The Dark Past: Confusing Times

Chapter 5: Half-Dementors, Libraries, and Veritaserum

Harry slipped the hood of the invisibility cloak off his head as the memories swirled around him, feeling silly for still wearing the thing, but he kept it on, not knowing what would happen if he took it off and dropped it. He might never get it back.

"Don't you think you've had enough frogs?" came Florence's voice.

Harry looked around and smiled as he saw the trio coming down a hallway in Hogwarts, towards him. He was beginning to really like these people.

Rosier was eating out of a box of frogs, again, and his mouth was surrounded in melted chocolate. Didn't he ever get enough? Maybe he needed it though. He was huge and huge people needed food.

Snape was trying to get a frog out of the box but Rosier was holding it too high up, but that didn't keep Snape from trying.

"Give me!" he whined as he jumped up, trying to knock it out of Evan's hands.

"Mine," Rosier said, stuffing yet another one in his mouth.

Snape stopped, pouting, his lower lip stuck out. He folded his arms over his scrawny chest and scowled darkly at Rosier. Harry had to laugh.

"Come on," he whimpered, dropping to his knees and begging, his hands clasped together and extended at Rosier. "Just one," he held up one finger, and batted his eyes at Rosier, his face contorted in a pleading expression.

Harry laughed. No one would ever believe this! The most feared and terrfying teacher at Hogwarts begging for chocolate frogs in the middle of a hallway, on the ground no less.

"Bow to me," Rosier said. "Call me Lord Evan."

Snape did so! "Lord Evan, please give your humble servant a chocolate frog," he murmured, sounding humble, like he was in the presence of a great individual as he flattened his chest to the floor with his arms fully extended on the ground. "I beg of you!"

Evan put his huge foot on the small of Snape's back. "I don't know," he said. "I only have one left."

"Please, my Lord." Snape begged.

Harry wondered if Ron or Hermione would ever go for doing that. Wouldn't that be a funny thing to do around Draco?

"What did you do with that mushroom you took out of the Forbidden Forest last month?" Evan asked. "You never told me. Tell me and you get the frog."

"Do I have to?" he muttered.

"Yes!"

"I made a potion for Filch," Snape said slowly, "because his cat wasn't feeling good. We have an agreement. I make potions for him sometimes and I can brew my own potions in his office that take awhile to make, so Professor Mayor, that git, won't know. Filch is cool."

Harry grinned. Only Snape would think that. He probably thought it was funny that Filch went around terrorizing students.

"I thought the mushroom was poisonous?" Evan asked, confused.

"Only to human skin. It's actually safe ingested. Well, sort of. It'll get you sick. But cats don't have a problem with it. Now give me the frog!"

Evan removed his foot and handed the frog to Snape. Snape sat up and bit the head of triumphantly, and chewed it up.

Hearing the sound of papers and quills dropping, being quite familiar with the sound, Harry turned. A group of first and second years were huddled together, looking nervously at Snape and his group as they tried to collect their fallen things.

Snape hopped up, wiping his chocolate stained hands on his robes, and went to help them. He bent down but that was as far as he got.

The first and second years screeched like that banshee from the wardrobe in Harry's third year.

"Noooooo!" one yelled, dropping everything and running.

Another one just stood there, shaking, his hands clasped to his mouth.

Two of the second years took their wands out.

"Stay away from us!" they said, covering their own mouths and backing away.

Snape stood up, looking hurt. "What's wrong with you all?"

"You're a half-dementor," one of the wand second years said, looking terrified at her own daring. "Please don't suck our souls out."

Snape turned to Evan and Florence who had come up behind him. They rolled their eyes, Snape scowled, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Who told you that?" Snape asked softly, stepping away from the group. He was mad! Harry, having had plenty of experience being around an angry Snape, could tell.

The second year backed up a step. "It was that boy who hangs around James Potter." She said Harry's dad's name reverently and Harry grinned. "The b-black haired one," she finished, stuttering.

"Black," Snape snarled. "Well, he wants a half-dementor, so he's going to get one."

With a swoosh, Snape turned around and swept away, his black robe billowing angrily out around him.

Harry followed, glancing at Snape every once in a while. It bothered him! Being called those names really bothered him! Harry made a mental note to squash any rumors that he heard about Snape not being fully human. And there were usually several of those running around. Was it true, though? Snape was awfully secretive about where he came from.

Evan and Florence were having to hurry to keep up with him.

"Give it to him, Sev," Evan cheered. "Where would Potty and his gang be anyway?"

Potty? Potty?! Harry was furious and trying not to smile at the same time. Draco or Peeves, he couldn't remember which, had called him that to, but for some reason Harry took less exception to it this time.

"In the library," Snape said. "I saw them there earlier, doing their homework."

Harry hurried along after them as Snape started to go faster, as if afraid he would miss them.

They reached the library and spotted them, sitting together at a large table near the entrance. Harry drank in the sight of his parents and friends. They were everywhere in this Pensieve! Too bad there wasn't a way to remove Pettigrew.

"Black," Snape snarled, striding to him, flanked by Florence and Evan.

Evan cracked his knuckles and glared down at Sirius.

"So," Snape growled, leaning over the table, his hands flat on the surface. Snape was standing between Pettigrew, who looked terrified, and Lupin, who was gazing at Sirius. Sirius glared at Snape. "I've been downgraded, have I?"

Sirius chuckled weakly while everyone else glared at him.

"What is Severus this week?" James asked.

"A half-dementor," Snape snarled before Sirius could answer. Suddenly, a twinkle entered into Snape's eyes. "And we know what dementors are famous for."

Lily stifled a laugh, stuffing her fist into her mouth.

"So what do you say, Black?" Snape continued. "Want to check to see if I'm really a half-dementor?"

The others, seeing what Snape was getting at, started to smile. Except Sirius. The color drained from his face. He looked around for help as Severus grabbed his shoulders and hauled him up.

Yelping, Sirius broke away and fell backward. He laid there, struggling to get his legs untangled from the chair as he glared up at Snape.

"What's the matter?" Snape asked. "We have to make sure I don't have the power of a real dementor, so stand still so I can give you the dementor's kiss."

Sirius looked at his friends, they were smiling at him but not helping.

"You got yourself into this," Lupin said. "Get yourself out of it."

The rest nodded their heads.

Snape grinned and then scrambled over the table. Sirius's eyes popped out of his head and he ran, screaming, "NOOO!"

Harry ran after them both as Snape darted after Sirius, right on Sirius's heels. They ran out of the library, Madam Pince was screaming at them, and down a hallway.

Harry glanced in back of him, everyone had followed, wanting to know, like Harry, if Snape would catch Sirius to give him the "kiss". Harry was just glad Evan had followed Snape to begin with or he would not have had this memory in his Pensieve. Even though it was his godfather being chased and Harry loved him, it was funny.

"Help!" Sirius screamed, running down a flight of stairs.

"Come back here!" Snape yelled. "I have to give you the dementor's kiss!"

Several first and second years, and even some third and fourth, gasped and ran back into classrooms or flattened themselves against walls, looking white and terrified. This was better than when Fred and George went around telling everyone he was a seriously evil dark wizard.

Sirius ran into a classroom, Professor McGonagall's, Harry realized, and cowered behind her. Luckily it seemed to be her planning period since no one but her was in the room.

"Yes?" she asked tiredly as Snape and the rest came into the room.

"Black thinks I'm a half-dementor," Snape explained. "I just wanted to check to see if he was right by giving him the dementor's kiss."

McGonagall glanced back at Sirius, his face was sweaty from running and he smiled shyly at her.

"That sounds like a good idea," she said, getting up, and leaving the classroom.

"What?!" Sirius yelled after her.

Evan stood in the doorway. There was no way Sirius could get around his bulk and Sirius knew it.

"Running to a teacher?" Snape scoffed. "I thought the great prankster Sirius Black was above that."

Sirius scowled.

"Close your eyes," Snape said, his wand suddenly out. Cords shot out of it to bind Sirius.

Snape came ever closer, Sirius couldn't move a muscle though he tried, and finally Sirius closed his eyes, every muscle in his face taut as Snape's face zeroed in on his.

Snape motioned for Lily to come over. She did so and kissed Sirius on the lips. Sirius shrieked like a girl and his eyes flew open. Lily was standing before him, grinning from ear to ear.

"Was it that bad?" she asked.

"Why, you..." Sirius sputtered as the cords dissolved away. "I'm going to kill you! All of you!"

Harry slapped his leg, laughing so hard he was bent over. Sirius's face when he thought Snape had kissed him was priceless! Maybe he could grab a camera and take a picture, if cameras worked in Pensieves.

Harry was going to have to find a way to tease Sirius about this. It was too great of a story not to share with Ron and Hermione, either.

James laid a hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Come on, we have Quidditch practice. You'll be safe from Severus up in the sky!"

Snape made a face. "Ha, Ha."

Sirius, being lead out of the room by James, sent a withering look back at Snape over his shoulder. Snape blew him a kiss. Sirius huffed and turned away.

The memories swirled.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Evan said as Harry found himself in the corridor outside the Potions classroom and office.

"We're Slytherins," Florence said, shrugging, as she waved her wand at the Office door. "We are supposed to use any means to achieve our ends. And breaking into Mayor's Office to get the Veritaserum he's storing for Dumbledore is any means."

"I can't believe that idiot and Dumbledore had a conversation like that in the Teacher's Lounge. Don't they know students often hide in the wardrobe to overhear what's going on?"

"But they checked it, remember?" Florence grinned. "Potty's invisibility cloak sure came in handy," she chuckled. "He didn't even know it was missing. Ah," she said, getting misty eyed, "the joys of being in Slytherin!"

Harry rolled his eyes. No wonder why Snape favored the Slytherins so much, he was a Slytherin and so were his friends. But Harry liked them anyway. Too bad there was so much House rivalry, the Slytherins seemed pretty cool once you got past their gruff exteriors and rather unattractive looks. Harry wouldn't have minded one of the nicer Slytherins as a friend. Evan and Florence, and even Snape, were good candidates. But remembering, Harry shook his head. Florence and Evan were dead. And Snape, well, it was best not to mess with him.

The door opened and Florence turned to Evan.

"If Mayor comes by, use the Memory charm."

"It might make him lose a lot of memory," Evan said doubtfully. "I don't have much control over it."

Florence shrugged. "Who cares? Mayor's a git."

Harry grinned. He could imagine Ron saying exactly that if they ever had to use a memory charm on Snape.

Florence slipped in the office and then back out, a tiny bottle in her hand. There was barely any in there. "I only took three drops so Mayor wouldn't know anyone had stolen any. He really should monitor that stuff better."

Harry wondered why they had stolen it and then he remembered. They wanted to find out where Snape lived. Harry smiled. No wonder why Snape had had no trouble threatening Harry with the stuff, it had been used on him before.

Evan and Florence walked into a classroom, it was empty except for Snape who was eating from a box of chocolate frogs at a desk, his back to them. Evan shut and locked the door, and then sent a spell at it.

Florence dripped the Veritaserum onto a peppermint toad and walked to Snape.

"Here," she said casually. "I thought you might like a peppermint one to go with the chocolate."

Snape took it and ate it.

Evan and Florence winked at each other.

Harry settled himself on a chair, this should be interesting.

"Where do you live?" Florence asked.

"The Dark Forest," Snape admitted and then clapped a hand to his mouth. "You didn't!"

"Sorry!" Florence said, looking shocked. "The Dark Forest! But... that's worse than the Forbidden One. Dark Witches and Wizards live there, the worst ones of the worst ones, and children are always being eaten by the monsters that live in there!"

Snape rolled his eyes. "There is only one Dark Witch in the Forest. Melusine, she's a Seidr."

Florence gasped. "A Seidr?!"

Evan's eyes were huge. "We have a Seidr in England?!"

"Yes," Snape bristled. "They aren't evil! Melusine just teaches the people that come into the Dark Forest how to survive in it. That's what Seidrs basically go around doing. Start Dark Forests colonies and then protect them as best they can from intruders that would hurt those that lived in them. And you have to know the Dark Arts to do it. There are werewolves, redcaps, grindylows, kelpies, and a ton of poisonous plants and animals that live in it. It's dangerous, very much so. But it keeps people away. And that is good."

"Is that why you aren't afraid of going into the Forbidden Forest?" Evan asked.

Snape nodded. "A number of the eight year old kids from the Dark Forest wouldn't have a problem going into the Forbidden one. Not everyone in the Dark Forest can do magic though. Those that can't aren't left alone however, too dangerous. I can do magic though, really well."

Evan looked envious. "So that's how you could handle that werewolf?"

"Yeah, they are fairly easy if you paralyze them like I did. But it takes practice and you have to be fairly good at magic."

"Who lives there?" Florence asked, sitting down.

Harry was slightly confused. He had never heard of a Dark Forest before. But, Harry had found that every year he heard something new. He hadn't even heard about Azkaban until his third year. And his fourth year was the first he had heard about Death Eaters.

"Unwanted and thrown away people," Snape unwillingly answered, sucking on a frog and glaring at Evan and Florence.

"Thrown away?" Florence asked.

Snape nodded, giving up trying not to answer their questions. "Insane people, people that aren't too bright, deformed people that are ashamed to be seen, crippled people, blind people, (they can't do magic since they can't see what is happening and you have to be able to see with magic), deaf ones, (deaf people can't do magic either since they can't say the spells), ones that aren't attractive, werewolves, half-breeds," he glanced at Evan, "that the parents are ashamed of having created."

Evan looked away. "Like my mum," he snarled. "At least my dad kept me."

"Your mum was human?" Florence asked, startled.

Evan shrugged. "Yeah. She was one of those idiot people that wanted to thwart society and fall in love with who they wanted to. So she did and then found out that it wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. She left right after she had me. Embarrassed and ashamed of having been with a troll. She doesn't even acknowledge it to this day. I might kill her one day."

And he said that with such conviction and certainty that Harry swallowed. Maybe he wouldn't want Evan for a friend.

Snape's eyebrows rose. "Don't, Evan. She's not worth Azkaban."

Evan smiled. "Since you're under Veritaserum I guess I can't say you're just saying that to make me feel better."

Snape smiled slightly.

"I wish my parents had thrown me away into the Dark Forest," Florence said, putting her folded arms on the table and staring at them. "Maybe then, someone would love me."

Snape and Evan looked at her. Snape gently put a hand on her arm. "I love you," he said softly. His voice was so warm and caring. Harry had never heard it that way. What had happened to him? Sirius's prank wouldn't have done this to him, at this moment in time he probably would have thought it was funny.

Florence looked away, tears filling her eyes, as she took Snape's hand in both of hers.

Harry watched her. The Dursley's were mean but they had never really touched him, he had never gotten a bruise from them at least, just from Dudley. But Dudley was his age, and the Dursleys were relatives and not his parents. Being abused by your own parents had to hurt. It was probably worse than not having them. At least he could imagine that his parents would have loved and cared for him. Florence didn't have the luxury of imagination.

"Why don't the parents abandon the kids at orphanages?" Evan asked, rubbing Florence's back.

Snape shrugged, still looking at Florence with concern. "Some do. But Muggles have police to try to find the ones abandoned at Muggle orphanages, and the Ministry of Magic tries to find the parents of abandoned babies and most of the parents don't want a scandal. Which means the evidence, the baby or child, has to be gotten rid of and the parent doesn't want to kill the baby or child themselves so they take them to the Dark Forest and hope that either a monster will kill it or a Dark Witch or Wizard will kill it and use the remains in their dark magic."

Harry was disgusted, especially since he knew there were people who would do that. The Weasleys wouldn't do something like that but Harry wouldn't put it past Lucius Malfoy.

Snape suddenly smiled. "There are a lot of families in it now, though. Kids that have been born in it are now having kids born in it."

"Are you a native?" Florence asked softly, tracing Snape's palm with the tip of her finger.

Snape winked. "Yep. Born in it. Both parents abandoned, though."

"Why?" Evan asked.

Snape scowled. "My dad was born deaf to a pure-blood family that felt having a child that was basically going to be a squib was too much of a burden for them to bear. Ashamed of it. They tried to raise him but couldn't handle it. They left him and claimed he got kidnapped. He was taken in by a.." Snape suddenly grinned hugely. "You aren't going to believe it!"

"What!?" Evan, Florence, and Harry asked. Harry blushed. What was with him? He felt like he was living this instead of just watching it.

"A half-dementor!"

Harry choked. A half-dementor! He didn't know those things existed. Had Sirius?

"How?" Evan asked. Harry had opened his mouth to ask that very question and closed it again, shaking his head at himself.

"This insane guy, and I do mean he was insane, lots of those in the Dark Forest, (they are very closely watched though), fell in love with a dementor. She was a fairly tame one though, thank goodness. His emotions were so screwy that the dementor couldn't feed off of him so he was safe. She might have thought he was a dementor too since they are blind. Anyway they had a child, a little girl. The insane guy raised her with the dementor."

Snape laughed. "Grandma, I do call the half-dementor that," Snape winked, "hates to hear laughter. When she baby-sits us we are all silent, except my nine-year-old sister, Katrina. If we laugh or sing or act happy she will swoop down on us and kiss our mouths; trying to suck our soul out but she can't! That's why she liked my dad so much. He couldn't make noise. She's scary looking, though. Grayish skin and her mouth has little stubs as teeth. And her hands are claw-like. Her eyes are mostly grown over with skin, she can see well enough, though."

"What about your mum?" Florence asked, sitting back and releasing Snape's hand, wiping her eyes. Her voice trembled a little.

Snape quit smiling, going back to eating the last frog. "We don't know who abandoned her. Muggle or magic folk? She was badly burnt when they found her and then they noticed she was deformed. They guessed someone tried to burn her when they realized it." Harry gasped. Burned a baby? Just because it was deformed? He had read a newspaper article about that happening once, though, so it did happen. Mr. Dursley had seemed to think it hadn't been such a bad idea since the deformed baby wouldn't be very productive in later life. He hadn't thought it should have been burnt, just disposed of somehow. "She was raised by a half-troll," Snape continued. "An aggressive one," he glanced up at Evan, "worse than you. But he loved her. Grandpa comes to visit occasionally but he found a troll wife and lives with her. They have ten kids now."

Harry whistled. And he thought the Weasleys had a bunch.

"Mum's great!" Snape said. "A bit weird though."

Evan and Florence laughed.

Harry stared at Snape. A deformed mother and a deaf father?

"Do you have any siblings?" Evan asked.

Snape nodded. "Two. A fourteen-year-old, she's at Hogwarts by the way. And a nine-year-old."

"Whose the fourteen-year-old?"

Snape grimaced, he didn't want to spill it but he had to, the Veritaserum made him. "Narcissa Jones."

Harry jerked. Narcissa? Malfoy's wife!? Or maybe another girl named Narcissa. But that wasn't exactly a normal name. Was that why Snape favored Draco so much? Because Draco was his nephew? But Harry couldn't see Lucius marrying someone from the Dark Forest. Unless he didn't know. It didn't sound like something a person went around admitting, so maybe he didn't. Harry had a headache.

"Narcissa?" Evan frowned. "But her last name is Jones."

Snape scowled. "After seeing the trouble I've had for being so ugly we decided it would be best if no one knew we were related. Plus," he blushed. "I'm studying to become a Seidr and if I'm found out it would be best if no one knew we were related. She could get in trouble by association. Learning to become a Seidr is punishable by death."

Harry blinked. What was a Seidr? Punishable by death? And Snape was still doing it? Sounded like Snape.

"You're studying to become a Seidr?" Florence asked, stunned.

Snape nodded. "Been studying since I was five. Melusine picked me out because I looked so intimidating as a child and was quite intelligent. Would have picked my dad but he's deaf. He looks just like me," Snape smiled at them both. "Devilishly handsome, eh!"

Florence lifted an eyebrow. "I won't comment on that last part." Snape laughed. "But is that why you are so obsessed with the dark arts? Spending your free time in the library except when me and Evan drag you away to do fun stuff?"

"Yeah," Snape said. "It takes years. I'll be fifty before I'm one and that's if I'm lucky. Most are around seventy."

"But?" Evan said, concentrating. "I thought underage wizardry was illegal. And no Magic during the summer holiday?"

Snape waggled his eyebrows again. "It is illegal. Seidr's have something, I don't know what yet, around and in the Dark Forest that makes it so no one can tell Magic is being used in it. It's very illegal. But we have to have it."

"Can I stay with you this summer?" Florence asked softly. "In the Dark Forest with your family?"

"I don't know," Snape said quietly.

Florence grabbed his hand. "Please!" she begged. "I can't go home. Please! I can't go back! I just can't do it anymore! I can't!" She broke down, sobbing, into his hand. "I can't! Don't make me! Please take me with you!"

Snape bit his lower lip and looked at Evan. Evan shrugged, looking helpless.

"What about your parents?" Snape asked. "They are high up in the Ministry. They'll have everyone looking for you."

Florence lifted her head, her face rigid with anger. "Yes, they would, wouldn't they," she snarled. "Anything to keep me down. Keep me in my place. Well," she sat back, her face calm but the skin around her eyes was tight and her eyes were angry. "I'm going to be joining the Dark Lord soon, like Evan. And then I'm going to kill them," she laughed, a high-pitched one. "Kill them both and my sisters too. They got to go to Beuxbatons because they are attractive and pretty and mum wanted them to have the best education in the best place. She went there! They won't be pretty for very much longer, though." she growled. "I may not kill them, just disfigure them and let them know how it feels to be hated because of the way you look."

Harry looked at Snape. Snape swallowed and made a quick decision. "If we can sneak off the train before it makes it to London we should be okay. We can walk to the Dark Forest. I'll just tell Narcissa not to wait for me. We'll figure out what to do from there, figure out how to get you back at Hogwarts without an uproar for sixth year."

Florence nodded, suddenly happy again. "Okay."

"Can I come?" Evan asked, almost shyly.

"Sure," Snape said. "But, your dad is nice."

Evan smiled. "I'm fifteen, Sev. Young in human years but that's the equilavant of a twenty-five year old in troll years. I'm an adult and my dad thinks I should be starting a family." Evan laughed. "Every summer he takes me to prospective troll girls' houses. It's getting annoying. Plus," he added darkly. "I'm a half-breed and most troll girls want a full troll and human girls want full humans."

Florence put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll find somebody. Maybe in this Dark Forest?"

Evan brightened up. "Yeah. If your mum found someone then I should be able to."

Snape picked the empty chocolate frog box off the table and shook it. "Since you all three are coming, let's put everything in two trunks and fill the third with sweets. Most of the Dark Forest kids have never tasted sweets before. Too expensive. Everyone's poverty stricken there."

The memories swirled. Harry felt cold. The three of them seemed happy but there was an underlying bitterness in all of them. Just usually quite well hidden. Why wasn't anyone noticing there was something wrong with them? Didn't anyone care?