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 36 ~ The Truth is Told

Barefoot, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, her hair drawn back in a ponytail, Hermione was in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea when she heard a knock on the door.

"Who in the world is that?" she said as she walked to the door. She looked out the peephole and saw Severus' somber face.

"Oh good gods," Hermione breathed, her stomach doing a flip-flop as her pensieve lover stood on her doorstep. He looked so much better though. Taking a deep breath, the witch opened the door.

"Severus!" she said, then she looked down and saw Mathias, whose eyebrow was arched at his mother's familiar use of the Potions Master's name.

"Mathias? What…what are you doing here?" she asked him.

The boy shrugged.

"The Professor brought me here. He said we were all going to talk," Mathias said.

Suddenly his mother went very pale, buckled and fainted. Severus caught her.

"Mum? Mum!" Mathias cried, "Professor, what's wrong with her?"

The little wizard's face was white with terror. He had never seen his mother pass out before.

"She's fine, Mathias. She didn't expect to have this talk so soon," the Potions Master said to the boy, carrying Hermione into the living room and setting her on the sofa.

Mathias followed closely behind and sat next to Hermione, concern on his face.

"Will she be all right?" he asked the wizard, his voice cracking.

"Yes, she will be," Severus assured him.

The Potions Master took out his wand and pointed it at Hermione.

"Ennervate," he said.

The witch's eyes fluttered, then opened. She blinked up at Severus then looked at Mathias, who was staring at her intently.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You just passed out, mum. Are you okay?" Mathias asked worriedly.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. I just…just wasn't prepared for this," she said, looking at Severus with a scowl now.

Why was he rushing this? He could have warned her…said something. Not just show up at her door with her son in tow. Her scowl grew darker.

Severus looked at her, then at Mathias.

"Mathias, could you give me and your mother a moment alone to talk?" he asked the small wizard.

Mathias looked at both of them suspiciously for a moment, then stood up.

"Yes, I can go get a pumpkin juice," he said, then he walked to the kitchen, passing through the swinging door.

Severus put a silencing ward around them. He was sure the boy was listening. And Mathias was listening, glued to the kitchen door. He heard the Potions Master cast the silencing charm and frowned.

"Why did you bring him here, Severus? I'm not ready for this!" Hermione spat at the wizard.

"Well, you just have to get ready witch. Draco Malfoy's daughter knows Mathias is my son. Draco told her. The news is moving through the ranks. By Monday, all of Hogwarts will know. I barely managed to get Mathias out of Slytherin house before Jasmine told him. Our hand has been forced, Hermione. Mathias has to know and know tonight," the wizard said, his black eyes fixed on Hermione's pale face.

"Oh gods," Hermione breathed. "So when he goes back, he's going to have to deal with this. Oh, Severus," Hermione said, letting her head fall into her hands, tears falling.

"Now is not the time for tears, Hermione. Strength is what is required. I will talk to the boy. You just listen…understand me? Now dry your eyes," Severus hissed at her.

Hermione lifted her t-shirt and dabbed at her eyes. Severus looked at her flat belly and navel, remembering what he had intended on doing tonight. Well, the fates apparently had other plans for him. He waited for the witch to pull herself together, then took down the ward.

"Mathias! Come in here," Severus called.

Mathias instantly ejected through the kitchen door. He had been waiting to be summoned. He walked into the living room. Severus pointed to an armchair.

"Sit down there," he commanded.

Mathias walked over to the chair and sat down. Severus walked to the center of the living room, looking for all the world as if he were about to give a lecture. He looked at Mathias.

"Tonight, you are going to learn something that's been hidden from you your entire life, Mathias. How you take this news is entirely up to you. I will be the one to divulge it to you," Severus said as the boy looked at him intently.

"Firstly I want to say to you that life is distinctly unfair. Things do not always work the way they should. Secondly, those who love you often hurt you by trying not to hurt you, this is also just a fact of life. We have all been hurt by those we loved at one time or another. Pain is another unavoidable aspect of life. Do you understand that?"

Mathias nodded. What was the Professor going to tell him?

"Portions of what I am going to tell you tonight, Mathias are not to be shared with anyone. It they are, my life could be forfeit. You are too young for a wizarding oath, but I believe from observing you, that you are able to keep a secret. I am risking my life on that belief, Mathias. After tonight, if you are willing, I will teach you occulmency, so no one can enter your mind and know what you know."

Mathias stared at him. Occulmency? Wow. He continued to listen…he had no intention on interrupting the Professor. He hated that.

Hermione watched Severus handle the situation. He was in total control. She began to relax a bit, but still felt rather nauseous. Mathias was attentively listening, sitting forward in the chair, his eyes glued on his father.

"Mathias, you have been lied to all your life about something very important. This lie was not meant to deceive, but meant to protect. You have to understand this. The lie was not created to hurt you, but to keep you from being hurt by the truth. But your mother and I have both decided that it is time you knew the truth, before it is either revealed to you by someone else or you figure it out for yourself. You are old enough now to handle it, unpleasant and hurtful as it is."

"This is about my father, isn't it?" Mathias asked the wizard, "I always knew something was wrong with mum's story. I knew she wasn't telling me everything."

He looked at his mother rather accusingly.

"No, she wasn't. But she had a good reason, Mathias, believe me," the Potions Master said softly."

Mathias looked at the Potions Master, and suddenly knew. Dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin, somber, sarcastic…dark.

"You're my father, aren't you Professor Snape?" he asked the wizard quietly.

"Yes," Severus replied, his dark eyes meeting his son's eyes.

Mathias' eyes began to cloud over, his face darkening as he looked at his mother. He started to speak when Severus strode forward and yanked up the sleeve of his robes, revealing his Mark.

"Do you know what this is?" he demanded of the boy, his face terrible.

"The DKV symbol," Mathias said, swallowing at the look on the Potions Master's face.

"No! It is the mark of the most evil, reprehensible tyrant in the wizarding world. Lord Voldemort. He has murdered and maimed thousands in the name of conquest. This is an old mark, Mathias, a mark I took long before the Dark Lord became a political being. I took this mark when he was known for what he was, a murdering despot. I served him. I am one of the original deatheaters."

"When your mother conceived you, Mathias, I was in the Dark Lord's service. The Dark Lord hates muggle-borns, and killed them whenever he could. He also killed deatheaters involved with them," Severus said.

Mathias looked at Hermione.

"Mum's a muggle-born," he said.

"Yes, she is. You need to understand something about adults and sex, Mathias. Most of the time people who engage in sex are not in love, but physically attracted to each other. Your mother and I were in such a situation, and only were together one time. I did not love her. Even if I wanted to love her, I couldn't because she was a muggle-born and Voldemort would have killed us both. I was not ready to die because I was with a witch for one night."

"When your mother came to me and told me she was pregnant, I told her to get rid of the baby. She refused to. I told her if she had the child, she would care for it herself, I wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't want to be a father, Mathias. I didn't want you, for a number of reasons. But there was more to it. If I provided any support, we would have all been killed when Voldemort discovered you existed."

Mathias stared at him.

"Your mother told you I was dead, because she didn't want you to know that you had a father that denied you. That didn't want you or care about you. She thought it would be better if you believed he was dead, rather than knew that he did exist and didn't give a damn about you. I can understand why she did that, and I am hoping you will understand as well."

Mathias looked over at his mother, who was staring down at her hands helplessly. She was crying. He looked back at the Professor.

"Why do you serve someone like that? Who kills people?" Mathias asked Severus

"Remember I told you I was targeted when I was a student at Hogwarts?" Severus asked the boy. Mathias nodded.

"I was looking to belong, to fit in, to be part of something greater. I didn't understand what Voldemort was about until it was too late. I turned myself in to Albus Dumbledore, hoping to be incarcerated in Azkaban for my crimes, but he asked me to become a spy and fight Voldemort's evil. Seeking to redeem myself, I agreed. I have been a double agent in the Dark Lord's ranks for close to thirty years. He only believes I serve him, when I serve the Greater Good," the Professor said.

Mathias absorbed this. The Professor…his father, was a spy. He didn't know how he felt about this. He looked up at the wizard.

"So why did you decide to tell me, Professor?" Mathias asked him.

"Mathias, you came to Hogwarts and were sorted into my house. I became responsible for you. It wasn't right that I interact with you, without you knowing who I am. The lie had gone on too long. Plus, you are a bright boy, you would have figured it out soon enough. We are very similar physically as well as in other ways. It was only a matter of time. I felt it better that you know."

"But what about Voldemort?" the boy said, "Won't he still try to kill us if he finds out?"

Severus looked at him.

"I told the Dark Lord about you and your mother, right after the holidays. He accepted your existence and will not trouble either of you…but there is a cost. I will tell you that later," the wizard said.

Mathias thought about this. The Professor was in the infirmary. The young wizard looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Voldemort is the one who put you in the infirmary!" the boy declared, "He punished you for fathering me."

Severus shook his head.

"He punished me for hiding your existence for eleven years. For not owning up to you. But eleven years ago he would have killed both you and your mother. He operates a bit differently now, though he still does on occasion still kill the children of such relationships as well as the parents. Because I never acknowledged or tried to be responsible toward you and am close to Albus Dumbledore he spared me, but I was tortured for five days. Yet you are your mother are safe now. It was worth it, and I finally sacrificed something for the both of you. Not that it makes up for all the years of neglect…nothing will ever make up for that, Mathias, but now you know you do have a father and who he is."

Mathias stared at him.

"I don't expect you to call me father, or dad or even acknowledge me as a parent. That is your choice. We can continue, I hope, in the manner we have since meeting each other. You do not have to take my name or show me any consideration other than as your teacher and head of house. I will, however contribute to your care and upkeep until you graduate, and make arrangements with your mother for past support."

Hermione looked absolutely shocked. She hadn't expected him to want to pay past child support. That was a lot of galleons. She looked at Mathias, who was staring up at the Potions Master. Then his dark eyes turned on her.

"You lied to me mum, all my life," he said to her quietly.

"I know Mathias, and I'm so sorry. I just didn't want you to be hurt by the truth," she said, tears falling from her eyes. "Don't hate me. I'm so, so sorry."

Mathias looked at her.

"I don't hate you, mum. I just needed to know the truth. I'm glad I finally know what it is," he said. "It hurts a little that you did it, but I know why you did it. To protect me. And that's what mums do, protect their children."

Hermione let out a sob. Mathias looked at Severus.

"It's terrible what you did to my mum, Professor. Mean too. Making her raise a baby by herself. But, if you had done anything, we probably all would be dead. And now, you went and told the truth about me to Voldemort and were tortured for it in order to make my mum and me safe, and to be able to take responsibility. You took a long time to do it, Professor, but…you did do it and that's good. I don't hate you either though maybe I should. "

Mathias fell silent, and for several minutes there was no sound in the Granger household.

Finally, Hermione spoke up.

"Mathias, are you all right?" she asked him softly. "It's a lot to absorb."

He looked at his mother.

"I think I need to spend some time alone, mum, to think things through. I don't really know how I feel right now," he said, rising from the chair. "I think I'm going to go to my room for a while."

"All right son," Hermione said softly, her heart aching for her child. What was he going through? What was he really feeling? He was so good at hiding it.

Mathias started to walk to his room, then paused, came back and kissed Hermione on her cheek.

"I love you mum," he said softly.

Tears began to fall from Hermoine's eyes as her son walked away.

Mathias walked straight past Severus without a word. The wizard watched him go quietly, his face expressionless.

"He may look like me, but he's his mother's child," the Potions Master said quietly.

Then his dark eyes rested on Hermione. With Mathias here, he couldn't act on his plans for the witch. Her amber eyes met his.

"Well, we did it. We told him, or you told him rather," Hermione said, looking up at the wizard.

"What Mathias heard tonight was only the beginning. He will have more questions for both of us. Whatever he asks you, Hermione, be truthful. We must be truthful to the boy from here on out," Severus said, "If it is something you can't handle, send him to me."

The Potions Master stared at her for a moment.

"You know witch, I was on my way here with very different plans for you," he said in a low voice. "If this situation with Mathias hadn't escalated, I wouldn't have left your house until morning."

Hermione looked up at him, hoping her voice didn't quaver noticeably when she spoke.

"You sound very sure of yourself, Severus," she said.

Severus walked over to the sofa and leaned down, his face mere inches from hers. Hermione felt her thighs tremble in reaction to his proximity.

"You probably fuck me in that pensieve four nights a week, Hermione. When I come for you, you won't be able to resist me," he said silkily, "I won't let you resist me."

He looked like he was going to kiss her. Hermione closed her eyes.

Severus smirked and straightened.

"But tonight, you have a reprieve, witch," he said.

Hermione opened her eyes. The wizard saw a flash of disappointment wash across them.

"Tend to your son," he said, striding to the front door.

He let himself out.

Still on the couch, Hermione stared at the closed front door, then looked back in the direction of her son's room. As delicious as Severus made her feel, she was more concerned with Mathias. The witch knew not to disturb him. He would come out when he was ready. She picked up a cushion and hugged it to herself.

The witch knew there would be so much more to this revelation. Nothing so emotionally charged could be this easy. Mathias was a logical boy, but he had feelings too. No doubt they were in an uproar, no matter how in control he appeared.

The witch sighed.

Whatever happened, she'd try and be ready for it.

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A/N: Too tired to comment much, but please review.