(7) Talks

It took about twenty minutes for Harry to calm down. When he did, he closed off again, but not as much as he had been earlier. 

“Are you ready to go home?” Harry nodded slowly, but had fear in his eyes. “I will talk to father. He will probably have a talk to you about endangering yourself. That is one thing he is very strict about.”

As the two brothers stood, a flash of black flew towards them, landing on Harry’s shoulder. 

Remus smiled when he saw the little owl there. “She brought your note, but never left.”

“Why?” the boy looked at the owl curiously, but the bird simply nipped his ear gently. “You want to stay with me?” the bird bobbed its head. “I already have a snowy owl though,” he explained confused as he looked at the two men. 

“Looks like she wants you as well,” said Severus. 

()

Tobias Snape woke from his nap and immediately went looking for his oldest son. He was frantic once he saw the bedroom empty, but calmed once the house elf told him where his boy had gone. 

He sat in front of the fireplace for two hours before it flared green and two wizards stepped out. Before Tobias could say anything, Severus sent Harry to bed. 

He could have sworn there was a fluff of black on the child’s shoulder, but he moved so fast Tobias couldn’t be sure.

His oldest son turned to him and gestured to the chair he had just vacated. “He’s having a hard time, dad.” Severus began. The fact that his oldest was calling him ‘Dad’ told him he was emotionally exhausted. “He heard part of our conversation and took the wrong meaning from what he heard. He thought you had said that it was his fault mom died. We both know that is not what you said and I set the record straight. You have to understand that he was never treated as if he was wanted by the Potters. I think that is why the blood adoption is breaking. Since he feels like he has no familial love for or from them, magic is taking control and helping him recognize his true family. Considering his skill in Potions, I believe it had begun to break a long time ago, but since he now sees it as truth, the change is coming quickly.”

“I would like to speak with him.”

“I know. But he has had only two hours of sleep in 24 hours. Let him rest until lunch and you can talk with him then. I have some things to do at the school and you can have your time then. You know how to reach me if you need me.” Tobias nodded though he was nervous.

Three hours later, Harry was seen walking into the dining room. Tobias was sitting, sipping at a glass of water. Once he saw his son, the man stood and gestured to a seat beside him.

“I’m sorry,” they both spoke at the same time. 

Harry looked surprised. Why was this man apologizing to him?

Seeing the confusion, Tobias spoke again, “I’m sorry for being so difficult with you when you got here. Severus warned me, but you looked so much like James Potter that it was hard for me. I just wanted that blood adoption gone. It was illegal and immoral and that man is the reason for your mother’s death, not you.” He grabbed his son’s hands in both of his. “I’m sorry you thought that I blamed you. I would never. It is not your fault.”

Harry nodded, not bothering to stop the tears rolling down his face, “I’m sorry.” He choked out. Damn he was so emotional lately. He couldn’t wait to be stable again! “I-I-I shouldn’t have run... I-I j-just thought... The Potters didn’t want me... then I thought I heard... and I just couldn’t.”

Tobias leaned forward and pulled his son towards him, and gave him a great hug. After a few minutes, they released one another. 

“So... Har-”

“Alex,” he spoke up shyly.

Tobias’ smile was brilliant. He ruffled the boy’s hair, “Alex,” he corrected softly. “Tell me about school.”

The two spoke for hours, not even noticing when the food was brought, even though they did eat. That was how Severus found them.

He was surprised by the hug that his brother gave him as he walked into the dining room, though the boy jumped back quickly, fear n his eyes. “S-sorry.”

Severus pulled him back into the hug. “Hey Alex, have a good day?” The boy nodded. “You can call me Severus, or Sev.” 

()

Later that night, Severus and Harry sat in the library with a tea service, waiting for Tobias to arrive. Harry was fidgeting nervously as he knew that this meeting was to discuss the rules of the house. 

“Alex,” Severus said, getting the boy’s attention. Harry looked up, still nervous, “I don’t know why you’re so nervous, but the rules won’t be that bad.” He watched as the younger wizard ran a hand on his sleeved forearms. Severus grabbed the boy’s hand and looked into the ever darkening green eyes, “I won’t tell, but he will allude to it, especially since you are under so much stress.”

Harry nodded and waited for Tobias to arrive.

As the elderly wizard walked in, both of his sons stood. He waved at the chairs and had them return to sitting.

“Rules, eh?” He asked with a grin at his boys. 

Severus nodded while Harry looked at the floor.

“I’m not a hard task master,” he started, “and I don’t have many rules. Though I can’t promise never to raise my voice, the only smack you will ever get will be on your bottom. That will only happen if you put yourself, your friends, or your family in danger. This includes harming others, fighting, harming yourself and... running away,” Harry paled, but Tobias pushed on, “I will let this time slide since you didn’t know the rules, but now that you do I hope you would talk to me instead of running off right away.” Harry nodded quickly, knowing he didn’t want any smacks.

“Poor grades earn you study hours during the summer. I don’t think we will have a problem with this, but it is still a rule. Fights, verbal or physical will result in lines or chores, such as gardening or scrubbing out cauldrons in the lab.” At Harry’s surprised look, Tobias smirked, “Where do you think Severus got his ideas from?

“Mainly punishments will vary depending on the degree of the infraction. As things come up, the rules may change, but not without speaking as a family first. Sound fair?”

“I-I think so.” Harry stuttered out. 

“Very well. Now, the trial is coming up and I would like to ask you what your thoughts are on it.”

Harry stood and began to pace, “I don’t know. I’ve only been here a day and... well, I’m not sure yet. I know I don’t want to return to the Potters.”

“Can I ask what your life was like with them?” This question came from Severus. Harry looked up surprised, then flushed in embarrassment. “You may be questioned tomorrow, it is better to have these thoughts and understanding now.”

The younger wizard ran a hand through his hair, which he absentmindedly noticed was softer and longer. He thought about what his life was like with the Potters- the times he felt he was treated as less. “I supposed being raised the supposed brother of the Boy-Who-Lived played against me.” He said mostly to himself. 

“How so?” Tobias asked.

“In school I have always excelled, earning O’s in all subjects. Henry who came home with A’s and E’s got a party at the end of the year with all of his friends. I got a pat on the head. Even birthday parties- my birthday parties- consisted of the Potter friends and celebrations. That was when they weren’t at some function. If that was the case, I spent the day and night home with the house elves.

“I knew I could never live up to their expectations, even though I tried my hardest. At least now I know why.”

Tobias stood and stopped his youngest son’s pacing with a hand on the boy’s arm. “They missed on something great, you know?” Alex looked at him confused, so Tobias continued. “You. A very intelligent boy with the world ahead of him. This trial can very well destroy them, but they have done the a horrible thing to you. They denied you your parentage and didn’t even have the ability to love you in return.”

“I think I want to change my name officially,” Harry spoke up hesitantly. “I think Severus was right and the blood adoption is fading. Can we get a professional to speak about it? How when a blood adoption is done under duress, or there is no love the magic will fade?”

Severus looked pensive for a moment, “I think we can.”

()

The next morning, the three Snapes headed through the floo dressed in hooded cloaks. They floo’d into Knockturn Alley and followed Severus through the narrow twisting streets. They remained quiet as they skillfully skirted past peddlers and would be pick pockets. 

The three turned in a non-descript side alley where Severus knocked twice on an aged wooden door. A return knock sounded and the older Snape son knocked twice more before the door opened.

Tobias and Harry looked at each other with brows raised, but followed their family member through.

()

Severus knocked on Healer Jacobson’s door, knowing that his brother and father were staring in confusion. He fought his laughter as the two exchanged a look as they walked into the building. 

The room was surrounded in nothing but books and scrolls. They were on shelves, on the floor, and on the desk. It was organized madness.

“Severus,” came an aged voice.

He turned towards the voice and spotted his associate sitting at his desk. The wizard stood and used a black wood cane to balance and step forward. His skin was wrinkled and pale, but his grey eyes sparkled with youthful exuberance. He was an anomaly ... and therefore immediately interesting to anyone who met him.

“Hello Jacobson,” Severus greeted, stepping forward. They shook hands quickly before turning their attention to the other two in the room. “My Father, Tobias Snape,” he introduced, “and my brother Alexander Snape.”

As expected, Jacobson’s head snapped up. He took two quick strides forward and grabbed the boy’s chin in his hand. He ignored the flinch that the boy made and instead stared intently. “The lost Snape child,” he muttered. He then looked at Severus with brows raised, demanding an explanation.

So the three Snapes, again, told their story. When they were finished explaining their theory about the blood adoption, Jacobson moved to his bookshelves and began pulling down books and scrolls, muttering to himself.

After twenty minutes of this, he pulled out a blank scroll and quill and ink and began writing. “It is not unknown for a child to be blood adopted, especially after the many orphans of the last war,” he spoke as he wrote. “It is, however, quite rare for a child to be forcefully blood adopted.”

“Why?” asked Tobias. Though he was a wizard, theory had always been his weakness.

“Magic is all about intent. Look at the unforgivables. Unless you truly want to harm the person you are casting at, the spells won’t work. Blood adoption is the same, but instead of a single person’s intent, the magic measures the intent of all involved. 

“It measures the intent of both adoptive parents. In this case, the two who adopted him, did not necessarily want to cause harm. They did want to adopt him as their son and that is as far as magic got. But over time things change. Magic is not steady, it is flowing. As the intent changed... as the emotions changed, so did the adoption.”

“But why did it take so long for changes to register?” Alex asked

The old man smiled, “Though the original adoption did not have your permission, over time it began to register your own intent. Your emotions, your intent, over rode any changes in your adoptive parents. You believed that they loved you, that they wanted you. You believed that you were their son. Essentially since the magic was in you, it had to wait for you to realize what was going on.

“However, once you learned otherwise, your magic stopped fighting. You began to change.”

“So, even though the intent of my adoptive parents changed, my own magic fought the change since I didn’t know the truth. I thought I was theirs and they loved me. Once I learned the difference, my magic stopped fighting.” Alex summarized.

“Exactly.”

“So it’s true then?” Tobias asked, still not quite following the discussion. “The blood adoption is fading?”

Jacobson looked at the elder Snape and smiled softly, “Yes, it’s true. The more he learns, the more he can release any thought of the others as family, the more the adoption will change. Their magic will leave him.”