Fathers and Sons

Fathers and Sons

*

To the Rescue

*

At exactly twelve o'clock, Michael heard a loud crash and a scream from the kitchen.

'They must have arrived,' he mused, leaving his room and walking slowly down the stairs. He reached the kitchen door and listened for a while. Then he opened the door ajar and peered inside.

"Get out of my house, you freaks!" Vernon yelled, his face red as a radish. "The boy is all right, I can assure you. Now LEAVE!"

"Not without our son," Lupin said calmly, not batting an eyelid. He reached out his hand for Snape, and they intertwined their fingers. Michael grinned inwardly as he saw this. If there was anything in the world that Vernon hated more than wizards, it was gays. His parents seemed to understand this from the Muggle's purple face - purple with rage, no doubt - since Snape stepped purposefully nearer to Lupin and rested his free hand on the werewolf's shoulder.

"He's not your son!" said Petunia with a high-pitched voice. "He cannot be both of yours! That's unnatural - impossible!"

"As we're wizards, it is indeed very much possible," said Snape coolly. "Would you want a thorough explanation as of how male pregnancies develop, or will you be satisfied simply with the knowledge that they are indeed possible in our world?"

At this point, Michael decided that it was the time to make his presence known. "I'm here," he said, and stepped inside to the kitchen.

For a moment, everyone was quiet. Lupin, Snape, Vernon, and Dudley, who hadn't seen his new appearance yet, stared at him - Lupin studying every inch of him, Snape with a mix of disbelief and wonder on his face, Vernon furious and shocked, and Dudley almost scared. Petunia looked simply sad for some unknown reason, sad and tired.

At last, Lupin broke the silence. "Michael," he said carefully, "I -"

The boy interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "Don't bother," he said. "We can talk later. Right now I want you to just get me out of here, okay?"

The werewolf nodded. "Let's go to get your stuff, then."

Michael shrugged and beckoned him. Lupin followed, but not without pecking Snape on the cheek at first - most probably just to irritate the Dursleys; Michael couldn't see either of the men being too fond of public display of affection.

"Don't let them cause problems," Lupin advised softly, completely ignoring the looks of shock and disgust on the Dursleys' faces.

"Don't worry," Snape said with a smirk. "They'll behave." At this, he glared at the three Muggles, who cowered under his sharp gaze. "May I hex them if they don't?" the Slytherin asked then, smirking even more.

Lupin rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, shrugging, "as long as you don't cause any permanent harm - that'd be too difficult to explain to Albus."

"I won't, love," Snape promised.

Both Michael and Lupin could practically hear the Dursleys squirming as they left the kitchen.

*

It didn't take too long from Michael and Lupin to get his trunk from upstairs. As they returned downstairs, Snape nodded at them. "Let's go, then," he said. "We have a Portkey to the borders of Hogwarts wards, but it will only activate outside the wards put on this house."

Michael nodded, and made it to leave with his parents. Petunia, however, grasped his arm, and he turned towards the woman, a question in his eyes.

"Har- Michael," she said quietly. "How did you look like you were Lily's son? And how did everyone think that?"

"They adopted me right after I'd been born," replied the boy calmly. He wanted to say something nasty at her, to pay back for all the horrible years he'd spent under her and her husband's so-called care, but he didn't. Something in her voice, in her expression stopped him. And, the more he examined his own feelings, the more he found himself unable to purposefully hurt her, or anybody.

Seemingly he was already picking traits from his true parents. This time from the one who'd carried him.

"I see." She was quiet for a moment, then reached her hand out to him. "This - this belonged to her. Even if you aren't her son, I suppose that she really loved you. It's better that you have it than I."

Michael took the object that was offered to him. It was a simple necklace, with a golden pendant. As he snapped it open, he saw a photo of three people inside - himself, as a tiny baby Harry, and Lily and James Potter. On the other side he saw three locks of hair; one was coppery red, the two others midnight black.

"Thank you," he said, snapping the pendant closed. "This means much to me." And with that, he turned around, and left the house he'd been forced to call home for fifteen years, never looking back.