Raised Differently

The Press (part 2)

Cornelius walked to the podium and raised his hand for silence. He smiled a surprisingly sincere smile for  someone in front of a group that was equivalent to a gang of harpies. "Hello my friends! I have a very special treat for you all today! You all know that on the night of October 31st the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort attacked the home of the Potters in Godric's hollow. James Potter perished taking on the Dark Lord to protect his family. As he was about to kill one year old Harry Potter and his mother Lily, Severus Snape appeared and started to duel Voldemort defeating him while Lily apparated to Hogwarts to get Headmaster Dumbledore. When they returned the house was tarnished and two bodies were on the floor, one was Severus severely injured but alive, and the other was Lord Voldemort! He was pronounced dead!" The room burst into cheers and whistles before he started again,"Severus has been recovering at Hogwarts and has finally been declared healthy enough to talk with us! Before that happens though Professor Dumbledore wishes to say a few words,Albus." He gestured to the podium before walking off the stage.

He was replaced by Albus in front of the podium," I am going to keep this short and sweet since I know none of you are here to listen to me. On October 31st we lost a good man, James had many faults but he was a good husband and father, his sacrifice was not in vain, because that night also saw the end of one of the most evil wizards of all time, as well as the start of a new era, a kinder era, a gentler era. In our minds and hearts he will never be totally gone, evil like his does not just vanish, it will take time, but we will eventually all move on, some faster than others, but it will happen. Now, I think I will pass your time on to the star of the show! Severus, come on out!"

The crowd started to cheer again as the savior of the wizarding world walked out on to the stage. Severus had put his hair up away from his face so he didn't look too much like a bat. When he completed his walk to the podium he smiled sadly and held up his hand." Thank you, very much for that welcome, I must say I'm not sure I should be up here, James was much more heroic than I, if he wasn't dead he would more than likely be up here with me. We never got along in school but he was a great father and a devoted husband, and for that I can only say he does a better job than I ever could or can do." He looked at Lily sadly and sympathetically when he said that." I had a friend once and when I screwed that up I was too big a coward to apologize. James would have found a way to apologize, he was much braver than me.I extend my sympathies to his family and say I'm sorry I wasn't there in time to save him." His eyes were beginning to tear up remembering James's cold corpse lying on the stairs.

"Okay I think we can get to questions." Said a stout man standing behind him.

Hands immediately flew into the air, reporters shouting at the top of their lungs. Severus was trying not to answer any of the questions asked by Rita Skeeter, but avoiding her was harder than it looked. Eventually she was called on and the question she asked shook the room, but not nearly as much as it shook Severus's tightly controlled heart.

"Is it true you were abused as a child?"

Flashbacks flew in his mind, whips, guns, bottles, drunken breath. The pain filled memories surged through him as he tensed up as if his father was going to appear at any moment. He took a few deep breaths before he answered shakily,

"Y-yes, I was." He bowed his head ashamed he had told people about his less than picturesque upbringing. Gasps filled the room, who would want to hurt the person who had saved their world, to shocked to remember this had been when he was a kid, he looked up with tears in his eyes,"Please," he nearly begged," Can we try to talk about something else, it brings up bad memories." Everyone nodded, except Rita Skeeter, who shouted out another question.

"What did he use?"

That set Severus off, he took deep breaths before answering with a voice thick with anger and a little bit of shame, "What did he use! He used anything he could get his hands on!" He gestured to a bump on his hand,"That's from his cigar," there was a thin scar on his cheek,"That's from his favorite hunting knife," he pointed to a hole in his arm," That's from his handgun," he pointed to dark lines on both his arms, "These are from his whip," he paused,"And this," he said turning around pointing to a small puncture wound on his neck," This is from when he tried to kill me with a very fatal and unstable combination of cocaine and meth!" He turned back around to glare at Rita, "So," he said angrily,"Does that answer your question Ms.Skeeter? Hmm?"

A few more questions were asked and the conference ended, Severus had no doubt what would be on the front page of the prophet tomorrow. But, he'd deal with that when it came.

AN: Longest chapter ever! :-)