Darkness Shadows Light 2

Chapter Six - The Law Of Heredity Is That All Undesirable Traits Come
From The Other Parent

Christmas was fast approaching. After Matthew\'s birthday, the weeks
had seemed to speed by.

Snape watched his son through narrowed eyes as they dined in the
Great Hall. Matthew was the centre of attention at the Slytherin
table. He appeared to be enthusiastically talking about something
that was obviously of high interest. He was sitting between Cronus
and Bane; two first years who Matthew seemed to have grown very close
to, very quickly.

Snape knew very well the reason why the pair were interested in
befriending his son.

Since his birthday, a dramatic change had taken place in Matthew. No
longer did he sit in class pretending he didn\'t know something or
couldn\'t perform certain magic. In fact, he was even surprising his
parents, who had believed they *knew* the extent of his magical
abilities. Unfortunately, along with this revelation had come an
unbearably smug attitude. He and Harry had talked it over and had
decided that they would leave him alone for the moment. Harry
believed that it was just a \'phase\'. Somehow, Snape didn\'t hold out
the same hope.

Ashanti was sitting further down the table with the girls from her
dormitory talking quietly. Occasionally, she would throw Matthew
disgusted looks as he continued to talk loudly. Their friendship had
cooled greatly since Cronus and Bane had come on the scene. Matthew
had also usurped her place as top of the class in most of their
lessons.

//Cronus and Bane// Snape thought with disgust. Both were
Slytherin. One eerily like Draco in appearance and in manner. The
other was an even thicker version of Crabbe and Goyle. They had only
sought Matthew out once they realised how powerful he really was.
Snape didn\'t know what Matthew saw in them, and shuddered at the
thought.

What confused them both even more was Matthew\'s treatment of them.
To Harry, he was at best subdued and at worst ignored him. To Snape
however, most of the time he acted as if he was the lowest form of
life. He never said anything directly that Snape could call him out
on.

Suddenly, Snape was dragged from his brooding by a hand on his
thigh. He looked away from the Slytherin table and into the
glittering green eyes of his beloved. Since the night of Matthew\'s
birthday, things had been good between them...more than good. They
seemed to have finally found the equilibrium they had been so
desperately striving for after all these years. The only issue that
confused Snape was the fact that the bond had not resumed to its
former level of intimacy. They could feel each other\'s emotions if
they concentrated. But, they could only real each other\'s thoughts
if the other *really* wanted them to be read. Snape mused that
perhaps this was because of the balance they now had. After all, it
wasn\'t really natural to be able to hear another\'s thoughts as easily
as your own. Yet, it had been exactly what they had needed in the
first couple of years of their relationship with the insecurities
that haagueagued both of them.

Matthew looked up and frowned as he saw his parents practically
devouring each other with their eyes. They thought they were being
discreet, but to him it was obvious. It all seemed so hypocritical.
Papa had cheated on Dad with *his* godfather, and now they were
acting as if nothing had happened! He was really not looking forward
to Christmas and facing Remus with what he now knew.

He knew his parents weren\'t happy with his new friends and he was
*glad*. He didn\'t want nor need their approval. He had always felt
their disapproval when he was younger and did something that was
beyond what he should be capable. They had desperately wanted him to
be normal. The problem was, he wasn\'t normal. He never would be.
So now, instead of trying to hide this fact, he was going to exploit
it. He was the most popular Slytherin in his year, if not the entire
house, and it made him feel *good*. Something he had not experienced
in a long time...if ever.

********

\'I\'m going to go and see Poppy later,\' Snape said casually. Harry
looked up sharply from the book he was reading, concern etched
clearly on his face. He knew his husband well enough to know that
there would have to be a very good reason for him to voluntarily go
and see the medi-witch.

\'What\'s the matter?\' Harry asked abruptly.

Snape fixed him with an unfathomable look. \'I have been feeling a
little under the weather for a few weeks now,\' he admitted
uneasily. \'I thought it would just go away by itself. However, it
hasn\'t.\'

At this statement, Harry looked even more worried. \'I\'m coming with
you,\' he replied.

\'There\'s absolutely no need for that...\' Snape began, looking annoyed.

\'There\'s every need,\' Harry interrupted. \'If you go by yourself, you
won\'t give Poppy half the information she needs. Then, you certainly
won\'t let me know what she says afterwards!\'

\'Fine,\' Snape conceded with a snort, yet knowing better than to
dispute the truth in his husband\'s words. After all, if he hadn\'t
wanted Harry there, he would never have mentioned it and simply gone
by himself...

******

Snape looked at the medi-witch irritably. He had been poked,
prodded, probed and was now thoroughly fed up. Madam Pomfrey had
remained tight-lipped throughout the examination despite Harry\'s
frantic asking of questions and demanding of answers. Fly, ly, it
looked as if she was ready to deliver the verdict.

\'Well, Severus, there\'s a very good reason why you\'ve been feeling
unwell recently. It would appear that you\'re...pregnant.\' Madam
Pomfrey looked at the stunned wizards and pursed her lips. She did
not look very happy. \'I\'ve absolutely no idea why, if you wanted
another baby, that you got pregnant this time Severus. After all,
you\'re nearly fifty, hardly a suitable age to be carrying a first
child. It would have made far more sense for Harry to be made
pregnant again. He\'s been through it all already and knows what to
expect.\'

\'I hated being pregnant!\' Harry said passionately. \'What with the
first three months of feeling tired most of the time and my emotions
all over the place. Then a couple of months of being fairly okay
except for a ferocious sex drive...\' he smiled fondly at the memories
of this favourite part of the pregnancy. \'Yes that bit wasn\'t too
bHoweHowever,\' he frowned. \'Then I got too big to even want to
move, swollen belly, swollen ankles, swollen feet and as for the
birth... God, it was absolute hell! I never want to go through any
of that again...\' he trailed off. He suddenly became aware that
Snape was scowling at him. He smiled sheepishly. \'Sorry, probably
not quite what you needed to hear at this point.\'

\'But probably the answer to my question,\' Pomfrey said
briskly. \'Obviously, you were so opposed to going through another
pregnancy, that you subconsciously prevented it from happening.
Now,\' she said, changing the subject. Do you have any idea when this
baby was conceived?\'

Harry and Snape looked at each other - they both knew when this baby
had been conceived - suddenly the intensity of their coupling had a
whole new meaning.

\'I believe it\'s safe to assume it was the night of Matthew\'s
birthday,\' Snape said eventually, not looking particularly thrilled
to having to give this level of information to the medi-witch.

\'Hmm, yes, that would be about right,\' she agreed easily. \'Which
means the baby\'s due around the beginning of July - maybe earlier if
we go by Matthew.\'

\'Those were rather extreme circumstances,\' Harry reminded her with a
wry smile. \'I doubt we\'ll be killing Voldemort *again*!\'

\'That is certainly not on my list of things to do in the next seven
months,\' Snape agreed sardonically.\'Th\'Though I don\'t suppose having a baby was up there either,\' Harry
couldn\'t help but point out. He also utterly failed to hide the grin
the words brought to his face.

Ignoring Snape\'s thunderous look, Madam Pomfrey continued. \'However,
because of your age and the fact this is a magical baby like Matthew,
I think it will be prudent for you to give up teaching by Easter at
the latest.\'

Swiftly, Snape looked even more thunderous. \'I will *not* sit around
twiddling my thumbs whilst Harry had to overwork himself covering all
my classes!\' he snapped. It was true that since the advent of two
capable Potions masters, Dumbledore had taken shameless advantage by
increasing the number of lessons that each year had. Plus, Snape and
Harry had instigated revision classes in the evenings for those who
were either behind in their studies or simply wanted to learn more.

\'That\'s something you\'ll have to work out with the Headmaster,\' she
replied mildly. \'I\'m sure you would like to inform him of
this...event as soon as possible.\'

*********

Snape sat down on the couch in their living room. Harry sat beside
him, curling his legs up under him and laying his head on his
husband\'s shoulder. Tentatively, he placed a hand on the still flat
stomach of his lover. Harry was actually feeling horribly protective
of his lover. He wondered if Severus had felt the same way when he
was pregnant with Matthew. Then, he remembered that the older wizard
had *always* been protective of him, even when he hadn\'t liked him
very much. His heart warmed when Snape put his own hand over Harry\'s.

\'How do you *really* feel about this baby?\' Harry asked tremulously.
He had tried to read his lover\'s feelings, but Snape had resolutely
blocked him out. So, he didn\'t have a clue how he felt over this
unexpected development.

\'Surprised, shocked, a little apprehensive,\' Snape admitted looking
more vulnerable than Harry was used to. \'I may have offhandedly
thought that we were happiest when Matthew was younger. However, I
imagined it would take more than that to make me pregnant!\'

\'Yes, I remember you saying something like that the night of the
Welcoming feast,\' Harry reflected. \'I just assumed it wasn\'t
possible. After all, Matthew is a bit of a miracle child. I never
imagined we\'d be able to have another.\' He grinned wickedly as a
thought struck. \'At least, now you\'ll get to experience what I went
through.\'

\'Yes, yes, I think I got the gist of it during your tirade to Poppy,\'
Snape retorted. \'Also, don\'t forget I was there for most of your
pregnancy. My memory isn\'t so bad that I can\'t remember what
happened twelve years ago.\'

\'Yes, except you weren\'t there for all of it...there were parts you
missed. Parts that really only Ron was there for.\' Harry looked a
little sad as Snape instantly bristled at the mention of Harry\'s ex-
best friend. One, because no matter what Harry said, he would never
forgive the man and two, he didn\'t like the reminder of how much he
had missed through his own stupidity. \'Anyway,\' Harry continued
hurriedly. \'Watching someone else go through something is *no*
substitute for experiencing it yourself!\'

\'I just think it couldn\'t have come at a worse time. We\'re both
worried about Matthew. How exactly do you think he is going to react
to the news that there is a new baby on the way?\'

\'I guess hght ght be a little jealous at first,\' Harry replied slowly.

Snape gave him a look of disgust. \'A little jealous?! Matthew has
been an only child for twelve years. Believe me, he\'s going to be
extremely upset.\'

\'You never know, he might surprise us and be pleased,\' Harry replied
hopefully. \'He might actually like the idea of having a younger
brother or sister.\'

Snape shot him a disbelieving look. Nothing was ever that easy.

\'Well I suppose we\'d better go and inform Albus. That is, if he
somehow doesn\'t already know,\' Snape said grudgingly. \'He\'ll need
time to find a replacement for me.\'

*******

Albus Dumbledore surveyed the faces of the two wizards in front of
him. When they had asked for a private meeting with him, he had
certainly not imagined *this* was the reason. It had startled him
and he began to wonder whether he wasn\'t getting too old for this
job. However, he wasn\'t going to let that show to the younger
wizards.

\'I believe I know the perfect replacement for you,\' the headmaster
said calmly to Snape. Not a trace of surprise showed on his
face. \'He owes me a few favours.\'

\'Who is \"he\"?\' Harry asked curiously. Dumbledore merely smiled
enigmatically.

\'I think it would be best if I find out whether he is willing first,\'
he replied.

*******

Christmas came round all too soon. Snape, Harry and Matthew were to
spend the lead up to Christmas and Christmas day with Snape\'s parents
and Boxing Day at Hermione and Sirius\' house in London. Snape and
Harry had decided that they would tell Snape\'s parents about the new
baby when they got there. Matthew, however, they would tell on
Boxing Day with the rest of their extended family. Hoping that being
surrounded by his family and friends, he would be convinced that this
was a *good* thing.

It wasn\'t until late the first evening after they had arrived at the
Snape\'s home that they were able to deliver the news.

\'We have something to tell you,\' Snape began gravely. Mrs Snape
instantly looked worried. Snape senior eyed his son.

\'I take it that it\'s not good news from the look on your face?\'

\'Well, *we* think it\'s good news,\' Harry jumped in. \'We haven\'t told
Matthew yet...but we\'re having another baby.\' Then, amending
nervously. \'Well, actually, Severus is having the baby this time.\'
Snape\'s father looked at him in disbelief. He then turned and looked
accusingly at his son. \'I can\'t believe you would let this happen
again, especially not after what we said last time.\'

\'Believe me, it certainly wasn\'t planned. This was as big a shock to
us as it is to you.\' Snape said stiffly.

Harry looked back and forth between his husband and his father-in-
law, confusion evident on his face. \'What exactly are you talking
about?\' he demanded. \'Said *what* last time? And what last time
exactly are we talking about?\'

\'Do you remember the first time we came here? Just after Matthew was
born.\' Snape replied, his eyes shifting nervously to his husband.

\'Yes, of course!\' It was hardly a day he was likely to forget. The
day Snape had finally reunited with his family after twenty years.
Suddenly, he remembered that father and son had retreated to the
father\'s study at one point. Both had emerged looking a little
thoughtful. \'It\'s what you said in the study isn\'t it?\' asked
Harry. \'The conversation you wouldn\'t tell me about.\'

Snape nodded his head and sighed. \'Well I guess now would be as good
a time as ever to tell you...\'


Flashback

Once the door was shut, Snape senior turned a worried face to his son.

\'You do know what he is I assume?\' he said without preamble.

\'Harry is my husband...\' Snape began.

\'You know I wasn\'t referring to Harry,\' his father interrupted with a
show of irritation. \'I meant Matthew.\'

\'Matthew is my son, your grandson,\' Snape replied levelly

\'When I first heard that Harry Potter was pregnant, I was worried,
even though it was supposed to be a Weasley child. Now, I know it
has our blood and frankly, the thought terrifies me.\' He looked at
his son gravely. \'I\'m afraid there are some things in our family
history that we have kept from you. There had always been a darkness
associated with our name and it is not totally unmerited. You see,
my mother was a niece of Grindelwald himself. We share the same
blood as him. Therefore, that child is destined to have more power
than we have seen since Grindelwald.\'

Snape, for once, was lost for words. \'Why did you keep something
that important from me?\' he demanded.

\'We were ashamed of the connection,\' his father replied. \'We have
done our best to hide it all these years...and succeeded.\'

\'But I\'m your *son*. I deserved to know,\' he said angrily.

\'We thought it was best not to tell you. You have always had an
unhealthy interest in the Dark Arts and we thought it might encourage
you. Though it seems you didn\'t need the encouragement. I know you
made the right choice in the end, but it took a long time to get
there. You lost a hell of a lot on the way.\'

\'I know my choices were not always the best,\' Snape said
gravely. \'Yet I believe that between Harry and me, we will be able
to keep Matthew from harm.\'

Snape\'s father shook his head and for a moment looked very old.

\'Son, I wish I could believe that. You\'ve chosen a difficult path.
I just hope you are capable of succeeding where I failed.\'

\'You didn\'t fail,\' Snape protested. \'It was because of you that I
realised what a mistake I had made. It\'s what made me turn away from
Voldemort.\'

\'Yet the fact still remains that you turned to him in the first
place. Your mother and I should have been able to prevent that.\'

\'I made my own choices. At the time, I thought they were right.
Nothing could have persuaded me otherwise. It was only later that I
realised how young and foolish I had been.\'

Snape senior could not help but raise an eyebrow at this admittance
from his son. The proud child he had brought up would never have
admitted such a thing. \'So tell me, how did you defeat Voldemort?\'
Snape senior asked, sitting back and changing the subject to a
slightly mcomfcomfortable one...or so he thought.

Succinctly, Snape went through the story, holding back none of the
more delicate details. He felt his father deserved nothing but the
unvarnished truth after all this time. When he had finished, his
father just stared at his in astonishment.

\'So, let me see if I have this straight,\' he said. \'You and Harry
Potter unknowingly bonded and it wasn\'t triggered until Voldemort
tried to kill you. Then, my mother\'s necklace that you had given to
Harry, was actually a magical focus that allowed him to combine his,
yours and my grandson\'s magic se tse the Killing curse?\'

\'That about sums it up,\' Snape replied. \'Though, I hate to admit to
such a thing, it was more luck than judgement that saved the day.\'

\'This alarms me even more,\' Snape\'s father said sombrely. \'He has
already killed. I\'m not sure how that will affect him.\'

\'It worries me too,.\' Snape admitted. \'Yet, Harry refuses to
listen. He denies that there could be a problem.\'

\'Well, now only time will tell.\'

End of Flashback


Harry looked at his husband, feeling betrayed. \'I can\'t believe you
kept all that from me!\' he exclaimed.

\'You weren\'t prepared to listen,\' Snape contradicted. \'You knew I
was always concerned about how Matthew would handle the power he
has. Not unfounded it would now appear.\'

\'You\'re both missing the point here,\' Snape senior
interrupted. \'You\'re about to bring another powerful wizard into the
world.\'

\'Well, there\'s nothing we can do about it now,\' Snape
snapped. \'Unless you want me to kill myself!\'

\'Of course not!\' Mrs Snape exclaimed, looking distressed. \'This is
our grandchild and whatever you say,\' she glared at her
husband. \'I\'m sure given enough love and understanding he or she
won\'t turn out like Matthew.\'

The room went deadly quiet. Mrs Snape saw the goodness in everyone.
If she was admitting there was a problem with Matthew, then there
*was* a problem.

\'What do we do?\' asked Harry helplessly, finally breaking the
silence. \'He\'s our son and we love him. But, I feel him going off
the rails and I don\'t have a clue how to stop it.\'

The room fell silent once again. There was no simple solution and
they all knew it.

TBC