Nothing In This World (BEING EDITED)

XLII.

Chapter XLII: The Visitors
Warning: Strong language, seizures, mentions of blood, and rape.

Severus and Harry were having their lunch when the front door opened. Arthur and Lucius stepped through, looking at them worridly. He shifts uncomfortably an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Lucius placed the bag of groceries on the table and walked over to Snape. He cautiously placed a hand on the man's shoulder and said, "we found them waiting at the gate."

"Found who?"

"Your parents, they want to speak to you," said Arthur barely above a whisper.

"Severus, are you okay?" Harry asked, several minutes later. "You've barely touched your food. And I know you love Aunt Molly's cooking."

"Yeah, yeah, I do," Snape said. "It's not that I don't."

"But are you okay?" Harry pressed.

Severus looked over at Harry, put his fork down, and shrugged. He took a sip of his water. "I'm upset," he answered, still holding his cup. "When will this stop? When can I be left alone and finally be happy. I feel like there's nothing I can do about it. Isn't it bad enough that they keep retraumatizing me? Like, fuck, what more can I do for them?"

Everyone just stared at Snape, probably unsure of what to say.

"Deep breaths, Sev," Harry said. "Remember what Dr. Malachai told you. You decide how this story plays out, it's your life and you get to choose who stays and who leaves," Harry paused, grabbed his fiancé's hand and squeezed lightly, "I need you to know that you aren't your parents, remember that you have the power."

"I'm not strong enough to face them again," Snape said, tears welled up in his eyes. He leaned heavily on Harry, his food completely forgotten. Harry ran a hand through the man's hair giving gentle soothing touches with his other hand.

Arthur looked at his husband, unsure of what to say. They watched with peaked curiosity as Harry whispered in his mates ear.

After a while, Severus sat up and spoke softly, telling Arthur to let his parents in.

They do as Severus asked, and a second later, Snape's parents were standing in the kitchen looking sadly over at him. He wasn't sure why they were sad because they were the ones who committed a horrible act towards him. They had abandoned him for the sake of him building a strong character. He didn't want anything to do with them. And he certainly didn't want to hear them talk and make excuses for their actions.

Merlin and Nicolas Flamel stood facing a young man, their long-lost son, their heir, who had been raised under the care of Tobias Snape. Merlin, with his long white beard and intense gaze, spoke first, his voice carrying the weight of centuries. "My son, it has been far too long since we last saw you. We tried sending an owl, but we never heard back."

"Yeah, I've heard it all before," said Snape angrily. The mere presence of them made him want to throw up and die, "Why are you here? You're ruining my lunch."

Severus his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and anger, he looked from Merlin to Nicolas Flamel, the alchemist known for his legendary Philosopher's Stone. "Why did you abandon me?" he asked, his voice tinged with a mix of hurt and longing. "You could've helped me."

Nicolas Flamel, with a gentle smile, stepped forward. "We did not abandon you, my son. It was a difficult decision, but we had to protect you. The bloodline you carry is ancient and powerful, and there are forces that would seek to exploit it for their own dark purposes."

Severus nodded slowly, his mind reeling with the weight of his lineage. "That may be so, but I would've been safer with you instead of that disgusting swine."