The morning of a portrait

Snape was awakened by a crash. He lifted his head from the back of his chair and looked around the office. There was a child standing by the Headmaster's desk. Small, puny - a first grader, probably. "Who are you?" he asked loudly and clearly. The boy jumped up in surprise and there was another rumble. He elbowed a huge tome on McGonagle's desk and it flew to the floor. "Merlin!" he whispered and ran to pick up the book. Severus grinned at him - it was nice that even though he'd been dead for almost twenty years, he still managed to frighten children. The mood was rising, even though his sleep had been interrupted. "Who are you?" he repeated his question when the boy finally put the book down on the table. "I'm Al," the boy whispered, twitching his silver-green tie. "Full name, young man," Snape continued sternly, but when he realised the boy was from his house, he was already ready to relent. Severus glanced at the nearby portrait of Albus Dumboldore and saw a barely concealed smile on his face. "Albus Severus Potter, sir," the boy inscribed. Snape's good mood immediately evaporated. "Severus Potter?" he gritted his teeth. "Oh Merlin, what's wrong with your father?" "Excuse me?" "Your father hated me so much that even after my death he took revenge on me by naming a clumsy halfwit like you after me," he spat. "I'm not a halfwit," Potter frowned, twitching his Slytherin tie again as if to confirm his words. "With your genes, I doubt it." "My father defeated Voldemort," Potter Junior said proudly. "Oh yes, I remember," Snape replied, putting all the sarcasm he was capable of into his words. "And Dad didn't hate you," the boy added. "He said you were the bravest man he ever knew." "What guilt does to your father... Now he is ruining a boy's life," Snape did not react at all to this revelation. "Mine?" Potter's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, I don't have that kind of weight on my shoulders in the form of names." Potter frowned, but to Snape's surprise he did not argue, so Severus decided to continue the questioning. "What are you doing here? Following in your father's footsteps? Going where it's forbidden, walking through forbidden woods, talking to snakes, making reverse potions in the toilet..." "What? Dad did all that?" Potter asked, excitement in his voice. "That's just the first two years, and I haven't listed everything yet," Snape grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Cool..." the boy stretched out in admiration. "So, what are you doing here?" Snape repeated his question. "Headmistress McGonagle asked me to drop by," he explained. "We're going away for Christmas and she wants to give my dad some papers, she said it would be quicker than an owl. I've always wanted to meet you, by the way; my dad's told me a lot about you." Snape looked at him in surprise and raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly has he told you about me?" "Well..." Potter hesitated. "He said that he won because of you, that you were a double agent, that you risked your life all the time... but he also said that you were very strict and that you often debated with him in class." "Debated? He decided to call it that?" - Snape raised an eyebrow and heard Damboldor chuckling nearby. "Well, yes. Then Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron came in, and they too..." "Miss Granger married Mr Weasley?" Dumboldor interrupted the boy. "Er, yes..." Potter looked at the nearby portrait in surprise. "I had a higher opinion of Miss Granger's intelligence," Severus sighed. "Hermione is actually the first female Minister for Magic!" - Potter exclaimed. Snape rolled his eyes. Of course, what else would you expect from an insufferable know-it-all. "Did you actually know my grandmother?" Potter asked suddenly. Snape took a deep breath. "I can't get rid of the ghost of Lily Potter's memory even in death, can I?" "My little sister's name is Lily too." "Merlin," Snape muttered, "what's wrong with your parents' imagination? "I thought you knew," Potter said in surprise. "No, mister, before you came I did my best to avoid any information about your family." "That's true," said Dumboldore. "He hasn't read the Prophet once in twenty years." "And why should I, when you recite its contents to me in such detail every day," Snape turned mockingly to Dumboldore. He was about to reply, but was interrupted by McGonagle's voice. "Oh, Mr Potter, you're already here," Snape heard from where they were hanging, but the Headmaster's desk was out of sight. "Yes, hello, Headmistress," Potter greeted. "Are you all right?" - She asked. "I... oh yes, it's just..." "It's just that he met the man he's named after," Dumboldor grinned softly and went back to reading his newspaper. "Severus, stop frightening the child, please," McGonagle sighed wearily, appearing in his field of vision. "I'm a portrait, I have no other amusements," he replied. Potter's son grinned gleefully. "You can do the Muggle Crosswords," Dumbolor said good-naturedly. "It's so entertaining!" "Shut up, Albus!" Snape hissed angrily. Potter jumped at the words. "Don't worry, Mr Potter, he's not talking to you," McGonagle said immediately, giving Snape a wicked look. "He's just not in the mood today. Give this to your parents. Merry Christmas!" "Merry Christmas to you too, Headmistress," Potter smiled. "Goodbye!" And after she nodded, the boy ran out of the office, taking one last fearful look at Snape's portrait. "Why are you frightening the boy?" Dumboldor asked as Potter disappeared from sight. "It's not his fault he's named after us." "Well, his father doesn't visit us, if he did I'd scare him," Snape shrugged and leaned back in his chair. Dumboldor sighed and returned to his paper. "State in the United States whose administrative centre is the city of Montgomery. Seven letters." "Alabama," Snape stretched out and prepared to doze off. Potter's son is in Slytherin? What a surprise, indeed. He's got Lily's eyes, Snape thought as he drifted off.