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 37 ~ The Morning After

Hermione waited for Mathias to reappear, but he didn't. The witch finally went to bed, fighting the urge to check up on her son. He needed time alone.

Mathias undressed and was lying in his bed with his arms behind his head, looking up at the ceiling and thinking about what he'd learned. Professor Snape was his father. And he hadn't wanted him. The wizard hadn't helped his mother at all. He had abandoned them both.

Mathias wondered if Severus hadn't been a deatheater would he have wanted him then? Probably not. The Potions Master said he didn't want to be a father. But maybe he would have helped in other ways, by sending money to help.

The wizard used to be a deatheater and served Voldemort before he became a spy. That had to be dangerous. He might not be a good father but he was brave, and he was doing something for good. So, despite what he did to his mother, there must be something good in him to risk his life spying.

Mathias wondered how the Potions Master lived knowing he had a child he never saw? Had he ever felt guilty that he didn't help take care of him during those eleven years? The wizard had to know that one day he would come to Hogwarts. How did he feel when he saw him for the first time and learned he was sorted into Slytherin?

Yet Mathias could tell the Professor liked him when he first arrived. He didn't really show it, but somehow Mathias knew. Maybe by the way he talked to him. Then again, the Professor really didn't treat him any different then the other Slytherins. He got yelled at too, and points taken when he was caught in the wrong. The Professor also made snide remarks to him about being like his mum, like he did to Edwina Longbottom for being like her uncle and melting cauldrons, or comparing James to his grandfather whenever he did something to make the teacher mad. That was just how his father was.

His father.

It was weird, but kind of exciting too. He really liked the Professor, but didn't know how to react to him now. His mother didn't seem to be mad at him. But then she could be holding it in, or maybe she forgave him when he went to Voldemort and got tortured for them. That was very brave of him. He could have died from the torture. So the Potions Master risked his life in order to make him and his mother safe. That counted for a lot toward him making up for what he'd done.

Mathias smirked a little as he thought about how James would react. He'd probably be horrified that Professor Snape was his father and worked at Hogwarts. Everybody would be shocked. The small wizard scowled. That meant everyone would be bugging him with questions. Well, he'd stop that soon enough. They'd leave him alone. After everyone got used to the idea, they'd be all right. But right now, he had to get used to the idea he had a father. Maybe the meanest, snarkiest, most sarcastic father in the wizarding world. Maybe the bravest too. Thirty years as a spy. Wow.

Uncles Harry and Ron had to know about this. They were too close to his mother not to know. Professor Snape mentioned a wizarding oath tonight. Knowing his mother, Mathias bet she made both wizards take an oath not to tell him who his father was. Uncle Ron would have told him otherwise. He would talk about any and everything except sex. No adult wanted to talk about that, except Professor Snape.

Speaking of sex, Professor Snape had stuck his penis in his mother one time, and she became pregnant. Mathias wanted to know more about that, about how his mother came to like the Professor that much that she would let him do such a thing to her. Yes, he knew Justice did it, but Justice was very handsome. His father wasn't. His mother was younger than the Professor. She had been his student. Mathias thought most young witches wouldn't like a wizard that looked like his father, especially one so much older and so mean.

But Professor Snape was intelligent. So was his mother. She was very, very intelligent. Maybe she was just too intelligent for wizards her own age, and that's why she liked the Professor. Mathias really wanted to know what brought them together, and he wondered if they still felt any physical attraction for each other. His mother blushed a lot at Christmas dinner. Mathias hadn't ever seen her turn so red so many times. And the Professor looked at her several times…stared at her actually.

Mathias couldn't see Professor Snape acting like other wizards who liked witches. He couldn't imagine the Professor holding a witch's hand or wrapping an arm around her waist while walking down a lane, or giving roses or chocolates in a heart-shaped box. Mathias could imagine him staring at them until they agreed to let him stick his penis in them, however. The Professor had those kind of eyes that made people do things. Maybe he used them on his mother like that and she was unable to resist him.

No. Mum was too intelligent to just fall for a wizard's eyes.

Mathias rolled out of bed, walked over to the mirror and studied himself critically. He stared at his face. He thought it was a good thing he didn't have Severus' nose. Not that anything was wrong with his nose except that it was rather hooked and big. It fit his face, though. His father wouldn't look near as interesting with a small nose. But he must have been teased about it mercilessly as a child. Witches and wizards could be cruel. He had his father's skin color, and his hair though Mathias took care of his hair so it was shiny and clean looking.

His mother had a thing about hair for some reason. She always took very good care of his, trimming it neatly and keeping it washed. She showed Mathis how to wash and condition his hair by the time he was nine, and he kept up the routine. If he didn't his hair would look, well, just like the Professor's hair. To Mathias, his father's hair made him look cooler, but he wouldn't like it for himself.

Mathias studied his reflection a bit more. He definitely had Severus' black eyes. Jasmine had hissed at him to stop looking at her one day when she had said something really, really stupid and Mathias leveled his eyes on her. He saw it made her very uncomfortable, so he kept doing it until she yelled at him and left. He was going to practice using his eyes more often. His father could make students cry with his eyes.

His father. It didn't seem real to Mathias. He wondered if the Professor were going to give him his last name now. It seemed right that he should have it. It would at least let people know he had a father. Having his mother's last name was okay, but it let people know he was a bastard instantly. Technically, he would always be a bastard because his mother wasn't married when she had him. But having his father's last name wouldn't announce it so much. Mathias would have to ask his mother about it. That would be one benefit of recognizing the Potions Master as his father. Mathias was definitely Slytherin in his thinking.

Mathias took one final look at his face. He looked like his mother physically. She didn't have a bad face. Actually her face was very nice. He just had the boy version of it. He smiled like his mother, as well as frowned like her. He had her nose, mouth, eye shape and eyebrows…just a little heavier. He decided he got the best features of both his parents.

Both his parents. Wow.

Mathias got back into bed. Tomorrow he was going to ask his mother more about why she had liked Professor Snape…his father so much. He had a feeling she would tell him. In fact, he thought maybe she would be more honest about everything now. He thought that she was probably afraid to tell him the truth after hiding it so long. Probably Professor Snape was the one who said to tell him. He meant his father. Seeing Professor Snape as his father was going to take some time to get used to. It had been him and his mum for so long. Now he had two parents. Two.

Mathias rolled over and got comfortable. He thought a bit more about what benefits could come from being Severus' son. Well, he could get private potions instructions, maybe even hang out in the Potions lab and watch his father brew, learning more than he would just by being in class. He also might get a break on Gryffindor attacks too. But even if they did know the Potions Master was his father, he would still have to be vigilant.

On the bad side, teachers would be going directly to his father in a teacher/parent mode rather than to his Head of House whenever he got in trouble. They had direct access to the Potions Master…but somehow Mathias knew that Severus would keep them from doing that very often. Maybe even force them to direct parent contact to Hermione and keep him in the Head of House role. That's what Mathias would do. His father didn't have a lot of patience or time. He wouldn't spend what little he did have with other teachers discussing him.

Hm. He was thinking about himself, but how would his father handle this? All of his fellow teachers would know he had a son he didn't acknowledge for eleven years. Probably the Potions Master wouldn't care what they thought. He didn't really mingle that much. Mathias doubted very much if Severus sat in the teacher's lounge drinking coffee and chatting. More than likely if any of the staff tried to take him to task, something very ugly would happen and no one else would do it again.

Mathias smirked. His father was so snarky. The little wizard liked that about him. If he could have picked a father, it probably would have been the Professor. He would never be the perfect father, but he had the bearing that Mathias gravitated to, and he commanded respect and maybe a bit of fear wherever he went. Everyone knew he wasn't a wizard to be trifled with. Just like Mathias planned to be when he grew up.

The boy felt his eyelids getting heavy. This had been quite a day and exhaustion washed over him.

Presently, he was fast asleep.

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Hermione woke up very early and fixed breakfast. It was obviously a "suck up to Mathias" breakfast because she cooked all his favorites. A small feast waited on the table, magically heated, rather than his usual bowl of cereal. There was bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes and ham. Creamy milk and fresh orange juice were also waiting.

Mathias seemed to float into the kitchen by his nose, drifting over to his chair and settling in. His eyes swept over the spread.

"Wow mum!" he breathed. "This is great."

He pulled over the eggs and started filling his plate as Hermione sat down opposite from him, her amber eyes wafting over him as if to see if there had been any noticeable changes from the night before.

"Did you wash your face and brush your teeth?" she asked him.

"Of course," Mathias said, "Food tastes nasty if you don't brush your teeth in the morning before you eat."

Hermione smiled as he filled up his plate with ham. Obviously her son had his father's sensitive sense of taste. Mathias stopped filling his plate, looking at his mother.

"Aren't you going to eat, mum?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, pulling over a plate and putting a little food on it. Mathias looked at her plate surreptiously. She didn't put a lot on it. That meant she was worried about something. She never ate a lot when she was worried. She couldn't keep it down.

They both took their moment of silence, then began to eat. Mathias didn't waste any time.

"Mum, why did you like Professor Snape so much?" he asked his mother.

Hermione looked at him, startled. She hadn't expected that kind of question from him. She expected more about how she hid the truth from him.

"Well," she said to stall, "Let me think."

Mathias ate, his eyes resting on his mother. He watched her eyes shift back and forth the way they did when she was thinking.

"Well, he was very intelligent," she began.

Mathias knew it. His intelligence was part of it.

"I liked the way he took control of everything he did. He had a very nice voice. I liked his hands too, the way he worked with them…he was so sure about everything he touched. His eyes…his eyes were so dark and deep…"

Mathias watched his mum drift off for a moment.

"Plus he was so brave. I knew he was a spy since my fourth year. To me that was exciting and daring. I also liked him because, because it was very unlikely that he would like me back, Mathias."

Mathias looked at her.

"I like him for a lot of those things, though I didn't know how brave he was. Those things you liked mum, he's still like that," Mathias remarked, his eyes resting on her to see how she would react.

"I know," she said quietly, before picking at her food again.

"So, do you still like him…that way?" Mathias asked her.

Hermione looked at him.

"Mathias, you don't ask your mother personal questions like that!" she chided him, turning red.

Yes. She did still like him like that.

"Mum, I just want to know. He is my father and you're my mother. It would make sense for you to like him," Mathias said.

"Mathias, he abandoned us. I can't just…just…like him," Hermione said darkly. "I'm not a silly young witch anymore."

"Yes, he did abandon us, mum. But look at what he just did. He saved us from Voldemort, and he almost was killed because of it. He abandoned us, but he risked his life to save us too. He's trying to make up for what he did," Mathias said. "I missed having a father, but my life wasn't bad. I had you."

"Oh, Mathias," Hermione said, her eyes glistening. Her son was so sweet sometimes.

"I don't think he's bad, mum. I think his life is bad and it affects him, but I don't think he's bad by himself. I think he's sorry he wasn't here for us now. I really do," Mathias said sincerely.

Hermione gave him a small smile.

"You've got a good heart, Mathias. A very forgiving one too," she said.

"I don't think I'm forgiving mum. It's just that there's nothing we can do about what's already happened except wish that it hadn't, and that's just a waste of time. It takes a lot of energy to be angry with someone all the time. I'd rather use my energy a better way. There's a lot Professor Snape can teach me. Since I'm his son, I figure he can teach me even more…extra things. I'd be dumb not to take advantage of that," the boy said.

Hermione stared at him.

"You really are a Slytherin, Mathias. You should be angry, but instead you are thinking of how this can benefit you," she said in a low voice.

"Yes, I'm a Slytherin, or I wouldn't be in Slytherin house," Mathias replied around a mouthful of ham.

Hermione scowled at his bad table manners and the boy swallowed and chased his food with a gulp of milk.

"Sorry," he said, then, "I want to be the best I can be, mum, and my father is the best teacher in the school and he teaches my favorite class. I want to be a Potions Master and he can teach me everything he knows. There's nothing wrong with that is there?"

Hermione looked at him.

"I suppose not," she replied.

Her son was wise beyond his years. He was only eleven and already knew it was a waste of time to dwell on situations you couldn't change. He was Slytherin in thinking, but he made sense. Severus was brilliant, the best at what he did. Mathias couldn't find a better mentor…for Potions anyway. Her son was certainly goal-oriented…just like she was. He had gotten that trait honestly.

"So mum, do you still like those things about him?" Mathias pressed.

"I'm not in his classroom any more, Mathias," she said.

Her son eyed her a moment.

"I can do math, mum. You weren't in his class when you and he…um…did sex," Mathias said evenly. "You were twenty. You graduated Hogwarts when you were eighteen. You hadn't been in his class in two years, but you still liked him."

Hermione sighed inwardly. Mathias was too smart. Just too damn smart.

"So it's possible you still like him kind of," Mathias said.

Hermione looked at her son.

"And what if I did like him, a little?" Hermione asked.

"It would be good," Mathias said, finishing off his ham.

Hermione looked at him.

"Don't you think it would be wrong for me to like a man who left you and me alone for eleven years?" she asked her son directly.

"If he were still ignoring us, it would be wrong. But he's doing his best to make things right as he can. Look at the torture he went through mum. He didn't have to do that. He did that for us. How can you not like someone who was willing to give up his life for us?" Mathias asked her. "He might not have come back. And he's willing to help support me. I'd like him if I were you."

Hermione shook her head. Children saw things so simply.

"He's better than Justice. Justice was a moron," Mathias said.

"Mathias!" Hermione scolded him, "Justice was nice to you."

"Only because he wanted to stay in your bed. He didn't really like me, mum. I could tell. Even if he did, I didn't like him. Professor Snape is much better. He's smart and has things to talk about that matter," Mathias said. "Justice never did. You used to look so bored when he talked to you. I saw it myself."

"All right, so he wasn't a great conversationalist, Mathias, but he kept me company," Hermione said, not believing she was talking to her eleven-year-old son about this.

"A kneazle could have kept you company, mum," he said a little snarkily.

Hermione frowned at him. She could see Severus' traits as plain as day in her son.

"Well, he was NICE," she said pointedly, "You can't say that about the Professor."

"No, he's not nice. But he's not fake either. He'd never pretend to like anything he didn't like…except maybe Voldemort, but that's how he stays alive so that doesn't count," Mathias said. "And besides, you liked him before and I bet he wasn't any nicer than he is now. He was probably worse."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her son.

"Mathias Granger," she said, "Are you trying to fix me up with the Professor?"

"Well mum, you are here all by yourself now. You don't have anybody, and I don't like you being by yourself. It's not like you weren't with the Professor before, even if it were only once. Maybe if I hadn't been born, it would have been more than once," he said.

"I doubt that," Hermione snorted.

Mathias didn't know the conditions under which Hermione had sex with the Professor. He had no idea she herself only recently found out what occurred that night.

"You're my mother and he's my father. If you were with him, it wouldn't be bad at all," Mathias said. "You have a reason to be together. Me," Mathias said.

Hermione sighed and stood up.

"I'm going to clear the table," she said.

Mathias smirked. His mum was usually like a bulldog when it came to debates. The fact that she just abandoned the conversation meant that he'd won. But he was far from done with her about this. Then he remembered something else.

"Mum, I think I should take the Professor's last name," he said.

Hermione almost dropped the dishes she was carrying to the sink.

"What?" she said incredulously to her son. He wanted to change his name?

"Well, it's going to come out at school. I might as well just take his name…it will help with some of the teasing. Plus, people won't automatically know I'm a bastard."

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. A bastard? Who had been telling him he was a bastard?

"Where did you hear you were a bastard?" Hermione demanded.

Mathias wasn't about to tell her it was James who taught him that word.

"It doesn't matter mum. I looked it up and it applies to me. People look down on bastards just because their parents weren't married. It would be a lot easier for me later on if I had my father's last name," he said evenly.

There was that Slytherin coming out of him again. Mathias was thinking about his future and trying to protect himself from bigotry.

"All right, I'll talk to Severus about it, Mathias," she said as her son brought his dishes over to the sink.

"Thanks mum," the boy said, kissing her on the cheek, "I'm going to read my potions essays."

He left the kitchen.

Hermione watched her son walk through the kitchen door. How had she raised such a boy? The things he said…

Hermione plugged up the drain, added some dish soap, filled the sink and started washing dishes the muggle way. She needed to do something with her hands.

So Mathias thought she should like Severus because of what he'd done...because he offered up his life in exchange for theirs.

Mathias had no idea how sexually charged things were between his mother and the Potions Master, but obviously the boy would approve if something were to happen between them. He thought Severus would be good for her.

Hermione was certain the wizard would be good to her, at least for a night.

A bit of heat pulsed inside the witch.

"Gods," she groaned, scrubbing the dishes harder in an attempt to quell the heat she felt at the thought of fucking the wizard. Mathias' approval didn't help any.

This had been some morning.

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A/N: Hi all. Been a long morning. Got the next chapter out. Mathias is something else, weighing the benefits of acknowledging Severus as his father. He really is a Slytherin in nature. He called Hermione out too, didn't he? "Do you still like him?" Like him? Jeez. Hermione is one visit away from giving it up to the wizard. Well, maybe Mathias' simple outlook about the situation will help her feel less tormented and guilty about how she responds to the Potions Master. And maybe she'll give up that damn pensieve. Anyway, please review.