Severus watched his son join the Slytherin table, and offered a tight smile, the most positive expression he ever wore in public. He felt the gazes of other staff members on him, but he paid them no heed until Severin was sitting down and talking quietly with his Housemates. The other Slytherins seemed very welcoming, at least for the moment. Whether or not that would last once they learned about Severin's brother was another story. One he was not at all eager to meet, though it was inevitable now.
It was with a great deal of difficulty that he had resisted spying on his son during the train ride, and even greater difficulty that he refrained from doing so now. The Slytherins' reactions to the boy would not only affect Severin, after all.
Instead, he looked over to the Gryffindor table where Charlie was laughing with some second years, and cheering loudly as the last student - the first of the new Weasley generation - joined Gryffindor. Hagrid's boy gave no indication of having learned who his father was. Perhaps the boy did have some Slytherin traits. Else he simply hadn't made the connection that brotherhood to Severin meant that he was Severus' son as well.
"Awful tall for a first year," Severus heard from his right. He turned his head to find Madam Hooch looking right back at him. He raised an eyebrow. "I said, the Snape boy is awful tall for a first year," she repeated.
"Both of his parents are very tall," was all Severus replied to that.
"He yours?" Hooch never was much one for subtlety.
"Of course." The Snapes were a small family line, with very little branching. His father was dead. His mother had remarried and moved to Norway. His younger brother hadn't been seen in twenty-odd years and it was common belief that he was dead as well. Where else a Snape child could have popped up from, Severus couldn't imagine. Yet, many of the staff looked surprised by his confirmation.
"His mother raised him then?" the muggle studies teacher asked. Jackson or Johnson or some such muggle name. Appropriate, really, for the position, Severus supposed.
"Yes." If they took that to mean what it didn't, it wasn't his problem. Albus's eyes twinkled, while Minerva sighed quietly.
"Hadn't realized you were married," the ancient runes professor, Anthony Greaves, remarked, taking it for granted that he was, despite the lack of a ring on his hand. Sprout, who knew otherwise, widened her eyes and looked at him in surprise, her head turning quickly enough to draw attention and create speculative looks on the more observant of the professors.
"I prefer to keep my private life private," was all Severus replied, and turned his attention to his meal.
It was the first time in eleven years that he actually ate the food served at the Great Table, and he nearly choked on his pumpkin juice when the muggle studies teacher said quite seriously to the ancient runes one, "I thought he was a vampire."
He did accomplish swallowing, before turning to the pair and asking in disbelief, "Excuse me?"
The man flushed red. "We, I, we thought, well, you haven't eaten anything in years. We thought you, um, got bitten."
"I've been sharing meals with Severin," Severus responded, feeling quite dumbfounded. How had that rumour taken solid root and he hadn't even known? Clearly, he'd cut himself off from the rest of Hogwarts more than he'd realized. No wonder Albus had been asking after his health and trying so hard to get him to take a vacation to 'see the world and live a little' since Voldemort was defeated. He looked towards the Headmaster who was smiling cheerfully at him. That always made him nervous. "Headmaster, I have reduced the wards on my chambers. A house elf or ghost may now enter, so you needn't send Fawkes should you wish to summon me."
Severus hoped, but doubted, he wouldn't be visited by a long string of them, simply because the option had so long been denied them. The wards were still set to prohibit Peeves from entrance, of course.
Albus nodded, still twinkling, "Thank you, Severus. Do the elves know which of Severin's things to move to his dormitory?"
"The House elves need not bother themselves. Severin brought his things on the train with him." A spare glance around the table told him that Flitwick and Greaves had picked up on the fact that Severin had lived at Hogwarts. Ravenclaws, both of them.
Vector, though, frowned thoughtfully, looking towards Severin. "May I ask his birthdate?"
"April eighteenth."
She closed her eyes briefly, and her fingers twitched against the table. No doubt doing an arithmancy problem in her head. Her eyes snapped open suddenly, and she looked at Charlie. "Are they brothers in truth as well as circumstance?"
Severus inclined his head toward her, granting her the respect due such a deduction. Arthimantic help or no, it would still take a master to work that out so quickly.
Albus chuckled. "Severus, my boy, you've been found out."
Hagrid dropped his fork. Loudly.
"Thank you for removing all doubt, Headmaster," Severus muttered irritably. Albus just smiled benignly.
"Amelia, surely you aren't suggesting that Severus is that boy's mother," Greaves asked his colleague, ignoring the byplay between Headmaster and Head of Slytherin.
"It does make sense," Vector defended her conclusion with more concrete facts than however she had come by it. "He was ill that entire year while Rubeus was pregnant. I imagine they were both hit with that potion." By the certainty of her tone, Severus doubted there was very little imagining involved.
"Surely, Hagrid would have mentioned it if he hadn't been the only one affected," the runes professor argued back, completely oblivious to the Severus's glare and Hagrid's state of shock.
"You are assuming Rubeus knew. Severus has clearly gone out of his way to be certain no one knew of his son until today. He would not hesitate to use an obliviate if he thought it necessary." Vector seemed to know him far better than Severus was comfortable with. "My only question was whether or not the impregnation was potion-induced or sexual."
Severus blinked, and wished desperately that he was anywhere but here. Several professors choked on their food, or in the muggle studies professor's unfortunate case, snorted pumpkin juice up his nose. Sprout blushed bright red, while Flitwick fell off his chair. Dumbledore was laughing helplessly, gaining the attention of every student in the hall that Flitwick's crash had not. Minerva sat stiffly in her chair, pretending she hadn't heard. Hagrid gaped like a fish.
Vector looked confused that she had caused such an extreme reaction. "What?"
"Amelia, please, don't say things like that without warning us first," Greaves complained.
"I don't think it was an invalid question." She clearly did not understand their objection to the topic.
"Snape, tell her she's got a few marbles loose and that it was the potion," Hooch demanded.
Severus fought with the decision of whether or not to comply. Every instinct of self preservation to him to do it, but Albus watched through tears of laughter, and he felt Severin's observing presence in his mind. For reasons he could not decipher, both wizards had detrimental effects on his ability and will to lie. Instead, he ignored the flying instructor by wordlessly attacking his dinner with a vengeance.
"Perhaps not invalid, Amelia, but certainly improper," Greaves spoke into the strained silence when it became obvious Severus wasn't going to.
"Oh, oh my, of course. I forgot. Severus doesn't like talking about his private life. I am sorry, Severus."
Severus weight the benefits of hexing the arithmancy professor against the disciplinary measures Albus would have to take for assaulting a fellow staff member in full view of the pupils. Perhaps a small one wouldn't be noticed? But no, Severin was watching not only his actions but his thoughts, and it wouldn't do to set that kind of example. And Vector, for all her impertinence, had asked with no harsher motive than academic curiosity. He truly did not believe the woman lived in the same reality as the rest of the world. Her universe was a much simpler one and filled only with fact, theory, and possibility. This was not the first time she had created such a scene and he doubted it would be the last.
"Eat your chicken, Amelia," was all he said.
Eventually, the feast ended. Eventually, the students cleared out of the Hall, thus freeing the professors to leave. He made to slip away at the earliest opportunity, but Albus called out, "Severus, stay a moment." It was with great reluctance that he sat back down and watched most of his colleagues leave through the staff door talking quietly among themselves. He had the impression they were discussing him by the backwards looks they shot in his direction before disappearing.
He felt like a sixth year again, during the time that the rumour about him and Lucius was circulating, when insults still had the power to sting. Except this time the vicious words were true. That made it far, far worse. Lies and malicious slander he took for granted, expected, even used to his own advantage. He took no offense to being assumed a vampire. His reaction tonight had only been in response to the fact that he hadn't realized it was happening. But the thought that they knew Severin came from his womb and was fathered by Hagrid? That left him exposed and defenseless.
Speaking of . . .
The only people remaining in the Hall were himself, Albus, and the half-giant. "Severus, I think it time you told Hagrid what happened that night almost twelve years ago."
"The prefects will be expecting me to talk to the first years in a few moments, Headmaster, can't this wait?"
Albus sighed, "It has waited this long."
Reprieved, Severus fled the room as quickly as he could without breaking decorum. He should have just run. "Prof'sor?" Severus stopped with a foot out of the door, but did not turn back. "Is Charlie yours?"
Severus hesitated, uncertain how to answer. Some form of the truth. Albus was right there and expecting it of him. Finally, he settled on, "As much as Severin is yours." He did not give the half-giant time to respond before leaving, at a speed just a hair too fast to be considered normal.
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With the exception of Severin, of course, the new lot of Slytherin first years were a fairly pitiful group. Born the second year of Voldermort's second reign, they were mostly the products of marriages arranged to please the Dark Lord. Consequently, with the rest of the wizarding world holding off on having children during the troubled times or losing them in Death Eater raids, this year's Slytherin class was twice the size of the next largest.
Most of them were orphans or fatherless. Of those parents not killed outright, many had been sent to Azkaban. The children were scared, uncertain of their future, distrusted by the world because of their family name, and Severus's responsibility for the next seven years.
He scanned the small crowd briefly, picking out those who lived with their mothers, those sent to live with distant relatives or foster parents, and the ones whose parents had both managed to survive, either due to actually not being involved or doing a good enough job of appearing that way. "Welcome to Hogwarts and to Slytherin House. I am Professor Snape, your Head of House. If you have any questions, difficulties, or problems, I expect you to come to me or a prefect. Rule breaking will not be tolerated and will be dealt with in-House. Rule bending should be subtle enough not to get yourselves into trouble. You are Slytherins. You will not be treated fairly, so do maintain at least the appearance of good behaviour. When you feel you have been treated unfairly by another member of the staff, come to me and I will argue your case. Doing so yourself will more likely get you into more trouble. Over the next few days, I will be holding private interviews with each of you. Timetables of your classes will be handed out at breakfast tomorrow. If there are no questions, you may go to your beds now." His eyes scanned the first years but found nobody with a question. "Good night, Slytherins. Severin, a word."
"Sure, dad."
Severus frowned, "You will address me as Professor Snape in public."
"Sure, dad." When Severus' frown deepened, the boy smirked a bit, "Godmother said our House is like our family, so the Slytherin dormitory is like our home and doesn't count, right?"
Severus gave up. "Fine. The rest of you, go," he shooed away the other Slytherins, leaving only himself and his son in the common room. Mentally, he added, If any of them start calling me dad or Uncle Severus, I will blame it on you and give you detention.
Severin laughed. Might be worth it.
You won't think so by the end of the detention.
Severin shrugged noncommittally. "So what did you want to talk about?"
Severus glanced very briefly towards the spying fourth year in the corner of the room. "Your godfather wishes to have a word with you, and, upon second consideration, I think it best not to have to make introductions the first time you get sent to his office. Besides, I promised him he'd meet you on the first of September, and I don't think watching you eat dinner satisfies that."
The boy grinned while the spy frowned. "Can't disappoint the Headmaster." The spy's eyes widened as his suspicions were confirmed. Severus felt confident that by the time they returned, all of Slytherin would be aware of Severin's godfather's identity. "Dad?" Severin asked, suddenly apprehensive, "He's not going to try and hug me, is he?"
"I'll run interference," Severus promised, eyes sparkling with suppressed amusement.
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