Brand New Day

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Chapter 11
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Author’s note:
This was going to be a short chapter, but I manage to work it out. It appears I have hit a writer’s block, so I’ll deal with it the only way I know how, writing even if it is in small amounts. I hope nobody minds and I try to get over it soon. It’s just a hard (very busy) time at the office and it is taking a lot of my energy.

And just a reminder:

“character talking”
“ character thinking or using telepathy ”
{character “talking” or “using telepathy” in parceltongue}

Well... on with the show.

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Snape walked hastily, using a side door to the castle to get faster to a point from where he could apparate. Maybe if he got there fast enough he could talk to Trelaway before the Dark Lord called upon him.

Not three minutes after he left the room, Lupin opened the door calling for him.

Lupin looked around, studding the messy room. That was very out of character for Snape. He may not like the man, but he had to admit that Snape was nothing but organised, to find a room with books laying around, used glasses and open bottles of liquor was strange to say the least. Something was seriously wrong here, he just could figure out what and he didn\'t have time for it either. Picking up Snape\'s scent he hushed out of the room, maybe he could still keep Snape from apparating in to a death trap.

He ran as fast as he could for exactly two minutes before coming to a point where the scent simply vanished. Snape had answered Voldemort\'s call, he was too late.

******

Harry was pacing around the kitchen hoping Lupin would make it in time. He may not have liked the idea of being Snape’s son, but he was not keen to the perspective of losing another father right after discovering he had one.

Molly came back to the kitchen with a worried look on her face and Harry knew she didn’t find Snape at his quarters. She patted him on the shoulder trying to comfort him.

“Don’t worry, dear. Remus will get to him. You’ll see.”

The back door opening made them turn around fast, but it was Dumbledore and Hermione coming back from the garden. Harry muse on how they still looked the same even after all he found out not one hour ago.

“What else is being hidden from me? Dumbledore is a liar and now I know I can never trust him. Voldemort promised me the truth, but can I trust him? How?”

“Albus, Oh! Albus. Harry just had a dream, You-know-who knows about Snape, he found out”

Harry was glad Molly took the initiative of telling Dumbledore. He hadn’t though about how he would explain knowing about Voldemort and Snape. The dream was actually a good explanation, everybody would buy it.
“Oh! How did this happen, Harry? Do you know?” Dumbledore asked sitting down and accepting a cup of tea Molly handed him.

“I’m not sure, he said Pettigrew told him something, but I couldn’t discover what it was” Harry said “good, let them think their precious little spy betrayed Snape like he did my parent... well, my mom and her husband. This way they will believe that was what wormtail was here to say and not worry too much about whatever information he was bringing” “Then he send for Snape and wormtail” “and that may explain why wormtail wasn’t outside to meet them, if they believe what I’m saying”

“Well, let’s hope for the best. Snape knows how to take care of himself, I’m sure he will be alright” Dumbledore said looking at his cup.

“Oh, Harry” said Hermione touching Harry’s arm “another dream? Are you hurt? Do you need a potion for pain or something?”

“No” Harry answered stepping away from Hermione “I’m fine, just a bit uneasy, that’s all. I’m going to check on Ron. Call me as soon as you hear something... anything”

“Ok, we will” he heard Hermione answer as he started to climb the stairs.

Harry sat by Ron’s side on the bed and looked at his boy friend. Ron would hate to miss anything, even if it was just to sit in the kitchen with everybody else and wait. Besides, if he spend the night awake, he would not be awake in the morning in time to tag along to Diagon alley, that would solve a major problem concerning the upcoming meeting with Voldemort.

“Merlin, he will go ballistic when he finds out what is going on, specially about Snape being my father, I thing I’ll wait until everything is sorted out before saying anything”

“Ron” said Harry placing light kisses on the redhead. “wake up, love”

“Hum... Harry, what...?”

“I had a vision, Voldemort knows about Snape and summoned him. The order is trying to get to him first, I didn’t think you would want to miss this”

“Merlin, no, I don’t. I hope the greasy git is all right.” Said Ron getting up and starting to get dress.

“Yeah. So do I” said Harry sighing.

They waited awhile before Lupin’s head appeared in the fireplace with news, or no news, he said he would wait around in case Snape returned. Harry notice Ron drinking coffee and he knew his plan had worked. When they went back to the bedroom Ron said he would read a little before trying to sleep and was fast asleep when Harry woke up next morning.

Feeling a little guilty, Harry got up and got dressed, preparing for the big day ahead.

******
Riddler Mansion - the night before.

Snape apparated on the door steps of the Dark Lord’s mansion. A quick look around proved him the place was heavily protected with spells and Death Eaters on patrol.

“uh-oh, this is not good. It’s always a bad sign to be summoned to his house”

He raised his hand to knock on the door, but it opened before he could actually do it. On the other side a very well dressed woman was smiling at him.
“Severus, I’m so glad you could join us in this fine evening”

“Trelaway????”

“You may call me Sibil, Severus. We have known each other for quite some time now, haven’t we?” she said taking him by his arm and leading him in to the house.

“Well... Sibil. I must say you took me by surprise, I don’t remember seeing you quite so...”

“Normal? Dressed as a regular witch? Coherent?” she completed still smiling at him.

“Those are a few of the words that come to mind”

“Well, being drugged for twenty years didn’t exactly help my wardrobe, but I’m doing better now” they came to a very elegant room and Trelaway sat at a deep red velvet sofa, indicating for Severus to sit by her side.

“About that, would it be possible for us to talk, I must confess I quite at lost at the situation and I don’t know what to do” he said sitting next to her.

“Oh, Severus, don’t worry” said the Dark Lord coming out of a door on the other side of the room “I know exactly what to do. Tell me, how is life as a spy treating you?”

“bloody hell” on the corner of his eyes Snape could see a large group of Death Eaters guarding the door, but strangely enough they made no movement to came in the room “Maybe he is just suspicious, maybe I still have a chance”

“My life is very good, Master. Dumbledore doesn’t suspect me” said Snape kneeling down in from of the Dark Lord.

Snape felt the hair in the back of his neck stand on it’s end when he heard Trelaway laughing.

“I told you he was good, my lord” she said getting up to stand next to Snape “Severus, do get up, please. There is no need for that in here. We are all very much aware of the truth in this room... well, part of it at least”

Snape got up, calculating the fastest way out of there, a mere look around showed him he had no chance of making out of that room alive. There were simply too many of them.

“I’m a dead man, I just found out I have a son only to die without telling him... Merlin, what could I tell him to make up for the past six years?”

Snape was brought back to reality by a touch in his arm.

“Severus?” Trelaway was talking to him, the traitor “We will be needing an answer”

“What?”

“Really, Severus, you seem to be miles away” said the Dark Lord smiling

“SMILING, what the hell is he smiling for? Why is he trying to pretend to be civil? He should be screaming, throwing curses at me, having me beat up in to a bloody pulp at the very least”

“I just asked you if you would like to put the past behind us and be part of my inner circle?”

Severus looked around, he knew it was some sick game the Dark Lord was playing with him. Sure enough he would be screaming in pain in no time no matter what answer he gave.

“Put the past behind us and became part of your inner circle?” Snape repeated

“Yes, that is correct” said the Dark Lord smiling at Trelaway who was pouring a glass of wine to herself and smiling back.

“just like that? You will forgive me just like that?”

“Of course, what is family for anyway?”

Snape felt a chill at the mention of family. Now he knew what the Dark Lord wanted from him, his son. In order to keep him alive, the Dark Lord was going to demand his son. Suddenly death didn’t seem so bad after all.

“You are not going to touch my son” yelled Snape raising his wand, but before he could utter a spell his wand was flying in to the Dark Lord stretched hand.

“How loyal, very impressive, I’m pleased.”

Snape felt defeated and let his head fall, how could he save his son now?

“I’m glad you feel the need to protect the boy even at the cost of your own life” said the Dark Lord sitting in a large chair and placing Snape’s want at the side table “however, I have no desire to harm my grandson”

Snape’s eyes went wide when he realised what the Dark Lord had said and he snapped his head up.

“grandson? How?”

“Well, a small mistake of my youth as it seems. Apparently Miss Evans’ mother was quite the looker way back when and I... had a intimate moment with her and Miss Evans was not Miss Evans after all, she was Miss Riddler, or so I found out”

Snape looked from the Dark Lord to Trelaway, who was looking him in the eyes and still smiling, before looking back at the Dark Lord.

“How do I know this is truth?”

Voldemort laughter filled the room. “You are in no position to doubt. I could have killed you the minute you enter this house, I can still kill you, but I’m afraid my grandson will want all the family he can get and would not be pleased if I was to kill you now”.

“I see, and you want me to bring him closer to you” Snape felt his stomach turning in to a Celtic knot “he is going to use me to get close to Harry, I better play along for now until I find a way to save him”.

“No, as a matter of fact it will be the other way around. I’ll bring him closer to you. Would you like to hear my extremely generous proposition?”

“Of course”

“as we speak, Harry is in possession of another spy. It just came to my attention that wormtail was a spy for Dumbledore all along”

Snape’s eye brow shoot up. The scene in Dumbledore’s office coming back to his mind.

“Tomorrow morning at 10, I will meet the boy at the Leaky Cauldron and we will talk about our recent discoveries and perhaps interrogate wormtail. Now, here is my proposition. You came along, you may even talk to him if you wish, and you will administer Veritassium to the rat so we can find out more. I want to came out of that meeting with the rat and a promise from my grandson that we will meet again. I do not wish to force him in coming with us... at least for now. So in addition to sparing your live and forgiving you of your... misdeeds, I’ll help you getting closer to your son, so he can have the family he has being denied so far”

“is that it?”

“Yes, Dumbledore lied to the boy the whole time and now he knows it, he wants the truth and I’m the only one who can give it to him and he will accept me better if I’m no longer the one who killed his family, and that is where you fit in, I’ll return his father to him”

“and then what?”

“Then is up to him, but I wouldn’t oppose some revenge on Dumbledore”

Snape knew that would be his only chance, if the Dark Lord was lying he would get some time to react and if he was not... if he was not, Snape could still have some happiness in his life and a big fat load of revenge.

“I would be happy to assist you tomorrow, my Lord” said Snape bowing his head.