Harry slept all the rest of that day and the next, his body working to replenish itself from the fever, which had mysteriously restored his magic. Severus had no idea if the fever was a result of Harry's magic replenishing itself so quickly, or if the spell used to shatter his magic had suddenly worn off, and that was what had caused Harry to become ill so suddenly.

To be quite honest, the Potions Master didn't really care how it had happened right then, only that his son was no longer in danger of dying. He'd woken briefly around noon and Severus had asked him his name and where he was and Harry had answered the questions correctly, reassuring his father that the fever hadn't affected his brain the way he'd feared.

After that, Severus had allowed himself to go to bed as well, where he slept for a full sixteen hours and woke feeling refreshed. Once he'd showered and gotten changed into regular clothes, the tall wizard went and made himself some breakfast, even though it was nearer lunchtime. Then he went back and checked on his son, who was still sleeping, and told Aurelia the good news.

He also dashed off a letter to Poppy reassuring her that all was well with her most frequent patient, and then he returned to Harry's bedside to wait until his son awoke.

That was the first sight that met Harry's eyes, his father sitting in a transfigured desk chair (it had become a recliner), reading a book. That itself was nothing unusual, Severus was a bookworm and devoured books like a chocoholic did candy. What was odd was that Sev was in Harry's room and he was reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe from the Chronicles of Narnia set. He had never known his father read Muggle fiction. Harry had already finished the first three books and was now on the fourth.

Cautiously, the teen sat up, and was happy to find that his head no longer hurt and he was no longer feverish and shivering. He wondered what had been wrong with him. Some kind of bug, no doubt. Must've picked it up at school. But Dad cured it with his potions, I'll bet.

He cleared his throat and Severus immediately dropped the book and looked up. "Harry! You're awake finally. How do you feel?"

"Better. Can I have some water?"

"Yes, of course. You need to drink plenty of liquids, that awful fever dehydrated you."

Severus summoned a large glass of ice water and another of some kind of red juice that Harry thought might be cherry Gatorade. "I want you to drink all of them," he instructed, taking Harry's temperature again with a quick wave of his wand. It was normal.

Harry obeyed, drinking both the juice and the water. Afterwards he felt much better and Severus allowed him to use the bathroom and get dressed, though he insisted Harry not do anything strenuous and eat something.

Rosie thrust her muzzle into Harry's palm, and he smiled and petted her. "Hey, girl. Did you miss me playing with you?"

"She was very worried, Harry. She lay all night and all day beside your bed and refused to move. I had to carry her outside and she rushed back to you as soon as she was finished. I think you scared her half to death, same as you did me."

"I did? I was that sick? I don't remember any of it."

"You were running a temperature of 104 continuously, despite all my potions. I couldn't bring it down, until yesterday when it just broke by itself."

"Oh. Well, that's good, right?"

"Very good indeed. And there is one more thing that occurred while you wandered in fever dreams, son."

"Was it good or bad?"

"I would say it's a very good thing." Severus handed Harry his wand. "Go on, cast something."

Harry waved his wand and cast the Light spell. "Lumos!"

The tip of his wand lit up effortlessly.

Harry gazed up at his father in shock, his emerald eyes filling with tears. "I-I can cast spells again. My magic . . .it's back!" Tears spilled over his cheeks, he was so delighted he couldn't contain his emotions. He started to laugh and cry simultaneously, unable to help himself.

He feared Severus would scold him for acting like a weepy weak baby, but all his father did was hug him, holding him until he'd managed to stop crying and laughing like a fool. Harry shut his eyes and felt the place where his magic resided deep within him. The gaping hole was once again filled with golden warmth and his restored magic blazed brighter than any fire to his magical senses.

"How did it happen, Dad?"

"I haven't the faintest idea, Harry," admitted the older wizard. "It's a miracle. Don't question it."

"Okay. What can I have to eat? I'm starving."

• * * * * * *

That same day, Mia visited him and was very relieved that Harry was getting better. "You really scared me!" she scolded, waving a finger at him. "I was afraid you were gonna go to heaven like Grandpa did. You even scared your dad."

Harry fought back a smile at the thought of his father ever being so frightened. "I'm okay, Mia. It was just a flu or whatever. I'm a little tired right now, but by tomorrow I'll be better."

"Then we can go flying right?"

"Sure, kid. But right now how about we read or play cards?"

Mia was agreeable to that and they spent the afternoon engaged quietly, until Harry couldn't keep awake any longer and fell asleep. Mia tiptoed out of the room and went to play with Rosie until Melody said it was time for dinner.

Harry's recovery was rapid after that, and he was back in school three days after his mysterious fever. He even explained to Neil about losing his magic, for the point was moot now that it was back, though he of course didn't tell him about the Death Eaters or how he'd once been known as Harry Potter.

"That's great, Harry. I had sort of wondered why you never used magic when we were together. How long was it gone?"

Harry added it up in his head. "Uh, six months give or take a day or two. I don't know how I ever lived without it."

"Like a Muggle," his friend joked and Harry smiled.

Then they both went down to the basement for their daily potions lesson with Snape.

• * * * * *

While the return of Harry's magic was a cause for celebration, it also was a source of constant worry for Severus. Because with Harry an active wizard again, he'd have to make a choice, a very difficult one. Harry was a very powerful wizard, and Severus knew he could not hide the boy away forever, even with glamours and suppression charms.

No, now Harry had to make a choice, whether to stay in the United States and be just plain Harrison Remus Snape, wizard, or return to Hogwarts and fulfill Dumbledore's prophecy by facing and eventually killing Voldemort.

Severus knew he'd have to sit down and have a talk with Harry soon about his choices, and make sure he understood the ramifications of each of them. He then firecalled Lupin and told him the startling news as well.

"You know what this means, Sev," the werewolf began.

"Yes, now Harry must choose," sighed the Potions Master.

"Not only that, but you have to choose as well, my friend. If Harry does decide to return to Hogwarts, what will you do?"

Severus bit back a sigh. "Remus, he's my son. Whatever he decides, I'll go with him. That's not even an option, it's a statement of fact. But I want him to make the choice with all the facts at hand, not be coerced or badgered into it."

"Oh? Well, if I were you, Sev, I'd hurry up and have that talk tonight, because the old man in the office has already sent an owl out, trying to persuade his missing champion to return."

Severus cursed softly. "I should have expected that, after all I broke my own cover by Flooing Poppy a few days ago, and of course he'd have monitored all the firecalls. Now he won't waste a second trying to persuade poor Harry around to his way of thinking. Thanks again, Moony."

"Bye, Sev. And good luck."

Severus withdrew from the fireplace and went to find his son.

• * * * * * *

Harry was easy to find, he was standing in the backyard, gently stroking a strange owl that Snape recognized as one belonging to Hogwarts. He held a white envelope in one hand. Severus didn't need to be a Seer to know who it was from.

The owl flew off and Harry turned the envelope over in his hands, frowning. He looked up at Severus's approach. "Dad. I've got a letter here from the Headmaster. Should I open it?"

"He doesn't waste any time, now does he?" grumbled the black-robed professor. "If you want to see what he has to say, by all means, read it, Harry."

Harry did, tearing open the envelope to reveal a sheet with the Hogwarts crest and bumblebee stamped on it, the Headmaster's personal stationary. It was short, only a few lines.

Dear Harry,

I wish to offer you my sincerest congratulations on the return of your magic. I am very glad your gift has finally come back to you as we'd hoped that long ago night in the infirmary. However, you must also realize that with great power comes great responsibility, my boy. It is in the interests of everyone, not just myself, that I ask you to return to Hogwarts and finish out your magical studies. Hogwarts can protect you best and it is imperative that you learn the prophecy spoken at your birth, so you can be prepared to face Tom and remove him from the game. I firmly believe you and only you can accomplish this task. Please think on it, and know that you have my fondest regards and my deepest apologies as well.

Sincerely,

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

PS: Tell your father he is also in my thoughts of late and I offer him my sincerest apologies as well, for mistakes both past and present.

Wordlessly, Harry handed the letter to Snape to read.

Severus's face grew stony, then he sighed heavily and said, "Come inside, Harry. We need to talk."

• * * * * * *

Severus laid everything out on the table, explaining about the prophecy Dumbledore believed in so wholeheartedly, which concerned a child born as the seventh month died to parents who had thrice defied the will of the Dark Lord, who would mark him as his own and who would have a power the Dark Lord knows not, and by this must either defeat him or else be defeated by him.

"Dumbledore believes that the scar on your forehead you received from surviving the Killing Curse has marked you out as Voldemort's adversary. What's even worse is that the followers of the Dark One himself believe it also, that's why they were trying so hard to kill you. It is also one of the reasons I was working for the Order as a spy, to keep you safe by learning their plans. Should he ever return, he will be looking to find you and slay you, for he too believes in the prophecy uttered by Trelawney."

"Do you?"

"No," Severus said emphatically. "A prophecy is a double edged sword and can be interpreted many different ways, depending on how you choose to read it. I believe it shows one possible future, perhaps the most likely to occur given all the conditions are met. But it is by no means set in stone and therefore I put no stock in them." He steepled his fingers. "Not anymore. I let Albus and the others persuade me once to take the prophecy at face value, as a guide, and hide you away as James's son. In doing so I cost us both your mother and a happy childhood. I will not be manipulated again into doing so. But that is me. You must make your own decision, Harry. Do you wish to be a hero, as the prophecy foretells, or an ordinary wizard?"

"But if I don't go back, who will defeat Voldemort?"

"Oh, I'm sure the rest of the witches and wizards who banded together the first time can come up with a solution on how best to kill a madman. Instead of placing all the responsibility on a boy just barely into his teens. Children shouldn't be placed on the front lines of a battlefield. We're meant to protect our future, not throw it away."

Harry nodded, but he still had one more question. "If I-if I ever did decide to go back to Hogwarts, will you come with me, Dad?"

"Do you even have to ask? I will be with you, Harry, right up until the second you blow that bastard carrion crow back to hell. And that's my prophecy, if you like." He gripped his son's hand tightly. "Here then is my promise to you, son, wizard to wizard. If you ever face Voldemort again, you won't do it alone. Together we shall send the bloody bugger back to hell and go home afterwards. Cooperation is a power the Dark One knows not."

Harry smiled up at his father and suddenly he was no longer afraid. His father would not abandon him. If he chose to return, he would still have his dad there to rely on, to protect and defend him, and offer advice if necessary. And if he chose to stay, his dad would still be there, solid and unwavering in his love and support.

"I have to think about this."

"Take all the time you need. I'm in no rush, Harry. I just wanted you to be able to make an informed decision. And to know that whatever happens, I will be there."

"Thanks, Dad," his son murmured, and allowed his father to hug him for a moment, letting Severus's strength shelter him. Then he drew away and mounted his Meteor 2001. Flying always helped him think more clearly.

• * * * * * *

By the end of the week, Harry was still agonizing over the choice. It seemed simple on the surface, but actually it wasn't. For Harry had come to love the life he had now, just being the son of Severus Snape, Potions Master. Here he was part of a family again, permitted to be an ordinary child, one who had ordinary friends and did normal things, one who could walk down the street and not be pointed at or whispered about, who did not have to be hidden away like a priceless treasure to protect him from a raving megalomaniac. Here he was free to be just Harry Snape, thirteen-year-old wizard, who had a father that loved him, and who made mistakes sometimes, but those mistakes did not cost lives and only cost him a scolding and grounding.

An ordinary life as an ordinary wizard.

But on the other hand, he was the Chosen of the prophecy, the one destined to defeat the darkest wizard of the age, the last hope of the wizarding world, if Dumbledore was correct. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, and all the responsibility that went with it. To that end, he had been hidden away, and his mother had sacrificed herself for him. To that end his father had become a spy and risked his life to protect his son. All so he could grow up to be Voldemort's doom.

A hero and a hero's destiny.

Why must this be so hard? I should be able to choose by now. I don't want to be bloody Voldy's doom. But neither do I want everyone I love to die because I was too much of a coward to face him. If I choose wrong, who will pay the price? Me, or everyone else who believed in me? Damn it all, I don't want to be Dumbledore's hero, I'm sick of being the front page headline! But if I walk away, who then will take my place? For someone must, I know that much. If not Harry, then who? Dumbledore, Remus, Hagrid. Maybe one of my schoolmates. God forbid, maybe Ron or Hermione.

He didn't know if he could live with that, putting one of his friends in danger that way. He seesawed back and forth, unable to make a decision, and unwilling to ask his father for any more advice. Severus had given him all he could, and now Harry must choose for himself.

Would he make the right decision?