Many years later…

Severus Snape, potions master by eighteen, husband by nineteen, and widower by twenty-one, now sat at his desk in the dungeons of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looking much older than his age of thirty-four years. He was grading papers from the school year that would determine the final passing or failing grades for his potions students.

He was well aware that the other professors had finished grading before him, but he liked to be meticulous. Every detail must be picked apart, misspelled words corrected, ingredient reactions details to the end but not to the point of rambling. Potions was more of an exact and precise artwork than any of the other subjects and he felt it should be given the attention it deserved.

With one last slash over a whole paragraph and one bright red ‘T’ grade given, he was finally finished. He closed his ink bottle and wiped his quill clean. He set both on the shelf behind his seat and stiffened with surprise when he heard the whooshing sound of someone flooing into his office. Turning slightly, he relaxed a fraction when he was his own mentor step into the room. He nodded a respectful greeting.

“Headmaster.”

“Severus, I have an important matter to discuss with you.”

“Of course. Please do have a seat.” Severus kept his voice level and professional.

“Just two days ago, the ministry was made aware of magical happenings going on at the Potter property in Godric’s Hollow. Much research was done and after looking into the Potter histories and legal documents, it was made clear what was happening. The property was spelled with a powerful charm to make sure that it appeared to be demolished if anything were to happen to it’s owners. Only the next in line of Potters would be able to see through the spell and then rightfully claim the property. The problem is this… the spell was only made to last a few years, time enough for an heir of age to step forward. Unfortunately, the only Potter left was Harry and he was not (and still is not) old enough to step forward. An now… it seems the spell has fallen. After all this time… Godric’s Hollow still stands.”

Severus looked at the headmaster in disbelief.

“It stands… forgive me, Albus, but I fail to see what could possibly be gained by informing me of this discovery.”

“The façade over the property has fallen, but the wards have not and nobody has been able to enter the house. Severus, you know that aside from Harry, you are the closest relative to the Potters… through your marriage. Magic recognizes marital bonds as well as blood bonds. Someone needs to enter the house, see what has been hidden all these years, discover clues as to what happened that night, maybe find information to help with the future. You are the only one who could do this… besides Harry.”

“No… no. I cannot do what you ask. I lost all my family when I lost my wife and child. Marguerite was the only thing keeping us all together and I broke my ties from James and Lily after that day. Can you not send the boy?”

“Severus, we’ve no idea what lay inside. What if Harry should be the first to enter the house and find the remains of his parents? Would you subject a child to that?”

“No… not even Potter deserves that.” Severus sighed, “But if you are thinking that their bodies may still be there, then how did we ever find the young Mr. Potter?”

“I imagine the magic around the household must have been sensitive to the fact that Harry was just a baby, too young to care for himself, and therefore kept him out of the façade for us to see. Either that or Harry’s own magic had kicked in with the encouragement of self-preservation and made sure he would be seen and cared for.”

Severus signed, clenching and un-clenching his hands into fists.

“So you want for me to clear the place of anything that might shock or horrify the boy and you want information…” He looked down at his lap and gave another sigh before looking over at the headmaster through his eyelashes, “I will explore the damn house.”

-----

A night of drinking followed and ended when Severus threw the rest of his fire whiskey into the fireplace in a fit of rage. The following flames matched his mood and died down when he finally passed out on the sofa.

When morning arrived, Severus took a hangover potion and changed into a clean set of robes, foregoing a comforting shower for a refreshing spell instead. He buried his emotions as he had done every morning for thirteen years and then he set out to Godric’s Hollow for the first time since he lost his family.

Even with the knowledge of the spell over the property, Severus was still surprised when he was at the house. The walkway was brown and faded until about three feet from the house. The grass was still green in that area near the house while the rest of the yard was now mostly dirt with patches of crabgrass. It seemed that either the wards or the disguising spells had also been weaved with preservations spells because while everything outside of the spell area was aged and run-down, everything inside looked just as it had before.

The house itself was still in the same condition that it had been on that fateful night. It was still pristine white with deep red shutters and gold window frames. Most of the lights were still on and showed through the windows. The door was still crimson and almost perfect. As Severus approached and stepped through the wards with only the slightest bit of force, he gasped. Standing there in front of the door, he could see blackened blast marks from curses that had hit.

Bracing himself, Severus pushed the door open and entered into the living room and he gasped once again. The house still looked as if it were being lived in. Everything was in the same condition that it had been so long ago.

The room was still warm and inviting with the cream colored carpet and the dark orange and gold sofa and chairs. The fireplace was still roaring with a magical fire that emitted no smoke. The coffee table was cluttered with an old issue of The Daily Prophet, a pacifier, and a half empty bottle of milk. The mantle over the fireplace was filled with family photos. Some of Lily and James, others of them with Harry, and Severus was surprised to see more than one picture of Marguerite and himself together.

The only sign of disturbance was the ugly trail of muddy shoe or boot prints that lead from the door through the living room and into the kitchen.

Severus followed the trail, noticing that nothing was out of place in the kitchen. The trail continued on to the staircase that lead up to the second floor where the bedrooms were located. He slowly ascended the stairs as his mind flashed back to the time spent here with his expecting wife and their family.

Halfway up the stairs, he saw a silver hair clip on the floor. He picked it up, a lock of red hair still stuck to it. It was the dragonfly clip he’d gotten Lily for a birthday. It had obviously been pulled from her hair during a struggle.

With a bit more determination, he crept up the staircase. The muddy trail lead straight to the nursery. It was clear what the goal was. The door was open just a rack and Severus had to breathe deeply a few times before he was able to enter the room. Pushing the door open, he was relieved to see there were no remaining bodies of either James or Lily.

It was obvious that this was where the great even took place. There was a buzz of powerful magic from that night that still remained in the room. Looking around, Severus saw the crib that once held Harry was tipped over on it’s side, one blue blanket and a stuffed toy unicorn spilling out. Two blast marks stained the walls. The muddy boot prints circled, paced, then disappeared as they faced the crib.

Though it never should be considered such, Severus felt almost as if her were standing on holy ground. This was the very spot that Lily’s love for Harry had defeated the Dark Lord.

There was nothing of any use for him in the nursery though, so he left the room. He picked up the unicorn on his way out, not really knowing why. Back in the hallway, he glanced at the door that lead to the master bedroom, but found himself unable to enter the room where two births and two deaths had taken place. He headed instead to James’s old office. It was probably the best bet for some sort of notes or unsent owls that mind hold information not yet known to The Order.

The office was different than the last time he’d seen it. One desk and chair where there was once two. After both men had married and matured, they had reconciled their differences at the urging of both wives. In the last two trimesters of the pregnancies, Severus and Marguerite stayed with Lily and James. It was safer for Marguerite with Severus away so often on missions for Dumbledore.

On the corner of the big desk sat one picture of both couples together in the backyard. Both women very pregnant and both men obviously very much in love with their wives. Severus watched himself in the picture embracing Marguerite with his hands resting on her belly. The picture was taken the day before he left for another long mission. It was the last time they were together and the last time he ever really smiled.

With shaking hands, he took the picture and shoved it in the pocket of his robes. When he looked back up, he noticed the soft glow coming from a small closet. He remembered that James kept his pensieve there and it might have had useful information in it.

He pulled the small door open and saw the pensieve on the top shelf. He reached up and brought it down, intending to take it back to Albus Dumbledore. But as he carried it back to the desk, he saw the silvery shadow of a memory that took his breath away.

He could see the form of Marguerite lying sweaty and big bellied on a bed. Forgetting what he was at the house for, Severus thought only of seeing the wife and child he’d lost so long ago. In that frame of mind, he set the stone bowl down and freely fell into the memory.

The memory started in the middle of chaos. Lily was on one bed near Marguerite’s and she was in the middle of pushing out her baby. Severus stepped over to his wife.

“Margot,” he whispered reverently. He knew she couldn’t see or hear him, but he went through the motions of petting her wild hair and caressing her sweaty face for his own benefit.

In a moment, he realized that it had gotten too quiet. Marguerite obviously noticed the same thing because she turned her head and asked, “James?”

Severus turned and saw James standing over a sleeping Lily, baby in one arm and wand in the other. The baby had red hair and Severus knew Harry had been born with black hair just like his father. Maybe the Potters were supposed to have fraternal twins? It did run in the family…. But it didn’t look like another child would be coming.

“It’s a girl. Looks just like Lily. She didn’t make it. I think she…” The voice sounded hollow to Severus and anything else he said was tuned out as Severus tried to make sense of what just happened. He was only brought back when his own wife’s voice was cut off by a painful groan. He knew that two more deaths would soon be seen, but he needed the closure of saying goodbye. Tears filled the eyes of his that had been dry for so long as he hear Marguerite cry out for him.

“I’m here! I’m right here!” He shouted in vain. He watched as she flinched and then her eyes glazed over as her spirit left her body.

“Margot?” He and James said, simultaneously. There was no answer. Severus couldn’t bring himself to leave her side as James worked furiously to get the child out of her. He knew it was a lost cause that James was working on. But a small cry made Severus jump and his hair whipped as he spun around to face James and the baby.

“But… they told me it was stillborn…” he muttered. His legs felt weak as he stood and looked over James’s shoulder. The little infant he saw was his… and he was perfectly healthy. Ten fingers, ten toes, perfectly pink and full of life.

As he watched James in the memory, his grief and confusion soon turned to a feeling of betrayal that was stronger than any he’d felt before. The worst part was watching James apply all the different glamour charms. Knowing that James went to such lengths to keep the baby from his real father that he exposed the infant to such intense magic. Severus could only guess what that had done for the child’s growth and development in his growing years and he wouldn‘t know unless the glamours were removed.

After the final touch of green eyes, James stepped back and Severus saw the baby that he recognized to be Harry Potter.

Dumbly, Severus watched as James switched the Potter and Snape babies and spelled away the dead bodies. He saw Lily awaken and James hand Harry over to her, but he couldn’t hear any of the dialogue between them as an ocean roared in his ears. He felt himself walking with James into the bathroom and one thing penetrated all the noise in his head.

“Severus will never know.”

As the memory ended, Severus fell to his knees in the office. His first instinct was to find James and cast Cruciatus on him for his betrayal, but James was dead. There was no one left for Severus to blame and righteously take his anger out on.

His hands found the stuffed unicorn that he had taken from the nursery and he clutched it to his chest, breathing in the scent of his son. His last barriers fell and a sob ripped from him and his whole body wept. He shuddered with every breath and he held the stuffed toy for some sort of comfort.

The tears were from both joy and sorrow. Joy at the knowledge that his child had lived and still lives. Sorrow at the years he’d missed in raising his son. Sorrow at the horrible betrayal his brother-in-law had committed.

It seemed like ages past until he ran out of tears. He couldn’t cry anymore. His face felt swollen and his body buzzed. He felt detached for one full numbed minute until the shocking truth really slammed him in the gut.

Harry Potter is my son.