Teenaged ward? Check.

Billowing robes? Check.

Fearsome scowl? Check.

List of snakes? Check.

Satisfied that he was ready to face his house of snakes, Severus strode along the school’s hallways, mindful of the shorter male behind him, heading for the Slytherin dungeon common room. He hadn’t yet heard from Remus, nor Sirius, but hoped for their sakes that neither of them was running late.

Turning yet another corner, he felt a suspicious tug on his robes. He turned and gave the nervous looking boy a glare. “The last time I checked, you were neither blind, not incapable of maintaining your balance,” he growled softly. “For what purpose have you attached yourself to my robes?”

Harry, for his part, ignored the man’s tone. His worried green eyes locked with his guardian’s black ones and a bit of the anxiety plaguing him since Snape had announced their destination leaked away. Yet, he was nervous anyway. “What if they try to spell me?”

Severus raised one dark eyebrow. That was his problem? Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he asked silkily, “You do realize tat I will be standing in the very same room, do you not?”

Harry blushed, but relaxed. Sev was right. What could the Slytherins possibly do to him with their Head of House standing in the room? Encouraged, he trotted along obediently behind the grumbly professor, thinking curiously that this wasn’t the way he had used to come down to the snake pit in his second year.

Severus raised an eyebrow at the wayward thoughts skittering across his mind. “I find myself intrigued beyond measure with the possible reasons why a lone second year Gryffindor, or any Gryffindor, for that matter, would want to gain access to the Slytherin dorms.” He mentioned easily. “It would be rather like dropping live prey into a piranha tank, I think.”

Harry blushed and shivered. That actually was a pretty accurate description. He really should learn to keep his thoughts to himself; there were quite a few things he didn’t want his guardian to find out, about that incident and more.

The trek in the dungeons stopped quite abruptly, as Severus came to a sudden stop in front of an empty patch of wall. Harry, who had been rather preoccupied with keeping his thoughts to himself, crashed into Snape’s back, prompting another fit of furious blushing and stammered apologies. Severus rolled his eyes, spelled the door open and guided the boy in by his head. Once inside, he fixed the boy with his sharpest ‘Desist-that-blathering-at-once’ look, and was promptly satisfied when the child’s lips snapped shut.

“I take it you are finished,” he asked mockingly into the silent room. Harry pinked once more, and gave him a shy “Yes, sir.” Severus stared at the child, resisting the urge to be amused. ‘This child will be the death of me one day.’

‘Yea’ri’ht, Sevie. As I’ you’d let ‘im.’ There was loud smacking of lips, followed by the sounds of more munching.

‘Indeed’, thought Severus. ‘Two, what are you eating, up there?’

There was a sudden silence, before the voice spoke again, in seeming awe. ‘I, I dunno.’

It figured. Refusing to acknowledge that he had just responded to and asked a question of an annoying voice in his head, Severus returned his formidable mental facilities to the task at hand.

Motioning Harry into a seat, he said, “Lupin and the mutt should be here shortly. I shall need a few minutes alone with my house before you all come in.” To himself he added, “And begin the ruckus.”

Harry shifted and picked at his robes nervously. “But Professor Snape, why are we meeting with the Slytherins?” he asked, wishing he already knew the answer.

Severus was hard pressed to hide his amusement. Professor Snape, was he? After invading his bed and crying all over him, he was back to professional terms, was he? Inwardly, he smirked. Fixing the boy with his most Professor-ish expression, Severus slipped into lecturing mode.

“For centuries Slytherin house has been accused of producing and encouraging dark wizards and the dark arts. Mainly it began when narrow minded witches and wizards saw something they didn’t like and decided to label magic, shunning anyone and anything that did not fit into their description of ‘Light” magic.

After a time, the House of Snakes did begin to turn out wizards with an inclination to use magic for their own gain. Centuries later, Tom Riddle attended Hogwarts and the Dark Arts became synonymous with Slytherin house for a very real reason. Once it got out that the terrible Lord Voldemort had been in Slytherin, the house was doomed to a reputation of darkness.

However, as you know, my entire House has expressed their desire to turn their backs on the ways of their predecessors. Slytherin house as a whole refuse to join the Dark Lord.”

At Harry’s wide eyed look, he gave the boy a glare until his face regained its normal arrangement. “They are in serious need or immediate protection,” he continued, “as well as a plan of action for their continued safety once off school grounds.

Think of them what you want, but the students of Slytherin house are just that: students. Children. Even though a few of the elder may have already reached their majority, they are all subject to their parent’s will and directives.”

“You mean they’d force their kids to take the Mark?” Harry asked, shocked.

“For many ‘purebloods’,” he emphasized,” receiving the Dark Mark and serving the Dark Lord is an honor. Others do so out of fear and a desire for power. A few who have chosen to align themselves with neither sides of this war have lately been subject to many pressures to choose a side, and quickly.” One hand strayed to rub at his sleeved forearm. “The Dark Lord grows impatient.”

“Is he hurting you?” Harry asked into the brief silence, eyes full of concern and a hard protective light. The room chilled just a slightest bit, and Severus felt Harry’s magic shift. He would have to teach the boy to bring that in, he ruminated. But back to the matter at hand.

“He is not. He doesn’t know of nothing yet.”

Harry sighed, and then worried his lip. “But he’s going to, soon, thought, because you filed paperwork at the Ministry.” He paused, then softly asked, “Can’t you get it removed?”

“No,” Severus answered tiredly. “Dumbledore could not remove it.”

“Did e actually try?” At Severus’ blank look, Harry elaborated. “Did he actually attempt to remove it? With a spell, rune, charm or something or did he just tell you ‘It cannot be done, my boy’?” he finished, mimicking the old wizard’s calm, I’m-terribly-sorry-more-can’t-be-done-deal-with-it voice.

Severus, conversely, was speechless. Harry was right. Albus hadn’t attempted to remove the Dark Mark. He had just sat there, after Severus had spilled his entire sob story, and spouted some nonsense about Tom Riddle ruining his soul and using the blackest of Dark Magic to create the Mark, rendering it impenetrable and blah blah blah. But he couldn’t tell the boy that. No doubt he’d spend countless hours hunting down the answer in the school’s library, or even the office of the Headmaster himself, if the fancy took him.

Harry, however, didn’t need answers; Severus’ silence was enough. He wanted to tell Severus that Albus had a habit of saying things couldn’t be done without trying, something he knew from experience, but all that came out was, “Would you let me try?”

The question dragged Severus forcefully from his circling thoughts, and caused the man to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Harry, we don’t have time for this – “

A knock sounded at the door, and the visitor parchment indicted it was Sirius and Remus.

“Later, then?” Harry pressed as Severus stood from behind his desk and headed towards the door.

“Harry, it is entirely far too dangerous for me to allow you to attempt, Severus continued, opening the door and ushering the two men in. “Hundreds of things could go wrong.”

“He’s right, pup,” Sirius chimed in cheerily.

“Absolutely,” agreed Remus.

“What if I have someone there to help?” Harry asked, following the man as he headed for a second door Harry hadn’t noticed earlier. “Siri and Remy can be there and make sure nothing goes wrong, right?” he asked, turning to give the two men his most pleading stare.

“Of course we’ll be there, pup.”

“We’ll help you if you want us to, Harry, you know that.”

Severus was suddenly furious. “Fine!” he roared, eyes flashing. The candles in the room all shuddered and flared higher in response to his magic. “You want to attempt a magic that could potentially drain your magical core, Mr. All Powerful Mage, sir, so be it! But none of you are attempting anything until I think you have done enough research!”

With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

 *&^*

On the other side of the door, eighty-odd pairs of eyes flocked to their head of house, and Severus snarled.

“So.” He met each and every fearful pair of eyes, and was pleased. Even faced with the impending wrath of their Housemaster, his Slytherins did not flinch, did not fidget. They stood tall and stoic in the face of danger, showing nothing but Slytherin pride even the threat was one of their own. Severus looked on his snakes, and was proud.

“So.” He strode slowly into the room, stretching out his magic to douse the fires and candles en route. “So, my children, my little adders and vipers.” The already dimly lit room was pitch black by the time he made it to the front of the room, facing the dais where his students stood, year by year. “So.”

“Deception and disloyalty; traits we are often accused of. Never thought I that against my person these may be used by my own kind.” The words hung heavily in the dark stillness. Not a stitch of cloth rustled, not a single breath hitched.

“Lumos Salazaar!”

Pale light flooded the room from the grimy chandelier above them. Only, the grime had disappeared, leaving a dazzling crystal and gemstone ornate fixture, whose jewel-toned lights dappled the heads of Slytherin’s children.

“Why did I call on Salazar’s Light, you wonder?” Severus continued in a falsely cheerful tone. “Simply because fires have been used for centuries as a means of communication, and even the most innocent flame can emit messages. To those of you who don’t know, the Headmaster’s familiar is a fire phoenix. Need I say more?”

“No, sir,” they chorused, solemnly.

“Oh very good, you’re in the mood to answers questions. Here’s another: Have I taught you nothing?” Silence met his words. “Have I not taken the time to explain to you the way things work around this castle? NO one but these first years should say ‘no’.”

Dropping his pleasant veneer, Snape continued. “Perhaps those were too difficult for your mental facilities to muddle through. Poor dears. Try these: Since when do Slytherins practice betrayal? Why would you expect someone to help you with something monumental when they have previously shown their unwillingness to help you with even the smallest of difficulties?” With each question his voice became steadily lower until he was speaking in nothing more than a whisper. “Or how about this one: Why would you think someone who has helped you, protected you, willingly and fully from the very beginning would be unable or unwilling to help you now?” His students remained deceptively quiet.

“WELL?” he roared. “I demand an answer!”

“Please, sir,” said Whitby plaintively, a seventh year boy with copious freckles. “The thing is, you’re a Death Eater and – “

“Have I ever been a Death Eater to you?” Severus asked in a voice that could melt stone. “To any of you? All of you, answer me!”

“No, sir.”

“Then what have I been to you that would make all of you so completely unwilling to ask me for help this time?” he asked, angry, exasperated and tense.

As one the students, even the little first years who had only heard stories before this fateful meeting chorused “Father”.

‘What?’ Severus was floored. Of all the answers he had been expecting, this was not one of them. His shock warred with the anger that had been fueling him before, and he tucked the newest emotion away in favor of asking, in a voice far to shaky for his liking, “So, then, my children, why not come to me?”

“We didn’t want to disappoint you,” Whitby explained softly. “At least, we wanted to postpone it for as long as possible. We figured you’d be filled with pride at the idea of us following in your footsteps, like our parents, and that you’d be royally disappointed if we didn’t.”

Severus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “And you weren’t all just terrified I’d turn you over to the Dark Lord for treason?” he asked coolly.

Whitby blushed, but held his gaze. “Some of us.”

Eyes closed, Severus turned to the ceiling and clenched his jaw in exasperation. “Merlin save me from idiot children,” he groaned, before fixing his gaze on his House once more. “I am severely disappointed in your lack of trust and judgment, but my pride at your decision overshadows all else at the present moment.

A collective wave of relief swept through the room, and a few students even felt the need to cheer, though they were swiftly silenced by their peers. Only one tiny first year braved the impending silence to pose a question.

“So, you’re not going to turn us over to the Dark Lord, sir?” he asked, wide eyes reminding him of another boy with a penchant for asking rhetorical questions.

“If I were,” Severus replied, waving the door to his office open, “why would I bring help?”

Remus, Sirius and Harry walked in, and the bedlam began.