With a jolt Severus recognised his own name and face in the air beside Lily's. Severus Aidan Victor Snape, and Lillian Faith Evans-Potter.
This was his son.
This means… Harry?! How can it be? The abuse… the wings… what happened?
The potions! They must have worked. He's mine. Oh… I have a son. Albus and Minerva mustn't know of this, ever.
The boy just looked on with curious eyes. He waited for Severus to regain his composure, and tell him who his parents were.
Severus sighed and led the boy back to his rooms, taking the potion with him.
"It all started…"
And Severus began to explain what had happened between himself and Lily. Strangely, the boy felt that he had already been told this, in another place and another time.
Severus left out any mention of 'Harry Potter', only saying that after the November night he hadn't known about him until the letter and package had arrived.
He impressed upon the boy that, had he known, he would have raised him himself, even though he was a Death Eater.
"So…" He concluded. "That's how I'm your father. Always know that I'm here for you, and I will never force you to follow Voldemort like I mistakenly did. That is your own choice."
Severus stopped there and looked at his son, trying to gauge his reaction to this revelation.
He was then very startled when he found himself enveloped by two skinny arms. After a second or two he returned the hug, revelling in the warmth the simple show of affection gave him.
When they had both pulled away, Severus took a good look at his son. The boy was still wearing the clothes he had appeared in, so he decided to remedy that as soon as possible.
"Can I take you out tomorrow and get you the stuff you'll need? We need a wardrobe for you, and some robes and suchlike. Oh, and a wand. Would that be okay with you?"
His son nodded.
Severus gave him a small smile and carried on.
"Since I'm teaching classes today, I was wondering whether you wanted to accompany me."
This time Severus received a shrug in reply, but took it as a yes.
"Now, would you like your name?" Severus asked. The boy's eyes lightened and he gave a smile and a nod.
"Good." Severus smiled. "What do you think of Silvanis Alexander Snape?"
The boy seemed to think it over, mouthing the words as if to taste them. After a little while the boy – Silvanis – launched himself at Severus, giving him another hug. He seemed to realise what he was doing after a second, and broke away almost as abruptly as he started. He sat back in his armchair, looking at the floor.
"I guess you like it then." Severus said, amused. "Go get changed, and come with me to my class."
--
It was about five minutes till the start of Severus' first Potions class of the day. It was third-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, so Severus set out to keep up his 'evil teacher' image.
Silvanis was sitting on the edge of his desk, wings Disillusioned and knees tucked up to his chin, watching Severus set up the ingredients.
Suddenly, the bell rang, and Silvanis, startled by the sound, jumped, falling off the edge of the desk.
At that very moment, the two Houses filed in, silent and obedient.
Severus calmly walked behind his desk, inwardly concerned for his son. He sighed at what he found.
Startled by the bell, and panicked by the rush of students, Silvanis had retreated into one of his Animagus forms, the spitting cobra.
--
Lifting the snake from the floor, he waited for a second as his son's lithe form wrapped itself around his shoulders.
That done, Severus turned back to the class.
"This is another year of Potions. Dunderheads like yourselves have little or no place in my classes, so those who don't keep up will be dropped. Do try and surprise me by keeping ahead in the work, if it's not above your mental capacity."
He unwound Silvanis and placed him back on his desk.
"The cobra is named Silvanis, and anyone I catch tormenting, or even touching him will instantly lose 200 points from their house and will die the slowest, most painful death I can think of."
He paused to write the potions steps on the board.
"This is the most basic Colour-changing potion. It will turn the drinker the colour associated with their mood for a few minutes." Watching the unmoving students, Severus snapped. "Well? What are you waiting for?!"
--
There were more accidents than usual in that class. Severus knew of at least three students who had flinched and dropped an extra ingredient into their cauldrons as Silvanis hisses softly at them. He would have great fun writing 'F' on some of the know-it-all Ravenclaw papers.
As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, there was a huge rush as all the students ran for the door, gossiping about 'that Snape vampire and his great bloody snake!'
Severus laughed softly, and placed Silvanis the cobra back on his desk. His next class was sixth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins. Joys. Severus thought. Weasley and Granger. What fun.
He leaned against the front of his desk, waiting for the class to arrive. Silvanis lay curled on the desk behind him.
The Gryffindors entered first, fearful of being late. A couple minutes after the bell the Slytherins traipsed in, confident of their teacher's bias.
Inwardly Severus frowned. How could he have ever let it go this far?
Annoyed, he took 20 points off for every minute they were late. He silently deducted 100 points in total.
After they were all in the room, Severus noticed that each and every eye was transfixed on the front of the class. He knew it wasn't him, so he turned around to try and see what they were looking at.
His eyes landed on his desk, and Severus suppressed a sigh.
There, sitting obediently on the desk, was a half-grown shadow wolf. Not another form. Severus thought.
Shadow wolves were notoriously XXXXXXX Ministry rated creatures. Rare and illegal, meaning that Hagrid would do anything to get his hands on one. Even a half-grown one.
Shadow wolves were named so because of their ability to blend into shadows. They looked much like ordinary wolves, set aside only by their size and fur. Shadow wolves were huge, reaching up to a grown man's waist. Their fur was of the darkest black, and tapered to a mist that haloed the wolf's body. This gave the wolf a hazy appearance, helping to hide it.
This creature was also known to be unpredictable and violent, because of their ability to move without casting shadow, footprint or sound. Utterly silent, they could move without ever leaving a trace.
Little else was known about shadow wolves, as after capture they were lost in the shadows.
--
Inwardly Severus sighed again, and picked Silvanis up off the desk. He was lighter than he appeared to be, far too light for his hip-high size.
"Contrary to popular belief, I am not trying to kill all of you. Just some of you." He sent a fierce glare to the Gryffindors.
"This is Silvanis, and I will give you the same warning I gave to the other class. Torment or even touch him and you instantly lose 200 points from your House, and will dies the most painful death I can think of. I only have limited control over him, so don't be stupid. He will be appearing with me around the school. Also, if anyone sees a black cobra or panther, they are to notify me immediately. No exceptions."
Severus put the wolf of the floor next to his desk and began teaching the class.
--
It was about 20 minutes into the class when Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's old friends, met Silvanis. Strangely enough, he felt drawn to the pair.
Severus overheard them talking at the Feast the previous day.
"I bet Harry's just faking it to get more attention."
"Ron, I know. I reckon that he's gone over to You-Know-Who. I mean, he didn't write. At all. And he didn't seem to fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when he was possessed by him."
"Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say."
"Of course. Now, do you know anything more about what happened to that body that appeared in the Hall?"
"Shh Hermione. Dinner is about to start, and I was to get some sausages before Dean hogs them all."
--
Weasley and Granger froze fearfully as Silvanis came up to their table.
After a moment or two of staring at the pair, he came closer, leaning in to look a bit closer at them. Ron sat perfectly still as Silvanis sniffed him, taking in his scent of home baking and open fields.
He moved over to Hermione, intending to sniff her as well, but instead caught a nose of the mouldy ginger they had been adding to their potion.
Silvanis sneezed, causing the jumpy Hermione to scream.