Like Father, Like Son

Tenth Chapter

*

Daddy Dearest

*

A week after the revelation about Remus's secret lover -- a revelation which had caused a lot of teasing from Sirius, blushing from Remus, amused remarks from Remy and Severus, and giggling from Hermione and Samantha -- that Severus was sitting in he and Sirius's quarters, looking over some Potions essays he'd made his third year Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw group write. With dry amusement he noted a couple of things not mentioned in the class showing up in young Miss Green's essay, knowing very well that she'd heard those from Remy. Heroically resisting the urge to write, "Doing your homework with assistance from your teacher's son will not gain you extra credit" to the edge of her essay, he grudgingly had to give the tiny Ravenclaw almost full points for her essay. It didn't matter how she'd had her knowledge, and he had to be impartial in every aspect -- and he wholly intended to, now that he no more had to lick Voldemort's boots and therefore favour the Slytherins.

After yet a couple of essays, he pushed the pile away from himself and rubbed his temples tiredly. He'd gone through the alphabets in a descending order, like was his usual manner, thus having had only Angela Creek's and Melanie Altosanta's essays after the one being written by his son's "girlfriend". Sure, like Remy had often enough reminded him rather heatedly, Samantha was not his girlfriend, but that part of their teasing had already become an irrevocable part of their interaction. He idly wondered what would happen if it ever became true, but then had to dismiss the thought as he felt a massive headache approaching. Trying in vain to will it away, he leant back in his chair, only to be enveloped in his husband's strong arms.

"What are you doing?" asked Sirius curiously, placing a kiss on top of his head. "Grading essays?"

"Spot on, Mister Obvious," muttered the Head of Slytherin. "Third year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Yet again Miss Green amazes me with her ability to put in a few things she has to have heard from Remy."

"Isn't a thirst for knowledge only good in a student, and natural in a Ravenclaw?" asked Sirius cheerfully. "Or is it only bad because she's your son's girlfriend?"

At this, Severus didn't say anything. However, he did stiffen noticeably in Sirius's arms.

"You don't like that thought, do you?" Sirius commented quietly. "You really prefer to think of her as only his friend, not as a girlfriend, no matter what you say when you're teasing him."

"Of course I don't like the thought," sighed Severus.

"Why so, though?" questioned his husband curiously. "Is it because she's younger than he is?"

"No. I -- I think I just don't want him to be in a relationship. I don't want him to grow up from me yet. You've at least had all that godfatherly stuff with him, and even spent most of the last summer with him. I've only ever got to care for him as a baby."

"Well, you are now truly making up for it, aren't you," Sirius replied lightly. "It seems that whenever I come here, he's here. Doing his homework, chattering with his friends -- he's even got them to visit here, it's a wonder they're not all in Gryffindor for that bravery -- or reading some book, he's always here. And just as often you are here, sitting in the corner like a bloody gargoyle and watching over everything. You even watch when he's coaching Samantha -- don't try to deny it, I've seen you in the stands."

"Speak for yourself," replied Severus, allowing a slight smile to touch his lips. "Is it so bad that I want to care for my son, anyway? Unlike you, I've never had any real 'home life' with him, so it's pleasant to know that whenever he isn't on lessons or training his pet Seeker he's most probably here. I want to be there for him, now that I'm at last allowed to do so."

"How uncharacteristical of you, Severus," chuckled the Gryffindor. Then he kissed his husband. "And yet I love you all the same."

"More," corrected Severus, still smiling. "You love me even more for it." After this, he turned to respond his husband's kiss.

*

The following morning Remy, Hermione, and Samantha watched with great interest the scene that was taking place in the Head Table. Just as Remus had got his owl from Kingsley right in the schedule, a large, jet-black owl landed in front of Severus's plate, a letter tied to his leg. Remy's father took the letter from the owl, read it, and then paled even from his usual state. Then he turned to whisper frantically with Sirius.

Just as their curiousness was growing unbearable, Sirius rose from the Head Table and started to walk towards them. Ignoring the curious looks from the other students, he crouched down next to his son. "Snape the older is coming here to see his newly acquired grandson," the Grim Animagus said quietly. "You should come down to our quarters soon after dinner."

Remy nodded calmly. "Can Hermione and Samantha come with me?" he then asked.

"If they want, I do think so," Sirius said, looking a bit thoughtful. "A word of warning, though, girls: If you think Remy here or Severus are bad, it's rather obvious you haven't met Marcus Snape yet. He's not evil, but he rarely thinks about how the others will feel about his words."

"Sounds like it's a family trait," Hermione said dryly. "And Remy has obviously inherited it."

"Well, fortunately I haven't inherited Dad's incapability to think at all," the boy commented with a slight smirk. "It is fortunate, isn't it, Dad?"

Sirius merely rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "I could go all stern and strict at you and tell you not to talk like that to your carrier," he said, grinning a bit. "However, I just ask you not to be too disrespectful towards your grandfather. I think he'll take my personality rather badly, so there's no reason to make him think that we can't even raise a kid properly."

"Why deny the truth?" At the glances his carrier and friends gave to him, Remy snapped his tongue. "Okay, okay," he said frustratedly. "But I warn you, even I have my limits. If he pushes too far, I don't count myself responsible for the consequences."

"Neither do any of us," Sirius said, standing up again. "Very well. I'll see you after dinner, then."

*

"Father," Severus said levelly, bowing his head in a respectful gesture to the man in front of him. "It's been a long time."

"A truly long time, Severus," replied Marcus Snape, eyeing his son critically. "Say, you don't look half as bad as before."

"Family life has done good for me," replied Severus, raising his eyebrow. "When I was living alone, I had hardly any reasons to care for myself. Now, however, Sirius insists that I wash my hair, go outside more than once a year, things like that."

"Sirius," echoed his foster father. "Sirius Black. He comes from a long and respected family of Slytherins."

"A long and respected family of Dark Wizards, you mean," replied Severus dryly. "And later Death Eaters."

"Well, on that respect he fits your family just right, then," said Marcus snidely, glancing at his left forearm with a sneer. Even though the Dark Mark was hidden under the sleeve, he appeared to see it very clearly. "Although he doesn't fit my family by that merit."

"Sirius has never been a Death Eater. And even while I was just that, I was a spy, Father, and you know it very well," the Potions Master defended himself. "And I continued spying until my cover was blown last summer."

"Whatever your purposes were, you were still a Death Eater," argued the elder wizard. "You still are one, if you ask me. That Mark never fades, now does it?"

"Stop that, Father," hissed Severus. "You know very well I've paid for it more than dearly. I've paid for every life I've taken, and for every life I've saved, too."

"Yes, indeed. Here it comes then -- the Gryffindor speech."

"I'm not a Gryffindor, Father, and you know it very well," snapped the boy Marcus thought of as his son. "I'm a Slytherin. The Head of Slytherin, even."

At this, Marcus raised an elegant eyebrow in a gesture very similar to that his son favoured. "Then why was your son adopted by the Potters?" he asked sharply.

Severus returned his foster father's gaze steadily. "Tell me, Father," he said levelly, "haven't you ever wondered why Potters' elder son disappeared just at the same time as you adopted me?"

Now, the man was left staring at him, his mouth hanging open very un-Snapishly. "You -- you don't mean you --"

"Yes, I do mean," replied Severus curtly. "I'm now Severus Snape, and to me, that's all I've ever been. But originally I was born to be Julian Mathias Potter. Even after I was given to adoption because I'd caught the Merlin's Sleep, I never gave up keeping contact with my twin." As the eldest Snape still didn't say anything, the Potions Master asked sharply, "Well, what are you going to do now? Disown me for being a Potter?"

This seemed to startle the man from his shock. "No way," he said firmly. "The Potters maybe gave you up for not being what they wanted you to be, but at that moment, they gave up any of their claims over you. You're a Potter no more than I am, and you and your whole family are Snapes as long as I'm concerned at all."

"Yet you'd prefer if Sirius wasn't a part of that family." Seeing a little gesture from his father, a gesture that to anybody else would have meant nothing but to a Snape was a fierce agreement, he continued, "Why don't you like him? Is it because we're both men? Or because he is a Gryffindor, or because the Potters liked him?"

"None of those is my reason," replied Marcus curtly. By now, they were both seated on the couches in the little living room of Severus and Sirius's quarters. Under his son's questioning glance, Marcus then sighed slightly. "I envy you."

"What?" For once, not even Severus's perfect Snape calm was able to keep the shock away from his face. His father couldn't have said that, could he?

"I envy you," Marcus echoed. "Your mother and I -- well, we've never been truly in love. Our marriage was only arranged to please our parents. We're good friends, sure, but nothing more. She hasn't been even able to give me an heir. And then, look at yourself. Your husband has gone through the House rivalries and all kind of prejudices just to be with you. He has even borne you a son, even though nobody could ever expect that from him as he's just as much a man as you are. Of course I envy you."

"Snapes never envy," Severus pointed out. "You taught that to me yourself."

"Well, I hardly am the one people think about when they hear the name Snape," the other man said dryly. "They think about you, or sometimes your son. I've been long forgotten, as well as my wife."

"You're getting soft on your old age," commented the younger one mildly. "I think Sirius will be here soon, and then Remy and two of his friends. A word of warning, however -- if you scare his friends, Remy will kill you. He maybe appears to be as cool and calm as any Snape by blood, and he is that most of the time, but he has Sirius's temper when it comes to those he cares about."

"Thank you for the warning," Marcus replied, raising an eyebrow. He obviously didn't think that the warning was useless. If the boy truly was his grandson, there was a reason to worry when he got angry.

"Very well, then." With an also raised eyebrow, Severus added, "And don't start to argue with him about anything. That boy is as stubborn as they get. He'd probably get a stone cry if he wanted to."

"Doesn't get it from any strangers, I can tell," muttered the eldest of Snapes then, giving his son a glance. Smirking in response, Severus didn't say anything else.