Chapter 3
Solomon looked over the letter again for the third time. He looked to Theseus with panicked eyes, the eleven year old feeling terrified at the contents of the parchment in his hands. He passed it to his brother, the boy scanning it in a similarly frantic manner. Eyes looking just as confused as his brother's looked up to Solomon, begging for guidance in what to do. The letter was from Snape. It seemed that their newly named father had arranged a meeting with them. The meeting was tomorrow. That was not enough time. Did Dad and Papa know? Why hadn't they told them? Theseus didn't know what to do. He collapsed on his bed putting his head in his hands and began to mutter over and over a string of incomprehensible words. The boy flicked between French and English, meaning there was little hope of any normal person understanding him. However the fact his words were muffled by his meant that even Solomon was having a hard time understanding him.
For several seconds Solomon stood, staring; unsure of what he was going to do. He wanted to comfort his brother but he was unsure how he was supposed to do that. He felt helpless. Suddenly a thought struck him. His eyes widened and he rushed to his trunk. Rummaging through the items that littered the bottom he pulled out a mirror that his father had given him the day that he had left for Hogwarts. He scurried over to his brother's bed and pulled the curtains closed before perching next to the younger boy. He pulled his brother to his side, the boy still inconsolable before calling out his fathers name in a quite but clear voice. A face appeared in the mirror before him. One that he was immensely glad to see.
"Dad." Solomon moaned, his voice filled with panic. "I don't know what to do Dad. Help me, please. I…I don't know." With that Solomon broke down into tears, only just managing to keep the mirror upright. His body shuddered with the force of his cries. Harry's eyes widened. He had never seen the boys act like this before.
"Sol." he soothed, attempting to get the boy's attention. Solomon didn't even acknowledge that words had been spoke. "Sol, listen to me." again nothing. "Solomon Sirius Potter I need you to listen to me right now." Harry's tone was stern but the concern for his son was still visible in his eyes. Solomon's head snapped up, his teary eyes looking straight into those of his father. "I need you to tell me what's wrong my little star." Harry soothed gently. He wished that he could be there to embrace his little boy, pull him into his arms. He supposed that he would have to wait for tomorrow.
"Snape." Solomon managed to choke out and Harry's eyes widened in realisation of what must have happened.
"Okay little star, I need you to move the mirror over to your brother please." Harry soothed. Solomon gave a wide eyed nod before angling the mirror so that Harry was able to see Theseus more clearly. "Hey little one, can you look at me please?" Harry said as gently as possible to the small boy before him. By God was he going to be having words with Severus Snape after this. The man was a nightmare. "Come on my little hero." Harry smiled. Theseus had always loved that nickname. He had found out the reason behind the nickname when had had been four after Harry had read him the tale of Theseus and the minotaur. The little boy had spent months afterwards forcing Solomon to play fight Theses and the minotaur with him.
"Dad." the boy whined as he heard the familiar nick name coming from his dad's mouth. Harry gave a wide smile at the small boy before him.
"Yes my little hero, I'm here. So is Sol. It's all going to be alright sweetie." Harry let his words sooth the two little boys on the bed. Sometimes it was easy to forget just how young the two little boys were when they acted so mature most of the time. Harry was ready to support them through all the troubles that would be sure to follow them through their lives. They were Potters and being a Potter was never easy.
Harry stormed into the potion Master's quarters without a though. He slammed the door open, letting it crack satisfyingly against the wall. He had just finished the conversation with his sons and he was not pleased. Severus Snape had sent the boys a letter telling them that they would be meeting him tomorrow to talk about their relation and decide a course of action. The man had not told the boys whether or not himself and Elijah were coming and had given them no other information. The letter had been little more than an order. He had given them no choice. That was not how Harry had been going to deal with the matter.
"How dare you!" Harry yelled as he saw the potions master sitting in an armchair by a roaring fire, a book in hand. "How fucking dare you!" he shouted again. Severus nearly fell out of his seat as he saw Harry enter his quarters. He jumped up, his book falling to the floor as he watched the angry young man storm towards him. Harry stopped less than a foot away from his former lover, a growl escaping from his chest. The green eyes were as dangerous as the killing curse as they found their target.
"You will not send letters to my sons without my express permission." Harry ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You have scared both Solomon and Theseus by ordering them to see you without any explanation. Severus could see nothing but anger in the green eyes. "You won't talk to them!" Harry growled, each syllable being accompanied by Harry's finger stabbing into the potion's master's chest. "Whenever you speak to them Elijah or I will be present. Otherwise you wont even look at them unless they decide to tell you otherwise." Harry was ready to kill the man before him, or at least seriously injure him. "Tomorrow you will come to the house at eleven, not a minute before." Harry then stormed from the room as quickly as he had arrived leaving Severus behind, utterly bewildered. He didn't understand why the boy had reacted to what he had done so violently.
Severus had arranged with Harry that he would meet the boys tomorrow at the Potter house. He had decided that he would tell the boys of the decision. The letter had been short, a simple address that made clear the situation. What was it that had made Harry so extremely angry? He had never seen the man so angry. The rage had rippled around him. His eyes looking ready to kill. Not even when he had broken Harry's heart had the man shown the emotion that Severus had seen from him today. Picking up his book Severus poured himself a glass of whiskey, then another and another. Finally, feeling the world spinning around him he collapsed into his empty bed, Draco being busy with more important matters, falling straight into unconsciousness.
The next morning at ten to eleven Harry was sitting in the living room. Solomon and Theseus were sitting either side of him, Elijah sitting further away. The blonde was ready to intervene if needed but felt he should let the boys meet their biological father, officially, without intervening. Elijah would be seen by Snape when the man entered the room. It would be incentive enough for the man not to doing anything stupid and yet Elijah would try not be directly involved in the conversation unless necessary. Elijah nursed the mug of tea, waiting as the minutes ticked by for the man to arrive. The four occupants of the room stayed silent, none wishing to talk, all too on edge for civil conversation. As the clock struck eleven the fire flared and out walked Severus Snape, the man brushed down his robes, before looking to the trio before him. His eyes gave a quick glance to Elijah, as was expected, before giving his full attention over to Harry.
"Take a seat." Harry advised, indicating the seat directly in front of the sofa on which he sat with his two sons. Severus did so, elegantly seating himself on the brown armchair. He looked expectantly towards the man before him. "Tea?" Harry asked politely. Severus gave a nod, not trusting his voice to not waver as he spoke. Harry poured the tea from the pot that sat on the coffee table. He then pushed it across the table to Severus, the tea sloshing against the side of the cup at the sudden movement. Several seconds passed, no one saying a word.
"Why?" Solomon's voice broke through the silence. His eyes looking accusingly at the dark haired man sitting before him. Severus blinked, us cure of what he was being asked. "Why?" the boy asked again, his voice softer this time. It did not enlighten Severus in anyway. However he still tried to answer. His son was asking him a question after all. Son. The word sounded so peculiar even inside his own head.
"I didn't know. I didn't know that you existed." Severus tried. His voice still sounded aloof even to his own ears. He repressed a sigh. This was going to be harder than he thought.
"No." Solomon interrupted. His voice halting Severus' stream of thought before it could even start. "I want to know why you left Dad. Why did you do that to him?" the boy demanded. Severus was dumbfounded. How did you respond to that? What could he possibly say to an eleven year old boy that would begin to justify what he had done? He wasn't even sure that he could justify it to himself. There was no way to explain the thought process that had gone through his head. He let out a sigh before attempting to explain. Both boys had their eyes pinned on him.
"Well I made a mistake." Harry's eyes widened as he spoke. He had never heard the man say anything that would even remotely count as self deprecation. "I thought that I loved someone else." Severus continued, a solomon look on his face. "I didn't realise just how special your dad was until I let him go." Severus averted his gaze from Harry, instead focusing all his attention on Solomon. "It was the worst mistake of my life. I realise that now. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" Severus finished. Harry felt confused. What had happened to the man before him over the years? Harry could count on one hand how many times the man had apologised. To hear him do so twice in the same breath was a marvel, possibly even a miracle. This was not what Harry had been expecting. Several minutes passed before anyone dared to speak again.
"Why did you want to see us?" Theseus whispered meekly. Harry was a little surprised to hear his younger son speak. He had always been far more timid than Solomon. Harry supposed it was the fact that Solomon was so outgoing. He seemed to have enough charisma for both of them. However just because he spoke out it did not make him arrogant. He was not boastful or big headed, he was simply confident enough to speak his mind. However that was only when it suited him. Harry remembered one awful week where he and Solomon had had a fight. It had been about something so trivial that Harry had forgotten it almost immediately, however the results had been less forgettable. Solomon had not talked to Harry for an entire week. He had not talked to Elijah either after the man had sided with Harry. By the end of the seven day period both parties had called a truce, the silence too much for any of them to bare. Harry was snapped out of his thoughts as Snape began to speak again.
"I want to be in your lives. I wanted you to know that. That's why I came." Severus said, almost gently. Harry was struggling to get his head around how it was that the man could have changed so much in the past eleven years. Although Harry supposed that he had changed beyond recognition as well. He often found himself wondering whether or not any of his friends would recognise him. Harry had grown out his hair, the birds nest slightly more tameable now that it was past he shoulders. He frequently wore the much longer hair in a pony tale, making it even easier to manage. Harry's old glasses had been replaced with newer, less broken ones. The rectangular silver frames suited his face far better, making his eyes stand out even more. Harry had also put on some weight making him look far healthier than the bag of bones that he had once been. A new wardrobe of well fitting clothes had also helped Harry to look like a new person. Harry was again brought from the journey into his own throughs as Theseus spoke again.
"No." Theseus whispered. The boy's hand slipped into Harry's as he spoke. Harry looked at the small boy that had just spoken. He squeezed the hand tightly reassuring his son. He let out a small smile to further get across his point. He would support his son in anything that he decided. "No" Theseus said again, louder this time. "No!" Theseus shouted. He jumped off the sofa, ripping his hand from Harry's. He then sprinted out of the room, the sound of his running feet echoing loudly off the walls as he went. Elijah stood up quickly, following the small boy out of the room. Harry gave him a nod. A silent thanks to his partner.
"He needs some time" Harry uttered. His words sounding emotionless even to his own ears. "I think we all do. I suggest that you return to Hogwarts." It was not an invitation. It was a demand and Severus knew it. "I will return the boys by Monday morning at the latest. I expect you can see yourself out." With that Harry left the room, Solomon's hand in his as he dragged the suddenly silent boy along with him.
Harry, guiding Solomon in front of him, made his way up the stairs, the old floorboards creaking as they made their way up. Harry kept his hand on his son's shoulders coaxing the boy up. It seemed that Solomon had been effected by the situation more than he was letting on if his silence was anything to go by. Harry led Solomon through the door to the main bedroom, the one that he and Elijah slept in. Sitting on the bed, with Theseus in his arms, was Elijah. The pair looked up as Harry and Solomon entered. Harry gently pushed Solomon towards the bed. Sitting down Harry pulled the young boy into his lap. Harry slung his arm around Elijah, the family all finding comfort in one another.
"Dad." Theseus whimpered. Harry looked towards the small boy, his eyes filled with worry. "Dad I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…I…" Before the boy could get any further Harry had his arms around him, pulling him into his chest.
"It's alright my little hero. You did nothing wrong." Harry ran a hand over his son's back, soothing the distraught child. "It's all going to be alright, I promise you. It's going to be fine." Harry vowed. He did not like to see his son cry.
"But…but…" Theseus muttered out, tears rolling down his face. However Elijah wasn't about to let his little boy think ill of himself. He stopped the boy before he could continue.
"But nothing Thee. It's going to be fine. Your dad and I are going to be here for you in whatever you decide to do. The same goes for you Sol." Elijah said addressing the subdued boy. "Whatever you decide to do concerning Severus Snape we will support you in every way that you can." Conviction filled the man's tone. He wanted to let his sons know that there was nothing that could ever make him leave them.
"Your papa is right. We both love you so much and whatever you decide we will help you through it. I'm so sorry that it ended up this way but I want you to know that your papa and I will always help you. If you don't want to make any decision at all that is fine. We can even see if we can get you transferred to another school if that is what you want. This is only about you. You two are the only people that matter here. What you want is what we will try to make happen." Harry felt three pairs of arms wrap around him as he ended his speech. None other four wanted to move, all too worn out with the day and too emotionally wound up to want to be anywhere but with each other. Harry watched as Solomon's andTheseus' eyes flickered shut, sleep claiming the emotionally drained twins.
Harry delicately slipped from the embrace, setting the twins' heads on the pillows. He and Elijah worked together to pull their shoes and trousers off before pulling the covers up. They folded up the clothes placing them onto of the chest of draws before quietly leaving the two boys to their unscheduled nap. Harry and Elijah made their way downstairs, both just as tired as their sons were. Harry collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs, letting out a sigh.
"Tea?" Elijah questioned. It was more of a formality than anything else. He knew that there was no way that he would only be making one cup of tea. Harry gave a nod and watched tiredly as his partner made the life giving brew. The mug was placed before Harry and he guzzled it down greedily, letting out a satisfied moan as he felt the hot liquid swirl around his mouth. Swallowing the hot liquid Harry looked up to Elijah.
"Do you think I made a mistake El? Do you think I've fucked this up already?" Harry sighed. Elijah came to stand behind Harry, he rested his hand's on his lover's shoulders.
"No Todd you haven't." Harry had to smile at the nickname. It still made him happy to hear it from Elijah, even after all the years that the man had called him it. The name was from when Elijah had first seen Harry in his animagus form. Harry had been showing different types of magic to his lover and deciding to show off he had transformed into his animal form. Orange and white fur had formed all over his body, his legs shortening and his head elongating. After several disorientating seconds an excited fox gave a happy yip as he bounded his way over to Elijah. Elijah, being the disney fan that he was, had cried out Todd in a loud and exited voice, lifting Harry up and snuggling him to his chest. From that day on Harry's animagus form had been know as Todd and he was affectionately called it by Elijah on a semi-regular basis.
"I just wish that it didn't have to be so hard El." Harry said with a sigh, the smile falling from his face.
"I know Harry, I know." Elijah soothed, running a hand along Harry's shoulders. "We are just going to have to let the boys make their own decisions and hope that we wont have to be there to pick up the pieces if it all goes wrong." Harry gave a nod and closed his eyes, it was all just too much.
"It's their life. We can't hold their hands through everything and they will resent us in the future if we don't let them choose their own way." Elijah placed a gentle kiss to the messy hair below him, attempting to relieve the burden that his lover had. After all, a problem shared was a problem halved. "But they're still our boys Harry. No-one can ever take that away from us." He mumbled into his lover's dark locks.
Harry turned in his chair, his knees resting on the seat and his body flush against the back. He pulled Elijah into a hug, his head resting on his lover's shoulders. He let the smell of freshly brewed coffee run over him. The smell mingled with the more bitter smell of paint, the slightly acidic aroma tickling Harry's nose. However it was a smell that Harry loved. Elijah was a coffee addict first and an artist second, the smell was perfect for his lover. Harry and Elijah stayed there, far longer than they expected, content to do nothing other than find comfort in each other.
"I love you" Harry whispered out, his voice soft and filled with emotion.
"I know." Elijah's low voice rumbled back. His voice was quite but a soft smile lit his face as he said it. He placed a gentle kiss to his lover's lips. He was lucky to have such a man as his own.
"No Solomon. You will not do that!" Harry shouted.
"Why? I should be able to do what I want. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm nearly twelve!" Solomon shouted back far more furiously than his father.
"You are still a child and while you are living under my roof you will obey my rules. That means that when I tell you that today is a family day you will God dam listen to me! Now sit down and eat your lunch. I will not tell you again." the threat was clear in Harry's voice. Harry threw the bowl down in front of his son, the clatter ringing through the room. Harry stamped to his own seat, huffing as he sat down. Harry didn't understand why the boy wouldn't listen to him. Solomon had evidently woken up this morning on the wrong side of bed. He was refusing to listen to Harry, starting fights and attempting to ignore every instruction that Harry gave him. It seemed the boy was starting to rebel early.
As Harry ate his soup, he barley tasted the home made food that had taken him hours to make. He was too wrapped up in his thoughts about his son. After several minutes his anger faded and he managed to see what was truly going on. His son was scared. Solomon wanted to see how far he could push the boundaries. He wanted to know that rules would be enforced. He wanted to know that his father still loved him. Harry decided he had not reacted in the best way to the situation but he was scared too. He didn't want to loose his boys. He didn't want them hurting. He loved them more than life itself. If anyone or anything hurt them he wasn't sure what he would do. He needed his sons as much as they needed him.
"Solomon" Harry said, his voice sounding harsher than he had intended it to. Solomon ignored him, not even raising his head from the bowl. "Sol, please." Harry almost begged, although he managed to keep a sliver of authority in his tone. Solomon raised his eyes. He acknowledged Harry's presence but did little more than that. "Sol, look, I'm sorry I spoke to you that way." Solomon's eyes widened. "You have a right to spend time with your friends but I wanted the day to be a family one before you go back to Hogwarts." Harry admitted, attempting to be honest with his son. "El and I miss you. We just wanted to spend as much time with you as possible. Go out if you want Sol. I'm not going to stop you"
With that Harry Stood from the table with a sigh. He collected the empty bowls from his family and made his way toward the sink with them. He ran the tap and them submerged his hands into the hot water. He let his hands run over the dirty dishes, rubbing them clean. He thought that there must be some sort of metaphor in there somewhere.
"Dad" Harry heard a soft voice call behind him. He turned around, his hands dripping, covered in soap suds and water as he did so.
"Yes?" Harry questioned. His voice was not soft but neither was it harsh and angry as it had been a half hour beforehand.
"I…I don't want to go dad." Solomon's eyes fell to the floor. "I'm sorry. I…I just…I'm sorry." He managed to mutter out. Harry watched as the boy struggled with his words. He knew that Solomon needed to talk this through. The boy needed to understand his own feelings. "I love you dad and I want…I don't know what I want dad but I don't want to leave." Tears began to run down Solomon's face as he attempted to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that he was on. Harry pulled the boy into a hug, running a soothing hand along his back.
"It's okay my little star. I promise that I will never make you leave."
