Hello! I apologize for the delay but I went to Virginia (as I said in my bio) for a couple days.

Thanks to all my reviewers!

Padawan Jan-AQ- Thanks! And thanks for reviewing for every chapter as well. :)

anon2- Yeah I know. And yes, it is going to be HP/HG. Thanks!

opal- I upped the rating just in case someone reported me (and someone told me I should). Also the transformation scenes might seem a bit gory but I'm not sure. No, this is not going to be slash and it's not going to be a rape story either. I know it kind of sounds like it is going to be a rape story so I went back and deleted any evidence of rape. And yes your name won most definitley! Phew! I've got Darian for this story and Damien for my other one, I'm just afraid I'm going to end up mixing them up.

Abbika-Rose-Writers- Thanks! School is starting again tomarrow so I might not update as much but I'll try.

Fangfoot- Thanks!

FroBoy- Thanks!

Anarane Anwamane- Yep, though I don't think he means to be all controlling and stuff (in the books I mean). Thanks for the review!

Felinity- Well that's good 'cause it is going to be HP/HG! Thanks!

mitchell- Thanks! And Ron is not going to be single. I have one person in mind for him though.

SeXy StAr GoDdEsS- Thanks! Glad you like it.

HecateDeMort- Sorry but it's not going to be slash. It will be HP/HG and Ron will go with someone else.... Thanks for the review!

Hellsing-agent-Alucard- lol, Thanks!

Lady Miko of the Woods- It is going to be HP/HG, sorry but majority rules. But like you said in your review, my other story is HP/GW and HG/RW. Thanks for the review!

LoveOfTheMoon- Thanks!

F.H. Groves- Thanks and it was opal who picked the name.

DARKMARK33LV- Thanks! I'm trying not to make Sev and Harry warm so fast but they will eventually!

texasjeanette- Thanks! Glad you think my characters are not OOC.

LL- Yep! It's HP/HG. Thanks!

Ariana Dumbledore- Thanks! I know I overdue the exclamation marks, I really stink at grammer. But I have a beta reader now so it won't be as bad.

BlindJedi- lol. Thanks!

l- Yeah it's usually RW/HG. Thanks!

lillinfields- Thanks!

Catti- Thanks! And I agree totally on the HG/HP thing.

Countess D Lupin- Well I have read many stories where Lupin ends up having children and they aren't werewolves so.......I just went along with it. I think that the only way for a child of Lupin to be a werewolf is if the child's mother was a werewolf to but I'm not sure. Thanks!

leggylover03- Thanks!

Eve27- Sorry, but it's going to be HP/HG but Ron's not going to be single, if that helps. Thanks!

Kamorie- Thanks!

pj- Yes, I know it sounds as if there is going to be rape in the story but it's not true. I went back and reread the last chapter and I realized that it did sound as if I were going to include rape. I did not mean to do that and I went back to delete any evidence that this was going to be a rape story. So no, it's not a rape story.

Phew! Thanks once again to everyone! Also, this story is going to be a HP/HG story and if anyone has any ideas for Ron then please tell. School is staring up again, people! Ugh!

Also thanks to my beta reader, Badbugz!!

Chapter Ten- Introducing Darian

"We have a new student joining us this evening!" Dumbledore announced to everyone at dinner. All the students fell silent immediately. "He has come from Chan Yu Academy all the way from China, which has recently closed down over the summer. His father has decided for him to stay here with us until he graduates!"

Whispers broke out in the Hall as every student tried to see the tall boy standing beside Dumbledore. "Please give a warm welcome to Darian Snape!"

Professor McGonagall walked out from behind the table, picking up the sorting hat from the stool that had appeared where it always did on the first of September.

Darian swallowed and slowly walked over to the stool. He briefly surveyed the students before sitting down. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he saw Draco Malfoy grin broadly at him. His view was cut off as McGonagall dropped the hat on his head and Darian suddenly had a déjà vu of his first year as he saw the many students trying to peer at him.

'Well well well, Mr. Snape..' said a voice inside Darian's head. 'So you have found out your true identity, have you? Well, it's about time I'd say! Hmmm now let's see... So you are to be sorted again is that correct?' Darian gripped the edges of the stool, 'Yes that's right...' he said mentally to the hat. 'Let's see now... As I said before in your first year, Gryffindor is a good house for you but not necessarily the best...Slytherin would have been your best house when you were eleven but that was five years ago and you certainly have changed...What's this about a werewolf biting you? Oh, you are in for a rough year, Mr. Snape, a rough one indeed. Why, I remember when Remus Lupin placed me upon his head and......' Darian cleared his throat, 'Er...I need to be sorted...' he mumbled to the hat mentally. 'Oh all right!' The hat squawked irritably, 'I mean I'm only a hat! I never get to talk to anyone! Fine! Neither Slytherin nor Gryffindor. What about Hufflepuff? No, you may be very loyal but Hufflepuffs would too respectful for you as you still seem to have a certain disregard for the rules! Yes, Ravenclaw would suit you very nicely. You certainly have changed and now have a thirst for knowledge, a thirst for knowing things...yes, I suppose that it would be very good for you, so better be RAVENCLAW!'

There was the usual polite applause, though it sounded slightly scattered, followed by confused whispers. Darian sighed and took off the hat, nodding respectfully to McGonagall before heading over to the Ravenclaw table. Glancing over at the Slytherin table, he saw that Malfoy was looking flabbergasted.

Ravenclaw was the last house he expected to get sorted into. Maybe Gryffindor or Slytherin or even Hufflepuff but certainly not Ravenclaw. He wasn't smart enough for it, was he?

Darian frowned as he thought of how he had always been interested in reading his new school books before going to school. Why, he had even read a couple of them around ten times out of sheer boredom at the Dursleys' but he'd never thought he could be smart enough to be put in Ravenclaw. Oh well, at least it was better then Slytherin.....

Darian glanced around the Ravenclaw table and noticed that barely anyone that was sitting close to him was eating. He nodded to Padma, who was sitting across from him. "Hello," he greeted politely.

Padma looked thoroughly disgusted that he dare have the audacity to speak to her. She scowled at him and stood up, walking away to sit in a seat much farther away from him.

Darian frowned and sighed as he tucked a strand of raven hair behind his ear. What had he gotten himself into? Now he was going to be hated by everyone except Ron and Hermione, but they couldn't show that they liked him or else it would be too suspicious.

"Don't mind her, she's rather shallow minded, you see," came a voice from Darian's left.

Darian turned to see a girl with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her hair was tied back into a tight braid. Darian felt relief that at least one person was talking to him. "Hello, Darian Snape, but of course you already know that," he shook her hand.

She smiled. "Yeah well, I'm afraid you may have a rather tough time making friends...not to insult you or anything. It's just that your father isn't that popular..." she said unflinchingly, as if she weren't afraid that Darian would get mad at her for insulting his father.

When it was obvious that he wasn't going to say anything else, she swept her braid over her left shoulder. "Lisa Turpin. What year are you in? Sixth? I thought so. I'm in sixth year too. What classes are you taking?" she said quickly.

"Er....Potions-"

"Of course..." Lisa interupted with a slight smile.

Darian nodded, "Yes, unfortunately, well I'm taking Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and possibly Care of Magical Creatures."

"Well you have yourself a busy schedule don't you? I'm taking the same except for ComC and Herbology," she told him. "Never did like plants and animals that much...especially after I saw a Thestral try to eat a man in a hotdog costume and the Devil's Snare thing almost strangle this poor old guy when he tried to prune it..." she frowned slightly, "Wasn't very pleasent."

Darian chuckled, "I wouldn't think so. Are you muggle-born?" he asked slowly.

She arched an eyebrow, "Yeah, got a problem with it?" "Oh no, it's not that!" Darian reassured her quickly so as not offend his new friend. "I just didn't think that wizards would usually see a man in a hotdog costume..." She shrugged, "Well, that's whats strange. I come from America, you see and barely anyone in this school knows what a hotdog or a hamburger is. A bit strange, isn't it?"

Darian grinned, Lisa was beginning to remind him of a mix between Ron and Hermione.

"Wait a minute, how is it that you know about hotdogs and hamburgers?" she asked suspiciously. "I come from China, I've heard about them but I've never tasted one before," he told her.

There was a couple moments of silence and Darian thought of something. "Hey, how is it that you can see Thestrals?"

"My mom," Lisa said shortly.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't mean-"

"It's alright. I mean, she's in a better place and....well...she's not suffering anymore," Lisa said, shrugging slightly.

"Cancer..." Lisa told him as Darian opened his mouth to ask what she meant about her mother not suffering anymore.

"Oh.."

"What about you? Were you raised by your mother?" Lisa asked quietly, "And did she....die?"

Darian frowned and shook his head, "No, she died while giving birth to me. I never met her; I grew up in an orphanage."

Lisa looked horrified, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, it's okay. I never really knew her and well....the past is the past." he said, looking down at his hands.

Lisa nodded though she still looked troubled. After a couple of minutes she said, "If you had a father, then how come you grew up in an orphanage?" she asked.

Darian was luckily saved from answering when his father strode up behind him and told him to come down to the dungeons with him to discuss classes.

"Wait!" Lisa said to him as he started across the hall. "The password for the dorms is 'Bookworm' okay? See you later!" Darian smiled and nodded, "Thanks."

He turned back to Snape, who was waiting impatiently for him. Snape motioned for Darian to follow him, his sneer firmly in place. The walk down to the dungeon was silent as Snape completely ignored Darian and Darian glared at Snape's back.

They walked into Snape's office and the man seated himself at his desk, his hands steepled in front of him. "Well, sit down!" he said impatiently. Darian did so and Snape took out a parchment, "You are currently signed up for Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and Potions..." Snape sneered at the last subject.

"It amazes me how far your fame can take you," he said bitingly, "I never thought that the Griselda Marchbanks would be fooled into putting you in Potions when it's quite obvious that you are almost as inept as Longbottom..." Snape's mouth curled into a scowl.

"Can't you at least deal with the fact that I may be good in Potions if I didn't have you breathing down my neck every bloody second!" Darian snapped, and immediatley closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. That had not been an intelligent thing to say.

Snape's eyes narrowed, "That will be twenty five points from Ravenclaw, Mr. Snape," he stated quite coldly. He leaned forward, "And if you ever insult my teaching methods again then you will be very, very sorry. Is that understood, Mr. Snape?"

Darian gulped audibly, feeling a shiver go up his spine and cowered slightly at Snape's icy glare. Snape arched an eyebrow, "Do you honestly think that I would hit a child, Mr. Snape?" the question was not gentle or comforting, but rather cold and accusing. Darian swallowed and said nothing as he nervously fiddled with the sleeve of his robe.

"Look at me when I am talking to you!" Snape growled and Darian's head immediately snapped up to look at him. The boy's breathing had shallowed slightly as he stared at the rather enraged Potion's Master.

"Answer me!" Snape demanded and Darian visibly flinched, his eyes clamping shut as his breathing quickened.

"You are pathetic, Potter..." he said calmly. Darian looked up. "Completely and utterly pathetic..." Snape said quietly as he shuffled through his papers absently. "Do you want to change your schedule at all, Mr. Snape?" Snape asked in a bored voice.

Darian seemed to have regained his composure as he said quietly, "Just ComC, I wish to drop it."

Snape nodded and crossed out the class as he stood up and handed Darian his schedule before turning around and walking out of the office without another word.

Darian swallowed and stared after the door his father had walked through. 'You are pathetic, Potter, completely and utterly pathetic..' Darian felt a familiar burning sensation behind his eyes as he stubbornly fought down the rising lump in his throat. "I am pathetic..." he whispered to himself. "Completely and utterly pathetic..." Why had he believed for one second that that wasn't true? For one second when he had been with Ron, Hermione, and Remus, he had thought that he was actually worth something. Now everything he had gained from being with the three who seemed to care for him so much melted away completely at his father's, his own flesh and blood's words. "Uncle Vernon was right," he said out loud to no one in particular. "Aunt Petunia was right, Aunt Marge was right, Snape is right, I am pathetic."

"Excuse me!" demanded a voice from the doorway and Darian jumped, whirling around to see Hermione standing in the doorway looking rather angry. Darian felt a warmth in the pit of his stomach at the sight of her. He sighed, "What did I do now?" he muttered to her, noting her angry expression.

Hermione's face softened as she stepped inside and shut the door. "I'm not mad at you, Darian," she said, turning around to face him. "But did your father really say that you were pathetic?" Darian nodded, his eyes glued to the floor.

"Well he's wrong, you know!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes burning with anger. "How could he say such a thing! He's just a stupid git, don't listen to him!" Darian arched an eyebrow at her exclamation feeling both touched and shocked. Hermione had never badmouthed a teacher before (except Umbridge and Trelawney of course) and it was rather comical to hear the usual Know-It-All goody-goody to call a teacher a git, even if it was Snape.

"You know not to listen to him, right Darian?" she asked gently, walking over to him slowly. "Yeah....he's just a git, you're right as always," Darian lied, covering up the obvious lie with flattery.

It didn't work. Hermione frowned and put both her hands on Darian's shoulders. "You do believe what your relatives and your father say, don't you?" He said nothing, he merely sat there staring into her eyes as if hypnotized. "We love you, Harry..." Hermione told him, using his old name. "All of us, Dumbledore, Remus, the Weasleys, Hagrid, and so many more, including me....even Snape cares for you. I know he does, deep, deep down inside," she gave him a smile. "Because it's impossible not to love you, Darian, it's impossible and don't ever let anyone make you forget that."

Darian gave her a small smile and she hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the warmth that she seemed to glow with as he breathed in her scent which smelt like roses. 'When did she start wearing perfume?' he wondered as he held her. 'Or maybe it's shampoo...'

"I'd appreciate it if you two wouldn't treat my office as a rest area and a hangout spot," said a cold voice.

They both drew back quickly and turned to see Snape standing at the door, a sneer on his face as he eyed the two before him with slight disgust. Darian looked away from the cold glare but Hermione stood strong and met the glare of her professor with one of her own. "I'm sorry, sir," Hermione said cooly. "I just thought that you'd act the least bit decent to your son but I guess I was mistaken," she stated icily.

Darian stared at Hermione, wide-eyed. What was up with her this year? First she ranted furiously about Snape's teaching methods after the first day of classes, then she called him a git, and then practically informed the man that he was a heartless bastard!

Snape's eyes flashed. "That will be fifty points from Gryffindor, Miss Granger. Now get out of my sight unless you wish to loose twice as much," the man spat.

Hermione glared and put a hand on Darian's shoulder, "Come on," she said gently to him. "Let's get out of here and you can 'meet' Ron."

"I don't think so, Miss Granger," Snape said smoothly. "I would have thought that someone with high grades such as yourself would be smart enough to realize that it would look strange if a Snape were to hang around with two Gryffindors!" Snape sneered. "I guess I was mistaken..."

Hermione closed her eyes briefly before saying in a forced polite voice, "But Darian was raised in an orphanage in the muggle world and went to school in China, how would he know about the reputation the Snape family carried? And he is a Ravenclaw."

"Twenty points from Gryffindor and a weeks worth of detention with Filch, Miss Granger," Snape said coldly. "And you'd better be glad that I don't make it a hundred and inform the head of your house about your disrespect for a professor." Hermione opened her mouth to say, 'I give respect where it's due, Professor' but Darian cut her off, "Don't, 'Mione...." he muttered in a tired voice. "Let's just go before you gaurantee the Slytherin house the House Cup."

The girl nodded and the two teens walked out. Darian stopped in front of Hermione in the hall, "What was that about?" he asked in an amazed voice. She smiled and blushed slightly.

"Have Ron and I finally started to rub off on you?" he grinned at her.

Hermione grinned back before becoming serious. She said quietly, "He has no right to be like that to you, Darian. He has no right to make you feel worthless when you're not!" She paused for a moment to look him in the eyes, "And I am not going to let him make you feel like that! You are his son and you deserve so much better. Parents aren't supposed to treat their children like that, Darian."

"He's always treated me like that, Hermione," Darian mumbled, looking at the floor.

"And it wasn't right then either!" Hermione exclaimed, surprising him slightly. "But now it's so much more worse, because you are his son. Not his student, not the son of a man he hated, HIS son." She shuffled her feet looking quite uncomfortable and muttered in a low voice, "Not to mention the treatment you suffered from your relatives.....he knows about that now and he's just making it worse by saying those things." She finished her little speech and looked up at Darian expectantly.

The boy merely shrugged and heaved a sigh, "Doesn't matter anyway, he's not going to change, he will never change. I'll just have to deal with my father hating me...." he trailed off and Hermione put an arm around him.

"Just remember that despite Snape's dislike for you, you have so many people who care for you Darian. Promise me that you will always remember that?" Hermione said gently. Darian looked into her eyes and said sincerly,

"I promise."

Hermione smiled, "I'll escort you to the Ravenclaw dorms shall I?" she asked almost playfully.

"Are you sure you want to be seen with 'Darian Snape'? It may ruin your perfect reputation..." he said in a slighty mocking voice.

"I'll live."

Darian nodded slowly before he asked something that had been bugging him ever since the beginning of their talk. "Do you...er....do you think that it might be possible that Snape would actually...try?" he finished quietly.

Hermione felt her heart go out to him. He sounded so hopeful, so hopeful about something that she knew was probably not going to happen. "We can always hope," she said quietly before they started up the stairs to the Ravenclaw dorm. Darian nodded, knowing what that meant.

As the two teenagers dissapeared around the corner, Snape stepped out of his hiding place in the shadows as he stared after the two, an odd expression on his face and his black eyes, usually indifferent and cold, were swirling with uncertainty.

() Okay so tell me what you thought please and thank you!