"How dare you...you...you killed my cat. I'll kill you both...I'll kill you all.I hate you-"
"Calm down, Argus. It wasn't them. I can assure you, that no second year can do this sort of magic. Your cat has been, petrified." To their surprise, Snape was standing with the other teachers, as though nothing had happened earlier. He had a nasty look on his face as Lockhart entered the corridor. Lockhart, on the other hand was happy and giddy looking, as though no mass tragedy could be walking or looming around the school at the time. But he soon saw the situation and began to brag about what he could do, but the effect was only to worsen the situation.
"Professor Dumbledore, perhaps these people were at the wrong place at the wrong time, but it does seem to me that they could be guilty. And, where were you during my class? I told you three thirty minutes. An hour passed, you were not there?"
"Neither were you!" Spat Vegeta. It seemed that something was troubling him, something was deep inside him that was burning, a plan was arising in his mind, and for once, it was not one, but both of them planning to go through with this. Voldemort and Vegeta were in perfect agreement, that the enemy of the heir was standing right beside him, and it would take their cooperation to get him...extinquished. A malicious grin was crossing his face, but when he realized it, Snape had also noticed. But he wasn't pointing it out.
"Potter, why are you here? All of you?" Bulma jumped for the answer on this one.
"Sir, we apologize for going this way, but all of us were headed to the Gryffindor common room. We thought this would be the quickest way, and Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle wanted to come as well. It seems that we have been getting along better, and we wanted them to see where we lived. Tomorrow, we were planning to go to the dungeon so that we could see their common room. We don't have anymore classes, we didn't know it could be of any harm." Snape looked at her deeply, and she kept a cool face. Then he looked back at Vegeta, who was shifting uncomfortably. He was praying that no one would notice that he was indeed the heir of Slytherin, and of all people, he would be the one who could open the Chamber. He knew Snape and Dumbledore knew, and McGonagall would as well. But no one seemed to notice him, and he planned to keep it that way.
"Vegeta, is something troubling you?" Snape asked in a vengeful tone. Vegeta glared at him, and a smile seemed to come over Snape's face in a mischevious way-suddenly, he was having memories that were not his own...."What's up, Tom?" He was scared in a sudden way, but soon realized it was his friend..."Nothing that concerns you, Seymore. Go back to bed."-He realized where he was, lost in something that wasn't.his...what was it? It was scary...
"Vegeta, is something troubling you?" Snape repeated, slightly agitated. Vegeta looked at him, no shame, but a scene of recolection that sent pain through his heart, his head was aching. Something was broken in him, everytime he and Snape met, he felt responsible.
"No.Nothing that concerns you, anyway..." He felt as though he was trying to redeem himself for something he didn't know, he was guilty though. It seemed that the world was riding on his shoulders, and he had to be nice, good, with an abundant heart. Life was no fun.
"Severus, I believe that you two may need to have a private conversation. It seems to me that there are some great contradictions or problems you need to settle. Vegeta, you follow Professor Snape, and you may go to his office. Go quickly now, before too much thought brings too much pain." Snape nodded and they silently walked down the halls to the dungeons. Then they stopped at his office, and gestured for Vegeta to enter first. Doing as suggested, Vegeta walked in and sat in the same chair Bulma had been sitting in, less than two hours ago. Snape was not hesitant in this conversation though, he was quick to start.
"Long time no see, or hear."
"I believe that statement is false, seeing as you destroyed my plans last year Severus. I seem to think that you are now against me? I would hope not, but you see, this is not your constant loyalty."
"I have quit that way of life, my Lord. You must understand that I want more than you offer."
"And what do you want?"
"To be at peace, and to fight for myself. I have my own reasons for being independent, as did you, but it seems yours are more intense than mine."
"Their roots are the same though. Did I not do well when I taught you then? You seem to hate me. If so, tell me, I cannot harm you, nor can you harm me."
"The boy should not have to suffer. That makes me angry. You and your constant fighting for Lucius and myself, then using your own son? Not your constant loyalty.Is that not what you said?"
"Severus...You know as well as I do that this is not harming him. He is learning, and he is quite the genius, he can figure it out. I became like this for him, in his honor, for he-"
"And his mother. But she is living in Azkaban now, probably with Bellatrix, and several others. Your downfall made a deeper impact than you might understand. I lost my father again. But the boy was hurt, nore than anyone could have been. More than anyone. My Lord, not to be rude, but when are you going to tell him the truth? Do you not want him to know that you are his father, a father who would be in the grave in his honor had he not been protected by the thing that stopped him? Do you not want to explain to him his heritage? That he is not a half-blood? That he is powerful, and that you, as much as you may deny it, love him? What do you think Seymore would say? I believe that he told you that you would one day see just how hard it is to have someone you would give yout life for, no matter how much they hated you. And I hated him, but he gave his life to protect me, and to honor you. Do you see that there is an entire group of people waiting for you to tell them why you started this war?"
"I see that, Severus. But-"
"Are you going to abandon your son like your father did you?" With that Snape walked out, leaving Vegeta/Voldemort standing awestruck. It seemed that indeed he had left his son, and had simply been using him after all. Yes, it seemed that he would have to do much much more than come back to life. He had to explain, to the world why he was fighting this war. It was because his father had left him, the exact same thing he had done, but not only to his blood son, but to the two he had raised after their parents were murdered. Without a father, there is a lack of happiness, and with the father Vegeta had at the time, there was a gain of sorrow.
