Epilogue

(2007-2009)

The years passed and soon I realized that my life had become more gain than loss and so full of love. Severus welcomed David into our little family more than willingly and soon after that he gained a little sister, my baby Sidney.

Severus grew up perfectly, kind and considerate, a wonderful son and great big brother and he became even smarted and more powerful than I could have even dreamed. He was curious of course and thirsty for information. He read hundreds of books on every subject and expanded his understanding of the world both muggle and magical. He especially was interested in the war against Lord Voldemort. He asked me questions about it constantly but I never knew how to answer them. How much I wanted to keep the whole subject hidden from him, but David told me that he would have to know at some point, so we let Severus investigate deeper into the subject.

I remember his initial excitement as he first spotted his name sake in a text book, but then that excitement faded as he learned more about the late Severus Snape.

"He was a deatheater," Severus said indignantly. "Why would you name me after a deatheater?"

"He was a deatheater," I explained solemnly, "but he was a good man and the bravest man I ever knew." Severus knew all the stories of bravery and sacrifice regarding his cousin, but he seemed blinded by the bad, especially when he found a way to get his hands on Rita Skeeter's book Severus Snape: Saint or Scoundrel , a piece of literature that I would have never allowed in my house right along with The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.

"Look, Sev," I told him one night after he had once again asked about his naming. "I know what you must think, but deatheater or not, Severus Snape was a good man and I trusted him." I unconsciously touched my left forearm. "Sometimes good people find themselves in difficult situations, but it is the decisions we make that define us. I named you Severus to remind you that no matter what you can always choose good over evil."

"Like you?" Severus asked me. He then showed me the page in his book that talked about the trial of an accused Deatheater, the cousin of the late Severus Snape and the first antilegilimens in two centuries.

I had no choice but to tell him the truth about my past as a deatheater. Severus was quick to accept my claims and seemed sympathetic to both me and my cousin Severus when he knew all the facts. Not to mention the fact that the Snape family was defended by none other than Harry Potter, who Severus idolized. So if he had not accepted the story of his own mother, I could have always validated my claims with the support of the chosen one.

By the end of a several hour discussion, which followed this new found information, consisting of Severus repeatedly asking why I had kept this from him and me not having a valid answer, he knew most of the important facts. He knew most of the facts, but not all of them, not the most important fact of them all.

More time passed and with it brought new and more disturbing questions.

Although, Severus accepted David as his father, he always questioned me who he was really related too. For years I got away with telling him that he would know when he was older, but by his ninth birthday, he declared to me and the rest of the world that he was mature enough to know the truth about his parentage. Of course he was right. It was not fair to keep such a secret from him.

I knew I would have to say the words at some point, but even the years of practicing the speech in my head did not prepare the words to pass through my lips.

"Your father," I said, "your real father-" I stopped myself. "Your biological father, Severus, David is your real father blood doesn't matter."

"Just tell me," Severus pressed me coolly.

"Over the years, with all that you have read, you must have suspected that-" I cut myself off.

"I have wondered," Severus admitted with wide eyes, "but they are not true, they can't be true, Mom, tell me that they are not true!" he cried.

"Severus," I tried to keep the hysterics out of my voice. "You are an extraordinary wizard, you have inherited my power of antilegilency and you have also inherited powers from another, but that is all you have inherited from him, Severus! You have power like him, but you are not like him at all."

"I can speak to snakes," he said meekly.

"Yes," I uttered.

"My father could speak to snakes," it wasn't a question.

"Yes," I said.

"Mom," Severus begged. "Just say it please. Just say the words so I can hear them once and for all. I need to know."

"Your father…" I trailed off.

"Say it!" Severus shouted.

"…is Lord Voldemort," I finished breathlessly as if I had just run a race.

A look of pure disgusted fell over his face. I further explained. I told my son everything there was to know. There were no more secrets.

"You are not him, Severus," I concluded gently.

"All those horrible things," Severus said. "He killed so many people."

"You are not him, Severus," I repeated.

More time passed and slowly Severus was able to accept his parentage. At first he said he felt as though one half of him had fallen away. All children, especially, little boys want to look up to their fathers and feel proud of them, but Severus could do neither. The only thing that made it better was David, who adopted Severus as his own and loved him with all the fatherly affection as if Severus was his own flesh and blood.

When the months drew closer to Severus's eleventh birthday he asked me about schools. I had always planned to send him to the highly respected wizarding institute in Salem Massachusetts, but Severus asked if he could go to Hogwarts. My initial thought was absolutely not! There was just too much history there, too much history that connected back to Severus. But then how could I deny him the chance to go to Hogwarts, how could I deny him the right to that history, though littered with bad, also filled with good? I knew I could not protect him forever so I gave my consent.

I missed my son the second he left my arms and boarded the Hogwarts Express. David and Sidney and I came back to America without him, feeling incomplete as a family, but we didn't have to wait long for word of Severus.

Nearly the moment we got home from London we spotted a grey barn owl waiting for us outside the kitchen window, attached to its ankle a letter from Severus.

I opened the window to the let the owl inside. I gave it a bit of bread and water as I detached the letter from its leg. Useless glared at the bird untrustingly and the owl let out a loud squawk that sent our cat under an arm chair.

As the owl defiantly gave a final look towards the cat and flew out the window I opened the letter. It said the following:

Dear Mom, Dad and Sidney,

I hope that you all are well. I am. Mom, Hogwarts is all that you told me and more. My classes are everything I hoped for. I especially like transfiguration and potions. I did not think that I would like herbology, but Professor Longbottom is my favorite teacher.

You will be happy to hear that I have not got a detention yet and I am making friends. But I am sure what you really want to know is what house I have been sorted into.

The sorting hat spent a very long time placing me into a house. I spent at least ten minutes waiting for it to make up its mind. The hat was torn between two of the houses, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. It gave me a choice and I chose to be in Slytherin.

I decided I cannot spend my whole life running from him. I cannot live in fear that I will become like him. To avoid Slytherin seemed as if I were running away. And I am no such coward! I did not choose Slytherin to prove how we are alike but how we are different. I will stride to be brave like my cousin, but also learn from his mistakes and never stray from the path of good.

His portrait, in addition to hanging in the headmistress's office, hangs in the Slytherin common room. I was told that he does not like to spend much time in that frame, but the night of the sorting I could not sleep and came down to the common room when it was empty. The dark likeness of Professor Severus Snape stood in his frame. He surveyed me for a long time, it was clear that he knew exactly who I was. I gave him a welcoming nod which he returned and then as he sunk into the dark background of his painting I thought I saw a small smile spread across his lips. I hope to see more of him in the future. For as long as I have his portrait around as a reminder I know that all is well.

Severus