New Beginning

Chapter 6


Hermione wasn’t sure how she was going to answer all the questions about Darien’s father. She could tell them the truth, it wouldn’t be lying to say he was dead, he really was. Hermione followed Minerva and Severus through the castle to Dumbledore’s office. She felt immensely better knowing she was safe inside Hogwarts again. Darien was still asleep on Severus’s shoulders. The snicker and the grin that wanted to escape her at the sight of Darien being carried by Severus almost came out a time or two. She noticed Minerva grinning wickedly at Darien and Severus.

“You look natural with Darien in your arms Severus.” Minerva told him while they were going up the stairs to Dumbledore’s office.

Severus snarled and glared at her. Hermione did snicker at that and Severus glanced down at her. Hermione looked away. The door to Dumbledore’s office was open before them and Severus let the woman go inside first. Hermione stood while Minerva sat down in one of the chairs before Dumbledore’s desk. She saw her Headmaster looking at her, well her new boss now.

“Have a seat Hermione. Would you care for a lemon drop?”

Hermione shook her head no to both. She shifted from one foot to another.

Severus noticed the action behind her. He noticed several other things as well, Hermione wasn’t the same witch that she was when she was in Hogwarts. She seemed rather unsure of herself, not typical behavior for one as bright as she was. Nor from someone who came from Gryffindor. Severus came up behind her and leaned down so he could speak softly in her ear.

“Have a seat, Albus won’t let anything happen. Neither will I.”

Hermione looked at him for that short moment. Severus could see the fear in her eyes. What are you so afraid of? Surly she wasn’t afraid of Albus, nor any of the Professors at Hogwarts. She slowly went to the chair next to Minerva and sat down. Severus saw Albus motion for him and he walked over to him and let him look at Darien. He saw Albus look back over at Hermione.

“What happen Hermione?” Albus asked her.

What happen? Everyone wanted to know this. Hermione glanced over at Darien still asleep as Severus walked over to the window with him. She knew he was listening. “Percy told Ron I had Darien.”

She looked back down in her lap.

Severus turned and kept thinking, his nose catching the scent of Harry, but he knew the little boy was called Darien. Harry, Darien, his mind kept going back and forth.

“What did Ron do after he found out?” Albus asked.

Still looking at her lap she answered. “He was angry, he came to the apartment. I wasn’t inside. I was next door at a friend’s place. We waited for him to leave.”

Darien moved and the bottle he was holding dropped to the floor, Severus looked down at the empty milk bottle, he reached up and started rubbing small circles on the boy’s back, he settled back down into sleep. Everyone was watching the gesture he did with the boy and he scowled back at the three. Albus and Minerva grinned at him, Hermione registered shock on her face. Severus arched an eyebrow at her daring her to say something to him. She looked back down and away. In her last year at school Hermione had never looked away from him, she had even started speaking up for herself, not that she never had to begin with, now she didn’t even try. This bothered Severus. Damn you Potter! What did you do this young woman? Or was it Potter? Harry’s scent came back to him, Severus lowered his head and placed his nose in Darien’s hair, so much like Harry. Not that he had ever gotten this close to Harry, but he had gotten close enough to him to know his scent.

“What happen after he left?” Albus continued on.

“I packed what Darien and I needed and left, it wasn’t safe to stay at the apartment anymore. It was ransacked.”

Severus noticed the fear in her eyes, Albus sat back he knew he had noticed it too, and Minerva patted Hermione on her hand.

“I see.” Albus said, then looked back over to Darien and Severus then back over to Hermione. “Where was Harry? Why didn’t he help you? That doesn’t sound like Harry not to help out a friend.”

Hermione fidgeted in her seat. “Harry couldn’t help, I’m sure he would if he knew, but he wasn’t around to help.” Hermione told him, then thought to herself, it’s not a lie, I can’t lie to the Headmaster but I can’t tell him the whole truth.

Albus took out his wand and did the point me spell. Severus watched as Albus’s wand did the same as his did last night. Severus saw the shock on Albus’s face and he turned to him. “Severus, can you do the spell?”

“I tried last night Albus. It seems to have stopped working for Potter.”

Darien took that moment to wake up and look around him, Severus glanced at the little boy in his arms. He was looking at him trying to figure him out then grinned at him, and turned around in Severus’s arms. When he saw Hermione he started wiggling furiously trying to get out of his arms. Severus stood the boy down on the ground. Darien was holding his hand and toddling over to Hermione.

“It would seem little Mr. Potter has decided to join the land of awake now.” Albus said grinning at the boy.

“His name is not Potter. It’s Granger, Darien Michael Granger.” Hermione corrected the Headmaster.

“His father is Potter.” Severus stated.

“Yes.” Hermione said looking right at him as Darien released his hand and went into his mother’s arms. I didn’t lie, Hermione thought, I’m telling the truth. Just not the truth you’re thinking.

Severus narrowed his eyes and watched as Darien settled down in his mother’s lap. Hermione opened the diaper bag and pulled out a toy and Darien started playing. Severus continued to watch the two.

“Then where is Harry?” Minerva asked.

Hermione didn’t say a word, Severus couldn’t get the thought out of his head, she said yes, she confirmed Potter was his father, but…then it dawned on him. He didn’t make the distinction between Harry and James. He only said the last name. The scent was Harry, Harry had been depressed, Severus had thought he would likely take his life, even Albus had thought of the same thing. The boy had gone through too much, the bad seemed to had out weighted the good. The night of the ending feast jumped to the forefront of his mind, Potter with the potion bottle. Just what was in that bottle? Severus looked back at Darien. Potter wouldn’t have allowed his son to have the Granger name, not if it was his heir. He had to go back to that apartment, find something that was Harry’s, something that he wore.

Severus left the three adults. Hermione was holding her own, she would be safe with Albus and Minerva. Reaching the end of the wards on the grounds Severus Apparated back to Potter’s apartment. He started searching through the mess, under one of the couch cushions he found a green bottle, bringing it to his nose he sniffed. De-aging Potion.

“Potter! You foolish boy.”

Severus pocketed the bottle and then searched some more and found one of Potter’s robes, he brought it to his face and sniffed. There was no mistaking it. Darien was Harry. Severus slid down the wall holding the robe.

“Why? Was your life that hard?” Severus asked to the room.

He sat for a long time, going over everything in his mind that he knew about Harry. About the skinny small boy who looked smaller than his age, almost fragile at times. Severus kept going over everything, every memory he ever had of Harry came rushing to the forefront of his mind. The only time he ever saw a true happy look on the boy was when he was in the fly flying. He’d laugh with his friends, but sometimes Severus would catch that look of it being forced.

“We asked to much from him. He found a way out. Even with this way out he’s still having problems.”

Severus stood. Something in him clicked as he studied the robe, Harry still needed help, and Hermione wouldn’t be able to get through this alone. Pulling the potion bottle out one more time he sniffed it again. It was old, the contents inside almost expired. Harry had been carrying that potion around with him. How long? How long had it been? Severus’s mind raced over the contents of the potion, raced over the side effects. The potion was made properly, but would the age have a factor. His mind wasn’t giving him the answers. He needed to check on something. Something in the back of his mind wouldn’t allow him to let this go. Something was still not right.

When Severus arrived back at the castle it was dinnertime, he rushed down into the dungeon, he would eat dinner after he looked at one of his books. Opening the wards to his chambers he walked over to his bookcase and tossed the robe to the floor, he hadn’t let it go until now. He flipped through the pages and found what he was looking for.

It read:

In the case of each year the potion lingers, the memories of the drinker will be more apt to remain. In case of a potion close to the expiration point, the drinker will retain full memories of his past life. While de-aging is still possible, total memory loss will not come to fruition.

Severus scanned further down.

In case of a paternity potion, the drinker will change into the features of the paternity giver. While the de-aging, innocence potion is best effective the first twenty-four hours after it is brewed, the paternity potion can help, only if the drinker has a new set of parents. With the case of a long shelf potion having been drunk, the drinker will still have his memories even if the paternity potion has been given from the new sets of parents. It is therefore advised, if the drinker wishes to have not only his age back to the time of innocence he or she would be better off doing so in the first twenty-four hours the potion has been brewed.

“Bloody Hell!” Severus slammed the book shut. “You’re still rushing into things without the full information and knowledge that you need. How many times did I tell them? How many times did I tell you that Gryffindor bravery would get you in trouble?”

Severus walked out of his chambers very angry, angry not only with Potter but also with himself for not taking that potion away the night that he saw him with it. He made his way into the Great Hall, Hermione was sitting at the table. Darien was sitting beside her in a baby chair, the only chair left empty was beside Darien. Severus walked up and sat down. He looked over at Darien…Harry he kept thinking to himself, but she calls him Darien now. Severus kept warring within his own mind about what he just found out. He glared at the little boy who only giggled at him.

Severus shook his head, this boy was not supposed to be doing this, not knowing that Severus knew he had all his memories. Yet Severus couldn’t fathom why he would think it was funny. Sitting back he realized, yes Potter would think this situation would be funny, the nasty mean git of a potion’s master didn’t know it was him. And Severus had actually grinned at the boy this morning. No wonder Potter kept giggling at him.

Severus leaned over to Darien. “You and I are going to have to have a talk.”

Darien turned to him and reached for his nose, which he grabbed a hold of then the child giggled all the more. Even the other adults started laughing at the sight before them.

“Well, seems our Potion Master doesn’t scare Darien.” Albus observed.

Severus threw Albus a reproachful look while he dislodged his nose from the boy’s little hand. “I think it’s more of a matter that we understand each otherus.”us.”