What do we do now(Harry Potter/Severus Snape

Chapter Twenty-Three: Finding Family in the Strangest of Places

Lucius gently lifted his son from his wife's arms and hugged Draco. " I am very proud that you remembered what I told you and I am glad that you are both ok now. But maybe next time you two decided to go wondering around you will remember to stay where you are familiar with the surroundings.

Draco nodded his head solemnly and laid it on his daddy's shoulder. He was getting really sleepy but he was hungry too. They had missed dinner and his belly soon made that apparent when it grumbled loudly. Draco giggled.

Albus cleared his throat and gestured toward his office. "Why don't we go back and sit down and I will call for a house elf to bring the boys some dinner." He said and began walking back up the staircase to his office. "Nippy." He called out and seconds later a small house elf popped in.

"What can Nippy do for Headmaster Dumbledore sir?" Nippy asked bowing her head respectfully.

Albus smiled at the small creature, "The children are in need of some dinner as they seemed to have missed it earlier." He said as the rest of the group made their way to the various chairs in his office.

Nippy bowed once more. "Nippy will be right back with food for the little masters." And then with a soft pop she disappeared once more.

Severus sat down in the chair he always sat in with Daylan still in his lap. The little boy's sobs had lessened and Severus knew that he was bound to have nightmares tonight.

"Daylan, are you ready to eat?" Severus asked as the house elf popped back into the room with two trays with steaming how soup and crackers, and a cup of pumpkin juice.

Daylan nodded and slid off of his daddy's lap and headed to the little table the house elf had set up for him and Draco. Both boys sat down and began to eat hungrily.

While the boys were occupied with eating Albus turned toward the adults. " Now that we have the boys back and safe did you find out what had happened?"

Severus nodded his head and began to retell the events of the last hour. By the time that he had gotten to the part of looking at the picture of Salazar Slytherin and how much Daylan looked like him, Severus was just as concerned as he had been when he first found the boys. He wanted to know if Daylan was a descendant of Slytherin and if he was what would that mean later in his life.

Albus was shocked at the boys finding what he believed to be Salazar's missing portrait, and he also had a nagging suspicious that the portrait that they found could be guarding Salazar's personal quarters. That would be something for sure to look into later. He needed to know for sure if it was the snake in the portrait that talked to the young boy or if it was the man, but he had a feeling that it was the snake just by Daylan saying that it sounded like that man in his dreams.

" Are you sure that he said that it was the snake that talked to him?" Albus asked Severus.

Severus shook his head yes, as much as he wished that he was wrong. "Yes, he said that snake talked to him."

"Well then, it looks like out young Daylan is a parselmouth and seeing as that trait runs only in the Slytherin line it would safe to assume that somewhere back along his family line there was a connection. It is a simple matter of brewing up a lineage potion to make matters final. It is something that he will need to know before he starts school as there are certain safeguards that need to be put into effect for any of the Founders Heirs when the begin schooling here."

Severus shook his head in disbelief, brewing up a lineage potion indeed. That potion was one of the most difficult and dangerous potions to brew with so many volatile ingredients and the fact that it used a person's blood made it a borderline Dark Arts potion. But if what Albus was saying was correct and Daylan was a Founders Heir, they needed to know and have solid proof for if it was ever disputed. Merlin he was getting a headache just thinking of everything that he needed to do to prepare to make it.

"I will start gathering the ingredients." Severus glanced over at his son and saw that he and Draco were flicking a cracker back and forth between them and knew that they both needed to get to bed soon. " I think that I am going to take Daylan down and get him settled in bed."

Daylan stood and walked over to his dad while Draco walked back to his mum.

"See ya later Daylan" Draco called over his fathers shoulder as the three Malfoy's walked down the stairs to head home.

Severus turned toward the quiet woman still sitting in the corner. " Would you like to come down for a cup of hot chocolate and help me get this monkey in bed?"

Jocelyn glanced over at Albus and saw that damned twinkle and knew that her mother would know where she was as soon as she stepped out of the office. She looked back over at the two expectant males that she had fallen hopelessly in love with.

She smiled and reached down to take Daylan's hand. "I would like that very much."

And with that the small budding family walked out of the grinning Headmasters office.