Nothing In This World (BEING EDITED)

XXXVIII.

A TRIGGER WARNING HAS BEEN PLACED ON THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE IT MENTIONS A LOT OF HEAVY MENTAL HEALTH THEMES THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING TO SOME OF YOU. ONCE AGAIN I REITERATE, I DO NOT CONDONE VIOLENCE OF ANY KIND, SEXUAL, VERBAL, OR PHYSICAL. AND I DO NOT CONDONE ANY UNDERAGE ACTIVITY BETWEEN A CHILD AND AN ADULT.

THIS IS A VERY HEAVY CHAPTER AND IT DEALS WITH OF MENTAL HEALTH THEMES. SO IF YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW IS DEALING WITH THOUGHTS OF HARMING THEMSELVES OR THINKING ABOUT SUICIDE PLEASE DONT BE AFRAID TO REACH OUT FOR HELP! THERE'S STRENGTH IN NUMBERS AND YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! BUT IF THIS CHAPTER IS TOO HEAVY AND YOU CANT READ IT, THEN I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND, IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO WRITE. SO PLEASE SKIP AND IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ IT, READ AT YOUR OWN PACE!!! THANK YOU!!!

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Chapter XXXVIII: Shattered Illusions
Warning: Strong language, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, hospitalization, emotional manipulation, mentions of blood, rape, stab wound, mentions of death and forced sexual assault.

Severus closed the front door firmly but kept standing in front of it. His breathing was labored, his fists were clenching and unclenching for several minutes with pent-up anger. He had to remind himself to unlock his jaw before he started grinding his teeth again, a habit he stopped when he was fifteen.

Harry watched his mate take a seat and stand up several times before Snape settled on standing. He makes Snape a cup of his favourite lavender-lemon tea after some time and doesn't reach for him when he sits down; he shifts to lean into him, and only then does he wrap an arm around his back. "Deep breaths love," Harry said which earned him a very dark look from his professor. "Have some tea that seems to always help you." He hands the mug of tea to Snape and watched him take a shaky sip.

It was all a lie. A lie. Everything he'd known about himself and about his life was all a lie. In the several days he had told himself it couldn't be possible; there was no way in hell he didn't sense their charms on him. He was a very skilled wizard and could tell when someone was under the influence of powerful magic. Yet somehow he couldn't tell himself.

Severus was pacing the length of his small living room and absentmindedly tapping his wand against his palm, wondering what was happening, and why it had taken Arthur, Hermione, and Lucius so long to tell them about his parentage and that he was the last heir to Nicolas Flamel and Merlin. It had been one hell of a shock to the Gryffindor, as it had been to Severus himself. He pondered on the implications for the both of them, would Harry expect something different from him now? Would the boy still marry him? He was a little old to suddenly gain a father let alone two.

The little sunlight that peeks out from behind the floor to ceiling windows through the white curtains is dim and does little to light the room. But Severus' doesn't mind, he was sensitive to light anyway.

He stared at the parchment again reading the words again. "Son of Merlin and Nicolas Flamel," the words seemed to hang in the air. Merlin, the great wizard of Legends, and Nicolas Flamel, the alchemist who had discovered the secret to immortality, were his parents? How could this be? Severus struggled to reconcile this revelation with the ordinary life he had always known. He had grown up thinking himself an ordinary man, unaware of the extraordinary lineage that flowed through his veins.

As the realization sank in, Severus' mind raced with questions. Why had this truth been kept from him? What responsibilities came with being the offspring of such legendary figures? And most importantly, what did this mean for his own identity?

The chamber seemed to grow colder, the air heavy with the weight of centuries. Severus closed his eyes, seeking solace in the darkness behind his lids. He could almost hear the echoes of ancient power whispering through the stone walls, a chorus of voices urging him to accept his heritage.