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 9 ~ The Unhexing and Other Things

When Severus escorted Mathias into the infirmary, Poppy met them by her office. She looked down at Mathias and smiled kindly.

"And who is this fine young wizard?" she asked Severus, smiling down at the boy.

"This is Mathias Granger. He is the young man who hexed Mr. Hoyt," Severus responded, looking at Mathias with an arched eyebrow. "Mathias, this is Madame Pomfrey, the school medi-witch."

"A pleasure to meet you, Madame Pomfrey," Mathias said politely with a little bow.

Hmmm. Apparently Hermione taught him manners as well.

Poppy looked at the young wizard rather sternly, but it was plain to see his politeness had a positive effect on her.

The medi-witch noted that the boy had the Granger last name. If he was Hermione's son, then he must not have a father, since he had his mother's surname. She was curious about that.

"I'm not sure how much of a pleasure it is, Mr. Granger, considering the reason you are here. Hexing another student? That's not good, young man…especially considering you've only been here one day," she scolded Mathias.

Mathias took the scolding. He didn't try to justify his actions to the medi-witch. She couldn't do anything to him after all. Well, she could if she reported it, but Poppy and Severus had a working relationship when it came to Slytherin house. She reported to him and left it up to the Potions Master whether or not to take the situation to the Headmaster or not. Normally, he didn't.

When the wizard didn't answer, Poppy sighed and said, "Well, follow me."

Severus and Mathias were led to a privacy curtain. Poppy pulled it back to reveal Daniel Hoyt, stiff and blue on a hospital cot.

"What kind of spell did you use on him? Neither Professor Snape nor I could remove it," Poppy asked Mathias.

"It's a modified stasis spell," Mathias replied, not addressing why they couldn't remove the hex as he walked up to the sixth-year and remove his wand from his pocket.

Mathias made several intricate passes over the sixth-year and murmured something in a low voice that neither Poppy nor Severus could hear. Severus nodded slightly in approval at this. The boy didn't reveal his spells.

Daniel's color returned to normal. He opened his eyes and looked about confused.

"Where am I?" he asked, trying to sit up. He was still rather stiff. His eyes fell on Mathias who looked at him steadily.

"You! Why you little…" Daniel seethed, jerking toward the boy, who didn't move but held his wand in readiness to hex the sixth-year again.

"I suggest, Mr. Hoyt," Severus said, stepping forward and fixing his dark eyes on his charge, "that you control yourself. You are in the infirmary, and Mr. Granger here just removed a hex from you that no one else could. I believe it was the hex he used on the Bloody Baron, the hex you demanded he reveal to you. Evidently, he did as you requested."

Daniel's eyes washed over the sober first year.

"Well, he's going to pay for it, isn't he?" Daniel said in an angry voice.

Severus frowned at the sixth-year.

"You demanded to know the spell, Mr. Hoyt, in a rather threatening manner which I happened to witness. I know it is tradition that first years are set upon for the first week, but as I told the Bloody Baron when he complained of Mr. Granger's self-defense…every action has a reaction. You threatened the young man, Mr. Hoyt, and he protected himself, getting the better of you. You know the philosophy, Mr. Hoyt. Should I punish the boy for reacting as a Slytherin should react? Or because you caught the short end of your actions this time?" Severus asked him.

Daniel looked from the Potions Master to Mathias. He hung his head.

"I suppose not, Professor," he conceded. Then he looked at Mathias.

"You're fast with a wand, firstie," he said to the boy, who smirked at him but didn't reply.

Poppy approached Daniel and began to check him over, the tip of her wand glowing blue as she passed it over his body. She straightened.

"He'll be fine. No permanent damage," she said, looking down at Mathias with a stern look. "I don't want to see any more casualties of your 'fast wand' in my infirmary, Mr. Granger."

Mathias gave her a very slight nod. It wasn't very convincing.

Severus smirked.

He had a feeling there would be quite a few casualties from Mr. Granger's wand in the ensuing years, at least until students learned to give the little wizard a wide berth when looking for trouble. They would find it with his son.

His son.

A son he had no claim to. A son he couldn't publicly or privately recognize. And such a talented boy too.

Mathias turned to him.

"Professor, I have transfiguration next, and I'm late," the boy said to him.

"I'll give you a note," Poppy said to the young wizard, hustling him off toward his office.

"Good-bye Professor," Mathias called back at him.

"Good-bye Mr. Granger. Don't forget your questionnaire this evening. It had to be on my desk by curfew," Severus reminded him.

"I know sir. It will be there, sir," the wizard called back as Poppy took him into her office.

In a moment Mathias left the infirmary, a piece of parchment folded in his hand.

Severus walked toward the office.

"You can go to class, Mr. Hoyt. I have a note for you in the office. And no more harassing first years, young man. It seems this years crop packs quite a punch," Poppy called to the sixth-year.

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," Daniel said, hopping off the cot, walking past the Potions Master and Poppy, entering the office to retrieve his note, then exiting the infirmary. He was going to have to take a lot of ribbing for getting hexed by a first year, but hell, the little bugger caught him dead to rights.

He had a lot of heart, that Mathias Granger. As far as Daniel Hoyt was concerned, this was the end of it. Of course, he'd look for other opportunities to get the wizard back, but he'd do it like a Slytherin would, clean and leaving himself blameless. He had another two years after all. It wasn't a matter of bad blood. It was just the way things were done.

Poppy looked at Severus.

"Mr. Granger is obviously Hermione Granger's son," she observed, fishing for answers.

Severus nodded, "Yes, he is."

Poppy tsked.

"I never imagined she was the type of young witch who would produce a child out of wedlock. She seemed so focused on her education. Didn't once come in here for contraceptives. I always thought she'd do the right thing," the medi-witch said, shaking her head.

Severus looked at the medi-witch for a moment, his nostrils flaring slightly.

"Maybe she did do the right thing, Poppy. When she found herself with child and no father, she decided to raise it on her own, rather than kill it," he said rather testily.

"Oh, I've no argument about that Professor," Poppy replied, "But it would have been better if the witch had kept her legs closed and her books open. I know she's done well for herself, but unfortunately, her son is still illegitimate, Professor. He has no proper bloodline…and you know how things are now. Bloodline is important these days. Miss Granger is a muggle-born, Professor. She doesn't really hold any place in true wizarding society."

Severus looked at the medi-witch, surprised to hear the DKV line coming from the medi-witch's mouth.

"True wizarding society, Poppy?" he asked.

"Yes, Severus. Proper witches and wizards," she said. Then the medi-witch pulled up her sleeve and showed Severus her Dark Mark.

"I'm a card-carrying member of the DKV. I've been considering joining them for more than a year now. I finally decided they are trying to preserve our way of life and joined them last month. Such a feeling of belonging," she said, smiling at the wizard.

Severus felt nauseous. He couldn't say anything against the DKV.

Poppy's eyes narrowed.

"I wonder who the boy's father is. He can't be anyone of substance to abandon the mother and the child. But then again, Miss Granger is muggle-born. She wouldn't get the respect due to a proper witch in any case," the medi-witch continued. "It was probably a one-night stand."

Severus looked at the medi-witch again.

"I must go, Poppy," he said evenly, striding away from the startled witch.

"Good-bye Professor," she called after him as he strode out the infirmary doors, letting them slam behind him.

Severus walked away from the infirmary. The DKV had managed to recruit Poppy. She had been one of the most fair-minded witches he knew. Gods, Voldemort's plan for conquest was on the verge of being very successful. With that spell attached to the Mark, the Dark Lord had a ready-made army at his scaly fingertips. Things were looking very bad for those who were not of 'proper' wizarding background.

Severus himself was a halfblood, but he had renounced both his muggle-loving mother and muggle father, who were, mercifully dead anyway and so was accepted in the new Dark Order. It would have broken his mother's heart if she knew what he had done. Still, he did what he had to do and went through the painful ritual of renunciation before the Dark Lord and was re-established as a deatheater in good standing. He was thankful he already had the Mark. At least Voldemort would not be able to control him when the time for overthrow came.

But something had to be done. The Order was losing this battle witch by wizard. Plus, he had heard some rumors that Draco was working on a way to actually draw muggle-borns into the DKV. Just how the wizard planned to do that, Severus had no idea. But Draco was shrewd. He would probably put something very enticing on the table. Severus would have to just wait and see.

The wizard took the stairwell down to the main floor. Lunch would be starting in about forty-five minutes. Today's first years first classes were all an hour in length give or take a few minutes depending on the teacher. This was for orientation. The new students would begin actual full-length classes tomorrow.

Severus headed for his office. He had something he wanted to prepare to give to Hermione when he met her at the Three Broomsticks. The Potions Master told himself the witch needed closure as to what actually occurred that night. Subconsciously, however it was something more. He wanted her to know how good it had been.

Severus let himself into his study from the Potions office, walked to his bookcase and opened a false front to reveal a number of pensieves. He picked through them until he found one that was still wrapped, having never been used. He looked at it, reading the label.

The "Sensate Pensieve." Guaranteed to Enhance your Memories or your Galleons Back. A Weasley Wizarding Wheezes Product.

Severus looked at the wrapped pensieve and carried it over to his armchair in front of the fire and set it down on the table. He withdrew his wand and laid it on the table as well. Then he picked up the pensieve and unwrapped it. He blinked his eyes at the loud yellow, pink and purple color.

"Only Fred and George," he said to himself, picking up the piece of folded parchment resting inside the bowl that gave the instructions how to use this newfangled item. Severus purchased it on a whim, being forced to pay the pair a visit to the pair by Albus. Fred and George were doing work for the Order as well, developing surveillance items to keep tabs on the DKV. He thought it sounded interesting.

Severus read the instructions, his eyebrows rising when he read the claim of what this pensieve could do.

"Hm, level one: normal immersion, level two: sensate immersion, and level three: complete immersion," he mused.

The pensieve could be set to go to any level automatically, or it could be voice activated to switch between levels with a simple incantation, no wand necessary. To exit the pensieve, one only had to say the word "Withdraw." He noted some fine print on the bottom of the instructions.

"Warning: Individuals who are reviewing their own memories at level two or above will be drawn into the same mental, emotional and physical state as when the memory actually occurred. It is suggested that level one be maintained in these cases. Weasley Wizarding Wheezing accepts no responsibility for the consequences of ignoring this directive."

Intrigued, Severus picked up his wand and deposited the desired memories into the pensieve as normal. Then he thought about how he wanted it viewed, and decided on the voice activation, and set the spell to set it in motion. A blue flash burst suddenly from the bowl, which became very warm. It cooled quickly. Supposedly, the spell had taken.

Now to view it.

Severus stuck his finger in the bowl and said, "Level one."

He was drawn into the normal view of the pensieve. His eyes grew quite hot as he reviewed the memory.

"Level two," he said.

Immediately the Potions Master began to gasp with pleasure. His eyes started to roll up into his head.

"Shit! Withdraw!" he panted, returning to his normal state.

The Potions Master wiped his face with a pale hand and stared down at the small bowl. Damn. Fred and George were absolute geniuses. That had been some viewing. He'd have to get a few more of these.

Severus wondered at what level Hermione would view this, if she viewed it at all. If she went level two…

Severus felt a throb in his boxers and sighed.

After eleven years of abandonment and the rejection of her son, there was no way the witch would let him under her robes again. She wasn't the same innocent she was eleven years ago, with secret fantasies about him running through her mind. More than likely, Hermione Granger hated him. He couldn't blame her.

But gods, that pensieve.

Severus' eyes narrowed a bit. Maybe the little bowl of memories might reawaken some of those fantasies. Or at least make the witch formulate new ones if she went level two. He had no idea what would happen at level three.

The Potions Master knew one thing however. If Hermione Granger decided she wanted him to fuck her again, he'd do it.

Gladly.

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A/N: Ah, I've worked in the possibility for lemons. :::dances in glee::: They probably won't happen anytime soon (if at all). That pensieve sounds hot. It's a shame about Poppy joining the DKV. Just goes to show how powerful, alluring and deceptive the organization is. Something has to be done. Anyway, please review.