Luckily, Madam Pomfrey was not in the vicinity when her latest patient made good his escape from the Hospital Wing and ran as quickly as he could to the Headmaster's office. "Sherbet Lemon!" Harry whispered to the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office, praying that Dumbledore had not changed the password.

To his utter relief, the gargoyle swung open and Harry stepped on the revolving stairs and was taken directly to the door of Dumbedore's inner sanctum.

But just as Harry laid a hand on the doorknob, he caught the sound of voices within. Apparently he wasn't the only one who had decided to have a talk with the Headmaster this morning and from the sound of things, the discussion was quickly turning into a very loud argument.

Harry froze, for the person shouting was Snape.

"How long have you known about this, Albus? Years, right? Eleven years, to be exact."

"Yes. I take it you've received the Pensieve Lily left for you and the letter as well, Severus?"

"You know I have," Severus spat. "And I want an answer to my question. Why did you wait so long to tell me, Albus? Lily wrote that I was supposed to get my memories back if anything unforeseen should happen, so that I could regain custody of my son. She died eleven years ago, on Halloween, her and James bloody Potter both," Snape hissed, his tone as furious as Harry had ever heard it. "And you hid the truth from me-from us both still! Why? Damn you, old man, what possible reason could you have for doing that? Tell me!"

"I thought it best, Severus. It was still too dangerous, the Ministry was up in arms after the Potters deaths-" Dumbledore began.

Snape cut him off. "Don't call her that! She was never a Potter, the marriage was a sham, a marriage in name only. Lily was my wife, not James Potter's!"

"Very well, after James and Lily's deaths," Albus amended quietly. "You were still doing your undercover work for the Order, I couldn't compromise your position. You were our best agent, Severus, surely you can understand that?"

"Really?" the sneer could have cut glass. "Why should I when your meddling cost me my son, Albus? Lily was dead, and the only thing I had left of her was our child, whom I didn't even remember! I had already agreed to place most of my memories in the Pensieve, so why in hell did you Obliviate all knowledge of my son from my mind, Albus?" Severus cried, and in his voice was bitter anguish and hurt. "It was you, wasn't it? Lily would've never done something like that to me."

"No, she wouldn't." Dumbledore said softly. "My boy, please understand, I had no choice, the Minister would have never released Harry to you then, you were under suspicion . . ."

"Bullshit, Albus!" Snape exploded, and Harry winced at the sheer volume of the man's voice. He'd never heard Snape scream that way. "I was a bloody spy, not a Death Eater! You could have vouched for me, Remus could have, you both were members of the Order, you knew the truth."

"Remus is a werewolf, have you forgotten?" Albus reminded gently. "His testimony would have been dismissed."

"And yours, Albus Dumbledore?" Snape said dangerously. "The Minister, stupid though he may be, would have never dismissed the testimony of Albus Brian Wulfric Percival Dumbledore, Order of Merlin First Class and hero of the bloody century! Would he?"

Before Dumbledore could reply, Snape answered his own question. "Of course he wouldn't, he wouldn't have the spine to defy the great and powerful Dumbeldore, slayer of Grindelwald. But no, you didn't tell him that Severus Snape was a spy, not a Death Eater, despite coming from Slytherin House and being a schoolmate of Lucius Malfoy. Why not, Albus? Was it because you didn't approve of me marrying Lily, one of your golden Gryffindors? Perhaps you thought, like Black did, that she was better off with James, one of her own, instead of the scummy half-blood from Spinner's End? Was that it?"

"Severus, I never believed you weren't worthy of Lily."

"Didn't you? Then why did you tell her she should think carefully before she married me?" Severus snarled. "Oh yes, she told me of your little talk just before she graduated, how you cautioned her to look before she leaped. I wouldn't call that congratulations!"

"You misunderstand, I merely wished to caution her about what she was getting into. Being the wife of a spy is very stressful, and I wished her to consider carefully if she was cut out for it."

"And if she decided it wasn't for her, you had James bloody Potter waiting in the wings to sweep her off her feet, right? Pureblood rich Potter, everybody's favorite, a match made in heaven!" Severus yelled. "Well, you were wrong, damn you! She couldn't stand him, it was always me she wanted, not your Golden Boy. Me, Slytherin prefect Severus Snape, the damn outcast! The half-blood with barely a Knut to his name. She chose me, not Potter, and do you know why? Because she loved me and I loved her. We were happy, Albus, happy the way I never dreamed I could be. We were a family, damn you, old man! And you stole that from me . .and gave my son to Potter."

"You agreed to it, Severus. You know you did, it was your idea to hide the boy away."

"Yes, but not forever! Not for bloody eleven years! Lily died and Harry was supposed to come home to me and instead you let me live a lie and sent my son to live with his Muggle relatives who hated him. Petunia Dursley always hated us, I knew her when Lily and I were kids, she was always a sour pinched-faced bitch, jealous of us because we had magic. And Dursley was just as bad, the great oaf. Yet you kept the Pensieve and my memories from me and put my child with those-those devil spawn! What reason can you give me now, old man?"

"It was safer there Severus, no one would ever suspect us hiding Harry with Muggles. You weren't fit to care for a child then, Severus, you were almost destroyed by Lily's death."

"I got over it,' Severus said softly. "And the fact remains that you lied, Albus Dumbledore, when the Wizengamot asked you if there were any other relatives Harry Potter had. You lied about it all, even the child's real name. He was a Snape, Harrison Remus Snape! The only thing he had of Potter's was a bloody glamour spell and a fake birth certificate. But I guess it doesn't sound half so glamorous, Harry Remus Snape, the Boy-Who-Lived, does it? Whose father was a mere Potions Master and spy, sorted into Slytherin, known for its dark side? Oh no, we can't have the golden image tarnished by the truth, that his father was not the perfect hero, the pureblood who was everyone's friend, can we now? What would the Minister say?"

"Severus, my boy, you're a good man, I know that, but even you have to admit that you don't seem like the ideal person to mentor a child."

There was dead silence in the room and Harry pressed his ear to the door, waiting to hear Snape's reply.

"I don't?" came the swift silky response. "And whose bloody fault is that? You were the one who made me into the spy, Albus Dumbledore. It was on your orders that I became the unseen shadow, forced to dwell in darkness. I agreed because you asked it of me, and God help me I thought you knew best, like always. But I never dreamed it would cost me my son. Don't think for a moment that if I had known, I would have agreed. Because you know full well, I wouldn't have! Harry and Lily were my life, Albus. They were my only family and I would have never given them up forever. Never!"

Harry felt a sudden thrill run through him. His father had wanted him after all. He could hear the utter sincerity in Severus's tone. He pushed open the door a crack.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Severus. Perhaps I misjudged you, all those years ago."

Severus laughed bitterly. "Is that all you have to say? Sorry Sev, that I cost you your child and let us forget this ever happened? Not good enough, old man! You could have given me back my memories any time before Harry attended Hogwarts, or even last year, but you didn't. You kept the Pensieve hidden and let me think the boy was really James's son-the man I hated for taking away my wife-you kept Harry wearing the glamours so I'd think he looked like that damn arrogant ass, and let me think the worst, humiliate him for nothing."

"I told you, Severus, that he was more than what he seemed."

"More than what he seemed-oh you're a master of understatement, aren't you?" Severus snickered. Then he slammed his hand down on the desk so hard Harry jumped. He leaned over the desk, glaring at the Headmaster with one of his finely honed glowers that could make a dragon race for cover. "You knew he was my son and you didn't tell me. No, don't bother inventing any more pitiful excuses, Headmaster, I'm done with them and you."

Dumbledore paled. "Why, Severus, whatever do you mean?"

"Just what I said," the other wizard said evenly, his eyes blazing. "I am done with it, all of it. For the past eleven years I've lived a lie and I've had enough. I'm resigning as your bloody teacher and your spy, find another poor fool to do your dirty work from now on." He pointed his wand and a sheaf of papers popped up on the other wizard's desk. "Effective immediately-I quit!"

Dumbledore remained speechless.

"What, nothing to say?" sneered the former professor. "It's a bloody miracle. I'm through with your meddling, old man. I'm taking my son and leaving. Don't expect a forwarding address."

"Severus, don't be hasty," Dumbledore began, a note of desperation in his voice. He reached out to touch the other wizard on the arm, but Snape shot him such a look of disgust that he withdrew his hand swiftly. "You have every right to be angry with me, but think of Harry, this is the only place he can be safe."

"Why? Because you're there to make sure of it? Don't make me laugh. I was nearly killed in this school by Black, Potter, and Pettigrew, or have you forgotten their little prank during fifth year? A prank that nearly led my best friend into killing me or making me into a werewolf! And what punishment did you give them for nearly killing me, hmm? Were they expelled? Forced to apologize to me? No, you did nothing except slap them on the wrist and scold them for being such naughty boys. And then you told me to shut up about it! Is that how you think to keep a child safe? Pardon me if I don't agree, but Harry is safest away from here, and you, before you use him the way you did me, and ruin the rest of his life."

"Harry has no magic, Severus, he's vulnerable to the followers of Voldemort," Dumbledore pointed out.

"So what? I can protect him as well as you, I spent over thirteen years learning their weaknesses, rest assured I learned my lessons well. No one knows them better than I do, and I can kill them without remorse if I have to. And I will, for nobody harms my son. Nobody," his eyes narrowed in warning. "That includes you."

"I'm not your enemy, my boy," said the Headmaster sadly. "All I did was for the greater good."

"Are you not?" lashed Severus bitterly. "For I will tell you now, that no enemy save perhaps Voldemort has ever hurt me the way you have. But no more. I am done with your crusade, done with being your shadow, and Harry is as well. He can't be your bloody savior and fulfill your damn prophecy without magic, now can he? No, for once he can be ordinary, the way his mother and I intended."

Snape spun about, his black cloak swirling about his tall frame and stalked towards the office door.

"Severus, what will you tell Harry? He doesn't even know you're his father," called Dumbledore.

Severus paused then said icily, "I'll tell him what you never did-the truth. And let him make up his own mind."

Then he yanked open the office door and ran straight into Harry.

For one moment the two remained staring at each other, then Severus said, "How much did you overhear?"

"Everything," Harry answered, clutching the photo album tighter.

Severus seemed to relax slightly. "Good, then you can think about it on the way to my quarters." He glanced at the book in his son's hand. "What's that?"

"A photo album. Mum gave it to me and she wrote a letter to me too. Hedwig brought it just this morning, sir."

"Ah. The same time I received my Pensieve, no doubt." Severus sighed. "Well, don't just stand there dawdling, Harry, come along. Unless you wish to tell the meddling old wizard in the office something?"

"No sir. I know all I need to." He gazed uncertainly at his father. "Did you mean what you said to him in there? That I could live with you, even if I don't have magic any more? Because I won't go back to the Dursleys."

Severus placed a hand lightly on his son's shoulder. "Harry Remus Snape, you're my son. And you belong with me, magic or no magic. You'll return to the Dursleys over my dead body. Now, come, we can discuss things more in my quarters, I don't want the whole school to know my private business."

Harry managed a small smile at those words and quickly followed his father down the stairs and into the dungeons.