Chapter 802: Side Story — Snape 11

Snape had never believed he was destined for a happy ending.

After all, he was a bad seed. As his father had once put it, he was a sinister, cunning bastard.

Although his father had said those words while drunk, they had remained buried deep in Snape's heart ever since.

Perhaps that was why he had been so furious when the Potters insulted him like that.

He had once thought that if he ever became a father, he would never treat his children that way. Instead, he would give them the best life imaginable.

He would make his child feel like a little prince, cherished and treasured above all else.

Just as the name he had given himself suggested.

The Half-Blood Prince.

His own child would be treated the same way.

He loved Lily.

He had imagined that if he and Lily ever had a child together, that child would be perfect. Just imagining the scene had once been enough to make him smile with excitement.

But everything had been ruined.

Because he had followed the Dark Lord.

Because he had been obsessed with the Dark Arts.

Perhaps it had also been because of that word he had blurted out in anger—the word *Mudblood*.

Whatever the reason, it was all over.

Afterward, no matter how desperately he tried to make amends, nothing worked.

In the end, Lily married James Potter.

Then she gave birth to a child... and because the prophecy he had revealed led to her death, everything was lost.

One blow after another had nearly driven Snape to despair.

His arrogance had been shattered. His wishful thinking had been crushed. At last, he had been forced to wake up to reality.

Snape began working as Dumbledore's informant.

He had to keep Harry Potter safe. It was the only way he could preserve even a sliver of hope for himself.

When he learned that Darren Potter was still alive, to be honest, he hadn't felt much of anything.

He already knew that the child was special.

The boy was a copy of Harry Potter, yet no one knew exactly how he had come to exist.

Everyone avoided talking about his disappearance and loss.

At the time, Snape had been brewing a potion.

When Dumbledore sent word to him, Snape casually finished what he was doing before going to see him.

The moment he saw the child, he froze in shock.

So alike!

They looked so much alike!

Darren had Lily's red hair and her clear, turquoise eyes. Even his smile was as warm as Lily's.

When the boy stood up to that hateful troll, Snape had almost felt as though he were seeing Lily herself.

He had stormed away.

He had nearly killed a Muggle.

That child looked far too much like Lily.

Darren was poison to him. Because of that boy, Snape kept making exceptions he would never have made for anyone else.

He was terribly worried.

He feared that one day the Dark Lord might discover the truth.

So, one day, he finally broke with the boy.

Every day afterward had felt like hell.

Darren's polite manner reminded him of Lily. Just like the countless times he had seen Lily among the Slytherins in his memories, he could never bring himself to turn away whenever he saw the boy.

Eventually, Snape had to admit that Darren had already become a part of his life.

Through Darren, he missed Lily. Yet he also clearly understood that they were two different people, and that Darren possessed a unique charm of his own.

He had overheard girls whispering about Darren's good qualities countless times. Some of them even wanted to wait for him to grow up.

The boy's charm was far greater than James Potter's.

Snape had despised James Potter's ugly face countless times in his heart. He also despised Harry Potter for looking just as ugly as James.

As far as Snape was concerned, anyone associated with James Potter was ugly.

He had never seen a girl who wanted to confess her feelings to Harry Potter.

Oh, right. He remembered that little girl from the Weasley family seemed to be a fan of Harry Potter.

However, he had been rather pleased to discover that the girl had apparently transferred her affections elsewhere.

She had set her sights on Darren Potter instead.

Every time Snape saw that little girl, a secret wave of delight rose in his heart.

But whenever he realized what he was thinking, he grew angry with himself.

What did Potter's son have to do with his choice of daughter-in-law? Why was he so pleased, as though James Potter marrying Lily had somehow been a good thing?

Thinking this way, he would force his expression back to its usual coldness.

Fortunately, no one thought there was anything strange about his perpetually sour expression.

After all, that was simply how he was.

Snape was bored.

At the time, he had no idea that good news was waiting for him.

It concerned Darren.

During Potions class, Darren had shielded him from an exploding cauldron.

Although the potion hadn't splashed onto Darren's face, the boy had still been cut by flying fragments.

Snape was furious.

He hurriedly healed the wound with his wand, not even noticing the joy that would soon follow.

And then...

He discovered the truth.

Darren was his child.

To confirm it, Snape hesitated for days.

Every day, he tried to prepare himself mentally, persuading himself to accept the possibility. Finally, one day, he made up his mind.

He secretly added Draught of Living Death to the boy's food.

Worried that Darren might notice something wrong, he had even modified the potion.

As expected, the boy didn't notice anything.

That night, Snape sneaked into the room.

Looking at Darren's sleeping face, he carefully collected some of the child's blood.

The result brought him to tears.

He didn't know why things had turned out this way, but he thanked God.

He thanked Lily.

He thanked fate for allowing him to have this child.

After discovering that Darren was his son, Snape began to feel distressed over even the slightest injury to the boy.

It was embarrassing to admit, but Snape suddenly felt as though he had grown up.

He had gone from being a boy—or rather, an almost forty-year-old boy—to finally becoming a man.

The realization made him happy for a long time.

So, when Lockhart announced that he wanted to establish a Duelling Club, Snape happily decided to participate.

He had heard that Lockhart was always bullying Darren!

Snape was ready to defeat the man in front of the little cub.

Well, even Snape himself thought the idea was rather childish. Still, he couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from turning upward.

When the Duelling Club finally began, the little cub stood near the front with Harry Potter.

The moment Darren saw Snape, he looked worried.

Apparently, the cub was afraid Lockhart might hurt him.

When Snape realized this, his first reaction was to feel insulted.

But then he remembered that Darren was simply concerned about him, and he nearly broke into a delighted smile.

He managed to restrain himself.

Then, right in front of the little cub, he sent Lockhart flying twice.

The last time, Darren seemed finally to realize just how useless Lockhart was. The little cub tried to help the man, but Lockhart was struck before he could do anything.

Snape nearly choked trying not to laugh.

He didn't immediately stop Lockhart's little duel with the cub.

Of course, he had no intention of stopping it at all.

It was a trivial matter. There was no need to interfere.

The cub gave Lockhart a proper beating.

Especially since the man had even tried to launch a sneak attack. Darren had nearly killed him.

Snape strolled over lazily and threatened Lockhart, warning him to behave himself and forbidding him from leaving early. He didn't want the little cub to be upset.

Of course, what surprised him was that Miss Kassandra actually gave the cub a blow.

Snape looked at Miss Warley.

Suddenly, he seemed to understand something.

The way she deliberately—or perhaps unconsciously—looked after Darren, how she always sat beside him, and how Miss Cassandra followed him around...

That girl liked his cub!

Snape felt a little proud, but also somewhat embarrassed.

Because, deep down, he couldn't help thinking that the Gryffindor girl was actually a better match for his cub.

Dumbledore would never allow him to marry a Slytherin...

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Snape's face darkened.

The boy was still so young.

He was only twelve years old! What on earth was Snape thinking, worrying about marriage already?