parents, really."
"Who was your mother? Don't tell me that Sev's hiding a wife, too."
Again, Tallis was prepared for this. He felt a bit guilty using a poor woman's timely death for his benefit but it did work out well. She was a few years older than Severus had been friends with his at Hogwarts and had died shortly after Tallis was supposedly born. She had conveniently looked vaguely like Lily Evans, with brown hair and green eyes. More importantly though, she was a pureblood orphan herself and had been murdered by Voldemort when he found her after nearly a year and a half of hiding. There was no one alive who could possibly vouch for her whereabouts during that year and a half and no one who could possibly claim that she was not his mother. "No, no more hidden family members. My mother was Miranda Jurow."
Draco nodded, instantly understanding the need for secrecy. He had heard about the Jurow family before. They had openly sided with the light and were systematically wiped many years ago. The last remaining Jurow was killed about a year before he had been born. Evidently they now knew where she had been hiding all that time. Add to his already dangerous parentage on his mother's side his father's betrayal of the Dark Lord and Tallis was an enormous target for the Dark Lord's ire. Of course Severus had hidden him away.
Blaise and Theo knocked on the door and slid it open. "Mind if we join you?" Theo asked Tallis. Evidently he was now taking on a sort of leadership role with the Slytherins based nearly solely on who his father was. He immediately nodded and the two boys took a seat, Blaise next to Tallis and Theo across from him.
"Blaise Zabini" the dark haired boy announced, holding out his hand in greeting.
"Tallis Snape" he said with a smile, "although clearly you already knew that."
"Theodore Nott" the other boy said, shaking his hand as well. "So, I hear that you are some kind of genius or something."
Tallis raised an eyebrow, unconsciously imitating his father and making the other boys slightly uncomfortable. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"They published your NEWT results in the paper. The article said that you had scored the highest in DADA, Potions, and Charms that they had ever seen by quite a large margin and that you matched the highest Transfiguration score, previously held by Minerva McGonigall. No one's every held the highest score in more than one category before, much less four."
Tallis blushed lightly. "I didn't know they had published anything about that. How the hell did they get that information? Shouldn't that be private?"
"Whenever a new high score is reached on an official exam the information is immediately forwarded on to the ministry and the papers. The article was published shortly after that article where they announced your existence" Draco supplied. He was marginally surprised that Tallis didn't already know this but then remembered that Sev was always a bit…eccentric. It wouldn't surprise him at all if Severus had decided that learning about testing regulations and such was unnecessary for his son. He was certain that Tallis' pureblood education had differed wildly from what the rest of them had learned. Nearly every pureblood student at Hogwarts learned the same information at around the same time from his or her parents and tutors. Likely, Tallis had received a radically different discipline than they did. He wondered what the young man had been taught under his father's tutelage.
Tallis rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm not a genius, I just happened to do well that day." The boys all decided to drop the topic since Tallis was clearly not going to own up to his abilities.
"What is it like having the Professor as your father?" Blaise asked. "Does he assign you detention when you do something wrong?"
"We are very close. He's one of my best friends" Tallis said quietly in a way that no one dared to laugh at. The other boys in the compartment were not yet at the stage where it was possible to see their fathers as a friend, much less admit such a thing to others.
"I can't really imagine that. I mean, we all love the Professor but he's not exactly open or friendly or anything" Theo explained.
"Perhaps not while at school but he is very different when we are alone. I'm pleased to be able to join him this year at Hogwarts."
Ron and Hermione tapped on the door and stuck their heads in. "Hey, mate, just wanted to make sure you found someone to sit with" Ron announced, looking around the compartment at the Slytherins. He didn't smile but he didn't make a face upon discovering who Tallis was sitting with either.
"Yes, I met up with Draco on the platform and his friends joined us a while ago. Would you care to sit with us as well?"
"No thanks Tallis, we already have a compartment down the way with some other Gryffindors. We just wanted to check on you" Hermione said.
"Yeah, Bill would kill me if I left you all alone on your first trip on the Express" Ron said. "Well, you seem to be in capable hands. I'll see you at school. If you need us we are about six compartments down the way." The two Gryffindors shut the door behind them and hurried on to their compartment. The three students had decided over the summer to try to work on dispelling house rivalry at Hogwarts by promoting their friendship and even working to befriend the Slytherins. They had planned their entire encounter a week earlier, making certain that they saw the Slytherins and did not insult them or degrade them at all. They knew that friendship would be rejected immediately if they started out too strong so they settled for simple neutrality. Hopefully, this would be a good start.
Draco looked at Tallis in shock. "They…they were actually bearable! They didn't insult any of us even once!"
"Did you expect them to?" Tallis asked, feigning confusion. "I've known Ron for two years now and I know he can be a bit impulsive at times but he seems to be a nice guy. We hang out some when I'm at the Burrow with Bill and we go out occasionally without Bill when he's busy or has to be at work early. I just recently met Hermione so I don't know her well but she seems an ok sort. She's very smart."
"Why are you dating a Weasel anyway Tallis? Didn't your father tell you about them?" Nott said, never knowing when to shut up. He often spoke without thinking.
Tallis stiffened and turned his icy gaze onto Theo making him shudder. Theo had long realized that the Snape heir was powerful but he had been lulled into a sense of safety by how diminutive the young man was. Now he was immediately reminded of exactly why he should fear the Snape family. "Bill Weasley is a good man, as is the rest of his family" Tallis said coldly. "If you have a problem with them then please deal with it on your own terms and do not attempt to pull me into your personal wars."
Theo nodded quickly and looked embarrassed. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just a bit surprised that you two got along so well. Snapes aren't known to like Weasleys."
Tallis nodded, showing his understanding of Theo's apology while clearly closing the topic. All further bashing of Weasleys or Gryffindors was kept quiet for the remainder of the trip. Tallis hoped that it would also be kept to a minimum while they were near him at school. He hated house rivalries and the entire house system seemed flawed to him. By breaking the students up into houses with those who had similar personalities they encouraged the segregation of the society. Students rarely sought out those in other houses who could provide a balance to their personalities and skills. They never learned to work together, helping to fill in what each other lacked, to create one whole, strong force.
"I can't believe Sev let you get a tattoo," Draco said, having noticed the Snape crest on his hand and eager to begin a new subject that wouldn't irritate Tallis. All of the rest of the artwork was covered by his long robes which fell past his wrists and his button down shirt. Surprisingly, even with the amount of pictures that were published in the paper his tattoos were always either covered up or else difficult to recognize as tattoos.
"I have a few," Tallis said, enjoying the understatement. He knew that it wouldn't be long before they discovered his other tattoos. He wasn't quite ready to reveal everything right now though.
"I wanted to get one but my Father wouldn't let me" Blaise said sadly.
"You are seventeen, aren't you?" Tallis asked with a light sneer. "Just go get one if you want it. What could he possibly do?"
"He could disinherit me."
"I am so sure your father would disinherit his only son and heir, thereby ending his branch of the family line with himself," Tallis said sarcastically. He was now insanely grateful for the hours that his father spent drilling him on pureblood family trees.
"I guess you're right. I never thought of it like that. Is that how you got the Professor to let you get yours?"
"No. I told him that I wanted another tattoo and asked if he wanted to join me. And he did. That was it," Tallis said truthfully. He was greeted by a general wide-eyed stare by all of the young men. Clearly, none of them had ever thought of doing such a thing with their own fathers. "I told you before, he's one of my best friends. Of course I invited him along. It was fun." This time mouths gaped open before the three purebloods could collect themselves enough to replace their masks. Each one was trying to envision their austere potions professor in a tattoo parlor. More, they were trying to imagine "fun" and their professor actually belonging in the same sentence.
"Will you be staying with your father then, in his rooms?" Theo asked, eager to make up for his earlier faux pas.
"Yes. I already had a room there; it has just been expanded a bit in preparation for me to permanently live there. They also made the study larger so that we could both have a desk and room for our papers. They decided to make the study our office and it has a door out into the hall as well as into our apartment, although no one can go through that door except my father and I."
None of the boys had gotten past the first bit, that Tallis already had a room in his father's apartment before this year. "You already had a room there? You mean you've slept in the castle before and no one knew about you still?"
"Yes" Tallis answered honestly. He truly had stayed in his father's dungeon suite before and he did have a room there. Granted, it had only been for one night this summer when no other students were present but he had done so nonetheless.
After a bit more idle chat Blaise excused himself to go find Lavender. Evidently their date at the end of last year had gone well as they had continued to owl over the summer. He left in a hurry to see her again, saying a quick goodbye to his friends and Tallis. It seemed as if the Slytherins were generally eager to repair relationships with the wizarding world at large, although none of them would ever admit such a thing. Many were now seeking relationships outside of their house, slowly mending their tattered image. Perhaps a true friendship between Gryffindor and Slytherin would be easier than Tallis and his friends had originally thought it would.
The three boys chatted lightly for the remainder of the trip. When they drew near to the school the Slytherins drew on their school robes. Tallis didn't need to change since as an apprentice he could wear whatever he wanted. He was dressed in expensive green robes left open over slim fitting black slacks and a black button down shirt. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling the black ribbon out and twisting it around the low ponytail again.
He was grateful for the potion that his father had made that had allowed his skin to be, well, malleable, for lack of a better word. After applying the potion Severus had been able to manipulate the scar into three separate lines and then twisted two of the lines high up into Tallis' hair. The third would not move very far for some reason but he pushed it up to the edge of his hairline, making it barely noticeable, even when seen from only a few inches away. Even if anyone could locate the three separated parts of the lightning bolt they would never be able to recognize it as the remnants of the famous scar. It still retained the same abilities as before, linking him occasionally with Voldemort but the episodes were few and far between.
He started to get nervous. He hoped that his father had been able to arrange everything as he had said he would. While he had been on the train his father was supposed to be in a conference with Dumbledore, discussing how Tallis would be announced. His father and the Headmaster had already had a few short conversations throughout the summer to keep up contact and keep him updated on the information that they wanted him to know. Dumbledore had supposedly supported all of their decisions. Tallis was still worried though. Everything could still fall apart.
"Nervous, Tallis?" Draco asked.
"A bit." Although for different reasons than you think Tallis thought.
"Don't be. You'll do fine. And no matter what, you'll always have the support of Slytherin house. It appears that you will have a few Gryffindors to support you as well," he said with a sigh.
"You don't mind, do you? About them?"
"No. I'm not friends with them but I guess they aren't all that bad. We fight a lot but it is more to pass the time and to meet people's expectations than anything, really. You know Harry Potter, don't you?"
"Somewhat."
"We tend to fight the most. When I saw you two in the paper I was worried that he would sway you against me before I even got a chance to meet you. It seems that he didn't."
"He mentioned you but pretty much just how you did, telling me that you both fought often but that both of you enjoyed it, although neither would probably admit it to each other."
Draco raised an eyebrow at this. "I would have expected Potter to have tried to use it to his advantage, knowing you first. He is very Slytherin in many ways."
"He didn't really try anything, really. I mean he didn't stand much chance of convincing me you were evil or anything, given who my father is. Harry and I have only met a few times, anyway and I've heard about you for years. I feel as if I know you already, even if we are only now meeting. My father speaks of you often. He missed you this summer." Draco smiled at this. He had been worried that maybe Severus wouldn't want to spend time with him during the school year now that his real son was at school with him but evidently he had nothing to worry about.
The train started to empty out quickly. Tallis and Draco got into a carriage with Millie Bulstrode and a young Ravenclaw who quickly introduced themselves. The ride up to the castle was relatively quiet. Tallis was glad to have a few moments in which to calm himself down. He wasn't used to being near so many people at once, much less people who expected handshakes and other touches. He knew he just had to make it through dinner and then he could go to their rooms and relax. He just hoped he made it that far.