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 76 ~ Breaking the News

"I'm telling you Bozo, since the DKV took over, it's like the newspapers are all on lockdown…all except the Quibbler. They print what they like. Not like the Prophet…what a suck-up piece of parchment it's become. I'm so tired of interviewing purebloods and covering DKV meetings. I need something I can really sink my teeth into. Something that will make the public sit up and take notice. Something sticky and controversial," Rita Skeeter said as she sat in her small dingy office.

The heavy-jawed witch fiddled with a quill between her long red nails as she spoke, then adjusted her costume-jeweled glasses with her rather large mannish hands. Her blonde hair was done up in elaborate but rigid curls, and she arched one of her penciled in eyebrows in irritation as she complained about the state of things.

Bozo Baggins, her photographer, sat in a small chair against the wall, also fiddling with his camera as he listened to the reporter complain. Rita was primarily a columnist for the Prophet, but did freelance work as a reporter for whatever paper would buy her stories. Life had become dull since the DKV had grown in power. People were afraid to talk, and those who did talk stuck to the DKV lines as if magically glued to them. Rita Skeeter herself was a half-blood. Her mother had been a gossip columnist for a small muggle newspaper, and her father, a pureblood wizard who worked for the Prophet as a printer. The pairing would have been frowned on in this day and age.

For a moment, Rita had considered joining the DKV if only to dig up dirt on them, but would not renounce her parentage, although both her parents were dead. The witch felt there was something intrinsically wrong with publicly denying her mother and father, so she bowed out. Rita had no love of the organization…they curtailed free thought, and without free thought, nothing interesting could go on in the world. It was as if every bit of news was perfectly staged, dull and strategically released…ultimately meant to promote Voldemort and the DKV line of pureblood rights. There hadn't been a word against the DKV in months. Everyone was running scared.

Rita's mother's mother had been a polish Jew and spent time in a concentration camp and her story of suffering passed down to the following generations. Rita never forgot the horrors her grandmother went through saw parallels in what had happened in that time and what was happening in the wizarding world today. A despot was slowly taking over the minds and souls of the populace, and looked as if he would rise to power if no one did anything.

Rita had never been a perfect reporter…in fact, she dealt mostly in sensationalism and trash journalism. But her stories sold papers and she basked in the fame it brought her. But fame was fleeting and you had to stay in the public eye to keep that fire burning, and let's face it…Rita hadn't any fuel to add to her personal flame in quite a while. When she was on her game, she'd do anything for a story. When Dumbledore banned her from Hogwarts and interviewing Harry when Voldemort returned, the witch turned into her illegal animagus beetle form to continue to collect information and sell papers.

Eventually Rita told Harry's side of the story and it was published in the Quibbler and the wizarding world was allowed to reach their own conclusions as to the truth of the boy's story. When it was found out that Voldemort really had returned, Rita got quite a bit of the glory and a name as the only reporter who dared to write the truth. It didn't matter that Hermione had blackmailed her to do it. Gods, the witch wished for another chance like that. To write the truth no one else wanted to say. She'd give Bozo's left nut for that kind of opportunity.

Luckily for Bozo, the removal of one of his balls was not necessary. The door to Rita's office suddenly flew open and a reporter burst in.

"Hey Rita…you're wanted down at the Ministry. Some witch blew up an office down there and says she won't talk to anybody but you. They have her up on charges with no bail. The downlow says that she's being railroaded to Azkaban because she's a muggle-born," he blurted out in one long breath.

Rita sat straight up in her swivel chair.

"What's the witch's name?" she asked as she grabbed her crocodile-skin handbag, quickly checking it to make sure she had her Quick-quotes quill and plenty of parchment.

"Hermione Granger," the wizard replied. Both of Rita's penciled eyebrows disappeared into her coiffed hairline. "You know her?"

Rita nodded, a slight scowl on her face.

"Oh, I know her all right," she replied. "Come on, Bozo. I smell big news."

Rita hurried out of her office, followed by the newspaper wizard and Bozo.

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Severus spent several hours with Hermione discussing strategies, then departed the Ministry well before Rita Skeeter got there. Justice himself sent the message to the reporter by Ministry owl that she was wanted. Severus couldn't afford to be exposed assisting Hermione, particularly since her arrest was going to be used to promote the Dark Lord's ideals. Besides, he had a very special counsel to contact. He would be expensive, but the reclusive wizard was known to work miracles. Severus was willing to pay any amount of galleons to extricate his lover and the mother of his child from this situation. He would have to make arrangements with his own solicitor to hire the services of the wizard and to pay him, so there would be no direct link to him.

And then, he had to break the news to Mathias that his mother was being held at the Ministry. The Potions Master knew the boy would be in a quandary for two reasons…first the because of the fact that his mother was in jail, and secondly, the father of one of his closest friends was targeting her to go to Azkaban.

The Potions Master apparated back to Hogwarts and hurried to Slytherin house. He walked into the common room and was greeted by his charges. He looked around for Mathias, but didn't see him. Severus walked up the stairs and turned down the corridor for the boys' private rooms, walked down a bit and knocked on Mathias' door. There wasn't any answer. He turned and walked down to the other end of the hall, where Andreas' room was and knocked. Andreas answered, looking surprised.

"Hello Professor," he said, looking up at the wizard.

"Hello, Mr. Mbutu. Is Mathias here? I need to talk to him," the Potions Master said.

Andreas nodded and pulled the door open. Mathias was sitting on the bed. A number of parchments and books were spread about. It seemed the boys were in the middle of studying.

"Hi Dad," Mathias said as Severus entered.

"Hello son," Severus replied, his eyes leveled on the boy, his face somber.

Mathias knew something was wrong at once.

"What's wrong?" he asked, straightening.

"Your mother has been arrested and is being held at the Ministry for arraignment," the wizard said to his son.

Mathias jumped up, concern on his pale face.

"Arrested? For what? What did she do?" he asked his father, scowling.

"She blew up her office. She was sacked by the Ministry and didn't take it well," Severus replied evenly

Mathias absorbed this. Mum had blown a torch.

"Well, when can we get her out?" he asked his father.

"We can't. She doesn't have any bail," the Potions Master said, "But I am going to hire her the best lawyer in the wizarding world, Mathias. Don't worry. We'll get her out," he said, hoping to comfort the boy.

"Aw mum," Mathias said, flopping back on to Andreas' bed. Andreas looked at both wizards sympathetically. Then Mathias brightened.

"Maybe Jasmine's father can help her," he suggested to Severus, who shook his head sadly.

"No, Mathias…he won't. He's the one who got her replaced, and he's the one who made sure she had no bail. He wants to use your mother as a negative example of a muggle-born with too much power," Severus said.

Mathias' face went dark and his eyes narrowed.

"Jasmine's father is trying to get Mum sent to Azkaban?" he asked his father.

Severus nodded, then said, "I'm sure Jasmine doesn't know anything about what her father is doing. Not yet, anyway."

Andreas walked forward.

"Don't blame Jasmine for her father, Mathias. She isn't like him. You know that," the wizard said, looking at his brother with a worried expression on his face. "Don't take it out on her, my brother."

Mathias' expression didn't change. His mother was in jail, and Jasmine's father was holding her there.

"I want to talk to her father," Mathias said angrily.

"You can't do that, Mathias," Severus said.

The boy looked at his father, his eyes almost deadly.

"I know Jasmine has a way to reach him. She tells him everything that goes on here at Hogwarts," the boy said, the look on his face terrible. "I'll make her contact him."

Andreas put his hand on Mathias' arm.

"Mathias, you can't do that," he began.

Mathias wrenched his arm away.

"Don't tell me what I can't do, Andreas. Jasmine can contact her father and she's going to do it. This is my mum we're talking about," the wizard said, standing and walking toward the door. Severus blocked him, his black eyes hard.

"Well, I will tell you what to do, Mathias," he said in a dangerous voice, "and that will be to leave Jasmine alone until you calm down. You can't burst into her room making demands. She is your friend. She will help you if you ask her…not order her. Any way, it's late. It would be better to contact Draco tomorrow…if he will talk to you at all."

Mathias met his father's gaze defiantly at first as the Potions Master's words settled in. No, it wouldn't be good to storm into Jasmine's room. She was innocent in all of this. She couldn't help it if her git of a father was trying to make some kind of example out of Hermione. The wizard's shoulder's slumped.

"All right, Dad. I will wait until tomorrow to ask Jasmine if she will let me talk to her father," Mathias said, sitting back down on Andreas' bed.

Andreas breathed a sigh of relief.

"A wise decision, Mathias. Always think before you act, son," the Potions Master said, "We will get your mother out of this mess, believe me. I will do everything in my power to make it so," Severus promised him.

A swirl of magic accompanied his promise. Severus looked up. He hadn't meant to take a Wizard's Oath, but the powerful emotion behind his words invoked one anyway. He didn't mind however…he fully intended to do all he could. She was his lover after all. He couldn't let her languish behind bars.

Mathias nodded.

The two wizards looked awkwardly at each other, father and son both suffering the loss of the living bond between them, Hermione. Mathias suddenly stood up, walked across the room and embraced his father, holding on to him tightly.

Severus, caught by surprise, brought his hands up and patted the boy's back at first…then returned the embrace. It was a manly embrace they shared, drawing on each other for strength and courage. After a moment or two, the Potions Master let him go, and Mathias looked up at him. He was much taller now but still shorter than his father.

"Get her out, Dad," Mathias said in a strangled voice. "I can't stand the idea of her being locked up."

"I will son. I will," the Potions Master replied, his face slightly contorted. He quickly turned and left Andreas' room. It was the first time father and son had ever embraced and it affected the wizard greatly. His son was counting on him as much as his mother was.

He wouldn't fail them.

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A/N: Rita is on the way. Mathias was hot about his mum's arrest. Jasmine could have been in for it if reason hadn't won out. I wonder how she's going to take the news her father had Mathias' mother replaced, then locked up without bail. Not well I imagine. A very sweet moment between Severus and Mathias. Mathias was raised by Hermione, and used to embraces of love and comfort, no matter how hard he tries to be. He needed reassurance and wasn't ashamed to seek it out from his father in his mother's absence. I'm not really sure whose temper Mathias has, though I am leaning toward Hermione. She's pretty good about maintaining her temper, but has outbursts. Severus has a terrible temper too, but is more restrained with it. What do you think? Anyway, please review.