Rihanna's Son

Short chapter, but hopefully enough to keep the interest sparked!

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Anne had seen Rihanna perform small spells and charms during her five year friendship with Rihanna, but was completely enthralled by Remus' use of his magic. He packed everything of Damien's and a few personal things of Rihanna's for himself, Damien and even Severus, then shrunk everything until it fit inside of a single small suitcase. He cast a slight levitation spell, and Damien was even able to lift it, which he insisted upon. After leaving the hospital, the children were allowed to feed the ducks at the pond, laughing and playing. He envied the children with their ability to move from one extreme to another with no problem, but that was one of the advantages of childhood.


He remembered when he was first bitten, only a little older than Damien; he hadn't really understood everything that was happening to him, but that he got locked up a few nights a month and liked rare meat. He didn't realize until he was older that he'd never been allowed alone with his baby sister until he was almost eleven and ready for Hogwarts, or that he never got to spend the night with friends, or even that he had friends beside Rihanna and the neighbors down the road. Once dinner was eaten and children put to bed, Remus walked across the hall to his sister's apartment and started going through her things. He left a lot of things with Anne, her surrogate sister and best friend: it was only fair, since she'd been around when Remus and Severus were in the middle of their war and hadn't been around.

Anne brought out a bottle of wine and the two strangers commiserated about Rihanna's fate. After the bottle, she pushed him down to the couch and they commiserated in another way. When they woke a few hours later, they mumbled apologies to the other, realizing they hadn't had sex because of an attraction, but to reaffirm their lives, that in the face of their loved one's death, they were still alive and feeling.


The next morning, Anne hugged him, kissed Damien and waved them good-bye as the Apparated directly out of her apartment. When Heather woke, she'd tell the girl that her bestfriend was gone to live with his father.

Lupin Apparated before the row of houses and pulled the boy closer to his side. He leaned down and whispered the address of the Headquarters. A second later, the house squeezed itself from between two other ones. Giving the boy an encouraging smile, he drew Damien up the stairs. He didn't know what he was going to do when he confronted Severus. He hoped the git would just faint when confronted with his own son, but he wasn't going to count on it. He'd been a spy far too long to be surprised like that.

The boy ran up the stone stairs and pushed the door open with the exuberance of youth. He was in a hurry to meet his father, now that he no longer had his mother. Damien stopped in the foyer, staring at the slumbering portrait of Mrs. Black. He cocked his head to the side, hearing the faint snoring of the old woman. Remus entered and closed the door, a little louder than usual, waking the old witch up. She screamed invectives at him and the child. Now he had everyone's attention in the house. He could already hear people coming from different areas of the Black house.

"Mudblood! Filthy blood traitors! Half-blood abhorance! Basta--"

"You're a mean 'ol lady. Didn't no one never tell you to be quiet 'less you have something nice to say?" Damien scofed at the portrait. He'd shut her up far easier than anyone else had in the last two years. Remus snorted and turned to their audience. Severus was standing at the bottom step, one hand on the banister, his robes gone and wearing a pair of black slacks and sweater. Hermione, Molly and Ginny came hurrying from the kitchen, each of the younger girls covered from head to waist in a dusting of flour. Evidently, they'd been getting baking lessons.

Remus narrowed his eyes at the spy, not realizing he was stalking toward Severus until he was standing directly in front of him.

"You son of a bitch!" Remus' fist landed squarely over Severus' left eye, knocking him back to a sitting position on the staircase. The werewolf winced and cradled his sore fingers against his chest. Severus glared at his former nemesis, now ally, and stood slowly as he watched Molly advance on the child Remus had brought with him.

"Remus! Watch your language, there's a child present. Who's child is he anyway?" Molly admonished the man lightly, wondering if the boy was his son. Damien smiled at the older witch and extended his right hand for a handshake.

"Too close to the full moon, Moony? Shoud I get the potion for you?" Severus taunted the former Dark Arts instructor. Remus ignored him and turned back to his nephew.

"This is Damien, Damien Remus, my nephew. I've been charged with bringing the child to be raised by his father." Remus turned to glare at Severus again. Hermione moved to stand between the two men, knowing neither of them would dare touch her. She looked at the child, a suspicion of who the father was crossing her mind, then cementing there when she caught Remus glaring at the Potions master again.

"Who's that, Uncle Remus?"

"Severus Snape, Damien." He spat the name.

Damien took three steps towards the towering, imposing figure, who had resumed his standing position on the stairs. Severus backed up as many steps. He wasn't used to dunderheads so little. He usually got them when they were a few years older, at least tall enough to see over the top of their potions desks.

"Wow. You're my Daddy." Damien stood up straight and cocked his head to the right, one of his little black eyebrows going up just like Severus'.

"I sincerely doubt that." He sneered at the child.

"Severus, we need to talk. Now!" Remus asked Molly to watch the little boy, and pointed his wand at Snape, who was turning green slowly. "In the library." He followed Severus with his wand still drawn. The door slammed shut and Molly guided the little boy into the kitchen. Ginny turned to Hermione, a gleam in her light eyes.

"This sounds interesting. Let's listen in."

"No, Ginny. It sounds private. We should leave them be. Come on, you mother said we could roll out the crusts now. We better hurry before the dough hardens too much." She held the youngest Weasley's arm and guided her none too gently back into the kitchen. She wished Ginny had stayed at the castle for the last two days of term before the winter holiday, but she'd insisted on returning to Grimmauld Place, so she could see Harry. She was still pressuring Harry to continue their relationship, and Hermione thought the other girl had a good point. Voldemort would use Ginny against Harry whether they were together or not, simply because they had dated in school.

Besides, she felt that the entire Order would know what happened between Remus and Severus soon enough.


a/n~~ Ok, a long awaited update. This one is off the cuff, so hey, if you have ideas, just throw em at me. I might even use them! LOL...

Keep reviewing, I really appreciate your kind words, everyone

until next time,

marti