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Chapter Text

Lily Potter died giving her life for her sons. Charlie was named Survivor Boy, Harry was forgotten. Only Albus, James, Sirius, and Remus knew the truth. They believed their own lies. James especially. After all, Charlie loved to fly, had the family black hair and brown eyes. While Harry understood snakes. Lily said it was okay, but after she died it was also forgotten. By winning her attention and losing her, it was as if James had lost his feelings for her as well. He had to move on, after all.

The Dark Lord was pronounced dead. Though many of his supporters avoided punishment, oddly enough. Barty Crouch Jr. admitted to attacking the Longbottoms and several other families. He was kissed by a Dementor. The blame for the rest of the attacks fell on Antonin Dolohov and Rabastan Lestrange. They were saved by their lawyers a few years later. Severus Snape took the blame for the information stolen from the Ministry and the murder of Igor Karkaroff. Albus pulled him out of Azkaban, excusing his sins.

The Ministry of Magic did its job. They kept quiet about all the other attacks. The Dark Lord is gone. No need to worry anymore. It never occurred to anyone that the Death Eaters would have each other's backs.

And, of course, no one thought that the Dark Lord had once treated his followers with respect. He wanted to keep wizards safe, especially children. So that no one would have a childhood as cruel and miserable as his own. But over time, he began to change. He became cruel and began to torture and humiliate his supporters. They could not understand what happened to their powerful and determined Lord.

What the light wizards didn't know was that the Lestranges, who were reeling from their Lord's torture and constant pressure, had attacked the Longbottoms almost out of their minds. That Barty had dragged them out from under the noses of the aurors, hidden them, and taken the blame to protect them. When Bella finally came to her senses, she was sobbing in a way that made the others' hearts cringe. They had lost Barty, too.

They had lost Reggie. The quiet and soft Regulus, who should be making plans in the office, not running around on the battlefield. His death was blamed on the Death Eaters themselves. Cissi cried for several days. Her beloved cousin was no longer with them. This only made Bellatrix more unstable, because she suffered from an ancient Black' gift she could not control.

Laughter at the shared table, plans for the future, squabbles between Regulus and Fenrir. When the werewolf offered a bite at the general meeting and Regulus swore at him, Narcissa grabbed her heart and Rodolphus proudly patted Reggie's hair. That was all in the past.
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Until the choice is made, there are only possibilities ahead. Why do people regret their choices, Sev?

Because they made the wrong choice, didn't they?

But it's their choice. The right choice doesn't exist.

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The wind is changing. How funny.

It's so hot right now the sidewalk is melting, Reggie.

It's strange that you can't see. Why haven't you had your gifts checked?

My mother was banished from the family. The family magic has left her, you know that.

Hmm. Listen to the wind, though, Sev.
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Severus blinked his sleep away. Why did he dream about Reggie? It was so long ago. It was like another life. He closed his eyes with a sigh. What would Regulus say if he saw him now? What would Lily say?

The friend they could not bury. And the sister he still loves. Initially he thought he was in love. But he just loved someone dear to him. Who he himself had betrayed.

When they had a fight, the two of them didn't forgive. She didn't forgive the insult, he didn't forgive the laughter. They were both angry. He joined the Death Eaters, she married Potter. When he apologized to her, he didn't want to lose her. But he was doing it for himself. When he realized that, he stopped. She deserved a sincere apology. He thought that one day he would apologize to her for real. But that day never came.

He took an oath to help Harry because he thought of her. But he felt something was wrong. Was that why he was dreaming about Regulus? Choice. He had made so many oaths and choices, but only the last choice he didn't regret. But Reggie was right. What regret could there be if he had chosen it himself?

Severus stretched out his left hand. The red thread of the oath flashed on his wrist. His hand had begun to go numb a couple of years ago. Albus said Harry was just having a slight misunderstanding with his family, nothing serious. But that's what he always said. When Severus' mother died, because her health was damaged by her eternal quarrels with his father. When the Dark Lord asked permission to stay at Hogwarts for the summer because he didn't want to go back to the orphanage.

What are you hiding, Albus? Severus didn't believe him one bit. Severus knew that the Death Eaters thought he was a traitor because Dumbledore had helped him. They didn't know that he too had protected them to the end. He didn't tell them that because he wasn't sure he wanted to be with them anymore. But he doesn't want to be on Dumbledore's side either.

Severus knew that Harry was the real chosen one. Albus said the boy had to grow up away from the glory so he would be safe. Severus only senses lies. Dumbledore was hiding something from everyone.

Reggie.

The ancestors of the Black family had the gift of divination. But now there were only echoes of that gift, driving them mad. But Regulus said things that made sense later. Severus suspected that he had that gift. He didn't know what had happened to his friend.

Had he been murdered? Reggie couldn't have just run away, but... If something unexpected had happened? Something made him disappear. Regulus never regretted his decisions. What would he do now?

Severus knew the answer. He would find the boy alone.

Hmm. Listen to the wind, though, Sev.

Gifts. Severus knows his gift is in potions. Is there some more? He could ask the goblins for a good price. If think so...

Severus has always wanted to get rid of his father's blood. He dreamed of brewing potions somewhere away from England, even opening an apothecary. To live a quiet and measured life.

Severus finally got out of bed. Regulus does not appear even in dreams by accident. Snape's subconscious was trying to tell him something. Perhaps at Gringotts he would know the answers.
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When his father's blood left his body, the blood of his other ancestors rushed through his veins.

His eyes took on a dark blue hue. His hair became shiny and soft. His nose became straighter and smaller. His skin took on a milky color without an unhealthy hue. But the scars from the Dark Lord and the missions became more visible.

Reggie was right all those years ago. Severus realizes this even before his hereditary test appears on the parchment.

Severus Octavian Ravenclaw Prince

Mother: Eileen Snape nee Prince

Gifts:

Potions \ Air Magic \ Legilimency \ Occlumency

Bloodline:

Prince Lord \ Ravenclaw Lord

Relation:

Slytherin - one branch, divided 304 years ago into the Prince and the Gaunt families

Vault:

107 \ 207 \ 344 \ 563 \ 598

Property:

Snape House \ Prince's Mansion \ Ravenclaw Castle

-I'm related to the Dark Lord? - Severus said tiredly. It was too shocking news so early in the morning.

-Very distant, - the goblin replied. - The Gaunts were the main branch of the family, and the Princes were one of the side ones.

-How did I get the title of Princes?

-Your mother was disowned, but not you. You are the only heir to the family, so the fortune and title passed to you automatically when your grandfather died.

-Vault 598 under the name of Snape. Transfer money from it to 563 and close it.
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-I, Severus Octavian Claw Prince, ask Lady Magic to declare the oaths of silence and life debt taken by Severus Tobias Snape no longer valid. I allow Lady Magic to judge.

Severus felt a warmth in his wrist and grinned. Albus didn't know what he was asking of him. Not only was the oath of silence illegal, but with it he covered the debt that supposedly owes Potter. After all, the silence about the incident in the fifth year saved Potter, Black and Lupin from being expelled from Hogwarts. Besides, Severus was sure that in fact Potter was saving his friends, not Severus, and Magic was in agreement with him.

There are only two oaths left. About helping Harry. And serving the Dark Lord.

Severus sighed heavily. He didn't believe until the very last moment that the Dark Lord would kill the children, so he only asked for Lily to be spared. But Voldemort was no longer the righteous leader he had followed in the first place.

He had failed Lily himself. He had to make sure her son was all right. Except something was getting in the way. Severus looked thoughtfully out the window. With an oath like that, he should have sensed if the boy was in danger. But his wrist went numb in a weird way. Perhaps Albus had placed a charm on the place where the child lived. But why? Who had he left Harry to? Severus had a bad feeling about this.

Chapter Text

Severus went to the call of the oath in the form of a small black cat. Even Albus was unaware of his animagus form.

He picked a time when people had long since returned home from work and headed for the right house. He didn't like the charms around the house right away. There were protective charms, but it felt like those charms were breaking down. But there were other charms, too. These charms were suppressing magic. The fur on Severus's scruff stood on end as he realized this.

He slips into the garden. There's a child about five years old with Lily's eyes. The child had abrasions on his arms and was wearing baggy clothes. He was too small and skinny. And then Severus heard the voice of Petunia Evans. So this is what you did, Albus. Severus made his way into the house. A man and a woman are in the kitchen. Their son is in the living room. Severus took on human form.

-It's been a long time, Tuney.

Paralyze them with a spell and watch the memories. It's so easy, it's even insulting. Damn Dumbledore left the baby on the doorstep. Obviously, he wanted him malleable. So Harry couldn't defend himself. Did the old man do this to throw him in front of the Dark Lord like a pig to the slaughter? That's not why Lily sacrificed her life, bastards.

Severus used a spell that would make the Dursleys tell everyone they were going away for a couple of months on vacation. The spells won't give away that Harry won't be with them anymore. The boy peeked into the kitchen when Prince had finished casting his spells. He looked shy and bemused. The man knelt down on one knee.

-Hello, Harry. - Muggles called him a freak, damn them. - I'm an old friend of your mother's. Do you remember her?

Harry nodded uncertainly, but didn't say anything. Severus had already seen in the Dursleys' memories that the boy barely spoke. They didn't like to notice him. Severus looked into his eyes, straight into his mind. Lily says the snakes aren't bad. James' voice is full of contempt and a touch of fear. Harry's scar is from a spell, and Charlie's is from a piece of roof debris. Dumbledore didn't need any effort to convince Potter to give the baby to the muggles. He was glad to be rid of the parselmouth.

-Harry, do you want to leave this house? Go somewhere warm and safe?

The boy's eyes shined and he nodded quickly. Severus had seen that shine in green eyes before. When he was showing Lily the magic. I won't fail him too, Lily, I swear. He knows Lily loved her husband and sons. But James was a worthless man. He was in busy raising one son. Severus was never a good man. He was cynical and even cruel. He was only going to take care of one child. He didn't give a damn about the rest.
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At Gringotts, the boy was treated for all his old wounds and bruises. The list of his injuries made Severus clench his teeth in rage and make a blood adoption. He also told Harry about the age regression potion. This potion will turn him into a little one and partially erase his memories of the Dursleys. The child immediately agreed. He was as smart as Lily. He understood that he needed protection, and he didn't want to remember those muggles. 

The potion younger him to the age of two. He remembers almost nothing, but he still doesn't speak, and he clings to Severus. His eyes have taken on a swampy hue because of the adoption potion. It made Severus a little sad because he missed Lily's eyes, but it was safer that way.

Hadrian Severus Prince

Mother: Lily Potter nee Evans
Father: Severus Octavian Ravenclaw Prince

Gifts:

Potions \ Parseltongue

Bloodline:

Prince Heir \ Ravenclaw Heir \ Peverell Heir \ Gryffindor Heir

Relation:

Slytherin - via the Peverells

-Why doesn't Potter have a title? - Severus frowned. - He would brag about it.

-He didn't take the right of inheritance, - the goblin shook his head. - You can act as a proxy on behalf of your son.

-If he is related to Slytherin, then the Dark Lord is related to the Peverells?

-That's right. They are descendants of different brothers. The Dark Lord is the next Lord Peverell in fact.

Severus pondered. Regulus told him the intricacies of such a thing once. His grandfather had taught him to always find a loophole.

-I’m related to the Dark Lord, - he says slowly. - Can I ask Lady Magic to make me proxy for all the families until he takes over?

The goblin grinned.

-It's possible. You will never become a Lord, but a proxy is another matter. Salazar Slytherin left magic in his own blood to keep his power from falling into the wrong hands. Someone in the family could take temporary control until the heir took his place.

-Huh, - Severus drawled. - The Potter family came from the Peverell family. Their fortune, too?

-Yes, - the goblin confirmed. - The Potter family initially had a sufficient fortune, but many children, so the current family would soon begin to consume the Peverell family finances if the Lord didn't show up.

-Then why didn't James Potter step into inheritance rights? Does Dumbledore know? - Severus narrowed his eyes.

The goblin tilted his head thoughtfully.

-Most likely. Albus Dumbledore studied the history of the Peverells, looking for descendants. I don't know why he didn't inform the Potters about it.

-Slytherin, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, - Severus said. - Three founders. What about Hufflepuff?

-The main branch of the family is dead. - The goblin rummaged through the papers. - The founder had many children. There are now several branches related to the Hufflepuff family. But the family itself lost its fortune and influence.

-Unlike others who might interfere in Hogwarts' matters.- Severus grins slowly. - Looks like Dumbledore is going to have a hard time.

The goblin chuckled in anticipation. Their race never liked the old wizard.

-I, Severus Octavian Ravenclaw Prince, ask Lady Magic to grant me the rights of a proxy for all families related to me and my son until the Lords of each of them take over. I let the Lady of Magic decide.

Severus felt a warmth in his forehead. The goblin handed him an enchanted parchment and a knife. Severus pricked his hand and dripped blood onto the parchment. The goblin quickly ran his eyes over it.

-Slytherin, Peverell, Gryffindor are now under your control.

-Good. But why didn't Harry's test show the Potter family?

-It looks like they removed him from the family. Not completely, but he can't inherit anything. If he wasn't the oldest child, they could remove him from the family completely.

-Looks like we're going to beat them to it.

-Will you do everything now?

-No, I'll talk to an old friend first.
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Severus remembered Regulus. Quiet, soft and buried in books. He always knew what to say, how to cheer up. The Slytherins hated Sirius for abandoning such a brother. Reggie only brushed it off. He seemed to have long since stopped being hurt by it. But that only made the others despise Sirius even more.

Regulus' parents were already dead. Only Arcturus remained. But for Lord Black, there was only one heir. Arcturus threw Sirius out of the family entirely, leaving him without money or family magic. Sirius barely kept his job as an auror after that. He had always hated his family, but that was where his true power came from. Arcturus sealed his will and left the country. No one knew where he was or if he was alive at all, no one knew to whom his fortune had gone. Dumbledore tried to find out. He probably wanted the Black family's money and title to go to Sirius. However, the magic reacted so strongly that it broke Albus' arm. In any case, everyone knew that Sirius was no longer Black, he couldn't get anything from the family. Such decisions were beyond the power of the headmaster of Hogwarts.

Reggie was similar to Arcturus. He wasn't as weak as the Gryffindors thought. Quite the opposite, he was one of the strongest students at Hogwarts. Fenrir was the first to sense this, which is why he offered him a bite. That's why Severus wasn't surprised when a raven flew into the Prince's mansion with a letter with only the address written on it.

But he was surprised when he came to the bakery "Coffee Dream" in Bordeaux.

The black hair had turned white. The gray eyes had turned almost white. The thin body became muscular, but still with the same slim waist. A burn occurred on the right cheek.

-Did you finally listen to the wind, Sev?

-It took longer than I would have liked, Reggie.

Chapter Text

One of the bakery owners, Annette, turned on the cartoons on the television for Hadrian, who was immediately absorbed in what was happening on the screen. Reggie waved his hand, casting a spell over the table. Muggles wouldn't hear their conversation, but Regulus' men were another matter. Severus had already spotted a wizard with a prosthetic arm in place of his right arm and a hideous scar around his left ear who was sitting at a nearby table.

Severus recounted the events since Regulus' disappearance. The changes in the Dark Lord, Barty's death, the desperation of the others, the prophecy, Dumbledore, Harry. Some of this Reggie clearly knew, but some of it he did not. Prince saw his eyes light up in some parts of the story.

-This explains the change in you, - Black grinned. - And I'm not talking about appearance.

-I'm calmer than I used to be, - Severus admitted. - I understand that's a Ravenclaw trait.

-Probably without your father's blood, the other blood awakened the dormant genes. You've become a proxy, haven't you?

-Yes. I can remove the Potters from the family line, but I wanted to ask your advice first.

Reggie nodded and began his own story. About the Horcruxes, about the lake, about so much apparition that he found himself almost outside the borders of Britain. About working in the muggle police organization. About Bishop, who sat at the table next to him. He saluted them with a cup of coffee when he heard his name.

-So that's the reason, - Severus muttered. - Is that why he's changed so much?

-Yes, changes take place after the first one, he lasted a long time. - Regulus tapped the table with his fingers. - I was disappointed in him then. It was so strange and even humiliating. Someone who wanted to keep us all safe chose to tear his soul apart, simply because he didn't want to die.

Severus understood him perfectly. To Reggie, who was a pureblood wizard and valued magic more than anything else in life, the Dark Lord's action was a betrayal, because such magic was a twisted and dirty version of people's desires and fears.

-To be honest, I don’t really understand why he would do such a thing, - Prince frowned. - Didn't something like that actually reduce his power?

-It did. I found some very old records of Horcruxes. After the first Horcrux is created, the wizard becomes obsessed with it. He doesn't realize it himself, but he longs for more Horcruxes. Even if he wants to stop at heart, he can't. Not in the case of the Dark Lord. I've given it a lot of thought over the years and realized that we weren't wrong about the Dark Lord. It wasn't his choice, or rather it didn't have time to become his choice.

-Dumbledore? - Severus guessed.

-That's right. The book about Horcruxes that Voldemort found was in the Hogwarts library. Dumbledore knew about his life in the asylum. Why had he never helped such children? Why is there still a curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position, even though it can be broken?

-He also didn't tell anyone about the Peverells and the Potters. Because they might interfere in Hogwarts affairs?

-Have you heard about The Tales of Beedle the Bard? Deathly Hallows. Bishop and I spoke to Grindelwald. He confirmed that he and Dumbledore were looking for them.

Regulus told him about that conversation. That Albus's sister died in a duel between him. Severus rubbed his chin.

-He didn't want to believe his brother and sister didn't need him after he'd abandoned them himself, - he said thoughtfully. - Maybe that's the problem? He just didn't want to believe that children could be abused. He abandoned his family for Grindewald and now he doesn't want to see his own mistakes. But he keeps looking, right?

-That's what Gellert said. Dumbledore already has the wand, the Potters have the cloak. But he needs the stone. - Regulus stretched his lips in a wry smile. - What a pity. If he'd started looking for the Horcruxes that he' pushed his own student toward, he might have succeeded by now.

Severus lowered his gaze to the stone that hung from the chain of his chest.

-You've always been a fox, not a snake, - Severus laughed softly.

-Thank you, - Reggie nodded flatteredly. - The stone was in the Gaunt's ring. I took it as payment for keeping the Horcruxes safe.

Prince shook his head. That's the thing about Regulus. That sly fox could benefit from anything.

-But was that all it was? - Reggie shook his head. - I think so, too. It's been decades since his duel with Grindelwald. Albus was beginning to lose his authority little by little. The new Dark Lord had appeared just in time. But Tom Riddle was stronger.

-Then the prophecy appeared, - Black confirmed. - I'm a little confused about that. How did they choose the child?

-Harry, Charlie and Neville, - Severus pronounced. - The last two are pretty weak magically. Which is surprising in Charlie's case. Shouldn't he be stronger? Although... Despite their good attitude toward the muggleborns, the Potters were often allied with pureblood wizards who were related to them in one way or another.

-Magic began to outlive itself. Lily prevented this since she is muggleborn. But you can only see that in Harry.

Hadrian looked at them for a moment and returned to the cartoon, clutching the plush dragon Severus had bought him on their way to France.

-And he's a parselmouth, - Severus muttered. - I think they'd just make him deal with their problems, even if Charlie turned out to be the chosen one.

-These muggles, - Reggie grimaced. - There could be no other explanation here, Sev. Dumbledore wanted him docile and intimidated, miserable even. The old man would have looked like a hero in the boy's eyes when he took him away from them. Dumbledore would have forced his guilt and eventually convinced him to sacrifice his life for his family and whatnot.

Severus unconscious bared his teeth. Not on his watch. Regulus pointed to Harry's scar.

-I can feel the magic in his scar. - Severus froze. - I suspect Dumbledore felt it too.

-Hadrian became a Horcrux? - Reggie nodded. - Dumbledore wants Harry and Voldemort to kill each other?

-All for the the Greater Good. Gellert's motto, by the way.

-Can you get it out?

-No, I can't transfer Horcruxes out of living people. But if Voldemort gets the rest of the Horcruxes back, even without that part he'll be as he should be.

Severus took a sip of coffee from his mug. He didn't want to deal with Voldemort again, but it was about the life of Lily's son.

-Do you think he'll do it? - Prince asked doubtfully. - He sometimes looked like he woke up from a long nap and couldn't figure out what was going on, but...

-If he really fell under the influence of soul magic, he'll do it. The question is, what will he do after that? - Reggie leaned back in his chair. - Is the lord we knew still there? What do you think?

Severus was quiet. He and Voldemort had a lot in common, they often talked when he was still himself. Severus even liked him, but that was in the past now. Their conversations, their friends' laughter, and all their plans. 

-I don’t know, - he shook his head. - But it's worth the try. For Hadrian's sake. Does the Horcrux affect him somehow?

-I suppose it can sense Voldemort's emotions. You know, if they try to kill Harry, part of Voldemort's soul will probably die first. But the Dark Lord himself won't die until part of his soul in Harry dies. I think I can find a way to get that part out of Harry. But it might take years of research.

-That's something. Charlie's six, so he'll be entering Hogwarts in five years. We need to get everything ready for that moment.

-Are you going to teach at school?

Severus winced. He didn't want that at all.

-I'll tell Dumbledore that the Death Eaters asked me to help them find the Dark Lord. Anyway, before Potter gets in, I have no reason to be there. And Harry won't be there, - Severus grinned. - But do you know what happened to the Dark Lord?

-I suspect he's become a spirit. He can't die. I have two Horcruxes, Harry is with you. If the snake has become a Horcrux, he'll find her himself. There are three left. Two of them are the Cup and the Diadem.

-I am Lord Ravenclaw. I can ask Lady Magic to return what belongs to me. Or point the way.

-The second is better. I suspect one of the Horcruxes at Hogwarts. Let's see if it's a Diadem or something else. This will narrow down search.

-Let's do it this way.

Bishop turned his head to them.

-What are we going to do with the Dursleys? - He said it in a tone as if his involvement was a matter of course. - If we fake the kid's death, it would be the perfect excuse to remove the Potters from the family. After all, the heir died.

-Good idea, - nodded Regulus. - But when? This year?

They thought about it. The death of a child will leave an impressive mark on Albus' reputation.

-We'll work with the goblins. They won't let it be swept under the rug.

Severus looked at Reggie.

-By the way, Arcturus knew, didn't he?

-Yes. I came to him when I sensed him looking for me. This building actually belongs to him, by the way. Sirius was raging, right?

Severus snorted. Bishop grinned toothy.

-He whined for days after that. He almost got kicked out of the aurors because his magic had been cut in half. That was only possible if Lady Magic had deemed him unworthy. He was Harry's godfather, by the way. When the story about the boy's death comes out, he'll be fired for sure.

Reggie nodded. His right eye flashed blue.

-Not just him. They are not as popular as they were at school, apparently.

-They haven't grown up. They tried some kind of prank in the halls of the Ministry of Magic, and Amelia Bones kicked them out of the building. Even Moody barked at them a couple of times, although during the war they were favorites.

-Well, they didn't kill anybody, did they? They only stopped a few people, even though they were always getting into fights. I remember Potter once hit his own colleague with a spell, - Regulus recalled. - The Dark Lord's supporters were being captured by other aurors, and those two were just throwing spells.

-This only became clear now. They can't just fire or punish Potter because of his son. But this story will shake him, too.

Regulus nodded.

-Where do you live now?

-In the Prince's mansion. I didn't sell the old house in case I was being watched. I'll have to pay a visit to Ravenclaw Castle though. The goblins said there's a lot of books there. Are you coming?

-Sure. Have you thought about the Wizengamot? Lords are the judges.

-The goblins checked. Dumbledore once tried to vote on behalf of the founders, but the magic didn't work. This can be used if he tries something.

Bishop set his cup down.

-He clearly loves power. If he loses something, they will stop listening to him. Now nobody in Britain believes in the return of the Dark Lord, right?

Severus nodded. Regulus sighed.

-I don't know if it was intentional or not, but he created a new Dark Lord himself. I'm troubled by the prophecy.

-Me too. Trelawney is just a drunkard. And in any case, the prophecy is only a possibility.

Bishop snapped his fingers.

-If you took the boy, it might have become fulfilled, you know? What was there? That they would kill each other or something? That might have changed now.

Severus perked up.

-There are Death Eaters in the Ministry. I can ask one to find a prophecy. If it is fulfilled, it will convince people of Voldemort's death. If not, then we will fake it.

Reggie chuckled.

-Not bad. I'll give you the portkey. You can come here and leave Hadrian with Annette and Violet.

-We'll be glad to keep an eye on him, - the brown haired woman nodded.

Chapter Text

Reggie tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. He could see the fire devouring one of the houses on Privet Drive. Local authorities and firefighters were already rushing to the place. Neighbors hurriedly left the houses in fear that the fire would spread to them. The Dursleys were already outside.

Regulus looked to the side. Squib. Reggie was too far away to read her mind, but he suspected where she was from. Order of the Phoenix. A few years ago, Pettigrew told of many of its members. A true rat. He and Karkaroff. Igor was killed by Augustus so he wouldn't turn anyone in. 

Reggie noticed the goblins. They didn't like many wizards, but they definitely hated Dumbledore. They will take care of the news.

The Dark Lord has become a spirit, but he is alive. The Death Eaters are hurt, confused, but now they are all free. Lily Evans is dead. Harry Potter is dead, too. Dumbledore's plans were cracked before the old man noticed. 

Regulus closed his eyes. He didn't think he'd have to deal with it again. His hands gripped the steering wheel. He didn't tell Severus that Barty was alive. 

And he didn't say that his gift didn't help him save his little brother. When Reggie learned of Barty's fate, he barely made it before the younger wizard's body surrendered, but he still didn't make it before the Dementor kissed him. If not for Arcturus, if not for the people Reggie met after he left Britain, he could have done nothing more. He had to use the stone, find that particular Dementor and he almost lost his sight, but he was able to get Barty's soul back. Now Barty could get around in a wheelchair, and sometimes he would stare into the void for long periods of time. But he never blamed "big brother" and was happy that Reggie was alive. 

I should have taken him with me.

Regulus will never forgive himself for not doing it. But he couldn't regret his choice when he chose it himself. He decided to return to Britain once again for revenge on Dumbledore and to help those for whom Barty chose to die.

I'm sorry, Severus, I'm only doing this for my little brother. You'll have to deal with the rest on your own.

________________________________________________________

Severus finished signing all the documents. The Potters were left with two vaults. Their own and the one they set up for Charlie for school. It was enough to live a pretty good life. But not enough to cover the boy's every whim. James had clearly spoiled him. Sirius had to take his friend's last name when he was banished from the family. They were both so proud to be real brothers. Let's see how they'll live when they get kicked out of their jobs. 

-I, Severus Octavian Ravenclaw Prince, am acting on behalf of the Peverell family and asking Lady Magic to cut the bond between this family and the Potter family. I ask for the removal of the Potter family from the family branch of the Peverell family. I allow Lady Magic to judge their crime against the heirs of the Peverell family.

The warmth Severus felt was more intense than on previous occasions. The goblin with him raised an eyebrow.

-It seems Lady Magic is very unhappy with them. Technically, they turned against the Lord and the heir of their own family. You don't get away with something like that with impunity.

-Interesting. Has Dumbledore found out about Harry yet?

-No. Now he'll begin to look into what happened. We will release information in magical newspapers.
_______________________________________________________

Severus had just finished his cup of tea when Albus's patronus flew in and asked him to come to Hogwarts urgently. He had already left Hadrian with Annette and Violet. The boy obviously liked them, though he said nothing. It still bothered Severus. But he knew that even a potion would not erase the trauma he had endured. Prince could only hope that he would hold back and not curse Albus when he saw him.

Severus tied his hair into a ponytail and put on a turtleneck and jeans. He had always liked muggle clothes, he just used to hide it so they wouldn't make fun of him. It was time to stop hiding his preferences. He did throw a black robe over his shoulders, though.

_______________________________________________________

Besides Albus, in the office were the professors, Potter 1 and Potter 2, as Severus now called James and Sirius, Lupin, Molly and Arthur Weasley. Filius noticed Severus's appearance.

-Did you get rid of your father's blood like you've wanted to for a long time? - That's why Prince liked Flitwick.

-Indeed. I assume everyone is here because of the latest news?

-Oh, yes, - Minerva hissed, glaring at Albus. - Do you have something to say, Albus, James?

They cringed under her gaze.

-I thought it would be safer, - said Dumbledore. - Harry would have lived in his brother's shadow and been in danger if he had stayed in the magical world.

-And now he's dead. - Albus flinched. - Lily always said her sister hated magic, - Minerva was boiling with rage. - And you sent Harry to her?

-She's a relative of his, so I put a blood charm around the house to prevent the boy from being found.

-And not just them, - Poppy hissed. - The goblins checked the house, Albus. The blood charms were already collapsing. And you also set the spells so that the boy couldn't accidentally use magic. Including to protect himself.

-It wasn't so bad, - Sirius muttered.

Minerva pinned him in place with her gaze.

-I read the notes from the body examination. He'd been starved and beaten. You better shut up, Sirius Potter.

Severus picked up the newspaper from the table.

-Did they determine the cause?

-Yes, - Pomona nodded. - The Dursleys' son was playing with matches too close to the gas valve. They managed to run out of the house, but Harry remained locked in a closet under the stairs.

The staff glared at Dumbledore and the Potters. Severus narrowed his eyes. Then he snapped his fingers. The illusion flew off the Potters.

-Huh.

James and Sirius were a little shorter than before, both had gained weight. Sirius's hair had become as messy as James's.

-What happened to you? - Molly exclaimed.

Before they could answer, grim looking Amelia Bones, Alastor Moody and two aurors stepped out of the fireplace.

-You two are coming with us, - growled Moody.

-Alastor, I'm sure we can discuss everything here, - Albus tried to intervene.

-You're coming with us, too, headmaster, - Amelia frowned. - We're dealing with Harry Potter's death. You were the ones who left him with those people.

-It was for his protection, - Dumbledore assured. - Besides, there's something wrong with the Potter family's magic and...

-We are aware of that, - interrupted Alastor. - The goblins have reported that the Lord of the Potter family had sensed the boy's death. He was furious over the death of the heir, so he threw the Potters out of the bloodline.

Sirius, James and Albus turned white.

-But that's impossible, - Dumbledore said. - No one has become the head of the Peverell family in years.

Amelia's eyes narrowed.

-And how do you know that, headmaster? Because the Lord clearly exists. And Lady Magic has made that clear. I already feel that James and Sirius Potter's magical power has diminished.

They shuddered. Albus shook his head.

-I spoke to James's father. He said that only a descendant of Cadmus Peverell could become Lord Peverell. It was Voldemort.

Minerva snorted.

-Don't start, Albus. You said yourself that he was dead.

Alastor frowned at the headmaster.

-The Dark Lord is a known heir. There could be others. I spoke to the goblins. They said that ancestral magic protects the heirs. She can choose a proxy until the Lord takes over. I don't know if it was the Lord's work or his proxy, but the magic accepted that person. And punished those she saw fit.

The professors glared at the pale trio. The aurors took them away despite their complaints. Alastor left with them. Amelia stayed in the office.

-What will happen to them?- Flitwick asked.

Bones sighed.

-I'm not sure. But Sirius and James are no longer welcome at the Ministry of Magic. They'll be fired by the end of the day.

-Have you contacted that Lord?

-No. It seems that' s really a proxy. Losing an heir under such circumstances must have angered him. The goblins said that he had left funds earned personally by the Potter family and set aside for Charles Potter's education, everything else belonged to the Peverell family, so he took it. - Amelia gritted her teeth. - The goblins said the Potters never mentioned Harry Potter anywhere.

The others looked at each other.

-How could they just abandon a child? - Arthur frowned.

Amelia just shrugged, looking resigned and saddened.

______________________________________________________

All the newspapers were trumpeting the death of Harry Potter. Severus sneered, turning the page. The Dursleys went to prison, their son to his aunt. Dumbledore tried to intervene, but received so many furious letters in response that he quickly retreated. The Potters were fired. People were furious that they had abandoned a child with muggles. But they escaped punishment by hiding behind the excuse that they were trying to protect Harry.

The removal of the Potter family from the ancient Peverell family quickly became known. Many people thought it was fair. Minerva said they were lucky that Peverell had left them their own money. After that, he had the right to take it away as well. Dumbledore tried to find a new Lord, but received a blow of magic that broke his arm as in the case of Arcturus Black's will, and a warning from Amelia.

___________________________________________________________

-Ask Slughorn, - Severus snorted. - You're lucky I'm still here, Albus.

-I know you took an oath to protect Harry, but ...

-No buts. It was only your magic suppression charms and the fact that I didn't know where he was that saved me from losing my arm. I will not take oaths regarding the other boy. How will you even get out of it? He's not the chosen one.

Albus sighed heavily. He knew Severus was right. Charlie barely had the magic to defend himself, let alone attack the Dark Lord.

-We'll need to prepare Charlie, - he said anyway. - Tom will try to attack him when he returns.

-That's why I'm leaving now, - Severus snapped. - The Death Eaters are trying to find him. I need time to gain their trust. Isn't that why you sent Lupin away?

-Remus will try to talk to the werewolves, - Albus nodded. - It worries me that Fenrir hasn't attacked in a while.

Prince almost snorted. He might not like werewolves, and Reggie and Fenrir might bark at each other every time they met, but they both knew that Greyback was forced to be that way. He hated child abuse, he bit to protect children from adults. It wasn't very clear with Remus, though. Severus knew that his parents loved him very much.

-What about those idiots? - he asked, not hiding a grin.

-They are no longer eligible to work in the Ministry. I'll try to get them to Hogwarts.

-One prank against my Slytherins and you'll have two dead bodies, Albus. You'd better remember that.

There was clearly a threat in Severus' voice. He was in Voldemort's inner circle for a reason.

-And besides, you all caused the child's death. Do you think the parents will let you get away with it?

The headmaster flinched. He was still getting angry letters from people.

____________________________________________________________

Severus placed the Ravenclaw's Diadem into his bag. Magic led him straight to it. There are two Horcruxes left. Regulus assumed that the Dark Lord left them to his most trusted people. So Severus wouldn't be able to get them. 

Severus spoke to the staff about his leaving.

-Albus is forcing you to look for the Dark Lord? - Minerva frowned. - Has he completely lost his mind?

-Apparently. He wants to hire the Potters as professors.

Pomona spit out her tea.

-He wants to what? - Pomfrey asked flatly.

-I want to ask you to look after my house, - Prince asked. - Merlin knows what idiots will do when they start working here.

-Let them try, - Flitwick hissed. - Especially Sirius. I still think if it weren't for him, Regulus would have entered the Ravenclaw and the family would have felt positively about it.

Severus thought so too. Reggie admitted that the Hat wanted him in Ravenclaw, but he couldn't stand out after Sirius' tirades about Gryffindor and dark magic.

-So Remus is on a mission too? - Minerva narrowed her eyes. - He was very pale at the meeting.

-He was aware of the situation with Harry.

The teachers swore.
___________________________________________________

-It is fulfilled, - Augustus Rookwood frowned, holding the ball with the prophecy. - I don't understand. The Dark Lord is alive, isn't he? It says so itself.

-Something happened, - Severus said quietly. - Charlie Potter is not a threat to the Lord.

-But how did you know?

-A friend with a gift told me. - It's not even a lie. - But Dumbledore won't want to believe it's fulfilled. Can we leave it as it is for now?

Augustus nodded, putting the prophecy back in place.

-Yes, better use this later. What is Dumbledore doing now?

-Hiding from the howlers, - Severus snorted. - He wants to get those two assholes at Hogwarts. Tell the others. The Slytherins can watch and share memories if idiots try something. The students' parents won't forgive them after what happened.

-A good idea. Leaving the child with the muggles. What were they thinking?

Severus just shook his head. He doubted Sirius and James were capable of thinking. It was all Albus' plan.
___________________________________________________________

Regulus put all the Horcruxes away in the box. Severus was feeding Hadrian some pudding. Bishop entered the bakery.

-They got fired again.

Not even six months had passed since James and Sirius settled at Hogwarts. They shared the position of professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

-What did they do?

-Pranks, - Bishop snorted, taking coffee. - From what I understand, they ignored the Slytherins, didn't ask them questions in class, and therefore didn't give them points. But then they couldn't resist and started teaching the Gryffindors some pranks. Two Slytherins and a Ravenclaw in the hospital wing as a result. McGonagall took 200 points from her house. Flitwick almost cut off the Potters' heads off. The students immediately wrote to their parents and even added memories. The parents are furious. The idiots were fired and fined. Dumbledore was fined. They say Potter 1 dragged his brat to the castle. He was rather pompous in demanding respect for himself. This family has fewer and fewer fans.

Severus snorted, wiping his son's mouth with a tissue. He still couldn't get used to having a child. But he was really starting to see the kid as his own. Hadrian waved happily with his dragon. He already had many toys, but he adored this one.

-What are they doing now? - Annette asked, serving them banana bread.

Bishop chuckled.

-It's the funniest thing. Since the summer, they've been giving all kinds of interviews. About how they tried to protect Harry, how good Charlie is, how unfair the world is. They get paid for interviews with Boy Who Lived, but their reputations are going down, if you ask me. I hear someone wants to start writing books about the chosen one. Some of the profits go to the father, of course.

-When it comes out that he is not the chosen one, they will have a hard time, - said Violet.

-I think they started to believe lies themselves, - Severus replied. - I noticed it a long time ago. James especially. I don't think he wants to believe that the parselmouth could be the savior.

Hadrian didn't speak, but he understood. Severus knew he understood snakes, so he was going to buy him a snake soon. Maybe with it the boy would begin to open up.

-There's another thing that surprises me. - Annette leaned against the counter. - They call Charlie the savior of the magical world, but it was only Britain they saved. Voldemort isn't as feared in other countries as Grindelwald is still. Don't they think such countries might not like it?

-Dumbledore doesn't think that far, - Reggie replied. - But other countries don't care about Britain, so why should he worry? If he gets into their territory, that's another matter.

-What about the search for the Dark Lord, by the way?

-It's not so good. But I found rituals that will give him his body back. It will take six months.

-I'll give them to Lucius when we find Voldemort. But how do we make it work?

-We could throw them a bait, - Bishop shrugged. - Like they found him themselves.

Severus nodded in agreement. He hadn't spoken much to Lucius lately, but he knew that the Death Eaters were actively searching for their Lord. Even if Voldemort had been cruel to them in recent years, he was still the man they followed and chose. 

Chapter Text

The search for the Dark Lord and the recovery of his body took almost five years, because they were not going to devote their lives to it. Severus and Hadrian spent that time traveling through France and Italy. Severus bought his son a small blue-yellow snake. He knew that it would grow to two meters in a few years, but for now it could calmly wrap itself around Harry's neck. The boy was growing up calm and inquisitive. Severus had already lost count of the books of cities and magical creatures he had accumulated. And the plush toys. An army of toys flooded the boy's room in Reggie's building. The building had two spacious apartments and a loft where Regulus himself lived. 

The Snapes' house and the Princes' mansion were ready for sale at any moment. Severus had already decided that he and his son would not return to Britain when it was over. For now, they lived in one of the apartments in Regulus' building because it was more convenient. Annette and Violet lived in the next building. In the second apartment in the Regulus' building lived Barty. 

Severus didn't ask how Regulus returned his soul to him. That would not have been a pleasant explanation. Prince was glad to see another of his friends alive, even if Barty was no longer the same. Barty was as lively and interested in everything in the world as Severus remembered him, but now the younger wizard could barely move around without a wheelchair and would sometimes stop talking during conversations and just stare into nothing. Severus said nothing about the way Regulus' face sometimes twisted in rage when he saw it. It was the first time Severus had ever seen him so pissed off.

They also visited the Ravenclaw Castle. There were many ancient books in various languages. A true heritage of knowledge. Severus hadn't let anyone know about it yet. Reggie and Bishop were able to seal part of the Dark Lord's soul in Hadrian so that they wouldn't be bound. Regulus said parseltongue was hereditary so it wasn't affected by the sealing.

Albus managed to calm the furious parents and now he was careful not to do anything rash. The Potters were still trying to find work. They had a few books published about Charlie, and they had money, but they were clearly used to living a much bigger life.

Reggie had rid Severus of the Black Mark, which was a relief. But that still needed to be explained to the Dark Lord. Lucius sent a letter that he had recovered from the rituals and demanded that Severus come to him. Other than to hand over the record of those rituals, Prince never met with the Death Eaters again. He was not eager to do so. Neither was Reggie. Though Black understood that Voldemort was not himself, he decided to make a Horcrux himself, though he did not know the consequences. Regulus was clearly disappointed. He had found his place in life. 

Severus had to go back to Hogwarts this year because Charlie Potter was starting school. He had arranged for Harry to go to a school in Bordeaux. Annette and Violet could pick him up, the boy loved helping them in the bakery. Regulus had already made reusable portkeys so that Severus could safely navigate between England and Bordeaux.
_______________________________________________

Enter Voldemort's room, hand over the box with the Horcruxes and the records of them, tell him about the suspicions about Dumbledore and run away. Great plan. 10 out of 10.

Severus rushed through the corridor of Malfoy Manor, shouting to Lucius as he ran:

-Send me an owl when it's over!

The manor was shaken from the Dark Lord's magic. Severus jumped out of the house and activated the portkey to France. And slid down the wall of the loft without energy. Bishop choked out his laughter with a mug of coffee.

-Do you want some coffee? - Reggie asked.

-After my legs stop shaking.

Bishop laughed like the bastard he was. Severus didn't even have the energy for an angry look. He didn't run like that even on Death Eater's missions.

________________________________________________

Voldemort examined himself in the mirror. He was human again. Blue eyes, brown hair falling on his left side, creamy skin, looking about 30 years old. He looked as he should have until he started tearing his own soul apart over and over again. He gritted his teeth.

He wanted to protect the wizards. He wanted a family. That book. He didn't want to use it at first. He didn't want to use it at all. But he thought it would be better. That he could do what he wanted more effectively. His hands reached for that book. He had made one Horcrux. He didn't feel any change. Thought he was stronger than the consequences. He wanted more.

Power. Authority. Immortality. It clouded his mind. That was all that mattered. He humiliated and tortured his own people. Killed others. He went to kill children. What had he become? He didn't  remember everything. The memories were a blur. When he got his body back, it felt strange. It was as if he had forgotten something. He was weak. Couldn't summon all his followers through the mark. Ordered Lucius to get Severus. After all, it was Snape who had brought the notes with the rituals to restore his body.

Severus, what with his appearance?, shoved a box into his hands, some notes, babbled about how Dumbledore was aware and was up to something, and ran off. A stunned Voldemort ran his eyes over the records and exploded.

He ordered Bella and Lucius to bring the diary and the cup. He called the goblin healer. It took almost two weeks to restore body and soul. And part of the soul was missing. 

-It could have happened when you died that night, - one of the healers shrugged. - Or before. You split your soul into too many pieces. But it won't affect your mind until you start making Horcruxes again.

He wasn't going to. Not after everything. He read the notes Severus had brought. It wasn't in that book. He didn't know he would become obsessed with Horcruxes. But it was only his fault. He created the first Horcrux of his own free will, right?

His mind finally cleared. It was as if he had awoken from a very long dream.

Regulus was missing. Barty was kissed by a Dementor. Severus had joined Dumbledore's side. Bella almost completely fell into a madness. The others barely came to their senses from the things he had done to them and forced them to do. He had failed those who believed in him.

He told them the truth. How he let them down. Narcissa cried. But they didn't go away. Even after all that had happened, they did not leave him.

Voldemort found out about what had happened to Harry Potter. Apparently, that's what Severus meant when he spoke of Dumbledore. Lucius told him that Snape had gotten rid of his father's blood, so his appearance had changed. He had found him  attractive before, but now... Voldemort realized that he couldn't feel him through the mark. Something was wrong. Malfoy sent an owl to Severus.

The entire inner circle, including Fenrir, gathered in the dining room at the beginning of the third week since the day of the soul's restoration.

___________________________________________________________________

-How did you get the Horcruxes, Severus? - The Dark Lord asked first.

-It was given to me by a friend with the gift of a seer. He took the stone from the ring as payment though.

Voldemort did not even notice that there was no stone on the Gaunt's ring.

-We think Albus knew about the Horcruxes from the beginning, - Severus shared.

-It's possible, - Voldemort frowned. - But why didn't he do anything?

Severus sighed heavily. He told them about the history between Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Rabastan even choked.

-Aren't the Deathly Hallows just fairy tales?

-They're probably just artifacts created by the Peverells themselves,- Severus replied. - That's not the point. Albus wants to be everyone's hero, but he was inferior to you in power.

-Then the prophecy appeared, - Voldemort said slowly. - Charles Potter, is it?

-No, - Snape replied. - Harry was the chosen one. Dumbledore, the Potters and Lupin lied to everyone.

Shouts rose from the Death Eaters. The Dark Lord frowned.

-Why did they lie? - Narcissa was indignant. - It got the child killed by the muggles.

-That way Albus would have the perfect weapon, - Severus grimaced, shaking his long ponytail. - Think about it. A child who had been humiliated and despised all his life finds himself in the world of magic with the kindly headmaster of a magical school. This headmaster and the boy's father wanted to protect the child, but they didn't know what he would have to go through. They introduce him to his famous brother, who is in deadly danger. What is left for this child to do?

Lucius rubbed his temples. He wasn't the only one feeling a headache. Severus nodded to Augustus.

-Severus and I were in the Hall of Prophecy, my lord, - he reported. - It has been fulfilled. Because the boy is died? - he asked Severus.

-Not necessarily. It didn't say he was going to kill the Dark Lord. It could have been fulfilled that day, too. Different reasons. Only Dumbledore doesn't know that yet. Frankly, he can't even prove that Charlie is the chosen one.

-How do they even determine who the chosen one is? - Bella frowned.

-You know about the Potters being kicked out of the family, right? - She nodded. - Turns out our my lord is from the Peverell family, too. Lily's sacrifice and shared blood kept Harry, who was attacked first, from being killed. The other child's scar is from the debris of the roof that collapsed then. Harry was a parselmouth. Potter happily got rid of the "evil parselmouth".

Voldemort clenched his hand into a fist. The magic snapped around him.

-So the boy was the heir to Slytherin too?

Severus shook his head, looking wary. The Dark Lord exhaled, trying to calm himself. He could not lose control now that he was determined to reclaim the trust of his supporters.

-He was connected to Slytherin through the Peverells, as I understand it. But the gift was passed on to him.

Dolohov swore.

-What is Dumbledore going to do now?

-I haven't spoken to him yet, - Severus shrugged.

-I was at Hogwarts, - Lucius frowned. - Flitwick said you'd taken a few years off from work.

-I told Albus that I would be looking for the Dark Lord, - Severus explained. - Dumbledore took me as a spy because I had vowed to help Harry, but he himself had put a suppression spell around his house, so I couldn't realize that the boy was in danger. When he died, I said that I would not take an oath regarding second child. Albus asked to return to his admission to Hogwarts.

Voldemort looked at him closely.

-I don’t feel your mark, Severus.

He looked into his eyes.

-I got rid of it.

Everyone froze. The Dark Lord's eyes widened. 

-I asked to spare Lily because I didn't believe you would attack the children, - Severus said bluntly. - Even if I'm not on Albus's side, I'm not going to wear the Dark Mark.

Voldemort closed his eyes for a moment. Severus believed in him to the last? The Dark Lord nodded.

-I'll give you the locket, it will heat up when I call out to you.

Severus nodded silently. Then he jumped as Fenrir leaned towards him.

-You sniffed me?!

-You smell strangely familiar.

-Keep your nose to yourself. I'll send you to hell, even if we were once on the same side.

-Yeah? - Fenrir grinned. - That's not what Lupin said.

Severus narrowed his eyes. He had already forgotten about the third idiot.

-He was trying to snoop around after the boy died, so we pulled information out of him. What Barty, Antonin and Rabastan did not take upon themselves ended up on you. Funny, isn't it? He said you took credit for Karkaroff's murder, too, and Dumbledore covered it up.

Severus snorted. How hadn't Lupin been killed for such a talkative tongue?

-It was a long time ago. Can we get back to business?

Lucius quickly intervened before any threats came into play.

-I read about the Harry Potter case. There seems to be a proxy speaking on behalf of the Peverells. So milord can become Lord?

-Yes, - Severus replied. - You will need to take on a new identity and step into rights. Magic will do the rest.

Voldemort nodded thoughtfully. Keith Nott leaned forward a little.

-But what are we going to do now? We wanted to keep the wizards and the magical children safe, but after all...

Lucius sighed.

-The Potters' antics a few years ago really pissed off the students in our house. Honestly, I don't want to send Draco to Hogwarts.

-Same goes for Theodore, - Nott nodded.

Severus looked away. He thought about it too. He will definitely not send his son to Hogwarts.

-Severus, your friend with a gift. Can he help us? For a price, of course, - added Voldemort.

He hesitated.

-I can ask. But he left the wizarding world because he was disappointed in it. He had no problem leaving Britain behind, even though he comes from a pureblood family.
_______________________________________________

Marvolo Cadmus Peverell Gryffindor Slytherin

Gifts:

Parseltongue \ Air Magic \ Legilimency \ Occlumency

Bloodline:

Slytherin - Lord \ Peverell - Lord \ Gryffindor - Lord

Relation:

The Prince is a branch of the Slytherin family, divided 304 years ago into the Prince and the Gaunt families

Proxy:

Lord Ravenclaw Prince (name sealed by magic), is the father of the heir to the Peverell and Gryffindor families
________________________________________________

Severus exhaled. He had sealed the information about his mother, but it was a matter of time before the Dark Lord found out. Becoming a proxy, Severus asked magic to return the Deathly Hallows, since they belonged to the Peverell family. Reggie kept the stone. It was better for everyone. Hadrian had the cloak. Severus had given the wand to Regulus too, but didn't know where he had hidden it.

-So he got his mind back, - Barty hummed as he sliced the vegetables.

The man with almost burgundy eyes glanced at them, but continued to pull peaches of various sizes from his backpack. Severus thought his name was Vairok. To be honest, there was something wild about him. Like Fenrir, but this man was clearly not a werewolf.

-He asked Reggie for help.

They looked at Regulus, who was lying on a wide windowsill, with a wet towel over his eyes. Bishop was sitting on the floor beside him.

-Have you seen Dumbledore yet? - Richter grinned.

-Not. I'll see him soon.

Reggie snapped his fingers.

-What do the Death Eaters think of a separate academy?

Vairok and Bishop exchanged glances. Severus's eyebrows jumped up. Slytherin's Academy?

Chapter Text

Sith, the judge with mismatched eyes, grinned weakly and poured coffee for himself and Vairok. Reggie, meanwhile, was carefully examining many documents.

-A separate school sounds good, - the judge said. - But it's going to be stressful.

-Tell me about it, - Reggie grimaced as he sat down more comfortably. - The attitude towards Slytherin is one of the reasons for my disappointment, you know.

-That makes sense, - Vairok snorted, hopping onto the bar counter. - It's a strange story, actually.

-What do you mean?

-In every era there were those whom others revered and hated. But when they died, all that was left was memory and history, without the feelings associated with it. But that is not the case with Slytherin. The hatred and contempt are too fresh. And it's not about the Dark Lord.

-For the last century, it's Dumbledore's doing, - Regulus frowned. - He's allowed the Gryffindors too much, and he's not the only one, frankly. Dumbledore was always talking about equality and light, but he himself belittled the Slytherins. If Severus had been from another house, it wouldn't have occurred to the old man to take a oath of silence from him. This story wouldn't have happened at all. The Marauders were only targeting our house faculty for the most part. And parseltongue is a branch of healing magic, snakes are a symbol of healing. But in England, they were equated with lying. It's like everyone else is sinless. Not to mention Pettigrew. He was just declared a traitor and forgotten. No one says he was from Gryffindor.

-It's curious that only wizards from Slytherin fought for the safety of wizards. It ended in war, but at least they were thinking of the children. Not mentioning the Harry Potter situation. He was not the only child the muggles hated for his magic, after all. Wasn't Hogwarts created because of that?

-That's right, - Regulus confirmed. - Hogwarts was a sanctuary. Now it's just a regular school. Students pay tuition and can't even stay over the summer to escape the abuse.

-But when did it start? - Vairok put down his mug. - A thousand years have passed, but there are too few records even for such a period. Someone wiped them thoroughly. Even the portraits of the founders were done much later than the opening of Hogwarts. Slytherin and Gryffindor had been friends for years, falling out only at the very end. How would they have lasted if they didn't have something in common?

-Everything that connected them has been destroyed, - thought Regulus. - All that's left are the notes of their arguments. Who was before Dumbledore, that is the question. It was calmer before Dumbledore. I read the Hogwarts records in the library. The heirs of Slytherin and Gryffindor even married each other a few times.

-This old man's unwillingness to see his own mistakes has badly screwed up a lot of people's lives. The ambitious get into Slytherin, don't they? And you're all very smart. Students would hardly mind going to a school that offers knowledge, not constant fighting. Except Dumbledore would throw a tantrum.

Reggie looked slyly at Sith.

-Do you have an idea, Mr. Judge of the International Court of Justice?

-You know me well. Why not go the legal way? - Sith suggested with a grin. Vairok tilted his head in interest. - The students' memories, their statements. It would make Hogwarts look bad. We need to check them medically. If anyone was abused, deal with it and shove it up Dumbledore's nose. That alone will cover the current students. The problem is the incoming ones.

Vairok squinted.

-This guy Marvolo is Lord Slytherin, after all. Could he shut down the house completely, Reggie?

Regulus rubbed the burn on his cheek. The idea was promising.

-Very good question. I don't think anyone could think of this. The Dark Lord also holds the title of Gryffindor. And Severus is Lord Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff has no influence left. Three founders against the headmaster? - Regulus chuckled. - You are a genius, Vairok. Hogwarts obeys the magic of the heirs. If Severus and Marvolo unite, they can make the Slytherin House disappear. Children will only be placed in the other three.

-If we work well on the new school, people will start sending children there themselves. Those who care about knowledge. But there are two months left. We won't have time to build a school like this from the ground up.

Regulus pointed to his documents. Sith leaned towards him. Vairok narrowed his eyes. His eyesight was excellent.

-Other schools? - he asked. - Do you want to team up with someone?

-Charlie Potter is entering the school this year. Dumbledore will start to move. We need to get our kids out of Hogwarts. We need a school that accepts Slytherins as their own and protects them. That's a couple of years at most. During that time, we'll build a building, hire people.

Sith took one of the documents.

-Island. Not many people know about the school there. It's a small academy really, but a strong one. It is run by the Callahans. You and Bishop met Esdras Callahan, right?

Regulus furrowed his eyebrows. The name sounded familiar.

-The child-selling case, - Sith said. He was personally on the case when the criminals were caught.

-Ah, - Black remembered. - I remember him. He was worried about us when we ran after the criminals. It was near the borders of Ireland. Why was he there if he was from Iceland?

-Hunted the wizard. The one Bishop killed afterwards. But the Ministry of Magic in Iceland is a little unlike the others. They work with muggle authorities more closely than the others. That's why they have more opportunities. They scrutinize Ministry staff and academy students. Security is their everything. The wizards from there are very strong. The Callahans in general are a very old and influential family. Not just in Iceland.

-This is a good place, - Reggie mused. - Esdras was furious when he saw the condition of the children. Is the whole family like that? - Sith nodded. - Slytherin's families are very rich. We can pay for the expansion of the academy if they take our house.

-We need to check everything, - Vairok licked his lips. - I'm in, of course.

-I'll tell Severus. Let's start then.
_______________________________________________

Barty nodded approvingly as he listened to the plan. 

-I think all the Death Eaters would agree to it. I'm glad to hear they're alive.

-Do you want to see them?

-No. -Barty smiled. - I'm not saying I don't consider them my friends anymore, but we have our own lives now, right? - He put aside the book he was holding. - Of course, I didn't expect to open a bookstore and live like a pensioner in my thirties. But it's a good life. Frankly, I don't know what I would have done if things had turned out differently. If the Dark Lord had won, he would have completely lost his mind, right? And even if he were back to his old self, I wouldn't know you were alive. 

Regulus rubbed his hair.

-You sound too mature for someone who an hour ago was competing with a kid to see who could eat pancakes first. 

-Hey, it was my pride on the line!

_______________________________________________

Severus nodded to Minerva and Filius as he walked into Albus's office. They smiled.

-Welcome back, Severus. I've been reading the books you've written these past five years, - shared Minerva. - This is literally a breakthrough in potions. The students' level of potions has increased tremendously because of it. I must admit, I used your books because you explain things so much better than other similar books.

-Thank you, Minerva. It turned out to be a fascinating activity.

Albus settled down at the table.

-My boy, you look good. I see you've had a good journey, - he said good-naturedly.

-If only you hadn't sent him to look for the Dark Lord, - Flitwick snorted. Auch.

Dumbledore coughed.

-It was a necessity, Filius. Severus, any luck?

-Nil, - he answered flatly. - The Death Eaters have officially given up the search. They have declared the Dark Lord dead between themselves.

Albus almost choked on the lemon drops. Pomona nodded.

-That was to be expected. He couldn't have survived.

-Remus told you that the werewolves don't believe in his return,- Minerva snapped irritably.

Severus wondered how many times they had had this conversation before.

-Did Lupin have any success? - he asked after all.

-Not really, - Albus sighed. - The werewolves really said so. Remus thought they trusted him, but three years ago they forbade him from approaching their packs. When he tried to approach one, he was attacked. They seemed to want to know what he knew, so they let him come closer.

-And he blurted it out, - Severus snorted.

-This is not a job for Remus, - Flitwick winced. - The werewolves never considered him one of their own.

Severus asked Fenrir about him. Fenrir said that he was going to bite Lyall Lupin for insulting and offensive against werewolves, but little Remus jumped out at him from the bushes. Greyback was unable to control himself because of the full moon, so he bit the boy. At least Lyall didn't say anything more about werewolves after that.

-Charlie's coming in this year, - Albus changed the subject. - Tom will probably attack him. - The professors groaned. - I know what you are thinking, but we can't dismiss that possibility. I suspect he wants the Flamels' Philosopher's Stone. Nicholas refused to give up the stone for protection, but assured me that he would hide it securely. He offered to pretend that he had given the stone to us in order to trick Tom.

-You wanted to bring the Immortality Stone to Hogwarts? - Severus arched an eyebrow while the others were recovering from their shock. - And to let others know about it, no less. Do you want Hogwarts closed?

-Don't be so pessimistic, Severus, - Albus fidgeted. - We'll secure the fake stone well. If Tom comes after it, he will be trapped. This will also distract his attention from Charlie.

-You are crazy? - Filius asked bluntly. - Not to mention the fact that you want to hire Sirius and James again. You'll get yourself fired after that.

-I only want to hire one of them, - the headmaster corrected. - Charlie would be more comfortable with someone from his family here.

-Which is not the case with the others, - Severus hissed. - I warned you what would happen if one of my snakes got hurt.

Albus flinched. He wasn't eager to hire Sirius and James himself. But they didn't want to let the boy go alone. They were worried that the Slytherins would try to get back at him for what the men themselves had done. When would they grow up already?

-Do you even remember about Harry? - Prince squinted. - He should have entered this year too. Or do you think no one will remember that?

The staff looked grimly at the headmaster. They never forgave him for the boy's death. Albus hunched over. He really wanted the best. He didn't want it to end this way. He would have told Harry the truth, prepared him to meet Tom. Told him about the Horcruxes when the time came. Now he had to prepare Charlie somehow. If only Sirius and James hadn't spoiled him so much.
___________________________________________________

Severus told the Death Eaters about the stone at the meeting. Marvolo shook his head.

- He's totally nuts. It's easier to get at Hogwarts than at Flamels.

-The defense he's put in is weak, - Severus grimaced. - A student could pass that if he wanted to. Maybe it's a test for the younger Potter.

-That's crazy, - Lucius muttered. - It's a good thing the Flamels refused him a stone.

Severus didn't mention that it was Reggie who wrote to the Flamels and attached newspaper clippings with the Harry Potter story. They clearly weren't thrilled with Albus' antics.

Greyback sucked in air.

-You smell like a beast. And not weak.

-My friend's friend. - Severus wasn't sure what Vairok was. But Prince almost got gray hair when he saw Reggie eating a vegetable stew next to Vairok devouring a rabbit that was still alive. - I asked their advice.

Severus talked about the idea of Regulus' friends, leaving out names and the fact that he was a Prince. This sent the dining room into a long silence.

-That... sounds reasonable, - Marvolo said slowly. - Before the war, I thought we could take over the Ministry. That we can hold on to power when we show that we are protecting the future of wizards, but now it is impossible. - It's his fault. - Children from our house are really despised. They spend half their time at Hogwarts arguing with the Gryffindors. A separate academy for Slytherins only.

It sounded good. Bellatrix looked at Severus hopefully.

-Would they really be able to do that? Take all the children?

There was a lot of talk about Bella. But even one quarter was not true. She loved her family and friends. She couldn't have children because of Frank Longbottom's one nasty spell, but she was always ready to protect other people's children.

-Yes, - he nodded.

Slytherin tapped his fingers on the table. Nagini slid across the table, onto his shoulders. 

-If the descendants of the founders unite, they can remove the house from Hogwarts. This is their right.

Severus tilted his head.

-We'll leave everything behind, Marvolo. Hogwarts, Britain. We'll start over.

The man nodded.

-It's hard. But it is necessary. We must keep the children safe. And then deal with Dumbledore. Destroy his reputation. So everyone can see what the light represents. The only thing. - Marvolo frowned. - Prince. He is a proxy of the Peverells. How do we find him?

Severus bit his lip. Lucius tilted his head. He knew this habit of his. Severus was nervous.

-There is a way. But I don't think this man will want to meet in person.

-He has his reasons, - Marvolo said. - He is the father of the heir to the Peverell and Gryffindor families. Apparently, that's how he became a proxy. Strange that he didn't become Lord, though.

-Because he's not related to the Peverells themselves, - Severus prompted.

-Right, - he remembered. - We're from the same Slytherin line, separated three hundred years ago. He probably doesn't want to deal with me personally. Do you think you can meet him? Because of your mysterious friend?

-He doesn't want his name known, - Severus shrugged. - That's his right. Either way, we need to get ready.

Nott nodded.

-We need to check all the kids. Slytherin has the least people, most purebloods, some have no parents due to the war. We need to find good guardians. I myself am ready to take several children into the family.

The Death Eaters cheered up. Nott speaks business.

-That's right, purebloods generally have one child. It was too dangerous to have more than one, - Narcissa mused. - We need to check the parents, make an accurate list of those we will send to the academy. Some of the parents would definitely leave the country. Many wanted to do so during the war. Once everyone sees how our house is treated, we can pull it off without a problem. We need to choose a country, review property. Before the story of Harry Potter's death, the aurors sometimes made house raids. Technically, this is illegal.

-We need to point it out too, - nodded Augustus. - We have big houses, we can fit a lot of families. In fact, we already live in the same houses.

-I can check the student records at Hogwarts, - Severus nodded. - Ah, Marvolo. My friend asked about Aisha. Who is that?

-Basilisk, - he answered. - I released her while I was at Hogwarts. She accidentally killed a student back then. I was already starting to become obsessed with Horcruxes, so I had no remorse. Aisha was tired of hiding in the dungeon. I wanted to take her with me, but I never did.

-I know parselmouth who can help, - Severus assured. - When we close the house, we will mention the basilisk and the fact that it was obvious. It will be a blow to Albus' reputation.

Fenrir laughed. Marvolo nodded approvingly. That's why he always liked Severus. He never lost his head and always thought ahead.

Chapter Text

-I don't know much about geography, of course, - Annette groaned, - but there's obviously something wrong here.

Annette, Violet, Regulus and Bishop bent over the maps, closing the bakery for a break. Barty was in his bookstore with Hadrian at the time. Violet picked up a couple of pages that had Ministries of Magic written on it.

-It's only natural that there are fewer Ministries of Magic than there are countries, because the magical population is vastly outnumbered by the muggle population, - she said thoughtfully. - Though it's much harder to track wizards than muggles. Not all wizards go to magic schools, and many work in muggle jobs. That's why there are even fewer wizard schools than Ministries. Mostly parents send their children to the oldest and most famous schools, like Hogwarts or Beauxbatons. But there are small schools that are not as famous and can only take a small number of students. There's one in Ireland, but it wasn't founded long ago and it's small, so Irish wizards still send kids to Hogwarts, even if it's in Britain.

-It's become a habit, - Bishop remarked. - They did that even during the war, even though they could have chosen a school farther away. Why is Hogwarts popular exactly, Reggie?

-That's hard to say, honestly, - he said thoughtfully. - It was founded a thousand years ago, it has a history, the country is very big, the headmasters usually have a reputation behind them. Britain is a very old country, so it has a more impressive history. It's prestige. The tuition price is average compared to other schools. But the education is pretty vague. Divination, history, and muggle studies are useless there now. Potions are not much liked because they equate it with Salazar Slytherin. Magical gifts, like parseltongue, too. It makes things heated between the ignorant people and the Slytherins, who overcome obstacles to their goal. It makes a lot of people angry because most people don't want to try for their dreams, they want everything at once. They can only be understood by people like them. Those who remember what muggles did in ancient times. Those who are above all scuffling.

-It's amazing that the war hasn't started before, - Annette frowned. - This is brought out of Britain by the Irish and nearby schools, right? Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. The ones closest to Hogwarts.

-Bingo, - Regulus muttered, checking the maps. - Norway has a Ministry, but Denmark and Sweden don't. This is considered Scandinavian. Why is the Ministry of Iceland standing all over the place here? What are those dots?

-First, Vlad has scribbles, not handwriting, - Bishop grumbled. - Secondly, it's because of the Callahans. They are Icelanders and Scandinavian. Iceland stands apart. It's very convenient if they don't want to interfere with anything. Apparently, Greenland's territories are under their care. Are there even wizards there?

-Like Denmark then, - pointed out Violet. - The Norwegian Ministry seems to be inferior to the Icelandic Ministry. Is it some sort of branch of the Icelandic Ministry?

-On one side them, on the other the ocean, - Reggie pointed out. - Very thoughtful. Unlike the Netherlands. We just have muggle and magical organizations mixed in.

-I can see why Iceland has a school then, - Violet nodded. - If you don't look it all up purposefully, you won't know. But what do they teach if they don't have many students? And where do the students come from in the first place?

-Iceland, Denmark, some from Sweden and Norway. Although the latter mostly go to Durmstrang. He must be somewhere in that direction.

-It's the perfect place for us, - Reggie nodded. - Who are we going to approach?

-Esdras Callahan. Since we know each other in a way, - Bishop decided. - Shall we tell them how things are?

-Yes. Let's omit the part with the Horcruxes. Voldemort is dead, no matter how you look at it. Marvolo just took the title recently, that's all.
_____________________________________________________

Hadrian was left entirely in the care of the Grosso couple. The rest of the family threw themselves headlong into their work. The boy didn't mind that much. He'd seen it more than once in five years. Despite the amount of work, he was always given attention. Harry loved his father and Reggie very much, adored Annette and Violet's goodies, and was always happy to help Barty at the bookstore. Regulus' friends often brought him something. The Princes' apartment was full of picture books, toys and souvenirs.

Hadrian could already read and was learning to write, sticking his tongue out with eagerness. He couldn't wait to go to school in September, though he still didn't speak much. The healer said that was normal.

-I suppose it's part of his character now, - he explained to Severus. - Hadrian can talk, and not bad for his age. But he prefers to watch. He's not interested in communicating with others, but you can't call him unsociable. I think he will talk to children his own age if necessary or if he finds them interesting. He communicates with his snake, doesn't he?

He does. Harry did talk to Coral a lot. Severus couldn't understand him, but Vairok said that they often discussed books and animals. Reggie shrugged at this.

-Stop fussing, Severus. I suspect it really is residual trauma from the muggles. Luckily, he doesn't remember them. It's just a fact that he's not going to be as sociable as Lily. Or Potter, which is good.

Severus snorted at that. Harry wasn't like Potter anymore. The boy's hair did not stick out in all directions, although he preferred it to be cut short. He liked flying his broomstick, but had no taste for Quidditch or pranks.

Severus could safely leave him in France with friends and get down to business.
____________________________________________________________

There were 54 students in Slytherin at the moment. Severus carefully checked all the records and reports. Three people were not particularly suited to the house, which they themselves knew. So they would stay for the re-sorting. Fifty-one then.

6 were abused. 2 of them are from magical families. Light families, which almost made Prince burn the papers. Parents died in the war, children were taken by relatives. Here is the glorified light. All 6 six will need to be taken away.

Seven had no parents, just relatives or just guardians. They were all checked out. Six of these children were not wanted by anyone. The Death Eaters in the Ministry quickly prepared the paperwork for adoption. The guardians of the seventh turned out to be purebloods. And enthusiastic about the idea of a separate academy.

10 children belonged to muggle-born or neutral families. Severus and Lucius checked the families, talked to a few. The parents of six of the children clearly didn't mind their children studying in another house.

That made a total of forty-five children. And a dozen purebloods that were supposed to enter this year. Fifty-five kids.

__________________________________________________________

Marvolo removed the Dark Mark from his subordinates. He gave a new one to those closest to him. A small hourglass on the right shoulder. The new mark allowed them to sense each other and call for meetings. No pain. He gave Severus a snake pendant with the same functions.

The Slytherin could only blame himself that one of his most loyal men no longer wanted to wear his mark. This is no time for whining, Marvolo.

The new name still sounded strange on the tongue, but he liked it. It was his own.

He felt the warmth of magic from Prince when he magically asked for help. He was willing to help. Marvolo wanted to meet him. They didn't have much blood in common after 300 years, but they still came from the same family. He didn't even think he had anyone left. Slytherin hoped that after everything, the mysterious Prince would show himself. Perhaps when Marvolo showed that he was ready to protect the magical children, as it had been in the past.

Now he took it upon himself to examine the events that had happened in his absence and madness.

-You need to take an educational test, Marvolo, - Narcissa said. - It will be required when participating in Wizengamot matters. You can take it at Gringotts.

Severus looked up from the papers he was filling out next to him.

-Is it possible to take the test at Gringotts?

-Sure. This is usually done by those who, for some reason, did not attend a magical school, and those who want a diploma with higher grades. For a job, for instance. It's just that at Gringotts it costs money and the tests themselves can be more difficult.

Marvolo did just that.

Charms O
Defense Against the Dark Arts O
Transfiguration O
Herbology O
Numerology O
Study of Ancient Runes O
Alchemy O
Astronomy E
History of Magic E
Potions E

-I thought I'd be better, - muttered Marvolo, looking at the test. - I'll have to get into books myself after the academy is built.

Severus and Narcissa hid smiles behind coughs.
______________________________________________________

Marvolo shook up the entire Slytherin castle. The Gaunts did not have access to it, so all the items and even Slytherin's money remained there. The new Lord Slytherin removed all dark magic from the castle, renewed the wards around. The books he checked thoroughly. Some went into the fireplace. He put the books in Parseltongue in a separate pile. At the general meeting, he put forward an idea.

-We could turn my castle into an academy. We could ask the goblins to help us move the castle to another place. Even to another country.

-We'll need to find a place, - thought Augustus. - That kind of magic would take time.

-But we have a building now, -said Fenrir. - Although restructuring is needed there, right?

-Yes, it's too dark there, - nodded Marvolo. - We'll have to rebuild it a bit. Have you gathered your werewolves yet?

-They are impatient, - Greyback confirmed. - We've never been welcome in Britain. There are countries where we are treated the same as humans.

-There are places for werewolves in France, - Severus interjected. - They let other packs in until they find a new home.

-Do you live in France now? - Lucius asked. - Your house has been empty for a long time.

-It's for cover, - explained his friend. - So Dumbledore wouldn't bother me with questions.

-Can you arrange a place? - Fenrir asked. - Do we need that disgusting potion there?

-I can. And no. There are special houses and spells for full moons.
_______________________________________________________________

Augustus checked the Ministry's records carefully. He needed to know how many pureblood families remained in Britain. Especially from the Sacred 28.

Burke and Shafiq merged with other families. Gaunt are the Marvolo family. Abbot, Shacklebolt, Weasley, Fawley, Ollivander, Slughorn, Macmillan, Crouch, Longbottom supported the light. The rest were either neutral or Death Eaters. That is 16 families. The oldest and most influential.

Augustus made some notes. It is not known who Lords Black and Lord Prince were. But it looks like they didn't support Dumbledore at all. If you subtract the 16 families and children without guardians, that's about 28 families. Ironic. Only 2 families are muggle. 18 are pureblood. They would have no problem moving families and children away. Even Amelia Bones and Crouch can't stop them.

Rookwood grimaced at the thought of Crouch. He didn't know how he hadn't cursed the man by working with him in the same building. The bastard had sentenced his own son to death. He had no doubt that Barty Jr. was guilty, even though they hadn't used the veritaserum. Of course, Barty had deliberately made it so that there was no doubt of his guilt, but still... He closed his eyes for a moment. He was just a coward who had lost his chance without ever confessing his feelings. And this after swearing on Regulus' grave that he would take care of Barty.
_______________________________________________________________

Severus, Regulus and Sith checked the entire Ravenclaw library. Books on parseltongue in one pile, in a foreign language in another.

-We should make copies of the books. Let's make a library at the academy, - Severus said. - Some of those books could be published on behalf of Lord Ravenclaw.

-We'd better do it outside of Britain, - Reggie remarked. - It would show that the heirs had finally become disillusioned with Hogwarts. Barty will be thrilled when he gets those books into his store.

-Did you ever think of taking Hogwarts for yourself? - Sith leaned against the shelf. - Fix everything there?

-We wanted to during the war, - Prince admitted. - To set up a department in the Ministry to check on muggleborns. To make sure there were no cases of abuse there. To bring in new subjects and good staff at Hogwarts. But people were against us even on that. It wasn't until then that the war started. It's a shame to abandon everything. But I'm afraid we won't succeed in something like that anymore.

-I see no point in trying, - Regulus shrugged. - We save our children and wash our hands of them. Why should we care about the rest of them after all? We don't owe them anything. They wanted to get rid of the Slytherins, didn't they? They got rid of us like they wanted.

-They reap what they sow, don't they? - Sith laughed softly, looking out the window. - Just like Dumbledore.

Severus opened his mouth to ask the question that had haunted him for a long time, but again he did hesitate. He knew that Regulus hated Dumbledore and that Sith despised the old man. But he could understand Regulus' reasons, not Sith's.

-It doesn't matter anymore, - Regulus muttered, picking up another book. - Maybe we were too optimistic in those years. We wanted to protect everyone, but what's the point of protecting those who don't want to? I think, in the end, we'll be happy to protect our families.

_____________________________________________________________

Bishop and Reggie went to Esdras' office. He recognized them immediately. Regulus's white hair might have contributed to this, though. When they explained the reason for their arrival, Esdras called the rest of the family. His wife and her three brothers. The Callahans spent some time researching newspapers and information about Slytherin.

-We've heard about the war in Britain, - Theodora nodded.- Fortunately, it didn't reach the extent of the Grindelwald War. More than one country suffered then.

-This is a story with a child, - Esdras bared his teeth. - I can't believe it. It is clear that all these excuses about protection are just nonsense. The boy was a parselmouth, right?

-Yes, his father wasn't exactly hiding his disgust, - Regulus confirmed.

Bayon narrowed his eyes as he scanned the notes.

-I heard about Salazar Slytherin. A very impressive wizard. In fact, he didn't do anything. He left Hogwarts himself, this attitude to him bothers me. People have a tendency to express their helplessness and unwillingness to achieve anything in life in insulting those who are stronger and more powerful. This is exactly what pureblood wizards are. They were related to each other, so they have impressive fortunes and power.

-And it continues, - snorted Kronos. - I remember Minister Fudge. He's a worm. He's only attracted to money. And this Dumbledore is attracted to power, obviously.

Zephyr looked at Regulus.

-So you are Lord Black? It was all cleverly arranged.

-Yes, the others don't know yet. I think I'll tell them later. Our main concern now is children.

-And not without reason, - Theodora said gloomily. - They are in danger. Maybe not physically, but mentally for sure. This old man wants to hire the idiots who sent the kids to the infirmary again? - The Callahans bristled. - Not in this life. We will accept all your students, even if we need to make room.

-Since we're all influenced, we don't mind paying for the expansion for them, - Reggie said. - We need your help until we find a good place for our own academy.

-Why not here? - Bayon squinted. - In fact, our academy is a castle. We can unite. Slytherin Academy isn't a bad name. We'll add staff and subjects when we get everything sorted out.

Bishop and Reggie looked at each other. It was not difficult for them to communicate mentally.

~They are telling the truth.

~Interesting. But it's not a bad idea.

~Moving the castle will take time.

-The students can settle in while we take care of the castle, - Reggie nodded. - But you really don't mind?

-Safety of the students is most important. The name isn't important to us. Knowledge is what matters in the academy, that's why we have different courses of study.We also have parselmouths.

Bishop picked up the list of professors.

Potions, Lithia Strautz. Exploring of Magical and Muggle Creatures, Ilya Karoo. Martial Arts, Solo Ladvick. Jurisprudence, Quito Bolder. Healing, Dietrich Klein. Alchemy, Ditro Santiago. Charms, Roy Wan. History, Bayon Callahan. Herbology, Diego Nelle. Archeology, Kelt Volkov. Art, Lita Moralez. Librarian, Katrin Colt. Healer, Augustus Recknock. Astrology, Maria Colt. Curse-Breaking, Ikar Kunaev. Foreign languages, Noah Ladvick.

-Noah Ladvick? An acquaintance of yours and Vairok? - Bishop recalled.

-Vairok nearly murdered him on a hunt, - Reggie grinned. - And he only bombarded us with questions about the inscriptions on the stones we dug up at the place.

-He's like that, - Bayon nodded.

-When Severus finally gets rid of Albus, he can come to the academy, - Bishop remarked. - Two potions masters in a school like this wouldn't hurt.

-It will come in handy. I read his books, - the headmaster of the academy smiled. - But why is he with Dumbledore?

-The old idiot thinks Sev is a spy, - Regulus grinned. - He will watch their actions after our trick. We want to finish everything in a couple of years, so that he doesn't curse anyone there. I certainly wouldn't have held back.

-Same, - Zephyr grumbled. - We start school on the October 2. There is time to prepare everything.
_______________________________________________________

The abused children happily went with their new guardians. The purebloods did everything without a fuss. Augustus made new notes in the paper.

Because of the war and the constant tension, many wizards never left Britain, though many wanted to. Now they had a chance.

Of the 43 Slytherin families, four had moved to America. Two to Germany. One to Australia. Two to Sweden. Two to Denmark. These turned out to be the guardians of muggleborns and neutral families who were happy to be away from the war and at the same time send their children for a good education. Everyone wins. Except Dumbledore. 3 families lived in Ireland anyway.

The Malfoys, Goyles, Crabbs, Lestranges, Carrows, Travers and Notts bought property in France. Marvolo bought a large meeting house in Marseille. Another 5 families moved to Denmark. 3 to Sweden. The remaining 14 families stayed in Britain for now. Although they lived in either the Malfoys' english house or Avery's.

Augustus threw the notes into the fireplace. They finished with this case. All main Death Eaters will live in France and Denmark. Many pulled their funds from the Ministry, the press and Hogwarts, which they supported financially. Not more. The light despised them so much, but didn't mind using their money? Let's look at them now.
____________________________________________________

The Callahans quickly added rooms to the academy. Sure, Prince and Slytherin donated money for the expansion, but all those funds were used for the sake of the students. This pleased Marvolo's followers immensely.

In August, the children had already been sent there. They had more than a month before classes, but they were getting to know the professors and the area.

-Do you allow students to stay for the summer? - Reggie asked Bayon.

-Sure. Some don't have families or just want to stay in Iceland, so we have a separate home for these children in Kopavogur.

In Iceland, werewolves were also treated well. Children of the Fenrir's packs could attend the academy. As it turned out, there were enchanted houses near the school for such occasions.

-We have different students. Not only humans, - explained Bayon.

Fenrir was especially happy about this. Marvolo bought an area in Iceland so the werewolves could build a home there. Greyback sent children and several adults there. The rest have moved to France for now. Reggie and Severus found a good place there.
________________________________________________________

-When do we release the information? And in what order? - Vairok asked.

-By the end of August, - Severus replied.

Regulus drummed his fingers on his mug. Bishop exhaled cigarette smoke.

-First, the heirs' decision. On the 27th?

-This will shake Hogwarts, - Severus chuckled. - Then we will send notifications about the withdrawal of students from Hogwarts.

-After the press, - Vairok grinned. - I've already taken the basilisk out of the castle. She was ecstatic to finally get out of the sewers.

-She got a special place at the academy, - Reggie snorted. - Karoo was beside himself with happiness.

It turned out that the basilisks had extra eyelids to hide their deadly gaze, so that the students could even approach her. For such a giant snake, Aisha turned out to be very gentle.

-She didn't kill until 50 years ago, right? She hadn't been released before that. Why did Salazar leave her there?

-She was one of the guardians of Hogwarts, - Vairok explained. - She said that even though Salazar was gone, he wanted to protect the children. The rest of the guardians had already died. But she was locked in a dungeon. She thinks it was due to the release of magic that happened when the founders enchanted the castle before they died. Salazar's heirs never found her. And there were very few of those who had the gift.

-Will you write it down? Let's put it in the newspapers.
____________________________________________________

The Hogwarts staff were quietly finishing preparations for the start of the school year when Hogwarts shook from the base to the towers. Severus grabbed the wall, muffling his smile. Marvolo asked magic to shut down Slytherin House.

Chapter Text

Albus watched in disbelief as the charms collapsed around Hogwarts. The magic that still remained from the founders' days was completely gone.

-How is that possible? - Minerva whispered.

Severus tilted his head as if listening.

-The magic in the Slytherin part of the castle has disappeared. I noticed that all the Slytherin banners were torn. The house ceased to exist.

Pomona looked at him with wide eyes.

-How?..

-The heirs can do this all together, - Filius said quietly.

-The heirs? - Pomfrey asked. - Someone inherited the titles of the foundations? Why would they do something like that?

-The Peverells, - Albus muttered. - They are the heirs of Gryffindor, but Tom was the heir of Slytherin.

-That could be done by living heirs, Albus, - Severus sighed. - The ones who remained. Did Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff have them?

Dumbledore tried to find out, of course. Hufflepuff is gone. Ravenclaw has only one left. From the Prince family. The name was sealed. Albus didn't have time to do anything else.

Almost all the Slytherins were taken out of school by their parents. Only nine remained. They had to be resort. The torn Slytherin banners were removed, as was the fourth dining table.

-Didn't you know about this, Severus? - Flitwick asked.

-Not about all. Many purebloods are disappointed with Hogwarts. Some have wanted to leave for a long time. Since the Dark Lord is dead, they have a chance.

The students were shocked by the news. Someone was happy. But someone was upset. Severus became a regular professor of potions, to which he shrugged.

-It's easier for me. I no longer need to separate the arguing Slytherins and Gryffindors. Shouldn't you be happy, Albus?

He didn't know what to think. He tried to contact the parents of the students who had left. They bluntly told him to back off. Be glad, no Slytherins. The Ministry was equally shocked. But they didn't have time to do anything either.

At the beginning of the school year, the headlines shook Britain.

The heirs of Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw have closed the Slytherin House at Hogwarts.

The heirs of the founders left Hogwarts.

The most influential pureblood magical families left Britain.

The heirs of the founders have taken the monster from the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets from Hogwarts.

The monster from the Chamber of Secrets turned out to be a basilisk, one of the guardians of Hogwarts.

And these are the most basic ones.

Basilisk. So obvious! Why wasn't the Chamber of Secrets found earlier? Why hadn't anyone guessed at the nature of the beast? Old records of Hogwarts events were found, which clearly stated that the Slytherin basilisk was one of the guardians of Hogwarts. Salazar had left it to protect the magical children. The entrance was on the third floor, where a student died 50 years ago. Why hadn't all this been figured out back then?

There was evidence from goblins indicating that the heir to Gryffindor and the heir to Slytherin are the same person. Heir to two enemies? Everyone suddenly remembered that Godric and Salazar were originally friends. So it is Lord Peverell. Whose heir did Dumbledore and the Potters killed.

There were mentions in the press that Sirius Potter was hired at Hogwarts in August. Again. He had encouraged the Gryffindors to send two Slytherins to the Hospital Wing when he had been hired the first time.

There were also student's memories in the press. That includes the Potters. How they ignored them in class and sent them to the infirmary. How Charlie Potter ran around Hogwarts screaming that he would kill all the dark wizards there. How the Gryffindors bullied the Slytherins for nothing and wouldn't let them study. How Dumbledore and other professors let them get away with it, and took points off Slytherin. How Dumbledore accepted a werewolf named Lupin into Hogwarts, who was rumored to have almost killed a Slytherin student.

-Don't look at me, Albus, - Severus snorted. - You took an oath of silence from me.

What's so surprising about the Slytherin students leaving the school? That the heirs of the founders closed the house completely and took away the magic of their ancestors?

The staff was torn between yelling at Dumbledore and self-flagellation. How could they let the students down like that? Where were they looking? Did they really neglect the students because they studied in Slytherin?

Amelia and Alastor and the aurors searched the school. They called in the goblins and the unspeakables. They found many dark artifacts and illegal potions, removed the curse from the DADA teacher's position and enchanted the school grounds with new charms.

Information about child abuse popped up in the newspapers. Their testimonies and memories. The aurors came back. Bones yelled at Albus for a long time. Why on earth did you send them back?! All the students were examined by St. Mungo's healers. The healers found over a dozen students who had been abused. Poppy drank soothing potions while the professors almost gutted Dumbledore. Such students were sent to therapy, and their guardians were handled by Ministry staff.

Almost all the teachers received howlers and angry letters. Severus made tea with whiskey several times for Minerva and Pomona. He himself did not receive any letters, fortunately. First, he hasn't taught for five years. Secondly, he was from Slytherin, whose students left the school. Albus got the worst of it. His office already smelled of burnt paper. Sirius was in trouble, too. The only reason he hadn't been fired was because he was the least of the Ministry's problems right now. Charlie Potter and his father got the same treatment. Their tirades about Slytherins, dark wizards and pranks already pissed off everyone they could.

Charlie Potter managed to lose 120 points in a single September and lead Gryffindor into minus points. Pranks, ranting, hooliganism in the classroom. He hit Ravenclaw when the latter paid no attention to his tales of how he had saved the world from the Dark Lord. Flitwick took 50 points from Charlie, assigned him to Filch's assistant for a week, and contacted James. One more time, James, and he would be grounded for the rest of the year.

The Ministry itself received a bunch of howlers about not doing its job. They also had problems with funding. Miscellaneous office supplies, brooms, informers, office furnishings, and other things. All of this was partly reliant on voluntary donations. So did Hogwarts, by the way. Hogwarts scholarships were actually pureblood money donated to provide for excellent students. All of that has been cancelled. The main pureblood families who donated money left Britain altogether. The rest of the purebloods were not as influential. Especially the Weasleys.

Severus knew that Albus had paid for the education of the children of his beloved light familys with scholarship money. And Charlie. This was revealed when Amelia demanded an audit of Hogwarts. Severus and Pomona sat for half an hour with the fluffy headphones on their ears because Flitwick and McGonagall were furious.

-It's not charity, Albus!

-With this money, students should have studied and left for prestigious jobs! How many wizards could have helped the world of magic advance!

-And why did you pay for Charlie Potter's education?!

-You know James is having a hard time, - Albus sighed wearily. He looked at Severus and Pomona's headphones with a touch of envy.

-That's his problem! He has money. If he didn't spend so much money, he wouldn't spoil his son so much either!

Albus sighed again. He thought so himself. James constantly updated himself and his son brooms, clothes, bought Charlie what he wanted. The boy loved sweets and was already noticeably gaining weight. They did not know how to manage money at all.

-And the Potters are still complaining about losing their fortune, - Aurora pointed out. - Though it's not even their money.

Severus lifted his headphones.

-What are you and the Weasleys going to do? There are four of them at school now. The older one might still be able to pass on a scholarship, but not the others. 

Albus had to divert the money paid for the children's education back into scholarships. Percy did manage to pass the test for it. For education, at least for a couple of years, for Fred, George, and Ron, Molly and Arthur somehow found the funds. James, with complaints, paid for his son.

Harry's story came up again, just as Severus had predicted. Charlie was often ignored by the other students. He annoyed a lot of people. When he drove someone mad, he was even cursed a few times. Sirius tried to deal with the responsible parties, but got a mountain of howlers. Everyone knew he was to blame for his godson's death, too.

It was funny, but Severus really wanted to just sit down in the "Coffee Dream" and enjoy the view with a cup of coffee. He'd only been able to make it home a couple of times because of all the fuss. And the aurors had yet to discover the Cerberus that Albus had hidden away for the duration of their visit.

Chapter Text

-I noticed a rat in Diagon Alley, - Vairok said.

Reggie looked up from his documents. Vairok was there in August.

-Pettigrew? - He nodded. - Is there a reason you're saying that now?

-I was going to do it myself, but I have to go to Peru. You know I hate it when you do things you don't like, brother. - Reggie knew. When that happened, Vairok was pissed off. - He disguised himself as Weasley's pet.

Bishop whistled. Regulus removed his glasses.

-Cute. I'll tell Severus.
______________________________________________________

By October, Slytherin Castle was moved to Iceland. Slytherin Castle and the academy were joined together. They made classrooms in the academy castle and dormitories in Slytherin Castle. The professors expanded the library. Parseltongue books occupied a separate section. Besides professor Klein, five other students turned out to be parselmouths, as well as two students who studied parseltongue without the ability. They decided to name the school Salazar Academy, as a tribute to Salazar Slytherin. His works on potions and transfiguration interested many.

Severus decided to produce books from the Ravenclaw library in France. As Regulus predicted, Barty was euphoric. His bookstore was full of people. Severus also sent copies of many of the books to the Academy. Regulus made copies of Black's books and sent them to the school as well. The students and professors were thrilled. All of these books helped the potions makers create a new potion for werewolves. A full mind-preserving potion for the full moon, with a pleasant taste, and not-so-rare ingredients. It was easier to make than the wolfsbane potion and cost much less. It was made free of charge for students, at the Academy's expense.

New and old students quickly found common ground. No fighting, no shouting about dark wizards, no points and no cursing in the corridors. Pleasant conversation, board games and study. The professors helped everyone, giving advice, answering questions and explaining everything in detail. The Slytherins were delighted. Seeing such obvious enjoyment of the lessons, the Academy professors were getting angrier and angrier at the Hogwarts professors. How could they bring children to such a state? Everyone could see how the incoming students were tense at the beginning and stayed in groups. In case of an attack. Parselmouths students were the first to rush out to greet them. This noticeably relaxed the "children of Salazar", as the Slytherins were fondly called.

The parents were happy that their children could finally breathe peacefully within the walls of the school. Marvolo was furious that Dumbledore had let all this happen. He would pay for it.

Severus did catch Pettigrew and brought him to the common meeting in a cage.

-What should we do with him? - Jugson asked gloomily. - He'll turn us all in if he gets caught.

-No, if we work on his memory, - grumbled Rabastan. - He can take the fall for Igor's murder.

-Sorry? - Severus frowned.

-Dumbledore holds it over you, - Bellatrix replied. - Pettigrew might say that you slandered yourself to protect those the aurors were chasing at the time. At Dumbledore's insistence, without proof. It's easy to do now, because no one knows who really were Death Eaters and who was slandered. 

Severus leaned back in his chair. After Fenrir's story and all the help that Severus and his "friend with a gift" had provided, he was again treated with respect. He wasn't sure what to do with it. Too many years had passed. But the Death Eaters and Marvolo clearly wanted to reestablish their relationship. Severus would have wanted that if he hadn't met Regulus and Barty. If he had to choose, he would choose only these two.

-He might, - Prince said finally. - Though he's been keeping it quiet himself. He's still clinging to me, even when I said I had no one to spy on. The question is, when do we use the rat?

-We'll have to think about it, - Marvolo admitted. - Who pointed him out?

-Vairok. He's the one Fenrir smelled on me, - Severus replied. The werewolf perked up. - He’s not human, obviously, but I have no idea who he is exactly.

Narcissa put her hands on the table.

-I saw the library at the Academy. The Blacks' books were there.

Bella froze.

-The Black's? They were sent by the one to whom Arcturus bequeathed everything?

-Probably. Looks like he's working with Ravenclaw. Or is it he himself.

Severus felt sad. Cissy and Bella missed Regulus a lot, and not only them. But would they accept him now?

-I have a request, Marvolo. - The Dark Lord raised an eyebrow. - Can you get that rat to confess to attacking the Longbottoms? Many in the Ministry of Magic know that Bella can't have children because of Frank's curse, even if they don't talk about it. Can you get Pettigrew to say he wanted to frame the Lestranges, but Barty found out about it and protected them?

-I can, - Marvolo confirmed. - But... why? 

-I was closest with Regulus and Barty. Think of it as revenge.

Crouch Sr. will never admit that he was wrong. But Pettigrew's confession would tarnish his reputation, which he spent so much time rebuilding after his son's death. It was a better revenge than death.

_____________________________________________________________

Vairok looked over the papers in Regulus' loft. There are papers everywhere.

-Where should I put vegetables now?

Reggie covered his head with a pillow and poked at the windowsill.

-We need to destroy Dumbledore's reputation, - he said dully. - Who has ideas?

-His love for Grindelwald. - Bishop. - Scandalous as I like.

-Tom Riddle's past and child abuse. - Sith.

-Lies about the chosen one. - Barty.

-Screams about the Dark Lord. - Vairok.

-Great. And in what order should we do it?

Good question. Severus entered with Hadrian in his arms. The boy waved to everyone with his stuffed dragon.

-How is Harry's school? - Richter asked.

-Fine, - Severus replied. - He talks to the others sometimes. At least those aren't afraid of Coral.

The serpent hissed from the boy's neck.

-They don't give him a reason to scare them, - translated Vairok. - What's the matter with Hogwarts?

Severus grimaced.

-There will be aurors there by the vacations. Cerberus has already been seen. Albus hadn't even told the staff about him.

__________________________________________________

Alastor almost broke down the door of the headmaster's office.

-Are you out of your mind?!

Minerva's exact words a few seconds earlier. Severus rubbed his temples. Poppy beside him didn't even open her eyes, holding her head. A lot happened between September and December.

Charlie Potter kept losing points. Gryffindor was constantly in the minus on points. Charlie took on Ron Weasley as his sycophant. Both became frequent visitors to the infirmary. Their tirades about dark wizards and pranks made everyone angry. They were either ignored or cursed. Even the ghosts were pissed off. The idiots caused Neville to fall off his broom and break his leg. The boy's grandmother almost tore James apart.

With no Slytherins around, the Gryffindors started bullying other houses. Sirius was teaching them pranks again. The Hufflepuff's patience ran out. When one of them ended up in the infirmary, the Hufflepuffs wrote a collective complaint to the Ministry. Directly to Amelia. Sirius was kicked out of school with a scandal and fined. Minerva has banned all students in her house from participating in Quidditch matches. As soon as one of the Gryffindors approached the students of another house, wands were aimed at him. Ghosts always hovered around and reported to the teachers. Peeves started pranking the lion house. In short, Gryffindor has become the least favorite house in the school. You could say they took Slytherin's place themselves.

Then Charlie and Ron went to the third floor. Scared of a cerberus, they shot a spell and hit its chains. The beast was on the loose. It wounded three dozen students before Severus hit it with a killing spell. The students required medical and psychological care. The staff informed Amelia.

Now Pomfrey sat holding her head. Pomona was holding her heart. Aurora was dripping firewhiskey into her and Severus' tea. Flitwick and McGonagall were fuming. The newly hired Remus stood like a pale shadow in the corner.

-What in Merlin's name, Albus?! - Alastor barked. - Why is there a Cerberus at Hogwarts?!

Before Dumbledore could open his mouth, Minerva exploded.

-You left this beast to guard the stone?! From a dead Dark Lord in a school full of living children?!

-It's just a little misunderstanding, - the headmaster said soothingly. - Fluffy was securely locked.

-He was released by two freshmen!

Severus drained his mug of tea in one gulp. He was beginning to understand why Reggie and his colleagues drank straight from the bottles. Aurora looked longingly at the bottle of firewhiskey.

-What stone are you talking about? - Moody did not understand.

Minerva briefly explained the situation. Albus hunched under Alastor's gaze.

-Are you kidding me?!

-It will show for sure if Tom is alive, - Dumbledore tried to explain.

-How exactly? - Alastor hissed. - All those who were considered his supporters left the country! They took the children and ran away. They didn't run away from him, they ran away from you!

Albus flinched. He still couldn't believe it. There were no more Slytherins. The house itself no longer existed. And there were even more problems at Hogwarts now.
______________________________________________________________

All medical bills had to be paid personally by Albus. The Ministry ordered him to remove the fake stone and the protection around it. A freshman can handle this! By January, the story of the Dark Lord's past and some of the other abused children had hit the press. Amelia almost breathed fire. You could have prevented all this! Since Albus was not yet headmaster at the time, nothing could have been done to him. But that didn't stop another flood of angry letters.
_______________________________________________________________

Fortunately, Christmas passed without incident. Severus spent it in France with Hadrian. Reggie and Barty spent that time somewhere in the desert, because Barty found out that there used to be a huge library there and wanted to know the details, and Regulus indulged him as usual.

The Death Eaters met together in Marseilles. The ex-Slytherins from the Academy were happy. They could study in peace and enjoy their holidays. Some of them stayed there for the holidays because they wanted to see Iceland. The professors assured the parents that they were always looking out for them closely.
_____________________________________________________________

-So he hired a spineless werewolf, - said Vairok when he returned from Peru. - What's next?

-We'll see. I wonder if he really gave up the idea with the stone?

Severus sank into a chair while Harry drew enthusiastically in his sketchbook.

-I doubt it. He'll try something at the end of the year.
________________________________________________________________

Albus sighed heavily as he removed the ash from the table. He'd lost count of how many howlers he'd received since this August. Why wasn't everything going according to plan?

He had planned to train Harry until the time was right. There was no way to get Voldemort's soul out of him. The boy even got the ability to talk to snakes! But Tom had to die. For the Greater Good. Harry would understand, Albus was sure of it. After all, it was his destiny.

But Harry was dead. Killed by muggles. Albus didn't want that to happen. He only wanted the boy to become flexible. A little rough parenting never hurt anyone.

Which left Charlie. Barely more powerful than a squib and spoiled beyond belief. How had James let this happen? All Charlie did was brag about how he saved the world as a kid, eating candy and messing around. What kind of a savior was he?

The Slytherins are gone. All of them. The most powerful and wealthy pureblood families stopped supporting the Ministry and Hogwarts. They were under no obligation to do so. Cornelius was beside himself. Albus knew that he was being bribed, that he was pocketing some Ministry funds. Some families had left Britain altogether. Albus learned that several had moved to France and Denmark. He tried to make inquiries in Denmark, as it is a small country. But Kronos Callahan arrived at the British Ministry and, with a cold smile, told him to stay out of their territory.

The British Ministry had no right to bother the families who had left. The dark families who remained in England lived together, it seems. The press mentioned raids on their homes after the war. All of this made the Ministry look bad.

Severus said he was no longer in contact with the Death Eaters. He visibly changed and became calmer. He didn't sneer, he didn't take points off. But you could see how it used to help in his class. Before, students were afraid to make unnecessary moves in his class. Now they weren't afraid to make them and their inattention sent someone to the infirmary every month. Severus only shrugged his shoulders. Not my problem. My students aren't here. Severus saw no reason to stay at Hogwarts, but he did for now. Albus was grateful. Without the other Death Eaters, Tom would surely contact him. And everyone would finally see that Albus was right.

The absence of the Slytherin house made Gryffindor the least popular house. Albus hadn't even noticed how often Gryffindors had gotten into arguments before. Sirius again taught the children pranks and one again ended up in the hospital wing. Hufflepuffs didn't hold back. They wrote to Amelia. Albus was starting to get scared whenever she showed up. Sirius was rightly kicked out of his job. Dumbledore was angry with him himself.

Minerva was beyond furious. She banned her house from playing Quidditch. Now Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff played together out of interest. The students of these houses kept their wands at the ready if the Gryffindors approached them. The ghosts were watching intently. Even Peeves took up arms against the lions. Little by little, the Gryffindors began to understand their mistake, but there was nothing they could do about it. The other students didn't trust them. Albus realized with horror that Gryffindor had taken Slytherin's place. It had happened with such ease that he wondered if people really had reason to hate Slytherin house or if they had just found a scapegoat.

Then there was an incident with Fluffy. Albus nearly choked when he saw blood in the hallway. Thank Merlin, Severus got there before anyone was killed. All the students were going to make a full recovery, but the nightmares were assured for a long time.

Albus thought he might not have held back and yelled at Charlie and his friend for this if others hadn't yelled at him. The staff and parents were furious. Hagrid was forbidden to have pets. He was torn between sadness and guilt.

There is also a story about Tom's past. How did they know? It wasn't all that bad. All disagreements in any family can be resolved. He was sure of it.

All his plans went down the drain. Charlie was not a savior, no one liked him, he took Gryffindor to the minus on points. Albus needed to do something urgently. He decided not to remove the fake stone. Tom would surely come after it or Charlie. He still needed to find the founders' heirs.

He knew there were two of them. Peverell and Prince. Tom couldn't be Peverell. He didn't know anything about it, and he didn't have a body. But Lord Peverell was angry about Harry's death. That left Prince. If only Albus would convince him to help the light. For surely he was helping Peverell because of the boy's story, nothing more.

Chapter Text

Annette and Violet were visiting the latter's parents. Reggie was at work. Barty was at one of his recovery sessions. Severus sighed, feeling his locket heating up. It was time for him to tell the rest of the Death Eaters at least some of the truth. Prince packed Hadrian's backpack and transported with him to Marseilles. They were immediately met by Draco and Theodore.

-Severus, you have a child? - the blond child widened his eyes.

There was the sound of someone wheezing from the dining room. Severus sighed.

-Yes. It's Hadrian. - The boy waved his dragon. - He rarely speaks.

Coral climbed out from under the boy's shirt and hissed. Nagini instantly crawled around the corner. Hadrian hissed something. A huge snake followed them into the dining room.

-I wish Vairok were here, - Severus sighed. - I do not speak parseltongue.

-They said hello, - Marvolo said, staring at them in shock. - Do you have a son?

-Obviously.

Severus sat down in a chair, placing his son in his lap. Coral and Nagini hissed among themselves.

-Rats, - Harry said, waving the toy.

-Do they want to have lunch? - Severus asked. The boy nodded. - Coral, go.

The snakes immediately crawled away somewhere. Narcissa leaned towards Severus.

-How old is he?

-Seven.

Lucius moved closer. Hadrian looked closely at the Malfoys, looked at Bella.

-Peach? - he asked his father. Reggie?

-That's right, - Severus smiled slightly. - Let's leave it to him. - Harry nodded gravely.

-And where?..

-She's dead, - Prince replied quietly.

Marvolo swallowed.

-I thought you... - He hesitated.

-I loved Lily like a sister.

Hadrian waved his dragon, catching Draco's gaze. The blond boy moved closer.

-Uncle Sev, can we play?

Severus squinted.

-Read to him about animals.

Draco's eyes lit up. He adored magical creatures himself. Hadrian hugged his backpack and went with Draco, taking Theodore's hand. Once the children were gone, everyone turned to Severus.

-Seriously? - asked Rabastan. - And you didn't say it earlier?

-And parselmouth, - said Rodolphus.

-It's hereditary. The gene was not passed on to me.

Lucius narrowed his eyes.

-It's you, right? You got rid of your father's blood. You are Prince.

Severus sighed. Narcissa's eyes widened. Marvolo didn't look any better.

-So you and Marvolo?.. - Fenrir looked at their Lord. - That's why you can fly like Marvolo.

-We both have air magic, - Severus nodded.

Marvolo exhaled, afraid to choke on the news. Severus really had the same ability. It always amazed Slytherin when he could still think clearly. It was as if they were connected. Because they are related. They share a family line. Severus is the father of his heir. It's like their common child. The bloody werewolf grinned knowingly.

-So you have a child in common, too.

Severus kicked him under the table as others snorted.

-He usually stays with my friends, but everyone's busy right now.

-You can leave him with us too, - Narcissa frowned. - I know our relationship has been strained since the war, but... We would take care of him, Severus. - She bit her lip. - You don't trust us, do you?

-I'm not going to lie, Cissi, I don't know what will happen after we're done with Dumbledore.

Marvolo clenched his teeth, understanding the subtext. Severus wasn't sure he wanted to stay with them. 
________________________________________________________________

-It was fun, - said Hadrian.

-That's good, - Severus smiled. 

The meeting went a little... tense. Severus squeezed his son's hand. He didn't blame his old friends for thinking everything was back to normal. They thought he was a traitor years ago, they had their reasons. They just forgot that the coin has two sides. He had reasons not to trust them either. Even if their children now had a future or that they were about to ruin Dumbledore's life didn't mean that everything was perfect. Severus knew that unless there was a need there, Regulus would not show his face to them. The younger wizard had no intention of grasping the past in this way. Maybe Severus should have done the same.  

________________________________________________________________

Reggie crunched his neck as Bishop removed the sand from their belongings with magic.

-Rat time?

-Why not.

Regulus checked his phone.

-Sev told them.

-Did they suspect it yet? You can't see the scar because of the sealing, but the secret will come out.

-Marvolo likes Severus, - Reggie chuckled slightly. - He always has. He was jealous of Lily, but he hid it. I think he was the only one who would ever figure it out. Eventually.

-And about you? - Bishop asked, frowning. - It would be nice to get rid of that idiot.

Regulus tapped on the steering wheel. It's been a long time. They weren't brothers anymore. Vairok called him brother more often than Sirius had done in their entire lives.

-Crouch, the Potters and Dumbledore, - he muttered. - It would be nice if they disappeared. But you know that's not going to change anything. They've done enough damage. The memory of it won't go away.
___________________________________________________________

The aurors caught Peter Pettigrew. Under the serum, he confessed to several murders, including the murder of Igor Karkaroff, and to where he had been all these years and in what form. He was thrown into an Azkaban cell, enchanted so that he could not take his rat form.

Crouch took a break from his work indefinitely. Many people were outraged that Peter got a life sentence and Crouch Jr. was kissed. He was just protecting his friends. Augusta Longbottom voted for the kiss at Pettigrew's trial, but she looked resigned, not angry. It was later discovered that she had taken her grandson from Hogwarts and sent him to another magical school.

Sirius and James were fined for never registering their animagus forms. Remus was fired. You're lucky Severus Snape didn't press charges. The Weasleys were sent to the healers to see if Pettigrew could do anything for them. More howlers fell on Dumbledore's head.

Minerva may soon have a hoarse throat, Pomona joked grimly after Pettigrew's trial. Aurora no longer removing the firewhiskey from the table in the staff room. They had a feeling that they would need it soon.
___________________________________________________________

The window in the headmaster's office flew out of its frame with a clang. Pomona and Severus exchanged glances. They need more powerful headphones.

Albus hadn't removed the stone from Hogwarts, and he'd even lowered its protection by half. Charlie and Ron managed to drag Hermione Granger into their adventure because no one was talking to her, just as no one was talking to these two. The girl was bragging about her knowledge and found out about the Philosopher's Stone. They rushed to the stone after hearing Dumbledore's hints about the Dark Lord, but ran into Lockhart, who was hired to replace Lupin and who wanted to enrich himself by hearing about the stone from others.

Result: Ron's leg is broken, Hermione was poisoned by the potion, the mirror of Erised is damaged. Charlie and Lockhart fired spells at each other as they collided in the darkness of the room where it was. Fortunately or unfortunately, both are worthless wizards. Charlie's wand was broken, he himself had a concussion, Lockhart wiped off his own memory with his own spell. They were all found hours later when they didn't show up for dinner.

The children were sent to the infirmary. Lockhart to St. Mungo. Amelia was called. No one even had to be told why they contacted her.

It was the duet of Amelia and Minerva's barking that broke the window in Dumbledore's office. Aurora silently poured alcohol into everyone's tea. Or tea in alcohol, as the case may be. No one commented on it.

The only thing that comforted Albus was that this situation would remain at Hogwarts and the Ministry. No howlers. Even Fawkes looked tired.

And it wasn't even March.

________________________________________________________

Severus put his feet up on the table, ignoring decorum. He was too tired to care. Poppy collapsed into a nearby chair.

-My infirmary is finally empty, - she breathed. - I've never had so many patients in one school year. And it's not over yet.

-You at least don't check it. - Severus nodded at the stack of tests. - Worst year that I can remember.

-Me too, - Flitwick said grimly. - My students hardly leave the living room of the house to study normally.

-I haven't even looked at Potter's tests, - grumbled Pomona. - If Albus thinks he's going to hold up here because he's a Boy-Who-Lived, he's dead wrong.

-He bothers others, - Minerva sighed. - He was recently kicked out of his house tower because he was trying to convince everyone into going to do pranks. The Gryffindors want to make up with the others, but what's the use?

-They screwed up themselves, be honest, Minerva, - Severus grimaced. - It's just that now Albus can't hide the fact that he's always covered for them.

-And that whole thing with Remus and Peter, too, - Filius sighed. - Albus only took that oath because you were from Slytherin. He once told me that James had saved you and you would surely get along.

-I saved all those idiots with that oath, - Severus replied. - In fact, I got rid of both it and the supposed life debt when I removed my father's blood.

-And you did the right thing, - Pomfrey nodded. - I swear by Merlin, one more student hurt because of them, and I'll curse Albus.

Flitwick looked at Severus.

-Albus is trying to find former students. Parents aren't thrilled, judging by the look on his face.

-You can say it. It might go to the press soon. He's gonna get his ass kicked again.

-Are your students okay? - Poppy asked after a pause. - You know, don't you?

-They are happy. The descendants of the founders worked hard to find an excellent school, - Severus admitted. - The staff there is also good.

Minerva closed her eyes.

-They deserve it after all. After we let them down. Albus can say anything. But even closing Hogwarts wouldn't hit as hard as the loss of an entire house and heirs.

Flitwick nodded.

-All those stories had done their job. About a dozen students had already left Hogwarts, including Neville Longbottom. Also this. - He nodded to the tests.

-Few people will pass exams at such a rate, - Pomona commented. - By the way, Charlie Potter is back with a new wand, but it's clearly not working well.

Severus remembered what Regulus had said about it. The old man is clinging to the feathers. The wand was already useless. What did that even mean?

-They couldn't find the right one? Is it possible?

Pomona shook her head.

-He's always waving it around and saying he'll defeat evil with it. I think it's made out of some pretty rare material. Though it looks ordinary. That reminds me, Albus has a new wand too.

Severus snorted. Flitwick raised an eyebrow in question.

-It's the Peverell hereditary wand, - Prince explained. - It was stolen by Grindelwald. After a duel with him, Albus took it. Peverell asked the magic to return his things, obviously.

Minerva shook her head.

-Honestly.

-But the sword of Gryffindor is still in school, - Filius frowned.

-Why would he want it? - Severus shrugged. - The sword literally screams about Gryffindor. The heirs clearly had no love for Gryffindor or Hogwarts in general.

-That's right, - muttered Pomona. - Hufflepuff has no direct heirs. The Ravenclaw' and Slytherin' relics they could get back, I suppose, but they have no use for Gryffindor'.

Technically, yes. After Severus' confession, Marvolo immediately gave him the Diadem. Naturally, he had the Locket himself. He gave the Cup to Severus too, unsure of what to do with it. Prince brought it to the "Coffee Dream". Annette and Violet took it for themselves. Neither Reggie nor Severus cared. Why should they care what happened to the cup? It was of no value to them, and the women liked it.

No one from the staff paid any attention when the howlers started flying to Albus a couple of days later. Will you finally leave these students alone, for Merlin's sake?!

Chapter Text

The phone on the table beeped. Konrad put the papers aside and leaned toward it. The cameras picked up something. Sniper opened the file on the computer. Facial recognition caught Dumbledore on his way to Norway. Konrad smiled, baring his teeth. Reggie was napping in the common room after a long mission, Bishop was on a mission. There was no reason to bother them.

________________________________________________

Albus brushed off his robe. He didn't really like all those portkeys, but he didn't have a choose. Beauxbaton's headmistress Olympe said there were no Hogwarts students transferred to them, although the Malfoys and several other families had moved to France. But Durmstrang was in Scandinavia. It made sense, in Albus' opinion. Surely the Slytherins had transferred there. Dimitri Tudor was now the headmaster of Durmstrang. Albus did not know him personally, but heard that he was busy restoring the good name of the school, which had suffered because of Gellert. Dumbledore was sure that such a man would help him.

The former students from Slytherin knew something for sure. Perhaps Albus could even convince some to return to Hogwarts. Of course, they would have to re-sort, but that was only for the best.

Albus sent owl to the headmaster Tudor with a request to meet in Norway. They could visit the parents of the students who transferred to him right away. After all, Denmark was not far. Albus was not sure which Ministry was in charge of Denmark. Norway or Iceland? Kronos Callahan was from the second. But Dumbledore had asked Cornelius to arrange a meeting with the head of Norway's Department of International Magical Cooperation, saying it would help bring some pureblood families back to Britain. Fudge eagerly agreed, he clearly missed the past funding. It was at this point that Albus called headmaster Tudor.

There were four people waiting for him in the office of the head Department of International Magical Cooperation in Norway.

A sturdy man with steel-colored eyes, dressed in a black and red uniform, in the manner of a military man. Albus recognized Durmstrang's style. So it was Dimitri Tudor.

A slender man with blue eyes, dressed in an auror-like uniform. The owner of the office then. Aeneas Buras.

The other two men were dressed in muggle jeans and sweaters. But one had the exact same eyes as Buras. The other had a strange thing hanging behind his back. Albus seemed to have seen similar things on muggle police officers. A weapon of some kind.

-Albus Dumbledore, I presume, - Tudor said.

The men in muggle clothes didn't even look away from the papers they were looking through.

-That's right, - Albus nodded benignly. - You are are Dimitri Tudor and Aeneas Buras? And this?..

-My cousin and colleague from the muggle police organization, - Aeneas replied coolly. - I'm afraid your arrival has caught us discussing joint operations.

-I won't take up much of your time, - Albus assured. - I only wish to discuss the students who have transferred to you this school year. - Demetri raised an eyebrow. - I'm sure you've heard that they're from a house that has been, shall we say, not the most conscientious in recent years. I hope for your help in convincing at least some of them that this is no reason to leave their home and friends behind.

Dimitri looked Albus straight in the eye.

-It's funny. Because I have no students transferred from your school, headmaster Dumbledore. But I have heard of the closing of one of the houses at Hogwarts. And I read the British newspapers.

Aeneas leaned forward, keeping his creepy gaze fixed on the old wizard. Albus got a bad feeling. The last time he'd seen such a look was from Gellert's supporters, ready to tear apart anyone who got in the way.

-Judging by these newspapers, these children have no home and no friends that they left behind. Rather, they themselves were abandoned even earlier. We read other newspapers too, headmaster Dumbledore. What are you trying to do with these children through us?

-It's just a misunderstanding, - Albus tried to justify himself. - You yourself know that journalists like to embellish.

-How is the child's death? - Albus flinched. - I didn't introduce my cousin, did I? Esdras Callahan, I'm sure you've met his brother-in-law, Kronos.

Albus's insides went cold. The other blue-eyed man shifted his piercing gaze to him.

-And he made it clear then. Don't drag your problems into our territory. The families who moved from Britain to Denmark are now the responsibility of our Ministry. I will not allow you to disturb them as you did at your place, Albus Dumbledore.

-I don't want a situation similar to that with your friend Grindelwald, - Aeneas lashed out, causing Dumbledore to swallow. - One hint that you are looking for children and you will lose your head. We'll have another talk with Minister Fudge about how you two are bothering our citizens.

The atmosphere in the office was simply icy. The man with the muggle weapon on his back watched Albus intently. He's here, too, for a reason.

-You've already taken up a fair amount of our time, - Tudor said. - Be so kind as to leave this country. And don't forget our words.
_______________________________________________________

When Dumbledore practically ran out of the building, Konrad smirked.

-He really doesn't understand rejection.

Tudor snorted.

-Not the most conscientious, my ass. Children were surviving, not learning there. That didn't even happen at my school.

Aeneas barely hid bared teeth and looked at his cousin.

-How are the kids doing?

-Good. Bayon said that their excitement is still visible. If Dumbledore comes over there, the professors will gut him.

Esdras shifted his gaze to Konrad.

-What are you going to do now?

He chuckled.

-It's time for the story of his friendship with Grindelwald.

______________________________________________________

-I just took a nap and you already scared Dumbledore half to death? - Reggie laughed.

-It's just the beginning, you know.

Bishop snorted.

-That's why you shouldn't piss off a sniper.

___________________________________________________________

The press publicized Albus' new antics the very next day.

-Will you leave the children alone?! - Minerva yelled. - Haven't you ruined their lives enough?!

-Why did you go to Norway in the first place? - Flitwick hissed.

Albus hunched over. He knew Cornelius was being yelled at in the same way. The Ministries of Magic in Iceland and Norway had made it clear what would happen if he bothered the relocated families again. They even contacted France. The French Ministry joined them. They were not going to allow British aurors to raid the homes of their citizens.

-I thought they went to Durmstrang and ...

-It's none of your business, - Severus hissed. - You didn't even think my snakes were human. Where they learn is up to them. I don't know what you think of Tudor, but he's known for his hatred of child abuse. You're lucky he didn't decapitate you.

-He said he didn't have them, - Albus admitted. - He could have been lying, of course.

-You are deaf?! - snarled Filius. - Stay away from those children! Or do you want to run into the Callahans again?

Dumbledore shuddered. He remembered the look in their eyes. If they saw him again, they would kill him for sure.

Obviously, the Callahans somehow found out about his past with Gellert. The newspapers were full of articles about how Albus and Gellert had been friends in their youth. And how it led to his sister's death. The journalists found Aberforth and Bathilda. Those confirmed it. Bathilda also shared stories about little Harry. What a sweet child he was. And how James despised him for his parseltongue, which turned out to be a Peverell ability, as Lily found out.

James got a lot of angry messages. Charlie had only had time to stutter how evil his brother was before Minerva had sent him to scrub the cauldrons in the dungeon. Albus wasn't sure what to think. He assumed the ability was because of the Horcrux. Could he have been wrong? No, he couldn't have been wrong. Harry was a Horcrux. Tom had made several, apparently. No one knew. Regulus Black knew, though. Albus remembered how, in his seventh year, the boy hardly ever left the library and even made his way into the forbidden area. Albus had seen his search. If you know where to look, it's easy to guess. That's why Tom killed him. That's right. Albus could have used that.

Albus had already been to the homes of Tom's relatives, but found nothing suspicious there. Unfortunately, he didn't know where else Tom might have hidden the Horcruxes. Now, if he could find the one that Regulus Black must have found...

Severus groaned when he spotted another owl with a howler.

-I'm leaving, I'm tired of listening to this. And you deserve it.

Good thing the whole story happened a long time ago. Nothing could be done to Albus, since there was no proof that he was involved in Gellert's affairs. But that didn't stop the outrage. Many pointed out that his own brother and sister didn't need him, that they were better off without him. Was that why he turned a blind eye to the abuse? He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe it was all his fault.

Chapter Text

Severus leaned against the wall in the Malfoys' living room. Bellatrix and Rodolphus were playing a board game with Hadrian. The Prince's son was clearly liked by Marvolo's supporters, but Draco and Theodore especially liked him. They even began writing letters to him, to which Hadrian was happy to answer. Severus left them and walked to the office that Marvolo was occupying. He looked up from the papers.

-Severus, is something wrong?

-Sort of.

Severus sat down on the sofa with a sigh.

-What do you think of Hadrian?

Marvolo stood up from the table and sat down next to him.

-I feel something familiar. On the level of magic. But it's like it's blocked. Nagini feels it too.

-You feel a Horcrux.

Marvolo froze, blinking in confusion. A Horcrux?

-Harry Potter, - he whispered. Prince nodded. - It's him? But how?

Severus rubbed his left hand.

-I got rid of my father's blood and the oaths I took because of Dumbledore. Then I went to the call of the one left behind. I couldn't leave Lily's son there, so I took him. I had help, of course. We made a plan. Since I had blood adopted Hadrian and you and I are from the same family line, I was able to become a proxy. My friend knew about the Horcrux right away. But he could only seal it. That's what you feel.

Marvolo swallowed. And Severus decided to help him anyway?

-Dumbledore knew, - Slytherin said. - He wanted me and Harry to kill each other.

-My friends have found a way to get a piece of your soul back, - Severus said. - One of them will be here soon.
______________________________________________________

A dark haze emerged from the newly visible scar and headed toward Marvolo's chest. Vairok waved his wand. The haze entered Marvolo right through his clothes. The scar on Hadrian's forehead slowly dissipated. The boy touched his forehead.

-Gone, - he said. - Whole again?

-That's right, Hadrian, - smiled Marvolo. His soul was whole again, though it was cracked.

The boy went to get his backpack. Severus and Marvolo went to see Vairok off. They passed the dining room, from which Fenrir came out. Vairok bared his teeth, which sharpened noticeably.

-Puppy.

And Fenrir Greyback froze. Vairok left the house with a snicker, waving at Severus. The werewolf exhaled.

-Who the hell is that?

-Vairok, - Severus chuckled. - Impressive, huh?

-I don't know what he is, but he reeks of blood.

Vairok entered the house again.

-There's a metamorphmagus watching the house. Apparently it's a British auror.

-Nymphadora Tonks, - Augustus said gloomily from the dining room. - She was Moody’s student. He was retiring, but then he came back. Though his attitude toward her was rather cool.

-Tonks? - Narcissa asked. - Andromeda's daughter?

They didn't like Andromeda. It was one thing for her to marry a muggleborn, another for her to condemn her family for their views, like Sirius, and to support Dumbledore.

-She has the Blacks' gift? - Marvolo frowned. 

-Not for long, - Vairok answered, already bringing his mobile to his ear. - My soul, here a hindrance has appeared.
_____________________________________________________________

Reggie took a moment to strip Andromeda and her daughter of the Black family magic. Arcturus didn't think anything was passed on to them, so he only did that to Sirius. Vairok nodded, listening to him on the phone.

-No one else will use the Blacks' gifts to harm their allies, - he explained. - I'm going to take care of it. Use the portkey or a fireplace. - He left.

Severus sighed.

-I already sense Albus's nagging. - Hadrian approached him with a backpack. - Ready?

-Asterix, - he nodded satisfied.

-I remember, kid.

Marvolo raised an eyebrow.

-Cartoon, - explained Prince. - We are going to the cinema.

Hadrian looked questioningly at Marvolo.

-You're inviting me? - he was surprised. The boy nodded. - If your father doesn't mind.

Severus' lips twitched upward. His son decided to become a matchmaker? Avery muffled his laughter with his palm.

-So be it.

Marvolo and Severus ignored the others' chuckles.
________________________________________________________

-Give me a reason why I shouldn't fire you right now, - Amelia glared.

Tonks and Kingsley both shuddered in unison. The girl's eyes were still red from crying. She couldn't change her appearance anymore. Alastor was literally fuming.

-Have you completely lost your fear? The Ministries of Magic in France, Iceland and Norway have made their positions clear.

-Albus said...

Kingsley shrank back under the glowering gazes of Bones and Moody.

-Since you are now listening to Albus, then you have nothing to do here.

Nymphadora and Shacklebolt widened their eyes.

-We just wanted to help, ma'am! - Tonks exclaimed frantically. - You-Know-Who...

-Voldemort - The girl shuddered. - You can't even say his name. He is dead. Albus doesn't want to believe it because he couldn't stop him and become a hero. Like with Grindelwald, - Amelia hissed. - Dumbledore neglected his own students because they were from Slytherin. Now they are all gone. And he still won't leave them alone.

-Only a third of the purebloods who left were Death Eaters,- Alastor snapped. - And they were justified. But you went off to another country to track them down. A famous bounty hunter dragged you out of Malfoy territory by the necks right to the French aurors, damn you! The Malfoys have already pressed charges, and Lord Black has apparently stripped your family of the family magic, Tonks.

She pressed her hands to her mouth in horror. Kingsley shuddered again. Amelia clenched her hands into fists.

-It will be a miracle if the descendants of the founders and Black don't sue us all. They have the right to be members of the Wizengamot. I can't even imagine how Albus pisses them off already.

-We should do something about that already, - Moody grumbled. - He'd better calm down. And keep the Potters in line.

Amelia grimaced. Her niece had written to her regularly about Charlie Potter's disgusting behavior, the Gryffindors, and the howlers for Dumbledore. James Potter was still giving interviews, lamenting his fate. All this caused only laughter and even more hostility.

-As for you, - Alastor grimaced, - you will have to pay the fine. While you're being dealt with, you're suspended.

-W-we'll be fired? - Kingsley said fearfully.

-Quite possible.
_______________________________________________

Filius folded the newspaper with a sigh. Severus looked up from his book.

-Did it say what was done to them?

-Tonks was fired. Apparently, all her auror credits were based on her abilities as a metamorphmagus . Shacklebolt is on probation. They both paid a fine for spying on the Malfoys. The Tonks family was given a warning. Apparently the Ministry thinks they were all helping Albus, since Andromeda was a Black and doesn't get along with the family.

-They were stripped of their family magic, just like Sirius, right? - Pomona put the lesson plan aside with a sigh. - Nymphadora adored her ability, but never got along with the Slytherins. Thought her mother had been kicked out of the family for nothing. The current Lord Black didn't seem to think so.

-They mentioned Albus, too, - the charms professor nodded at the newspaper. - And that's after the Ministries of Magic in three countries were all over him.

Severus just snorted. Minerva looked at him with some sadness.

-You're leaving after this year, right? - He looked at her in surprise. - Albus may say he saved you, but he's the one who needs help. You were completely cleared of all charges after the Pettigrew trial. There's nothing keeping you here.

He nodded. Pomfrey sighed.

-Whatever they say, the Slytherins have always stood up for each other. Now they have protection. Not just from Lord Peverell, it looks.

Filius tossed the newspaper into the fireplace.

-I read that Lord Ravenclaw is re-publishing books that have been kept in Ravenclaw Castle for centuries. Outside of Britain. It's priceless knowledge and all beyond our reach.

It's true. The goblins even helped move the castle to France for some goblin books that were there. Severus sold the Prince's mansion and the Snape's house. He had no intention of returning to Britain. The Ravenclaw Castle became a good home for him and his son, though they still often lived in Reggie's house.

________________________________________________________________________________

Reggie opened his eyes. His right eye was bleeding. He sat up carefully, throwing off the plaid. Sith pressed his forehead, forcing him to lie down, and placed a wet towel over his eyes.

-Thank you, - Regulus muttered.

-What's going on? - Bishop asked hoarsely, pushing the sleep away.

-Dumbledore is trying to do something. With the cave and my name.

-Does he know you found the Horcruxes? How?

-Apparently, he noticed my search back in Hogwarts.

-So he's known since then, - said Sith softly. - He didn't have any options left.  

Regulus wondered. What was the old fool trying to do? A prophecy, most likely. But what else?

-What's that got to do with you? - Sith continued.

-Maybe he wants to lure Lord Black out? - Bishop suggested. - To say that Voldemort killed Regulus Black because of the Horcrux. Get Lord Black's or Ravenclaw's support.

-That makes sense, - Sith nodded. - He doesn't know who they really are. He thinks they only help because of the stories in the press.

-Let's get this story over with, - Regulus muttered.

All that was left in the cave was his old wand. And there was nothing in the cup but the potion. He wanted to leave the fake locket behind originally, but something stopped him.

________________________________________________

Vairok turned the binoculars with a grin. The Potters don't know how to cover their tracks at all. Dumbledore enlisted their help. It was a mistake. Vairok ran his tongue over his fangs. Dragging Reggie into this is a very bad idea.

Dumbledore seemed determined to announce the Dark Lord's rebirth, to tell them about the Horcruxes. To tell how worried he was about the students who had left. How he had begun to check on all previous students and supporters of Voldemort. Remembering Regulus. Sirius would help with that. After all, that's his brother. Vairok sees Bishop showing his teeth at this. To say that Charlie is the Chosen One and can sense the Dark Lord. That's funny. 
____________________________________________________

Severus lazily put down his fork as Charlie Potter grabbed his forehead with a loud howl and Albus hurried to his side. The students whispered. Flitwick looked at Severus as he stood up.

-He's up to something again?

-This is his last trick, - Severus chuckled. - Our patience has run out.

Chapter Text

For three days Charlie occasionally howled at the pain of the scar on his forehead when people were around, screaming about the Dark Lord. It made headlines in the newspapers. Albus said that the Dark Lord was gathering strength. Surely the students who had left Hogwarts were in danger. Lord Peverell demanded a meeting of the Wizengamot.
__________________________________________________________________

The entire Wizengamot was assembled, the session was half-open, so the press was present. Albus mentally rejoiced. Finally they would listen to him. He saw that Tom's supporters sat next to each other. But where?..

Lords Greengrass, Malfoy, Nott, Lestrange (Rodolphus), Yaxley, Parkinson and Travers synchronously turned their heads toward the entrance. Severus, a blue-eyed man, Amelia and two men clearly related to Kronos Callahan walked through the doors.

-Severus Octavian Ravenclaw Prince.

The magic orb on the platform at the entrance flashed, showing the truth of the words.

-Marvolo Cadmus Peverell Gryffindor Slytherin.

The orb flashed.

Severus and Marvolo walked over to their comrades. Nott and Malfoy made space for them between them.

-This is Zephyr Callahan, Minister of Magic of Iceland, and Bayon Callahan, headmaster of Salazar Academy, - Amelia introduced. - They are very interested in your speeches about the students of the Academy, headmaster Dumbledore.

-S-Salazar Academy? - he stammered.

-That's right, - Bayon replied coldly. - My academy has always had strict admission and security rules. When we were approached by Lord Black to take former Slytherin students, we agreed. We decided to combine our efforts to protect the students and their yearning for knowledge. To take the name of a great wizard with the ability to parseltongue, a branch of healing magic, was an honor, of course.

Journalists hastily wrote down every word. Zephyr tilted his head.

-Surely we take protecting our children seriously, that's why we're here.

______________________________________________________________

Albus tried not to lose his words. It was unexpected, but it didn't really interfere with his plans. Severus' name shook him out, though. How could he not tell him? And Lord Peverell. He reminded him vaguely of Tom, but not completely. Apparently they had similar facial features because of their shared blood. After all, Tom couldn't return to his normal appearance.

Albus told the audience about the pain in Charlie's scar and the prophecy. The Dark Lord was alive. About Regulus Black's strange behavior in seventh year. Aside from Severus, the rest of Tom's ex-supporters bristled. How Albus had figured out that Voldemort had created Horcruxes and started looking for them. How he found a cave from the Dark Lord's past where Regulus' wand was, which Sirius recognized. When he finished, there was silence in the hall. Amelia rubbed her forehead.

-First of all, where is this prophecy?

The Unspeakable brought it. It was fulfilled. Albus looked at the orb in disbelief. He hoped it wouldn't happen. He didn't have time to open his mouth.

-Avada Kedavra leaves no trace, everyone knows that, - Nott said flatly. - So why does the boy have a scar in the first place?

The aurors brought in the indignant Potters. The Unspeakable checked the scar.

-It's just a scar from a wound that wasn't let fade, - he shook his head.

-This is not true! - James snapped. - Charlie saved everyone from the Dark Lord! - He looked mockingly at Marvolo's men. - Shouldn't you be glad the bastard didn't have time to finish you off like Sirius' weak brother?

Marvolo bared his teeth as the others tensed. Magic crackled around them. James went pale. Albus wanted to intervene, but...

-I don't see you being dead, Sirius' brother.

The man with the white short hair walked past the orb, which flashed brightly at the words:

-Regulus Arcturus Black.
_______________________________________________________

Reggie sat down calmly next to Rodolphus. Severus shook his head.

-You know how to make a dramatic entrance.

-The work requires it. So. - Regulus leaned forward. - I hear you've got me marked for dead, headmaster Dumbledore.

He opened and closed his mouth several times.

-Regulus, - he said finally. - I thought you were dead. I found your wand in the cave with horcrux.

-It's funny, - he smiled slightly. - And the horcrux?

-He's in a bowl of poison, I'm afraid, - Albus replied. - But since you're alive, you can tell us about it, can't you? After all, you followed it.

-I followed a lead, - Reggie corrected. - Someone leave me very plausible information that the Dark Lord went against the laws of magic. But when I got to that cave, I realized I'd been followed the whole time. When I tried to leave, I was hit with a spell, fell into a lake with the Inferi and there I lost my wand, but in the end I was able to apparated from there, since at the bottom the anti-apparition charms was weak. - Reggie tilted his head. - Since I didn't know who to trust, I left Britain. But funny thing, headmaster. I immediately realized that I was looking for a horcrux, why did you understand only now, if you noticed my search even then?

Albus turned pale. The judges gave him grim looks. Marvolo narrowed his eyes.

-More than that, headmaster, - he says evenly, promising himself to have a serious talk with Severus and Regulus. - Keith is right. There are no scars from Avada. But you continue to insist that a bond has formed between the boy and the Dark Lord. Does that mean a living Horcrux?

The Potters turned white. Charlie looked at them uncertainly, not understanding what was happening.

-Of course not, - Albus said hastily. - The Unspeakable checked the scar.

-Then where did you get the idea about the connection? - Bayon said. - I remember there was a second child.

Journalists and the judges whispered. Cornelius struck with a judge gavel, calling for silence, although he himself was pale. Even he had enough brains to understand where this was leading.

-Harry was my heir, - Slytherin said sternly. - And the Dark Lord was a possible Lord. The shared blood and Lily Potter's sacrifice would have kept the boy from being killed by a killing spell. Does this mean that the chosen one of the prophecy was Harry Potter? That' s why it is fulfilled, since you claim that Voldemort is alive.

-It wasn't Harry, - Sirius interjected.

-So Voldemort is dead? - clarified Yaxley. - You're all talking about horcruxes. But Regulus was being followed, directed to this trail. Someone was trying to blame his death on the Dark Lord. - The wizard's eyes narrowed. - Why didn't you check that bowl?

-It was a poison, developed personally by the Dark Lord, - Albus interjected, feeling fearful. Things didn't go according to plan. - Studying it will take...

-How about the veritaserum? - said Greengrass. - You're very sure of what you're saying, aren't you?

Everyone saw Dumbledore and the Potters, including Charlie, turn pale.

-That's not...

-That's enough, - Amelia interrupted. - Show us where the cave is, headmaster, the Unspeakables will take care of the poison.
________________________________________________________________________

Through the efforts of the Unspeakables, Severus and Marvolo, the properties of the poison were reduced enough so that it could be drunk without consequences, having first drunk the antidotes from several powerful poisons at once. The bowl in front of the courtroom was empty.

-It's impossible, - Albus muttered. - Regulus, maybe?..

The wizards beside him bristled noticeably. Lestrange and Marvolo even moved slightly, as if blocking him. Reggie measured Albus with an icy stare, becoming incredibly similar to his strong and dismissive grandfather.

-I was lured there, headmaster. But I looked at old library records. You were the one who removed the horcrux book from the Hogwarts library as soon as you became headmaster.

The judges hissed.

-So that's the reason my heir ended up with muggles, - sneered Marvolo. - You thought he was a living Horcrux. Were you planning to kill him with Voldemort's hands?

Albus flinched. Amelia glared at the Potters.

-Veritaserum. Immediately.

The aurors pointed their wands at Sirius and James, who were twitching toward the exit.

__________________________________________________________

They confessed everything.

Sirius and James went on to say that it was Albus' idea. He hadn't told them about the Horcruxes, but they were happy to get rid of Harry. They also told the truth about the fifth year and what Lupin knew about Harry.

There were no laws for such cases, unfortunately, and they blamed everything on Dumbledore. But they had caused the death of a child, so they didn't get off easy.

James got a year in Azkaban. Crying Charlie was placed with the Weasleys for that time. The Potters and the Weasleys are, after all, related to each other. Since all the books about Charlie being chosen one became fake, the publishers demanded compensation. The Potters found themselves broke. After his release from prison, James would have to find a job before he could regain custody of his son.

Sirius got three years for his "prank" on Severus. Remus got a year. Technically, he had no control over himself during the full moon, but he covered for his friends.

It was more difficult with Dumbledore. He admitted that he had suspected the Horcruxes from the beginning. He thought he could win, but he turned out to be weaker. He had determined there was magic in Harry's scar, so he decided to use it. For the Greater Good. Grindelwald's motto infuriated many.

-No matter how you look, it's just speculation, - said Reggie. - The Dark Lord has been gone since that night. The Dark Marks are gone. No Horcruxes have been found. If you ask me, there were no Horcruxes. Dumbledore just blamed it on Horcruxes because he didn't want to admit he was weaker than the Dark Lord.

Everyone was in agreement with that. Dumbledore didn't admit that he was the one who lured Regulus into the cave, but he clearly struggled with the veritaserum from the beginning. Many have decided that he focused on hushing this detail so that he wouldn't get jail time for attempted murder.

Dumbledore was given six years in Azkaban. McGonagall was named headmaster of Hogwarts. Fawkes stayed with her. The phoenix was clearly fed up with his master's antics.

__________________________________________________________________

-I'll speak for all of us, - Lucius said. - What in the name of Merlin was that?

Severus finally told the whole truth, watching Narcissa and Bella sob in Regulus' arms. Marvolo put his arm around Severus' shoulders, closing his eyes for a moment. 

-I'm sorry, Regulus.

-It's in the past. I have a new life now. Though not suitable for a pureblood wizard.

-It's not so, - Rabastan shook his head. - Although you left the wizarding world, you are the true Black. You protected your family to the end.

Severus could see that they were shocked. They hadn't expected Barty and Regulus to be alive.

-Do you live in Bordeaux? - specified Rodolphus.

-Yes, with Barty.

Narcissa glanced first at Regulus and then at Severus in despair. 

-You're not going to disappear, are you? I understand that Regulus has left the magical world behind and you, Severus, no longer trust us as before. But is there no hope for us there?

Reggie's gaze softened. He kissed his cousin's temple.

________________________________________________________

The entire inner circle of Marvolo was occupied by the "Coffee Dream".

-So you're related to Reggie? - Annette marveled as she poured them coffee.

Even though she was a muggle, she clearly appealed to the others. She's Reggie's friend, after all.

-Exactly, - Bella nodded, enjoying her chocolate cake. - Have you known each other for a long time?

-About eight years, - answered Violet. - He said he was different before.

-That's right, - Cissi confirmed, tasting the melon bread. - Not only outwardly. He was a tactician, not a fighter. Now he has a different aura.

-What about Hogwarts? - Violet asked.

-Well, not very well, - Severus replied. - They'll have to work hard to get things in order. I told Minerva about my leaving. She said that Amelia had taken her niece from Hogwarts and wanted to send her to our academy.

-We've achieved our goal, - Keith remarked. - It's not what we once wished for, but it's not bad. Dumbledore's reputation is ruined, our house is safe, the children are happy. In fact, those were our main goals. - He tilted his head, watching Augustus sitting right on the floor by Barty's wheelchair and saying something quietly to him. - We've accomplished more than we could have all those years ago.

He was right. They had lost a lot, sacrificed a lot. But now they could say they didn't regret their choice.

_________________________________________________________

-You don't look upset, - Sith remarked, looking out the window.

-It doesn't matter anymore, - Regulus shrugged. - Even if Dumbledore had deliberately pushed him to the idea of Horcruxes, I wouldn't regret leaving. This just proves that people are not going to change. Even a powerful wizard like Marvolo could not resist temptation. - He looked at his friend. - I was going to ask what you would do, Sith, but then I remembered who your ancestors were.

Aloli laughed. That's right, he's not the type of person to be asked questions about immortality.

-So Crouch's reputation is ruined. The rest of the idiots are in jail. Is that the end of it?

Regulus looked out the window.

-If they start making trouble again, they're going to die. It's all over for Severus and the others. I suppose I should wait a little longer.

Chapter Text

Severus leaned against the window with a slight smile and watched as Hadrian and his little sister Eileen ran from Draco and Blaise around the yard. The kids were having fun on their summer vacation. He had already seen Theodore, Daphne and Astoria hurrying toward them. Who would have thought they would be so happy?

Slytherin Academy was the perfect place for them. It was considered one of the best magical schools now. Of course, they didn't accept just anyone there. The academy had always focused on knowledge. Even the entrance tests were hard, but it was worth it. A few ex-Gryffindors even managed to get in. At first they were treated with suspicion, but they quickly proved that there would be no repeat of Hogwarts there.

Severus knew that Minerva was having a hard time. She and the staff had struggled to reconcile the houses a year after Albus' imprisonment, though the Gryffindors' antics had not been forgotten. The students barely managed to pass their exams that year, they had to make allowances. Charlie Potter and Ron Weasley had to repeat the year. After the discovery that Harry had been the chosen one, everyone turned their backs on Charlie for good. Although the boy no longer screamed about the Dark Lord and saving the world. He was clearly having a hard time without his father. After his release, James somehow found a job in some muggle place and got his son back. They lived modestly and tried to keep out of people's sight. Lupin soon disappeared. Rumor had it that he ran into bounty hunters, who were not impressed with him. Sirius died. His body was found torn in half by an unknown beast near the borders of France. Azkaban guards said he had often muttered in his sleep about the Blacks. The funeral was handled by a grieving James. Severus knew very well whose acquaintances those bounty hunters were and whose fangs had left such vicious wounds on Sirius' body. Given that Crouch Sr. never returned to the Ministry, it's obvious that Regulus got his revenge.

The reputation of Hogwarts was slowly being restored, but the blow was very hard. About three dozen students were taken away by their parents after the whole thing. The flow of incoming students dwindled. Minerva had fired Trelawney and Binns and was now trying to improve the school curriculum. Others helped her as much as they could. Severus became a professor at the Academy. He was glad of the enthusiasm of the students in potions. Especially when Hadrian entered and followed his father around. Everyone knew the boy would become a potions master.

Lucius and Antonin also became teachers. The first taught law and politics, the second - charms. They all worked well with other teachers. Since the Academy had a clear and advanced educational program, having a couple of professors in several subjects was only good for them.

Thanks to books from Ravenclaw Castle, Severus was able to create the potion that cured infertility caused by curses. Bellatrix and Rodolphus were expecting the girl soon. They lived in Reggie's house, in Severus and Hadrian's old apartments, where Annette and Violet helped them. Augustus was now living with Barty because they were married. Of course, they could afford their own house, but in that case Reggie would have had a heart attack. He and Barty didn't want to be separated after all that had happened in their youth. Barty could now get around without a wheelchair, but he still had bad days. Augustus did everything he could to help him.

Severus felt Marvolo's arms around him.

-Welcome back, - the potion master smiled. - Did the Fenrir' children drive you away?

Marvolo snorted.

-I don't know where they get all that energy. Reggie's in there now. He and Fenrir barked at each other instead of greeting.

-Something never changes, - Severus chuckled. - They both really missed their arguments.

Fenrir now asks to go on missions with Regulus from time to time. He takes him if there are definitely wizards or creatures involved. Bishop and Greyback were obviously happy to fight. But the werewolf wisely stayed out of the fray with Vairok.

-What were you thinking so hard about?

-About life, - Severus shrugged. - About how things turned out. It's a good life.

Marvolo hugged him tighter. Slytherin still could not believe his happiness. He had his mind, soul and love back. He had never been more nervous than when he had proposed to Severus five years ago.

They were finally free from the circle of contempt and sycophants. The Ministry of Magic in Britain was being rebuilt little by little. It became clear how they relied on the influence and resources of the dark families. It was revealed that some of the staff were pocketing money from donations, as was the case with the Hogwarts scholarships. Augustus said that a third of the entire staff was eventually fired. Amelia became the new Minister of Magic. Her niece entered Salazar Academy with her friend Hannah Abbott.

When Albus was released from Azkaban, he tried to go back to Hogwarts, but Minerva kicked him out. He was still talking about the Dark Lord. They took him to St. Mungo's, the section for the mentally ill eventually.

Marvolo watched with a chuckle as Eileen knocked Draco to the ground. The little princess he and Severus had adopted as a baby. Reggie had brought her back from one of his missions. The only survivor. He wouldn't say why he brought her to them. But Marvolo would always be grateful to him. Not just for his daughter.

-It's a good life, - he repeated after his husband.

Not perfect. Not the life they had imagined before the war. But perhaps much better than what awaited them if they won. Voldemort and the Death Eaters had vanished into oblivion. Forgotten. The descendants of the founders of Hogwarts left Britain without spilling a drop of blood, but with a vengeance. Somehow Marvolo thought that his distant ancestor would not have minded such an outcome. That one protected magical children and true wizards. They did, too. Salazar Slytherin's children finally found their place in the world.