CHAPTER 25- FROM CELEBRATION TO DISASTER
I want nothing more than to take some of the pressure of all this adult stuff off your back and allow you to be just a kid for awhile. But it's up to you Harry and I will support whatever decision you make."...
Severus handed Harry a handkerchief, led him over to the other chair then called for some more tea.
"What about you ...Dad...can I call you Dad? Asked Harry.
"That is probably a reasonable request, since I am your Father," smiled Severus. "What do you mean "What about me?".
"I mean if Voldemort is coming back, he will find out and try and kill you. Being my father is really going to be a risky proposition" said Harry.
Severus smiled at him then said, "The Dark Lord is a risk to everyone Harry, so this is nothing new."
About that time Ragnok knocked on the door and they told him to come in. "Have you made up your mind yet Harry?" he asked.
"Yes" said Harry, "I want to be with my Father, but I was just worried about how it might put him at greater risk."
"Well", said Ragnok, "if you have decided then why don't we gather everyone back together and talk about that situation, perhaps we might be able to do something about your concerns."
Severus waved his wand at Harry taking away all the indications that he had been crying so that he would not feel embarrassed. Harry smiled and said, "Thanks". As they walked to the other room Harry noticed for the first time that his Father was much taller than he was. Harry standing up barely came to the top of the man's chest. "I wonder if I will ever be as tall as you Dad?" asked Harry.
"I don't know Son, you were deprived of nourishment for so long it might have a lasting effect on your growth but we are feeding you everything we can to make up for it so we will just have to wait and see. Young boys usually don't have their last growth spurt for a few years yet so don't start worrying yet."
When they were all seated again Ragnok turned to Harry and asked him if he had made his decision and if he had would he please state so in front of everyone. Harry said, "Yes, I want to be with my Father".
Ragnok continued, "Severus Snape, do you willingly accept Harry as your son?"
"Yes, I accept Harry Potter as my son" replied Severus.
"Severus", interrupted Albus, with you being a spy and having the dark mark on your arm don't you think that puts Harry at more risk?"
Minerva jumped in and said, "Albus, just shut up". Everyone's eyes grew to saucer size and Albus' jaw dropped to the ground but he remained quiet.
Ragnok turned to Severus and asked, "If you had a choice now Severus, to spy or raise and protect your family, which would you choose?"
Severus looked at Ragnok and said, "I would choose to raise my family but the pain in my mark, when he starts calling us, just gets worse until you answer it. There is no getting rid of a mark and the pain would eventually kill me, I have no choice, I will have to answer his call."
Ragnok smiled, although a smile from a Goblin is not a pleasant sight, then he rose from his desk, picked up a long stone and threw it in the fireplace. In a minute a very, very old Goblin walked out of the fireplace and walked over to Ragnok. They spoke in the old language for a few minutes then the old Goblin walked over to Severus. "Raise your shirt sleeve please," she said. He uncovered the mark and the Old One put her hands over the mark and began to chant.
Severus started grimacing, like he was holding in a scream and finally could hold it no longer and did scream. There were tears running down his face and it was obvious he was in great pain. Then all of a sudden it stopped. When he looked down at his arm thinking that it had been cut off, he was in for a bigger shock, his arm was fine but the mark was gone. The Old One then turned to the fireplace and left as quietly as she had arrived.
Ragnok smiled and said, "You Wizards run around with those sticks and think you have a corner on the market when it comes to magic, silly wizards! Severus, you're mark is gone and you will no longer feel the presence of the Dark Lord. Raise and protect your family well."
"Harry I wish I could take your mark away but that is another secret that Dumbledore has not shared with you. You're mark is actually a piece of the Dark Lord, that is called a Horcrux" With that word you could hear everyone except Harry sucking air.
"It is not a complete Horcrux and can never be used by the Dark Lord to bring himself back to life, or turn you to the dark, because it wasn't planned, but non-the-less it is a piece of him. What it all means or how it will affect you and the conflict we don't know, but if you ever need help Harry you can call on the Goblin Nation. "
"Next we need to verify the claim of parentage for the ministry" said Ragnok. With that he took out two vials and handed one to Severus and one to Harry. Each drank their vial and within three seconds white ropes appeared and searched around each male in the room then centered on Severus and Harry and wrapped around them. Once they were wrapped they turned gold and made a loud POP sound knocking both of them on the floor.
"Well, I guess we have our answer. You are definitely Father and Son and are now bound together. Harry your name is now Harry Potter Snape. You have to keep the Potter name as your middle name since James Potter set up the will to allow you to inherit the Potter Estate no matter what your legal name might be. As I 'spoke'your new name all documents in the ministry and any other documents like your school documents were automatically changed."
"Now I wish you all well" said Ragnok, "And I do hope that you will be able to lose those poka-dots soon, they are defiantly not becoming."
As they were walking out of the office Severus asked Harry if he wanted to visit his vaults. "No sir, not today, I am so full of new information I think I'm going to bust. I have so many questions about so many things" said Harry. Then he gave Dumbledore a really dirty look but said nothing.
"Let's go home and talk all this over then," said Severus. "We can begin a list of your questions and then have a proper meeting with your Grandfather to get some answers to them" and he also gave his dad a dirty look. "First I think we ought to talk to your brother and let him know that he has a brother, don't you think?"
"How do you figure out the First Born in this situation?" Harry asked with a smirk.
"Thankfully," said Severus, "there are so many Estates involved that it will probably take us years to figure out what you boys own so I wouldn't be too worried about it."
When they returned to the castle they were besieged with people wanting to know if they were Ok. "We were just about to call the ministry" said Flitwick, "But decided to give it a few more hours before involving them, I'm glad we waited."
Everyone decided they needed some rest so Minerva invited the adults for after dinner drinks later and the kids all went to the common room to wait for the return of Draco and Harry. Severus had asked Harry and Draco to meet with him in his quarters right away so Draco would be the first to hear the news and wouldn't hear it through the gossip line.
Severus and Harry filled Draco in and were a bit surprised when he erupted, threw his fist in the air and yelled ..."Yes!"
"I guess he is happy" said Harry, looking at his Father.
Severus just smiled and agreed. "Now we need to settle some things before you boys go back to the dorm. Because of room limitations I will add another bed in your room Draco and it will become a shared bedroom for you boys when you spend time in the living quarters. I don't have a home anymore so we will figure out what we are going to do about that later. The rules that you will live by will not change much. You are both my sons and my expectations of you will remain the same as will accountability for your actions, if you catch my drift?" Both boys nodded.
"Harry, I know you have a lot of questions but just start a list and we will talk about them over the next few days. Off you go and please stay out of trouble."
Severus finally has a couple hours to himself. He took off his robes and his boots, poured a couple fingers of fire whisky, sat in front of the fire and just took a deep breath. He could not believe what had just happened. He had just acclimatized to the idea of doing what his father, Albus, had done, taking on a ward or adopting and was ok with raising the boy. But to find out that this kid, one that he used to hate with a passion, was actually his own son. He just couldn't wrap his mind around it yet, but his heart was having no problems, thankfully.
Most of that was due to Alice. She had really helped him over the past weeks, to revisit his relationship with Harry and see it for what it was, a very unhealthy one founded on some very unhealthy lies. Harry was not James, not even close. Severus didn't think that Harry had a malicious bone in his body. Oh, he was going to find trouble if it was anywhere near him, but he would never purposely hurt anyone.
He was a fine son and none of it was Severus' doings. All he could do now was relieve some of Harry's fears. Remus had shared with him what Harry had said and that was why he had opened his talk with Harry using the word 'Son'. That was all it took to bring the, twelve year old, fear filled boy into his arms, clinging to him for security and asking with every tear for someone to love him, hold him, and care for him.
He now had two fine sons, so different, yet so alike. He was also in shock that he no longer had the dark mark on his arm. He wasn't sure how the Goblins accomplished it but it was like they lifted a thousand pound brick off his back.
Of course Albus was not a happy camper because he had just lost his spy. Severus, if he were honest with himself, was very happy that he didn't have to endure the "cruciatus curse" every week. It has gotten so frequent that Albus hadn't even bothered to check on him when he would return from those meetings and he had to medicate himself if he was able. When Minerva had found out that Albus was neglecting him she became so angry that she hexed him straight into one of Poppy's hospital beds. He was there being treated for five days. Minerva didn't speak to him for three weeks and even then it was strained for quite a while. Minerva was always there for Severus when he returned after that. She was not talented in the healing department but she could get Poppy on it quickly and he didn't have to suffer very long.
Albus was on his mind also. So many secrets, yes, too many secrets. He had learned a long time ago to love Albus, but not like him at times, as Lily had written in her letter. But when it came to his son, perhaps Albus had gone over the line. He didn't know yet, he had to give it time and perhaps talk to Alice about it. He just knew that right now he was very angry.
It's hard when you see your parents make mistakes. You want to respect them and love them but sometimes it was very hard. It was like his mom told him; "He has accomplished great things for the Wizarding world and will continue to do so. But he needs a lot of help when it comes to dealing with people, but we can be there to help him with that. All leaders are talented in one area or another and must delegate tasks that they are not gifted in. No leader can be all things to all people. We just need to keep an eye on the people around Albus and try to make sure they are not hurt unnecessarily." Severus was so happy that his mom loved Albus because he just wanted to kick him in the bum right now.
Everyone was in the common room when the boys arrived and they were all thrilled for them, even Ron. Harry kept watching him as he shared the story and while he knew Ron was having trouble switching gears, he was the 'new' Ron that Bill had spoken of at the beginning of summer, he had changed.
Later that night all the adults were gathered in the Dumbledore quarters having drinks and sharing talk about the events of the day.
"I don't think I have ever experienced a summer with this much going on. We are all going to be exhausted by the time school starts, in fact school might feel like a vacation after this" Minerva laughed.
Dumbledore was participating in small talk but he seemed to know that in the near future he would have to answer a lot of questions. Minerva had shared with him that she and his son and grandsons all loved him it was just that they were not real happy about some of the things he did. She had tried to warn him, but he was very stubborn and while it proved to be an asset in his line of work, it was also his downfall.
Minerva was sure he would survive, but his ego would take a hit. She would be there for him as she was always there for him, to massage it and help him accept the words and feelings that he would soon experience.
Arthur was standing by the window, sipping his drink, then, took a second look. He called Severus and Alice over to the window and said, "I knew it was too good to last, it looks like we need to go take care of our youthful problems." Severus and Alice looked out over the Quidditch pitch and saw six brooms with six flyers zooming around in the dark. When he looked closer he saw that it was Harry, Ron, Draco, Neville, Luna and Ginny. He just shook his head, looked at Arthur and Alice, smiled and said, "Oh well, let's go".
The kids had snuck out the dorm window with their brooms wanting to celebrate, by flying in the cool air. They knew the adults were all at a party and wouldn't notice so they took the chance. They were having a great time just flying around, letting the cool night air fly through their hair. It seemed to bring the day to a pleasing and relaxing conclusion.
It was going well until Harry looked down and saw his Centaur friend, Osito. He got the attention of the other kids and pointed at Osito, who was not far from the outer edge of the forest. It was then that they realized he was being chased by two wizards in masks.
"Bloody Hell" said Ron, "That kid is in big trouble, we need to do something."
Harry yelled, "Ginny and Luna, go find the adults, I think they are all meeting in the Dumbledore quarters. Let them know that we are going to try and help Osito out. Ask them to send a patronus to Bane to let him know his son is in danger."
"You do know we are really going to catch it if we do this don't you" asked Draco.
"Yeh, and if you feel like you need to stay here, I'll understand" said Harry, "But I can't just not try to help him out."
"No way, dear brother, we will suffer together" said Draco with a smile. "You do know that by the end of summer we will probably have calluses on our bums."
All this was said as the boys started flying toward Osito who was still trying to get away from the two men chasing him. While he had four legs he was still not big enough to really have the speed necessary to make a quick escape. He had heard the kids out flying and ventured to the edge of the forest to see if he could catch Harry's attention. The two men with masks had been out near the pitch watching the kids also until Osito came up behind them accidentally. After that it just turned into a chase and Osito was losing.
Ginny and Luna made it to the castle, opened the door and continued to fly their brooms to the Dumbledore quarters. There they banged on the door which was opened quickly. They told the adults about what was happening and that Bane needed to be alerted.
Albus sent a Patronus to Bane immediately while Severus, Arthur, Alice and a number of friends took off down to the pitch. The girls were going to follow them but found Professor Mcgonagall standing in the doorway with her hand out. There was no doubt in Ginny or Luna's minds as to what she wanted and they handed over their brooms. She then sent them to the tower telling them to stay there, under threat of death.
Bane received the warning Patronus and headed out in the direction of the pitch where the warning said his son was being chased by Death Eaters. Harry had not planned on landing, just marking the area until the adults could arrive but about ten minutes later the Death Eaters caught up with Osito and started hexing him.
Harry and the guys flew low into the forest and started throwing spells and hexes back at them while trying to stay out of the path of the curses coming back at them. Their time in dueling class was helping them somewhat but being on brooms and fighting was a bit different than being on the ground.
"Let's land where we have some cover and see if we can take them out or scare them off if nothing else." With that they came in low on one side of the Death Eaters then headed back to the other side under cover of the tree canopy. The Death Eaters were looking in one direction and the boys were approaching them from the back side. The boys spread out and in minutes they had hexed the Death Eaters and bound them up. They walked over and enervated Osito. He stood up and was a bit shaky but seemed to be Ok. Harry told him to head on home fast so that they could leave on their brooms. They watched him take off and when they were getting ready to fly off they heard POPS of apparating men behind them and before Harry could even turn around, everything went dark.
Neville had been behind a tree and the Death Eaters did not see him. There were a bunch of them and they had taken down the others quickly. Neville knew he needed to stay safe so he could let the adults know what had happened.
The Death eaters realized that they had hit the jackpot. Lucius was standing there with a big smile hidden behind his mask. His targets were all laying there on the ground bound up with rope and he was in shock that he had accomplished so much so fast. He thought he might catch one but the prize was bigger including, Potter and two of his friends.
This was turning into a good night. He knew when he had seen the friends flying around and the young centaur watching that he would be able to lure them into the forest. Potter has to save everyone and would not pass up the opportunity to save his centaur friend who was being chased by Death Eaters. They drew them into the trap and once the Centaur was gone, they sprung it. He had no fight with the Centaurs and didn't want to start one...yet.
They put port-keys on the three captives and in three seconds the students all appeared in a Malfoy Manor dungeon.
Neville took off toward the castle but didn't get very far before he met the adults coming toward the forest. They met at the edge of the forest and soon Bane joined them. Alice looked at her son and asked, "Where are the others?"
There were tears in Neville's eyes as he shared with them what had happened. "I should be there with them! When they didn't see me I was so torn, I wanted to help but I had to stay out of sight so I could tell you where they were." His mother just drew him in and hugged him. There would be time for talk later but now they needed to find the kids.