January 20, 1981

Prince Family Cemetery

The sky overhead was cloudy and rain drizzled all around him. Perfect weather for a cemetery. Thought the dark man as he entered the white stone archway. It had been spelled long ago to never crumble or deteriorate. Slender vines wrapped themselves around…in the spring these vines always sprouted sweet smelling blossoms. Not that snape ever noticed.

Up ahead in a private mausoleum was what was left of his dream, his hopes, his future…his family. Severus had this building erected soon after the night of the fire…when his universe crumbled.

He spoke the password and the doors opened. Inside, was a stone dais, where his beloved wife was entombed. He’d had her coffin specially made, on the top of the stone container were these words:

Artemis Snape

Beloved Wife, Mother, and My heart

Till we meet again, my love.

Around the inscription, emerald stones were embedded. One for each member of their family. Severus stroked his wife’s name lovingly.

"I miss you, Artemis. I swear I will avenge you. That pure blooded ass hole will pay for this. Your death will not be in vain. I swear it.”

Saying this he mumbled a few words and flowers sprang forth from his wand and settled in on her grave. He lowerd his forehead to the cool granite and rested there for a moment.

After another minute he lifted his head and walked over to the other dais. This one held two more coffins, these were smaller but no less intricate.

Inside these were two of his sons. Aubrey Alessander and Aaron Brayden Snape. He’d never been able to bond with his first son Aubrey who’d been sickly from birth and later died at St. Mungos. The other, he’d only begun to know. Aaron had died only 8 days after his mother.

His lover and best friend, had died in a fire, the fire that destroyed his ancestrol home, Prince Manor. He’d lost it all that night.

The moldy ass bastard had made sure of that.

He blamed it all on the light side, but Severus didn’t believe that load of hogwash for a second. Voldemort had ordered their deaths and was no doubt the one who had arranged his other son, Ambrosias Odysseus Snape, to disappear.

He could only hope Ambrosias was alive. If he wasn’t then Severus had no reason to live, and he’d murder the dark lord and drag him to hell even if it meant his own life.

He didn’t have much to live for anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

James Potter stood over his son’s cradle. His son was only a month old. Only God and himself knew what’d he’d done. He’d done it for the sake of his wife, but at the same time he’d caused another family grief.

Still, the love of his life was free of pain. And she adored Harry. That makes up for my sins. Lily had been devastated when their son had been born dead. He still didn’t understand what had happened.

They were magic folk. Surely the med witch could have done something to prevent his son’s death.

Then he wouldn’t have had to commit this crime…

A year later, Lily and James Potter were killed in a Death Eater attack. Their son harry, was rescued by an auror named Bridget Hazel Eyes just before a burning beam fell on the cradle.

Potter was immediately taken to St. Mungo’s and evaluated. The next day he was handed over to the next of kin…the dursleys.

The same day he was placed in their home, Bridgett disappeared.

Not that anyone cared, she was after all, just an Auror.

16 years passed and Severus never stopped visiting Prince Cemetary…and he never forgot his vow of vengence and he never stopped searching for his son.

But what he didn’t know, was that Ambrosias was alive, sent away to live in France. He’d been wrong about Voldemort, at least when it came to his missing son. He’d been taken by Bellatrix Le Strange and left at an orphanage. It was her revenge, Snape had refused to bed her, and so in revenge, she’d not only burned down the huose, she’d also taken his son and sent him far away.

Snape deserved to suffer! And suffer he did…

And then, in the summer of 1996 everything changed…