Chapter 17.

5:32 pm, June 24th, 1993

Tests

Harry watched as Severus reapplied the charm that banned anyone from coming into the room, contemplating the tests yet to run.

In the meanwhile, Hermione seemed to be a little unsure about how to face the man who had humiliated her horribly in public, according to some grand plan designed by Dumbledore; yet helped her SPHEW cause secretly without anyone knowing about it. "Good afternoon, Professor Snape. How was your trip?"

Severus finished casting the spells, and turned around to face Harry and Hermione. "Miss Granger, my trip entailed a long story that Mr. Potter may prefer to explain to you in private. Before I leave you two for your discussion, I need to say that with Albus' order or not, I have not treated you fairly, and my actions have caused you great distress. One year ago, in my haste to pursue power beyond my own limit, I have neglected to apologize to you. I apologize to you now."

To be honest, Harry didn't quite expect that from the ex-Potions master.

- Is Severus doing this because he had become a better man? Or, is it because the man is ready to serve a benign Light Lord, so that he wants to repair his relationships with the Lord's most trusted advisor?

Hufflepuff preferred the first reason, while Slytherin argued that since Severus was a true Slytherin, it was probably the more cynical answer. Either way, this seemed to be a good thing if Harry needed Severus for his plots later.

Needless to say, Hermione stared at Severus in open shock. When she managed to speak, her voice was a little flustered. "I mean, err, Harry has told that you were the one who put notes under my pillow to help me fight bullies. I actually need to thank you for that. And, well, as for the other parts, I guess it's alright now since we all know why it happened."

Severus nodded, and pulled out a black suitcase from his pouch. "I will enter this suitcase and seal myself in it. Notify me when I am needed. I sspoke truth."

Severus smirked upon Hermione's gasp.

Before Severus put the black suitcase beside the grey one, Harry gave Hermione an explain-to-you-later look, and said, "Professor Snape, could you show your patronus to Hermione and me? Maybe we will be able to see something."

Severus' eyes flickered, then pulled out his wand. "Expecto Patronum."

A basketball-sized bright white ball jumped out of Severus' wand point. It was not nearly as bright as Harry's or Hermione's, but it is way brighter than a regular animal patronus. The white ball went in front of Hermione, and said in the ex-Potions master's smooth voice, "The sky is blue."

Hermione stared at Severus' patronus, then eyed Harry with a disapproving look.

Severus then offered, "The memory I need to use to fuel this patronus is quite peculiar. The first time I managed it, some of the memories couldn't even be counted as happy ones for most people. I needed to remember Draco's crying face, and my nausea upon seeing - Well, later I somehow have to include my grief upon hearing the deaths of people I cared about to use the charm. This is strange indeed."

Harry knew the reason, but he wasn't sure that he should tell Severus now. It was because Severus refused to accept the deaths of the ones he cared, and he wanted them to be alive. Severus needed to go one step higher, to want everyone to live forever and to absolutely refuse death to use the true patronus.

Anyway, Severus had passed one of Harry's tests.

Hermione looked at Severus with some admiration, then said. "Professor Snape, I think I know why, but I am not sure I can tell you."

"Mr. Potter said so as well, it seems I need to entangle this riddle myself." Severus' eyes centered on Hermione's sparkling fingernails. "I suppose I know some of the reasons that you could destroy several hundred dementors now."

Severus suddenly frowned, and his face became as white as plaster. "I don't know any magic that can end the unicorn power inside you, but I can't say such thing is impossible. Miss Granger, please be very careful not to lose it, otherwise the world will be in grave danger."

Hermione nodded in confusion.

Harry was a bit confused as well.

-Ending the power of unicorn that gives Hermione tremendous life power would definitely be bad, but how can that lead to world destruction?

"Well, I guess I need to be specific. There is some potion lore about the origin of Felix Felicis, the Liquid Luck potion. It is said that the reason that unicorn blood can sustain life for a while is that it is the strongest Felix Felicis, it will grant you so much luck that your body will heal itself against all odds and possibilities. But afterwards, the universe will work against you. From the Dark Lord's experience, I guess people cannot escape this side effect even if one changes into a new body." Severus said gravely. "And I would not suggest either of you take Felix Felicis unless absolutely necessary. Generations of potioneers had improved the potion to minimize the side effects, but I am not sure what the effect would be on Miss Granger. And in general, relying too much on Felix Felicis invariably leads to disastrous results."

Now Harry began to understand why most dying people didn't drink unicorn blood, and why people said anyone who drank the blood could only live "a cursed life, a half life". Unicorn blood and the Liquid Luck potion seemed to have some unexplained results on which timeline the Universe chose amongst all the possible timelines, but the Universe fought back hard. In a word, after drinking unicorn blood, if you wanted heads in a gamble of flipping coins, you would get all heads; but afterward, it would be all tails.

Harry had wondered how he came out to defeat Lord Voldemort against all odds, and why the smart enemy suddenly fell into the literary trap of a stupid talking villain, now Harry saw it. The Universe was working against Voldemort. Voldemort might have thought changing into a new body would end the side effect, but obviously it was not the case.

Harry imagined what he would do on the verge of death before he knew the ritual and the power of the Stone, and shuddered. Harry would do exactly the same thing Voldemort did, drank unicorn blood, and the world would be destroyed in any of the previous world-ending incidences. On the other hand, the reason that the world had not ended in the previous incidences, might exactly be that Hermione, who was blessed with all the luck of the Universe for the time being, was standing beside Harry.

Severus pondered, sighed, and retrieved two bottles of golden liquid from his pouch. "I brewed these Felix Felicis myself, much better than the things you can buy in the market. The side effect is minimized to the best of my abilities. If you two absolutely need luck, use these. I will give Draco one bottle and give him the same instructions as well. I sspoke truth. Potionss were for m-mysself, no trick."

Upon hearing the "no trick" statement, Harry knew Severus had realized he was being tested, but tests still needed to be run.

As Harry and Hermione each took a bottle of Liquid Luck from Severus, Harry said, "Professor Snape, thank you so much for your advice and the potion. Do you know any other side effects of anything else?"

"For trolls, I only know that they are really stupid and violent, much easier to deal with than the side effects of unicorn blood." Severus then hesitated a little, and hissed. "Hor-horcruxess ssaid to be ominouss for ov… offsssp-ringss, or kids born with b-bad luck, not ssure if true."

Harry didn't dare to look at Hermione. He didn't trust his occlumency barrier could hide the horror and the guilt in him.

-No, no, no!

As of the past several months, Harry began to have some romantic thoughts on Hermione. But if what Severus heard was true, Hermione should never have kids, and the birth of her child - THEIR child - might tilt the world towards destruction.

"I do not know anyone elsse … m-made hor-horcruxess for another, v-while other not know-v-wing, though." Severus hissed more.

Harry was a little bit assured, but the stone on his heart was still quite heavy.

-OK, one reason NOT to make horcruxes for everyone with sacrifices of blank-brained clones. And this explains why dark wizards like Lucius may choose not to make horcruxes. A calculated cold-blooded murderer as Lucius is, he probably loves Draco more than his own life. As for Voldemort, kids are definitely not one of his concerns, or he simply didn't believe legends not to his taste. Or, maybe people fabricated this lore so that dark wizards like Lucius would not make horcruxes and live forever.

Severus stopped, then his hisses somehow became more grave. "I do not know effectss of v-unicorn blood on ts-childbirth, either."

Hermione saw Harry's blank face upon hearing the hisses, and asked carefully. "Am I to know?"

Severus and Harry looked at each other. Harry's voice wavered a bit as he answered. "I need to think about it."

"OK." Hermione accepted without hesitation.

Harry's heart sank further.

-It may not even be true. Just run your next test.

"Professor Snape, thank you so much. I will talk with Hermione for a while, and I will call you by patronus afterwards." Harry said politely, and Severus descended down his black suitcase.

After the door of the suitcase was closed, Hermione started to cast privacy spells, and then asked. "Harry, what is all that about?"

"Hmm, let's wait for a while to let Professor Snape finish his spells inside his suitcase, and let me finish mine." Ten spells later, Harry moved towards his couch. "In the meanwhile, did you bring the books I asked for?"

Hermione drew out several huge books, including Comprehensive Wizarding Genealogy, Pure-Blood Directory, and Distinguished Surnames in History, and put them onto the table in front of Harry's couch. "Why do need those books?" Hermione asked with a tone of suspicion.

"Just checking." Harry started to flip through the pages, and easily found Salazar Slytherin's name from Comprehensive Wizarding Genealogy. He saw, as sort of expected, one of Salazar's granddaughters married Armand Malfoy's son, Draco Malfoy I. And about fifty years later, a Malfoy girl descended from the first Draco got married with an wizard named "Arthur the Weasel", who was the founder of the Weasley family. Harry knew he could stop looking there, because there were so many Weasleys in wizarding Britain that they were virtually related to every family.

-Well, it seems most wizards in Britain are descendants of Salazar Slytherin anyway. This makes a lot of sense for a small society like this, that everyone is basically related to everyone. I am a third cousin of Narcissa and Bellatrix; and there was a famous potioneer with the lastname of Dagworth-Granger in the seventeenth or eighteenth century, Hermione might be related to him. Maybe it was only the Gaunt family that kept inbreeding, so only all the Gaunts were known to speak Parseltongue, and Salazar's magic was just thinned out in other families. The same way as veela-human hybrids do. The half-veelas look more veela than human, but quarter-veelas look more human, and so on. And Professor Flitwick, who has distant goblin ancestry, is mostly human except his height and squeaky voice. This also explains why Lucius can speak much better Parseltongue than Severus. Too bad that not every wizard in the world is a descendant of Salazar.

-And that, is probably why Salazar's monster is said to be able to rid muggleborns from Hogwarts, since the muggleborns probably can't learn Parseltongue, therefore can't be taught by the most knowledgeable teacher in Hogwarts.

"What are you checking?" Hermione read Comprehensive Wizarding Genealogy upside-down, and formed a quick guess. "You thought Professor Snape is an heir of Slytherin?"

"Well, virtually most wizards in Britain are, and a lot more in Europe and the western world, I guess." Harry quickly flipped through the long list of names of the Weasley family, and pointed to the beginning, "See, the founder of the Weasley family got married with one of Salazar's great-great granddaughters, so it is easy to guess from there."

"Then why there aren't that many known Parselmouths?" Hermione asked.

"I guess it may take quite some learning for most wizards, except the extreme inbreeding Gaunt family. Professor Snape said Professor Dumbledore can speak it as well. I have always wondered why Dumbledore trusted Severus Snape, it all makes sense now." Harry answered.

"OK, should I learn Parseltongue, then?" Hermione quickly asked, eagerness in her eyes. "Or perhaps I am not a descendent of Slytherin. I guess maybe Draco should as well."

"You can learn if you want to, we just need to dig your family history a bit. And I think Draco will learn it from his new godfather and others anyway." Harry said to his wide-eyed friend. "Yeah, as you may have guessed, Professor Snape is going to be Draco's godfather, and would you be one of the witnesses for the legal process?"

Hermione nodded, confusion in her eyes. "Of course. But why didn't they do it one year ago, after, you know?"

"Well, that's quite related to what I am about to tell you." Harry sat down on his couch. "Before that, I just have one more test to run. Hermione, could you use your patronus to find the Dark Lord, and, say, Nott Sr., then Bellatrix Black, and tell them the good news that when we bring them back, we will make them better people."

Hermione looked at Harry with suspicion. "You know the Dark Lord is transfigured, and Nott Sr. is dead, right? But anyway, Expecto Patronum."

Hermione's bright patronus in the form of a girl jumped out from her wand point. The girl first stood there, looking really confused, then only looked sadly at Hermione, and finally, the patronus wandered around the room aimlessly as if not knowing where to go.

"OK, exactly the same result as I got a moment ago." Harry had an impulse to reach for his Comed-Tea, and suppressed it. "Before I can tell you what all this means, there's something I need to tell you, so that I can finish the story without giggling or laughing until you knock me down and bring me to St. Mungo's."

Hermione composed herself. "Say it, Harry."

"Professor Snape is a bat animagus."

Both Harry and Hermione fell into hysterical laughter.

"Oh, no, Harry, I - I am such a terrible person." Hermione giggled helplessly, and wiped her tears, "I shouldn't have laughed at him."

Harry was wiping laughing tears as well, but some of the tears may have come from another source.

The Next Chapter will be uploaded at 6 pm (EDT), 04/13/2015