Hey guys! So this is longer than my usual chapters for this book. I felt like I needed to fit all of this stuff into one chapter. Anways, I hope you enjoy it! - Spathi

I march my uncle outside of the house, and tell him to wait a second. Then, I run and get a shovel, a ton of random food, and as much pumpkin juice as I can carry. I also stop by my room and write a paragraph on a piece of parchment in Ancient Greek. I return outside and dump the stuff on the ground.

"Now, I need you to give me a list of all the people whose deaths you feel personally responsible and guilty for." I say bluntly. Severus looks back at me incredulously.

"What?" he exclaims in an incredulous tone.

"People you knew personally who died. People whom you had unfinished business with, or to whom you want to say something particular." I clarify. Severus clearly thinks I've gone mad, but he agrees anyways. He takes a fortifying breath, which he blows out in a manner that tells me that he's nervous.

"T- Tobias Snape. Eileen Prince. James Potter. Lily Ev- Potter. Sirius Black. Albus Dumbledore." he replies. I nod, thinking over the list. I can understand his parents, although I don't know anything about them. I can also understand Dumbledore. However, Sirius, James, and Lily confuse me. I don't know anything about Sirius Black, but James and Lily are clearly the parents of Harry Potter. So what connection does he have to the Potters? And what connection does he have to Black?

I shake my head lightly, clearing my head of those thoughts. Now is not the time to be distracted. I pick up the shovel and start digging.

After I've made a deep hole, I start pouring the food and drinks in. Severus still looks confused, but he helps me do it. I take out the piece of paper with the paragraph I wrote, and add another paragraph below it. Then, I turn to him, handing the parchment to him.

"Focus hard, and read this out loud in a clear, strong voice." I say.

"This may have escaped your notice, but this is written in a language I do not recognize." he points out.

"Just try. It should work." I reply. Severus glances at me dubiously, but does as I say, returning his gaze to the parchment.

"Let the dead taste again. Let them rise and take this offering. Let them remember. I, Severus Snape, son of the Silent One, summon the souls of the deceased. I urge them to accept these offerings, and reclaim for a short time the lives they have lost. Let them come from beyond the Veil and unlock their pasts. Let them walk the earth for a short time. Breathe life into their souls once again, so that they may grant me counsel." he chanted.

The mix of pumpkin juice and random food began to bubble and froth. It began to expand, until the entire pit was filled with the liquid. Mist seeped out of the ground, and began forming into shapes. I drew my blade, the dark alloy of Stygian iron and silver glinting in the moonlight. 

"I call six souls in particular. I command the six souls I seek to come forth and drink. Tobias Snape, Eileen Prince, James Potter, Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Albus Dumbledore, in order of your deaths, appear to me now." my uncle continues. He hasn't yet taken his eyes off of the parchment, instead puzzling over the words that he can read out loud but not quite understand.

The fog has now condensed into six figures, which walk towards the pit slowly. Behind them, many more figures cluster.

"Only the six called may drink." I yell in Ancient Greek, pointing my dagger at the spirits. The figures in the background hiss and retreat. I watch the six drink, nudging my uncle. He finally looks up from the parchment, and almost drops it in surprise. I don't blame him.

In front of us stand a row of adults. The oldest is evidently Albus Dumbledore. I deduce that the two standing apart from the rest must be Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince, Severus's parents. And the last three are Sirius Black, James Potter, and Lily Potter.

"What have you done here, Severus? What is this magic?" Albus asks. He looks disappointed.

"Let me guess, it's one of Voldemort's little schemes. I'll bet it is, you greasy haired git." Sirius snarls in a rather canine manner. I step forward, offended.

"His hair isn't even greasy, Sirius. If you want to insult someone, you'd best use an insult that makes sense, you imbecile." I defend my uncle. The six souls stare at me in surprise. Sirius recovers first.

"Oh, so you've brought one of your Death Eater recruits." he growls. Lily looks saddened.

"Sev, what are you doing?" she asks. I turn to my uncle, who has only just recovered from his shock.

"Percy- can you- what the bloody hell is this?" he sputters.

"Well, my cousin taught me this. It's an ancient Greek ritual, first used by Odysseus to summon Tiresias the prophet. You need to be able to keep your emotions and thoughts under control because you are a spy, and I thought talking to these people and getting some closure would help. However, I didn't think that one of the people you'd choose would be an absolute git." I explain, glaring at Sirius.

"So, Severus, what freak of nature have you got here? Did you call me here to get my advice on restricting that unnatural ability? Because if you teach him to fear you, I'll bet that behavior will settle right down."  Tobias Snape says suddenly.

"I doubt he's your son, because I made sure that your appearance matched your existence. A pitiful, worthless thing  that no one could care about. Or did you think that you got your looks from us? Not likely, because as far as I'm concerned, you aren't related to us." Eileen joins in. Severus looks pale, and all of the other spirits except for Tobias look horrified. Tobias has a smug expression on his face.

I am confused for a second. Severus has several traits from his mother, with his high cheekbones, and aristocratic face. But he looks a lot like his father, with his long, black hair that is obviously well cared for, his pale complexion, and his dark black eyes, which shine with a startling intensity. He isn't bad looking at all. So why....

White hot anger courses through me as I process what his mother and father just said.

"How dare you! I should arrange for you two to have your own little spot in the Fields of Punishment. You, Tobias. I already knew that you'd given my mother away, you poor excuse for a human being. Now I hear that you hurt Severus as well?  And you, Eileen. What type of woman would put a curse on her own child to make him look undesirable to everybody but those who actually cared for him, and then proceed to demean him to the point that he doesn't even care for himself? You knew full well that Severus wasn't his son. So there is no excuse for you letting him treat Severus the way he obviously did. You knew who his real father was. You knew all about it, with your little stay in the casino." I explode, my hands trembling with rage. The ground starts to shake, and the liquid in the pool sloshes. Eileen and Tobias look scared, while the other spirits appear confused, angry, and disbelieving.

"His real father?" Tobias finally manages to whisper. I turn to him, and a dark smile crosses over my face. I let it spread, because if anybody deserves an insane smile combined with my worst glare, it's these two.

"Yes... his real father. Also known as my father's brother. See, my father's family isn't exactly...human. Regardless, I'm sure Severus's dad will be so happy to hear how you treated him." I hiss. Eileen's ghostly eyes dart from side to side, looking for an escape.

"No, that - that won't be necessary." she breathes out, fear permeating her tone. I laugh humorlessly.

"Let's call him right now, shall we?" I bring out my wand, and set a nearby piece of wood on fire. I toss a leftover piece of food into the fire.

"For the Lord of the Underworld, who I wish to speak with personally." I say out loud. The shadows lengthen, and the flames die. A cold wind blows across the area.

"You called, Perseus Jackson?" Hades drawls, stepping out of a nearby shadow. I glance at Uncle Severus, who looks very, very confused.

"Hello, Uncle Hades. Why don't you say hello to your son?" I reply, gesturing towards Severus. 

The god looks over at him, and then looks towards Eileen. He must employ some sort of mind reading (spirit reading? Do souls have minds?) technique, because he grasps the situation instantly.

"What have you done to him, Eileen?" he inquires in a dark tone.

"I - I didn't - he -" she stutters. Hades glares at her, and her spirit blinks out of existence for a second before coming back.

"What did you do to Severus?" he yells, and she shrinks back.

"Formae non amorem." she whispers, and Hades roars in rage. He turns towards Severus, and reaches towards him, grasping something invisible and pulling it away. I see a flash of color, and then Severus collapses. I run over to my uncle and immediately notice that I can feel power rolling off him.

"You dare strip my son of his birthright? You dare take away the abilities that he got from me?" Hades seethes.

"I don't understand." Severus gasps weakly, and Hades turns back to him. All the spirits look at him as well, and all but Albus and Lily seem surprised.

"What don't you understand, Severus?" he asks.

"What did she do?" Uncle Severus wonders.

"That spell combined with your horrible treatment during childhood took many things from you. At face value, the spell caused a glamour to form over you that only I could break, as the spell is only castable by a parent, and so can only be removed by a parent. Only people who truly care for you can see past it, and see what you truly look like. The thing is, Eileen and Tobias's deplorable treatment of you caused you to not be able to see past the glamour yourself. This lead to your status as my son being all but revoked, because you resemble Tobias now. You thought he was your dad. Only demigods who believe that their godly parent is either dead or missing can develop their godly powers and scent. Luckily, you dislike Tobias to the point that you refused to think of him as a true father, which preserved a very small part of your demigod powers. However, the lack of the rest of the powers caused you to feel an attraction to darker magic." Hades clarifies.

"Wait, so when Snape started hanging out with Avery and Mulciber in fifth year and trying out those darker spells..." James trails off.

"And when we called him out on knowing all of those hexes in first year..." Sirius adds.

"Not to mention when Sev started creating those curses and reading those really questionable books in the Restricted section... " Lily breaks in.

"All you were trying to do was find a substitute for your father." Albus finishes.

"I suppose so." Severus replies.

"Damn. I'm sorry about the way I treated you, Snape." Sirius sighs.

"As am I." James chimes in. Lily simply floats over to Severus and wraps her ghostly arms around him. My uncle stiffensslightly, but returns the hug. Lily steps back and smiles at him. I grin.

"Thank you, Black, Potter." Severus says honestly. 

"So what did you do just now?" I ask on behalf of my uncle, who's processing his father's words.

"What I did just now is reveal your true appearance, Severus. Do you have anything in particular you want to say to Eileen and Tobias?" Hades replies. My uncle looks at his 'parents' impassively.

"All of these years, I wondered why I did what I did. Naturally, I always blamed myself. But I was wrong. It was you. It was all because of you. And in a strange way, that makes me feel better. Because now, I can forgive myself for everything that I did in my youth. There are still things I have to address, but I no longer have such a heavy burden to bear." My uncle says. Hades smiles proudly, and flicks his wrist, causing Tobias and Eileen to disappear. Severus turns to his father.

"Father, I'm going to need to find a better last name. I refuse to go by Snape. I'll keep it in public, but I'll be damned if I continue to go by that name." he mutters. Hades shrugs, but I notice a faint smile on his face. It's probably because Severus called him Father.

"Why don't you just make up your own?" I suggest.

"That does seem rather appealing. But perhaps I'll wait until I no longer have to be a double agent." Severus agrees. 

"I am proud of you, Severus. Now, I'll leave you to finish your talk with these four." Hades says, gesturing towards James, Lily, Sirius, and Albus.

"Goodbye, Father." Severus says formally. Hades looks at his son with gentle eyes.

"Goodbye, Severus." he replies, touching my uncle's face gently before disappearing.

My uncle stares at the spot from where he disappeared. I look over at the four spirits.

"Okay, so what's your deal with them, Sev?" I ask cheerfully. Severus looks at me, startled.

"Did you just call me Sev?" he says finally. I blink.

"Yeah. You don't mind, do you?" I respond nervously.

"No, it's fine." he reassures me. I grin.

"Awesome." Severus rolls his eyes.

"So, can someone explain who this kid is? And what just happened?" Sirius calls.

"Well, my name is Perseus Jackson. I prefer Percy, because Perseus is too... pretentious. My mother is Sev's half-sister. Which is fine by me, because if my mother was also the daughter of Hades, then she'd be my cousin. But gods don't really care about DNA anyways, so- I'm getting distracted. Sorry. Anyways, the Greek and Roman gods are real, and possibly some other pantheons as well, but we really shouldn't get into that. Anyways, I'm the son of Poseidon, god of the seas, earthquakes, horses, etc. And Sev is the son of Hades, god of the Underworld, death, and riches. And yeah. That's pretty much it." Everybody stares at me. I cough awkwardly. 

"So, Sev. What do you want to say to them?" I prompt. My uncle blinks.

"Right. Er- I wanted to apologize to James and Lily for telling Voldemort the prophecy. I wanted to apologize to Sirius for being really cruel towards him, and letting Harry leave Hogwarts. And I wanted to talk to Albus about the circumstances of his death." he lists.

"Sev, you don't have to apologize for the prophecy. You couldn't have known. And you kept Harry safe for all these years like I asked." Lily protests.

"Yeah, well. It was still on me. And the way I've treated your son over the past several years..." Severus looks rather upset.

"Severus, the Marauders made Hogwarts a living hell for you when it should have been an escape from your family. We alienated you from everybody else, and for that, I'm sorry." James spoke up. 

"It was my fault too. I egged you on the most." Sirius admits. Severus snorts.

"You two cannot be so arrogant that you think yourself solely responsible for everything that happened to me while I went to Hogwarts." he sneers.

"I share the blame as well, Sev. You tried to apologize to me after fifth year, and I brushed you off. I didn't even give you a shot. I essentially drove you further down the path I judged you so harshly for." Lily says.

"And I too, my dear boy, am at fault. When the Whomping Willow incident occurred, I was so focused on making sure Remus was safe that I ignored what had happened to you completely. I think that made you stop trusting that I would help you." Albus joins in. Severus looks sadly at all of them.

"But the thing is, you didn't do what you think you did. You helped me, if anything. Hogwarts was still my escape, because anything was better than my parents. The tricks you Marauders played on me took up all the time outside of my studies that I would have spent looking into darker books or wondering if my parents were right about me. Instead, I spent that time planning my retaliation. Lily, what you did caused me to doubt the road I was walking on, because you turning your back on me and going to date Potter proved to me that something was very wrong. I knew that you wouldn't do what you did without a good reason. It hurt a lot, yes, but it turned into a lesson that I tried to learn from. And Albus, you were the headmaster. I was a Slytherin. I didn't expect much in the first place. The only thing your actions did was provide the other Slytherins with what they thought was a reason for me to join the Dark Lord. I don't think I would have if I hadn't...." Severus trails off.

"If you hadn't what, Severus?" Albus prods gently. Severus takes a deep breath, and I realize that his eyes are slightly glassy with tears.

"If I hadn't yearned for a family so much. Lucius didn't know how my family treated me, but he knew enough to act like my older brother. Same with Avery and Mulciber. Even Bella, before she went insane, acted like an older sister. They all knew about the family I'd always wanted. So when they introduced me to the Dark Lord- well, you can probably guess what happened. Back when the Dark Lord still looked human, he was really good with his words. He told me that he'd accept me, despite my father being a muggle. He promised to teach me what he knew personally. He essentially vowed to be a father to me. And by the time I realized that I was being played, I'd been marked. It was too late." A shocked silence hangs over everyone at my uncle's words. I grit my teeth. Voldemort was going to pay.

"I wanted out the second I was assigned a job. I didn't want to do as he said. But I didn't want to die. And I didn't want to lose the only family I had left. The thing that finally convinced me to leave his service once and for all was the prophecy. Once I realized who the Dark Lord had set his sights on, I couldn't stay. So I went to Dumbledore, and became a spy. And I believe you know the rest." my uncle finishes. James and Sirius look shocked, Dumbledore looks sad, and Lily has tears streaming down her face.

"Sev, my parents loved you as if you were one of their own. You were my best friend. You were part of my family. Did you not feel the same way?" Lily asks. A bitter smile twists Severus's features.

"It's complicated." he replies.

"Sev?" Lily pleads. I watch my uncle meet her eyes, and I can practically feel his pain.

Severus pulls out his wand. He places it at his temple, and pulls something silvery from his mind. Then, he flicks his wrist, sending it into the pool filled with liquid. A scene starts to form within the pool. I realize that it's a piece of memory.

"But this is touching, Severus," I hear Albus say.

"Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?" Lily and James exchange startled looks, and I realize that the boy must be their son, Harry.

"For him?" My uncle shouts. I watch him whirl around and point his wand at the ground.

"Expecto Patronum!" he yells, and a silver doe springs from his wand, and canters around the room. I hear Lily gasp, and Sirius mutters something under his breath. James just stares in shock. The doe leaps out the window, and Albus watches it go. When the older wizard turns back around, his eyes are moist, tears threatening to fall from the pair of blue orbs.

"After all this time?" Albus asks, his tone soft and wonderous.

"Always." Snape replies. His face is impassive, but his eyes are unwavering. The memory fades from the pool, and we observers are left standing in the moonlight, silence draped over us like a heavy blanket.

My uncle looks towards the spirits, looks towards one of them in particular. Tears flow freely down her face, her green eyes conveying pure shock and sadness.

"Sev..." Lily whispers, and you can practically hear the heartbreak in her voice.

"I never knew." she says quietly, and my uncle looks back at her steadily.

"Well, now you do." he replies bitterly, but without malice. He sighs, and runs a hand through his hair.

"To answer your question from earlier, yes, you were my best friend. However, seeing as I always saw your parents as the parents of the person I was in love with....." he trails off. Everybody is silent for a while.

"Severus, why did you want to discuss the circumstances of my death? You know that it was my own decision." Albus suddenly says.

"Unfortunately, Albus, Mr. Potter does not know that. And while he never liked me before, I'm certain that he hates me now." Severus replies.

"I doubt my son hates you." James protests. Severus glances at him, his face expressionless.

"While I was running from Hogwarts, he followed me, tried to cast Crucio on me twice and attempted Sectumsempra after seeing first-hand what it does when he accidentally used it on his rival. He also let out an inarticulate scream of rage after I stopped a Death Eater from torturing him, called me coward several times when I wouldn't fight him, and did I mention that I read his thoughts before I disapparated? He hates me as much as he hates the Dark Lord himself." he states flatly. Lily, James, and Sirius stared at him in shock. Albus looks very sad. I raise an eyebrow.

"Well, Uncle Sev, by the end of the war, he'll find out how wrong he was about you." I point out. Severus shakes his head.

"No, I'll probably be in Azkaban by then. Unless the Dark Lord kills me." he responds.

"Hades and I will make sure no one kills you. And I'll just kidnap you and take you to America if they try to put you in prison. You won't be going anywhere for a while, Sev. Best to accept it now." I reply, shrugging. Severus looks a bit happier.

"Your nephew is right. I suggest that you stick to the plan. There is nothing you can do about Harry right now." Albus says. The other three spirits nod in agreement.

"Oh, and there's nothing you could have done to stop Harry from going to the Department of Mysteries. It's all Kreacher's fault. So don't worry about that, Severus." Sirius comments.

"If you say so, Black. Anyways, I believe that it's time that you all return beyond the Veil." Severus says, standing right in front of the four ghosts.

"Alright, Severus. Thank you for protecting Harry." Sirius calls.

"Yes, thank you for looking after my son." James agrees.

"You're welcome. And I did promise to." Severus replies.

"Severus, thank you for being so loyal. I wish I had not caused you to be in such a difficult position." Albus says.

"You gave me another chance. You don't owe me anything." Severus says firmly. Albus smiles.

Lily darts forward, and wraps my uncle in another hug. She steps back, and meets his gaze, eyes bright and determined.

"You'll always be my best friend, Sev. I'll love you for that forever." she promises.

"And I'll love you as long as the concept of love exists, Lily. Thank you. For everything." my uncle replies with a sad smile on his face.

"Continue to look after Harry, please. And remember that I believe in you. Stay strong, Sev." Lily asks.

"Always." Severus responds, a smile playing at his lips.

"Okay, so you're sticking with always as your always." I mutter, referencing the John Green book that made Annabeth cry. No one hears me, which is good.

Lily places her hands on my uncle's jaw, and kisses him on the cheek. She draws back, searching his eyes for something. Once she's found it, she smiles, drops her hands, and returns to her husband's side.

"Semper fidelis, aren't you Severus." Albus says gently, and I grin, knowing exactly what the Latin phrase means.

"Semper fidelis, ad infinitum, et ultra." my uncle replies resolutely, and Albus bows his head in approval.

Always faithful, to infinity, and beyond.

The four ghosts smile at us.

"Remember, Severus, the dead never truly leave you. We will be at your side when you need us to be. So go on, live without fear. We will guide you, and we will protect you. And I know Percy will help us in that endeavor." Albus reminds Severus, looking over at me with solemn eyes. Severus glances at me, and I nod in agreement.

"You're not alone, Uncle Sev. You've got us. All of us." I say. Severus smiles slightly, the flame of hope and determination flickering in his eyes.

"Goodbye, Sev." Lily whispers. James and Sirius wave. Albus simply smiles. They turn away, and begin walking. They fade into the night within seconds. Severus and I stand in silence for a couple minutes.

"How are you feeling, uncle?" I ask, finally breaking the silence. Severus turns towards me.

"Better than I have in years." he replies honestly. I smile.

"Good. Now, come on. You've got a school to run, and I've got a chamber to find." I exclaim, ready to dash into the house and get my stuff. But before I can go anywhere, Severus pulls me into a hug.

"Thank you, Percy." he murmurs. I smile, returning the embrace.

"No problem, Sev." I respond. He releases me, and together, we walk into the house. I get my stuff, while he waits in the living room.

"Ready?" he asks. I grin mischievously.

"Always!" I exclaim. Severus smirks, and throws some Floo powder into the fireplace.

And we are whisked away to Hogwarts in a swirl of green flames.

So, yeah! I hope you liked it. It was an interesting mix of fluffy and angsty (in my opinion, anyways). Formae non amorem means the shape/appearance of no love, and that's the spell that Eileen used. Remember to review! - Spathi