Daddy Dearest - (No Update, Edit)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 23 ~ Mathias' Revenge

James Potter was a boy who craved attention. Possibly this stemmed from his feeling that he'd had to share his father his entire life with one Mathias Granger. Harry had spent a lot of time with Hermione's son, and James resented it. Harry was his father after all, and he hated the way he took Mathias under his wing, praising him for how smart he was, how good a flyer he was, how good a fighter he was. James was no slouch in these things, but his father never seemed to fawn over him like he did Mathias.

What James didn't realize was that Harry was just trying to be a positive role model for Mathias, kind of like a big brother. Hermione was his best friend after all and she was raising her son alone. The boy needed a male influence and he and Ron were the ones who provided it. Harry loved James very much, but felt the boy knew this, and knew he was proud of him, so didn't say it often enough. He felt Mathias needed to hear praise for reinforcement. Which incidentally, Mathias didn't. He didn't like anyone making a fuss over him.

Harry had no idea how jealous James was of Mathias. The wizard was so good at so many things, it made James feel inadequate. Especially all the spells he could do. But James didn't have Hermione for a mother, nor did he have any idea how hard Mathias worked to learn all those spells. All James knew was that Mathias took his fire and he hated the wizard for it. He tried to bring him down every chance he got.

He discovered early on that Mathias was sensitive about not having a father of his own, and James pounced on that, reminding the wizard he was fatherless every chance he got. When he discovered Mathias wouldn't tell on him, he just got worse. He had been hating the young wizard for so long, it was second nature to him, so when Mathias was sorted into Slytherin, Gryffindor's main rival, that only added more fuel. James knew because of the feud between the houses, he could make Mathias' life miserable and it would be assumed it was because of the house rivalry.

James had heard about the Marauders from uncle Ron. His father didn't talk about them much, but Ron told him of the legend. James thought it was awesome his grandfather was one of the most popular students in Hogwarts and that they were all animagi. He wanted to form a gang just like he did, and have fun. He was very pleased to find out his grandfather gave Snape a hard time. He was such a greasy git he deserved it. The New Marauders had to have a target too. Mathias was it.

When James and his friends returned to Hogwarts they wasted no time telling the other Gryffindors they had left Mathias Granger down by the lake naked and wandless. They were heroes. James loved the attention as did Virgil, John and Franklin. Picking on Mathias was going to be the thing to do from here on out, especially if they were rewarded like this.

Soon, first-years from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw confirmed that Mathias was indeed found naked swimming in the lake. Word got back to Slytherin house, and everyone was livid about it. Mathias had brought dishonor on the house, and would have to do something soon to restore it.

When Mathias walked into the Great Hall, he was met by wolf whistles from every table, then all the students fell into hysterics as the wizard snarled and walked to the silent Slytherin table. He sat down aware of every eye on him.

From the High Table, Severus watched his son undergo the same teasing and anger from his housemates as the Potions Master had undergone himself so many years ago. It was quite a lonely feeling.

Jasmine walked over to Mathias and sat down beside him without asking.

In a foul mood, Mathias looked at her and snarled, "What do you want, Jasmine?"

She scowled at him.

"I heard what James Potter and his friends did to you Mathias. I just wanted to ask you what are you going to do about it? You aren't going to let them get away with it, are you?" she asked him. "It makes all of Slytherin look bad."

Mathias noticed that every Slytherin at the table was listening attentively.

"No. I'm not going to let them get away with it," he replied, his face frowned up. "They're going to pay. Believe me."

The Slytherins let out a collective sigh of relief. Jasmine smiled at him.

"Good. I knew you weren't a coward," she said.

"Of course I'm not," he snapped. "Now, let me eat, Jasmine. I have to leave early."

"Fine," she said, leaving in another huff.

Mathias hurried and wolfed down his food quickly. As soon as he was done, he strode out of the Great Hall, wolf whistles and laughter following him. He scowled.

Soon they'd be laughing out of the other side of their faces.

Once he left the Great Hall, he surveyed the main hall, trying to figure out the best position for the most coverage. He decided the closer to the dungeon corridor he was, the better. The wizard disillusioned himself, then hunched against a suit of armor to cover his slight shimmer. A disillusionment charm was a seventh year level charm, simply because younger students would get into too much mischief if they used it.

After a few minutes, students began to trickle out of the Great Hall. Not enough yet for Mathias' liking…plus he had to watch for Slytherins. But his house had collectively held back, not wanting to be teased about how one of its members had been had by Gryffindor.

Finally there was a large enough crowd for Mathias to act. Using a blanket spell he'd learned watching his mother, he cast the hex. When the screaming started he fled down the dungeon corridor, still disillusioned, heading for the Slytherin common room. He made it in and went straight to his bedroom, undressed and pulled out his books as if he had been studying for at least half an hour.

Presently, he heard laughter in the Slytherin common room, uproarious laughter. Suddenly there was banging on his door.

"We know you're in there, Mathias!" Jasmine said, "Come down to the common room!"

"No, I'm studying," Mathias said, "Maybe later."

"We know you did it, Mathias! You might as well admit it!" Jasmine said.

Mathias could hear laughter outside his door. There were a lot of people out there.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Mathias said.

He didn't ever plan on admitting he cast that hex. It was illegal to use veritaserum on students…so as long as he didn't boast or brag, he'd be fine. No one saw him cast the hex so he'd be safe.

"Sure, Mathias. Sure you don't," Jasmine said, smirking on the other side of the door.

Gods, Mathias worked fast. He was now the most popular wizard in Slytherin House, and he was only a first year. Jasmine decided she would have to pull out all the stops on him. She needed to talk to her grandmother. Narcissa would know what to do.

Jasmine left the wizard's door, while other students continued to knock and try to coax him out of the room. They were unsuccessful.

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Severus Snape hurried down the dungeon corridor. He had just spent the last forty-five minutes with the other Heads of Houses hustling distraught students up to the infirmary to be treated by Poppy, only to find out that the hex would have to wear off. There was no known reversal spell. A large number of students from all the houses except Slytherin had been struck by it. That was because Slytherin House did not depart with the rest of the students.

Severus quickly unwarded his office door, entered and closed it behind him, warding it and placing a silencing spell around the room.

Then the wizard began to laugh hysterically, almost unable to catch his breath as his rich and rarely heard laughter filled his office. Tears ran from his eyes, and he wiped them away, only to have more roll down his pale cheeks. He had seen this hex before but never used in such a way, with such broad results. Holding his stomach, he weakly made his way around the desk and plopped into his swivel chair. He managed to stop laughing for a few moments, before a fresh wave washed over him.

His son was brilliant. Brilliant.

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The next morning Mathias got up extra early, showered and headed for the Great Hall before his housemates woke up. They had partied into the night, celebrating Slytherin's re-established honor.

Mathias entered the Great Hall. No one was there yet. He took his place at the Slytherin table and waited patiently. In a few moments the breakfast plates appeared, and Mathias loaded up. The staff entrance opened, and in walked Professor Snape, who had also woke up early and headed for the Great Hall. He saw Mathias and gave him a small nod. Mathias nodded back, looking sober. There was not a bit of gloat in his eyes, Severus noted with approval. He doubted the boy would ever admit casting the hex, which was good. That was the only way to insure he would never be found out.

Severus ordered his breakfast, and father and son both began eating.

Suddenly the door opened and several students entered. They scowled at Mathias, who suddenly turned his head to the wall. He was fighting laughter. More and more students entered the Great Hall, and glared at the wizard, who kept a straight face now and pretended not to notice them. All of the students looked up to see Professor Snape looking at them. He was the Slytherin Head of House…they wouldn't dare try anything with him present.

The students sat down and started eating breakfast, glancing over at Mathias from time to time. Students from all three houses were cursing the wizard under their breath. He didn't get everyone, but he got quite a few.

More staff entered now. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout were all tight-lipped, their eyes cutting toward Severus. All three were Heads of Houses and furious about what happened to their charges. They had all accused Mathias of casting the hex, but the Professor refused to even question the boy since no one had seen him. Plus, the hex was quite advanced, and Mathias was only a first year.

"He's Hermione's son, Severus!" Professor McGonagall argued, "She's a Spells Mistress. You know he knows more spells than ordinary students!"

Severus looked at Professor Flitwick.

"How many spells did he know when he arrived, Professor?" Severus asked him silkily.

The Charms teacher's face went dark.

"Five," he admitted, "Five very basic spells. But I don't think…"

"Well if it is recorded that he knows only five basic spells, then it is highly improbable he did this," Severus said smoothly. "It is a matter of record after all. Besides, why would he hex every house?"

"Every house but Slytherin," Professor Sprout seethed.

"Slytherin House wasn't hexed only because the students were still in the Great Hall. If they had been present, most likely they would be suffering the same effects as your charges," Severus said evenly.

"But he left the Hall," Professor McGonagall said, "Before anyone else."

"Is that some kind of crime, Professor McGonagall? He was finished eating," Severus replied. "In any case, no one saw the boy in the main hall at all, so I refuse to put one of my students through intensive questioning when there are no witnesses. I am sure Albus will back me up on this. A student MUST be seen throwing a hex to be charged with it. That is school policy. Now if you will all excuse me…"

And he had strode away to his office, where he collapsed with laughter.

Albus entered the Great Hall and looked at all the students. His eyes twinkled. He couldn't help it. A hex this good hadn't been cast at Hogwarts in many, many years. It kind of reminded him of Fred and George Weasley's antics years ago. He cut his eyes at Mathias, who looked as cool as if he were sitting on a mountain of never-melting ice. He certainly was a chip off the old cauldron.

James, Virgil, John and Franklin walked into the Great Hall. Mathias noted with some satisfaction that the hex had got them too. Each sported large set of magnificent antlers, at least eight pointers. James shook his fist at Mathias, who smirked just a bit.

Then Slytherin House entered the hall en masse, cracking up with laughter as they looked at all the antlered students sitting at every table. It served them right. All of them laughed at Mathias, after all…and deserved what they got. Everyone walked up to the Slytherin table and sat as close to Mathias as they could, crowding around him. The wizard felt as if he were being suffocated. They tried to congratulate him.

"I didn't do anything," he said, frowning. "I wish you all would stop acting as if I did."

But no one believed him. Finally the wizard got up from the table and left, every eye in the Great Hall on him. James watched as the young wizard strolled by. Mathias met his eyes for a moment, his mouth twisted in mirth. Then he kept going.

"He's going to pay for this," James seethed, his impressive antlers waving about. "Just wait."

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The students soon found out that Mathias was not to be trifled with. Later in the day, when the first year was on his way to transfiguration, a Gryffindor student cast a hex at him, only to have it bounce back and hit him, knocking him back several feet. His housemates ran and helped him up, all staring at Mathias, who had stopped and turned to face them.

"Repelling charm," he said with a smirk. Then he turned and continued on to class.

Professor McGonagall spent most of the class trying to get Mathias to confess to hexing the houses, giving the rest of the class a reading assignment and calling him up to her desk. She spent a very frustrating forty-five minutes trying to bully the truth out of the boy, who denied everything.

"I left the Great Hall and went straight to my house," Mathias said.

"Can you prove that?" Professor McGonagall asked him.

"I really don't think I have to. I wasn't in the main hall. Someone would have seen me," he said simply. "Plus, I don't know how to cast a hex like that. I only know a couple of spells."

Minerva's eyes narrowed.

"I don't believe that young man," she said.

Mathias just shrugged, and continued to shrug until class was over. She didn't get a thing out of him.

"That boy reminds me of someone," she said to herself as she watched Mathias calmly collect his books and leave her class. "I just can't put my finger on it. But he's a Slytherin through and through, that's for certain."

Several more students found out about the repelling spell around Mathias the hard way, including Jasmine Malfoy when she tried to walk up to him and take his arm. She was flung back several feet.

"You…you pushed me!" she yelled at Mathias, who looked at her calmly.

"I didn't push you, Jasmine. You walked into my repelling spell. I'm wearing it for protection. You can't touch me. No one can," he said.

Jasmine's mouth moved silently for a moment, then she walked up to him and tried to touch him with her finger. Her hand was flung back.

"That's brilliant," she breathed, looking at the wizard admiringly.

"I don't know how brilliant it is, but it works, and that's all that matters," he said, starting to walk away.

"Mathias, can I study with you tonight?" Jasmine called to him.

Mathias scowled at her.

"I told you I study by myself, Jasmine. Now stop bothering me about it," he said.

He walked away.

Jasmine looked after him, her blue eyes dark. No one ever talked that way to her before. So dismissively.

She was going to owl her grandmother and ask her advice. Jasmine had a feeling there would be a lot of witches interested in Mathias Granger in the future. She needed to have a leg up.

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A/N: lol. Mathias just got everybody. Too funny. Severus stood up for him too. He's a smart little thing. This will most likely be my last update until tomorrow evening. I managed to get a little gig for tomorrow, so have to be up early to get there on time. Please review.