Believe it or not, this story is drawing to an end…for real, this time. I'm thinking that it will ultimately be around 75 chapters in total. I have it all mapped out, now it is just a matter of writing it.
Thank you for all of the wonderful and inspirational reviews!
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Chapter 68Tallis sat up with a gasp, his heart pounding.
"Tallis? You're safe, you're in the Chamber," Bill said quickly, attempting to soothe his clearly distraught boyfriend.
"The Chamber?" Tallis repeated blankly.
"Yes love, the Chamber. Ron and Mione brought you down here yesterday evening and Severus, Draco and I came down shortly after."
"How…"
"Myrtle told us…and in their rush, Ron and Hermione left the entrance open. We slid down and got them to go back and shut it. Don't worry—Myrtle had been keeping an eye on it and no one else came into the loo while the entrance was unguarded."
"Where are they now?"
"Severus made them go back upstairs a few hours ago. If all six of us are missing at breakfast then people might figure out we are together. It is common enough for the four of us to eat together on weekends that no one will question our absence."
Severus woke up at the sound of their voices, pushing himself off of Ron's cot and moving over to the tiny cot Bill and his son were sharing. "Tallis. How are you feeling?"
He reached an anxious hand out to feel Tallis' forehead, taking his temperature the muggle way rather than pull out his wand. Right now, he needed to reassure himself that his son was awake, and well. Watching his son in the throes of such a lengthy vision was terrifying.
"I'm…I'm ok, Dad."
Draco sat up as well and leaned in toward Tallis' bed. "And now how about we try the truth?"
Tallis sighed. "He was so angry. And so happy. I've never felt such powerful and conflicting emotions from him before."
Severus nodded. "Can you tell us what happened?"
Tallis leaned back into Bill's chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. "He found out about Vernon's sentence. Life in Azkaban," he said, seeing the confusion on the faces of his family.
"How the hell did he know? We still haven't heard anything," Draco asked.
"It's likely in the papers this morning," Bill explained. "He must have someone on the inside in Azkaban and would have heard the moment that Vernon was incarcerated."
"So, he found out Vernon's sentence and he was happy?" Severus prodded, wanting to know more.
"No. He was furious about it." At his father's raised eyebrow he expanded. "He thought the punishment didn't come near to what Vernon deserved." He manfully ignored Draco's muttered 'It didn't' and pushed on. "He was livid about…he was so, so angry."
"What was he angry about?" Bill asked softly.
"He was so angry that Vernon raped me," Tallis finally said in a bare whisper.
The other three hid their surprise as best they could, that Tallis was finally ready to admit in words what his uncle had done to him.
"He thought that time in Azkaban couldn't pay back what he owed. And he was angry on top of that because Vernon had tried to kill someone that he had dibs on."
"Dibs?" Draco asked.
"Er…he had first right to kill me."
Draco nodded his understanding.
"You say 'tried to kill'…" Severus said, unable to even form the question.
"He knows," Tallis whispered.
"Everything?" his Father confirmed, his normally pale skin even chalkier at the thought.
"No…at least I don't think so. He knows Harry Potter is still alive. He knows it was a golem. He didn't make it clear whether he thought it was me."
"It will only be so long before he remembers Halloween," Bill murmured, stroking Tallis' hair to keep him calm.
Tallis gave a jerky nod.
"How does he know? How could he possibly know?" Draco demanded, jumping up from the cot and pacing around the small room.
"The scar?" Severus confirmed with Tallis.
Tallis nodded again. "Seems he's always known. He wasn't fooled for a second about the death. He decided to let events play out…to let the light tear themselves apart to make his own job easier."
"We played right into his hand," Severus murmured.
"We did the right thing," Bill argued back adamantly. "Dumbledore was a liability in this war. We all knew that. We killed a representation of Harry Potter but we did not remove the capability of killing Voldemort. Tallis can still kill him, he just won't do so in the name of the Boy Who Lived."
"He's right, Dad. The real reason Voldemort was so pleased was that he thought that he would be able to finally convince me to join him—to rule with him."
"He thinks you're going dark?" Draco gasped.
Tallis snorted. "Evidently. He said something to Vernon to the effect that he had treated me so poorly as a child that he had made me hate all muggles. Apparently he thinks it is just one step from hating a single muggle to wanting to kill every single muggle in the world."
"Yes, well the Dark Lord was never known for his rationality," Severus said, smiling at his son. He was relieved to see a bit of light return to Tallis' eyes, even if it was by making fun of his previous master's reasoning abilities.
"So what now?" Bill asked.
"He's going to try to recruit me. They're searching for me, even as we speak."
"He's that sure you'll side with him?" Draco asked.
"He thinks that we planned this all as a way to get rid of Dumbledore and make it easier for Harry Potter to switch sides in the war. He sees this as a gift from Harry Potter to himself as a sign of goodwill, and evidence that Harry is eager to make an alliance with the dark. He's taking it as such, at least. Voldemort is convinced that the entire situation was designed to ease Harry's transition into leading the Death Eaters by his side."
"And there was no mention of Tallis Snape during this?" Severus asked anxiously.
"None. He didn't mention you or me. But Bill's right. It'll only be so long before he remembers what I did on Halloween and makes the connection."
"It's not like Harry Potter was known for raising people from the dead, Tallis," Draco said sarcastically.
"No, but the impossible did have a way of becoming possible around Harry Potter," Tallis explained patiently.
"So what are we going to do?" Bill asked.
"There's not much more we can do. I already stay on campus at all times. I am nearly always with an escort of some sort when I'm in the halls. What else can I do? Anything more conspicuous will just make it easier for him to make the connection."
"I will request some additional help of Slytherin House," Severus said firmly. At his son's skeptical expression he explained. "All of them have turned away from the Dark. Very few of them wish to side with the light, but none of them would ever do anything to hurt you."
"You're not thinking of telling them, are you?" Tallis asked, horrified.
"No, I will merely mention that I want them to keep an eye out for my son. They've been doing that on a more relaxed basis since that wretched Ravenclaw started harassing you, but I will simply request that they step up the protection."
"I can't have a whole school as a body guard," Tallis protested. "Voldemort would notice in a heartbeat."
"They're Slytherins, Tallis. Have you noticed them guarding you up until now?" Draco asked. He had been in charge of a major portion of the 'protect Tallis' movement in his house.
Tallis thought for a moment and slowly shook his head. "No, I guess I didn't. Are you sure?"
"Has that boy ever been able to approach you again? Or has any other young man harassed you for that matter?" Severus asked patiently.
"No…I just thought he stopped being interested."
Bill snorted quietly.
"I can protect myself damn it!" Tallis protested, irritated that the other three men seemed to think that he needed school children to stay safe. "I'm not some helpless damsel in distress who needs some big tough man to protect me. I don't need their help."
"I don't doubt that son. I just feel better with more eyes watching out for you. Don't worry, it will be very inconspicuous. They will mainly run interference to keep other students from touching you. If the Dark Lord does find out who you are he'll do anything he can to get at you, even if it means planting a portkey on a student to get you out of the safety of Hogwarts."
Tallis nodded slowly, calming down. He could see the sense in that. "What are you going to tell them though? Why will they think they're doing this?"
"They'll be doing this because their head of house asks it of them," Severus replied.
"And because they all love you," Draco said, smirking. "You've won them all over. Must be your purty eyes," he drawled.
"Shut up," Tallis said harshly, a smile breaking through and utterly ruining the effect.
"Whatever the reason, love," Bill said, "they will be willing to help keep you safe. Slytherins protect their own. We've all known that from day one. They see you as theirs now and will do what it takes to keep you safe."
"Are you going to tell us more about what you saw?" Draco asked eagerly. "What did the Dark Lord do to the muggle?"
Tallis shuddered as a vision of his uncle's broken body flashed before his eyes.
Severus glared at Draco for asking the question. Whatever his son had seen last night had not been pretty, of that much he was certain.
"He…was really angry Draco," Tallis finally said. "He made sure Vernon understood that."
"Is he dead now?"
Another shudder wracked Tallis' small frame as he remembered the crunch of the breaking bones and the smell of the blood as the Death Eaters literally peeled strips of skin from the rotund man. "No," he whispered. "They healed him when he was too far gone."
The three men sat in shocked silence for a moment. They had all assumed that due to the sheer length of the vision that the muggle had died at the end.
"I'm sorry Tallis," Severus said finally. "I know you'll be seeing them play with him for a while longer."
"I'm not sure if I will again. I was sucked into the vision because Voldemort's feelings were so incredibly strong and unguarded. He knew I would be pulled in and he wanted Harry Potter to see it—as a gift of sorts to lure him into an alliance. I doubt his feelings will run so high a second time around."
Severus started praying that the bastard's overworked heart would give out on him soon. Someone that out of shape couldn't possibly last long as the Dark Lord's favorite plaything.