Chapter Two - Silas Recounts
"Would you marry me?" Silas asked, he was lying in bed, Charlie's head supported by his shoulder and his arm wrapped underneath her; holding her to him. She was sleeping, proven by the occasional snore that made Silas giggle the first couple times and then served to keep him awake. His hand was threading through her dark hair and Silas sighed as he remembered the past week. The past week that had been so much more terrifying than any week really had the right to be. And now in the quiet of Charlie's bedroom at one in the morning Silas couldn't help but remember it, remember it all.
Silas had left Charlie's quarters on the fifth floor shortly after her confession with the explanation of, "I just need a minute to think." That had been Saturday and Silas had felt like a complete shit when he closed the door behind him on the heartbroken face of the woman he loved. He'd left the Herbology teacher and had made his way downstairs to Severus' quarters. He really needed to talk to Severus about all of this, Severus would know what to do; he usually always did.
It wasn't until this past year or so that Silas had really realised that Severus didn't actually have all the answers, and that his older brother was not actually indestructible. Severus had been absolutely shattered when Julia had died and Silas had been completely at a loss about what to do for the broken man.
The night of Julia's death had proven to be the longest in the lives of the Snape family. Severus had completely broken down at the sight of his dead wife and lost son and there was nothing that Nick (their neighbor at the time) could do as he stood outside the Emergency doors – watching through the window.
It was barely ten minutes later when Silas had arrived via apparition with Charlie and a few healers from St Mungos who had been coerced in coming to a muggle's sick bed because of the magical child within her.
But even as they had arrived and with them the promise of salvation, Severus could not be consoled, as convinced as he was of the demise of his newly acquired family; Nick and Silas had had to hold Severus out of the way to stop the man from holding his wife and interfering in the quick actions of the healers.
But nothing could be done. Julia Snape was dead.
Silas had finally gotten up the nerve to ask, "And the baby?"
One of the healers had frowned and said, "The baby? I assumed you realised, the doctors must have been able to remove the child. I can assure you that there is no child within this woman any longer."
At that opportune moment the door had opened to reveal a short greying man, with eyebrows so bushy he put a yeti to shame.
"Mr Snape?" The man asked, looking around at the crowded room filled with strange people.
Severus hadn't heard anything that had happened in the room; he was so lost in his own grief.
Silas had cleared his throat, "Yes?"
The man had looked confused but then shook his head and said, "Your wife, I'm very sorry. But we were able to rescue your son. He is alive but the prognosis is not good. I am most worried about his lungs, they are still underdeveloped and so he cannot breathe well enough to sustain life. We've put him on a ventilator, but you must be prepared. He was born nearly three months too early."
Silas had swallowed. "I – I – he – he Jacob, that's his name. Jacob's not mine, I'm his uncle. Severus, my brother." Silas had stepped out of the way so that the doctor could have a clear view of Severus who was no longer weeping but muttering to himself.
The man frowned, concerned, "I see. If you would like to see the child, you may, but no more than two at a time." The doctor glanced around at the rest of the room. The two healers then stepped forward and introduced themselves as personal physicians of the family and requested Jacob's files and to be allowed to perform their own exams.
The doctor didn't seem pleased but took the healers away to go see Jacob.
"Severus?" Silas had turned his brother to face him and had held the man's face in his hands. "Severus listen to me. Your son is alive. Jacob is alive and he needs you to get yourself together. He needs you to be strong and take care of him. You've done it before and you can do it again. Jacob and Sebastian need you."
Severus had completely stilled and just nodded.
"Good. Come." Silas had pulled Severus by the arm, following the healers and the doctor.
It had been truly frightening to see that tiny red bundle hooked up to all those machines and Silas had felt like crying but Severus had said nothing. He'd only sat on the chair by his son's incubator and had leant his head against it, murmuring a poem that he'd said to Sebastian more times than any of them could count. The poem that Silas and Severus' mother had devised when she had been pregnant with Severus, only slightly adapted to fit for Severus' usage.
"Blue, blue, blue;
A boy to wear the hue.
A son to hold,
A child to scold.
You're mine to love,
Always, you're mine.
And I am yours,
Your Father."
The healers had hovered and had cast discreet spells and had determined that the baby could be saved with an immediate transfer to the magical hospital. St Mungo's had taken care of everything. And Severus had carried his son home two weeks later, smaller than expected but healthy and safe.
Severus could no longer work as a healer, he no longer had the time with two children whom he was the soul parent of. So, two weeks after Julia's somber funeral Severus had quit, sold the house and moved his family back to Hogwarts and had retaken the position of Potions Master.
And Mrs Martin had been forgotten the moment that she arrived at Julia's funeral with a very familiar man by her side.
Severus had thought that somehow Tobias Snape had threatened the woman to showing him where his children lived. Silas had watched from the front door, with baby Jacob in his arms and Sebastian holding on to his pant leg as Severus had marched across the front lawn.
"What the fuck are you doing here? Get away from her!" Severus had pulled Mrs Martin behind him and Tobias had put up his hands in a conciliatory manner.
"Please, Severus I just wanted to give you my condolences and support. Please." He had said and Severus had been so angry, so angry about everything and the way his life had turned out and that the only women he ever loved had all died, and Severus had hit him. Hit Tobias square in the jaw.
The man had fallen to the ground, and Severus' knuckles had cracked and Mrs Martin had screamed.
"Severus! Please Severus don't. I promise you he just wants to be a part of you all again. Please listen to him!" Mrs Martin had pleaded, hanging on to Severus' arm and as Severus had turned to face her Silas had seen the horrendous comprehension dawn on his elder brother's face.
Severus had asked so quietly that Silas had barely heard him, "You're his wife?"
Mrs Martin had only nodded. Severus shook the woman from his arm, disgusted, and had moved back into the house. Slamming the front door behind him and locking it.
The living room, filled with mourners, was completely still and Severus had run up to his room and had stayed there until only the Malfoys were left and Lucius had gone up to speak to the man.
Silas never knew exactly what the two had said to each other but after that incident nothing more was ever said and Severus would no longer shut himself away for hours at a time with Jacob in Silas' care.
Silas would have thought that Severus had come back to them but he hadn't. Sure, he was physically there but there was something shuttered off in his eyes and Silas found that that shutter meant he could no longer connect to his brother. Only Sebastian and Jacob succeeded, however infrequently, in occasionally allowing those black orbs to smile again.
Dumbledore had greeted them in the Entrance Hall on moving day with sad eyes but a welcoming smile and Silas had never thought he'd be more grateful to move back to the castle. The responsibility of caring for his brother had been a heavy burden on his shoulders and he knew that now that they were back that Dumbledore would take over the care for his surrogate son. And it was when Severus had responded to Dumbledore's welcoming arms with a fierce hug and had buried his face in the man's shoulder that Silas realised that perhaps Severus needed a father just as much as his own sons did. And Silas' heart had responded with a fierce longing, a longing to know what it felt like to have a father and Silas knew then that even though Severus had no need of their biological father, he'd chosen one for himself, Silas did and Silas needed to find him. To go to his father and be told it would be okay even though he knew full well it wouldn't and to feel that just for a moment someone would take care of it for him and take his heavy burdens away.
Severus had always been that person for him but Silas knew that Severus could no longer be. Severus had children, Severus had more responsibilities and Silas, even though Severus would never see it that way, was an unnecessary burden.
That next day Silas had gone in search of his father, he hadn't told Severus where he was going, or anyone for that matter.
Mrs Martin had answered the door, "Silas! Hello!"
"Hello Mrs Martin."
"No, no call me Helen. I expect you're here to see John?" She'd smiled a hundred watt smile and had even chuckled a little when Silas had frowned in confusion, "Tobias, I suppose that's what you know him by. John changed his name after he changed, he wanted, needed, a fresh start. A new name for a new person." She ushered Silas inside and closed the door, and lead Silas down a narrow hall to a brown door. "John's in the study," She said, indicating the door, she disappeared through another door.
Silas gulped and cautiously knocked on the door. "Come in Helen dear." Tobi – John called. And Silas carefully pushed the door open.
Silas's father sat at a brown table, there was one bookshelf, stocked to the brim and one filing cabinet. The room was so small that those were the only objects that would have fit in the room.
John didn't look up from his papers that he was scribbling on, but when Silas didn't speak John glanced up to not find his wife but his youngest son. John stood up suddenly.
"Silas!" He was startled and Silas could only nod. "Have a seat." He gestured to a chair that sat on the other side of the table from him. Silas sat and John sat a moment later.
The room was quiet, Silas looking at anything that wasn't his father.
"Is there something I can do for you?" John finally broke the silence and Silas' gaze dropped to his hand in his lap.
After a few moments he finally said, "Be my father?" Silas looked up through his fringe and saw the determined expression on John's face as he nodded.
He had sat in John's study with the man for over an hour, and they talked, they talked about everything and nothing and Silas left feeling happier than he had in years and so the next day he'd informed Severus of his new relationship with their father.
"I need him Severus." Silas had argued.
Severus clenched his jaw, "But you have me and the boys and Albus."
"No, I don't. Not anymore. And I never had Dumbledore to begin with. Dumbledore is your father, John Martin is mine. Your children need you more than I do, and for now you have to let me go, let me find my own way."
Severus hadn't said anything after that but he would refuse to discuss anything that remotely related to Silas' father.
After school Silas had been lost, with absolutely no clue what to do. Dumbledore had allowed Silas to stay and assist Hagrid until he figured it out.
As Silas scuffled to Severus' rooms he couldn't believe that so many changes had happened within the space of three years. Sebastian had been lost to them and then won back; he'd been discovered as an empath and a seer, Severus had married and had another son and lost his wife. Silas had graduated, become a groundskeeper, found his father and now he'd found Charlie.
Silas' reverie was broken by a dull thud coming from inside Severus' quarters and then the earsplitting sound of Jacob Snape crying his head off.
There you are! A lovely explanatory chapter, I hope it answers some questions for all of you who were confused and if you're still confused bear with me, not everything has been explained yet (clearly) so don't worry. It will all make sense in the end.
Reviews from Chapter 1:
Twilight1987: Oh she's alive alright, and as much as I would like to keep you in suspense about how she is alive as long as possible I am going to tell you that, no, she isn't a vampire. BUT good guess! Ahaha, glad you're enjoying the story! :D
frannienzbabe: I hope this chapter explains how Jacob lived, and if you were actually asking "How did he survive the crash?" and not "How could he have lived being born three months early?" Then the answer to that is because he is magical; its based on the premise that wizarding children often show their magic to protect themselves from harm, so Jacob's magic saved him, but as he was still so young it was not yet powerful enough to save his mother or even himself completely, because even after the crash he was still at risk of dying. I like that you're asking questions it makes me double check my reasoning for everything I allow to happen in the story. Thank you for the review :D
dan4eva: Is it? I don't know? I guess we'll have to see! ;) I'm glad you love Severus and Julia so much, and I totally agree with you. I mean the cliche thing would have been to kill Julia off and then get Severus and Charlie together because they're opposites and opposites supposedly attract and are so therefore obviously meant for each other and yadda yadda. But I'm trying to (as much as possible when writing a story about magic) keep this story as real as possible and in the real world often relationships like that don't work. And don't you think that Severus and Julia just work? And that Silas and Charlie just work? I do. And it makes me happy :D Thank you so much for the review!
LemonDropsWoolSocks: Hey! It's my number one fan! Dear Young One, isn't it so much more fun talking through another story? I love it! :D And yeah you're right I did mean dead, I'm just incompetent at typing so don't mind me... ahaha! Maybe Seb does have a lot to do with her coming back... or maybe he has really nothing to do with it at all! (madly cackling in background) Yeah I loved Dracy too, I put it in his perspective at the request of another reader to know more about Draco and am so glad I did, thanks to her I already have the epilogue written in my head! If only I can remember her name! I guess I'll have to go back and check! Jacob is a handful! But so are most children and it really irks me when fan-fiction authors write about their characters having babies and babies and children upon children but the kids play almost no role and allow the parents to go off on their adventures. Life's just not like that, kids are much more hands on than other amateur authors demonstrate so I really want that to get across in this story. This story takes place a year and a half later. So Silas is a year out of Hogwarts and Jacob is eighteen months and Sebastian is almost eight! Ahaha and the title came out of nowhere, it probably won't even make sense in the end, oh well! And as always thanks for the brilliant reviews, they always make me laugh! :D
Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: Ah hello again there dear! Good to see you again! :D and Yes, yes I am full of surprises! Ahaha, I've looked your chapter over and have PMd it to you already! Much love JP :D
LilliannaSnape212: Yes, I am quite evil I know. In fact it's actually my middle name! And you are a lucky duck! Caught this series at just the right time! There is a reason behind Draco's behavior so don't fear on that count! Yeah he probably should be a little suspicious but I suppose you'll just have to wait and see on that too! :D Thanks for the review!
Krintz96: Ahaha thank you! I hope this chapter answered some of your queries and you may also want to look at my reply to frannienzbabe above for further info on Jacob's existence. Thank you for the review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much!
Alena13: Thank you, and I hope your worries are being addressed. Don't worry it will eventually all make sense. Thanks again for the review! :D
Please dear children review, it makes me happy! :D