Chapter 4

Theseus and Solomon were back at school. Their weekend with their Dad and Papa had been hard, but they both felt better. They had seen their parents and they had discovered the truth about their lives. It was difficult, but truth was always the best thing to have. Without truth, they felt that they could not really know what their life was really about. However they were both utterly unsure of how to deal with their head of house and newly found father. They did, however, have a whole week to decide what to do, potions was not till Friday after all. They made their way toward their first lesson of the day, Herbology. Solomon and Theseus seated themselves at one of the benches.

Along the benches, in bright blue pots were tall black vines, that stretched to the sky, small white petals were littered across them in small blooms. Loose soil littered the worktops, making the whole room feel far more informal than the other classrooms. Theseus let his fingers trail along the black leaves of the plant before him with a small smile. It preened under the attention, shifting, as to tangle itself between his fingers. He smiled wider, nudging Solomon to get his attention.

However before he could say a word to his brother about the vine, his attention was drawn to someone coming and sitting at his side. Hufflepuff robes, bright purple hair and a smile greeted Theseus as he looked up to the boy before him.

"It seems he likes you." Teddy said with a grin, his hair shifting into a lighter purple, almost pink colour. Theseus gave a timid smile back to the grinning boy, turning his attention back to the black vine between his fingers. "Professor Longbottom loves plants as well." Teddy began to explain. "He'll be impressed that you can tame plants that easily."

Theseus quickly withdrew his hand from the vine as the mentioned professor entered the room. He didn't want to draw any attention to himself. He shook a head at Teddy, embarrassed, before pulling it down and focusing on his notes. Solomon glanced over at his younger brother, noticing Teddy for the first time. He gave the boy a small wave, before turning his attention back to Theseus.

"You all right Thee?" he whispered. He was worried for his little brother. Ever since the incident with Snape the boy had been more withdrawn than he usually was. Theseus gave a small nod, not looking up from his notes. Solomon would have continued his questioning but was stopped in his tracks.

"Right, let's start." The professor smiled as he spoke. "Before you, on the benches are Molys plants. They are powerful plant that can be eaten to counteract enchantments. As you can see they are black-stemmed with white flowers. The plan for today is to tame your plant. Molys is notoriously aggressive, but can do very little damage. However, the issue is that unless the plant is willing, the magical properties of its leaves will not be released when picked. For the plant to be of any use we must become cordial with it. So please read chapter 6 of your textbooks and then attempt to make friends with your plants."

Theseus sighed, it seemed that this lesson would be a tedious one. Although he supposed that he would enjoy playing with the plant throughout the course of the lesson. While the others read the chapter Theseus let his fingers trail along the table. While pretending to read as he played with the small vine that had grown along the table. The black vines twisted with his fingers, gently caressing the skin. Theseus hid the smile as he let his fingers play with the black vine. With each minute more and more of them came to play, until there was one entangled with each of his fingers. Theseus was so engrossed in attempting to look as though he was reading he failed to notice the professor standing before him.

"Mr Potter" Theseus' head shot up only to meet eyes with Professor Longbottom. His hand stopped moving, but he could still feel the vines running along his fingers, begging for his attention. "It seems that the Molys is quite taken with you" the Professor said with a fond smile. Theseus gave a nervous one in return.

"Yes sir, it's really friendly." Theseus said with a small smile. Professor Longbottom's smile turned into a grin that spread across his face.

"It is indeed" the Professor said, his own hand coming to run along the delicate leaves of the flower. It leaned into the touch. "Well, seeing as you have already managed to complete the task for the lesson you have a choice to make. You can either do some reading ahead, help the others in the class or continue to get to know your plant a little better."

"I-I think that I'd like to get to know the Moly please sir." Theseus said nervously, hoping that his answer was not a wrong one.

"As you wish Mr Potter" the professor said with a smile, putting to rest Theseus' fears. The Professor then left Theseus be, going to help the other students that were beginning to attempt to tame their own plants. Theseus spent the rest of their lesson playing with the plant that he fondly named Sophia. He also helped Teddy and Solomon to tame their own plants and soon the three of them were all getting to know their plants a little better. As the bell rang and Theseus stuffed his things into his bag, it seemed that Sophia was reluctant to let him go, the vines tightening as Theseus tried to remove them. Professor Longbottom soon intervened.

"It seems that this Molys has become rather attached to you Mr Potter" he said with a smile as he gently untangled the vines from his students fingers. "Feel free to come back and visit anytime. These plants are kept in the greenhouse three for students to study if you ever want to visit." Professor Longbottom smiled and ushered Theseus from the classroom before he had a chance to reply. Solomon was waiting for him and so the two made their way to the next class.


"Solomon" Theseus whispered to his brother. The two were huddled over their homework in the Slytherin common room. They were each working on a different essay, ready for the week. They had missed out on some weekend work time due to seeing their family.

"Yeah Thee" he hummed absentmindedly, his quill scratching on the parchment.

"I want to go and see Snape." Nothing. Solomon remained silent for several seconds.

"You want to go and see Snape?" he questioned. An eyebrow was raised. His tone wasn't accusatory, more baffled.

"Um-Hum" Theseus affirmed.

"Now?" Solomon queried. Another hum met his ears. "Well…okay then." Solomon confirmed. "If you're sure…" Solomon half questioned. Theseus only nodded in response. With that Solomon stood up, rolling up his essay and textbooks. He pulled them into his bag, before then pulling Theseus up with him.

"Come on then Thee. If you want to do this, then I'm with you" he said with a reassuring smile. He squeezed his brother's hand firmly as the two walked toward the door that lead to their head of house's office. It had been three days since they had seen the man and both were nervous. Solomon could feel the slight trembles that pulsed through his brothers hand as the two of them remained connected. He gave another squeeze before he lifted his fist up to the door. He rapped his hand on the surface, hard and full of purpose. It did nothing to show the fear that he was feeling on the outside.

"Enter" a muffled voice called through the wood. Theseus turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. He stepped inside the office, pulling his younger brother with him. The door shut behind them. Severus Snape sat at his desk, quill in hand, the read ink being spread across the page. He hadn't looked up from the paper as the two had entered. Several seconds passed before the intimidating man put the quill down. His eyes looked up at the two boys, dark and threatening. However as soon as they saw who was in front of him, they softened.

"Oh" he said gently, shock and trepidation replacing the aura of intimidation that he had been giving off only seconds before. "Would you like to sit" he said, indicating to the two seats that were situated before his desk. Solomon pulled Theseus down into the seat beside him. Severus clicked his fingers and with pop a house elf appeared.

"Mopsy can you please bring us tea, enough for three." The house elf nodded and popped away, only to appear seconds later with a tray of tea and biscuits. Severus set a cup between the two boys, pouring tea into each of their mugs and placing the biscuits before them.

"So" the man said awkwardly. It was strange to see the usually composed potions professor acting so nervously. "What can I do for you two?" he questioned. His voice was steady, but his breath betrayed him as it hitched slightly with the words.

"I…I…" Theseus stammered out. Severus gave a small smile to the boy, little more than a quirk of the lips but it helped to settle Theseus' nerves. "I wanted to say sorry." Theseus looked away from the black eyes, fiddling with fingernails. Severus was confused. However he let the boy continue his train of thought. It would not do to interrupt him at such a pivotal moment. He wanted to know what the boy was thinking. "I was really rude the other day." The boy didn't look up as he spoke, too nervous to look at the man. "It wasn't very nice of me." Now was the moment that Severus should speak.

"There is no need to apologise Mr Potter"

"Theseus" Theseus interrupted. Severus looked at the boy, his brows furrowed in slight confusion. "I mean…you're my…my…you should…you should call me Theseus." the boy managed to fumble out at the look from his professor and biological father.

"Theseus then" Severus continued with a quirk of his lips. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Your reaction was…understandable." Severus took a sip from his own tea, attempting to give him some time to think.

"Actually, I think that I should be the one to apologise. I am sorry for the letter that I sent you and I'm sorry that I…left you two." Severus finally managed to get out. Severus had never been good at expressing his emotions. He had never been good at showing how he really felt. He kept his feelings all bottled up. However for these two boys he could change. He could become a better person for his sons. He wanted to become better. He needed to be.

"Listen." Severus said seriously. He needed to get his message across clearly to the two boys before him. "I want to be here for you two. I can't promise that I won't mess up and I can't promise that I will know what I'm doing. But I can promise you that I will try. I don't want to replace your father or your…papa" The word was hard to force out for Severus. It just sounded so juvenile. "but I want to be a part of both your lives. If you'll let me." The question was there in the words even if it wasn't in Severus' voice.

Solomon and Theseus looked to each other. A silent conversation passed between them. Seconds ticked by until Solomon finally spoke.

"We…we don't want Papa and Dad to leave us." He was interrupted before he could get any further.

"I can promise you that you your parents will never leave you." Severus said, conviction in his voice. "Never" he finished. Solomon nodded before he continued.

"I think…that we…we both want to …well we want to get to know you." Solomon managed to bumble out. Severus thought he was surprisingly coherent for a scared eleven year old. "You are…you're our D-Dad after all" he finished. His face was pale and his hands were rapidly moving in his lap, showing his nervousness.

"Okay." Severus soothed. "I would like to get to know you too." His voice was as gentle as he could ever remember it being. He was becoming soft. These boys that he had known for no time at all were changing who he was. It was scary but right now he couldn't care. All he cared about were these two boys in front of him.

"How about I take you boys to Hogsmead this weekend?" Severus questioned. Both boys smiled at him. This was not what they had been expecting, something they had dared not hope for. They both gave small, shy nods. "Of course, I would have to ask your father, but I'm sure he'll approve. He can even come with us if he deems it acceptable." Severus said with a smile. He was shocked at how at ease he was feeling around these boys. All the years and hardship and hatred that he had lived through just seemed to fade away when he was with them.

"Well I think that you two should go to bed. I'll speak to your father and tell you what we plan for the weekend." Severus looked to the boys, waiting for a response.

"Okay Professor Snape." Theseus replied.

"When we're in private please call me Severus, Theseus." he said with a small smile. Theseus nodded.

"O-Okay S-Severus" he mumbled, his face red with a light blush. "Goodnight sir" he muttered as he scurried from the room, pulling Solomon with him.


The weekend arrived with trepidation from both parties. Harry had agreed to the meeting of his sons and their biological father, as long as he was to be present. He would let the man interact with the two boys, attempting to let them act as they would without him there. It was a big step for Harry. He did not want the man to take control of anything. The man had broken his heart, he had abandoned him. He didn't want the same for his boys. He didn't want the man to destroy the two precious beings that he had loved and cared for since he had found out about their existence.

Solomon and Theseus entered their Professor's office on Saturday morning at around eleven. The plan was to walk down to the small village, grab some lunch and then spend the rest of the day shopping and exploring Hogsmead. It sounded like a plan where nothing could go wrong. Harry was definitely dubious about that fact. Even so Harry was there to greet his boys as they entered Snape's office. Harry gave each of them a hug.

"Well, I suppose we better get going." Snape said as the trio separated. There was pain in his eyes, the glittering sadness hidden by the stiff posture and emotionless expression. He found himself wondering what it would have been like if he had stayed with Harry. If he had watched the small boys grow up, if he had cared for them as Harry obviously had, would it have been him that the boys would have been hugging at that moment? He shook himself from his thoughts, regaining his composure, straightening his back.

"Lets head down." Harry decided, attempting to break the air of awkwardness that had seemed to descend on the room. Severus gave a mumbled reply and the four began to make their way from the office and out of Hogwarts, slowly walking along the path to Hogsmead. The conversation was stunted, only the occasional question being asked.

"You are finding your lessons agreeable?" Severus questioned; the answer being acceptable coming from either of the boys. It was Theseus that replied. The boy was standing closer to Severus than his brother was. He kept looking at the man, examining him. However as soon as he caught the man's eyes he looked away, his gaze scurrying from the black orbs.

"Yeah" Theseus whispered. His voice was quite and his eyes were downcast, away from the perceived scrutiny of the man above him. Severus could feel the nervousness radiating from the young boy. He sighed, attempting to eliminate some of the air of intimidation that he knew he must be radiating.

"What is your favourite lesson, so far then?" Severus attempted to question, more informally. He wanted to be able to actually talk to his son. Son. That word sounded so weird, even in his own head. It sounded extremely peculiar.

"Umm…Well….I" Theseus stumbled over his words. "I…think that I like Herbology" he managed to choke out in a small voice. He glanced up to Severus. The man had a small smile on his lips that seemed to reassure the small boy. He continued to talk. "I mean, I think I'm pretty good at it. I…I made friends with one of the Molys. Professor Longbottom says that he thinks I'm a natural." Theseus blushed as he spoke. Feeling wrong to complement himself in front of a Professor. He did not want the man thinking that he were big headed.

"Oh" Severus said with a happier tone in his voice, attempting to sound enthusiastic about his son. It was hard for him to break through the wall of ice that he had built around himself. But he was trying. "Herbology and potions are very closely linked, you realise." Severus claimed, attempting to find safe ground for him to walk on, once again. Potions was something that he knew. Something that he would be able to talk of for hours without interruption. It was safe.

"There is a lot of precision in both. You need care and thought in each aspect. Also the way in which you prepare certain plants highly effects their uses in potions." Severus continued. He was in full teacher mode and for the next fifteen minutes he did little more than talk to Theseus of the complexities of both potions and Herbology and their numerous connections, with only the occasional comment from Theseus. It was safe. Severus felt sure of himself when he spoke with of it. That was a rarity when he spoke to these two boys.

"We're here." Harry interrupted the ramblings. Severus looked up with hidden surprise as he realised that they were standing before the Three Broomsticks. It seemed that it was time to eat. The four of them walked in. Severus found himself wondering if this was what it was like to have a family. He felt so right with these three people by his side. He had to hold in a sigh.

The four of them sat down and ordered food, awkwardly. The two boys stumbling over their words as they tried to find the right way to act before their professor turned father. Harry was reluctant to speak at all; muttering out only the occasional monosyllabic answer to Severus. He did, however, answer his boy's questions with much more enthusiasm.

The rest of the day was not any less awkward. It was as though no-one knew what to say and in truth no one did. There was no way to break the fear, anxiousness, anger and confusion that seemed to wrap around the group like a cloak. Yet it seemed that rather than keep them warm it kept them too hot. The words evaporated on their lips and their thoughts became foggy. It was as though they were attempting to see through a mirage. Suffice to say they were woefully unsuccessful in all their attempts.

They returned to the castle as it neared three. Few words were exchanged, a small nod and smile from each boy as they hurried back to the common room. However as Severus made his way to follow them Harry stopped him with a word.

"Severus" the dark eyes pinned themselves on the young man standing before him. He gave a nod. It seemed that between the small group that he had accompanied today, that this was becoming the only viable method of communication.

"I think" Harry said with a frown on his face. He seemed deep in thought. "Next time, it'll just be you and the boys." With that Harry turned and left, leaving a dumbstruck Severus to watch him go.

What did Harry mean, next time?


Solomon sat in the common room, his eyes flickering across the page before him, rapidly. However, the words seemed to simply float from his thoughts, as though they were little more than a wisp of cloud, being dragged away by the wind. Solomon was distracted. He was worried about Theseus, even if he didn't want to admit it. Solomon couldn't help but feel that his worry made him weak. Theseus was only spending some time with Professor Longbottom. He was going to visit the Molys that he had made friends with. Solomon had decided that to go with his twin would be a little strange. After all, he, himself, was not interested in Herbology. This therefore lead him to looking over the words on the page as though they were not really there.

He sighed. He set the book in his lap and merely let his thoughts flicker to his brother. He knew that as of this moment that he could think of little else. He felt powerless, ineffective, worthless. He was not the older brother that he needed to be. Solomon was drawn from the spiral of self doubt and confusion that was slowly dragging him down like quicksand by the calling of his name.

"Potter" was said, in a small voice.

Solomon looked up to see a small form to match the small voice. A shock of blonde hair was slicked back and grey eyes looked nervously toward Solomon. The boy, evidently a first year, was small. He was at least a head smaller than Solomon himself.

"Are you okay?" the boy questioned. There was no accusation in his words, no threat or concealed manipulation. There was merely genuine concern. Solomon could see it flickering in the boy's eyes. However Solomon was not willing to be swayed so easily. Genuine concern could be faked. He knew that. It was difficult, but it could be done.

"What do you care!" Solomon spat out. It was not a question, more of an accusation. The boy before him flinched. A ripple of guilt ran through Solomon. What if this boy was genuine? What if he was actually concerned for Solomon's welfare? The black haired boy deflated slightly. His father had always taught him to be polite. He should not stop, simply because the man was not here now.

"Sorry" Solomon mumbled out, his face speckling pink with shame and embarrassment. At Solomon's words the blonde seemed to loose some of the nervous energy that had surrounded him. He gave a shy smile.

"That's okay" the boy said with a small tilt of his head. Without waiting for Solomon to respond he sat in the spare seat that occupied the space next to Solomon; the chair being little more than a footstool.

"Scorpius Malfoy" the boy said with a smile, sticking his hand out by way of introduction.

"Solomon Potter" Solomon said in response, taking the hand in his. He gave a small shake and joined the other in a small smile.

"So you like Magical Creatures then?" Scorpius asked. Solomon, however, only looked at him in confusion. What was the boy talking about?

"Your book" Scorpius smirked at Solomon's dumfounded face. "It's about all the different type of creatures isn't it?" Scorpius said, smile wide and firmly in place. Solomon looked to the book with wide eyes, the title read

'A Guide to the Hidden Magical Creatures'

Solomon gave a dazed, shy smile to the boy beside him before noticing the grin that was splitting the others face. Scorpius let out a small snort, his eyes filled with mirth. He brought his hands to his mouth as another snort escaped him. Solomon, seeing the own boy's mirth let a smile spread across his own his. A huff of air escaped his lips and soon both boys were in fits of giggles.

They didn't manage to get themselves under control until Theseus returned fifteen minutes later.