First meeting

Severus found himself in front of a grey building which, although old, looked quite tidy. Quickly passing through the gate, he caught the first child he saw and knew where the headmistress was. Madam Sheila was in her early fifties and was a stern and prim lady with a tenacious eye. She said hello to the young visitor, dressed simply but neatly, though her gown raised questions.

- Hello," he replied, "my name is Severus Snape. I want to collect my sons, Sasuke and Itachi Robinson; here are the papers.

The headmistress quickly looked over the papers and nodded her thoughts, and asked:

- Why didn't you take them immediately after their mother's death?

- You see, I just recently learned of their existence. Their mother and I had separated long before birth, and she had not informed me about her pregnancy because of our quarrel. As soon as I found out that I had sons, I immediately tried to find them," Madam Sharp paused for a moment and asked the following question.

- Do you work in a school?

- Yes, it's a boarding school for gifted children. I work there as a chemistry teacher.

- And where will the children be while you work, since I understand you live far away from Hogwarts?

- I plan to ask permission for them to be at the school.

The headmistress nodded again and said:

- 'Come on, their classes are already over. They must be sitting in the courtyard.

They walked along the labyrinth of corridors. On the way, the headmistress kept talking:

- Your sons are very clever. I have never seen such intelligent and capable children; already, at the age of three and a half, they have learned to write somewhere. They are always reading something. How they manage so fast, I can't imagine, soon they will read everything from our library. It's minimal, but still! And how kind they are! Itachi is always trying to help the workers, and Sasuke protects the younger ones in case of fights. Oh yeah, they're also into sports! They exercise every day. Not a single one is missed. But the boys aren't aggressive; they're reticent, especially Itachi. Everyone here loves them.

Madam Sheila couldn't stop praising the boys. Snape would have thought it empty flattery if he hadn't seen that someone like her wasn't inclined to praise at all (he was the same way himself). When he met them, he wanted to appreciate the children's character, but a sense of pride was already spreading inside him. He had feared that life in the orphanage would harden them, make them like Potter and his company, or they would become downtrodden and afraid of everything around them, or become cunning and spiteful 'brutes' (Voldemort's example stood before his eyes), but it was not to be! The children were growing up to be not only peaceful but also sensible.

His sons were already showing ability; if they possessed the same potion-smithing power, he couldn't have dreamed of more.

While Snape was mulling all this over, they entered the courtyard. The headmistress looked around quickly and headed towards the far oak tree, where two black mastheads could be seen. Severus's heart raced quickly. Even at this distance, he could feel the waves of native magic. Quickly pulling himself together, he hurried after the headmaster. Under the oak tree sat two six-year-old boys. They were brunettes, like Snape himself, and their eyes, though black like his, were mesmerising. Unlike him, those huge eyes glowed with intelligence. In Severus' eyes, you could see it too, but the service he'd endured with the Eaters had made them somewhat hollow. Looking closer, he realised the twins' facial features were taken from their mother. Sasuke and Itachi were almost identical, though one's face was more round, and he wore a short haircut, making his unruly hair look like hedgehog needles. The other's face was more elongated. His hair reached to his shoulders and was tied up in a ponytail. It was already apparent that they would be besieged by groupies in the future.

The children liked him at first sight. At their approach, the children put aside their books and stood up. The boy with the ponytail had an Oscar Wilde collection, and the other had an encyclopaedia of plants. Severus was shocked at such an odd choice of books for six-year-olds.

- Itachi, Sasuke, say hello; this is Severus Snape; he's your father and wants to take you in.

- My name is Itachi, To-san," said the twin with his tail bowed.

- My name is Sasuke, to-san," the hedgehog twin replied and bowed.

- The boys are very into Japanese culture," Madam Sheila explained.

Severus nodded. He remembered that Azumi had Japanese roots. My grandparents, so that didn't surprise him.

- I'd like to talk to them in private.

After she left, Severus looked over the boys carefully. He was struck by their restraint, for after the headmaster's words, the children had not expressed much surprise. Not everyone could boast of such a bond. Not even his godson Draco, the son of an aristocrat in an een generation, who had been taught to hold himself since childhood, could show such restraint. His children, he was almost used to calling them that, pleased him more and more. Snape broke the silence:

- Hello, children; as the headmistress has already told you, I am your father and want to take you away. I would like to know your opinion. Do you want to live with me?

The children looked at each other as if they were discussing something. Severus had read that there was a special bond between the twins; some magazine had said they could sense when one felt pain, but seeing the process in person was far more entertaining. His musings were interrupted by Itachi, who stepped forward and bowed again:

- We agree, To-san.

- Then we will go to the headmaster now, I will collect your papers, and we will leave, but I warn you right away: you must obey me without question; you can ask any questions when we are home," Snape looked at the children with the look he used during teaching, showing that he would not tolerate any objections.

Once again, the children surprised him by voicing no objections and only nodding in sync. As they walked towards the headmaster Snape noted that the children were moving silently and absolutely in sync. As soon as they started moving, Sasuke and Itachi stood on either side of him as if to cover in case they were attacked. This pattern of behaviour was similar to the Auror's. The Reavers sometimes used this formation on raids too, but more often than not, the distrust was too great for them to turn their backs on each other.

Along the way, they encountered other orphanage pupils. Seeing Snape wearing his 'teacher mask', that is, a facial expression that showed complete disregard for the intellectual abilities of those around him, the kids would creep up and try to get out of the way. Still, as soon as they spotted Sasuke and Itachi, smiles would blossom on their faces. Some of the thirteen to fifteen-year-olds even nodded at them. Sasuke responded to them with a nod, and Itachi smiled lightly at the corners of his lips. His sons were truly loved and respected here.

As he approached the headmaster's office, he turned to the twins:

- Wait for me here. I'll sign the documents, and we'll go. Is there anything you want to take with you?

- We have practically nothing. We'd better leave everything here," Itachi replied, and Sasuke nodded, confirming his brother's words.

Severus noted that Itachi usually spoke for both of them and decided to clarify the matter later. When the paperwork was signed, the headmistress asked if she could get the staff and children to say goodbye to the twins, but Severus replied that they were in a hurry, and then Madam Sharp volunteered to walk them to the gate.

- Good luck to you, Sasuke, Itachi. I know you will be giving your father little trouble. Come by anytime. You're always welcome!

- Thank you," the twins said in turn and bowed.

The headmistress smiled and turned to Severus.

- Take care of them; they are wonderful children.

Severus nodded and headed down the alley from where he planned to apparate to the shop nearest to his house. It then dawned on him that he had yet to tell the children anything about magic. Once they reached the deserted area, he pulled out his wand to cast a distraction and privacy spell and turned to the children and said:

- You know what this is," pointing to the wand.

- A wand? Did you cast some sort of spell? - Sasuke answered.

- Yes. Quite right. You don't look surprised. Has something strange, unexplained, happened to you before?

The children nodded.

- Well, you can tell them at home; it's not safe here," Severus said before he could get into further detail, "Grab my hands and hold on as tightly as you can. If you let go of my hand, you might split and lose an arm or a leg.

After ensuring the children understood and holding his hands tightly, Snape lamented that he hadn't ordered a portkey from Gringotts, which would have been a safer means of transport and apparated. Moving to the shop, he looked around at the children. The first apparatus could have been a more pleasant experience. Even adults often vomited after it, but his children looked cheerful enough. The training had developed the twins' vestibular apparatus quite well. They made their way to the shop, where, with a quick orientation, the brothers picked out everything they needed.

When they arrived home and sat down in the living room, Severus was finally able to ask the questions he was interested in.

- Do you remember anything about your mother?

- No, practically nothing. Her name was Azumi, and she died when we were two and a half. We remember that she had brown hair and light grey eyes. As a child, she often flew various things flying to amuse us. Apparently, she had magic, just like you. We were often looked after by the old lady, but there didn't seem to be anything unusual about her," Itachi said.

Severus nodded. He didn't expect them to remember anything because they were too young.

- Your mother was a pure-blooded wizard. We went to the same school but in different faculties and started dating after the prom. Then, after two and a half years, we had a falling out, and she left. I didn't know then that she was pregnant. I only found out today with a blood test and immediately performed a search ritual.

- What does purebred sorceress mean? Did she come from a wizard family? Then there are half-bloods? Can wizards be born into families without magic? And do they differ in power? - Itachi asked.

Severus noted with a smile that his children were alert and tenacious. Only some children would pay immediate attention to this detail and draw logical conclusions.

- Yes, families made up of pureblood wizards are called clans, and they report to the Head. Mostly, they try to keep their blood pure and only marry purebloods, but exceptions exist. Twenty-eight ancient wizarding families in England are considered the guardians of magic. As you can imagine, over the years, they've all managed to be related by some knee, so sometimes they arrange marriages to Muggle-borns, meaning wizards from non-wizarding families, to renew their blood. I am a half-blood myself, as my mother was a pureblood and my father a Muggle. You, on the other hand, are pureblood, as Azumi was a pureblood. Purebloods are distinguished by the presence of various generic gifts. These could be the ability to create new enchantments, rituals, or like mine, battle magic, mentalism, which is the ability to influence the mind or potions and develop new solutions and medicines. Tomorrow we will find out what abilities you possess. The ability to make spells without a wand, although not genetic, is dependent on the wizard's personal power, but if the parents had it, there is a good chance that their children would also have it. Half-breeds can also have it, as long as they aren't weaned. There's also such a thing as personal powers. As you know from the name, it isn't inherited. Such gifts are not weaker than the tribal ones, but due to the lack of a solid magical boost, wizards who possess them will permanently lose out to the natives of ancient families. Muggle-borns can also have a personal ability, though it is rare, and then they can establish a clan and gain an Ancestral Stone if they wish. He could not see the results immediately; the first hundred years would be spent building up the bloodline's power because the bloodline magic's ability depends on the energy infused in the stone.

He realised now how foolish he had been to think that he was not a member of the Prince family, for potions and mentalism were their generic abilities.

- What else could rituals serve?

- There is a whole science that deals with this area. You can use them to secure your home, ask for the magic to give a good harvest and protect your relatives. Rituals have a vast number of uses. There is a direction where it is necessary to use blood, and such rituals are called blood rituals. Now they are attributed to dark magic, but many noble families continue to perform them because, with their help, it is possible to thank magic for the birth of children, their health, or to support the strength of the family. Some of the best-known ritual days are Samhain and Yule, better known to you as Halloween and Christmas.

- So why are they considered dark days? I don't suppose anyone is killed during them? - Sasuke asked.

- You are right. They often only require a few drops of blood from the Head of the clan. It's just that there are a lot of Muggle-borns in the Ministry now, and they are disgusted by anything involving dark magic.

- Why didn't the purebloods explain anything to them then? Because from what I understand, rituals are an essential part of magic," Itachi asked.

- Wizards from ancient families considered themselves too proud to stoop to "mere mortals", Muggleborns, in turn, were annoyed by their arrogance, and some were jealous of their generic gifts. They were also very annoyed by their muggle-borns and, in turn, jealous of their talents. Without a gift, they can at most become apprentices, but not masters, discovering something new. Also, the purebloods didn't want to reveal ancestral secrets; when they did, it was too late. Many key places were taken by people with little knowledge of magic. Then they tried to form their own resistance group led by a charismatic leader. All was well. First, pure-blooded wizards began to win back influence, but then this leader began to go mad; even his associates were afraid of his outbursts of anger. Pogroms and murders of Muggle-borns began, and then the leader died. And the remaining purebloods had to give up many positions.

The children nodded. He was impressed that they could grasp things that few Hogwarts grads understood and that their questioning proved that they were not just nodding politely but absorbing the problem.

- Any more questions?

- You mentioned several faculties at Hogwarts; what are they?

- Call me by my first name; I'd like you to call me father. I understand that it takes time, but I hope that we will become a family not only by blood," Severus bit his lip at these words, but the children also needed time to get used to him. After waiting for the twins to agree, Snape continued, "Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Traditionally it is believed that Gryffindor is where the brave and loyal go; it is the department of future battle mages and aurors; it is also known for having the highest percentage of muggle-borns. Ravenclaw is the faculty of geniuses and dreamers; they are future scientists. Hufflepuff is where the hardworking and friendly go; many work in the Ministry. Slytherin is an aristocratic faculty; its students are characterised by cunning characters and the ability to extract the resources needed for their purposes. They sit in the House of Lords, which approves laws, though, as I said before, their authority has been shaken, and many laws have passed without their approval. As you might have realised, the Gryffindor and Slytherin faculties constantly conflict, while Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff try to keep neutrality. The legend that Salazar Slytherin didn't want Muggleborn wizards admitted to Hogwarts, so he quarrelled with the other founders and left the school before creating the Chamber of Secrets, where he hid the monster that his heir would use to "cleanse" the school of Muggleborns.

- You said they were traditionally regarded as such, but in reality? - Itachi asked.

Severus grinned:

- I believe that Gryffindor is a diagnosis characterised by a lack of self-preservation instinct and an almost complete degeneration of the brain, especially the part responsible for logical thinking. You may think my opinion is biased because I studied Slytherin myself and am its Dean. Still, when you get to Hogwarts, you will realise that sometimes their stupidity exceeds only adventurousness and a desire to find adventures on the arse. Slytherins, on the other hand, copy the behaviour of their parents who, from childhood, instilled in them an awareness of their importance and a sense of responsibility to their kind and to magic. As for the founders, what Salazar really wanted was for the purebloods to be taught separately from the Muggle-borns. Imagine this: children come to the school who have known about magic since childhood, are taught its laws and the history of Magical Britain, and can already cast some spells. And at the same time, they are joined by children who only found out about the existence of the magical world a couple of months ago. They need to learn about its laws or traditions. What should teachers do in this case? They try to unify the curriculum and start explaining everything from the basics. Those already know it get bored and may lose interest, but that is not the main danger. It shortens the time to study more complex and in-depth subjects, reducing the overall education level. As a result, the number of Hogwarts graduates who gain mastery decreases.

- Are you the Dean of the Faculty? And what subject do you teach?

- Potions. If you discover your abilities, I will teach you myself. I don't want you all blowing up like those idiots mistakenly called students.

It darkened outside the window, and Severus realised that evening had come. The children had not been fed dinner, and his stomach was signalling that skipping dinner was not a good idea.

- Tilly!

There was a clap, and a housewife appeared in the room.

- What do the master and the little masters want?

- Children, meet the house elf. Her name is Tilly. Tilly, this is Sasuke and Itachi.

The children took turns saying hello.

- If you need anything, say her name, and she'll come to you. If you want, I'll buy you a book tomorrow that describes all the magical creatures," and then he turned to the housewife, "Set the table, please; the children haven't had dinner.

- How on earth! - She spluttered with her hands and set the table with a flick of her finger.

The children happily ate their dinner, and Severus noted that they ate very neatly, and although no one had taught them manners, they seemed to know intuitively how to behave.

After dinner, Severus escorted the children to their parent's room. It was small and a little dark. There was one double bed in the centre. The caring Tilly had already cleaned the room and dusted it.

- The house has only two bedrooms, so you will have to squeeze in. My room is down the hall to the right. You must not wake me except for a fire, earthquake or tsunami. When you get up in the morning, call for Tilly, and she'll give you something to eat. Don't touch anything without my permission. You may only take books from the bottom two shelves. The bathroom is down the corridor to the left. Is that clear?

The children nodded again and went off to put away the things they had bought. Severus noted that he would have to go shopping with them tomorrow before they went to the bank for blood tests and also needed to find out how often they had magical outbursts and how they were coping. The headmistress hadn't mentioned any oddities, as if there was no magic in them, but Snape felt that wasn't the case. According to his gut feeling, the twins possessed tremendous magical potential that promised to surpass it, probably more than Voldemort and Dumbledore had.

But that would all have to wait until tomorrow, and the answer to my grandfather's letter should be written now, and a meeting scheduled as soon as possible so that I could talk to him one-on-one first and then deal with the legacy. I will leave the children with Lucius and Narcissa during the meeting. Still, leaving two children with a housekeeper who's got her hands full shouldn't be a good idea.

"So we'll decide," Severus thought as he finished the letter and sent it off with his grandfather's owl, which never flew away and continued to sit in the kitchen, grumpy and waiting for a reply, "And now it's time for bed.