The Impure Prince
AU crossover inspired by the animated first season of Dreamwork's Trollhunters.
. . .
Under the threadbare covers, Severus flexed his fingers as he focused on keeping the transformation to just his arms, then his forearms, then his hands. Claws clicked against his palms as he stared at the gentle reflection of light his eyes cast unto the grey marble of...himself.
He was a changeling, like his father. His father wasn't a muggle, let alone even human.
His great great great grandfather was Merlin himself; a Prince who had disowned himself and tossed the family name, because they, the Princes, disapproved of their son aligning himself with a muggle king and interfering with a muggle war.
"Tempus," he whispered. Light refracted over his marble skin as the magical date shimmered alive and fizzled away.
Five years. Five years to the day since his mother had had to obliviate half of the morning market to protect him. Nearly five years since his father suddenly decided to care about him. Care that came in the form of training. Training that felt like beatings.
Training because his father was desperate for him to learn how to control his transformations; terrified that Severus would be discovered.
"Activate yourself! Embrace your fear! Learn how to call forth the power before Gunmar's army so much as catches whiff of your existence!"
Within a fortnight he'd learned how to transform on a whim.
"Descendant of Merlin himself? Then you will use everything at your disposal to learn how to hide. I can promise you that no human, magical or otherwise, will take kindly to learning you exist. There was an entire war! There will be another! It is the very reason I am here! It is the only reason you exist!"
Five years, and he was finally figuring out how to activate only parts of himself. With Occlumency lessons, his mother was trying to help him figure out how to transform without any outward visual change.
"Try again. Visualize your skin, and keep it there when you transform."
In two years, he'll receive his Hogwarts letter. In two years, he would be entering a minefield where any stray spell could risk exposing him.
Two years to master invisibility in plain sight.
Slowly Severus brought his claws to his head, gripping his hair as it morphed into feathers. His teeth stretched to daggers as he seethed, reminding himself to breathe.
"You were never meant to be like this, my little prince."
He hunched over, knees to his shoulders as his wings broke out to wrap around his sides.
"Irregardless, you are a Prince."
Under the threadbare covers bioluminescent blue stripes flashed, casting a dim flickering glow in the small room.