Like Father, Like Son

Fifth Chapter

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New and Old Companions

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"So, are you really both of theirs?" asked somebody from Remy's left. He looked up and saw a fair-haired girl with dreamy blue eyes. "Or was that just kidding?"

"No, it was true," he replied. "If it wasn't, do you really think they'd make up a story like that for no seeming reason?"

"Well, you never know," replied the girl with a shrug. "I've heard more unbelievable things to come true. Did you know that the monster of Loch Ness is really Scotland's secret underwater Quidditch team training? They are going to demand that all League matches in Scotland have to be played on the bottom of the lake. That way, they'll have an extra benefit for practising it beforehand."

A true Snape can take almost anything short of an Unforgivable without losing their calm mask. Therefore, Remy, too, stayed relatively calm, even though he was gaping like a goldfish in his mind. "Excuse me?" he asked then from the girl, trying to act as calm as possible.

"Oh, don't care about her," said somebody from Hermione's right side. Remy looked up and saw Cho Chang - the girl he'd had a horrible crush on the previous year. As he now observed the girl, he couldn't imagine how he'd managed to fall for that cow. "She's just Luna Looney," continued the older witch. "Most of what she says is just weird tales, and the rest she's made up."

"But it's true!" argued the fair-haired girl. "And my name's Lovegood, not Looney. You daft." She glared at Chang for a moment, but then was off in her dreamland again, seemingly forgetting all about the other girl.

Remy glanced at Hermione and shook his head simultaneously with her. Obviously some Ravenclaws weren't quite as clever as their House would suggest.

"So," asked then a lithe, brown-haired boy opposite to Remy, "is your sudden appearance in any connection with Potter's disappearance, or did you get that scar by falling down the stairs?"

Remy snorted. "No, I didn't fall down the stairs," he said coolly. "Yes, I used to be Harry Potter. However, as the Adoption Charm that was set upon me has been removed, my previous personality is as good as dead. Therefore, the Headmaster didn't really lie as he told that Harry Potter is dead. It is some stretching of the terms, true, but it's still not a lie." A sharp glance around him ensured that he had everyone's attention before he continued, "However, no matter who I originally was, I'm now Remus Snape. Preferably Remy Snape. So, anybody making any references to my previous personality will suffer the consequences - especially as my Father surely wouldn't approve if you forgot the fact that I am his son, not Potter's."

All the other Ravenclaws in hearing nodded, understanding. They weren't called the cleverest of all Houses for nothing. Then, the lithe boy opposite to Remy spoke again.

"I am Benjamin Green, a sixth year Prefect," the boy introduced himself. "You already met Luna Lovegood, and I'm sure that Cho Chang is familiar to you two even before." At this, he raised a suggestive eyebrow, earning a frown from Hermione and an icy glare from Remy. "And, as impressed as I am that both Granger, the one who always is on top of her class, and Professor Snape's son are here in my House, I must also say that I'm a bit surprised. Of course, Miss Granger here is famous amongst the other Houses, too, and it's quite obvious that she will fit our House perfectly. However, you seem to be quite a lot like your father. Why aren't you in Slytherin, then?"

"He's too intelligent for them," replied Hermione for him. "Perhaps you would like to give them a brief explanation of your theory as of why you still have that scar, Remy?"

And, of course, Remy started to talk on a rapid pace again. At first, everybody around them nodded sometimes, clearly listening eagerly to his every word. Then, one by one, all others started to become glassy-eyed. Remy didn't get even to the point about only James being under Fideliatus before Green raised his head in resignation, groaning aloud.

"Stop, please," he muttered. "I doubt even Rowena Ravenclaw herself could have put together that much twisted logic and still make some sense. It's quite obvious that you don't belong to any other House than ours."

"Well, I don't know," Hermione said, amusement flickering in her warm brown eyes. "It actually made much sense on the second time, you know. This time, I didn't have any problem following his train of thought."

"Then again, you are Granger," said a tiny girl from Green's left. "The first-year Ravenclaws have been told for the last four years that if a House could take the form of a human, you'd be the Ravenclaw House. Everyone was sure that your original Sorting to the Gryffindor House was a mere mistake."

Hermione actually blushed at this. Remy, however, merely raised an eyebrow and gave the girl a calculating glance. "And who are you, may I ask?" he asked coolly.

The girl shivered slightly under the Snape Gaze. Seemingly it wasn't only Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors who were terrified by the Potions Master, if even his son could make her scared. "My name's Samantha Green," she replied, obviously doing her best not to show her fear. "I'm Benjamin's little sister. Third year." At his disbelieving gaze, she continued, "You see, I know I'm tiny, okay? It isn't like I could help it. All I can do is to hope that I can become the Seeker once Chang retires - although if you are here, I most probably won't," she added shyly.

"That's not so sure," replied Remy calmly. "Most of my flying skills were there because of the Adoption Charm. Unless I've inherited some of my Dad's skills, I cannot be half as good a Quidditch player as I used to be. Alas, but I can't find myself caring very much. The game just doesn't seem as interesting as before."

"Oh!" The girl seemed to be surprised about the fact that he'd even bothered answering to her, leave alone seemed to be taking her seriously. A slight flush of enthusiasm rose to her cheeks as she said, "To me, it is indeed really interesting. No one in my family's really interested in it, though," she then said with a slight frown. "My broom is really old, and nobody can even teach me to play Quidditch properly, so I guess I cannot make it to the team in the tryouts."

"Well, my old broom should still be somewhere," said Remy smoothly. "I can ask my parents whether I can give it to you, as I probably won't have much to do with it during the rest of our school time. Maybe I could train you a bit, as well. I may not be the same flyer as I was before, but I'll be damned if I don't remember it all."

This time, the younger Green's eyes flew very wide in silent shock. "But - but how could I ever repay that to you?" she asked with a very tiny voice.

"Make it to the team," replied Remy, shrugging, "and win the Quidditch Cup for Ravenclaw. I'm kind of tired of it always being fought of between Gryffindors and Slytherins only. It's about the time we others got it as well, don't you think?"

"Yes, of course!" And with that, she started to wolf down her food as if trying to get outside and flying as soon as possible.

Benjamin Green eyed Remy attentively for a moment, but didn't say anything.

Hermione, however, did. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning nearer to him. "What you said to her was really kind."

"I meant every word," Remy murmured back under his breath, so quietly that only Hermione was able to catch his words. "I'd better try to get at least some good-willed base in my new House. Besides, I'm half Sirius's, remember? I suspect that that's what he'd done in a similar situation."

"He seems to think the same way," Hermione said with a smile, nodding towards the Staff Table. Remy turned to look at that direction, and saw both his parents looking at him. Quite obviously, they'd seen the whole scene. Severus raised an eyebrow with a tiny, amused curl of his lips, while Sirius nodded approvingly and flashed his most charming smile at his son.

As they'd eaten, Remy and Hermione took their time getting to the corridor. Remy was still stuck at the table as Samantha Green shyly asked something from him, so Hermione decided to go beforehand, following a couple of younger students to where she assumed their dormitories would be.

She hadn't even got properly to the corridor as somebody stepped in front of her. It was Ron. His expression was a mix of anger and disappointment, disappointment at her, to be exact.

"You didn't even talk with me before asking to be re-Sorted," the redhead spat fiercely.

"Look, Ron, I'm really sorry," sighed Hermione. "But it was kind of an act of a moment, I hadn't planned it beforehand. It just seemed to be the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do! You abandoned your House, for Merlin's sake! You abandoned me! How can it be the right thing to do? Gryffindor is where you belong, Hermione. That's where you have always been!"

"That's also where Remy used to be, and he isn't there anymore, either," she said, collecting some courage from the still existent Gryffindor part in her.

"And now it's 'Remy,'" said Ron, making a face. "At first, you skip classes to go talk with him - skip classes, Hermione! You never do that! - and the teachers even approve that. And now, you're following his lead out of your rightful House! What can be so fascinating in a Snape that he makes you leave everything behind?" In the end of his speech, he grasped tightly Hermione's arm, his nails digging into her flesh, making her flinch in pain.

"Mister Weasley," said an icy voice behind them, "kindly remove your hands from my friend." Remy stood there, a group of other Ravenclaws, mostly from the four years below them - the older students had already left - standing behind him in the doorway to the Great Hall. Samantha Green was there, too, watching the scene with wide eyes.

"Well, she's my friend, too," replied Ron fiercely, turning around to face Remy. His hand never left Hermione's arm. "Or at least she was - until she decided to leave the entire House behind!"

"Ron, let me go," said Hermione pleadingly. "You know I've never been comfortable in Gryffindor. In the beginning, I was always teased - you should know, you were one of those who taunted me worst! And nowadays - I know what they talk behind my back. 'Teachers' pet,' they call me, or 'Miss Know-It-All.' All this because I happen to have some brains! At least now I'm with other people like me. They can accept me as I am, without all the time joking at my expense - unlike you!"

"What crap have you fed to her, Snape?"

"I've fed her nothing," replied Remy coolly. "She's been fed nothing but the dinner we just had, but if you want to know what it contained, you have to question the house-elves. I'd figure that they'll become very disappointed if you express your question in that way, though. Surely some... eh... cleaning would be of use in your vocabulary?"

"Shut up," spat Ron. "I thought for a moment that you maybe could be something better than Snape, but quite obviously you aren't. You're just the same kind of a cold, unfeeling bastard as your father!"

Now, Remy gave him an icy glare very similar to those his father gave around in his class room. "It's your teacher you're insulting here, don't forget that," he said silkily.

"I don't give a fuck about teachers!" exclaimed Weasley, bouncing forward with his fist raised. It never made connection with its original goal, Remy's face, however. This was because Weasley was doubling over in pain, staggering away from Remy with fury in his eyes.

"Hey!" shouted a firm voice behind them. "No magic in the corridors!" As they turned around, they saw Sirius and Professor Sprout both coming nearer them, even more students following them to watch the scene.

"No magic was performed," said the raven-haired teen calmly. "I just kicked his stomach."

"Kicked his stomach?" echoed Sirius, sounding disbelieving. "Please, do explain yourself, young man."

Remy leant against the wall, looking very self-confident. "Weasley insulted me and Hermione, and physically attacked at first her and then me," he explained calmly. "I'm not denying what I did, but I claim it to be mere self-defence. He attacked me, I responded to his attack. It's not my fault if he cannot bear the consequences of his doings."

"Is this true?" asked Sirius, eyeing sharply everyone around.

At first, it looked as if nobody dared to say anything, Weasley's furious glare flying over them like a death warrant to the one who'd speak. Then, however, Samantha stepped forward. "That's true," she said quietly, squirming under both her Charms Professor's strict gaze and Weasley's threatening glare. "He just returned the kind in."

"Very well." The Animagus sighed and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Can you be the judge in this matter, Pomona? I'd rather not be accused of favouring on the first day I actually have a son here."

"Of course. I don't think this situation needs a lot of judging, however." With a quick glance at everyone present, the Herbology Professor said, "Twenty points from Gryffindor for attacking a fellow student, Mister Weasley. And five points to Ravenclaw for undue bravery, Miss Green."

Little Samantha - well, not so little by her age, but by her size definitely - practically beamed. It was quite obvious that she rarely got her House any points. Then Weasley shot her one last deathly glare before leaving, however, and she squirmed under it.

"Well, that's one bloke you'd better keep clear of," Remy said to Samantha, frowning at Weasley's retreating back. "He only brings troubles, and I might say he wouldn't mind getting you into some trouble at the moment. Better stay away from him for a couple of days, that'll probably be enough for him to cool down."

"Right," said Samantha shyly.

"Oh, and Dad, before I forget," said Remy with a tone that clearly told that he'd never forget, "would you object if I gave my Firebolt to Samantha here? That particular sport just doesn't hold the same appeal to me as it used to, and she'd have much more use for it than I."

"Are you sure?" asked Sirius, frowning slightly.

"Of course I am sure," snorted the boy, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "And before you ask, yes, I did plan it before she stepped out on my defence. As I said, I can't just find the fascination of flying in myself anymore."

"Very well." Sirius shrugged slightly. "You are more like Severus in that matter, then. He never cared for flying, either." Then he glanced at Samantha. "Samantha Green, eh? Better remember that name. If I forget it, the fates will surely pay back to me by making you my daughter-in-law."

This made Samantha blush fiercely and lock her eyes at the floor, obviously at a loss of words. Just as well it made Remy forget his perfectly calm Snapish mask for a while and actually groan aloud. "Dad, would you stop, please?" he hissed in annoyance. "I promised to coach her, not date her!"

Sirius eyed him for a while, then, to everyone's great surprise, laughed aloud. "Truly you are more like Severus," he said, still chuckling slightly. "Now, on your way, kids. You want to be in your dormitories before it's dark and the Student-Eating Horrid Monster of the Ravenclaw Tower creeps out of its cave."

Making an unidentifiable sound somewhere between amusement and desperation, Remy turned around and swept towards the Ravenclaw Tower after some of the younger students, Hermione and Samantha right on his heels.