Chapter 86: Mommy Issues

Dueling Club Classroom, Hogwarts, Wizarding World...

Jarvis Hamershal strode onto the dueling lane with sheer confidence radiating off him but incidentally the arrogance that he had displayed during previous encounters was sorely lacking. The young wizard had been determined to prove to his legendary war hero half brother that he in fact deserved to be claimed by him. The students gathered around anticipating the upcoming events of this meeting. They still recalled how easily Snape had sent Professor Hamershal flying across The Great Hall. With little to no effort.

For the first lesson Jarvis had the bright idea for Snape and Austin Embers to be paired up. He took another student in the hopes of keeping Snape from killing him during their first lesson. It was a brilliant strategy as Snape had been unable to put as much malice into his spell work as he would have if it had been just the two of them.

After class, Snape and Jarvis had some time before they went their separate ways. The younger wizard had been determined to get to know his older brother, even if it meant taking another hex. Snape had to admit the fumbling idiot had guts.

"Severus." said Jarvis finally tired of getting the run around. "Why don't you like me?"

Snape arched an eyebrow at him as he stood with his arms folded across his ebony clad chest.

"Do you need a list?" he asked with all the venom he could muster.

"Well, yes." replied Jarvis. "I-I can't find a single thing to hate you for but you seem quite determined to hate me."

Snape had no idea the idiot would be come so touchy.

"Have you not met me?" he asked. "I generally hate everybody outside of a select few."

Jarvis shook his head.

"No." he said. "You really hate me...and I don't know what I did that was so bad that you can't forgive me."

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Are we being dramatic now?" he asked unimpressed.

"I'm your brother Severus." said Jarvis. "I would have liked to have known you...or at least knew your bloody name."

"You can thank your mother for that." said Snape. "It seems as soon as I was of the age she saw fit to abandon me there was no need to mention my existence."

"She searched for you for years." said Jarvis. "Sometimes consumed by it...so much so that she never even gave me the time of day."

"Am I suppose to feel sorry for you?" asked The Potions Master. "The rich boy with pureblood whom your mother was more than happy to claim as her own."

"It wasn't all sunshine and roses on my end either." said Jarvis angrily.

Snape scoffed.

"I suppose your father beat you into a pulp for breathing to loud and making his hangover worse too?" he sniped. "Or perhaps you were bullied by just about every member of house Gryffindor including your former best friend who turned against you to be superior...maybe your mother faked her death and allowed you to believe that the only person that gave a damn wither you lived or died had already been taken away."

Jarvis had been stunned by Snape's admission of childhood torment.

"Perhaps you had to go days or maybe a months without a decent meal because your drunken father would rather buy booze than feed you." continued the Potions Professor. "Try living through two wizarding wars with a crazed lunatic favoring you making you not only a target for the forces of light but also among the death eaters...add in a spoiled brat that is the very bane of your existence seeing the combination of the arrogant bastard that stole your first love and the girl that broke your heart...then you tell me Jarvis...which one of us deserves the sob story?"

"I didn't know things were that bad." he said. "I never knew my father...and mother was more interested in finding you...her talented son with muggle blood and hero status...she never wanted me Severus, she never even wanted to marry my father."

As the two wizards traded barbs and hurtful glimpses into their respective pasts, Lady Hamershal had appeared having listened to every word that passed between them. Hermione had called her to Hogwarts after Severus' drunken venture. She had recognized he was still in pain over the abandonment from his mother and she felt he needed closure.

Lady Hamershal sighed.

"Life is complicated." she said getting the attention of both her warring sons.

Obsidian and dark eyes fell on her instantly.

"That's all you have to say for yourself?" asked Jarvis angry.

"What do you want me to say?" she asked looking over at Severus.

"I want nothing from you least of all your excuses." he replied bitterly.

"Severus, you remember what kind of man your father was." she said trying to explain any way. "I knew that if I didn't get away from him then one of us would surely have killed the other."

Snape glared murderously at her.

"So you make your son believe you're dead for what?" he asked. "To escape Tobias, you did that and more...but to renounce me just so you can obtain your petty pureblood privileges?"

Lady Hamershal sighed.

"That's not why I did it." she said. "I had no choice...in order to protect you I had to walk away."

"Protect me?" said Snape. "There's some kind of punchline in there somewhere."

"She's right, Severus." said Dumbledore stepping into the room.

Snape turned to face him meeting his twinkling blue eyes with confusion.

"What's this got to do with you?" he asked more than a little annoyed.

"I am the one that gave her little choice in what she did." said Dumbledore sadly. "I knew who you would be long before you made the decision to join the dark lord's ranks."

Snape narrowed his eyes at the older wizard.

"What?" he asked.

"You were exactly what we needed when we needed it Severus." continued Dumbledore. "If not for you Voldemort would still have a hold on the wizarding world."

"What are you saying old man." said Snape bitterly. "That you let all of that bullshit happen to me just so I would join the death eaters and further your little plans?"

Dumbledore sighed.

"Although it may be difficult to hear Severus, that is exactly what I am saying." he admitted. "So you see your mother isn't the only one who deserves your coldness...but have we all not done something to deserve forgiveness at one time or another?"

Snape glared at his mother.

"You chose to leave me." he said bitterly.

"It was only temporary." replied Lady Hamershal. "It was always meant to be temporary."

Snape sighed.

Hermione entered the room noting how tired Severus looked as he took all this in.

Snape turned toward his young brother.

"I don't hate you Jarvis." he said. "I can't stand you but I don't hate you...anyone who had to put up with her all these years is a saint as far as I am concerned."

Jarvis smiled pleased.

Snape turned toward Dumbledore.

"I definitely hate you, old man." muttered The Potions Master. "Always meddling where you don't belong."

Dumbledore simply smiled pleasantly at him.

"Fair enough my boy." he said.

The Potions Master turned his attention to Lady Hamershal.

"I owe you nothing." he said still harboring some bitterness.

She simply nodded.

"I didn't say that you did." she replied.

"I suppose I hate you less." said Snape still not thrilled about having to let any of this go.

He turned his attention to Hermione who had been smiling at him. He simply nodded once in her direction, she and Dumbledore seemed to think this was a moment that required their blubbering and tears.

"Sentimental Gryffindors." said Snape, Lady Hamershal, and Jarvis in unison their faces mirrors of disgust at the public display before them.

Apparently there was at least one thing Snape, Jarvis and their mother could agree upon.