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That means Brian had better be careful and Severus too if they find him. Although the UK potions master has been wanting to meet the Australian potion masters who made the potions for Julian so ... let's hope it ends well ...
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Green eyes watched the little soul fragment flitter around the glass orb as if it was trying to get close to Julian's little fingers that were touching the glass, "I think it likes me."
"I'm not surprised." Severus said as glanced up from the bubbling cauldron. He smiled in amusement as the little boy watched something move in the orb that hung from the necklace around the child's neck. This has become a favorite part of his routine.
On the days Brian can't get out of some meeting or duty Severus stops by and he and Julian spend time together. Now that Hogwarts is on break he can stay a lot longer, which was far better than staying at his house at Spinner's End. Also he was learning so much here and to his surprise he wouldn't be considered potion master outside the UK so he started studying again to qualify as a potion master here too. Julian would study his own things and practice his numbers and reading as Severus got ready, but Severus noticed that the little boy seemed fascinated in watching the brewing process. He wondered if Julian would be a potion master when he grows up.
"Can we look for the other pieces?" Julian asked sweetly as he hopped off the curved tan couch that was in the open potion lab section across from his Daddy's office. Mickey wagged his tail and followed suit ready to tag along wherever Julian wanted to go.
Severus frowned, he knew this would come up, but he didn't like the thought of Julian going to the UK and potentially getting caught by Dumbledore ... even if the chances Julian being recognized as Harry Potter were nearly nonexistent. "Your Dad, Aster and I have discussed that. The issue is that we know very little about who the person was before they went down the path that lead them to becoming a dark wizard, but I intend to do some digging on that. It's also unclear as to where or how many soul fragments there are. All we know is that the goblins said the runes on your necklace glow when the pieces are all found. I will try to discover what I can, but you have more recovery to do and you start school in a few months. So far it looks like you will have to wait, but there's no rush ... Julian? You ok?" Severus asked as the little 4 year old boy suddenly looked nervous and sad about something.
Julian fidgeted slightly before looking up at his godfather, "There ... are lots of kids at schools, right?"
"Indeed." Severus sighed as he realized the problem. Dudley was the only other child Julian knew and from what he observed when he stops by to secretly spy on the Dursleys it wasn't a good relationship. Dudley was spoiled, violent and dumb, which meant little Julian endured suffering at the hands of another child back then. "It's ok to be scared on your first day, but keep in mind that other kids aren't like Dudley and they will be scared too. Your Dad, Stephen and Aster will be there so if anyone hurts you all you have to do is say something. I'll be stopping by to check on you every now and then too so don't worry. Take it as a chance to make friends."
"Ok ..." Julian said still a bit unsure.
The dark haired wizard sighed, but smiled, "You'll see it isn't that bad. Brian wants to show you around before the summer and he has some plans to take you to some zoos and reserves so you can meet other kids there. Just be yourself, ok?" Julian smiled shyly and nodded. "Good, now let me make you some lunch. I saw a recipe for Mac & Cheese in your Dad's cookbook. How does that sound?"
Those green eyes lit up, "Sounds tasty!"
Severus chuckled as he saw the small boy run ahead, "Don't run, Julian." He said noting that the boy and his plush toy slowed down. It didn't matter how many times Brian described the safety wards and charms around the house he still didn't think someone should run across the rope bridges. As he made sure the potion would be fine unattended and calmly followed the excited blonde into the main tree house section he froze as he saw two women waiting there. Before he could interrogate them though ...
"Aunty Silvia, Aunty Sophia!" Julian smiled and was scooped up by the twins who held him between them.
"Silvia and Sophia the potion masters. I'm Severus Snape, I was just about to make lunch so would you ladies care for anything?" He asked politely. Brian had warned on a few things to not to piss the twins off further ...
Really the twins weren't mean, but in order to avoid being pranked you need to know some things ...
One, don't go to other potion masters for potion – the twins know they can produce high quality potions and many of them. They don't trust the abilities of other potions masters unless they knew how skilled they were ... while Severus understands the territorial instinct he did unintentionally stepped on their toes by creating potions for Julian through his involvement with Gringotts.
Two, do not refer to them as potion mistresses – this is universally offensive outside the UK, but the twins take it hard. In their opinion the word should be 'master' no matter what the gender is of the person receiving it because the degree is called a master. The word 'mistress' should be saved for the woman sleeping with a married man ...
Three, don't discuss their eyes ...
The last rule confused Severus when it was first mentioned, but Brian offered no explanation beyond 'you and the twins may have a bumpy start, but you might you have a lot in common', which the headmaster said with a smile that implied that he sensed something about this situation. Not that Brian was hiding anything. A semi-seer has strong instincts not visions, but the fact that Brian felt happy about something was interesting all on its own. However, as Severus looked at the exotic women wearing button down shirts and jeans he wondered why the beautiful orange eyes were a sore spot ...
The woman with the yellow streak in her short black hair kissed the top of Julian's head as she pulled him into her arms before gifting the wizard a playful smile, "I'm Silvia and I wouldn't mind some tea." Silvia said.
"Yes, me too. I'm Sophia by the way. We shouldn't stay too long though since we have to write up exams for our older students. You're a teacher as well, right Severus?" She asked politely as she gently ran her fingers through the little boy's hair.
"Indeed ... though most of my students don't have the benefit of being exposed to safe methods at a young age like at Legerdemain so they're actually mostly causing trouble not learning." Severus stated in annoyance as he started cooking and heating some water for some tea. "May I ask how it is you handle so many children?" He asked, curious as to how he could make things easier when it comes to his students.
The women smiled as they saw Julian's eyes light up with curiosity and set the little boy down on the floor, "We'll show you." They said in perfect sync as they stood up and turned their backs to Severus and Julian. Severus's eyes widened ever so slightly as the women unbuttoned their shirts and let the fabric fall to expose their upper back and upper arms, but kept the front closed to keep some modesty. What caught the Julian's attention was the tattoos of the cats, hawks and eyes that seemed to be winking at them. Severus caught that and his eyes seemed to roam the deep chocolaty skin. "Do you like what you see?" They asked as the tattoos lifted off the skin, became bigger and came alive ...
"Wow!" Julian exclaimed as he watched the hawks flying around the room and cartoon cats jump across the furniture making Mickey jump after them. The two single eyes that were on the back of the women's necks just floated around like a couple bubbles.
"Indeed ... enchanted tattoos." Severus commented a bit distractedly as he seemed to be more focused on the women. The bubbling of the kettle drew his attention back to the stove. Four cups of tea were poured as a charmed ladle stirred the pot of cheesy gooey lunch...
The twins smiled as Severus placed the tray of tea on the dining table with small containers of cream, sugar, and honey. "Thank you, Severus." The twins both purred as they turned to add sweetening to their cups and since they didn't button up their shirts yet they flashed a generous amount of cleavage at Severus who was blocking Julian's view now. With the great reserve of a British spy the older wizard didn't react. Even when the witches took their time ordering their tattoos to come back and slowly buttoned their shirts. He simply focused on putting out Julian's potions ...
"Lunch should be almost done Julian so potions first." Severus chuckled as the boy pouted when he climbed into a chair, but did as told and drank the potions. "Good boy, drink some tea to get the taste out." He said as he went to check on the meal. The twins watched the wizard with interest as he served the meal and sat down to eat too.
Sophia took a spoonful of the food and moaned not noticing the nearly unseen twitch in Severus's eye. "This is quite good."
"How old are you, Severus?" Silvia asked after swallowing her mouthful of food.
"25." Severus answered between bites showing excellent manners.
"Really, you're actually the same age as us. When did you become a potion master?" Sophia asked.
Severus snorted, "That's a tricky question to answer. In the UK I became a master at 17, but the standards are vastly different outside the UK so I would not meet the requirement. I've gone back to studying in order to get my masters here." He said earning a great deal of respect from the witches who have met too many arrogant fools who wouldn't go back to studying because of foolish pride. "I'm starting my required thesis so hopefully I can complete my master by next year."
"You're gonna do great Uncle Sev!" Julian piped up making the adults chuckle.
"With your support I have no doubt." Severus said as he ruffled the boy's blonde hair affectionately.
"If we had this little sweetheart we'd be able to do anything too." The twins said in perfect sync as Silvia, who was sitting closer to the boy, reached over to tickle him. Julian giggled showing more life than he ever has ... it was good to see him happy. They continued their meal in a peaceful silence.
As Severus cleared the dishes with the twins help he saw Julian yawn, "Are you feeling tired, Julian?"
"Yes Uncle." Julian mumbled through another yawn.
Severus chuckled as he dried his hands with a towel and went over to pick up the sleepy little boy, "Let's get you to bed then." He said while carrying Julian away with the plush wolf running after them.
"Sexy accent." Silvia commented as she sat down at the table again to sip her tea.
"He's good with Julian." Sophia said when she joined her sister.
Silvia smiled mischievously and licked her lips, "Nice butt and looks potentially hung."
A light blush appeared on Sophia's cheeks, "He is diligent in potions too." Both women fell silent as Severus was heard coming back down the stairs and returned to the table. "Is Julian usually tired around this time? I never saw him so tired when we were here."
The wizard took a sip of his tea and shook his head. "No, he's been exhausted since the bindings on his magic were removed. Aster just says to let him take naps when he gets tired."
"I see. That was only a week ago so it makes sense that he'd still be feeling the effects ... you understand why we don't take kindly to someone else making potions for Julian right?" Silvia stated bluntly getting a scolding look from her twin for her lack of tact.
With a subtle twitch Severus nodded, "Yes, I would react the same. One botched batch of potions could be catastrophic especially if it goes unnoticed. All the more reason for you to take offense considering I'm not as knowledgeable as I thought I was, but if it helps Gringotts did approve of my skills as far as adoption potions go and they seem to be the only creatures aware of what the rest of the world is like ... and secretly laughing at all of magical UK."
Silvia pouted, "How dare you talk so logically and calmly make jokes. It makes it hard to stay mad." Severus's lips twitched in amusement not seeing anything beyond amusement in the twins' eyes.
Sophia paused to refill her tea with hot water, "How long have you taught by the way? Are you going to change what you've been teaching to reflect this new knowledge?"
Severus paused to think about how to answer that and he sighed as he realized he might have to tell them more than he originally thought. "I started teaching about three years ago and I would like to change a few things, but that might give away too much ... since you're part of Julian's life and he wants to delve deeper in this horcrux issue at some point." He rolled up his sleeve and showed them the Death Mark, which made him feel regret every time he looked at it.
"You were a Death Eater." Sophia deduced quickly.
"Indeed." Severus said without betraying any of the fear he felt. The fact the twins seemed completely non judgmental about the disgusting mark helped a great deal. In fact they were just waiting for him to explain. "I made a stupid decision out of anger when I was young and joined the Dark Lord ... I eventually became a spy in order to try to protect a dear friend who I considered a sister ... Julian's mother to be exact. After her death and the supposed death of the Dark Lord I was sent to Azkaban."
Both women looked baffled, "but didn't you just say-" Silvia started to say.
"-that you were a spy in the end?" Sophia finished.
"Yes, but that didn't seem to matter. Technically they never verified I was a Death Eater. I was locked up for a month due to mistakes. Afterwards Dumbledore came to get me and said I had to be ready to spy again someday ... he all but threatened to send me back to prison every time I tried anything, but it was always in that passive aggressive way where you're the one feeling guilty for not being his slave." Severus said unable to stop the scowl from coming to his face.
Orange eyes narrowed dangerously, "He knew about the horcrux ...-"
"-and did nothing." Sophia said completing her sister's sentence.
A sneer made its way to the wizard's lips, "So it seems. He sent Julian into hell and he used this mark to basically blackmail me into staying close as a teacher."
"Can we see your mark?" Severus raised an eyebrow at Silvia's request, but moved his arm closer to the dark tanned women. The watched as the curved orange eyes scanned his mark as if looking for something specific. Slender fingers very gently traced the mark and after what seemed like hours they smiled. "You know, Severus, the fool blackmailing you can lose all his leverage with one potion."
Severus looked intrigued, but suspicious at the same time, "What is the catch?"
"Well Severus ... you need to have a masters for at least three years in order to get access to two necessary regulated ingredients, but considering that will mean four years of students learning outdated facts, four years of you potentially ending up back in prison, which hurt Julian terribly, we have a proposal. We will brew you the potion you need" Silvia said sweetly.
The wizard frowned, "In exchange for what?" He asked. It was true that as long as the mark was still there he was in danger. If it was removed he would still continue pretending, but at least he would be safe in case Dumbledore double crossed him. Unfortunately, freedom never comes without a price ...
Both women smiled mischievously and in perfect sync got out of their chairs. They moved to stand on either side of the wizard and leaned down to meet his eyes, "We want a date, nothing fancy, just spend some time with us. We can get to know each other." They said perfectly ... he was so stunned that he simply nodded in agreement since he couldn't trust what his mouth would say. The witches smiled softly and leaned towards him to kiss him on the cheeks. "Bye Severus, we have a potion to brew," and with that said both women left for the floo in the living room section. Severus couldn't believe what just happened ...
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Albus flounced into Severus's living quarters, "It's time for all the students to return from break, are you ready my boy? How was your break?" He asked far too cheerfully. He knew Severus had no life beyond Hogwarts and Gringotts, but he liked to ask just to rub it in while sounding kind. The potion master looked a bit tan, but the black robes and scowl were still in place so nothing struck him as odd.
"Save for them it was the usual Albus." Severus smirked and pointed up at the ceiling where five bats hung watching their surroundings. "Those brats nicknamed me the 'dungeon bat' and I decided to embrace it by transfiguring some things into bats to stare at them during class."
"Now Severus don't be mean." Albus chastised lightly.
Severus snorted, "It'll serve them right ... fine ... I'll try to be a little less strict as far as teaching goes, but I refuse to be so lenient that they start blowing themselves up." The potion professor huffed irritably.
"That's all I ask. After all, I don't want something bad to happen and certain ... marks discovered." Albus said faking his concern as he said farewell and left.
"It's hard to believe I ever trusted that bastard." Severus muttered as he adjusted his robes. The black robes were not something he wore outside of Hogwarts. Much to his surprise he has become used to wearing the jeans or lighter clothing that he wears in Australia. He unbuttoned his sleeves revealing that both arms were unblemished ... no marks at all. The bats flew down and shrank as they flattened themselves to the skin on the right forearm making five bat tattoos circling the arm. Severus buttoned that sleeve and looked at the left forearm with a smile. "I have a deal to complete this weekend."
After buttoning up his sleeve he moved his papers aside revealing a textbook on modern potions and did some studying of his own ...