Child of New Beginnings

-----



Chapter 11



Lucius was too overwhelmed with guilt. He was seated on one of the chair inside Poppy’s private office. His eyes were swollen and bags had formed just beneath it from his crying earlier. Now, even though he really felt like he wanted to cry some more, he couldn’t. Minerva had made him drink a calming potion because he was panicking moments ago when Hermione started to go into cardiac arrest.



For his own good, so as not to see Hermione, he was dragged inside Poppy’s office. Lucius had failed. He promised that he would not just protect Sebastian, but Hermione as well. He had failed. Though he was too caught up into his own guilt, he could hear the discussion that the other three adults had in the room.



“Severus, I am disappointed at you!” Minerva said as she had her arms crossed over her chest. “Seducing a student?!”



“I never did such an act,” Severus as he glanced over at Sebastian who was cradled in Albus’s arms, still sound asleep. The old man’s eyes were twinkling at the infant as he hummed a lullaby tune.



“Oh please Severus! Look at Sebastian. Clearly he was conceived last year, before the school year had ended. You engaged in sexual acts with a student!”



“Minerva, I did no such thing!”



“Then how can you explain him. He is your son-“



“Enough Minerva,” Albus interrupted. “There is no need to interrogate the man so roughly. There are more important matters that we have at hand. Little Sebastian here is the child of the second prophecy.” It was not a question. With a Gryffindor parent, and the other a Slytherin, it was easy to distinguish who he was. And with the magical abilities that Sebastian displayed earlier, there was no doubt.



Minerva however, didn’t stop her questioning. She was more than outraged. Her prized student at that time did sleep with a professor. “Why Severus? Why did you have to seduce a student?”



“I don’t even remember ever having sexual relations with her, or any other student,” he stated firmly. “You may use veritaserum on me, and you will still get the same answer.”



“Don’t lie to me! It happened-“



“He’s not lying,” Lucius finally spoke. He watched as all three heads looked at him with questioning looks on their faces. “He has never seduced a student, nor has he had sexual relations with any. We all know that he would never do such a thing.”



“Do not tell me that Sebastian was conceived by some sort of… immaculate conception,” Minerva said.



Suddenly, the office door swung open.



“Lucius!” Nacissa exclaimed as she saw her husband in one chair. Draco was right behind her. She ran to Lucius and threw her arms around him.



Hagrid then also entered the office, but stopped and closed the door behind him.



Lucius, though part of him was so very happy to have Narcissa embracing him, after what seemed like ages, he could not return her embrace. His guilt towards Hermione was overtaking his feelings.



“Hagrid told me that you were here,” Narcissa said as she pulled back. Her hands were touching him all over. Head, chest, back, trying to see if he was injured in any way. “Are you hurt?” she asked as he saw a very worried, sad and tired look on his face. “Lucius, please tell me what’s the matter.”



Sebastian started to cry softly. His little arms reaching up into Albus’s beard, as he squirmed.



“He’s hungry,” Lucius said as got the baby bottle of milk on the desk. It was placed there earlier by one of the house elves for Sebastian. Lucius stood up from his chair, passing his wife, and walked over to Albus. He changed into a clean shirt earlier and was blood free. “Come to Uncle Lucius,” he said softly as he was transferred in his arms.



“Who-who is that?” Draco asked.



“This here is Sebastian,” Lucius replied as he held on the bottle with one hand, and allowed Sebastian to suck on its nipple.



“My son,” Severus added.



“Son?” Narcissa asked in disbelief.



“Trust me Narcissa, I knew nothing of him until a few hours ago,” Severus said.



Poppy then opened the door, and started to speak right away. “I managed to stop Hermione’s internal bleeding. She isn’t out of the woods, and will remain to be in critical condition and coma for some time. There is a good chance that she will pull through.” just like that, she closed the door.



“Granger?” Draco asked. “What is going on?”



“Did you hear that Bastian?” Lucius asked as he smiled down at the black eyes that met his grey ones. “Mummy’s going to be okay.” He kissed Sebastian’s head and then continued talking to him. “Aren’t you my brave little boy, trying to protect Mummy.”



The others watched in amazement at the type of relationship Lucius had with the infant. It was as if he was his father saying words such as ‘my.’



Severus kept silent, but felt a bit of jealousy at the way Lucius was being fatherly to his son. It was supposed to be him to call Sebastian as his own, and not Lucius.



“Then that means…” Narcissa started, but then was unable to continue. She figured it out, but couldn’t believe it.



“Sebastian is the child in the prophecy,” Albus finished her sentence.



Lucius heard the few sentences around, but continued to talk to Sebastian. It was something that he always did when he was with him. “You are brave just like your Mummy, all that Gryffindor courage. But you are a Slytherin aren’t you?” he chuckled. “All that trickery you pull on me and your Mummy.” He glanced over at Severus with a slight smile. “You are also just as ill tempered as your father. Pee on him if you must, that’ll teach him whose boss.”



Severus frowned. He had never peed on, and didn’t like the idea of ever being peed on.



After some ‘man-to-man’ talk, Lucius decided that it was time to get on and talk with the others. He walked to one end of the room, and leaned back on the window to face the others. “Whatever I am about to say, does not leave this room understood?”



All six of them nodded, and gave him their wizard’s oath.



“Around the end of January, is when I stumbled upon Sebastian’s birth certificate. Born January 1, in a muggle hospital. Trust me, I was just as shocked as you are tonight, when I read who his parents were. So I went to muggle London and confronted Hermione about it.



“She wasn’t too thrilled when she saw me. I asked her questions. Asking if you knew about Sebastian,” Lucius said as he looked at Severus. “Obviously we all know the answer to that. I pushed it and said that you had every right to know. That’s when she snapped and literally broke down.



“She told me the truth. How he was conceived, and her reasons for fleeing and disappearing from out world. When Sybill mentioned the prophecy, that is when she decided to leave. She knew she was pregnant at the time already, and it… scared her. She already had lost so much, and didn’t want her child to grow up in a world where evil could conquer. I do not blame her. She wasn’t ready, nor did she want to come back. I agreed to keep things secret and gave her my word that I wouldn’t speak of it to anyone.



“So I made it my responsibility to not just protect them, but care for them as well. Sebastian became my godson. Her living situation, I too had to handle. She was barely standing on her own, with not enough money for the two of them. The house and their needs, paid for. I’ve grown close to them as if they were family.”



Lucius looked at Narcissa and Draco. He shook his head and then continued. “I never had an affair. I gave Hermione my word, and I couldn’t break it. If it wasn’t because of Sebastian, then I would have told you the truth.”



“I’m so sorry for doubting you Lucius,” Narcissa said softly, as she cried a little.



“No worries,” he said as he looked down at Sebastian who had finished his bottle. “Then hours ago, we were attacked by Bellatrix and her other two companions. Voldemort was her lover and dreamt of Sebastian. They know of the prophecy.”



“Then we must keep him safe and out of harms way,” Albus suggested.



Lucius nodded as he gently patted Sebastian’s back, making him burp over his shoulder. With his clean shirt, he wiped off the remnants of spillage from Sebastian’s mouth.



“And what about his conception? How come Severus doesn’t remember?” Minerva asked. “Was he obliviated?



Lucius looked at Severus and saw his very questioning face. “She might kill me if I told you, or anyone… but I must.” He paused for a very long moment, trying to figure out exactly how to tell Severus the truth. “April last year, do you remember the last revel party we had with Voldemort?”



Severus nodded. He could never forget.



“She was the one Severus,” Lucius said softly. “She was wearing a glamour charm at the time.”



Severus felt all the blood from his head drain down. He could feel slight dizziness. No! Of all the possibilities, it had to be that! He leaned back, and slid down the wall. He tried to fight the torment of guilt and sadness that he had felt, along with the familiar feeling of tears growing beneath his eyes. It had been twenty years since he actually last cried.



“Severus!” Albus gasped as he moved and knelt on the floor right next to him. He or anyone else in the room had never seen the man’s emotional wall break down.



“Don’t blame yourself Severus,” Lucius said as he approached. “You never knew. At least you are blessed with a gift of a son. One who is very special, and one to call your own.” He then excused himself and exited the room, needing to check on Hermione.



“What exactly happened?” Minerva asked at a complete loss as she looked at Severus who was now a sobbing heap on the floor.



“He… raped her,” Draco said softly. He and Narcissa knew everything that was happening when Lucius talked about Voldemort’s rebels. They weren’t expecting that either.



---



AN – The truth has finally come out. Poor, poor, poor Severus… Review…