Lost Truths

by Erys

Another "Snape is Harry's father" fic, but my way. Everything is not what it seems after Voldemort is resurrected in the graveyard. Set after GOF. Chapter eleven is up!

10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey guys, I'm posting a brief timeline below as I realized that the story has only taken place over a few days, so here you go.

7/26: Dumbledore tells Snape that Harry is his son/Harry is attacked by DE/Harry is removed from the Dursleys (chapters 1-6)

7/27: Harry learns he is Snape's son/Astronomy tower/Dumbledore and Snape talk about Snape's confused emotions (chapter 7)

7/28: Harry and Snape quarrel/Harry's physical change/Harry decides to hide as Snape's son (end of chapter 7/chapter 8/half of chapter 9)

7/29: McGonagall returns/Dante moves into Severus' quarters/Severus helps him with his potions essay (second half of chapter 9). This chapter will cover the rest of this day and the next few days.

After this chapter, the days will pick up. Thanks to all my readers!

Previously:

Suddenly, the desire to please his father overwhelmed him. Bringing up his marks next year would be difficult without Hermione to help him, but he would work hard. He would prove Severus proud. He had to.

Chapter 10: In which old faces return

That afternoon found Dante flying lazily around the quidditch field. It had been so long since he had flown and he wanted to savor every moment of it. Truly, nothing gave him more pleasure and exhilaration than flying. He loved the adrenaline rush of flying at break neck speed to catch the devious snitch and the slight drop of his stomach when he first took off from the ground, defying all muggle laws of gravity and logic. It was slightly awkward now because there was so much more of him. He had to get used to his longer arms and limbs even on his wonderful Firebolt. A thought struck him as he rounded one of the goals. If he did not inherit his flying skills from James, then he must have gotten them from Severus. He stole a glance to where Severus was sitting in the stands. Aside from the match against Hufflepuff in his first year, he could not think of a time when he had seen Severus on a broom, much less play quidditch. He would have to ask the man when he returned to the ground.

Deciding to do something a tad more thrilling, Dante took off in a dive, urging his broom towards its top speed. The ground closed in on his vision quickly. Just inches above the ground, Dante lifted his hands that were clasped around the top of the broom and he straightened out to fly parallel to the earth. Corkscrewing back up into the air, he gave a loud whoop of joy and turned back towards the stands. To his great surprise, Severus stood there with his wand out and pointed in his direction. Dante wondered what on earth the older man was doing. Then he spotted the headmaster making his way up into the stands towards Severus.

Dante ignored them and returned to flying in what most would call a "civilized" fashion. For him, it was rather boring, but still it was better than nothing. He knew he would cherish these times outdoors once he was stuck inside studying. Dante also knew that he would not be allowed to play quidditch this year. It would be too suspicious for someone with amazing quidditch skills to appear just as Harry Potter disappeared. The fact saddened Dante; he would desperately miss quidditch, but perhaps he could still fly on a weekend afternoon when the teams were absent from the pitch. He would have to ask Severus what he thought. He glanced at his watch and sighed. It was nearly time for dinner. Flying towards the spot where Dumbledore and Severus were standing, he grasped the top of the broom so he could stand on the back. He lightly leaped off his Firebolt and landed on the first row of the box. Dumbledore chuckled at his antics while Severus scowled not in hatred, but in disapproval.

"What was that hair-brained scheme just now? Were you trying to kill yourself in that unnatural dive or were you merely trying to make your hair look as windswept as it used to look?" Dante automatically raised a hand to pat his hair down over his forehead, but found that it was already calm. Dumbledore laughed again when Dante blushed and quickly lowered his hand and put it in his robe's pocket. Determined to turn the tables on his sarcastic father, Dante turned to his father.

"What's the matter, Severus?" Dante asked with a smirk. "Were you scared for my wellbeing? Are those parental instincts kicking in sooner than expected?"

"Now, Severus," Dumbledore spoke before Severus could offer another biting remark. "I am sure that Dante was in perfect control of his broomstick. This is not – after all – the first time he has performed a dive like that. If I recall, he made a similar move against the Hungarian Horntail last November. You did not seem so worried about his safety in that moment." Severus glared at the headmaster. "Forgive me, Severus, we are moving away from our previous subject."

"Dante," Severus addressed his son. "Tomorrow morning you will be meeting with Professor McGonagall to arrange your course schedule for this fall. You will obviously continue your core classes, but you need not take Divination or Care of Magical Creatures if you do not wish to do so. If, for instance, you wished to take Arithmancy, I could tutor you. I believe that you are intelligent enough to catch up on that past two years of material in a relatively short amount of time."

"And in light of the return of Voldemort," Dumbledore added, "I have asked Poppy if she and Severus would consent to teach an elective course in Healing that would only be available to third, fourth and fifth years. If the class is successful then we will look into providing an advanced class for the sixth and seventh years. You may talk with Poppy or Severus if you have any questions about the curriculum."

"OK, I'll think about it, sir. I don't think I want to waste my time in divination any longer." And, Dante thought to himself, without Ron to make up useless predictions, all the fun would be gone.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Dinner passed the same way that breakfast and lunch had and Dante found that he enjoyed the relative silence. Neither man felt the need to make conversation by inserting meaningless comments about the weather or the food. Once the house elves disappeared with the dishes, Severus spoke.

"You may spend your evenings however you like as long as you remain in my quarters or in the library. I would suggest applying yourself to your studies or to a book, but I know that may be asking too much for a teenage boy. Whatever you decide to do, do it quietly."

"Might I go to the library?" the questioned surprised both of them. "There are a few things I want to look up while I don't have anyone scrutinizing my every move."

"Of course. I have a book I wish to pick up and I will accompany you."

They left the dungeons and walked in comfortable silence up to the fourth floor. They passed a familiar room and Dante stopped to examine it. Peering inside the door, he saw that all the desks were pushed out of the center of the room. A sense of déjà vu struck him as he walked inside and automatically looked for an object that was not there. He had an eerie feeling that he had been there before, but it was an unused classroom, so that was impossible.

"Dante?" Severus' voice seemed distant, even though Dante felt that Severus was right behind him. "Why did you stop? Is something the matter?"

"It's strange," Dante spoke softly. "I feel like I've been here before and there should be something really important right over there. It feels like something out of a dream." He pointed to a spot near the back of the room. "I'm sorry, Severus," He laughed. "I must be out of my senses. I can't have been in this room before. I've never been in an unused classroom like this one. Can you imagine?" He turned to leave the classroom, but he could not shake the feeling that he was missing something.

They walked down the remainder of the corridor, turned left, and continued until they came to the large double doors that marked the library entrance. Surprisingly, they were open. Severus explained that since it was summer, there was no need to shut up the library at night "against nighttime wanderers such as your wonderful self," Severus added playfully. Dante ducked his head, torn between embarrassment and laughter. If his father knew just how often he roamed the corridors at night, he would probably ground Dante until he turned 40.

As they walked into the library, Dante could not help but glance up at the high-vaulted ceilings. He always felt so tiny and insignificant in the place. Before, it had been because of Hermione, always studying and obsessing over acquiring new knowledge, but now he thought it was something else entirely. How many books were in this place? He noticed that Severus had already wandered off, presumably to the potions section (not that Dante would know, given he had never opened a potion's text aside from his required text). Dante decided to lay claim to a study corner somewhere. He had a feeling that with no quidditch or Ron and Hermione, he would be spending most of his time studying. He was not looking forward to it, but he would have to fill his time somehow.

After weaving in and out of shelves for a good five minutes, Dante concluded that someone utterly insane had designed this library. Instead of having parallel rows of bookshelves like a nice, normal library, this one was a giant labyrinth. Dante could have found a Minotaur at this point and not have been surprised. He turned yet another corner and came to a stop. An angel choir and trumpet sounds could not have made his discovery more obvious.

"This is it," he muttered sarcastically. "Home, sweet home for the next two years." This nook could not be seen from the entrance, nor could you stumble upon it easily unless you were determined to unlock every secret corner of this library. Glancing around at the titles of the books, Dante grinned. They were all on the topics of Mesopotamian medicinal folklore and their culture's magical mythology. No one would bother him in this place. Perhaps he could convince Severus to teach him how to cast notice-me-not charms on the area so the other students would leave this place alone. Even Severus would not object to enhancing his learning environment in this way.

"Dante?" he could barely hear Severus' voice from this spot.

"Here!" he shouted, hoping that the older man would be able to hear him.

"Did you get lost already?" Severus' voice drew closer and Dante could imagine the smirk on his face.

"I thought we were going to the library, not adventuring to a labyrinth where I could get lost for days on end with no food or water. I will probably starve if you can't manage to find me in time." Sarcasm dripped from every word and Dante finally saw Severus poke his head around the corner. He had two books in his hand.

"What in Slytherin's name are doing you doing in the –" he examined the nearest texts, "Mesopotamian medicinal and religious magic section? I did not realize that Miss Granger's twisted desire to read every book in this room was contagious. Or is it a group effort now for the Golden trio?"

"Ha. Ha," Dante said. "You are so funny. Really, I think I'm going to faint from laughing so hard and the resulting lack of oxygen to my brain. For your information, I was merely looking for a hideout – excuse me – a study space for the upcoming school year. Since I will probably be unwanted no matter what house I fall into, I would like to be prepared. I imagine that I will not have any desire to spend exorbitant amounts of time in the common room."

"Oh, and why, pray tell, would you be unwanted?"

"Well, my dear father," Dante smirked. "If I am in any house but Slytherin, they will hate me on principle, and if I am in Slytherin there's no way in nine hells that I'm spending more time than necessary in that snake den."

They both fell silent as though they just realized the normality of the conversation they were having. For the sixth or seventh time since finding out that Severus was his father, Dante wondered at how quickly the older man had transformed. He could see Severus struggle sometimes before his answers, as though fighting between his past and present self. Dante realized that trying to figure out his emotions must be incredibly difficult. The silence broke as Severus cleared his throat.

"Was there a particular book you were looking for, or simply a study space?"

"Um, no, actually," suddenly Dante felt awkward asking the question. "I wanted to look up more information on the properties of moonstones, but frankly I'm not quite sure where to look for a book on the subject. Somehow I don't think they were prevalent in Mesopotamia." He added to try and lighten the atmosphere.

"Hrm, no, they were not as far as I can recall," Severus said. "However, they were used as love amulets in Ancient Greece and Rome, and are quite popular as a potion ingredient in their powdered form. I can point out a book or two for you."

"Sure –" he paused as they left the section, wondering how to phrase his next thought. As they passed the Restricted Section, he ventured, "Also, I've been thinking a lot since that conversation with Professor Dumbledore. I really think that I should drop Divination, even if it is a joke class. Healing sounds rather useful and with my luck, I'll need every advantage possible."

"I believe that is a wise decision."

"You do?" Dante almost stopped short, but managed to keep moving.

"Yes. A war is brewing: it began back in your first year when the Dark Lord attempted to secure the Philosopher's Stone. You will face death again and again, whether you want to or not." They rounded an aisle, heading towards the west wing of the library. "You may even have to kill. I know that you would rather avoid it; you are too soft to kill without having some remorse."

"I can't kill Voldemort, you know," Dante said. "Everyone is looking to me to finish him off, but I won't be able to."

"No?" Severus did not sound confused, but intrigued. He stopped in front a range of particularly old and yellowed texts and began scanning the titles.

"Sounds strange, doesn't it?" Dante gave a dry laugh. "Voldemort tore you apart from my mum and then killed her and James. He's been trying to kill me ever since. Sirius went to Azkaban for 12 years and you've spent the last 16 a bitter man. I lost everyone. Aside from you, I have more reason than anyone else to seek revenge, but to tell you the truth, I'm scared. I'm afraid of what will happen if I go down that path."

"And what "path" would that be? Wouldn't most consider it justice? He's murdered hundreds." Severus pulled a book from the shelf and held it out to Dante. "If you killed him, no one would dare say that you should have let him live."

"It's still revenge, no matter how you dress it up. Who am I to decide his fate?" Dante shook his head as he accepted the tome. Severus looked at Dante for a few moments and the young man felt as if he were being scanned by an x-ray. Breaking eye-contact, Dante turned and began walking towards the front of the library. Severus quickly matched his pace. They left through the large, wooden doors and went back the way they had come.

Walking side by side in silence, Dante's mind whirled as he thought about the conversation he had just had. Severus had not shot him down. On the contrary, he seemed to find Dante's points valid, even if they had been said in bitterness.

"When will it end?"

"Excuse me?" It took Dante a few seconds to realize he had spoken the thought out loud. Feeling embarrassed, he continued his thought:

"It's like this enormous cycle of hurt and revenge. You thought that James Potter had made your school days a living hell and then returned the favor to his supposed son." Not pausing too long in case Severus reacted negatively to his statement, Dante pressed on. "Voldemort's muggle father abandoned him so he grew up in a terrible orphanage. Then he killed his father sixteen years later and began this stupid war on muggle-borns and muggles. After I somehow defeated him when I was a baby, his followers tortured Neville's parents for information. Now he lives with his grandmother who thinks he's all but a squib. Barty Crouch Jr. was thrown into Azkaban, destroying his father's career. When his father broke him out of prison, he put his son under the Imperius Curse only to find himself under it's influence last year. He was the key person in Voldemort's resurrection in June."

Dante stopped, his steam run out, and blushed at the knowledge of having babbled unnecessarily. Severus, however, did not make a snide remark, or even smirk. He stopped walking and grabbed Dante's shoulder, swinging his son around so they faced one another. He looked as serious as Dante had ever seen him.

"I'm not going to contradict you. Because neither of us came from the best of backgrounds, we have a deeper appreciation of life and a better knowledge of the consequences of evil. Believe me when I say that I know your fears of killing out of revenge. However, unless someone else kills the Dark Lord in the near future, you will inevitably come face-to-face with him again. You are destined to face him again not because you defeated him fourteen years ago, but because neither of you will rest until the other is dead. He will continue to hunt you down because his pride cannot afford him to do otherwise and you do not want anyone you care for to be used against you. It is not necessarily a fulfillment of vengeance, but a fight to survive."

"What if I can't kill him? Everyone expects me to defeat him but I don't think I have the strength to do it. I'm not even of age yet."

"It is always the strong that must carry the weak, and those who do not look for power that are the most capable of shouldering it."

"I'm tired of being strong. I want to worry about my grades and finding a girlfriend, not about some psychopath who wants revenge for failing to kill me. Why doesn't someone like Professor Dumbledore just finish him off already?"

"The headmaster must have his own reasons for not killing the Dark Lord, unless you think he enjoys seeing you suffer year after year?" Dante looked away and shook his head. "Professor Dumbledore will not always be around to save us. Someday, we all will have to learn how to defend ourselves without his help. Even so, he is not infallible. He may be the most powerful wizard alive, but as we have seen, he is subject to his own emotions. He still makes mistakes."

"I'm sorry, I must sound like a spoiled child right now." Dante looked at his feet.

"You have every right to feel frustrated and scared. It is not a sign of weakness so do not let anyone tell you otherwise. However, you must also understand that you have to prepare yourself if you want to survive the next encounter with him. Every time you walk away unscathed, he becomes more desperate to kill you."

"Do you really think I can beat him?" Dante looked incredulous. "He has powers I can never understand. Every time I have faced him, sheer dumb luck and the sacrifices of others have saved me. I have no chance of surviving him on my own!"

"Who says that you will be alone in this?" Severus shook Dante's shoulder's lightly to make his point. "You have your friends who will support you. As much as it pains me to admit this, I must confess that Granger is the smartest student I have ever taught, and even that obnoxious Weasley has his merit at points. And do you honestly think that the headmaster would let you face down an evil that you have no hope of defeating, that I would allow you to do so?"

"I don't want anyone else to die because of me!"

"Do you think that he will stop killing people just because you are dead, that myself or any of your friends would be spared because you no longer exist? No, Dante, this is much, much bigger than you or anyone else. He will not rest until every last possible source of resistance is put out, and even then he will live in constant paranoia of a possible up-rise. Although he is too conceited to think that anyone actually stands a chance of defeating him, he will want to have everyone living in so much fear that no one would even consider resistance."

"I think I understand, sir." Dante gave a wry smile.

"You must not give up hope. Once you do that, he has won." Severus lightly held Dante's shoulders before stepping back. The two began heading down towards the dungeons once more. They spent the rest of walk contemplating what the other had shared. It was not an awkward silence, but a comfortable one, something that both men were grateful for.

When they reached the entrance to the older man's quarters, Severus did not move to open the door. Instead he held out his hand.

"Dante, give me your hand for a moment. I'm going to key the wards to your fingerprint."

"What do I have to do?"

"I'm going to prick your finger. The wards are designed to recognize anyone of my blood. In the future, all you have to do is press your finger to this spot and the portrait will open. There is also an emergency password in case you are unable to physically touch the door for whatever reason. I hope you never have to use it, but with your luck, it will be needed within the first week of school."

"What is it?"

Severus did not answer the question as he pulled out a small knife from his robes and pricked Dante's finger. He gently squeezed it so that a drop of blood pooled at the top and he pressed the finger to the spot on the left side of the frame. The spot glowed a deep gold for a moment and then faded. Severus looked up.

"There, now the wards will recognize you. Go ahead, try it."

Dante touched his forefinger to what he now saw was a small indent in the frame. The portrait swung open just as it had for Severus earlier that morning. Severus walked in and Dante quickly followed, closing the portrait behind him.

"Well, I believe that I will turn in for the night. I am utterly exhausted and I am sure you are as well. Good night, Dante."

"Wait, Severus," Dante called out before Severus could leave. "What is the emergency password?"

"Lily."

Dante stood in silence as he watched his father enter his bedroom and disappear from sight. Suddenly too tired to stay up and look at his books, he too headed towards his room. It felt strange, yet exciting to call it his room. He loved everything about it. He flicked off the light and turned on the lamp that sat on his nightstand. The room was bathed in a soft light.

Kicking his shoes off, he relished the feeling of his toes surfing through the lush carpet as he moved to open his trunk. He stifled a yawn before pulling on his pajamas and crawling into bed. An odd sensation filled him and he could not help but smile. It took him a few minutes to realize why he felt so happy.

For the first time in his life, he was looking forward to summer.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

When Dante awoke the next morning, he lay staring at the ceiling of his four-poster bed, trying to process the past few days: Severus rescuing him from his relatives, winding up in the castle, finding out that Severus was his father, and his sudden change of behavior towards him. He was afraid that he would wake up one morning and find out that it was all a dream. He was scared of what the future held, but he knew that Severus would be there to help him through whatever people threw their way. He dreaded all the lies, knowing that sooner or later, people would begin to suspect him. He just wanted to spend the rest of the summer forming some kind of stable relationship with Severus. If they could do that, they could face the coming year.

Looking at the clock on his bedside table, he saw that it was fairly early, not even eight. Yet, a sudden wave of energy hit him and his legs would not permit him to remain in bed any longer. He rolled out of the bed and onto the floor, hitting it with a light thud. He pushed himself onto his feet and threw on the robe he had tossed over the back of the chair the night before. Grabbing his essay, he headed into the living room and plopped backwards into the wing-backed chair. He perused his essay, checking for any grammatical errors. He was so engrossed that he did not hear his father approach. He felt a presence behind him and looked over his shoulder to find Severus looking at him with slight incredulity.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" Dante asked, hoping that the answer would be no. The last thing he wanted to do was start the day off by disturbing Severus from his sleep.

"No, I was in my lab working on Lupin's next batch of Wolfsbane as per the headmaster's request. It needs to rest for about 30 minutes. I find that working on potions early in the morning to be most economical to my time. Sleeping in this late feels like a crime. Are you working on an essay?"

"Yeah, just finishing up the one for your class. I think it's pretty good." Dante rolled it up. "So, erm, how do meals work here? Do we eat in the Great Hall or here or where?"

"When there is only the headmaster, Minerva, and Poppy, there is no reason to trek up to the hall for a meal. You may eat here with me or up in the library while Madam Pince is away. Once the rest of the staff returns we will take our meals with them in the hall. However, that should not be for another few weeks so we are safe from their useless prattling and needless questions until then."

"Thank goodness," Dante let out a small sigh of relief. "I don't think I'm ready to face the staff yet. I'm still worried about spending loads of time with Professor McGonagall figuring out my schedule for the fall. Do you think she will notice how similar I am to Harry, er, myself?"

"I'm not too sure, to be honest," Severus sat down. "For me, my relationship with you has changed so suddenly that you seem like two different people. I don't see you and immediately think you are up to trouble. However, I don't know how much time you have spent with Minerva, despite her favoritism towards you."

"Favoritism?" Dante said, confused. "But she is so strict! She took 150 points off during my first year for being out during the night."

"Yes, she is strict in many regards, but what about allowing you onto the team that same year when no first year had been on the team in over a century? Didn't she finance the purchase of the top of the line broom? What about your less than spectacular arrival your second year? Most students would have been suspended at the very least. And I will never forget the night that Pettigrew and Black disappeared and you and Miss Granger received no repercussions whatsoever for being out of bed after curfew."

"Yeah, I don't think I have ever seen you so mad, but for once you were right."

"About what?"

"I remember you shouting something about Sirius' escape having to do with me, but there I was safely locked in the hospital wing, so no one could blame anything on me."

"So what part did you play?"

"Well," Dante said, figuring that he couldn't get in trouble for it anymore. "Professor McGonagall had given Hermione a time-turner at the beginning of the year since she was taking every single class possible, but didn't have enough time to attend all her classes since they were at the same time. When Sirius was locked up, Dumbledore came in and told her to use it so we could save her."

"You mean to tell me that the headmaster told you to purposefully break the law, risking the entire time continuum, so that you could save Black?"

"Well, we also saved Buckbeak," Dante said. At Severus' inquisitive look, he added, "You know, Hagrid's hippogriff? The one that supposedly almost killed Draco Malfoy?"

"So you rescued the hippogriff and Black flew off on it into the distance," Severus scowled. "And no one ever found out?"

"Nope. Only Ron, Hermione, and Professor Dumbledore knew he was innocent, so no one else could find out or we would have been hauled in for questioning. The dementors would have kissed him right on the spot."

"Speaking of the dementors… perhaps you can tell me how hundreds of dementors suddenly decided not to kiss all of us when we were by the lake? The headmaster refused to even guess at how that happened when I asked him about it."

"Oh," Dante said, a blush creeping up. "Well, when the dementors had closed in on me and one was about to kiss me (this was before you regained consciousness), something drove them off and when I looked over the lake, I saw something galloping and I thought I saw my dad, erm, James beckoning a patronus. But I had actually seen my future self. I cast the patronus after Hermione and I had gone back in time."

"You cast a patronus that drove off over 300 hundred dementors who had closed in on Black?" Dante had never seen Severus look so shocked. "Who taught you that charm?"

"Lupin. After the first quidditch match, I was desperate to find a way to keep them from affecting me. I didn't want to have another near death experience." Dante paused, unsure if he should ask the question that just popped into his head. "Um, sir-Severus, um, can – can you do a patronus?" Silence greeted his question. Thinking he had made a mistake, Dante said quickly. "I'm sorry, that can be a really personal question, I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's quite alright," Severus said quietly. "Yes, I can perform a patronus. Would you like to see it?" Dante nodded and Severus raised his wand. "Expecto Patronum!" White liquid mist burst from the wand and formed a doe, which proceeded to canter around the small living area. Dante stared in wonder. She was beautiful.

"It was your mother's patronus, and has been mine ever since I could form one." Dante did not need any further explanation. He understood at once. She was the only person Severus had ever truly loved and was thus his only happy memory.

"Thank you, Severus," Dante murmured. "So, um, what's for breakfast?"

The two sat at the small table in the corner and feasted on eggs, bangers and toast that a small, female house elf brought with a loud crack. Dante was grateful that it was not Dobby or Winky that had appeared. He wasn't sure if he could handle it yet. When they finished, Dante excused himself to his room in order to switch out his potions essay for some fresh parchment and his transfiguration texts. He brought it out and plopped himself down in the same chair he had occupied earlier that morning. Severus had disappeared again, probably to his lab once more to resume work on the Wolfsbane potion.

Pulling out his prompt, Dante scanned over it, nodding to himself. Discuss the five major differences between the vanishing of animate and inanimate objects. Furthermore, create a hierarchy of animate objects (from easiest to most difficult to transfigure) and explain your choices. Please note that this will be at the core of the 5th year curriculum.

The first part of the essay should not be too difficult, since they had started vanishing inanimate objects at the end of the previous year. Then again, if Dante was honest with himself, he had not really been paying as close attention to those lessons in part because he was excused from exams, but mostly because he was trying to figure out how to come out of the third task alive. While defense and charms came more naturally to him, Dante did not have Hermione's capabilities in transfiguration so he knew this would be an important essay. He pulled out his copy of Intermediate Transfiguration, assuming that since they had not gone through the entire book last year, he would be able to find all the information he needed in the later chapters. Opening up to chapter 17 ("An Introduction to Vanishing Animate Objects"), he settled down for the morning.

He looked up when he heard a door open and saw Severus exiting his lab with a corked flask in his hand. The potion looked as vile as it had the first time Dante had seen it two years ago in Lupin's office. He mentally chuckled at the memory. He had been utterly convinced that Severus tried to poison Lupin through the potion. Now, that would be the last thing he considered.

"Do you have to deliver that personally?" he asked, wondering if Severus ever left the castle during the summer.

"Yes, the Order has a meeting tomorrow night that I must attend. You are supposed to be gravely injured and I have to report the disappearances of Lucius Malfoy and the others."

"Where is he?"

"Lupin? He is technically staying at the Order's headquarters, but he spends most of his time among werewolves who have not determined their allegiance."

"What exactly is the Order?" Dante asked, feeling a bit stupid. "You and Professor Dumbledore keep mentioning it, but I don't understand. Is it some kind of organization?"

"The headmaster has not explained it to you?" Severus asked, frowning. "Well, the Order of the Phoenix is an organization that was founded by Professor Dumbledore during the first war against the Dark Lord. While the Dark Lord knows of its existence, he does not know who exactly is in it, which gives us the advantage this time around. Our mission is to recruit members who will help us to bring the Dark Lord down, preferably from the inside."

"And you are a spy, aren't you?" Dante said, understanding dawning on him. "That's what Professor Dumbledore asked you to do in the hospital wing after the third task, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"But –" Dante said, struggling to put words together. "Isn't – isn't that dangerous? What if Voldemort found out? He'll kill you!" Severus found himself feeling strangely light at Dante's concern.

"As I am a highly skilled Occlumens, the Dark Lord has not been able to discover my true allegiance."

"Occlu-what?" Dante asked. Sometimes he felt like Severus was a speaking a language where he could only understand half the words. It was frustrating.

"Occlumens, someone proficient in the art of Occlumency, which is the magical defense of the mind against foreign intrusion."

"Voldemort can read minds? Is that how he knows when someone is lying to him?"

"One cannot 'read someone's mind,' but yes, that is how the Dark Lord knows when he is being lied to. He is a skilled Legilimens, that is, he is able to observe memories and emotions in someone else's mind. The key to defending your mind is to detach yourself from emotions that can be linked to memories you wish to conceal."

"Can Professor Dumbledore do that?"

"Yes."

Well. That explained a lot.

"Do you have to be right there, or could some do that Legi-thingy over a long distance?" Dante wondered if this was the reason for his strange dreams last year.

"Eye contact and thus, close distance, is required for someone to perform Legilimency."

"Oh," Dante said, feeling slightly disappointed. He had been hoping for an answer that would solve his confusion. "I thought maybe this was the reason why I've dreamt about what Voldemort had done."

"What do you mean? You dream things about the Dark Lord as they happen?"

"Yeah, last summer I had a dream that Voldemort was with Wormtail, plotting how to kill me through the tournament, although I didn't realize it then," Dante wasn't sure how to phrase it any more delicately. "Then a few months ago, after Crouch Sr. appeared on the grounds, I dreamt that Voldemort had received word that Wormtail's blunder had been fixed because he was supposed to be keeping Crouch from leaving his house. And last week, I saw Voldemort talking with Lucius Malfoy about planning an attack on Azkaban to free his followers."

"I've never heard of anything like that before, and the Dark Lord, although extremely powerful, is still bound to the same rules as all Legilimens," Severus said thoughtfully. "If I had to guess, I would say that your scar somehow links you to the Dark Lord, but as to how you can see him, I have no idea."

"It's strange," Dante said with a sudden realization. "Last year, I saw him as though I was a fly on a wall, but the one last week," he paused to keep his voice from trembling. "I was Voldemort. It was like I could see everything through his eyes and feel everything he was feeling. He was really happy."

"Perhaps we should begin Occlumency lessons in the evening. I don't like that this connection can cross such a large distance." A knock sounded at the entrance and both men turned towards the noise. "We will finish discussing this later." He quickly pointed his wand at Dante's forehead to conceal the scar and swept towards the entrance. Pushing it open, he revealed McGonagall dressed in emerald green robes, carrying scrolls of parchment and a quill.

"Forgive my intrusion, Severus, I hope that Albus did not neglect to inform you that I would be coming to set your son's course schedule for the year?"

"Yes, we spoke of it yesterday," he answered, moving aside. "Please, come in."

If McGonagall was at all startled by the sudden change in Severus' attitude, she did not give it away. She glided into the living area and sat herself on the couch facing Dante who had just returned to his essay. His transfiguration text was still out and open to the section on animate objects and his notes were sprawled around him. He panicked for half a moment that she might recognize his untidy scrawl but relaxes as she didn't appear to exam his notes too closely.

"I see Albus gave you your summer assignments." It was a statement, not a question, for which Dante was grateful because he didn't want to try and explain how he had all of his essay prompts when he wasn't supposed to have received them yet. Instead, he gave a sort of jerk of his head in acquiescence. "Which are you working on?"

"Transfiguration, ma'am," Dante said quietly, trying not to squirm. He wasn't supposed to know what subject she taught, so she could not have a reason to accuse him of trying to be pert.

"How are you finding the reading? Is it difficult?" she asked, her face indicating her interest in finding out how intelligent Severus' son was. He wondered if she didn't mention that she taught the subject so she would hear an honest answer.

"Well," Dante paused, not wanting to make a bad first impression. "transfiguration theory has always been difficult for me in the past, but to be honest, I have not put forth the effort I should have to master it. I'm afraid other subjects interested me too much. However," he added quickly, although her face betrayed none of her thoughts. "Now that I'm taking the time to study the material, it's actually really interesting. I just hope I'll have an easier time with it this year."

"With that attitude, I believe you will not have any problems with it and I look forward to seeing how you do with the material in my class," McGonagall said with a small smile. Dante put on a show of looking appropriately stunned.

"Oh, you teach transfiguration?"

"Yes, and if you are having trouble understanding the material, I hope you will come and see me before the year starts and we can work on it together. If you prefer a peer, there is a student in my house I can put you in touch with. She excels in theory and I believe you two would get along with each other quite nicely."

"Thank you, ma'am, I will certainly come and see you," Dante said, wishing he could tell Hermione that McGonagall had recommended her. She would have glowed with happiness.

"Very good then," she said before switching subjects. "Now, I recall you saying that you were unable to take your OWL's?" Dante nodded. "In that case, I should place you with our fifth years. I'm afraid that even if you were to test into a NEWT level class, Hogwarts requires a passing OWL in that subject to attend. For formality's sake, I must ask you to take a few exams to prove that you are capable of taking fifth year courses. Don't be alarmed," she added when Dante looked nervous at the mention of exams. "These are standard fourth year end of term exams. I'm sure you will be fine. Why don't we start with charms?"

For the next hour and a half, Dante answered questions about incantations, wand movements, potion's effects and ingredients. He also performed a number of charms, jinxes, hexes, and defense spells. Thankfully, he did not have to brew anything since McGonagall "trusted Severus' judgment in that department." When they finished, she clapped her hands together.

"Well, I believe you will be just fine with our fifth year students. I have to say that your defense and charms skills are certainly more advanced that I would have thought. I think that your transfiguration skills will match soon enough, if you apply yourself." Dante dared not argue with such a formidable woman and told her as much. To his surprise, she gave a short laugh. "Well, Severus, he certainly inherited your tongue. Quite blunt, isn't he?"

"Now, all that's left is to choose your two electives. Had Severus told you which ones are available?" At his nod, she nodded as well. "I think it's safe to say that you would rather not take Divination or Muggle Studies?" Before he could respond, she continued. "Well then, that leaves Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and our new course, Healing."

"I think I would like to take Healing," Dante said.

"Very well, that should be an excellent course and since we have had to cap it due to the nature of the class, it will be small. Now, for your second elective, how about something more intellectually challenging? Why not Arithmancy?" Dante opened his mouth to request Care of Magical Creatures, but McGonagall was already writing it down on her parchment. "Excellent, Hogwarts will be glad for another excellent student. You do know that your father was the top of his year as well? One of the more talented students I have taught. I certainly hope that you will be in Gryffindor house. Perhaps Miss Granger will finally have someone to compete with, don't you agree, Severus?"

"I think she will find herself fighting for the top spot of her year."

Dante openly stared at Severus. What on earth was his father thinking, saying something like that? He could never be as smart as Hermione. For one thing, she had a huge advantage, having read most of the library since first year, so she knew more spells than anyone else. Everything clicked with her in the classroom. Well, not everything. She didn't have that basic instinct that Dante had, but so far that only helped him with defense.

"Well, Severus, Mr. Snape, I will leave you to the rest of your day. I'm sure I will see you in the near future. If not, then tonight. Oh, and Severus, Albus would like to speak with the two of you in his office when you can spare a moment." At Severus' nod, she left their quarters and the portrait closed with a soft click.

"Well, thank goodness that was a formality and she didn't need to actually test me in everything," remarked, letting out the sigh of relief he had been holding in. "I thought that being your son would keep people from having unrealistic expectations of me."

"Is that not the case?"

"When I was the Boy-Who-Lived, everybody always looked at me with the expectation that I could save the world from anything. Now Professor McGonagall thinks I'll be really intelligent just because I'm your son. She thinks I'll keep up with Hermione! And you agreed with her! I'm not that smart! I've been just above average my whole time here."

"Well, considering that you spent most of your time playing quidditch and trying to solve mysteries, that doesn't come as an enormous surprise. Last year you dealt with trying to stay alive during the tournament, but you showed great promise, especially in the third task. Minerva told me about all those hours you spent practicing in an empty classroom for the third task. I believe that you can be a very good student without the pressure of your former identity hanging on you."

"Yeah, and it's not as if I can play quidditch next year. It would be way too obvious, even if I'm not in Gryffindor. I guess I'll have to enjoy the summer while I can," he said wistfully.

"Which reminds me, we need to disguise your possessions. Many of them are too recognizable. You should be able to alter the appearance of your Firebolt at least during the summer. No professor would look too closely at it. However, during the school year, you should probably keep it here on the off chance a housemate decides to examine it. However, I confess I am at a loss as to what to do about your wand. I'll need to talk to Albus."

"My wand? I'm more worried about my scar. In case you didn't know, it's sort of famous."

"Your scar we can disguise through a combination of magic and cosmetics. We will apply the cosmetics over your scar and then cast a concealing charm on top. If anyone tries to cancel concealing charms on you, you will have another layer of protection. Luckily for us, most magical cosmetics are spelled to resist revealing charms. We can thank female insecurity."

"I'm wearing makeup?" Dante asked, horrified. "My housemates will think I'm – well, they'll think I don't like women or something!"

"Dante, the idea is that you will be putting it on in complete secret, so I should hope that no one would see it in the first place."

"I suppose," he admitted, blushing. "But what if someone rifles through my things?"

"I'll show you how to charm your trunk against intruders. Even if anyone manages to unlock your trunk, which I highly doubt, they won't get much farther than that and you will know exactly who did it."

"How?"

"Trust me, you will know, and I won't say anything more than that."

The evil smirk told Dante everything.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"Perhaps it is for the best that we are moving forward the way we are," Dante remarked an hour later as the two of them headed up towards Dumbledore's office. "Voldemort will be too pre-occupied looking for Harry Potter that he will turn his gaze away from Hogwarts at least for the time being. The sooner we defeat him, the better. I just want to know if I'm going to live to see my next birthday."

"If it comes down to a fight between you and the Dark Lord, you better be the one to walk away, because I refuse to bury my own son before he can bury me." Dante stopped walking and gave him such a look of alarm that Severus quickly added. "I'm sorry, these emotions are so confusing that words tumble out before I can stop them. I know that I care for you, because you are my son, but I know so little about you that the emotion of caring makes little sense. Perhaps it is more instinctual than real at this moment."

"Did I hear that correctly?" a familiar voice burst out. Dante and Severus looked around and spotted someone Dante had not expected to see so soon. Leaning against a suit of armor, Sirius Black held the most incredulous look on his face. It would have been comical if Dante hadn't suddenly felt his chest constrict with fear. What if he had overheard their conversation? His cover would be blown! It was too soon. It was much too soon.

"And may I ask, why are you lolling about the castle? Shouldn't you be holed up in your doghouse?" Severus snapped out. For a moment, Dante felt like recoiling from the tone until he remembered that it was not directed at him, but at his godfather.

"Oh, forgive me, Snivellus," Sirius spat out the name with contempt, ignoring the question. "I was just wondering how on earth you could get any woman to sleep with you, let alone have your child. Was it a love potion?"

No! Dante wanted to yell. This could not be happening. This was his godfather, someone who loved him, and here Sirius was mocking him, his father, and his mother. It was as if the man had become an entirely new person.

"Please, sir," Dante heard himself say, although he did not know what possessed him to speak. Both men ignored him.

"At least I was able to hold onto a woman, you idiotic animal. At least I didn't cheat on someone, causing her to run out on me."

"Did you force her to sleep with you? Was she confunded? We both know how versed you are in the dark arts; it would have been all too easy for you to seduce an unwilling woman. Where is she now? Did you kill her once she found out what you really were?"

"PLEASE!" Dante screamed, finally catching the two men's attention. "Please, sir, I don't even know who you are."

"Well, aren't you a well-trained, sniveling little servant." Sirius sneered at him. It looked wrong on his face. "Don't you recognize me, boy? I'm Sirius Black. I'm sure you've seen my wanted posters everywhere. Of course, I'm innocent, but your… father… never seemed too keen on informing Dumbledore of my innocence. He preferred to let me rot away in prison."

"As if you were ever innocent," Severus said, his eyes blazing. "Oh yes, an attempted murder under the guise of a prank. You are precious, aren't you, Black? I have told you and the headmaster time and again that the Dark Lord never revealed the identity of the Potter's spy in case of a traitor among his followers. I did not know until a year ago who really was to blame for their deaths."

"And I have told you time and again that I don't believe your little ruse. You hated James and wanted him dead for years. Everyone knew how the two of you were enemies. I bet you threw yourself a little party over his grave, although, you might have cried over Lily. Didn't you love her once in school? But James was always the better man and of course she came to her senses and chose him."

"You know nothing about what you speak, Black."

"Have I touched a nerve, Snivellus? Don't you want your son to know the truth about your school days? About how utterly friendless you were and what a laughing stock you were?"

Dante could not believe what he was seeing. He had known of the supposed rivalry between Severus and Sirius, but he had never dreamed that it was like this. It made him and Malfoy look like best mates frolicking through a field of wild flowers. He had to end this.

"Severus," Dante spoke quietly so that Sirius could not hear him and Severus turned to look at him, anger boiling under his skin. Dante knew it was not directed at him, but it still scared him. He tried not to betray his own anger with the situation. "Severus, please just leave him be." Severus let loose a snarl and Dante quickly grasped the older man's arm and spoke louder, trying to keep his voice from shaking with rage. "Don't stoop to his level and act like an immature dunderhead. The headmaster would want you two to get along. He's not worth it."

"Yeah, Snivellus," Black sneered. "Run away and hide behind your bastard son. You really are worthless. I don't know why anyone bothers with you, unless," he stopped and smiled as if he were remembering an inside joke. "I see, you didn't have to seduce anyone at all, I bet she was willing to spread her legs for anything male that walked on two legs. How much did you pay the whore to make her keep the child? Did she pretend to enjoy it when –"

"Petrificus totalus!" Dante shouted out. Black's arms and legs snapped together as he toppled backwards, unable to move anything save for his eyes. Dante stalked over to the fallen man, fury radiating from his entire being. Severus stood, paralyzed, his brain not yet comprehending what had just taken place. Dante picked up Black's discarded wand and pointed both wands at him.

"You listen here, Black," Dante sneered, an almost identical replica of his father. Black stared back, trying to keep the fear from his eyes. "I don't care who you think you are, no one speaks to my father like that. He's probably saved your sorry ass more times than you would care to admit and constantly risks his life so that the headmaster can have a spy in the Order. Yes, Professor Dumbledore has explained some things to me, since I will be transferring to Hogwarts this fall and could potentially have a Dark Lord after me if he were to ever discover my father's betrayal." Dante paused to breathe deeply before he continued. He wanted to maim Sirius for what he had said.

"Now, here is what the rest of the summer will look like. You will leave my father alone. You will not yell immature insults at him that a five year old could have come up with, and you will never bring up my dead mother again. My mother did what she had to do to protect me and I will not allow you to insult her and dishonor her memory or Severus' integrity. You will also stay the hell away from me. You don't know me, yet you pass judgment on me because of my father. I will not allow a prejudiced hypocrite to come through and ruin my summer because of a stupid grudge."

Dante threw Black's wand down next to him and turned to stomp back the other way past his father, who was still standing there in disbelief. As an afterthought, he turned around and yelled, "Don't worry, the curse will wear off soon enough. It will give you time to contemplate your idiocy if your brain has the capability to do so."

"Dante!"

He barely registered Severus calling out to him. He had never been so furious in his life, not even when he blew up Aunt Marge, and thank goodness he hadn't managed that piece of magic just now. He was heading once again towards Dumbledore's office, only this time, he wanted to know why the man had allowed Sirius to roam the halls so freely. He had just rounded the corner and spotted the telltale gargoyle guarding the entrance when Severus caught up with him.

"Dante!" This time, Severus' voice cut through his haze of anger. Dante felt Severus grasp his arm. "Harry! Will you stop?"

"Don't call me by that name!" Dante hissed. "As we have just witnessed, anyone might be listening."

"Dante," Severus said again; this time Dante looked a bit ashamed. "What were you thinking, attacking Black like that? Not that I care if you injured him or not, but the Headmaster will not be pleased."

"Well then the Headmaster doesn't need to know what took place, now does he?" Dante countered. Severus looked unimpressed. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his feet looking incredibly interesting at that moment. "I was so angry at what he said about you and mum. He doesn't know anything!"

"No, he does not," Severus consented.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it, OK? I'm sorry I attacked him, but it doesn't matter anymore. It's not like I injured anything except his pride, which means it's highly unlikely he'll say anything to anyone. So, if he doesn't say anything to the headmaster, then why should I?"

"You do not understand Black as I do," Severus said carefully. "He will twist the events to look like the victim. That's how he and James got away with so much during their school years."

"What are you saying?" Dante said angrily, coming to Sirius' defense despite what just took place.

"I'm saying that you need to be careful if you cross him," Severus remained calm.

"Don't worry, Severus," Dante smirked. "If he says something to Professor Dumbledore, I'll be ready. Now, what's the password for ugly here?" The gargoyle in question seemed to snarl although it never moved.

"Ton-Tongue Toffee," Severus intoned and the gargoyle leaped to the side to admit them entrance to the winding staircase. Dante goggled at his father.

"Is there anything Professor Dumbledore doesn't know about what goes on in this school?"

"You recognize that sweet?"

"Yeah," Dante said. "Fred and George."

He stopped, wondering if he was about to get them into trouble before school even started. They would not appreciate Severus confiscating all their hard work before they got a chance to use it on the student body.

"Well, with a name like that, I cannot say that I'm surprised. Despite their blatant disregard for school rules and the dignity of their fellow students, they are quite brilliant." Dante once again goggled. "Oh don't look at me like that. If they truly wanted to, they could be top students, although if you dare mention it, I will put you through the slimiest detention you can imagine." He knocked on the door. They heard a soft enter from within and pushed open the door. Dumbledore was standing next to Fawkes' perch, petting the cooing phoenix.

"Severus, Dante," he smiled at them as he looked up. "Please, have a seat."

He sat down across from them behind his desk and reached for a tin.

"Lemon drop?" he inquired hopefully, holding the tin out between the two men.

"Erm, no thanks," Dante stammered, caught slightly off guard, his anger at the headmaster for letting Sirius into the castle had long since vanished. Severus shook his head in a firm negative.

"Hrm, pity," Dumbledore said, not sounding the least bit put out. "Forgive me for intruding on your free time, but I wanted to discuss what to do with your wand."

"Albus, it will be impossible to disguise, but it's too risky. That wand is too well known, especially to our enemies."

"Yes, that does pose a bit of a problem, doesn't it?"

"I think 'a bit of a problem' is an understatement, even for you, Albus."

"I say 'a bit' because I believe that I have a solution. Granted, it is only a hunch, so it is perfectly possible that it will not work."

"Albus, we all know that your hunches are always spot on."

"Goodness, Severus, are you paying me a compliment?"

"Er, headmaster?" Dante said, breaking up the conversation. "I don't wish to be rude, but what is your hunch, exactly?"

"Ah, yes, Dante, my hunch."

He stood up and moved around his desk. Instead of asking for Dante's wand like the young man thought he would, the headmaster moved towards his bookcase and pulled an inconspicuous little book onto its spine. Dante thought it an odd behavior but was pleasantly surprised to see a panel in the wall open. Reaching inside, Dumbledore pulled out a long, thin box and brought it back to his desk. Dante knew there must be a wand inside, and he could only think of one person whose wand Dumbledore would keep for all these years.

"Open it, Dante," he said, pushing it towards him.

With shaking hands, Dante pulled the box close and opened it. There, nestled in fine, padded silk, lay his mother's wand. He did not know how he recognized it until words pushed themselves through his mind, words from a time long ago when he had still been Harry Potter: It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work. Ollivander had told him this five years ago when he stepped into the shop to purchase a wand, and here it lay, still in perfect condition. Severus' breath hitched for a moment.

"Is that…"

"Yes."

"How do you know her wand will work for me?" he asked, not daring to pick it up. What if the wand did not respond to him? What if it lay there, cold and silent like his mother's body in her tomb?

"I believe that when your mother stood in between you and Voldemort, her wand also embodied that protection and became a powerful extension of her soul. I believe that this wand, like your mother, will do anything within its power to protect you. There is only one way to find out."

Dante stared at the wand, not wanting his hopes to be dashed. He loved his own holly wand with Fawkes' tail feather. It had brought him comfort to know that his wand had given him some protection against Voldemort, but now it was the one thing that could ruin all their plans. He closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his racing heart. As though magic directed his movements, his arm reached out to snatch the wand from its resting place. His eyes snapped open as he felt a sudden rush of warmth begin in the fingertips of his right hand and move up his arm until his whole body radiated with magic. Gold sparks shot out the end of the wand and floated around the circular office before gently fading away.

"Yes," Dumbledore said softly and Dante was surprised to see a tear running down his cheek. "Yes, I believe that will do quite nicely."

Severus remained silent, wishing that Lily could have been there to see this moment. She would have been proud of Dante and so happy that she could still protect him over thirteen years after her death.

"Dante," the young man looked at his father. "Be sure to keep your other wand on your person at all times. I don't ever want you to be caught off guard."

"Where will I keep it? It would be rather obvious if I had two wands poking out of my robes."

"We will find a holster for you at Diagon Alley when we go in a few weeks. For now when you are roaming the corridors by yourself just keep it fixed on your arm under your watchband." Dante did as Severus told him. It felt weird at first and he just hoped that it wouldn't affect his arm movement.

"Is there anything else you wished to discuss, headmaster?" Dante asked politely. He wanted to get to the library, but didn't want Dumbledore to think he was being rude by trying to escape.

"Yes, I wanted to know how your meeting with Professor McGonagall went."

"Oh. It went – erm – well I suppose." Dante watched Dumbledore pop a candy into his mouth and knew he would be there for a while.

"Elegant as always," Severus smirked.

"Are you going to rectify that by giving me speech lessons as well?" Dante shot back, praying that he wouldn't blush.

"If that is my cross to bear," Severus said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Gentlemen," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. Severus and Dante looked at each other, Dante's face a mask of pure innocence. The corner of Severus' mouth twitched and they both turned to gaze at the headmaster.

"You may begin your inquisition, Albus," Severus intoned with a sneer. Dumbledore chuckled but merely repeated his question, which Dante and Severus both answered. The conversation had just turned to Dante's choices (or lack thereof) of classes for the fall when they heard a harsh knock on the headmaster's door. Before Dumbledore could even open his mouth to say "Enter," the door burst open and Sirius entered, his tone enraged.

"Headmaster, do you know what that bastard son of a - " he stopped, only now seeing that the objects of his complaints were already present. Severus gave the man a sneer before turning back in his seat to face the headmaster. Dante merely sat where he was. He should have expected that Sirius would complain to Dumbledore on the off chance that his pride would hurt if he failed to seek retribution on his own. Dante had already proven that he was capable of defending himself when needed and Sirius would have to catch him sleeping to pull one over on him. So, instead, here Sirius was, hoping to get to Dumbledore first and paint himself the poor, unsuspecting victim who was assaulted by the nasty Death Eater and his impressionable son. Well, at least Dante was going to get his afternoon entertainment. Sirius had no idea who he was dealing with.

"Well, I suppose that they already gave you their version of what happened. I'll wager they made themselves out to be all innocent, didn't they?" Sirius said, clearly frustrated that the first part of his supposedly god-conceived plan had not worked out. Dante realized that he felt a smug pleasure knowing that Sirius was going to be highly disappointed with the result, and Dante didn't care in the least. Sirius had behaved so horridly, with almost no provocation, that it would take time for Dante to forgive him, and only if the older man ever dropped his pride long enough to apologize.

"And what, pray tell," Dumbledore asked, peering over his glasses, "are you referring to? I assure you that your name has not been brought up once today." Sirius scoffed, unwilling to believe that Severus wouldn't take advantage of an opportunity to get into the headmaster's good graces. "If you are so grieved over the affair, please enlighten me so we can resolve it." Now Sirius looked hesitant to do what he came for, but since no one could mistake Dumbledore's carefully masked command, he tried to speak confidently:

"Your precious professor and his... son attacked me for no reason. Then that boy cursed me and threatened me with my own wand. Then, he left in the middle of the corridor where anything could have happened to me!" The longer he spoke, the more Sirius convinced himself that he was an innocent victim and his attackers would undoubtedly be punished. "Will you allow someone like that to just roam this school? He's unpredictable! Who knows who he could attack next?"

At this last pronouncement, Severus released a powerful laugh that reverberated around the circular office. Sirius spluttered, clearly offended that his complaints were being treated with such disdain. Dante, on the other hand, exerted all his willpower to contain his laughter both at Sirius' assertion, and the result. He could understand why Severus was amused and felt a sharp pang when he realized he could not join in, even if he wanted to. Dante was not supposed to know anything about Sirius Black.

"And just what is so funny, Snape?" Severus' face became, if possible more comical at having to suffer the indignity of being laughed at by his enemy with absolutely no reproach from the headmaster. In fact, Dumbledore was trying to cover his twitching lips by delicately coughing.

"Forgive me for not being able to contain my amusement at the irony of your declaration. My son is unpredictable? If Dante can be described by you in such terms, than I have to wonder what you would label yourself?"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Only that your time in Azkaban has clearly rattled your memory, or have you lost all recollection our school days together?"

"Are you referring to your eternal state of loserdom or your pathetic attempts to woo someone who would rather wear a blindfold around you than have to deal with your ugly mug?" Sirius shifted modes, having apparently forgotten that the headmaster was there.

"How about you putting your werewolf friend at risk so you could satisfy your need for revenge? Or how about you choosing to go after Pettigrew instead of going to the headmaster. I think that one landed you 12 years in prison. Shall we talk about how your sudden need to getting completely drunk broke my cousin's heart after she had spent day after day trying to prove to me that I was wrong about you?"

"How dare you!" Sirius shouted. "You know nothing about what happened!"

"Evie and I were like siblings," Severus said his voice quiet but harsh. "She told me everything and I concealed nothing from her. She saw you in bed with another woman, completely drunk, and you tried to tell her that it was a misunderstanding? What was there to misinterpret?"

"I told her I was drugged!" Sirius said, looking like he was going to throw a curse at Severus.

"Sirius, please calm yourself. Severus makes a valid point."

"Oh yes, of course you would take your precious spy's view of everything. You always do."

"That is extremely unfair of you," Dumbledore said calmly. "I believe after the "incident" I allowed you to stay at this school instead of expelling you as you deserved."

"Have I done nothing for your Order? I risked my life time after time to try and bring down Voldemort in the first war. And now I am housing your Order at my house! This is the first time I have been able to leave in weeks and what happens? I'm attacked!"

"You want Albus to trust you," Severus inserted. "Yet, you run your mouth off about a classified topic in front of someone you do not know. Yes, I believe that demonstrates your admiral qualities to the headmaster."

"And what did you do to make him trust you, little spy? No one believes you. We're all waiting for the day that you pull out your knife and stab us all in the back!"

"Enough! Silencio!" Dante shouted, pointing his wand at Sirius. Severus wisely did not comment. "Headmaster, as you probably know better than most, this is but a taste of what I witnessed this morning. He overheard my father call me his son and proceeded to insult me, never having met me, and called Severus a Death Eater among other vile names. He then decided that wasn't enough and proclaimed my mother either a victim of rape or a desperate whore who was paid off. And of course, since he believes himself to be knowledgeable of everyone's situation in life, I'm obviously a bastard because no one told Mr. Black about my mother or myself. Imagine, to my surprise, I grew angry at the cheap insults. Not only that, but I could Severus getting ready to attack Mr. Black. Wanting to avoid an all out brawl worthy of a bar, I incapacitated him, took his wand, and told him that if he ever came near me again, I wouldn't hold back. Then Severus and I came directly to your office where we have been for the last hour."

Throughout Dante's entire speech, Sirius' face grew more and more red. As soon as Dante released him from the silencing spell, he shouted, "That's bloody nonsense! Headmaster, you cannot possibly believe him! He wants to make himself look like a saint and try and pin the entire thing on me!"

"Is what Dante said true?" Dumbledore gave him piercing look. "Did you call his mother a whore and him a bastard?" The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees with each passing word. Sirius was silent, trying to figure out where the conversation has turned on him and how he was going to get himself out of this. Dumbledore, however, was not going to help him out. "Well? The question only requires a yes or no for the answer."

"I -" he fell silent. "I was, I was provoked - tricked into saying -"

"Headmaster, I believe I have a way to solve this with relative ease," Dante surprised himself by speaking. All eyes turned to him: Dumbledore's curious, Severus' impassive, and Sirius' hateful. "Do you have a pensieve? Let me extract my memory and you may view it without having to worry about bias." Dumbledore's mouth twitched at the irony of the question and Sirius scowled.

"Albus, this is absurd. The boy will tamper with it to fit his account."

"How can you manipulate a memory? That's impossible!" Dante said, angry that Sirius would try and make up something so absurd to avoid blame.

"Actually, a memory can be altered," Dumbledore explained gently. "But it takes time and a powerful person to do so. And even if the memory was altered, Sirius," he turned his attention back to the fuming man, "don't you believe me capable enough to detect such a trick?" Sirius looked stricken.

"Headmaster, I didn't mean to imply -"

"Of course you didn't," Dumbledore said pointedly before turning to his potions master. "Severus, you have been rather quiet throughout most of this. Do you have anything to offer?" Severus looked at Dante and let out a sigh.

"I trust Dante's account as far as his actions are concerned. I am not afraid to admit that I traded a few insults when I could, but that it was only by Dante's desire to avoid conflict that I held back when I felt ready to throttle that man. When he insulted Janet... if Dante had not acted I cannot say what I would have done. It is true that Dante cast a body-binding curse on Black, but it was in order to keep me from doing something stupid. He does not know how to alter a memory, nor would he dishonor himself by attempting such a childish act. You can trust him." Dante beat down the smile that threatened to form. He did not deserve that kind of praise.

"Very well," Dumbledore spoke as Sirius opened him mouth to contradict Severus' words. "I will view the memory unless, Sirius, you change your mind and find Dante's account to be accurate?"

"Whatever I said was well deserved. I was provoked and I say again that I am innocent in all this."

"As you like it." Dumbledore walked over to a cabinet underneath the slumbering portrait of a former headmistress. She stirred slightly as Dumbledore opened the cabinet, and Dante felt a strong sense of déjà vu. The silvery light reflecting off all the metal surfaces in the office took him back to a time before all this secrecy, when things were simple. Well, simpler. His life had never been simple. Dumbledore pulled out the large stone basin, the runes catching Dante's eyes. Someday, he would have to ask the headmaster what they meant. Now was not the time.

"Dante, have you ever extracted a memory before?" Dumbledore asked, turning to the young man. Dante shook his head. "Well, it would have been surprising if you had, considering your past. Just follow my voice. Close your eyes." Dante did so, feeling a bit silly. "Concentrate on what happened earlier today; block out all other memories and concentrate. This can be difficult if you have never done it before."

Yes, it was difficult to put aside those few, cherished memories of him and Sirius that flashed before his eyes. Sirius asking him to come and live with him. Sirius' letters from last summer. Sirius sitting with him in this very office, gripping his shoulder as he told Dumbledore what took place between him and Voldemort. He pushed those away, knowing that he would never have that bond again.

"Do you have that memory?" Dante pulled it to the front and answered with a quiet affirmation. "Place your wand lightly at your temple. Imagine creating a string between that memory and your wand. Attach it securely. When you have done so, pull." He pulled and felt a strange tugging sensation, as though someone had stuck a tube into his head and was sucking something out of his brain. He had never felt anything like it.

"Dante, open your eyes." Severus' voice shot through the haze. Opening his eyes, he saw a silvery strand, almost like a piece of course hair, floating in front of him. He slowly lowered it into the basin and watched as it seemed to melt into the liquid. The liquid swirled.

"Perfect, Dante," The headmaster clapped his hands. "Now, Sirius, if you and Severus would join us, we can be done with this."

"Please, sir," Dante said. "I would rather not. May I just sit here and wait?"

"Don't want to face the truth?" Sirius sneered and Dumbledore silenced him with a look.

"Actually, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself and I'll try to knock you out again. I figured that you would appreciate your nose the way it is."

"Dante," Severus said, but Dante knew that Severus would love to see Sirius frozen on his back with a broken nose as much as he did.

"Forgive me, father," Dante acquiesced, inclining his head to apologize. "I shall keep my thoughts to myself in the future." Severus' lips twitched. It was only for a moment, but Dante caught it and hid a smile himself.

"If we are all ready?" Dumbledore prompted. The enemies moved towards the pensieve. "Severus, if you please?" Severus touched his hand to the liquid was pulled in. Dumbledore followed, leaving Sirius alone with Dante. Sirius sneered at his godson, who merely stared back. He was still at a loss at how quickly his relationship with the older man had changed. A different face, a different name, and Dante went from receiving Sirius' looks of pride to looks of disgust.

"I look forward to our conversation afterwards," were his final words before diving in. Dante stared at the place he had just occupied, wondering why he was working so hard to keep a relationship alive that was doomed to fail. For the first time in over 11 years, Dante wished he could cry.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Ten minutes later, the three older men seeped out of the basin. The sight was almost exactly what Dante pictured it would be: Severus' face was impassive, although Dante could detect barely concealed rage and triumph; Sirius sulked and looked slightly frightened, which Dante did not understand until he saw the headmaster. Dumbledore's eyes radiated fury.

As Sirius and Severus sat down, Gayle merely stared at Sirius, his blue eyes boring into Sirius. His gaze then turned to Dante who allowed the headmaster to see the conflicting emotions of sorrow, anger, and resignation. Gayle opened his mouth then quickly shut it, not trusting himself to speak yet. Silence occupied the room for over two minutes before Dante broke it:

"Headmaster," the word seemed too loud. "I'm sorry. I know that my actions were impulsive and uncalled for. I should have held my temper."

"You actions, Dante," the headmaster's tone was surprisingly gentle, "whether or not I approve of them, were entirely justified given the circumstances. In fact, you exercised an incredible amount of self-control for a sixteen-year-old young man, something that should never have been tested in such a fashion. You would think that two men in their late thirties would have the decency and maturity to resolve their grudges. However, some wounds run too deep."

Remembering his earlier conversation with Severus, Dante pulled the desire to tell Sirius the truth to the forefront of his mind, willing the headmaster to know his thoughts since he could not ask the question out loud. Dumbledore met his eyes for a few moments then shook his head.

"No, Dante. I'm afraid that is not possible. I will discuss this with you later, if you wish, but for now please put those thoughts aside."

Knowing that was all that the headmaster could afford to say at this time, Dante did not press it. He merely nodded his head and glanced towards Severus whose hands were clenching the robes at his knees. Dumbledore turned back towards Severus and Sirius, took a breath, and spoke again.

"I am absolutely appalled by this behavior. I cannot make clear enough how upset I am that you two cannot lay your hatred aside and how ashamed at myself for not taking measures to end this ridiculous feud. I had hoped that within time you would come to recognize the value the other brings to this war. Apparently, Voldemort is not a large enough enemy for you to unite against. Severus, I commend you your restraint in reacting violently. However, I cannot understand how someone who can stand in front of Voldemort without ever betraying a wrong emotion can cave so easily to some rather predictable insults. I expect you to set a better example for your son."

Severus said nothing, and Dante made a note to ask him why. He thought his father had been surprisingly tame, so why was Dumbledore reprimanding him? Dante saw the headmaster's eyes turn to fix on Sirius and he mentally steeled himself for the coming storm. Sirius refused to look up.

"Sirius," the headmaster's voice sounded mildly curious rather than angry. Sirius looked up, hopeful. "Do you still hold to your belief that you are innocent in all this?" Thinking that Dumbledore's tone showed approval for his actions, Sirius regained a bit of confidence.

"Headmaster, while I may have said some things out of anger, you saw how I was clearly provoked and that child showed me no respect at all! He just attacked me for no reason other than his not being able to handle the realities of his life."

"Do you mean to tell me that, having revisited the scene, you can still claim that you are not at fault?" Dumbledore's voice turned dangerous and Sirius quickly realized that he was in serious trouble with the headmaster. "Get out of my office."

Sirius sputtered, at a loss for what to say.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter? I would not have believed this of you had I not seen it with my own eyes. I am intimately acquainted with Severus and Dante's situation, and the young man's mother. I have allowed this pathetic rivalry to go on for too long. While I cannot put an end to it, I will say this: if I ever hear of another incident, Severus will monitor all the detentions for two weeks and Sirius will be confined to headquarters until I see he has matured enough to leave. Remus will spend the next two cycles by himself."

"But, Albus, that isn't fair to Remus –"

"Well, now you understand that what you do does not only affect you but also those around you. Perhaps two months of confinement will have a lasting impact.

"Headmaster, this is absolutely ridiculous!"

"No, what's ridiculous is that your twelve years in prison didn't drive the lesson home. You are not a schoolboy, Sirius, and it's time you realized that. Otherwise, someone else might suffer because of you and no magic can undo it." Dumbledore took a deep breath. "Now, I don't want to hear anything else of the kind. Shake hands and leave each other alone."

For a moment, nobody moved. Then, Severus slowly put his hand out, his face impassive. Sirius scowled and grasped the potions master's hand before quickly letting go. It reminded Dante of a similar occurrence only a month ago in the hospital wing. There was an awkward pause while Sirius clearly tried to determine if Dumbledore wanted him to shake Dante's hand as well, but Dante took the initiative and shoved his hand out. Sirius' eyes narrowed on his face but he shook Dante's hand just the same.

"I'm sorry," Dante whispered, then blushed, as he let go of Sirius' hand, not sure what possessed him to say that.

Sirius' eyes widened slightly. He opened his mouth then shut it, his eyes flicking over to Dumbledore.

"Excuse me," he said quietly before heading for the door. "I will speak to you tonight, headmaster," he added to Dumbledore before exiting the office. The soft clink of the shutting door brought the others back to reality.

"Well, Harry," Dumbledore said, a thoughtful look on his face. "I think you surprised him."

"I think you surprised us all," Severus remarked dryly.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The following morning, Dante remained hidden in his room, sleeping in until noon. He wasn't hungry and he did not feel much like flying that day. All he could think about was his encounter with Sirius and how sick he felt about the entire fiasco.

He felt ashamed for acting so impulsively, but Sirius had shocked him so thoroughly that reason had gone out the window. He knew how much animosity existed between the two and yet he assumed that Sirius would give him the benefit of the doubt. He should have expected that Sirius would do to him what Severus had done to him, but it still felt like someone had punched a hole in his chest and ripped out his heart.

Sirius had been a mixture of a father and brother to him. He might not have been physically present for most of last year, but the simple knowledge that he existed, worried about him, had been a source of comfort. The man had lived off of rats for him! A changed name and appearance had done what nothing else could have. Dante was sure that he could have done anything as Harry Potter (short of joining Voldemort) and Sirius would have defended him. Now, Dante had the sinking feeling that he could give his life for someone and Sirius would find a way to discredit him.

He would give Sirius no excuse to dislike him. Too bad he had just humiliated the man by disarming him and making him helpless in front of his enemy. He would be painfully polite, and he wasn't sure his heart could handle putting any more effort besides that. He wanted what he had before, but it was stupid to think he could ever have that kind of relationship with Sirius again.

Tossing and turning, Dante tried to get a few more minutes of rest in, but his mind kept buzzing. He gave up and reached for the charms book on the floor. He opened it to the section on cheering charms to review some of last year's material. He had never gotten the strength quite right. He recalled Ron casting an extra strength version of the charm on him last year. The memory made him smile until he remembered that, like Sirius, his relationship with Ron was over. Would all the Weasleys hate him for being Severus' son? Hopefully Fred and George would not see him as their next test case for whatever sweets they had recently invented.

He put the book aside after realizing that he had read the same sentence four times. He threw back the covers and tumbled out of bed (this time landing on his feet) and walked into the living area. Severus sat there, a book open and parchment out, making notes. He seemed enthralled in the work, so much that he did not notice Dante walking up behind him to glance over his shoulder. Dante held his breath, wondering how long it would take. Severus' quill paused momentarily on the parchment before resuming its path.

"How long are you going to stand there before announcing your presence?"

Damn! He thought he had been quiet.

"Sorry, I was just wondering what you've been working on."

"A modified version of the Dreamless Sleep potion."

"Why?" Dante asked, thinking back to his own experience with the potion. "I think it works just fine. It does what the name suggests."

"Yes, it gives the take a sleep without dreams, but the potion is addictive. You can only take it two or three nights a week. Otherwise, you cannot sleep without it, but it slowly drives you mad as it poisons your brain. Quite a horrible way to die."

"Oh, so you're trying to figure out how to make a non-addictive version?"

"Yes, but I'm having trouble finding a solution that will accomplish that, but still work for the full eight hours. It's rather tricky."

"Cool," Dante said, having nothing else to say. He searched his mind for a safe topic. "So what will I be doing this afternoon while you are gone?"

"You will be accompanying myself and the headmaster to headquarters of the Order, and we are leaving shortly."

"What?" Dante looked up at his father. "Why?"

"The meeting begins in about twenty minutes and we have to go up to the headmaster's office."

"No, I mean, why do I have to come? Can't I just stay here?"

"The headmaster has asked that you come with us. He does not want you to be alone."

"The headmaster doesn't want to leave me alone?" Dante laughed. "Is Mrs. Norris going to attack me if I wander into the corridors? Will Death Eaters pop out of the fireplace as soon as you leave? Please, Severus, stop joking with me."

"I am not joking, Dante," Severus said frowning. "You will accompany me tonight, and I don't want to hear another word on the subject."

"You have got to be joking!" Dante said. "Don't you trust me to look after myself for a few hours?"

"The headmaster –"

"Oh, sure, put the blame on the headmaster. Gods, I knew this whole "nice father act" was too good to last," Dante sneered. "Is that the latest plan? Follow me around everywhere I go to make sure I don't go off and do something stupid?"

"No, Dante, just listen to me –"

"I don't understand why I can't stay here by myself!" Dante shouted. "For god's sake, I'm not a five year old! I think I can handle staying here for a few hours without blowing the entire castle up!"

"Perhaps if you stopped acting like you were five, I would reconsider," Severus snapped, his black eyes flashing.

"I'm not ready to face all those people! You know what's at stake if I let something slip, and what if you accidentally call me Harry or Potter? This is a stupid risk!"

"The headmaster has made it clear to me that he wants you to go tonight," Severus was loosing the battle to calm down. "You may ask him before we leave since this is such a difficult request for your delicate mind."

"Well, will I at least be allowed in the meeting?" Dante said after a few moments of consideration.

"Of course not, you're only 15."

"ONLY 15? Is that really what you think of me? I've probably faced Voldemort more times than more than half of your precious order but no, I'm not allowed to be let in on what's going on because I'm only 15." Dante could not believe this was happening.

"You must be of age to be in the Order, no matter how lucky you've been to survive in the past. And," he paused, livid. "you have to possess real talent to perform what we are required to do."

"Real talent?" Dante's voice cracked, but he hardly noticed, he was so angry. "What the hell do you call me fighting Voldemort and living to talk about it? Who alerted the world that he was back? I did. Who had to witness Cedric die because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time? I did!"

"Do not address me in such a childish manner," Severus' voice became dangerous. "I am not Minerva or your mutt godfather, I will not tolerate you shouting in such a fashion. You are not convincing me of anything except that Albus is correct and you cannot be trusted to be left on your own, even for an evening."

"Please," Dante whispered, switching tactics. "Don't make me go. I'm not ready."

"I have already told you that my mind will not be altered on the matter. You may take it up with the headmaster."

"Fine," Dante fumed, crossing his arms. "Make me."

"Excuse me?"

"Make me go, cause I'm not going willingly."

The two men stared at each other. Dante looked fierce in defiance and Severus looked incredulous for a moment before sneering.

"Very well, if that is how you want this to be."

Severus pulled out his wand and Dante quickly pulled his own out, ready to defend himself. Without uttering a spell, Severus flicked his wand and Dante's arms and legs snapped together in a body bind. Humiliated, Dante tried to move anything but found he could not. He was so focused on trying to break the body bind that he hardly noticed himself being hoisted into the air and pushed out the door. He realized it was futile to waste any more energy and stopped struggling, looking at the ceiling float over his eyes. They must have reached the gargoyle because Dante felt the bind lift and he fell unceremoniously to the floor, hitting his backside hard.

"What the hell was that for, father?" he spat, getting to his feet. He stumbled, diminishing the effect he wanted, but managed to stand upright without toppling over.

"I was merely doing as you requested," Severus sneered. "However, I thought that perhaps you had changed your mind and wished to enter the headmaster's office of your own volition. Am I wrong?"

"I'll go, but I still think I'm being treated like a child," Dante said. Not wanting to admit that he may have overreacted, he spoke the password and entered the spiraling staircase before Severus could say anything else. His anger had calmed somewhat, but he was still upset that Severus and Dumbledore were treating him like a child. Honestly, he could take care of himself for one measly night! Not to mention he would probably have to see Sirius again, since he was a part of the Order. Well, maybe he could just avoid them all and hide in the library if there was one.