Harry Potter looked out at the group of young faces watching him anxiously.  It had barely been a week since his defeat of Voldemort and here he was sitting in front of the whole school explaining what had happened.  He hadn’t expected this, but the Headmaster had requested it and after several rounds of heated debate between Harry’s father and Dumbledore, the two had come to an agreement, so here Harry sat.

His speech about the actual defeat of Voldemort had gone over fairly well.  Most of the students paid at least some attention to what he had said.  There was a round of polite applauses before Harry agreed to take several questions from the audience.  A number of hands shot up excitedly, each trying to be a little higher than the next.  Choosing to ignore the reporters in the back of the room Harry pointed to a hand somewhere out in the middle on the left side. 

A nervous looking Hufflepuff girl stood up, she couldn’t have been more than a second year. Her blond hair came down to just under her chin framing her face. “Mr. Potter, sir, you talked about fighting alongside your dad during the final battle. You were talking about Professor Snape, but my older brother is in your year. He told me that you hated Professor Snape and that he hated you too. Can you tell us a little more about that?”

Harry let out a nervous laugh. “You can just call me Harry. What’s your name kid?” He asked giving the girl a reassuring smile.

“Uhh… Bridgette Macmillan,” she said the surprise showing on her face.

“Ernie’s your big brother?” Harry asked hiding the mirth from his voice.

Bridgette nodded.

“I guess I should’ve expected that question.” Harry said shifting on his stool and starching the back of his neck.

Harry cast a glace over his shoulder to his father.

Severus nodded. He had expected at least one of the students to ask. The story had only broken a few weeks earlier and it was still quite the buzz in the school rumor mills. Most of the students were too scared to ever approach the imposing Potions Master to ever ask the questions they had about it though.

Now however, they had Harry Potter, a far less intimidating figure despite the fact that he eliminated one of the most evil wizards of all time in front of them and willing to answer their questions for the first time since the news had come out. Harry had refused to talk about the news, even before Umbridge banned the students from discussing the matter.

Harry gave his father a nod in return before turning back to the group of students in front of him. “If somebody had told me I would have graduated Hogwarts after defeating Voldemort, I probably wouldn’t have been that shocked. However, if they had told me that my father would have been right by my side I would have laughed and suggested they see a Mind Healer at St. Mungo’s. If they had gone on to tell me that my father was in fact not James Potter, but rather Severus Snape, I would have hexed them. There was no way that “the greasy git of the dungeons” could be my father. Then how did we get here? That’s a good question, one without an easy answer.”

He let out a sigh. “I guess it all starts with the dementor attack on me and my cousin last summer. You probably have all heard about how Umbridge sent a couple of dementors after me, but in case you haven’t. It was early August and I was stuck at my cousin’s house like every summer…” He began his tale his eyes glazing over as he became lost in memory.

****

August 1995

Harry sat alone on the only swing that Dudley and his gang had not yet managed to break yet. It was getting dark. Harry could hear loud, crude singing coming from nearby, the voice was distinctive. It belonged to his swine of a cousin Dudley Dursley. Kicking the ground under his feet one last time Harry rose from the last intact swing. He started his walk home; he had no desire to be late again, late being any time after Dudley made it home.

Harry hurried to catch up with his cousin once he was alone. “Hey Big D!” Harry called out.

Dudley turned.

“Oh,” he grunted. “It’s you.”

“How long have you been ‘Big D’ then?” said Harry.

“Shut it,” snarled Dudley, turning away again.

“Cool name,” said Harry, grinning and falling into step beside his cousin. “But you’ll always be Ickle Diddlykins to me.”

“I said, SHUT IT!” said Dudley, whose ham-like hands had curled into fists.

“Don’t the boys know that’s what your mum calls you?”

“Shut your face.”

“You didn’t tell her to shut her face. What about ‘popkin’ and ‘Dinky Diddydums’ can I use them then?”

Dudley said nothing. The effort of keeping himself from hitting Harry seemed to be demanding all his self-control.

“So, who’ve you been beating up tonight?” Harry asked his grin fading. “Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans two nights ago—"

“He was asking for it,” snarled Dudley.

“Oh yeah?”

“He cheeked me.”

“Yeah? Did he say you looked like a pig that’s been taught to talk on its hind legs? ‘Cause that’s not check, Dud, that’s true…”

****

“Yeah, I was being a major league git." Harry admited. "I deserved anything and everything that Dudley wanted to do to me. So, I was teasing my cousin pretty bad. But, that’s when he mentioned my nightmares. I was having them almost every night after Cedric’s death. I got upset and pulled my wand, the worst possible thing I could probably do when at the Dursleys. Then everything went dark and cold.

“I could feel the dementors before I could see them. Dudley went running right at them. Of course, he couldn’t see them. I finally found my wand; it had been knocked out of my hand when my cousin punched me. Like I said I deserved anything he wanted to do to me. Though, for this I didn’t. He thought I was responsible for making everything dark and all the feelings of happiness being sucked out of him.

“I yelled ‘Expecto Patronum’ and luckily a huge silver stag erupted from my wand. It chased the dementors away, but then of all people to show up was my batty old neighbor Mrs. Figg. This woman has a passion for cats. Every year when Dudley went to places for his birthday, I got to stay with Mrs. Figg looking at her photos of her cats. So, it was more than a bit surprising when she told me not put away my wand, just in case there might be more out there. That and she was threatening to kill Mundungus Fletcher.”

“Anyway, we manage to get Dudley home. That wasn’t an easy task. He had collapsed after the attack and had yet to recover. So I was more than half carrying a boy twice my size. My uncle instantly lost it after seeing Dudley vomiting on the doormat.”

“Dudley was aware enough to tell my aunt and uncle that it was my fault. I had putted my wand, so of course it had to be my fault. It wasn’t long after this that my whole life changed. After the letters that came. The first was from the Ministry, telling me that I was expelled. The other was from Mr. Weasley, telling me that the Headmaster had gone to the Ministry; I was to do no more magic and NOT to surrender my wand.”

Harry let out a sigh. He hadn’t thought much of that summer night since his trial. It all seemed so long ago, when in reality it was still under a year. How strangely time past at points. Sometimes it dragged, like in any History of Magic class, at other times it flew by, like most of this last year, since that night really. “As if all of this wasn’t exciting enough, it wouldn’t compare to what my aunt had to tell me.”

“It was after I received the letters from the Ministry and Professor Dumbledore and the Order, that my whole life got turned upside down.” Once again Harry lost his focus on the present.

****

Harry sat in the kitchen of his uncle’s home trying to explain the evening’s events and why his cousin was acting so strange.

“So, you put some crackpot spell on my son so he’d hear voices and believe he was – was doomed to misery, or something, did you?” Uncle Vernon said trying to wrap his head around the whole situation.

“How many times do I have to tell you” said Harry, temper and voice rising together. “It wasn’t me! It was a couple of dementors!”

“A couple of – what’s this codswallop?”

“De-men-tors,” said Harry slowly and clearly. “Two of them.”

“And what the ruddy hell are dementors?”

“Dementors, they guard the wizard prison Azkaban.” Petunia Dursley corrected her husband.

Harry spun to stare at his aunt, “How did you know that?” He demanded absolutely stunned by his aunt’s statement.

“It must have been from that awful boy.” She snapped.

“If you mean my dad, why don’t you just say his name?” Harry yelled.

“I do mean your father, but not James Potter. No, I don’t have to damage your image of my perfect sister, she did it to herself. It was that Snape boy, the one from Spinner’s End. He was the one that told her, he’s your father.” Petunia said her eyes flashing dangerously.

Harry’s face had gone ashen. Snape was his father, that couldn’t be true. “You’re lying, Snape isn’t my dad. James Potter is.” Harry mumbled his voice nothing but a whisper.

“You’d like to believe that. But no, I don’t have to lie about this. My sister slept with that awful boy before she found out what he was, a Death Eater. When she discovered the truth she went running to James, for protection I expect. She used some sort of charm on you to cover up the truth. That old coot of a head master explained all of it in the letter he left with you when he left you on our doorstep. The only reason that we kept you all of these years is the ruddy blood wards.” Petunia snarled.

Harry gave his aunt a confused look.

“Oh, I see your beloved headmaster didn’t explain that to you. The reason that we never took you to an orphan or take you back every summer is because of those blasted wards. There is something about how your mother’s sacrifice could be extended through residing with your own blood. Unfortunately for the both of us, the only kin you had other than your no good father was your uncle and I.” Petunia explained, her words being spit like venom from an angry snake.

“I don’t believe you,” Harry managed out in a whisper.

“I you don’t believe me than read it for yourself.” Petunia said. She rose from the table and left the room. She returned several moments later a yellow piece of parchment in hand.

Harry shook his head like a dog with water in its ears as he returned to the familiar surroundings of the Hogwarts Great Hall.

“I still didn’t believe her, not even after I read the letter for myself. It was a couple of days before I could ask anybody I trusted about what I had learned. Several members of the Order came to rescue me from the Dursleys. It wasn’t until we got to Headquarters that I first got to ask. That wasn’t an easy conversation I can tell you.” Harry explained rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “My godfather, Sirius Black, loved James like a brother. Having to tell me that James was in fact not my father was hard, he felt like he was betraying James. The fact that Professor Snape is my dad didn’t help. The two of them did not along very well when they were in school together.”

The memories of those first nights at No. 12 Grimmauld Place came rushing back as Harry continued his tale.

It wasn’t until several days after being brought to No. 12 Grimmauld Place that Harry got his chance to talk to Sirius by himself. The other kids had already headed upstairs to start cleaning yet another room leaving just Harry and Sirius alone in the kitchen.

“Sirius, can I ask you a question about my dad, about James?” Harry asked playing with a bit of egg that was on his plate.

“Sure kiddo, what do you want to know?” He asked cocking his head to one side in a very canine manner. It was obvious that something had been bothering the boy since he had arrived, but Sirius had attributed it to what he had been told on that first night. Now there was the strange phrasing of Harry’s question and there was something odd in his tone as well. It was almost a combination of despair and hope rolled into one. It didn’t make any sense.

“Aunt Petunia told me something on the night the dementors attacked. I didn’t believe her, but then she showed me this letter. I still can’t believe it though. I have to hear it from somebody.” Harry said his voice breaking as he started to cry. Ashamed he set his head on the table hiding his face in his folded arms.

“Harry, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. What did your aunt tell you about James?” Sirius asked the confusion evident on his face.

Harry removed the letter from Dumbledore from his pocket and pushed it across the table towards his godfather.

The parchment was old, yellowed with age. Sirius recognized the slanting handwriting as Dumbledore’s at once. He stared at the parchment for several long moments before picking it up and being to read. Sirius read through the letter several times before setting it back down on the table.

“So it’s true? Snape’s my dad?” Harry asked looking up at his godfather his head still resting on his arms.

Sirius nodded.

“Did you know?” Harry asked the pain in his voice was obvious.

Sirius nodded again. James had told him not long after he and Lily got married that she was pregnant and that the baby wasn’t his, but in fact was Snape’s.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Harry asked as sobs overtook him once again.

“I was,” Sirius cleared his throat as tears threatened to spill out his own eyes. “I was trying to protect you. You had told me how miserable Snape had been to you at school. How could I very well tell you that he was your father?”

Before Harry had a chance to respond the door to the kitchen opened and in walked Molly Weasley. The tension in the room was palpable. Harry shot a menacing glare at his godfather. Hoping to relieve the discomfort between the two, or at least find out what was cause the problem Molly asked, “Harry dear, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry snapped his eyes never leaving his godfather.

“If that’s the case you should head up stairs the others are already in the drawing room cleaning.” She said.

Harry got up from the table not bothering to say anything further to either to the adults.

“Sirius what’s the matter with him?” Molly demanded turning to look at Black. She had never really cared for the man, but she knew he meant a great deal to Harry. To see the two at such odds made her uncomfortable.

“It’s a family matter Molly.” Sirius barked getting up from the table himself.

“A family matter, that boy is as good as a son to me,” Molly said her hands finding their way to her hips.

“That maybe, but you aren’t the boy’s family. James and Lily left the boy to me to look after. I wouldn’t betray his trust anymore than I already have. I need to go and feed Buckbeak.” He said leaving the room. In their distress neither Harry nor Sirius remembered the letter that was still sitting on the table.

Harry shifted slightly on his seat. The stool was becoming more uncomfortable by the moment. He had been sitting for quite a while already and had barely begun this part of his story. He let out an inaudible sigh, he would have to deal with it for now. Though, he was not sure how much longer he could stand sitting.

Shifting again, Harry began his story once more. “That night there was an Order meeting. Most everybody was there, Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, I think the only people missing were out of the country and that was Charlie Weasley and Hagrid. Unfortunately for me, Professor Snape was there. He had been the earliest to arrive hoping to speak to Professor Dumbledore and depart. He would get his chance to speak to Professor Dumbledore, but not until after the meeting. Since he was there though, Mrs. Weasley didn’t see the harm in putting to work. He was setting everything out that was going to be needed that night when he saw the letter sitting on the table. From what he’s told me, my mum’s name on the parchment sparked his curiosity, so he picked up the letter to read it later.”

Harry looked over his shoulder once again and offered his father a cheeky smile before turning back to the audience.

“By the way, if he ever found out I did something like that, he’d hex me into next week. The same thing goes for any of you, so don’t go snooping around his stuff.”

There was some light laughter and Harry let it die down before beginning to speak again. “Like I said, Dad had found the letter at headquarters, but hadn’t had a chance to read it yet. As it turned out he wouldn’t get the chance to for a couple of days cause he was busy doing stuff for Dumbledore. When he did get a chance to read it though, Dumbledore was probably wishing he had keep Dad busy for the next fifty years.” Chuckling again Harry let himself drift back to memories of his father’s first reaction to their relationship.

****
August 1995

The floo to the Headmaster’s office sprung to life in a whoosh of green flames and black robes the Potions Master emerged from the fireplace a dangerous gleam in his eye.

“Good afternoon Severus, would you care for a lemon drop?” Albus asked kindly holding up a tray of sweets.

“I have a son!” Snape hissed ignoring the Headmaster’s attempt at making small talk.

“Ah, I see you have found out the truth about our dear Harry.” Dumbledore said setting the sweets back down on his desk.

“Yes you meddling old coot! Why didn’t you tell me the boy was mine?” Snape said slamming the letter on the desk.

The older man gestured to his companion to take a seat. Giving his mentor a steely glare Severus sat stiffly in one of the chairs sitting on the opposite side of the desk from Dumbledore.

“Lily wished that I keep the identity of the boy’s heritage a secret. I had no reason to betray her wishes. Harry was loved and well taken care of by his parents. James seemed to relish the opportunity to father a child even if it was not his. One of Lily’s greatest fears that James would be unwilling to accept the child, but those fears were quenched the moment Harry took his first breaths.” Dumbledore explained.

His eye momentarily left Severus’ to select a lemon drop from the dish on his desk. A look of distain appeared on Severus’ face; though Dumbledore was unsure as to what it was directed at the candies, himself, or just the situation itself. Selecting a candy and popping it into his mouth the two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment.

After several moments, the gravity of the Headmaster’s words had fully sunken it and Severus felt himself compelled to take ask another question. “Fine then, I could understand when Lily was alive, but not any longer.”

“Severus, can you truthfully tell me that you would have been able to rear an infant. An infant that you had no reason to believe was yours and resembled your least favorite schoolmate. At the time, I was not inclined to believe you were.” The older man said, his crystal blue gaze meeting onyx.

“We shall never know. What are your plans for the boy?” Severus said his voice becoming much more detached.

“Sadly, there is no changing the path Harry is currently headed. He must confront Tom and one of them shall perish in this battle. The best thing we can to for him is to ensure that he is well trained as possible for the final confrontation.”

“I see,” Severus said. “What part do you plan to have me play in this scheme, old man?”

“Scheme, Severus, really is that what you think of this?”

“With all of your plotting and planning, using people as if they were mere pawns on a chest board, yes, I believe that scheme would be an accurate way of describing your actions. Now, what is the part I am to play?”

“My dear Severus, I am saddened to find that it how you feel about this affair.” Dumbledore sat back in his chair. “As for what part you are to play, I am unable to tell you what that is to be. You must choose that for yourself Severus. Let your heart guide you.”

Severus let out a jaded scoff. “What exactly is my heart supposed to guide me to Albus?”

The corner of the Headmaster’s mouth tweaked upward ever so slightly. “I think you will know it when you see it Severus.”

A chime from an ancient grandfather clock broke the silence between the two wizards. Double checking the time on his pocket watch Dumbledore let out a sigh. “Unfortunately Severus we must continue this discussion at another time. I have a meeting with the Minister. I believe he may have found us a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”

“Dad actually didn’t tell me about that meeting.  It was the Headmaster, who told me after I got back from the Ministry… the night that I…Sorry,” Harry choked out.  “So, where was I?”

Severus listened to his son’s description of the events of the night he confronted the Headmaster about the truth of Harry heritage.  Severus let his mind drift back to how this amazing boy even came to be.  He remembered the day Lily had come to see him like it was yesterday.

****

October 1979

Severus groaned as the pounding on the front door continued.  Pulling the pillow off his head he made his way towards the door, muttering under his breathe a mixed stream of curses and foul names about whoever was standing on the other side of the door.  When he reached the door all thoughts of what the best hex to use were lost.  There stood, his onetime best friend, his only real friend, Lily Evans.  No, Lily Potter, Severus corrected himself mentally.  

The two hadn’t spoken since the night outside of Gryffindor Tower.  Severus had regretted his actions of that afternoon as soon as the words had left his mouth.  He wished he would have been able to take them back with all his heart.  He waited outside the Tower for hours so he could apologize to Lily.  But, after being shot down so viciously outside, Severus had not been able to bring himself to try and offer another olive branch.

“Sev, may I come in?”  Lily asked, her voice was rough, as if she had been crying recently.

Severus said nothing, but moved aside letting her pass.

Sitting herself on the ratty couch Severus had just abandoned Lily took in the sitting room.  It wasn’t much different than the last time she had visited Spinner’s End.  The furniture was the same old beaten set.  There still were the many books lining the room as well.  What was new was the fine layer of dust covering all of these.  Eileen Snape had always kept the house in immaculate condition, probably in hopes of giving her drunken husband, Tobias less of a reason to attack, not that he ever needed a reason.  

Severus hadn’t changed much either.  His hair was still long and greasy.  He had grown several inches since then, but he had yet to fill out.  

“Are you going to sit down Sev, or just stand at the door gapping?”  Lily snapped.

“What are you doing her Lily?”  Severus asked taking a seat across from his long lost friend.

“I came to see you.”  She said barely able to stop herself from rolling her eyes.  

“Why?  We haven’t spoken since the night outside of the Tower.”  Severus said slightly confused.  In the almost five years since that incident there had not been a word exchanged between the two.  Now Lily sat on his couch.

“I wanted to see you… to apologize for the way I treated you that night.  I was hurt and angry, Severus.”  Lily said, her face dropping so she was speaking to her shoes. 

Severus stared at the young woman flabbergasted.  This was not the Lily Evans he knew.  The Lily he knew looked people in the eye when she spoke to them.

“Lily, look at me.”  Severus said sitting across from her.  

Lily looked up; tears had collected in the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment.

“I understand Lily.  I was hurt as well.  You made me look like even more of a fool.”  Severus tucked a strand of his unwashed hair behind his right ear.

“Well, I’m sorry Sev.  I’m sorry I was trying to stand up for my best friend.”  Lily snapped back, a tear escaping her eye.

“I know.”  The young wizard returned tersely.  He was too tired to have this discussion right now.  He had only gotten a few hours of sleep in the last several days.  He was emotional exhausted as well, having spent most of the previous night in the company of the Dark Lord.  “I tried to apologize.”  Severus said, his voice loosing much of its previous heat, though none of the hurt.

“I know you did.  I should have listened to you, but it was too fresh.  My best friend of seven years had just called me that foul word.  The friend that had told me it didn’t matter if I was Muggleborn.”  Lily said brushing away another tear as it rolled down her pale cheek.  

“It doesn’t matter to me Lily.”  Severus said his own voice becoming rough with emotion.  

“But it does!  Why else would you call everybody else of my birth that foul name?”

“It doesn’t matter for you.  It never affected the way I felt about you.”  Severus said blinking rapidly trying to avoid the tears from falling.

“Why?  What’s so special about me?”

“I – I love you Lily.  I always have.”  Severus said in little more than a whisper.

“Oh Sev,” Lily said throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder.

Severus regained his balance much quicker than he was able to retrieve his wits.  He had never been very good with people and this situation was probably one of the most uncomfortable he had ever been in.  He awkwardly began to pat her back trying to provide some sort of comfort.  However, the position was rather uncomfortable.  Without thinking Severus pulled the petit redhead into his lap.  Lily let the tears fall freely from her eyes.  She continued to cry for what seemed like hours to Severus, but really could not have been more than a half an hour or so.

When Lily finally stopped crying Severus risked shifting ever so slightly.  He figured that she had cried herself into exhaustion, falling asleep on his shoulder.  He was startled to see her emerald eyes staring back at him.

 With some effort Severus cleared his throat before he chanced speaking. “Lily, you shouldn’t be here.  Not like this, I’m not the person you knew all those years ago.  You’re married to… Potter.”  

A new wave of tears overtook Lily at the mention of her husband’s name.

Severus had not expected such a reaction.  As far as he knew Lily and Potter were happily married.

“Lily, what’s wrong?”  Severus asked gently pushing away a strand of auburn hair that had fallen into her eyes.

Pain shown plainly through the beautiful emeralds, “James is d… they think James is dead.” Lily chocked out before burying her face into his shoulder once more.

“Lily, I’m sorry,” Severus said tightening his grip around the young woman in his lap.

“Are you?”  Came a muffled reply, Severus could almost feel her eyebrows shooting up in disbelief.

“I never liked Potter, but I never wished to see you hurt.”  Severus said brushing another strand of auburn locks away from her face.

“Sev, I’ve missed you so much!”  Lily exclaimed as she tightened her grip around the willowy wizard once more.

Lily spent the next week and half living at Spinner’s End.  The two friends spent much of their time catching up on what had happened in the other’s life since the end of fifth year and more specifically since leaving school.  Severus was always guarded about what he said.  He had no desire for Lily to discover he had actually become a Death Eater.  

Lily talked about her family.  Her parents still lived in house she had grown up in, only a short distance away from where they presently sat.  Petunia had been married the previous year to a bore of a man.  He seemed to make her happy though, and that was all Lily cared about.  Severus had a hard time not showing his contempt when Lily mentioned her older sister.  

Severus too talked about his family, though none of the news was as happy as Lily’s.  Both of his parents had died within the last year, his father from complications from alcohol, his mother in a pedestrian versus car hit-and-run.  Severus had never cared much for his father.  He was an abusive, ill tempered bastard.  He had cared more for his mother, though that did not take much, but neither of their deaths were troubling him to a great extent.  

Severus learned that Lily had taken an apprenticeship with Committee on Experimental Charms.  He had also learned about the circumstances in which James Potter was believed to have been killed.

Potter had gone out on a mission with Caradoc Dearborn neither had been seen for over a week by the time Lily had come to see Severus.  Lily had spent the first several days of James absence at their home waiting diligently.  The remaining Marauders had been there constantly trying to comfort Lily, but it all became too much.  The next thing she knew was on Severus’ doorstep.

Severus had listed to her tale patiently, doing little more than nodding or grunting to show he was still paying attention.  He could sense that Lily just needed someone to vent to and he was more than willing to play that part.

After such a grueling experience Severus began to think Lily needed something to lift her spirits.  As it was Halloween he came up with the brilliant idea of throwing them a small feast.  With a little encouragement Lily made her way to her parents’ home giving Severus free roam to make the preparations.

Since Lily had been staying over Severus had not cooked.  Lily had taken it upon herself to prepare all the meals, arguing it was the least she could do to repay his hospitality.
When Lily came back she was greeted by the delicious smells coming from the kitchen.  Severus had dressed for the occasion, well, sort of.  He had broken from his customary all consuming black robes.  Instead he wore a white dress shirt with the collar open with black trousers and a fitting black vest.  His long hair was well washed and pulled pack into a ponytail.

“This smells great Sev.”  Lily said taking a seat in the dining room.

“Happy Halloween Lily, and thank you,” Severus said placing the last dish on the table.  

“I didn’t know you cooked.”  She said taking in the dishes speared across the table.

“I normally do much simpler fair for myself, but I wished to present you with something to lift your spirits.  I did not think takeaway fish and chips would be able to achieve such a feat.  Severus explained pouring each of them a generous measure of red wine.

They enjoyed a dinner of prime rib, roasted vegetables, mash potatoes and gravy, with a rich chocolate pudding for desert.  The conversation was pleasant mostly about what was going on with Lily’s family.  As the night wore on and more alcohol was consumed things began to fog.  

The next thing Severus remembered was waking the next morning, Lily’s head resting on his naked chest.

Severus held his breath as he felt the head begin to shift.  Lily let out a groan as she snuggled closer into him only to shot up wide awake.

“Oh God,” she cried as she jumped out of the bed and began a frantic search for her discarded clothing.

“Lily,” Severus started to say, but stopped at Lily’s steely glare.

“No Severus, we did something wrong!  My husband hasn’t been gone for three weeks and I’m sleeping with another man!”  She raged, pulling her blouse over her head.  “What kind of person does that make me?”  She demanded, but she did not wait for an answer.  Instead she threw down a pinch of Floo power and was gone.

Severus let out an inaudible groan at the memory.  To this day Severus was disgusted with his actions that night.  Though everything that had happened was consensual, Severus knew he had taken advantage of Lily.  She had been vulnerable, devastated with the potential loss of her husband and intoxicated. 

Severus had thrown himself deeper into the fold of the Dark Lord after that fateful night, fueled by the fires of self-hatred.  It was only after he learned that the prophecy he related to his master could in fact pertain to his beloved Lily did he regret his continued involvement with the Dark Lord.  He never once considered the fact that the child she carried could be his.  He had gone to the Headmaster and become a spy for the Order of the Phoenix, a role he played until just a few short weeks ago.

But this was neither the time nor the place to be traveling down the road of self reflection, Severus reminded himself.  There would be time for that in the future.  The same was true for the inevitable feelings of guilt that would accompany it.  Hopefully those feelings of guilt would be reduced as Severus tried to make up for the time he had lost with his son.  But that was something only time could tell.

Now he needed to listen to his son’s tale.  There still was much he did not know about the boy, even though he had gotten to know his son quite a bit better during the past few months.  Severus was familiar with the happenings of the past year, but much could be learned from the way Harry recounted the events.

“Now for the next several weeks we didn’t see Dad.”  Harry continued speaking, completely unaware of his father’s musings.  “He seemed to be avoiding Headquarters whenever possible.  Remus told me that Dad was actually only showing up to Order meetings when Dumbledore directly ordered him to be there.  When he did show up, he was Flooing directly into the kitchen, just before the meeting was to begin and departing as soon as it ended.  We didn’t mind it at all.  I had no desire to see ‘the greasy git’, even if people said he was my father.”

“We spent the next week working hard on cleaning up the house.  It wasn’t until the night before the trial that I thought to ask what had happened to Dumbledore’s letter.  I asked Sirius, but he grumbled something about needing to be more responsible with my things.  He told me the last time he had seen it, it was on the kitchen table.”

“I went on to ask Mrs. Weasley and any other member of the Order if they had seen it.  Most just told me no and moved on.  Moody actually accused me of trying to find out more information about what was being guarded at the Ministry and threatened to hex me to kingdom come if he caught me looking about like that again.  So, obviously I didn’t find the letter.”

“Now, most of you, if not all know what happened with my trial.  For those of you have been living under a rock for the last year, I’ll give you a quick recap.  I was charged for breaking the Decree of the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery for using the Patronus Charm to protect my cousin Dudley and myself from a couple of dementors.  I got off because I was lucky enough that my batty old neighbor Ms. Figg was a squib and saw them.  Otherwise, the Wizengamont might not have believed me.”

“It also didn’t hurt that they were so impressed a fifteen year old could produce a full bodied Patornus.”  Harry added chuckling lightly.

“Kreacher told us that Master Regulus had always been a fan of the Dark Lord.  How when Regulus had turned sixteen he joined the Death Eaters.  None of this was a surprise to Sirius.  In fact, he was making cutting remarks about his brother’s intelligence the entire time.  What Sirius didn’t know was the last part of the story.  A year after joining the Death Eaters the Dark Lord requested the services of a house elf.  Regulus had offered the Dark Lord the use of Kreacher.  Keacher had gone with the Dark Lord.  They had gone to a cave by the sea and taken a boat across a black lake.  The Dark Lord had made Kreacher drink the potion in a stone basin that sat on top of a podium on an island in the middle of this lake.  The Dark Lord had left him.  The potion had hurt Kreacher, made him see terrible things.  The Dark Lord had left him there to die, but he was under orders from Regulus to come home so he had.  A while later Regulus had asked Kreacher to take him where the Dark Lord had gone.  Regulus took the boat across the lake with Kreacher.  He made Kreacher force him to drink the potion and then go home with the necklace.  He told Kreacher to destroy it, but no matter how hard the house elf had tried he hadn’t been able to destroy it.”

“I’ll talk more about that later.  What I will tell you now, is that the Headmaster had already figured out Voldemort had created a number of Horcruxes.  He hadn’t told anybody in the Order, well with the exception of Dad, like I said more about that later.”

“The send off from King’s Cross was normal.  That’s if you think being escorted by multiple Aurors and half a dozen other witches and wizards all on alert for someone trying to kill you is normal.  Or having a fugitive disguised among you, just so he can stretch his legs, get some fresh air, and see his godson off to school for the first time.  Yeah, it was even a little crazy for me.  But at the time I was happy that Sirius was there, though I think we all regretted it later.  Mr. Malfoy recognized Sirius’s disguise, so he was even more confined to the Grimmauld Place than he had been.”

“Even the train ride was weird.  Everyone who had been reading the paper over the summer thought that I was either a liar, or an absolute nutter.  Add to the fact for the first time in my life Ron wasn’t there with me, since he had to do patrols of corridors as part of his prefect duties.  So, I ended up sitting with Ginny, Neville and somebody I hadn’t met before, Luna Lovegood.”

“If I ever was looking forward to the year at Hogwarts it was this year.  But that all changed, before we even had a chance to finish our pudding during the opening feast.”

Present

“I know all the students remember Professor Umbridge’s introduction, but for the reporters sitting in the back of the room I’ll give a little more detail about what happened.  

“Everything about the feast this year was odd. The Sorting Hat’s song was the first thing that we noticed to be off. Normally, the Hat sings about the different qualities of the different Houses and why no one is better than the next. They each have a kind of person that fits in and what those kinds of people are. This year, however, it decided it was going to branch out a bit. Instead of singing about the different qualities, it chose to give us a warning. It told us about how the founders had all been really great friends. But then the school founders started fighting one another and Slytherin actually leaving the school. The hat told us that we need to unite when we were facing an external threat. It was a little weird to say the least.”

“The next part was even weirder.  Professor Dumbledore had introduced the new professors, Umbridge and Grubbly-Plank. That’s normal, sort of. Hagrid was missing, so that was why Grubbly-Plank was there. The weirder thing was Umbridge interrupting Dumbledore when he was giving out the announcements about Quidditch tryouts. We had never had anyone interrupt the Headmaster like that. But here was this brand new professor; she obviously had no clue as to how things worked at Hogwarts.”

“Umbridge went on to give this long winded speech that boiled down to the Ministry was going to be interfering at Hogwarts this year. After my run it with them this summer, that was probably the last thing that I wanted, or needed to hear.”

Severus listened as his son described Umbridge’s introduction to the school.  Harry was correct the woman’s introduction was odd.  She had done little to endear herself to the students.  Then she put out the warning.  This aggressive behavior only continued as the school year went on.  

“If that introduction wasn’t bad enough, there was the first day of class. The day wasn’t going all that well to begin with. We had already been assigned a massive amount of homework. Professor Snape had tried to trip us up with really difficult stuff coming right off a two month break. It was just not good.”

“Things went even further downhill when we got to Umbridge’s class. She was still talking to us like we’re five year olds.  She asked us to copy some stuff down from the board, but that only got us to start asking questions.  See, there was nothing on the board about using magic, just studying theory and how to recognize acceptable times to use it. This isn’t what students in their O.W.L. year want to hear.  We asked about that. Of course we were told that there was no reason that we should need to study the material in a practical manner. That we should just read the material well and all would be fine. This was enough to get several of my classmates annoyed.”

“When we asked about the class preparing us for the real world, we got a really great response. ‘School isn’t the real world and really who out there would be out there waiting to attack children?’ This wasn’t the smartest thing to say to me. It had only been a few months since I had faced Voldemort in the graveyard. I had meet him two occasions before that, that’s without the night he killed my parents by the way.”

“Now, with all that Umbridge was saying, I got upset.  I admit it.  She called me a liar to my face.  I had enough and told her she was a liar. I got detention and sent to see Professor McGonagall.

Harry chuckled slightly. “I was lucky that my dad and I weren’t acknowledging our relationship at that time because if we were, I’d probably still be gutting frogs for it, even if it was Umbridge that I smarted off to. Dad doesn’t accept any excuses for that sort of disrespect.”

Harry turned back to look the Deputy Headmistress offering her a small, warm smile. The older witch let her lips twitch slightly upward in return, before nodding her head to Harry to continue with his story.

“Professor McGonagall was much cooler about the whole thing than I would have expected. She told me to be careful and gave me a couple of biscuits. However, nice it was to see Professor McGonagall as something other than her incredibly strict Transfiguration professor self, it was not worth the detention I got in exchange for it.”

“I’ve been set to write lines in the past. It was never a big deal. Your hand cramps after a while, but you solider through it and by the time that it really starts to hurt, I mean really starts to hurt you’ll be done for the night. Your arm will be killing you in the morning but, you’re done for the night and that’s all that matters at the time. So, why am I talking about writing lines?”

“That was the task I had in detention that night and all the other detentions I had with Umbridge that year and that was quite a few.  Like I said, I could normally do lines no problem. The thing with Umbridge was that she used a blood quill.” 

As Harry suffered his first detention with the blood quill Severus and the other Heads of House prepared for their first weekly meeting in the Headmaster’s office.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

September 1995

“I can’t believe you hired that horrid… horrid toad Albus,” Minerva McGonagall complained.  Severus folded down the corner of his paper as his colleagues filed in.

“Who are we missing,” Albus asked taking his seat at the head of the meeting table.

“Just Filius, Headmaster,” Severus said returning to his paper.

“Albus,” Minerva asked.

“We will discuss it when everyone is here Minerva,” Albus placated.

“Good evening,” Filius Flitwick greeted squeakily as he entered the room.  “I apologize for my tardiness.  I found madam Umbridge lost in the Charms corridor.  She mistakenly was trying to enter my office.”  Flitwick said climbing into his usual chair beside Severus.

Minerva let out a snort of disbelief.  “I would not be so sure it was a mistake Filius,” she told the tiny wizard.  “The woman cannot be trusted.”

“Aren’t you being a little harsh Minerva,” Pomona Sprout asked.

“No,” Minerva said crisply.  “We all heard her at the feast.  This afternoon Mr. Potter was sent to my office.  She outright accused the boy of lying.”

“Oh my, Potter lying, how so out of character.”  Severus said.

Minerva gave the wizard a dark glare.  “She accused Mr. Potter of lying about You-Know-Who’s return Severus, not some trivial class matter.”

Severus frowned at the clarification.  The witch could be more disruptive if she outright refused to accept the Dark Lord’s return and did her best to keep the students ignorant.

“How could you hire her?” Minerva asked again.

“It was not my choice,” Albus told them.  “Dolores was placed at the school under the actions of the Ministry and the Board of Governors.  She is here to ensure the students receive an education in accordance with Ministry guidelines.  Some of the Governors have become concerned after what happened with the last several individuals who held the position.”

Albus continued, “I need not warn you we must be more cautious of our actions over the coming months.  Voldemort’s powers will only continue to grow.  We must do our best to counter him.  We must too make sure the students’ educations do not suffer.  I have heard Dolores refuses to let students practice their Defense skills in class.”

“Might we restart the Dueling Club,” Filius suggested.

“Ah, a brilliant idea.  Let us bring a bunch of out of practice teenagers into a room to fight one another.  Longbottom will be dead within the first three minutes,” Severus commented.

“Severus,” Minerva and Albus scolded together.

“I believe we should wait to see how the year progresses,” Pomona suggested.  “Dolores might change her mind about practical magic.”

Pomona’s laissez-faire attitude won out, even if none of the professors, Sprout included believed Umbridge’s attitude would change.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

Severus let his attention return back to the present in time to hear his son’s pained comments about Umbridge’s detentions.

“I’ve had a lot of painful things happen to me in my past. I was thrown into the cabinet under the stairs by my uncle, beaten up by my cousin Dudley on a regular basis, and half-starved when living with my family. When I got to Hogwarts I had to regrow all the bones in one of my arms, deal with a bite from a giant spider, and I had been possessed Voldemort. None of these however had anything on Umbridge’s quill.”

Harry rubbed unconsciously at the scars that adorned the back of his hand. The thin white lines still stood out in sharp contrast to the slightly tanned flesh. “It was painful when the words were being cut into my hand.  The bigger pain was actually afterward.  I’ll have the scars for a long time, if not the rest of my life. It’s a monument to the fact that people refused to believe what I was saying about Voldemort coming back was true. That was hard, I knew the truth and I kept saying it over and over again, from the night Cedric died to the night I killed him. It was only on that last night however, that the Ministry believed what I had to say.”

“So, I had a rough time with those detentions, but wouldn’t be the only thing I would have a hard time with.”

Present

“Umbridge refused to let us use magic in class. Not being able to practice the magic we are supposed to be able to perform until our actual O.W.L.s was not something my year wanted to hear. My friends, Ron and Hermione, talked me into maybe creating a group where we could practice D.A.D.A. stuff. They had argued that they could learn from somebody who knew what it was like to do this stuff for real.”

“I didn’t think that anybody would want to learn from me. I was supposed to be a crazy and a liar. But Hermione organized an interest meeting anyways.  We got a fairly good turnout. There were a couple of students that were… less enthusiastic about the idea of me teaching them, even less so about signing up to be a part. One girl learned that she either shouldn’t have signed the paper or talked about it. Without my knowledge Hermione had placed a hex on the paper where everybody signed up, so if you told, the word “snitch” would show up on your forehead in pimples.”

“The one bad thing about this was where we decided to hold this meeting. We chose to meet at the Hog’s Head instead of the Three Broomsticks. We thought that since it wasn’t the normal place for students to hang out we wouldn’t be over heard. Good idea in theory, not so much in practice.”

“We didn’t expect Mundungus Fletcher to be there. He was there dressed as a heavily bandaged witch. After we left, Mundungus went straight to the Order. The members had different reactions depending on who they were. Mrs. Wealsey didn’t want her kids taking part because if you got caught you would be expelled from school. She also advised me and Hermione to not do it either.”

“Of course, we ignored that advice. But we still needed a place to meet. We asked my godfather, Sirius Black. He didn’t have any places that we could use unfortunately. We did eventually find one, with a little help of one of the house elves, Dobby.”

“Dobby showed us the ‘Comes and Go Room’. It is also known as the Room of Requirements. It will provide the user with whatever you require. It gave us the space we needed, books, pillows, anything you could possibly need to practice defense safely.”

“Mrs. Wealsey wasn’t the only one who gave us advice as what to do.  My godfather said that we should do it. Remus, a good friend of Sirius and my step-dad, James went to Dad as soon as he found out about this defense group. Sirius told Remus about Snape being my dad. Remus listened and immediately put the information to use. He figured since my Dad was at school he could either talk me out of doing the group, or provide assistance. ”

“Dad didn’t do anything, at least that we knew of at the time. We would find out later that he did help us out a little bit. He didn’t give Umbridge real Veritisrum when she wanted to question me, he also informed the Order as soon as he could about what I had seen in the Department of the Mysteries,” Harry waved his hand dismissively, “but I’m getting ahead of myself.”

Severus listened to his son’s recounting of the events of his little resistance group with great interest.  Harry had never told him exactly why it was formed or his own skepticism of the group’s success.  In truth, Severus knew very little of the group until Umbridge succeeded in breaking down the Ravenclaw girl affiliated with the group.  Harry was reluctant to speak of it, for reasons Severus was uncertain.  

Severus considered asking about this opposition at some point that would obviously have to wait.  The pair still had much to learn about one another.  Harry’s feeling about the way the press treated him, for example.

Severus knew the attacks hurt the boy, but was unaware of the extent.  Severus knew how difficult it could be to have one’s name dragged through the mud, but he was older when it happened, and was justly accused.  There was no way Severus could truly understand what his son been through the last few years.

As Harry described his actions to thwart Umbridge’s ever increasingly totalitarian rule of the school Severus thought back on his and actions of his fellow staff members.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

October 1995

“It seems Potter is following his father’s footsteps,” Severus said by way of greeting as Minerva McGonagall sat for the weekly Heads of House meeting following the first Hogsmead weekend.

“Yes, well, at least Harry has a good reason for his rebellion.  James broke rules for the thrill of it.  Young Harry does it to ensure his friends are prepared for the dangers that are headed our way.  It is a very noble cause.”  Minerva said.

Severus gave a snort in disbelief.

“Believe what you like Severus.  Harry’s intentions will become clear soon enough,” Minerva said brusquely.

“How are your snakes taking to the High Inquisitor’s changes?” Minerva asked after a moment.

“They are faring rather well.  A number volunteered their services to aid Madam Umbridge in her routing our any rule breaking.” Severus said.

“Indeed,” Minerva agreed.  “I could not see Mr. Malfoy surpassing a chance to exercise his authority.”

Severus frowned at the critique of his student, no matter how fair it might be.  Before he had a chance to respond however, Albus called the meeting to order.

The Heads of House kept a close eye on Umbridge and Harry’s efforts over the next several months; running interference whenever possible, or necessary.  Severus’s role in the operation was perhaps the most delicate.

Despite his troubled past with the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge seemed heart set on gaining Severus’s favor.  The matter troubled him for several weeks until the witch made clear her desire to use Veritisrum on students if membership of any seditious groups were not discovered quickly.

Severus was not in a position to refuse the witch if he wished to retain his cover as spy, but as a teacher … and as a father; he could not morally justify the use of such potions on minors.  These potions could cause lifelong affects in developing minds if administered inappropriately.  He would not put it past Umbridge to poison Harry, or any other student for that matter if she believed they had information she desired.  He could not do this, regardless of parental consent, which they also lacked.  

Along with dealing with the ever increasing attentions of Dolores Umbridge, he had the welfare of his snakes to look out for.  The increased authority his students took on put them in path of more and more harassment from the students of the other houses.  He had to write to three sets of parents already informing their child was attacked by schoolmates.  Meanwhile he had to try and sabotage any efforts his students made in infiltrating Harry’s group.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

Harry took a calming breath, before continuing his story. “My plate was so full this year. I was so busy I didn’t have time to think about my relationship with Snape, or how he wasn’t giving me detention all of the time. I probably thought at the time it was because of how many I was serving with Umbridge. That wasn’t the case of course, but I barely had time to tie my shoes let alone think on why my evil Potion Master was doing anything.”

“With the creation of this defense group, that later came to be called Dumbledore’s Army, my life became even more hectic. I already had a full schedule. I was in my fifth year. I was trying to get ready for my O.W.L.s, get all of my homework done. I was on the Quidditch team. Then there were all of the detentions I was serving because I refused to go along with all of those stupid Decrees, or refuse to back down about Voldemort being back, much to Professor McGonagall’s chagrin.”

“The DA added a whole other level of stuff to my life. We had to try and keep the meeting secret. Finding a place to hold them was difficult enough. When it came to holding the meetings I had to try and make sure they didn’t conflict with not one, but three different Houses’ Quidditch teams’ practices.  We worked a system out in the end, but it was difficult. In a way, getting kicked off the team did me a lot of favors.”

Harry waited a moment for the room to quiet down after his last statement. The Slytherins had let out a series of boos. They didn’t want to think that Umbridge could possibly had done Harry Potter a favor. In contrast, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs let out a shocked gasp. His own House was too confused to figure out just how to respond to that last comment, their star Seeker happy not to play Quidditch?

Harry put up his hand to motion for quiet. After another moment or so they were silent once again.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love playing Quidditch, I really do.” Harry explained. “It just was all too much. Quidditch was also the only thing I really had the option of quitting. With Umbridge’s ban the decision was made for me.” His face splitting into a wide grin Harry added, “You’ll be glad to know that since Umbridge is gone, I’ll be back on the team next year.”

The Gryffindors let out an ecstatic cheer, while the rest of the Houses released a collective groan.

“Now as horrible of a start of a year that might be, it wasn’t so far out of the norm for me.  I’ve faced either Voldemort or one of his followers, if not both every year that I’ve attended Hogwarts and nearly died every time.” Harry let out an uncomfortable chuckle, “Really, things could have been worse. Everything started to shift at Christmas break, some things for the better, others for the worse.”

“Dad and I both knew the truth of our relationship before Christmas holidays thanks to the letter. What we didn’t know was that the other knew as well, hence why we were happy to keep the status quo, at least for the most part. However, that all changed after Mr. Wealsey was attacked outside the Department of Mysteries.”

Harry cringed as the memories of that night came back to him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

December 1995

Harry’s dreams kept shifting, first of Cho, then of Umbridge and Dobby, then it changed again.

His body felt smooth, powerful, and flexible. He was gliding between shining metal bars, across dark, cold stone… He was flat against the floor, sliding along on his belly…. It was dark, yet he could see objects around him shimmering in strange, vibrant colors.

… He was turning his head… At first glance, the corridor was empty … but no…a man was sitting on the floor ahead, his chin drooping onto his chest, his outline gleaming in the dark…

Harry put out his tongue… He tasted the man’s scent on the air… He was alive but drowsing… sitting in front of a door at the end of the corridor…

Harry longed to bite the man…but he must master the impulse.

… He had more important work to do…

But the man was stirring… a slivery cloak fell from his legs as he jumped to his feet; and Harry was his vibrant, blurred outline towering above him, saw a wand withdrew from a belt… He had no choice … He reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man’s flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath his jaw, feeling the warm gush of blood…

The man was yelling in pain…There was a sharp pain…Then he everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

“I woke up covered in an icy sweat. During my nightmare I had woken up most my dorm mates. One of them had gone to get Professor McGonagall. I told Ron and Professor McGonagall was when she got there that I had witnessed an attack on Mr. Weasley.” Harry paused for several moments, he needed to explain how he had seen what he had, but that was would be a…difficult task.

“The Professor believed me about the attack and took Ron and I to see the Headmaster. Dumbledore asked me about what I saw, so I told him.  He sent the portraits to work as quickly as possible. We were lucky in two ways. If we had wanted a few moments longer, Mr. Weasley wouldn’t have made it. But he had also killed the snake that had attacked him.  This may not sound like a big deal, but if he hadn’t of done it than, somebody else would have had to later in order to kill Voldemort. The snake was a Horcrux. I promise I’ll explain that, just not right now.” Harry said taking a deep breath before continuing.

“Anyway, Professor McGonagall got the rest of the Weasley kids while Professor Dumbledore arranged for us to leave the school and stay at my godfather‘s house in London. It wasn’t until morning that we found out Mr. Weasley was going to be okay.”

Severus remembered his own reaction to the attack on Arthur Weasley.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

December 1995

Severus was tried.  Between his duties as Head of House, professor, member of the Order of Phoenix, and spy he was ready to quit life and move to a place where nobody had ever heard of Voldemort or Harry Potter.  Then Harry witnessed the attack on Arthur Weasley.

Severus knocked on the door to the Headmaster’s office.  He was surprised to receive the summons.  The majority of the students had gone home for the holidays and Severus had already submitted his lesson plans for the next month.

“Enter,” Dumbledore’s kindly voice said from behind the door.

“Ah, Severus,” Albus greeted warmly.  The man gestured for Severus to have a seat.

Severus sat in one of the hard wooden chairs across from the Headmaster’s desk.

“As you may be aware, Severus, Arthur Weasley was attacked a few nights ago while on guard duty for the Order.”

Severus nodded.  

“What you may not be aware of, is we learned of the attack from Mr. Potter,” Albus said.  “It seems Harry saw the attack as if he were present, through Nagini’s eyes.  This is not the first time this sort of thing occurred.  It appears Harry has a sort of mental connection with Voldemort.  For this reason, I would like you to teach the boy Occlumency.”

“No,” Severus replied instantly.

“Severus,” Albus said taken aback.  “If Harry does not learn to block Voldemort from his mind he will only put himself at more risk.”

“And what about my safety, Albus?  You desire for me to open my mind to an undisciplined, spoiled brat.  What is to stop him from revealing my loyalties?” Severus demanded.

“You are being unfair Severus.  You are letting a set of false prejudices taint your view of the boy.  How can Harry be a carbon copy of James when he is your son?  Other professors find him to be bright and humble.  Perhaps spending time with the boy will allow you to move past these ill-conceived notions.” Albus said.

“No,” Severus said again.  “If boy must learn Occlumency, why do you not instruct him yourself?”

“Alas, I fear I will not be at Hogwarts much longer.  The winds are increasingly blowing in Madam Umbridge’s favor.  We cannot afford to have Harry lose his instructor.”  Albus said sadly.  “Furthermore, I believe it is what Lily would want.  I doubt she would care to see her son in such a cantankerous relationship with his father.”

That was all the man had to say to break Severus’s resolve.  “Damn you old man.”  With that Severus agreed to take on the lesson which disproved everything he thought he knew about his son up to that point.

“After breakfast Sirius sent the Wealseys to bed.  Instead of getting to sleep like my friends I got to have a talk with the Headmaster.”

Harry rubbed the back of his neck again.  This was one of the most difficult parts of his story.  He would have to explain everything, how he had seen the attack, what a Horcrux was and how he had been one for Voldemort and how that all related to the prophecy. 

Harry let out a sigh.  “I had never really talked to the Headmaster one on one.  Well, that isn’t exactly true, but that was the first time that I had ever spoken to him outside of school.”  Harry let out a long sigh, “That conversation changed everything.”

“I know I’ve said something remarkably like that before.  The news that Professor Snape is dad did change my life.  It did, it really did, but there’s a difference between being told man that you thought your dad isn’t and that somebody else is and that you would one day have to kill the evilest wizard ever to live.”

***

Harry pushed the door to the study open hesitantly.  Sirius had told him that Dumbledore wanted to speak to him, but he wouldn’t say anything more than that.  Sirius had also told him he wanted to be there with him; however, the Headmaster would not let him come. Harry let out another sigh and entered the room.

“Ah Harry, I wish this could be under better circumstances.” Dumbledore said gesturing Harry to take a seat across from in. 

Harry nodded and took his seat. 

“Unfortunately with the events of last night I am unable to but this off any longer. The attack on Arthur Weasley last night confirmed my worst fears.”

“Sir, I don’t understand.”

“You see, I guessed, fifteen year ago,” said Dumbledore, “When I saw the scar on your forehead, what it might mean.  I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort.”

“You’ve told me this before, professor,” said Harry bluntly.  He did not care about being rude.  He was too tired to care about anything very much anymore.

“Yes,” said Dumbledore apologetically.  “Yes, but you see – it is necessary to start with your scar.  For it became apparent , shortly after you rejoined the magical world, I saw correct, and that your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or else feeling powerful emotion.”

“I know,” said Harry wearily.

“And this ability of yours - to detect Voldemort’s presence, even when he is disguised, and to know what he is feeling when his emotions are roused - has become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers.”

Harry did not bother to nod.  He knew all of this already. 

“More recently,” said Dumbledore.  “I became concerned that Voldemort might realize that this connection between you exists.  Sure enough, there came a time when you entered so far into his mind and thoughts that he sensed your presence.  I am speaking, of course, of last night’s events.”

“How do you know?” Harry demanded.

“I have my ways Harry, but that is not important now.  I believe it is only a matter of time before Voldemort attempts to force his way into your mind, to manipulate and misdirect your thoughts.  In an attempt to arm you against Voldemort‘s assaults on your mind, I have arranged Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape.  He will discuss the matter with you more in depth later Harry.  I want you to work hard on this; I would not ask you do so if I did not think it was of the utmost importance.”

Harry did not know how to respond, so he nodded again.

“I know you have long been ready for the knowledge I have kept from you for so long, because you have proved that I should have placed the burden upon you before this.  My only defense is this:  I have watched you struggling under more burdens than any students who has ever passed through this school, and I could not bring myself to add another – greatest one of all.” 

“It is time for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry.  I am going to tell you everything.  Do you remember asking me, as you lay in the hospital wing, during your first year, why Voldemort had tried to kill you when you were a baby?”

Harry nodded again.  He waited, but Dumbledore did not speak.

“Why sir?”

“Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because a prophecy made shortly before your birth.  He knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents.  He set out to kill you when you were still a baby, believing he was fulfilling the terms of the prophecy.  He discovered, to his cost, that he was mistaken, when the curse intended to kill you backfired.  And so, since his return to his body, and particularly since your extraordinary escape from him last year, he had been determined to hear that prophecy in its entirety.  This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return:  the knowledge of how to destroy you.”

“There is a record of the prophecy in the Department of Mysteries.  Mr. Weasley was standing guard outside of it last night when he was attacked.  But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly.”

“Who heard it?”  Asked Harry, though he thought he knew the answer already.

“I did,” said Dumbledore.  “On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog’s Head Inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all.  The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer, and I thought it common politeness to meet her.  I was disappointed.  It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself.  I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post.  I turned to leave.”

Dumbledore took from the inside of his robes a shallow stone basin, carved with runes around the edges, in which Harry had seen Barty Crouch Jr. dragged away to Azkaban.  Dumbledore placed the Pensieve upon it the coffee table in front of him, and raised his wand to his own temple.  From it, he withdrew silvery, gossamer-fine strands of thought clinging to the wand, and deposited them in the basin.  He watched his thoughts swirl and drift inside the Pensieve for a moment.  Then, with a sigh, he raised his wand and prodded the silvery substance with its tip. 

A figure rose out of it, draped in shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size behind her classes, and she revolved slowly, her feet in the basin.  But when Sibyll Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but in the harsh, hoarse tones Harry had her use once before.  

“The one with the power to vanquish the Dar Lord approaches … both to those who have thrice defied the him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…” 

The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.

The silence within the room was absolute.  Neither Dumbledore nor Harry made a sound. 

“Professor Dumbledore?”  Harry said very quietly, for Dumbledore, still starting at the Pensieve, seemed completely lost in thought.  “It… did that mean… What did that mean?”

“It meant,” said Dumbledore, “that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago.  This boy would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times.”

Harry felt as though something was closing in upon him.  His breathing seemed difficult again.

“It means - me?”

“I am afraid,” said Dumbledore slowly, looking as though every word cost him a great effort, “that there is no doubt that is you.”

“Voldemort himself marked you as his equal when he gave you the scar that has proved both blessing and curse.”

“So,” said Harry, dredging up the words from what felt like a deep well of despair inside him, “so does that mean that…that one of us has got to kill the other one…in the end?”

“Yes,” said Dumbledore.

Present

“The holidays were never going to be great starting off the way they did.  Christmas wasn’t as bad as it could have been.  Mr. Weasley still wasn’t out of the hospital, but we did get to see him.  It didn’t really matter though.  After what Dumbledore had told me nothing seemed important.  I started shutting myself off from my friends.  I felt like I was putting them in danger by just being in the same room.  I was too scared to actually tell them what Dumbledore had said.”  Harry shook his head, “Thinking back on it now it was pretty stupid not to tell them anything. Things became a lot easier once they knew, but that didn’t keep things from going downhill.” 

“You see, the closer to the time it got for us to return to school the moodier Sirius got.  He didn’t like being alone in his huge house all by himself with only Kreacher to keep him company.  If I hadn’t had the D.A. to come back to, I might have considered asking him if I could just stay.  After the news I got in the kitchen only a few days before we returned to school I considered asking him, even with the D.A.”

“So, what could be so bad compared to all the things I had faced, including Umbridge’s blood quill…private lessons with Professor Snape.  What made it even worse; Dad came to deliver the news himself.”

“Like I said earlier, Dad and Sirius didn’t get on too well, even though they left Hogwarts twenty years ago they hadn’t let that hatred die down.  If anything it, might have gotten worse.  Though, I’m not sure how much of that was House rivalry related.”

“Before Dad and Sirius had their little meeting in the kitchen things had been going fine.  I was playing chess with Ron in the study when his mum came to get me.  I didn’t know what it was about, but when I saw Professor Snape, that conversation with Professor Dumbledore came rushing back.”

“Sirius had talked with me after Professor Dumbledore had told me about the prophecy.  He wanted to know exactly what the Headmaster had said and I had told him almost everything.  I didn’t mention the fact Dumbledore wanted me to have lessons with Professor Snape because I knew he would get upset.  Here was Snape and Sirius wasn’t going to leave me alone with him, even if I had begged him to…not that I would have.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

January 1996

“Er,” said Harry to announce his presence.

Snape looked around at him, his face framed between curtains of greasy black hair.

“Sit down Potter.”

“You know,” said Sirius loudly, leaning back on his rear chair legs and speaking to the ceiling, “I think I’d prefer it if you didn’t give orders here Snape.  It’s my house, you see.”

An ugly flush suffused Snape’s pallid face.  Harry sat down in a chair beside Sirius, facing Snape across the table. 

“I was supposed to see you alone, Potter,” Snape, the familiar sneer curling his mouth, “but Black –”

“I’m his godfather,” said Sirius louder than ever.

“I am the boy’s father,” Snape said, whose voice, by contrast, was becoming more and more waspish.

“WAIT!” Harry yelled.  “You knew!”

The adults turned to look at Harry.

“Mind your tone,” Severus said dangerously.  

“You knew and you still treated me like a shit you bas-” Harry suddenly silent though his lips continued to move.  

“I will not be talked to in such a manner Potter.  I am aware of our… relationship.”

“How long have you know Snivellus?”  Sirius demanded.

“That is none of your concern Black.” Severus sneered.

Harry glared at Severus.  Severus ignored the look, but told the boy not quiet gently, “I learned of our relationship this summer.  Your mother NEVER told me, only your irresponsibility with your belongings did.  You left the Headmaster’s letter on the table before an Order meeting.  I saw mention of my and your mother’s name and took the letter for further investigation.  It was then I discovered the truth.”

“Yeah, well, some father you are,” Sirius questioned letting out a mirthless bark of laughter.  “The only thing you ever did for that boy, other than to make him absolutely miserable was to sleep with his mother.  At least James cared for him, even if he wasn’t his.”

“And I am here on Dumbledore’s orders, but by all means stay, Black, I know you like to feel…involved.”

“What’s that supposed to be mean?’ said Sirius, letting his chair fall back onto all four legs with a loud bang.

“Merely that I am sure you must feel – ah – frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful,” Snape laid delicate stress on the word, “for the Order.”

“The headmaster has sent me to inform you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term.”

“He wants him to study what?” said Sirius blankly.

Snape’s sneer became more pronounced.

“Occlumency, Black.  The magical defense of the mind against external penetration.  An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one.”

“Why does he have to study Occulmency?” Sirius blurted out.

“Because the headmaster thinks it a good idea,” said Snape smoothly.  “Potter, you will receive private lessons twice a week, but you will not tell anybody what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge.  You understand?”

“Yes,” said Harry. 

“Who’s going to be teaching him?” Sirius asked.

Snape raised an eyebrow.

“I am.”

Harry had a horrible sensation that his insides were melting.  Extra lessons with Snape – what on earth had he done to deserve this?

“Why can’t Dumbledore teach Harry?” asked Sirius aggressively.

“I suppose because it is a headmaster’s privilege to delegate less enjoyable tasks,” said Snape silkily.  “I assure you I did not beg for the job. I will expect you at six o’clock on Monday evening Potter.  My office.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

Harry scratched the back of his neck again.  “I know I’ve said a couple of conversations have changed my life.  They really did, but until I started my private lessons with Dad I had been able to push them to the back of my mind.  That was a lot harder to do after I had somebody there reminding me of it twice a week and not always…in the most friendly of ways.”

“I really wasn’t looking forward my first Occlumency lesson.  Sirius had told me that I needed to do them and I should try my best.  However, Professor Snape had insulted me in class that morning, and I was still angry with him for what he had said to Sirius about my mum.”

“Most of your probably don’t know what Occlumency is.  Despite what Dad keeps telling me, it sounds a lot like mind reading.  See, using Legilimency, one wizard can force their way into another’s mind and look through that person’s memories.  The defense against this is called Occlumency.”

“I couldn’t see why I needed to learn this, even after Dad had reminded me of the special connection that Voldemort and I seemed to share.  Dad didn’t seem real interested in making sure I learned it either.

“My first try at Legilimency was not the best, but not the worst as I was able to expel Dad eventually.  But, I had lost control.  I produced a stinging hex without meaning to.  The other attempts weren’t much better.  Dad kept berating me for not doing better, even though we had only been at it for a couple of weeks.  But in that time Dad had seen some of my worst memories growing up.  There was me being chased up a tree by my Aunt Marge’s dog, Ripper; she didn’t call him off until after midnight.  Or me trying to avoid my cousin Dudley, while he played his favorite game, ‘Harry Hunting’.  You can imagine what the point of that game.  There were worse ones too such as Uncle Vernon throwing me into my cupboard after I did some accidental magic and some even worse ones, but I’m not going into those.  Now, I was supposed to be clearing my mind before I went to sleep every night.  But between not wanting to and not understanding as to why I had to do the lessons to start with, I wasn’t practicing like I should have been.”

Harry looked over his shoulder again and gave his father a cheeky grin before adding, “Plus, Dad had never really given me a good idea how to do it either.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 1995

“You’re not practicing like I told you Potter!”  Snape hissed dangerously.

Harry picked himself from the ground for the third time that night. 

They were barely a half hour into the nights lesson Harry already had a splitting headache. 

“I have too,” Harry said puffing up his chest defensively.

Snape sorted the boy sounded rather like an overtired two year old.

“Don’t lie to me Potter.  I can tell you haven’t.”

Harry made to counter the statement, but thought better of it.  Taking several calming breathes Harry asked in his most civil voice, “How do I do that sir?  So, I’m supposed to just shut my mind off?” 

“You are not supposed to be ‘shutting off your mind’.  You are supposed to clear it, to focus on a calm force creating a shield and then force all your thoughts behind the shield.  Or is it really that difficult to remove your thoughts from Quidditch, or whatever nonsense it is that occupies your simple mind every few moments?”  Snape said rolling his eyes.  “Do you think those instructions are simple enough for you to follow Potter?”

Harry simply nodded. 

At least now he had an idea of what Snape wanted him to do.  It was hard to practice something when you had no idea how to do it.  Maybe if he proved that he could do Occlumency, Snape would start treating him better, he was Harry’s father after all.

Harry shook his head at the thought.  There was no reason he should be thinking that.  Snape was still the same heartless bastard as always.  But that wasn’t true; Snape had been treating Harry better this year.  Harry couldn’t remember a time this year that he had gotten a detention for no reason, well at least not from Snape.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

“That night was the first time I really tried practicing Occlumency on my own.”  Harry explained to the audience.  “I was able to create a weak shield.  It wasn’t much really, but it was the first real progress I had made.  Not that it mattered because it still wasn’t good enough for Dad.  For the next couple weeks of things stayed pretty much the way they had been going.  Me putting up my weak shield and Dad breaking through it in a matter of seconds, him witnessing some of the worst events of my life before I finally was able to force him out, or he just took pity and gave up.  Though, the latter didn’t happen very often.”

“With seeing all of these terrible memories Dad had figured out that I was different from what he had always accused me of being, some spoiled brat.  He hadn’t changed the way he spoke to me, or anything, at least not yet.  What I learned later was that after he had confirmed that these events where not just a few select incidents and were in fact my everyday life at the Dursley’s he went to talk to the Headmaster.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 1995

Severus told the Headmaster of what he witnessed in Potter’s mind.  The way he had been deprived food during the summer between his first and second year after the incident with the Malfoy’s house-elf.  The fact the boy had been verbally and emotionally abused.  There were several instances of physical abuse that he had also witnessed, including Vernon throwing the boy into a cabinet under the stairs, though Severus was unsure what the boy had done to incur such a punishment.

The Headmaster nodded solemnly.  He had suspected for some time that Harry was not treated as well as he had hoped he would be when he had left the infant on the doorstep.  However, he had never suspected the boy was actually being abused.  “As troubling as this is Harry must go back, Severus.  The blood wards will only protect Harry as long as he considers Privet Drive home.”

"You cannot send the boy back there Albus, you know for a fact they have half-starved and beaten him.  What good are blood wards against an internal threat?”

“I’m sorry Severus, but it is for Harry’s own protection.” Dumbledore countered.  “There is only one other option I can think of, that Harry lives with you during the summers.  Your blood runs through his veins, the blood wards should keep him safe if he were to live with you.”

“He would never agree to it.” Snape said darkly.

“There is some time between now and the summer holidays.  There is a chance that things between the two of you could improve,” Dumbledore looked up at Snape hopefully.

Snape fought the urge to roll his eyes at the statement.  “That is unlikely and you know that Headmaster.”

“Perhaps, but if there is nothing else, I must ask you to leave so I can address some business.”

“There is not.  Good night, Headmaster,” Snape said rising from his seat.

“Good night Severus, do try and give Harry a chance.  The boy has an uncanny ability to forgive.”

“I didn’t know any of that was going on. As far as I knew, Dad didn’t care, or he just liked seeing me humiliated. But things got a lot better when I found out just how alike Dad and I really are. I can’t say anything about it though. Like with the snooping, Dad would hex me into next week if you guys learned stuff about him he didn’t want you to.”

****

“Shall we try again?” Snape raised his wand “One – two – three – Legilimens!”

A hundred dementors were swooping toward Harry across the lake in the grounds…. He screwed up his face in concentration…. They were coming closer…. He could see the dark holes beneath their hoods… yet he could see Snape standing in front of him, his eyes fixed upon Harry’s face, muttering under his breath…. And somehow, Snape was growing clearer, and the dementors were growing fainter…

Harry raised his own wand.

“Protego!”

Snape staggered; his wand flew upward, away from Harry - and suddenly Harry’s mind was teeming with memories that were not his - a hook-nosed man was shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner….  A girl was laughing at a scrawny boy trying to mount a bucking broomstick –

“ENOUGH!”

Harry felt as though he had been pushed hard in the chest; he took several staggering steps backward, hit some of the shelves covering Snape’s walls and heard something creak. Snape was shaking slightly, very white in the face.

The back of Harry’s robes was damp. One of the jars behind him had broken when he fell against it; the pickled slimy thing within was swirling in its draining potion.

“Reparo!” hissed Snape, and the jar sealed itself once more. “Well, Potter… that was certainly an improvement….” Panting slightly, straightened the Pensieve in which he had again stored some of his thoughts before starting the lesson, almost as though checking that they were still there. “I don’t remember telling you to use a Shield Charm... but there is no doubt that it was effective….”

Harry didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen. His father a scared, little boy crying in a corner. From the looks of things, Snape’s father’s temper wasn’t much better than Harry’s Uncle Vernon’s. Now that little boy was standing in front of him furious.

Biting his lip nervously Harry asked, “Was that man who was yelling your father sir?”

“It’s none of your business Potter.” Snape snapped.

“It’s just that… well, the man seemed a lot like my Uncle Vernon. I know what it’s like growing up with somebody like that.” Harry offered his voice dropping as he went, until it was barely more than a whisper.

“Really?” Snape inquired his eyebrow quirking upwards. “From what I have seen of your memories there is nothing to compare between the two. The worst thing that your uncle did was give you, what was probably a richly deserved smacking.”

“He did a lot worse than that!” Harry defended, his voice rising in both volume and pitch. Why did he have to say something? There was no way that Snape would believe him about how truly awful growing up with the Durselys had been, he would always see Harry as a spoiled Potter brat, no matter how many memories he saw that told him differently.

“I find that hard to believe Mr. Potter. Does your uncle drink himself into a stupor every night and then attack your aunt, cousin, or yourself for every small infraction either real or imagined he believed you committed? Did he savagely beat you for these imagined infractions? Did you ever have to worry about whether or not there would be dinner on the table because your father might have drunken all the money for groceries?”

“No…no sir,” Harry replied stunned. If that was what Snape’s father had been like it was no wonder he had turned out as nasty as he was.

“Was… was your father like that sir?” Harry dared to ask.

“Even if he was, it is no concern of yours Potter.” Snape snapped putting as much venom into Harry’s name as possible.

“But he was my…” Harry began to argue.

“He was nothing to you Potter. He may have impregnated my mother, but the man was not a father. He did not earn the right to call himself one. When I came of age I cut off all ties to the man. No one was worthy of the mistreatment of Tobias Snape, even you, Potter,” Snape said. The man’s eyes flashing dangerously, though for once Harry was fairly sure the anger was not directed at him.

“So, Potter, if your uncle did not give you a treatment equal that of my father,” Snape said almost cringing at the word, “What did he did he do to make you feel so grievously mistreated?”

“Well,” Harry started. He didn’t really want to talk about this. He didn’t even know why he had said anything, but he was sure that Snape would not let him off the hook now.

“I’m waiting Potter,” Snape snapped. He probably knew most of what the boy was going to say, but it would be good for the both of them to hear it from Harry’s own lips.

“They didn’t feed me very much,” Harry offered tentatively. His eyes dropping instantly to his beat up trainers.

From the moment the boy first step foot into the Great Hall Severus had known this to be true. The boy was small for his age, an unexpected sight as James Potter had always been tall. True Lily had always been petite, but the boy was under what would have been considered a health weight even for someone of his small size. He had watched Potter when he returned from the summer holidays. The boy was always lighter when he returned then when he left. Like all the other boys, Potter would always load his plate with food. However, unlike the other boys of his age who would clear their plates and then go back for seconds, if not thirds, Potter would barely eat a third. Still after months of being back as school the boy was just at weight.

“What other injustices do you believe were committed against you?” Snape asked.

“I had to do the cleaning of the house, yard work, everything,” Harry said darting to look up at the professor.

“That is not mistreatment, Potter. Those are things that are simply expected of a child growing up.” Snape said a sneer appearing on his lips.

“Yeah well, I don’t think most kids do all of that stuff in their families. I mean, if normal for kids to help how come Dudley never had to do any of those things?” Harry countered.

“Who is Dudley?” Snape asked not really interested how Potter was treated compared to his little friends.

“He’s my cousin. He never had to do any sort of chore; he just sat around and watched the telly, played on the computer, and beat up other kids. I was cooking breakfast for everybody by the time I was five. I had to do all of the gardening and did most of the cleaning around the house too. My uncle wanted me to ‘earn my keep’.” Harry replied color rising in his pale cheeks.

“I see,” Snape said. “As unjust as it may seem to you now Potter, those things will help to build character. Are there anymore things would like to complain about while you’re at it? I assure you, if there are any that are truly unacceptable I will discuss the matter with the Headmaster.” There was no reason the boy need to know he had already spoken to the Headmaster about the boy’s mistreatment and arrangements were in the works for him to come stay with Severus during the summer instead.

“I wasn’t able to make any friends when I was in primary school because Dudley didn’t like me and nobody wanted to mess with Dudley.”  Harry offered lamely. “I never got new clothes, only Dudley’s old things. They lock my books and wand away during the summer so I can’t do my homework. I got locked in my bedroom for a week during the holidays after first year because my uncle thought I had floated a pudding onto the head of one of his clients. I only ate one meal a day through a cat flap my uncle installed in the door.”

“I had to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs until I got my first Hogwarts letter,” Harry rushed out, desperate for Snape to understand just how badly his family had treated him in his youth.

“What was that Potter,” Snape demanded his eyebrows shooting into his hairline.

“I had to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs until I was almost eleven.”

Harry was obviously a more talented Occlumens then he gave him credit for to keep such a fact hidden for so long Severus thought to himself as Harry rushed to continue his explanation.

“My uncle and aunt only let me move into Dudley’s second bedroom once I got my Hogwarts letter. They were scared that somebody was watching them since the letter was addressed to my cupboard. So, I got to move into Dudley’s second bedroom.”

“Why did your cousin need a second bedroom to begin with?” Snape asked, though he already had a fairly good idea as to why.

“That’s where they would put all of the toys that he broke or didn’t want anymore. I had a couple in my cupboard, but I had to knick those before they were put out with the rubbish.” Harry said blushing slightly. He had no reason to be embarrassed, none of those things were his fault, and yet he couldn’t help but feel ashamed of himself.

February 1996

“Black! You flea-bitten mongrel.  Where are you? Black!” Severus yelled as he stormed into number 12 Gimmauld Place.

The portrait of Walburga Black screamed as Severus would not be out done and continued to yell his nemesis’s name.  Black finally emerged from his bedroom.  His long hair was disheveled a bed robe hastily pulled on, as if he been woken.

“Snape you bloody bat what do you want?”

“I want to know if you wanted to see my son hurt or were simply incompetent in your care.” Severus demanded.

Sirius was shocked.  “What are you on about?”

“You were named the boy’s godfather.  You claim to care for him, yet you did nothing to prevent him coming to harm.  Did you simply fail to notice the mistreatment or are you too thick to recognize what the signs actually meant.” Severus explained.

Sirius was still obviously lost.  “Wait this is about Harry?  What happed to Harry?  Is he hurt?”

“Yes, you dunderhead, this is about Harry,” Snape snapped.

“If he’d hurt you’re more like to know what happened.  He’s at your school.”  Black responded.

“The harm I was inquiring about did not occur at the school, but his Muggle relatives’.”

Black frowned in confusion.  “What harm?  Harry never said his relatives hurt him.”

Severus schooled his features.  “Harry never mentioned the Dursleys hurting him?”

Sirius shook his head, “Never.”

“Did he ever mention punishments, being denied food, being forced to do endless lists of manual labor, or being locked in a cupboard?”

Black’s frown deepened.  “No, he never talked about anything like that.  Wait, a minute the summer before fourth year he said something about the Dursleys putting a lock on the fridge.  But as far as I know that was to prevent his dolt of a cousin from getting extra helpings of lettuce or something.”

“What about the other things?  Did he ever talk about how the Dursleys punished him?” Severus demanded.

Black shrugged.  “Nah, he said they made him do chores, but that’s normal for Muggle families isn’t it?  Didn’t Lily have to do chores growing up?  I could have sworn I remember her saying something like that.”

Severus frowned, or would have if he had been in different company.  “I see it is incompetence than.”

“What the hell do you mean by that Snivellus?” Black demanded.

“I simply mean that you missed the signs you’re supposedly beloved godson was abused by his relatives.” Severus explained slowly.

“No way,” Sirius snapped back.

“Yes, you were simply too thick to see it.”

“What Harry says he wants to move away and that he has to eat a few vegetables and I’m supposed to think his relatives are beating him black and blue?” Black yelled.

“Yes,” Severus said calmly.

“You’re mental.”

“No, I listen.” Severus explained.  “When did Harry inquire as to when he could live with you?”

Sirius frowned.  “I told him that night in his third year.  That with Peter captured my name would be cleared.  He wanted to know if he could come and live with me then.”

Severus asked, “You did not find this off?  Most thirteen year olds who are in happy homes do not ask to move in with people they have met only hours before.  Especially ones they spent almost a year under the impression the person wanted to kill them.”

“I never wanted to hurt Harry.”

Severus snorted.

Sirius choked back tears.  “I never wanted to hurt him.  I know he asked if he could come and live with me, but just thought he wanted to be around people like him.”

“He told you the Dursleys required him to do manual labor.” Severus asked.

“Well yeah, but he lives with Muggles there isn’t any other way to do housework is there?”  Black sobbed.  “I mean kids always complain about their families don’t they?”

“Yes, Black they do, but most families don’t treat their children like human house elves.  Nor do they normally target one child specifically for such treatment.”

“I never knew.  I never realized.” Black sobbed.  “If I did, I would have come and got him earlier.”

“You never came for him,” Severus snapped.  “You only bothered to escape when you saw your rat of a friend appeared in the paper.  If you really wanted you could have escaped and taken the boy anytime over those twelve years.”

“I was too weak…:”

“Yes, but your supposed love should have been able to fuel such an ability for you to escape, just as your hatred for Pettigrew.  If you believe the Headmaster love is the strongest power in the universe.  That should tell you something Black.”  Severus words were like acid.

“What about you Snape?”  Black shot back.  “You never cared about Harry.  You’re only spending time with him because Dumbledore ordered you to.  You wouldn’t give a knut worth a damn for the boy if he wasn’t your son.  Even now, you call him Potter.  It’s like he’s still James’s!  HE’S YOUR SON!”  Black yelled.

“You know what he did tell me about in his letters?  You. He told me about how you hated him and made his life miserable.  You picked on him for no reason.  You hated him simply because he looked like James.  They only reason he’s even here is because you wanted to stick it to James.  You took advantage of Lily.  You didn’t love her.  You just wanted to show James you could out do him just once.  He took your girl, you’d show him.”

Severus could take no more.  Forgetting the wand just up his sleeve Severus threw his right arm back and brought it forward into solid contact with Black’s lower jaw.  Black stumbled back at force of the contact.  Not to be out done Sirius threw his own punch.  It landed on Severus’s nose, breaking it.  In the midst of the fight neither heard the front door open and close.  Neither was paying attention as the portrait of Black’s mother started screaming once more.

“What the Hell?” Remus screamed as he and Arthur found the wizards mid tussle at the top of the stairs.  It took casting Full Body-Binds on both wizards to break up the fight.  Once the two were separated and levitated to different rooms it fell to the two new comers to find out just what happened.

“What the Hell was that Sirius?” Remus demanded of his remaining best friend.  He felt like he was back in fifth year.  What was he supposed to do now, give his friend a detention?

“Snivellus accused me of not loving Harry.” Sirius explained mournfully.

Remus was taken aback, “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Sirius shook his head, “He’s right though.”

“No he’s not.” Remus said firmly.

“But he is.  I should have broken out and gotten him after I was captured.  I should have recognized the signs.  I should have seen what he was asking for.  I should have known why he wanted to leave the Dursleys so badly.”

Remus’s brow furrowed in confusion.  “What are you talking about Sirius?”

“They abused Harry.  I don’t know how, but Snape came here tonight demanding to know why I never did anything about the Dursleys abusing Harry.  I said he never told me anything about it.  Then Snape started asking me all sorts of questions about Harry and what he told me in his letters.  I should have seen it.  What sort of happy 13 year old wants to leave the only home they’ve ever know.  Snape told me that they treated Harry like a house elf.  He mentioned something about a cupboard.  What was that about?” Sirius asked.

“I don’t know Padfoot.”  Remus ran a hand back through his hair.  “Is that why you were fighting?”

Sirius looked away.  He more closely resembled an ashamed eight year old then his 37 years.  “No…sort of.  He was on my case for missing the signs.  That I didn’t really love Harry.  I couldn’t take it anymore Moony.  I told him that in his letters Harry used to complain about the greasy bat.  I said something about how the slime ball didn’t really love Lily, he just wanted her because James had her.  That’s when he hit me.”

“Sirius!” Remus exclaimed.  It was no wonder Severus struck him.

“You have to apologize Sirius.”

“No way.  I’m not apologizing to that greasy git.” Sirius snapped.

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend’s immaturity.  “You’re both adults Sirius you need to act like it.  He’s Harry’s father if for no other reason.”

“Let him apologize,” Sirius said crossing his arms over his chest.

Remus let out an annoyed huff.  “How do you expect to attend Order meetings?  What would Harry think?”

Sirius shrugged.

Remus shook his friend.  “You need to apologize Sirius.  Get it behind you and move on for Harry’s sake.  Now I’m going to see how Arthur is faring.  We’ll be in the kitchen in case you change your mind.”

“Good gods” Remus mumbled to himself as he headed downstairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Would you like to tell me what happened?” Arthur asked as he handed a measure of brown liquid to Snape.

“It is none of your concern Weasley.” Severus snapped before downing the shot in one harsh gulp.  He normally refrained from such liquor, too reminiscent of Tobias, but the pain from his freshly broken nose was searing.  He would have to have Pomfrey set it once he was back at the castle.  The last thing he wanted was to have it broken once more to do it properly, as had happened after his own attempt in the past.

“I didn’t say it was,” Arthur said sitting back slightly.  “I just wanted to let you know I was here in case you wanted to talk about it.”

“Yes, for I am so known for my desire to broadcast my personal matters with half the wizarding world.”  Severus said sarcastically.  “I am not one of your misbehaving children. I will be fine Weasley.”

Arthur did not move however.  “I don’t doubt you will.  I’m guessing this had something to do with Harry.” Arthur said removing his glasses to clean them on his shirt’s hem.

Severus merely raised an eyebrow at the comment.

“There’s not much you and Sirius have in common.  Only Harry could make you want to talk to Sirius voluntarily.  If Dumbledore wanted a message passed on here he’d have sent Minerva or Madame Pomfrey.  No, it has to be Harry, which it means it is my concern.”

Severus sneered, “You are not the boy’s guardian, or teacher.  I fail to see how he is your concern.”

Arthur’s face darkened in anger, “That boy is as good as a son to me.  If there is something wrong with him I’ll have it known.”

Severus simply asked, “If you were so concerned for the boy’s welfare why did you do nothing about the abuse he was suffering at the hands of his relatives?”

“We did the best we could.”  Arthur explained. “We asked if we could take Harry in.  Dumbledore insisted that he must go back to his relatives for at least part of the summer.  His ‘home’ must be with a blood-relative to keep the protection his mother provided him. It the summer after his first year we had Ron write him at least once a week.  We never heard back though.  We didn’t know then the Malfoy’s house elf was stopping all letters getting to Harry.  Not that it would have mattered.  Harry’s uncle had locked Hedwig in her cage to prevent him sending any letters.  When the boys rescued Harry, they told us there were bars on his window and he was locked into his bedroom from the outside.  We told the Headmaster all about this.  We were able to keep better contact with Harry the next summer, but we couldn’t take him with us to Egypt.  The summer before his fourth year, he was with us a good few weeks.  Before he came to stay, we made sure he had plenty to eat.  Molly insisted when she heard how he was practically starved for his cousin’s sake.”  Arthur put his glasses back on, “See Severus, we did what we could.”

Severus gave a small nod.  It amazed him just how much the boy had been able to hide from him.  The Headmaster had seemed shocked when Severus told him what he’d seen in the boy’s mind.  How much had the old man known.  He would have to talk to the Headmaster and soon.  He needed to know the truth about his son and just how long Dumbledore had known.  He would not let his son be the old man’s pawn, not if he could help it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

“I found out about that fight and stuff from Dad and Sirius after the whole thing with the Department of Mysteries.  I never knew that they got into a fistfight.  I knew they weren’t speaking, but that didn’t surprise me because well, they never talked until it was to insult each other.  I’m surprised they avoided hitting each other for as long as they did, to be honest.”

Present

“Now I didn’t hear about this until much later but it’ll make more sense if I tell you guys about it now.”  Harry rubbed the back of his neck unfortunately.  Why did the professors have to sit up there like that?  He could feel their eyes digging into him.  This part especially was going to upset at least a few of them.  If they were in front of him at least he could avoid meeting their gaze. Here he just felt vulnerable.  He should have thought about that before they started all this.  Oh well, like so many other things it was too late now.

“Dad got back to the castle a little while after his talk with Mr. Weasley.  He visited Madam Pomfrey, then went up to talk to the Headmaster’s office.  If you ask me, this might not have been the best of ideas.  He probably could have used a bit more time to cool off.  This is one of very few times I’ve even heard of Dad losing control.  The fact he did it twice in one night should tell you something.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 1996

Dumbledore looked up from the missive in front of him as Severus Snape stormed into the room.  “Ah, Severus, my boy, lovely to see you this evening.”

Severus’s eyes narrowed at the greeting.

“What can I do for you Severus,” the old man asked kindly gesturing for the younger man to take a seat.

Severus hesitated, but took a seat in the chair directly across from the Headmaster.  There was a moment of heavy silence before Severus gathered himself enough to speak.

“I wish to discuss my son.”  Severus said softly.  The words were spoken so softly in fact they were almost lost in the small sounds of the many instruments that laid about the Headmaster’s office.

Albus looked the younger man over.  The man’s face was schooled his features into his ever present stone mask.  There however, was a fire in his eyes.  What made it burn so hot and bright tonight Albus was unsure, but he had a feeling he would find out.

“What about young Harry would you like to discuss?  Has there been a breakthrough in his Occlumency lessons?”  Albus asked steepling his long fingers.

Severus paused.  “In a manner of speaking.  For the first time tonight the boy was able to breakthrough my own shields as I was ejected from his mind.  He witnessed some rather unpleasant snippets of my memories including one of Tobias.  When we were both back in control he inquired if the screaming man was in fact my father.”

“I told him that he was not.  Tobias was not worthy of carrying such a title.  He said the man reminded him of his uncle.  He then provided me with a list of treatments maligning his care at his relatives.  I will be honest I brushed them aside.  I have no intention of the boy returning to their care based on what I had already seen.  I didn’t need to know whatever laundry list of imagined slights the boy had.  He persisted in telling me about them thought.  I did not pay him any mind until the boy told me he was kept in a cupboard under the stairs from almost the time of his arrival until receiving his Hogwarts letter.  He was stored like a spare pair of boots, or cleaning equipment.  I suppose the second part of the analogy is more than fair, as there are house elves that receive better care than the boy has.”

“What would you like to know Severus?” Dumbledore asked, his voice full of sorrow.

“I want to know how long you’ve known.  I confronted Black on his failure to protect the boy, but he claims he never knew.  What’s more I believe him.  He has no training in what to look for in these sorts of cases.  Yes, he did not have the most pleasant relationship with his own family, but it was very different.  Afterward, however, Arthur Weasley told me he and Molly had told you of the boy’s treatment by his relatives.  He even said they’d requested the ability to take the boy in.  Now tell me, how long have you known?”  Severus asked sharply.

There was a pause as a clock chimed the late hour.  The wizards sat in an uncomfortable silence.

“Albus,” Severus said coldly.

The old man paused licking his dry lips, “I’ve always known.”

“Why did - … How could - …” Severus began.  He was lost for words.  He had had a feeling this was the case, but to hear it from the horse’s mouth was something else.

“I had no choice Severus.”  Albus explained softly.

“No choice?”  Severus demanded.  “There were an infinite number of choices.  Any wizarding family in Britain, if not the world would have gladly taken the boy in.”

“He would have grown up famous, people expecting great things from him before he could talk.  It was better to have him in the Muggle world, free from that pressure.”  Albus protested.

“Why then Petunia?  You’d met her.  You knew just how small and petty she could be.  You had to have known her jealousy and hatred of Lily would be transferred to the boy.  How could you be daft enough to tell her James was not the boy’s father?  If there was anything that could have ruined the boy’s future more than this mother’s death it was mentioning my name to Petunia Evans.  She despised me more than the entire Wizengamot combined.”  Severus said dejectedly.

“There was no other choice Severus.  Harry needed the protection of a blood relative, surely Arthur told you that.” Albus told him. 

Severus nodded.

“Lily’s sacrifice ensured Harry a protection that no wizard, no matter how powerful could break.  To be maintained, this required Harry live under the care of someone who he had genetic ties to.  Petunia was the only living family member he had.”  Albus explained.  If Severus was not mistaken there was a note of pleading in the older wizard’s voice.

“She wasn’t though.  There was me.”  Severus countered.

“Yes, you the convicted Death Eater.  How would you explain how you came to care for Harry Potter?  What would you have done when Voldemort retuned?  He would have forced you to hand over your son to him.  What would you have done Severus?  Don’t you see Severus, I had no choice.”

Severus sighed almost in resignation.  The man had a point.  “If you knew the Muggles were mistreating the boy why not try and at least prevent the greatest of abuse.  Surely you can’t justify leaving the boy to suffer unaided.”

Albus let out a small sigh.  In this moment he looked all of his many years.  “I hoped they would learn to love him.  I thought that with enough time they would treat him like one of their own.  By the time Harry was school age, it was clear this was never going to happen.  My hope than was the Muggle authorities would step in.  Here too he was failed.  Somehow he fell through the cracks.”

Severus was not so sure it was entirely the system that failed Harry.  He was fairly sure it had help along the way.

“Why not call in the M.L.E. if the Muggles failed?”  Severus demanded.

Albus dismissed his concerns, “Don’t you see?  If the M.L.E. found out it was bound to make it into the press.  There would have been an uproar “the-Boy-Who-Lived Abused at Hands of Muggle Relatives”.  People would have called for blood.”

“They would have wanted to remove Harry from the Dursley’s care, then were would Harry have been?  As tragic as it was Harry had to be brought up this way.”  Albus explained.

“No old man, he did not.  You saw him as a pawn in your game once more.  You saw his future as a sacrifice you were willing to make never mind the consequences.  This will not happen again.  From now on all decisions regarding the boy’s fate and welfare go through me.  I don’t care what excuses you have to make.  I will decide what is best for my son.”  Severus said, before storming from the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

Severus listened as Harry described Severus’s response to the detailed description of the abuse Harry suffered at the hands of his relatives.  Severus was slightly embarrassed by his response.  He was slightly unfair in his attacks on Black and the Weasleys.  He could not say the same about the Headmaster.  If Albus Dumbledore were any other man Severus was certain he would have curse him.

Harry’s telling of events seemed to make Severus less harsh, at least to Severus himself.  There was one encounter Harry did not know about.  Severus was not sure he could ever tell Harry about it.  He was too scared he would lose his son because of his disapproval.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 1996

Severus Apperated to the corner of Private Drive.  He was too upset to care if any Muggles noticed his sudden appearance, or his strange attire.  Severus wore his typical black teaching robes, high collared shirt, and black slacks.

Severus walked a short way down the street. A man at Number 9 gave Severus a dirty look at the sight of his robes.  Severus gave him an equally dirty look in return.  The man quickly retreated into his house.  Severus noticed the well-kept garden at Number 4 was looking slightly shabby.  It seemed Petunia was willing to let her reputation suffer if only to make Harry’s life all the harder.  Severus cursed the woman’s pettiness once more.  Petunia would be forced to deal with the repercussions of her actions however.

Severus would love to see the look on Tuney’s horsey face when she realized that next summer.  Her era of free labor would come to an end.  Perhaps he should do something to aid her gardening efforts.  He would have to think on that.

Severus walked up the brick walkway.  Stopping at the door Severus considered his next course of action.  Perhaps he should have changed out of his robes, if only to put the Muggles momentarily at ease.  No, Severus thought Tuney would likely recognize him instantly and any effort doing so would have been a waste.  Severus raised his hand and delivered three sharp wraps of his knuckles on the door.

There was a slight commotion on the other side of the door, followed by heavy footsteps.  “We’re not interested in buying anything,” a male voice yelled before the door even opened.

Severus merely waited for it to open.  He was rewarded a moment later by the angry visage of Vernon Dursley.

“What do you want?”  Vernon asked gruffly.

“I wish to speak with you about your nephew, Mr. Dursley.”  Severus replied, almost civilly.

Vernon looked the wizard up and down before stealing a glance past him.  There were people watching the interaction in the yards of Numbers 9 and 7.

“Come in,” Vernon offered gruffly.

“Who is it Vernon,” Petunia called stepping out of the kitchen dish cloth still in hand.

“You,” she hissed eyes falling on Severus.

“Tuney,” Severus greeted icily.

“What do you want freak?”  Petunia demanded again.

Severus’s face darkened dangerously.  “I will not be spoken t in such manner,” he warned.

“I will speak to you anyway I want freak,” Petunia hissed.

Without warning Petunia hung upside down as if suspended by one ankle.

“Any more of that Tuney, and this will be the least I do to you,” Severus promised returning the woman to the ground.  “Now, I would like a cup of tea while we talk.”

Petunia straightened her skirt and blouse fussily before disappearing into the kitchen once more to make the requested tea.  Vernon took a seat on the sofa doing his best to avoid the wizard’s steely gaze.  Severus took the opportunity to survey the room.

The room was neat and tidy.  There were a number of knick knacks along the mantle and on a small series of shelves in the corner.  Harry would certainly have had a time with dusting this room.

It was then Severus noticed the photographs, or perhaps lack of photographs of Harry.  There were any number of a fat blond child, Dudley, Severus remembered, but not a single one of Harry.  It really shouldn’t have surprised him, given why he was here, but it was still heartbreaking.  Severus may not have grown up in the happiest of homes, but there were still photos of him on display.  Severus could not imagine being forced to live in a place for almost 15 years where there was not even an acknowledgement of his existence.

Petunia entered with a tea tray just then.  Severus noted she’d left off the biscuits.  Her manners would only go so far it seemed.  Petunia sat down beside her husband, Severus joined then taking an armchair across the coffee table.  Petunia readied to pour but Severus put his hand up to stop her.  Petunia’s lips purse, but she did as she was told.  Severus poured out two cups while craftily adding a small measure of Veritaserum to each cup before taking requests on milk and sugar.  The cups were accepted wearily, but both Dursleys refused to drink.  Severus expected such hesitancy and poured himself a cup pointedly taking a sip from his own cup.  Apparently that was enough to put the Dursleys at ease that Severus had not poisoned the pot at least and they both sipped their tea.

Severus waited until the Dursleys were most likely both halfway finished with their tea before asking his first question.  Severus thought long and hard about what he should ask them.  There were so many things he wanted to know.  Now that he was here, his mind was blank.  Finally Severus settled on one of the most basic.  “Did you ever hit Harry?”

Vernon grunted.  “Knocked the boy ‘bout few times.  Most of the time just locked him in his cupboard.  He was too fast to hit when you wanted to.”

Severus kept his features stony as he listened to Vernon’s blasé attitude to the abuse committed on his nephew.

“Why was Harry in a cupboard?”  Severus asked.  It was taking all of his Occlumency skills to keep his tone and face neutral.

“Where else are you supposed to put undesirables?  You need to have a broom, but do you want to see it all the time?  We had to keep the brat, but there was nothing saying we must recognize him, so we put him with the brooms.”  Petunia explained.

Severus’s blood boiled.  She just compared a person, her own flesh and blood with a cleaning instrument.  If Severus ever doubted her humanity before, he certainly did not now.  It took him a moment to recover wits enough to ask his next question.  He supposed the broom comment would answer it, but he had to make sure.

“Why was Harry forced to do so many chores?” Severus asked.

“Had to earn his keep didn’t he?” Vernon asked gruffly.  “Couldn’t afford to have some worthless lay about take clothes off the back and food out of the mouth of our Dudders could we?”

Severus took a calming breath.  He would make it through this set of questions if it took all night.  This was his only chance to ask those responsible.  Losing his patience Severus prepared to ask the most important, possibly, the only one that truly mattered.  “If you did not want to keep Harry why did you?  Why not give him to the state to care for?”

Petunia answered this time.  “He was my sister’s.  You don’t turn your back on family.”

Severus was completely baffled.  “Then what do you call what you’ve done to Harry?”

“Oi you,” Vernon barked.  “We put a roof over that freak’s head.  We’ve feed and clothed him.  Petunia said we couldn’t chuck him out, so we didn’t.  We did as we were told.  If you lot wanted him looked after properly, you should have done it yourselves.  Where do you get off shoving dirty little freaks on people anyway?”

That was it. Severus’s temper snapped faster than a nesting dragon.  In an instant his wand was in his hand.  Vernon was in a Complete Body-Bind, Petunia too.  Thinking he put both of them into an enchanted sleep.  He would need time to carry out his plan.  If would go much better not having to worry them seeing what he was up to.

The first thing he decided were the photos.  Severus placed a complex charm on each picture.  Whenever one of the Dursleys were to look at the photo of Dudley, instead they would see an image of a sad, half-starved, neglected Harry.

Next were the bedrooms.  Here Severus made it feel as if the Dursleys were forced into Harry’s cupboard.  He did nothing to the actual walls, but the Dursleys would no doubt feel the walls closing in on them.

The last thing was probably the cruelest.  He made Petunia and Vernon completely forgettable.  If they were to meet someone new, the person would forget the encounter as soon as they broke eye contact.  Really, this was just the natural course of their desire to fit in wasn’t it?

Severus then headed back upstairs to the smallest bedroom.  There was not much in the room, an old calendar, broken toy, some ignored Muggle books.  Severus collected everything he thought Harry might care to keep, including the books.  Remembering from his own youth storing more valuable items away from sight Severus conducted a painstaking search of the room.  Locating a loose floorboard under the bed Severus retrieved a bottle of ink, a collection of letters used wrapping paper and few photos and newspaper clippings.  Severus shrank everything and put it in his pocket.  He’d let Harry decide what he wanted to keep and what to discard.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

Severus wondered how Petunia and Vernon were faring as retuned his attention back to what Harry was saying.

Present

“I guess you could say that’s when Dad and my relationship really started to change.  Yeah, we were already sort of friendlier… at least less hostile, there was a lot of baggage there.  Dad still thought of me as the ‘darling, dotted on, Potter-princeling’.  He thought the less pleasant memories were either played up, or were just a rare occurrence.  He didn’t realize ‘Harry Hunting’ was practically a daily occurrence.  He had never seen the memories of me locked in my cupboard for days on end, denied food for whatever small infraction.” At this comment hundreds of hands shot up.  Everybody wanted to know more it seemed.  Harry looked around the room he should have expected that. Oh well, it was too late not.  “I’m not going to talk too much more about my time at the Dursley’s.  It’s none of your business.  I’ve said enough to give you a picture of what happened and that’s more than enough.”  

Harry took a deep breath.  “Dad couldn’t imagine “The-Boy-Who-Lived” ever being treated that way.  From the looks I’m getting from everybody here, I’m betting you guys couldn’t either.”  Harry paused, shaking his head.  “I don’t want your pity.  I don’t want anybody’s pity.  I can’t change what happened, but it made who I am.  Heck, if the Dursleys had treated me like everybody thought I’d been brought up I probably would have been that bullying, conceded prat Dad saw me as.”

Harry let out an uneasy chuckle.  “Errr… so with his new found knowledge Dad figured out not only were the Dursleys really horrible to me, but I was a lot better a Occlumens than he ever gave me credit for.  He realized if I was able to hide this much from him I might do much better with a change of technique.”

Harry shifted a little uncomfortably.  “I guess he also wanted to make sure I wasn’t hiding anything else.  Errr… the next time I went down for Occlumency lessons things were a bit awkward.  I didn’t know how Dad had taken the news or how he planned to proceed. I figured he wasn’t going to use the information against me that was too much like the old Snape…. Still I wasn’t sure he’d treat me any different.  To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted him too.  Like I said earlier, I didn’t and still don’t want anybody’s pity.”

“I didn’t expect Dad’s pity would look like other peoples’.  He wouldn’t try and drown me in hugs and kisses, say ‘poor dear’ and whatever.  He wouldn’t give me the sad eyes and all that rot.  That’s not him.  I know what.  I didn’t know what form his pity would take, but I knew I didn’t want it.”  Harry said pushing his glasses up.

“When I got down to his class and was greeted with the traditional crisp ‘Potter’, I have to be honest, I was relieved.  It showed me at least at some level things hadn’t changed between us.  True, at that point I didn’t know Dad was already makings plans to make sure I never had to cross the Dursleys threshold again, or he had confronted pretty much every adult in my life up to that point to find out why I been allowed to be treated like that.”

“Like I was saying before, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect when I got my lesson.  Dad greeted me like normal so that’s basically what I was expecting, but that’s not what happened.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 1996

“Potter,” Severus greeted as Harry entered the Potions classroom.

“Evening sir,” Harry said cautiously as he set his bad down.

“Do not get comfortable.  We will not be staying here tonight,” Severus barked.

“Sir,” Harry asked cautiously.

“You heard me Potter,” Severus snapped.

Harry nodded and returned his bad to his shoulder.  Seeing this Severus rose from his desk.

“Follow me.”

Not daring to ask any questions Harry followed his father at least until Severus opened the passage to his private quarters.

“We’re going into your quarters sir?”  Harry asked nervously.

“An excellent deduction Potter.” Severus said snidely.

Harry stopped dead.  “That’s alright sir.  I’d rather stay here in your office or the classroom sir.  If it’s all the same to you sir.”

Severus snarled.  Why must everything with the boy be a fight?  “It is not all the same to me Potter.  If it were we would stay here.  However, I wish to attempt to instruct you using a new technique.  Neither the classroom nor my office provide the appropriate facilities, but if you would rather have a classmate or instructor barge in on us, we may stay here.  I would like to see you try and explain what we were doing.  Do make sure not to expose your connection to the Dark Lord or my affiliation with the Order if you would.”

Harry at least had the wits to be embarrassed.  “Sorry, sir.  I just figured you didn’t like people in our quarters.”

Severus took pity on the boy.  “As a general rule, I do not let people into my personal quarters, but as the Headmaster is so fond of reminding me, you are not ‘people’.  You are my son.”

Harry looked up surprised.  He didn’t remember the professor acknowledging their relationship other than when he and Sirius were told about starting his Occlumency lessons.  Severus only pointed it out then to overrule Sirius… and probably take a dig.

“Do not take this as a free invitation to march into my quarters when your heart desires.  You are not to bring your little friends here.  It would be better if they did not know you were ever here, but I don’t believe you capable of that level of secrecy.”

Harry didn’t say anything, but frowned slightly.  Why did his dad have to be such a prat?

“I won’t tell them sir.  Honest,” Harry aid quickly at Snape’s quirked brow.

“Perhaps,” Severus proceeded down the passage Harry obediently in tow.

“Sit down over there,” Severus instructed gesturing to as dark leather sofa across from the fireplace.

Harry set his book bag by the door keeping only his wand before crossing the room as instructed.

Severus watched his son’s actions.  There were fraught with unease.  He knew the mistrust between himself and the boy was well earned.  What hadn’t expected was the guilt from it.  Severus removed the heavy teaching robes and hung them on the peg by the door.

He took a moment before crossing the room summoning a chair to sit across from his son.

“From this point forward, at least for the foreseeable future your Occlumency lessons will take place here in my quarters.  You will meet me in the classroom.  If there are other students present you are to work on your homework assignments until they are dismissed.  If I am not present for whatever reason you are to wait there.  You may check my office if I do not appear within five minutes.  You are NEVER to enter these quarters unless you are in my presence.  Is that understood?”

Harry nodded.  “Yes sir,” Harry added as the professor’s eyes narrowed at his lack of verbal response.

“We are to work on a new method of controlling your shields when you Occlude your mind.  Up to this point you have been reacting only as I attack your mind.  This strategy will never provide an adequate offense to the Dark Lord’s powers.  You must have minimum shielding of your mind at all times.  You must not allow the Dark Lord to see into your mind.”  Severus strained.

“How am I supposed to do that sir?”  Harry asked nervously.  His previous session hadn’t been particularly pleasant, or very affective.  He wanted to show his father he wasn’t a complete dunderhead.

“Remove your shoes and lay back on the sofa,” Severus instructed.

“Sir,” Harry asked surprised.

“Harry, just do as you’re told for once.” Severus snapped.

Harry shocked at the sound of his given name set to undoing the laces of the scuffed work shoes.  A moment later he was lying on his back staring at the stone ceiling of the professor’s quarters.  It was surreal.

“Potter, concentrate,” Severus snapped at the boy.  It was obvious Harry had missed his last instruction.

“Sorry, sir.  What did you say,” Harry moved to sit up.

“Stay there,” Severus snapped.  “I told you to remove your glasses and close your eyes.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry agreed laying back.  He plucked the glassed off his nose and fumbled to place them on the nearby coffee table.

Losing patience with the boy’s struggle Severus summoned the glasses and set them on then on the table in front of him.

“With your eyes closed, but relaxed, I want you to count backwards from ten.  When you reach one I want you to picture a detailed image.  It needs something that you know all parts of.  It needs to be something complex, but something that can be easily be broken down.  This image will form the basis of your ability to Occlude anything you wish to hide from the Dark Lord or any other Legilimens.”

Harry bit his lower lip.  “I don’t understand sir.  What sort of image am I supposed to use?”

“Any image that is complex, but one that you know all the details of,” Severus replied.

Harry sat up.  “Err… so like the Quidditch pitch?”  Harry asked unsure if he was on the right track.

“Probably not.  The Hogwarts Qudditch pitch is comprised of only a few parts.  The image should be slightly more complex.”  Severus explained.

“What do you use sir,” Harry asked curiously.

“I use a potions cupboard.”  Severus said plainly.

Harry fought back a laugh.  He should have expected that.

“What is so funny Potter?  Did you expect it to me a map of Europe?  Honestly, if is a perfectly logical choice.  The cupboard is stocked with many ingredients.  All are categorized in accordance with the system.  From here I can tell if there has been an attempt to tamper or break into my memory as this would leave traces in my mind.  This would show up as misplaced, broken, or knocked over bottles depending on the level of intrusion.  Does that make thing any clearer?”

Harry nodded.  “Yeah, that makes things a lot more sense.  So like think about Hogwarts would work?  Instead of potion bottles, I could use doorways or something?”

Severus thought about it for a moment.  “That sounds like a plausible suggestion.  Why do we not try it and see?”  Severus offered.  “Lay back and count.  Tell me when you are ready.”

Harry laid back down and closed his eyes again, “Ten, nine, eig-”

“You need not count out loud.”  Severus said softly.

“Oh, sorry,” Harry offered.  A moment later he said, “Ready when you are sir.”

“We will not test your shields immediately.  Rather we will work on organizing your mind so you will be able to pull or hide memories as need arise without losing precious time.  I take it from your previous inquiry you were planning on using Hogwarts as your image.  Describe it to me.  Are you using the image provided to you by your fa- James’s map?”

Harry shock his head.  “No, I’m in the castle.”

“Where are you now?”  Severus asked patiently.

“I’m in the entrance way, by the Great Hall.”  Harry said.

Severus rubbed his chin in thought.  “I see.  Here or the Great Hall would be an acceptable place to store your most innocuous memories.”

“Innocuous?” Harry asked puzzled.

“Harmless, Potter.  Really you’d think spending so much time with that insufferable know-it-all your vocabulary would have improved past an inbreed troll.” Severus scolded.

“Sorry sir,” Harry said lamely.

“Now draw up some of your least interesting memories.  These are to be stored in these rooms.  They can be placed in suits of armor, behind tapestries, anything along those lines.” Severus instructed.

“Memories of what sir?  Is there anything in particular I should hide here, or just stuff like what I had for breakfast?”  Harry asked.

“Nothing specific, routine, boring memories will be stored here.  Your breakfast is an appropriate example.  You may store as many here as you desire, though, fill no need to hide things in every knock and cranny.  We need to be getting on.”  Severus instructed.

Harry took a few minutes to hide memories of going shoe shopping with his aunt, eating breakfast in the Great Hall, doing chores during the summer holidays, and a few other uninteresting memories.

“When you are ready we will proceed.  As we go deeper into the castle the more powerful the memories stored there should be.  Your most powerful memories should be kept in one of the most defended parts of the castle.  Where you choose for this place is up to you.  I would recommend either the Headmaster’s office or the dungeons.”  Severus advised.

Harry frowned.  “The dungeons I guess.  The stuff in Dumbledore’s office is always changing, and I’ve only been there a couple of times.  At least dungeons don’t move.” Harry explained thoughtfully.  “What about the rest of the castle sir?  Shouldn’t I have memories stored in the Gryffindor Common Room or something?”

Severus considered this.  It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to have his memories spread over a large area.  See as the boy was in Gryffindor searching for things in the boy’s mental common room would be more likely than the dark depths of the gloomy dungeons.

“You may.  However, I would advise these be only moderately powerful memories at the most.  You might want to store a few, stronger thought, unimportant memories in those spaces.  If you ever need to mislead someone.”

“What do you mean by that?”  Harry asked shifting on the sofa.

“Times that would carry strong emotions, but would tell the intruder very little in terms of what they are looking for.  The death of a pet as a small child, something like that,” Severus explained.

Harry frowned.  “I never had a pet until I got my letter.  Aunt Petunia hates animals.”

Severus snorted, “Some things never change.  Very well, I’m sure you can think of some such moment in your life Harry.  Now, tell me when you are done.  The next stage will be by far the most important.  Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Potter.”  Harry placed the memory of the glass vanishing at the zoo, Ripper chasing him up a tree, and the time his aunt had practically shaved his hair off around the room.  He thought these were what the professor meant.  He’d find out later he guessed.

“Alright, I’m done.  So I’m in the dungeons now.  This is where I hide any of the really bad stuff right?”  Harry asked almost cheerily.

Very seriously Severus said, “That is correct Mr. Potter.  You need to hide any memories with strong emotions connected to them here.  This would be the events in the graveyard last year.  The experience with the basilisk and so forth.  This needs to be were you contain the depth of our relationship.  If the truth were discovered I need not explain the consequences for such a discovery.”

“Yeah, I know,” Harry said.  He took his time hiding away his memories: the graveyard, Cedric dying, the dementors by the lake in third year, Quirrell, his uncle locking him in his room and the bars on his window, reading his mother’s letter, Dumbledore telling him about the prophesy.  They were all stored behind different doors in the dungeons.  It was a good thing there were so many doors down there.  I think that’s everything.”

“You may sit up,” Severus said.

Harry righted himself, for not doing much he was awful tired.  His head hurt something terrible too.  He rubbed at his eye feeling round the table for his glasses.  Severus held out his hand palm up offering them to Harry.  

“Thanks.” Harry said putting them on once again.

“You are welcome.  The next step is to test you shields.  As I said before, we won’t do that this evening.  We have already put a great deal of strain on your mind already.  It would not be unexpected for you to experience headaches for the next day or so.” Severus explained.

“Yeah, I’ve got one now.” Harry said rubbing his eye once more.

“Accio Head-Ache Drought,” Severus called out.  A small vial of aqua potion flew into the professor’s hand.  “This will help.  If it returns, see Madam Pomfrey.”

“Thanks sir,” Harry said downing the potion.  He grimaced at the taste.

“That will be all for tonight.  He a good evening, Harry.”  Severus said dismissing the teenager.

“Ah… yeah, good night sir.”  Harry rose collected his bad and left in a slight daze.

Present

“I know this is going to sound really lame, but those last words got into my head.  Nobody when I was growing up called me Harry.  I mean my teachers at primary school did, but they were really the only ones who did.  To the Dursleys I was always ‘boy’, ‘freak’, or ‘him’.  If they ordered me to do something, which happened a lot, it was ‘you do this’.  When the other kids at school if they talked to me or about me it was as ‘Potter’.”

“When I got to Hogwarts most of the people started calling me Harry, but there were only a few adults who did, like Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore.  It was weird to hear my name from Dad’s lips, especially when it wasn’t traced with any sort of malice or contempt. ”

“I know it was lame to react that way, but it was the first time that I had proof Dad was moving past seeing me just as the spawn of James Potter.  He was not only admitting to being my father, but was in his own way moving toward embracing our relationship.”  “Like I said before, it was lame.  Unless you’ve grown up with nobody caring about you, you are never going to understand just how important something as simple as being called your given name can be.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

February 1996

Harry made his way down the hall headed back towards the Gryffindor Common Room, Professor Snape’s words still ringing in his ears.  Harry shock his head again, there was no way he could have heard the professor correctly.

Professor Snape didn’t call him Harry, none of the professors did.  Well Hagrid, Dumbledore and Remus did, but that was different.  They weren’t his family.  Of course the Dursleys never called him Harry either. It was just so weird to hear Snape call him that.  Did it really mean anything?

Harry only realized he had reached his destination when the Fat Lady cleared her throat.

“What?” Harry said shaking himself out of his doze.

“Password,” the Fat Lady repeated the irritation clear in her voice.

“Oh yeah, sorry,” Harry quickly mumbled the password and made his way inside.

Without really noticing where he was going Harry found himself in a chair by Ron and Hermione.

Hermione was the first to notice Harry’s presence and obvious preoccupation.

Hermione gently tapped Harry on the arm.  

“Is something wrong Harry?”  She asked anxiously.

Harry shook his head, “I’m okay ‘Mione.  I am.” He stressed seeing her skeptical look on his friends face.

“Did something happen during your lesson?”  She asked not believing for a second.

“Yeah…no…sort of,” Harry said hopping up from his seat and pacing agitatedly.

“What did the greasy git do now?” Ron asked throwing down his Transfiguration notes.

“He didn’t do anything, not like you’re thinking.”  Harry grumbled continuing to pace.

“He has to have done something for you to be reacting this way,” Hermione countered.

“He didn’t do anything.  It was something he said.”  Harry clarified stopping long enough to look his friend in the eye.

“What did he say,” Ron demanded.

“It’s nothing,” Harry mumbled as he threw himself back down into his chair.  “I’m just over reacting.  Can we just leave it?”

“Harry, he has to have said something to upset you this much.”  Hermione offered giving Harry’s arm a reassuring squeeze.

“He called me ‘Harry’ okay?”  Harry snarled pulling his arm away.  “I told you I was over reacting.”

“Oh Harry,” Hermione said rather surprised.  “That’s wonderful.  It means you two are making progress.”

“Yeah,” Ron offered noncommittally.  Ron had been less than enthusiastic to learn his best friend was the son of one of the most hated professors in all of Hogwarts all history.

“Yeah I guess,” Harry said throwing his head back in frustration.

There was a soft thwack as his head hit the back of the chair.

“Damn,” he grumbled rubbing the back of his head a moment later.

Ron let out a soft chuckle.

“It’s not funny Ron,” Hermione snapped.

“I wasn’t laughing at him and Snape, I was laughing at him…never mind.” Ron attempted to explain but gave up as Hermione continued to glare daggers.

“It’s fine ‘Mione.  I get it Ron,” said Harry as he rubbed the back of his for a moment longer.  “Come on, I really need to get started on that Transfiguration essay.”  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

“As my lessons continued Dad and I got a bit more comfortable in each other’s company.  It took us a good while.  Dad finding out the truth helped a lot.  I’ve said that already, I think, but it really did change so much.  Anyway, as we got more comfortable with each other we wanted to know more about one another.  We needed to finally put to rest any preconceived notions about one another.”  Harry paused to take a sip of water.  Talking for as long as he had was leaving him parched.

“It started off simply…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

March 1996

Harry straightened up catching his breath once more.

“You’ve done well tonight.  I believe that’s enough for this evening,” Severus said catching his breath as well.”

Harry nodded, “Alright, I guess I’ll see you in class.”

The teen stuck his wand in the back pocket of his jeans preparing to leave.  “Night,” he began.

“Would you care to join me for a cup of tea?” Severus offered.

“Huh,” Harry blurted out.

“It is still fairly early in the evening.  Curfew is not for several more hours. I was wondering if you would care to join me for a cup of tea before returning to Gryffindor Tower.”  Severus said calmly.

Harry shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.  “Oh,” he said dumbly.  “I mean yeah, that sounds alright, I guess.”

“Have a seat, it will be but a moment.”  Severus turned back toward the fireplace.  Harry watched as Severus removed a pinch of Floo-Powder from an inlaid wooden box on the mantle.  Severus made sure the boy was blocked from view as he ordered a tea service for two.  A moment later a heavy laden silver tea service appeared on the coffee table in front of Harry.

Severus joined him almost instantly.  “Shall I pour?”

Harry nodded.  He was too stunned at the bizarreness of the situation to say anything.

Severus poured a cup of tea about two-thirds of the way up the cup and stopped, “I’m afraid I don’t know how you take your tea.”

“Oh, black is fine, maybe a little sugar,” Harry replied.

Severus nodded and added one lump of sugar before passing it to Harry.  There was a moment of silence as Severus poured his own tea adding a touch of milk and three sugars.

Harry was surprised by this.  Somehow he couldn’t see his strict dour professor, father, taking his tea so sweet.

A heavy silence fell.  The only thing to be heard was the sound of the two wizards sipping and their tea and the clock ticking on the mantle.  Unable to take the silence a moment longer Harry screwed up his courage and asked, “Do you always take your tea like that sir?”

Severus quirked an eyebrow at the teenager’s question.  “An off line of inquiry, Mr. Potter.  I take my tea that way when the mood strikes me.  More often than not however, I take it black with no sugar.”

“Oh,” Harry said uncertainly.

There was a pause, “How did my mum take her tea?”  Harry asked.

“Why are you so fascinated with tea?” Severus asked mildly setting down his cup and saucer.  

Harry shrugged.  “I don’t know.  It’s in front of us, I guess.”

Severus nodded.  “Your mother always took her tea with milk, lots of it.  In the mornings she was more likely to add sugar, but not always.”  It was than he noticed Harry had not touched the plate of biscuits between them.  “Do help yourself to a biscuit.”

Harry hesitated, but took one with jam and shortbread.  Severus watched him critically.  “I take if you were not entitled to the biscuits at tea with those horrid Muggles.”

Harry nibbled the end of his cookie.  He gave a small shake of his head at his father’s question.

“You are free to help yourself here.  I will not deny you such things,” Severus promised.  “Your mother was a great fan of dunking her biscuits into her tea.”

Harry’s nose wrinkled at the statement.  “Then you get soggy bits floating around in it,” Harry whined.

“I see we are of a similar mind on the matter.  Lily often insisted that only happened because I let them stay in too long.  I will tell you I watched her fish out half a melted biscuit out of her tea more than once.  What a waste of a perfectly good pastry.”  Severus said.

Harry let out a laugh.  It was strange seeing his professor, father this way.  He was so relaxed.  He almost looked like he was going to smile when he said that thing about the melted biscuits.

“Your grandmother was an excellent baker.  Whenever she sent Lily a box of teats she would come and find me and we would find a quiet place on the ground to share them as we talked.  A flash of sadness passed across Severus’s face.

“Did you mum bake too?” Harry asked.

Severus’s face returned to stone almost instantly.  “No.  I don’t wish to discuss my family.”

Harry frowned, “Sorry, sir.”

“Harry, there is no need to apologize.  You have done nothing wrong.”  Severus told Harry seriously.

“Err… okay, still I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories or something.”  Harry gave the older wizard a small smile.

“It is fine.  Is that anything else you would like to know about your mother?” Severus asked irritably.

“Uh yeah,” Harry agreed.  

“Anything specific?”

“Anything,” Harry said.  “Aunt Petunia didn’t really talk about her.  I didn’t even know I had her eyes until I came to Hogwarts.  That’s pretty much all I know about her too.  Everybody talks about my da-James.  Damn it!”  Harry snapped in frustration.

“That kind of language is unacceptable Mr. Potter.  Articulate your frustrations without the further use of profanity please,” Severus scolded.

Harry pushed his bangs back from his forehead momentarily displaying his infamous scar.  “I don’t know what to call you,” the teen explained.

“I see.”  Severus said slowly.  “You are still to address me as ‘sir’ or ‘professor’ in class.  During our Occlumency lessons and here in my quarters you may address me anyway you feel comfortable.”

“But what am I supposed to call you?”  Harry demanded still clearly frustrated.  “I can’t call you ‘Dad’.  James is my ‘dad’, but he isn’t really my ‘dad’.” Harry rambled.

“Take a breath, Potter,” Severus ordered.  “There is more to fatherhood than mere biology.  James Potter cared for you dearly.  He gave his life in order to save you.  This is more than many parents may do for their biological children.  It is definitely more than my own… father would have done for me.” Severus explained.  “Potter had more than earned the title of ‘dad’.  You may call me something else if you prefer.”

Harry nodded weakly.  “I could call you ‘father’” Harry offered.  The word felt heavy and awkward on his tongue.

“You do not seem to approve of such a title.  The way you address me does not have to acknowledge our familial relationship if would make you more comfortable.”  Severus said.

Harry shock his head.  “It’s not that.  Calling you ‘father’, its sounds too much like something Malfoy would do.  I’m not a poncy git.”  Harry explained.

“I see,” Severus said, clearly baffled.  He was surprised that was the boy’s objection to forms of address nothing else.  Perhaps they were making progress.  “Then maybe you would be more comfortable calling me ‘Severus’ at least for the moment.”  The Potions Master suggested.

Harry frowned.  “That’s weird.  You don’t call your parents by their first names.”

“That may be true in most families, but as it had been noted before, this is not a normal family.”  Severus responded.

Harry shook his head once more.  “No thanks.  It’s still too weird.  I’ll figure it out.”  Harry shrugged grabbing another biscuit.  He checked his watch once more.  “I’d better go.  I still have a bunch of homework to finish.  Thanks for the tea, sir.  I’ll see you in class.”

Severus nodded and bid his son good night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

“Things continued like that for a while.  We’d talk about stupid things, such as likes and dislikes, over tea after my Occlumency lessons ended for the night.  Dad would typically ask me a question about something like my favorite subject or something like that.  I’d answer and ask about him or my mum.  We spent a lot of time talking about my mum.  He’d tell me about the past, but if it got too close to having to talk about his family he’d sort of shut down on me.  It was annoying, but we’d just move on after a minute.  There is a lot to learn about a person when you’re just getting to know them.  It’s not hard to avoid talking about families either.  After a while though, it get harder.  The more we talked and the more he saw of my memories the more Dad wanted to know about the Dursleys.  He could see flashes of the memories most of the time, but he didn’t have context.  He wanted that.  So we made a deal.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

March 1996

“Why are you so afraid of dogs?”  Severus asked as he handed Harry a cup of tea prepared just the way Harry liked.

“I’m not scared of dogs.”  Harry argued.

“Really?  You appeared to be rather frightened in that last memory I saw at end of our lesson,” Severus contended.

“It’s not dog.  It’s just Ripper,” Harry explained.

Severus’s expression remained blank.

Harry let out a soft sigh, “Ripper is Aunt Marge’s favorite bulldog.  She breeds them.”

“I was not aware Petunia had an aunt called Marge,” was all Severus said.

“She isn’t related to Aunt Petunia.  She’s Uncle Vernon’s sister. They always insisted I called her aunt though, out of respect or whatever.  She hated me, more than the Dursleys did.”  Harry said bitterly.

“How does this relate to your fear of dogs?”  Severus asked mildly.  The boy’s recollection tended to meander if not reminded to stay on point.

“It’s not dogs,” Harry repeated once more with a defensive huff.  

“It’s just Ripper.  Come on, with a name like that you expect cute and cuddly.  He’s an old foul tempered, evil, beast.  At Dudley’s ninth birthday party I accidently stepped on his tale.  Ripper chased me into the garden and up a tree.  Aunt Marge refused to call him of until midnight.”  Harry explained.

Severus gave a small nod.  “I see.  Your aunt and uncle did not object to such treatment?”

Harry let out a contemptuous snort.  “Like they would.  They laughed about it.  They thought it was funny.  Called me a coward and stuff too.  I’m glad Aunt Marge only visited those few times.”

Severus took a sip of tea.  There was a light in his eyes Harry didn’t like.  He was fairly sure it wasn’t directed at him, but it still made him very uneasy.  It was like he was an expensive potions ingredient that his father was trying to determine the best use of.

“When was the last time you saw Marge?” Severus asked coolly.

“Uh, the night I ran away for Diagon Ally… you know… after I blew her up.”  Harry said nervously.  He didn’t know exactly why he was nervous.  It was too long ago to get in trouble for the whole blowing up his aunt thing.  Maybe he was worried about Marge, but he would have been happy to see what his dad did to her.  Harry avoided eye contact with his father.  Who knew how the wizard would take this bit of information.

“Are you referring to the incident in the summer before your third year?  You chose to go on the run when a mass murder was on the loose and it was believed you were his number one target.”  Severus asked dumbfounded.

“It’s not like the news said he was in our area.  I didn’t know Sirius was a wizard, or that he wanted to kill me, which by the way he didn’t.”  Harry defended.

“You’re making such a strong case for your defense Mr. Potter.” Severus said coolly.

“Yeah,” Harry admitted, “I did see him that night too.”  

“What?” Severus demanded.

“Yeah, I saw Sirius that night, just before I almost got run over by the Knight Bus.  He was in his Animagus form, but it was him.  He scared me half to death.”  Harry explained.

“And yet you say you don’t fear dogs.”  Severus said, amusement creeping into his voice.

“I heard a noise, then there was a dog as big as a bear.  I was justifiably scared.”  Harry said picking another biscuit from the plate.

“Very well,” Severus conceded.

Harry set his cup down.  “Sir,” Harry asked softly.

“Yes, Harry” Severus asked refilling his tea cup.

“How come you always get to ask me about stuff, but you never answer me when I ask you the same?”  That question had been bugging Harry for weeks.  It had taken all of his Gryffindor courage and three tries to get it out.

“You don’t always answer and I do ‘answer your questions and stuff’ as you put it so intelligently.”  Severus countered.  “Your answers are often vague, Mr. Potter.  As for my not answering I am the adult in this situation and determine what is appropriate for you to know.”

“That’s not fair,” Harry whined.

“As you should well know by now, life often isn’t.”  Severus said the edge developing in his voice.

Harry mumbled something Severus didn’t quite catch.

“What was that?”  Severus asked giving the boy the benefit of the doubt.

“Nothing sir,” Harry grumbled. “I don’t see why I have to tell you everything if I don’t get anything in return.”

“What do you propose Mr. Potter?” asked a curious Severus.

Harry shrugged.  “I don’t know.  If you want to know something about the Dursleys you have to be willing to tell me about your mum and dad.  You can’t just blow me off by talking about Mum or family and stuff.”

Severus’s eyes narrowed dangerously.  “Why should I do that?  What’s to stop me from just breaking into your mind and locating what I’m looking for?”

“Your honor.  Plus,” Harry gave his father a cocky grin, “I’m getting pretty good at this Occlumency stuff.  I could hide those memories so far in the dungeons, you’d never find them.”

Severus took a moment to consider this.  “Fine, but you will only take what I give you.  If I refuse to answer one of your questions you are to accept it and move on.  Is this understood?”

Harry nodded, “Yes, sir.”

“You may proceed.”  Severus said giving his hand a dismissive wave.

“Oh, okay…Well, what was your mum like?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

“I can’t really tell you more about that without Dad jinxing me back to the start of time.  All you need to know is I learned about Professor Snape’s family and that was enough for me.

Present

“Dad and I had our Occlumency lessons for a couple of months when Dad found out about how the Dursleys treated me.  Sirius wasn’t really happy when we started the lessons, but he didn’t really have much of a choice.  Dumbledore said he wanted me to have them, which normally would have been enough.  But with Dad being the instructor, Sirius was more than a little hesitant.  Even if he wanted to stop it, Dad was my dad.  So it’s not like Sirius could overrule him.  After he got past that, well, he sort of …errr… not lost interest, but he wasn’t asking me about it all the time or anything.”  Harry frowned.

“After the stuff about my family came to light though, Sirius wanted to know everything.  He probably asked me more questions about what I was doing and how I was feeling in the first two weeks after his fight with Dad then he had in the previous two years.  The thing he wanted to know the most about was my relationship with Dad.  Sirius thought Dad must have torturing me to get that information.  I tried to tell him he hadn’t, but he didn’t believe me.  When I told him things were getting better between us, he really didn’t believe me.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

March 1996

Harry knelt in front of the fire place waiting for Sirius’s face to appear.  He checked his watch once more. 1:30 a.m. Sirius was supposed to be there any moment.

Harry fought back a yawn.  He had a long day.  The day started off the night before with astronomy.  Then during the day there was Transfiguration and Charms.  He spent several hours in the afternoon trying to stay on track with homework, an ever increasingly difficult task as O.W.L.’s drew closer.  Then he spent two hours of Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape, before coming back to the Tower to work on more homework.

The thing that had tired him out the most was without a doubt the Occlumency lessons.  Harry was glad to hear Sna-the prof- his da-whatever was impressed with the progress was making in his lessons now.  The change in the way they did them made all the difference in the world.  He was glad they taken the time to go through and organize his memories.  Harry found it much easier to form his shields.  What he hadn’t expected were the benefits of the ability to control his emotions in the present and increased ability to focus, not that, that was happening now.

Harry could feel the tension in his shoulders.  He wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to Sirius tonight.  Well, that wasn’t the truth.  He liked talking to his godfather, he really did.  It was just that Harry knew how dangerous this plan was.  Somebody had already attacked Hedwig.  If they were willing to attack his owl what was stopping them from watching the fireplaces.  Where would Harry be if Sirius had gone through all the trouble of breaking out of Azkaban and spending all that time on the run if he got caught talking to Harry tonight?

Harry checked his watch again.  Sirius was late.  Harry looked back over his shoulder to make sure nobody was coming.  How long was supposed to wait?  Should he sleep by the fireplace just in case…?  

That was getting a little ahead of himself.  Sirius was only a couple minutes later.  Harry frowned.  He wished he’d asked his da-the professor for his advice about the situation earlier that evening.  He should have, but Harry knew how much they hated each other.  He didn’t want the pro-his dad… to tell him not to talk to Sirius just because didn’t like him, even if there were other reasons too.  Harry was relieved of some of that drama as the fire crackled to life.

“Harry,” Sirius’s disembodied head greeted gruffly.

“Hey,” Harry said noncommittally.

“What’s wrong Harry?” Sirius asked.

“Nothing,” Harry assured shaking his head.  “What did you want to talk about Sirius?”

“How is that greasy git treating you?” Sirius barked.

“What? Really?  That’s what you wanted to know about?”  Harry said sitting back on his heels.

“Harry, if Snivellus…” Sirius began.

“Don’t call him that,” Harry snapped.

“If Snape,” Sirius stressed putting all his contempt into the name as possible, “is treating you poorly, you can tell me.  I can talk to Dumbledore.  I’m sure I could get you out of those lessons.  You need to speak up Harry.  I can’t fix it if I don’t know what the problem is.”

Harry shock his head.  “He’s treating me fine.”

Sirius’s eyebrow rose skeptically.  “I know those Muggles were horrible to you Harry.  You need to know that’s not normal.  If Snape is –”

“What are you on about?”  Harry asked clearly confused.

“Harry, if Sniv-Snape is bearing you or invading your mind that isn’t acceptable.” Sirius growled.

“He’s not doing anything like that.”  Harry said, his voice full of disbelief.  “Why would you…”

Sirius cut him off.  “How else did he find out about the damned Muggles?”

Harry bit his lip nervously.  How much should he go into this?  Did he tell Sirius about the fight Harry and with his dad?  Should he talk about how the professor helped organize Harry’s memories?  Would Sirius really understand how things worked?  Harry’s indecision must have shown.

“What’s wrong Harry?”

“He didn’t torture me,” Harry’s voice was small.  “I told him.  He was going on about how my aunt and uncle pampered me and stuff and… and if all sort of came rushing out.  He didn’t say anything after that really, just let me go for the night.  The next time I came down for Occlumency lessons he wanted to do them differently.  He says he’s impressed with my progress since we switched how we did them.”

Sirius sat in stunned silence.  How had he never asked how the Muggles treated his godson?  Snape had made him feel bad about this, but it was nothing compared to how he felt now.  “That’s great Harry,” he said distractedly.  “How are you doing your lessons now? What’s different?”

Harry pushed up his glasses.  “Oh, uhh… first off we’re not having them in his office anymore.”

Sirius cocked his head to the side in very canine manner.

Harry paused for a moment, final he said, “We’re doing them in the pro-his quarters.”

“Harry, he’s not … you know… touching you…” Sirius asked.

“Sirius! Gods no!”  Harry yell loud as he dared.

“I had to ask,” Sirius grumbled.

“He’s my dad, Sirius.” A frazzled Harry defended.

“You’d be surprised,” Sirius grumbled.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two.

“How is he… how’s he treating you outside your lessons.”  Sirus asked uneasily.

“Well you know in class…” Harry said just as uneasily.

“I know in class he can’t treat you any different.  How about when it’s just the two of you?”  Sirius clarified.

Harry paused.  “Oh, we haven’t really spent much time together, I mean outside of working on my Occlumency skills and in class.  I sort of just go down there for my lessons and leave when he say to go.  I stick around for tea sometimes.”

“I thought you said in your letter that he’s treating you better,” Sirius asked.

“He is.  He’s calling me ‘Harry’ most of the time, when we’re alone.” Harry offered.

There was no way Sirius could understand this, not really.

“Harry, that’s not that important.  He should call you that.”

Harry frowned. He was right, Sirius wasn’t going to understand.  How do you tell your godfather that no adult in his life, well at least in his memory until the Weasleys, had called him by his name?  At the Dursleys’ he was ‘boy’ or ‘freak’.  At primary school, like at Hogwarts he was ‘Potter’.  

There was no way he could explain to Sirius just how much it mattered to him.  It wasn’t just that the prof-Sna-Da- cared enough to use his first name it showed they were getting closer.  The willingness to be less formal was moving.  It also showed Professor Snape was moving past his assumptions about Harry and all the preconceived notions how like James Potter he was supposedly was.

There was a sound Harry looked over his shoulder.  “Is there somebody there?”

When nobody responded Harry turned back to Sirius.  “Is that sound coming from your side?”

Sirius looked around, “There’s somebody in the Floo.”

“Go,” Harry urged.

“I’ll write,” Sirius said and ducked out just as a fat stubby hand appeared.

Harry’s heart thundered.  Umbridge.  They’d nearly been caught by Dolores Umbridge.  How could things get any worse?  It would not be long before Harry would get answer to that question.  

Present

“Easter Break came in the blink of an eye.  It was sort of a blessing and a curse this year.  It was great to have a break from classes, but all of the professors thought it would be a great idea to give twice as much homework to us fifth years.  Hermione also saw fit to start bugging us about reviewing for our O.W.L.s.  All in all it wasn’t that much of a break. The best thing about it was the time I got to spend with my dad.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

April 1996

“That will be enough for this afternoon Harry,” Severus said straightening after being thrown out of his son’s mind once more.

“Alright,” Harry agreed catching his breath.  “I guess I should get going if I want to get to dinner.”  Harry said after a moment.

“Actually, I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner here.”  Severus inquired.

“Oh, okay,” Harry said taking a seat on the sofa once more.

“I will be back in a moment, when I return I will order us dinner, if that is acceptable to you?”  Severus asked.

Harry shrugged, “That’s fine.  I could order dinner for us if you’d like.”  Harry offered as an afterthought.

“That will not be necessary.” Severus told him.

With that Severus disappeared down a short hallway.  Harry took the opportunity to explore the room a bit more.  The entire room was lined with bookcases.  There were so many books that they all couldn’t fit on the many shelves. There were some stacked on top of the books on the shelves.  Harry didn’t take the time to read any of the titles.  He was sure Hermione would die of jealousy to get a chance to explore the Professor’s personal library.  Harry was sure there were some valuable volumes in here, but he wouldn’t have known them is they walked up and introduced themselves.

Harry moved to the mantle.  He carefully picked up the intricately inlaid box he had seen Seve- his father take the Floo-Powder from.

“It was your grandmother’s,” Severus’s deep voice said from behind.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.  It was only his Quidditch perfected reflexes that stopped the box from hitting the ground.

“Do be careful Potter,” Severus begged.

“Sorry sir,” Harry carefully placed it where it belonged.  “You said it was my grandma’s.  How did you get it?”

Severus fought back the urge to roll his eyes.  “Like all other people I too had a mother, Harry.  When she passed away I inherited all her belongings.”

Harry was smart enough to look shamefaced.  “I…sorry…I thought…I mean when you said it was my grandma’s I thought it was my mum’s mum… you know.”

“Stop your rambling.  I am aware of what you thought.  The only thing I have of the Evans’ is a book.  Your mother left it at my house the summer before our falling out.  I never had a chance to return it.”

“Oh,” Harry acknowledged awkwardly.  “But the box belonged to your mum?”

“Yes, it was a gift from Tobias.  He acquired it when he was abroad with the Navy.  I believe during his service during World War II.”  Severus explained.

“Cool,” Harry said looking at the box once more.

“Now if you would take a seat at the table I can order our dinner.” Severus said mildly.

Harry did as he was told taking a seat on the right side of the table.  He never sat at the ends.  Those were where his aunt and uncle sat at the Dursleys and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley at the Burrow.  It just seemed like a place for adults to Harry.

Harry was pulled from his stupor as a number of steaming dishes appeared on the small table.

Harry helped himself to servings mash potatoes, roast beef, green beans, and much to Severus’s surprise sprouts.

“What?”  Harry asked sprout half way to his mouth.

“Nothing,” Severus said.  “It’s just not many teens would voluntarily eat a sizable helping of sprouts.”

Harry shrugged.  “They’re not my favorite, but I sort of got used to them.  Dudley refused to touch so there were one of the few things that there was plenty to go ‘round.”

Severus made a sound in acknowledgement.  “Your mother shared your cousin’s opinion of the vegetable.  I am not overly fond of them myself.  I was forced to eat them in my youth and no matter how many times I tell those damn elves not to send me any, they still end up on my table.”

Harry chewed his sprout slowly. “Is everything okay, sir?”  He asked as he finished. The older man seemed rather tense.  It wasn’t like the professor to over react to something as trivial as sprouts.

“Everything is fine,” Severus reassured.  

They sat quietly at the table Harry playing with his potatoes as the professor finished his dinner.

“If you’re not going to eat, you may be excused,” Severus said as he watched Harry smash the tower of mashed potatoes he’d just constructed.

Harry nodded and left the table.  Unsure of what to do, he took a seat on one of the sofa to wait.  Severus joined him a moment later, taking a seat in his favorite arm chair.  Neither said a word as Severus poured them both a cup of tea from the tray that appeared a moment before. Harry dished out several biscuits for each out them making sure to take both of the jam shortbreads, his favorite.

Severus took another sip his tea and asked, “Have you given any consideration to your summer plans?”

Harry shrugged.  “Not really, summer is months away.  I figured I’d spend time at the Burrow, I do most every summer.  I might get to see Sirius too.  I don’t get to see him that often.  I’d be going batty if I was cooped up in that house like he is.  I think he could use some more company.  The only time he really sees people are Order meetings…”

“I am aware of Black’s condition, Harry.  We are discussing your welfare at the moment not his.” Severus reminded his son.

“Sorry,” Harry mumbled softly.

“I take it you had not given much thought to where you will permanently reside then.” Severus said setting down his cup.

Harry looked confused.  “I thought I has to go back to the Dursleys like always.”

Severus’s face darkened, “You are never going back there.  I will not let you go back just to be abused by those horrid Muggles.”

Harry let out a mirthless laugh, “Sure, fine.  There had to be a catch.  Where am I supposed to go?”

Severus frowned at the boy’s tone, so jaded and angry for someone so young.

“The catch, you would be you would have to stay with me.”  Severus said smoothly.

“Huh, why with you?”  Harry asked dumbly.

“For the same reason you must return to the Dursleys’ each summer.  As long as you inhabit a location of a blood relative and most importantly considerate it home you will be protected by the bloodwards.”

“Oh right, I guess that makes sense.  So, I wouldn’t have to see the Durselys before I went over to the Burrow.”

A crease appeared in Severus’ brow.  

“No, you would not have to return to the Dursleys.  However, I had hoped to spend the summer getting better acquainted with you if you chose to spend the summer with me.”

Harry opened his mouth as if to speak before shutting it quickly.  How could he not have realized Snape would want him to stay for the summer when he was inviting for just that purpose?

“Sorry, sir… Father, it’s just I’ve gone to the Burrow every summer since after first year.  I didn’t mean… I just thought...”

Snape put up his hand to silence the teen’s ramblings, “Harry, stop, if you would prefer to only stay with me long enough to satisfy the wards that could be arranged.”

“No,” Harry blurted out.

Severus was surprised by how admittedly the boy was opposed to what he said.

“I don’t want to go to the Burrow.”  Harry shook his head in frustration.  “I don’t want to spend my whole summer there.  I just go there as soon as I can to avoid the Dursleys.  If I was with you, I’m sure I wouldn’t be so desperate to get away.  I mean, you’ve been treating me a lot better than they ever do.”

Severus raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“What, you don’t keep food from me, or call me ‘freak’ and let me do my homework.  Even when you were being a right bastard it was better than the Dursleys.”

Severus scoffed.

“You never took a broom to me ‘cause I didn’t do a good enough job with the sweeping, or refused to feed me when I burned the bacon.” Harry said to his cup.

“No, but there are other ways of hurting a child without ever laying a hand on them,” Severus said sadly.  “I have hurt you just as badly as the Dursleys ever did.”

“No you didn’t!” Harry protested.

“Yes I did.”

“You didn’t!”  Harry really yelled as he jumped to his feet.  “I can’t say your words didn’t hurt, but you weren’t as bad as them.”

Severus watched his son intently.  The teenager had no idea how much damage he had suffered at the hand of those who were supposed to care for him.

“Harry, you cannot understand how much the Dursleys and I have hurt you, not now, possibly not ever.  I can only offer you an apology for way I treated you and promise to not repeat my same mistakes in the future.”

Harry shifted uncomfortable under his father’s intense scrutiny, as his father’s words settled in.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say sir.  We can’t change the past.  We can try and make amends and to do things better in the future…so I guess I accept your apology,” Harry said his voice choked with emotion.

The next thing Harry knew he was drawn to his father’s chest.  It would have strange for this to have happened weeks before, even then it was a little odd, but it felt right.

Severus drew a hand to run through Harry’s hair.  “You are more like you mother than I would have ever given you credit for.”

“Really,” Harry asked in disbelief.  He pulled back to look into his father’s eyes.

“Yes, Lily too had an extraordinary ability to forgive, even when the individual did not deserve it.”  Severus explained a note of curious amusement in his voice.

“Huh,” Harry said as Severus finally ended the embrace. “Who did Mum have to forgive?”

Severus’ eyes flashed darkly.  “That is not important.  All you need know is your mother was a wonderfully forgiving woman.”

Still puzzled Harry asked.  “Is there something else you wanted to talk about?”

Severus gave a nod.  “Your O.W.L.s are rapidly approaching,” Severus began.

“Yeah, I know,” Harry whined.

“If you would kindly let me finish, Mr. Potter.  What I was going to say was your O.W.L.s are rapidly approaching.  The results of these exams will determine the career opportunities available to you when you finish your education.”  Severus lectured.

“I know that.”  Harry said again.

“It does you no harm to be reminded.  Have you give any consideration to your career choices?”  Severus asked.

Harry thought about it.  He’d seen the pamphlets in the corner of the Common Room, but he hadn’t taken the time to really sit down and read them yet.  “Not really,” Harry admitted.  “I sort of thought of becoming an Auror, but that’s the only thing I’ve looked at.”

Severus frowned.  “It is never wise to put all your eggs in one basket.  An Auror is a noble profession.  It take a great deal of time and dedication to become one.  However, you should always have a fall back plan.  You can never predict what may occur in life.  It is good to have a wide inventory of skills and knowledge you may fall back on in case your original plans falls through.  If you wish to pursue this course I will do all I can to aid you.  Right now I can tell you, you need to pull up your marks in Potions.  I accept nothing less than ‘Outstanding’ in my N.E.W.T.s classes, my son or no.”

“Yes sir,” was all Harry could manage to say.

“We can work on your Potions abilities tomorrow.  Report to the classroom at 10 a.m.  Be prepared to get messy.”  Severus instructed.  “I will do my best to help you pursue your dreams Harry.  I will not have you forced into a career because that is the only thing you are qualified to do, nor will I let you live off your fame and savings.  You will have a meaningful career as long as I have a say in your life.”

“Did you always want to be a professor,” Harry asked.

Severus quirked an eyebrow, “I believe you know the answer to that question already Harry, or at least can guess.”

“Probably not then.”  Harry said, a small smile gracing his lips.

“Indeed.  A series of events both in and out of my control lead me to my current career.  I will tell you, when I was young I considered it as a possible career path.  Like yourself the castle was my first home and the people here my family.  I was very apprehensive about leaving.”  Severus explained.

“If you didn’t want to be a professor, what did you want to do,” Harry asked curiously.

“I always planned to achieve my Potions Mastery.  I considered using it in a number of ways; apothecary, specialty potions brewer, even work at St. Mungo’s.” Severus explained.

Harry left out a soft chuckle, “Knowledge and skills.”

“They are something which can never be taken away from you, Harry.  Even if you do not know what you plan to do with them recognize your strengths and develop them.”  Severus urged.

The clock chimed on the mantle.

“I believe that is our warning you have a half hour before curfew.”  Severus said rising.

“Yeah,” Harry grumbled.

“I will see you in the morning, Harry.”

“Good night, sir” Harry said making his way to the door.

Present

“I wasn’t really sure what Dad had in mind, but I had learned it was better just to do as asked.  I wore some of the worst clothes I had in my trunk.  I didn’t want to get anything too nice messed up.  Magic might be good at getting stains out, but there are things even it can’t get rid of,” Harry explained.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

April 1996

Harry checked his watch, 9:55 a.m. he was five minutes early.  It was much better to be early than late with the Potions Master. Harry took a deep breath and knocked on the door.  He wasn’t exactly nervous, but he couldn’t say he was truly relaxed either.  He would have been a lot happier to know exactly what was going to happened this morning.

“Good morning, Mr. Potter,” Severus greeted coolly.

Harry tried not to let his disappointment at the icy greeting show on his face.  He should have known the professor was trying to keep their relationship a secret.  If anybody heard him call Harry by his name would spread like wildfire around the school.  Harry could only imagine the rumors and theories that would cause.

“Good morning, sir,” Harry said setting his book bag down on the nearest desk.

Severus looked the boy over Harry was dressed in a horrid green t-shirt with a sizable whole on the stomach.  There were bleach stains too.  What was worse was the shirt was at least 4 sized too big for Harry.  The trousers were in a similar state of distress.  How they stayed up was beyond Severus.  Even with a belt Harry was swimming in them.

“What on Earth are you wearing?” Severus demanded.

Harry looked down, “Clothes.”  He said offhandedly.

Severus glared at the teen, “I will have none of your cheek, Mr. Potter.  Why have those rags not been tossed into the closest rubbish bin?”

Harry shrugged.  “I don’t have that many things to wear.  These are good for when I have to do things around the house and stuff.  You said to wear something I could get messy in.”

“I did not expect you to wear absolute rags.  There are vagrants that are better dressed then you at the moment Harry.”  Severus growled.

“Hey,” Harry protested.  “It’s not my fault Dudley’s so rough on his clothes.  The only thing I did to them was the bleach strains.  That was when Aunt Petunia made me scrub all the bathrooms down.”

“These are your cousin’s cast offs?” Severus asked, barely keeping hold of his temper.

Harry nodded.

“Why have you not purchased clothes of your own?”  Severus asked sharply.

“I did.  I got my uniforms and robes and stuff.”  Harry said defensively.

“And Muggle attire?”

Harry shook his head, “I never really get a chance.  It’s not like there is a shop on Diagon Ally that sells Muggle clothes.  I went looking summer before third year.”

“Even you are not so obtuse to realize the goblins at Gringotts can exchange wizard money for Muggle as easily as they do Muggle to wizard.”  Severus asked.

Harry bit his lip, “Well, yeah, but it’s not like the Dursleys are going be willing to take me on a shopping spree.  They’d probably want to know where I got the money from too.”

“Very well,” Severus accepted the explanation reluctantly.  From what he’d seen of the Muggles in Harry’s memories and his own brief encounter with Petunia and Vernon, he would not have been surprised if they did just that.  “Perhaps you could explain why you have not shrunk them at least.”

Harry frowned again.  “They’re old, they’ve shrunk as much as they will in the wash.”  Harry explained confused.

Severus looked like he was going to hex Harry for his stupidity.  “You’re a wizard Potter.  Surely even you can manage a simple shrinking charms.”

The light dawned above Harry’s head.  “Err… I guess I never thought to.”  Harry said a blush crept up the teen’s neck at his obvious embarrassment.

“We will remedy you wardrobe soon.  Now, however, we must focus on your potions skills if you want any hope of becoming an Auror.” Severus said.

“Take out one of those ginger roots.  I want you to dice them as you would for an aging potion.”  Severus requested.

Harry picked up the root as instructed.  He cut off a knobby chunk.  He proceeded to cut off the rest of the knobs on the root into similarly sized pieces.

Severus watched he boy’s actions critically.  “You will remember these roots are required to be peeled before they are placed in the potion.”

“I know,” Harry said knowingly.  Harry took his chunks and proceeded to cut the skins off.

“You would do better to peel the roots before chopping it,” Severus suggested.  “You are losing too much flesh by cutting the skin off that way.  Your potion will inevitably be weaker because of it.”

Harry nodded finishing his task.

“Prepare these dandelion roots for a Shrinking Solution,” Severus told him.

Harry quickly pulled the roots toward them and began chopping.

“You are preparing ingredients for a potion not chopping carrots for a stew, Harry.  You need to be more precise with your cuts.  The pieces need to be in equal pieces.”  Severus told him.

“Yes sir,” Harry grumbled.  He said nothing as he continued with his task.

“When you are done with that I want you to dissect these frogs.”  Severus said instructed.

Severus kept his tone even as he said, “Yes, Mr. Potter.  If your preparation of ingredients for your potions does not improve and you will fail to achieve the ‘O’ necessary for N.E.W.T. level Potions.”

“Fine,” Harry pouted.

“You sound like your mother when you do that,” Severus said.  He had found over the weeks the easiest way to pacify the boy’s moods were to talk about Lily. He made sure never to lie about the boy’s mother to Harry.  Harry had heard enough of those for a lifetime.

Harry grunted in acknowledgement as he cut open the first frog’s belly.  Severus watched the boy’s technique.  There didn’t seem to be much room for improvement on this particular ingredient.  He still let Harry do two more.  Perhaps that would stop the boy from whining.

From there they moved on to dicing, skinning, and juicing of various components.  With the little bit of guidance the quality of Harry’s work should probably improve noticeably.  It would be something he would watch over the next few weeks.  Severus considered giving the teen his notes for upcoming potions to see how that affected his work.  The two spent most of the day in silence, but it was never awkward or uncomfortable.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

As Harry described the time he and Severus spent together.  Severus thought back on the time too.  His thoughts drifted to the first time he ever remembered spending with his son.  There was no pretext of lessons, or classes, just companionship.  It may have started out a bit tense, but Severus liked to think they both gained something that afternoon.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

April 1996

Severus looked up from the essays he was grading.  The boy had been quiet for well over an hour.  He must be up to something.  The boy had voluntarily come down to his quarters to spend the afternoon.  It wasn’t a Quidditch or Hogsmeade day so he couldn’t be Harry was trying to avoid left out of those.  Besides, the brat had somehow managed to obtain permission to go to the village the previous year. No, it was Easter Break and Harry had come down to Severus’ quarters, for no expressed purpose.  He hadn’t mentioned the two dunderheads that normally followed Harry around like lost puppies either.

Severus sighed, perhaps he was being slightly unfair.  Granger, despite being an insufferable know it all did seem to at least have an ounce of logic and possibly some common sense.  Weasleys on the other hand was all too reminiscent of Black.  He had a quick temper, jealous and if not been so picked on might have been a bully.

It was a good thing he’d had all those brother to put him in his place.  Either way it seemed Severus would have to learn to deal with the pair with something other than downright hostility. They’d stood with Harry through challenges that many grown wizards could never hope to face. They had stood by Harry’s side through all of it (minus the occasional schoolyard tiff).  He and Lily had suffered those from time to time, before it all ended.  It was the loss of communication that really did them in.  As long as those three continued to talk and move past the silly squabbles when serious matters come to head they’d be fine.  No matter how much Severus wished he’d be spared their company.  At least his son had good, trustworthy people, he could count on.

Now seriously, what was the boy up to?  Harry was spread out on the couch his back resting halfway up the arm, a book propped up on his stomach.  He couldn’t be studying.  He’d see enough of the brat’s in and outside of class to know he wasn’t one to try and get ahead in class. He could be studying for his O.W.L.s, but he’d heard Harry complaining about making him do nothing but study for his exam over the last few weeks.  

Severus watched his son read for a minute.  Harry’s book was slightly battered, with a bright orange cover. Setting down the stack of essays Severus broke the silence, “What are you reading Harry?”

Harry jumped slightly.  He hadn’t been that interested in what he was reading.  He’d read it at least a dozen times before, it’s been so quiet, his mind started to drift.

“What?”  Harry blurted out sleepily.

“I was inquiring as to what you were reading,” Severus repeated.

“Oh,” Harry said sitting up slightly.  “It’s ‘Flying with The Cannons’.  Ron gave it to me a couple of years back.  I was taking a break from the Defense books Sirius and Remus got me for Christmas.  Don’t get me wrong.  They’re interesting and all, but sometime you want a break from hexing and jinxing people.”

“I see.  Reading ahead in you course work would be too much to ask.”  Severus asked mildly.

Harry shrugged.  “I could, I guess, but that’s not really much of a break.  I already did all of my homework after that’s due at the end of break.  I just wanted some fun for a while.”

Severus frowned slightly.  “Was that the only leisure material you possess?”

Harry looked puzzled for a moment, “Oh, you mean like not school book.  Well, yeah, I guess.  The Dursleys aren’t much for reading.  In Dudley’s second bedroom there are some books, but they weren’t that interesting when I tried to read them before I came to Hogwarts.”

“I see.  What sort of books do you like?”  Severus asked curiously.  This wasn’t one of the topics they covered in their conversations over tea after Occlumency lessons.  It was showing once more had much the two had to learn about one another.

Harry frowned.  “Never really been much of a reader.  When I was little it was hard ‘cause I’d get these headaches.  That was before I got my glasses.  Then I was always busy with chores.  If I was locked in my cupboard it was pretty dark, so I couldn’t really read then either.  I figure they’d have taken any book they found in there.  They liked me miserable.”

Severus’s face darkened.  Yet another reason to curse Petunia.  “We shall have to remedy that then.  You are aware Hogwarts’s library had a reasonably sized collection of novels?”  

Harry shrugged.

“They do.  However, I too have a small number of works of both wizarding and Muggle fiction.  Perhaps you’d care to barrow one for the afternoon.”  Severus suggested.

“Sure,” Harry said, giving the elder wizard a weak smile.

“You will find the books you are looking for on the middle three shelves on the case by the dining table.”  Severus said point to the appropriate case.

Harry nodded, but didn’t get up.  “Sir,” he said after a moment.

“Yes, Harry?” Severus said trying to cover the annoyance in his voice.  He shouldn’t let the boy think he was upset at him.  For one, Severus knew the annoyance wasn’t directed at him.

“I was just wondering… what sort of stuff you or my mum liked to read.”  Harry asked timidly.

Pushing a bit of hair behind his ear Severus nodded.  “Lily enjoyed a number of kinds literature.  She enjoyed several poets particularly and American called Walt Whitman.  He wrote during the time of their Muggle Civil War.  She took comfort such beautiful words could come out of such a horrific time.  She also enjoyed Shelly and Keats.  She couldn’t stand Byron. I never shared Lily’s love of poetry.”  

“When were we young, Lily loved adventure stories, but she hated the fact the girl almost always needed to be rescued.  As we grew older her tastes changed slightly.  She told me once ‘who needs stories about sword fights and faraway places when you go to school in a castle and dragons are real.’  I read whatever Lily passed on to me.  I grew up reading wizard fairy tales.”

“When we were at Hogwarts your mother went through a phase of reading Muggle mystery novels.  She was in this phase when our friendship… ended.  Her favorite author was Agatha Christie.  She said Miss. Marple reminded her of Professor McGonagall.”  Severus told him.

Harry made a noncommittal noise.  He’d at least heard of some of the people his father mentioned.  “Did you read this Christie lady too?”

“Yes.  I read whatever Lily read.  She wanted somebody to talk to about the books.  I was always there…. I wanted to make her happy.  I never saw her fascination with that particular genre.  I was always able to determine the murder no more than halfway through the novel.  Most of my reading is non-fiction, often Potions related.” Severus explained.

“That sounds exciting,” Harry grumbled.

Severus ignored the comment, instead he rose and crossed the room to the bookcase he told Harry about.  Running a long finger along the titles Severus pulled out a small hard covered book.  This too showed a bit of wear.  The corners were no longer sharp points, but smashed and rounded.  The binding was frayed.  Severus crossed back across the room.

“This was one of your mother’s favorites, of all time, if I’m not mistake.”  Severus said handing the book to Harry.

“Treasure Island,” Harry read aloud.

“Your mother gave me that for my 12th birthday.  She said it would give me escape while I was back with my family over the holidays.  I did enjoy it, though I confess I was never quite as fond of it as Lily.”  Severus said sitting once more.

“What’s it about?”  Harry asked curiously.

Severus explained.  “This was still under your mother adventure stories phase.  It has pirates, buried treasure.  It is considered a classic of Muggle literature.”

Harry looked the book over once more.

“Read it, Harry.  If you don’t like it you are not required to finish.  Just try it,” Severus urged.

“Fine,” Harry said, opening the front cover.  

Severus returned to his desk and his essays.  Every once and while he’d look over to see Harry still immersed in the world of Robert Lewis Stevenson.  The two of them would never realized just how much this respite would fuel them for the many challenges to come.

Present

“Things were about to get a lot worse for everybody here at Hogwarts.  This was largely of my own doing in a way.  If I hadn’t formed the D.A.  Umbridge couldn’t have used it against us like she did.  I knew the professors would tell me that it wasn’t my fault, if it wasn’t the D.A. it would have been something else.”  Harry looked over his shoulder as if to confirm this.  “She wanted to discredit me and to get rid of Professor Dumbledore.  She thought she even got her way too.”

“I’d like to say Umbridge didn’t end up finding out about the D.A. cause of Dad’s help, since he was supposedly giving students Veritaserum during Umbridge’s interviews.  But like I said earlier, I’m not going to lie.  We were ratted out by one of the girls in Ravenclaw.”  There were a series of boos from the crowd, mostly from former DA members.

Harry continued once the crowd quieted down.  “I can understand why she did it.  Umbridge was threatening not only us but out parents’ careers for participating in the DA.  The information the girl provided allowed Umbridge to break into the club meeting.  Those members that were caught, which sadly was most of us ended up in some deep trouble.  On top of that, Umbridge used the name as the final straw to get Professor Dumbledore sacked and even arrested, or at least tried to.  Professor Dumbledore wasn’t going to come quietly.  He hexed the Aurors that had come to get him and he and Fawkes flashed out.  He used this time away from the school to hunt down the last of those Horcruxes I mentioned earlier”

“As it turned out Umbridge did us a favor.  Since the Headmaster was free of his duties here at Hogwarts he was free to go Horcrux hunting.  I promise I’ll explain all that, but not until we get to it.”  Harry shifted in his seat.  “What I feel most guilty about is my fellow students getting hurt.”  Harry looked down at the scars on the back of his right hand.

As Harry pushed the glasses up his nose once more, he said, “When Professor Umbridge found out about the D.A. she thought its members needed to have a lasting reminder as to why we shouldn’t belong to a seditious groups.  Her favorite way was of ensuring this was getting us to do lines.  Lines written with a blood quill.” 

There was an audible gasp from the members of the press.

Harry let out a humorless chuckle.  “Tell me about it.  She’d been using one on me since my first detention of the year.  At the time, I didn’t know who I could tell.  I also didn’t realize just how bad they were.  I tried to tell Professor McGonagall, but she couldn’t really help for her own sake.  So I suffered for a while… a long while.  Then Dad found out.  Well, his job security and whatever other concerns didn’t stop him.  He went spare when he found out about it.”

Harry shook his head, “It was great seeing the look on Professor McGonagall’s face when Dad ordered her to his quarters and demanded an explanation for the scars.  I’m pretty sure she was convinced Hell had frozen over.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May 1996

“Potter,” Dolores Umbridge called as the fifth years prepared to depart the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Harry groaned and headed up to the professor’s desk.  He tried to keep a straight face as he stood before her.

“You will join me tonight for detention.”  She said in her usual sickeningly sweet voice.

Harry was incredulous.  “Professor, I have Remedial Potions with Professor Snape tonight.”

“Potter, are you telling me, Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, High Inquisitor and Headmistress of Hogwarts must wait behind a mere professor?” 

Ron who was waiting a few desks was waiting a few desks away let out a cough that sounds suspiciously like “acting” and the mention of her titles.

Harry paused.  He would be in trouble either way.  Umbridge took his silence at his concession.  “I will see you at seven, Mr. Potter.”  She said waving her hand in dismissal.

Harry let out a small groan as he looked at the clock.  It was Double Potions in ten minutes.  He would have to talk to Professor Snape at some point today to tell him he’d have to miss their lesson that evening.

Harry managed to make it through without committing any major mistakes.  His elixir might be a tad strong, but if you want to grow more hair could you really be too hairy?  Harry waited until the rest of the class departed before approaching Professor Snape’s desk.

“Potter,” the man greeted in his usually cool tone.

“Errr…” Harry shifted his bag further up his shoulder in discomfort.  “Sir, I need to miss our lesson tonight.”

Severus raised one eyebrow sharply at this.

“I have… I have detention with Professor Umbridge tonight.”  Harry explained anxiously.

When Severus spoke his words were cold and firm. “I see.  Whatever act of horrible behavior you committed to warrant such a punishment will not release you from your prior commitments.  You will report to my office as soon as you are dismissed from Professor Umbridge’s presence.”

Harry slumped down dejectedly, “Yes sir.”

“Go now, Potter.  I will see you this evening.”  Severus commanded.

Harry made it through his detention with Umbridge without letting out a single sound.  He was happy to know how disappointed Umbridge was at this.  He’d written the line so many times by this point it was bleeding instantly.  Harry handkerchief tighter around his abused hand.  He then shoved his hand deep into his pocket.  Hopefully he could keep it hidden from Professor Snape all night.  He really didn’t want to have to explain what happened to him.

He had almost gotten away with it too, or at least he thought he had.  Then he made the mistake to ask Professor Snape for Murtlap essence.  Severus noticed the boy’s reluctance to remove his hand from his pocket, but hoped the teen would explain himself.  That seemed less and less likely.  The request gave him the perfect opportunity to inquire about it.

“Why would you need this ingredient?  I do not believe it is called for in any of your forthcoming potions.  Potion brewing is not a hobby of yours as far as I am aware.  If you are injured, you should see Madam Pomfrey.”

“Errr…” Harry play with the knot in the handkerchief wrapped around his hand.  Reluctantly Harry pulled the hand from his pocket, makeshift bandage and all.

Severus peered down at the boy’s poorly wrapped hand.  “Hand caught in the biscuit jar?  How much mischief can occur between here and the Defense Against the Dark Arts office?”  Severus asked mildly as he took the hand into both of his.  Using great care he removed the bandage.  Severus let out a quiet hiss at sight that greeted him at removal of red stained bandage.

“Explain this.”  Severus demanded sharply. There was a quite fury plain in his voice.  Harry tried to step back but Severus held his hand firm. “I’m waiting,” Severus snapped.

“It’s from detention,” Harry rushed.

“Obviously.  I am not fool enough to believe any son of mine would be stupid enough to willingly carve something permanently into their skin.”  Severus said taking a closer look at the wounds.

Wrinkling his nose in a very Lily sort of way, Harry pondered that statement.  His fa-the professor took the Dark Mark.  That would probably explain his aversion to tattoos.  You never knew when your opinions on something might change.

“Potter, pay attention.” Severus commanded.  “This is not the first time this has happened.”  It was a comment, not a question. 

Harry shook his head in agreement.

“How many times?”  Severus asked sharply.

Harry gave an indecisive shrug.

“Give me an estimate.  Is it more than five, Harry?”

Harry nodded.

“Have you told your Head of House about this?”  Severus asked softly.

Harry shook his head again.

“Explain.”  Severus said eyes once more on the gleaming red words etched in his son’s hand.

Harry shrugged.  “She was mad at me for upsetting Umbridge.  I figured she’d say I deserved it…”

“Idiot,” Severus grumbled.  Severus dropped Harry’s hand and stormed to the fireplace.  He threw down a pinch of Floo-Powder. “Minerva get down here.”  Severus snapped, his head disappearing only long enough to deliver his command.

A moment later an annoyed Minerva McGonagall stepped through the flames. “Severus Snape I do not appreciate being treated like an ill-behaved first year.”

“If your ability to carry your duties did not resemble one, Potter here would not face lifelong scarring from a school punishment.”  Severus snapped back.

“What in the world are you talking about?” Minerva demanded.

“Potter, come here,” Severus ordered.

Harry jumped to comply.  There was no way he testing either professor’s attitudes when they were in such a mood.

Harry joined them beside the fireplace.

“Show her your hand,” Severus commanded.

Harry quickly raised the hand in question for inspection.

Minerva’s nostrils flared.  “Umbridge’s work?”

Harry nodded.

“I see.”  Minerva said taking a closer look at the words once more.  “Was this the first time?”

Harry shook his head.

“It seems the boy was reluctant to speak up.  He believed you would say he deserved such a punishment since he provoked Madam Umbridge.”  Severus explained coldly.

McGonagall’s face dropped.  How could that be?  “Thank you for bringing the matter to my attention Severus.  Now, Mr. Potter, would you care to accompany me to the Hospital Wing?”

“He’s going nowhere with such an inattentive, obtuse…” Severus snapped.

“DAD!” Harry protested.

Silence fell as all eyes turned to Harry.

Present

“That one word changed my entire life at Hogwarts.  The only thing worse than having a professor for a parent is the rest of the staff knowing you have a parent who is a professor.  Professor McGonagall was surprised by it, but she took it in stride.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May 1996

“What did you say Mr. Potter?” Minerva McGonagall asked her eyebrows rising sharply.

“Errr… nothing.” Harry said shooting his father a questioning look.

Minerva turned to the elder wizard, “Severus.”

“It is true.”  Severus simply affirmed.

“If you did anything to harm Lily…” the witch began sharply.

“We were drunk.  I will assure you everything was consensual...as it could be.”  Severus promised.

“I see,” Minerva said her eyes narrowing dangerously.  “Is Albus aware?”

“He is,” Severus said gesturing for the witch to have a seat.

Minerva took a seat in Severus’s chair.  The wizard gave her a sharp look, but said nothing seating himself on the sofa.  Harry hovered for a moment before taking a seat at the opposite end of the sofa.

“The Headmaster was informed of Harry’s paternity not long after his birth.” Severus explained.

Minerva’s lips thinned unpleasantly.  “I will be having a word with Albus when he returns.”

Her eyes moved to Harry, “I will be informing your professors of your change of status.”

“Minerva, I do not believe that is a good idea.  We do not know who we can trust.”  Severus said warily.

Minerva pursed her lips.  “All the faculty are members of the Order.”

“Not all,” Severus corrected harshly.

Minerva conceded with a nod.  “I would not give that toad so much as the time of day.  Those who aren’t members of the Order Albus trusts.”

“Indeed.  If you are informing all of Harry’s professors you might as well tell the Dark Lord.  That half-wit giant will be able to keep that secret for less than a minute.” Severus suggested.

“Really, Severus,” Minerva scolded.

“As if you trust the oaf,” Severus said with a smirk.

Minerva met his eyes with a knowing look.  “Yes, now Mr. Potter, I think it’s better you run along and let your father and I speak.”

Harry looked back and forth between them before shrugging.  “Alright, night professor.  Night…sir.”

“Good night, Harry.  I will see you tomorrow for our lessons.” Severus reminded him.

Harry faltered, “Yes sir, night.”

Minerva watched the interaction between the two with great interest.

“Good night, Mr. Potter.  Do remind Mr. Weasley being a member of the Quidditch team does not excuse him from his homework.”

“Yes ma’am,” Harry acknowledged.

“And Harry,” Severus called after the teen.

“Yes sir,” Harry said turning back to his father once more.

“I want you to see Madam Pomfrey first thing tomorrow morning.  I will know if you did not go.  I do not care if you end up missing your lesson.  I am sure you would be more than glad to have a legitimate excuse to miss History of Magic.”

Harry gave him a small grin in return.  “First thing,” Harry confirmed before heading out the door.

 “Really Severus you could be a bit warmer with the boy.” Minerva scolded as the door clicked shut.

“My relationship with my son is none of your concern,” Severus protested.

“That is where you are wrong.  Harry is a Gryffindor.  I have a duty to look out for his welfare.  I begged Albus not to leave him with those horrid Muggles.”  Minerva explained.

“And yet you did nothing for him after he was left on Petunia’s doorsteps.” Severus hissed.

“I did,” Minerva protested. “I checked in with Arabella Figg, a squib who lives a few blocks from Harry.  She kept an eye on Harry.  She reported on his welfare.  I found the reports troubling.  I told Albus to remove Harry; he didn’t deserve to grow up like that.  Albus refused to remove him.  He said Harry needed to grow up with family.”

Severus let a snort of annoyance.

“Do tell me you are kinder to Harry normally,” Minerva pleaded.

“Minerva,” Severus all but whined.

“No, Severus.  After all Harry has been through he needs to know you care.  You know what it is like growing up in a home devoid of love.  Up until this point Harry has too.  Do you wish for him to be no better off in his new circumstance?” 

“I am not asking you for kittens and unicorns Severus.  I am simply saying you need to make sure Harry knows you care.” Minerva told him.

“He is aware,” Severus protested.

Minerva looked at him sharply, “Are you certain?  How many times have you lost your temper in the boy’s presence since your acknowledgement of your relationship?  How many times were because Harry’s actions and how many because of the Muggles?”

Severus frowned.  “I am uncertain.”

Minerva lips pursed, “And yet you are certain Harry is aware you care for him.  You need to make clear when your anger is directed at Harry and when he is simply in the line of fire of your frustrations with those wretched Muggles.  Lily would be ashamed to see you now.”

Severus looked defeated.  He looked so lost, Minerva thought.  She had never seen him like this.  He was always so confident.  It made her remember just how young the man was.  It wasn’t so long ago he was her student.

“Severus I’m sor-” Minerva began.

“No,” Severus cut her off.  “You are correct.  Lily would be ashamed of my treatment of Harry so far.  She was such a caring soul.  Harry would have grown knowing he was loved if she lived.  I do know how to do that.” Severus protested.

Minerva gave the wizard a firm look and put on her best professor voice. “Severus Tobias Snape I am not asking you to become a model Hufflepuff.  You need to tell your son that you care for his welfare.  If you are angry at someone for things in his past make sure he does not misconstrue it as a misdeed of his own.  I am not sure you realize it, but your son has unfortunate habit of blaming himself for others’ misfortune.  The Diggory boy for example.  He blames himself to this day for what happened.  Even if it was all beyond his control.”

Severus let out a grumbled, “Bloody Gryffindor.”

Minerva glared at the comment.  “Now if you will excuse me, I have a stack of third year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff essays waiting for me.  Good evenings Severus.  Do think about what I said.”

Severus gave a weak nod, “I will.” 

Minerva disappeared in a swirl of green flames a moment later.

Severus sat on the sofa lost in thought for a long time.  It was only as he rose to go to bed that he noticed a letter on the hearth rug.  He instantly recognized the Deputy Headmistresses’ script.  Severus quickly broke the seal on the back of the missive.  He read:

You are requested to attend a confidential staff meeting at 7:30 tomorrow morning in my quarters.

MM

Severus looked down at the parchment once more.  She wasted no time did she?  By the time Harry attended his next class all of his core professors would know about his paternity.  Severus crossed the room and poured himself a healthy serving of Fire-Whiskey.  He was not sure he could stand to be in a room of his colleagues all making the same accusations he had faced tonight.  Severus shot back his drink and poured himself another drink before downing that as well.  He needed to be rested for the morning.  Perhaps a calming drought would have been a choice.  Too late for that now the wizard thought.  Before throwing back his third and fourth drinks.  With that wizard stumbled off to bed too far past caring to prepare properly for bed.  He simply collapsed on his bed still fully clothed.

Before he knew it the torches came to life for his typical 6:30 wake up call.  Severus let out pained groaned as the light came on.  The wizard let out a curse as fumbled for his wand.  He grumbled a spell and the room was once again plunged into darkness.

The next time the wizard woke the lamps again were spelled on, but there was an already nervous house elf waiting beside the Potion’s Master bed.

“You is getting up now Professor sir,” the elf squeaked out.

“Bloody hell,” Severus cursed pushing himself upright.

“What time is it?” He demanded of the elf.

“You is being 10 minutes late for meeting Ms. Headmistress Professor McGonagall sir.”

“Damn,” Severus curse shooting out of bed. “Tell her I will be there momentarily.”

“She is saying you coming now,” the elf protested.

“I will be there in a moment,” Severus snapped.

“Yes sir professor sir,” the elf said popping out of the room.

The wizard let off a stream of curses as he pulled off his wrinkled clothes.  He quickly cast a freshening charm on his person before grabbing a new set of clothes.  He pulled then on as quickly as possible.  He gathered his teaching robes before rushing to the fireplace and calling out Minerva’s quarters.  He arrived in a rush of green flames a moment later.

“Severus, so good of you to join us,” Minerva greeted sharply as the wizard fell his way out of fireplace.

Severus made a quick survey of those in the room.  It was all of Harry’s core professors, Flitwick, Sprout, Sinestra, himself, Minerva, along with Madam Pomfrey.  Severus happily spotted a coffee tray and poured himself a steaming cup.

Minerva said as she watched Severus nurse his coffee. “Now that Severus is here I would like to thank you all for coming.  It was brought to my attention that some students have been punished with a blood quill by our acting Headmistress.”

There was an audible gasp from the faculty.

“Since she was granted special permission by the Minister to use more corporal punishment there is little we can do.  Inform your prefects to send these students to Poppy.  The scarring can be minimized if treated early.  Severus informed many students have tried treating it themselves using Murtlap essence.”  Minerva instructed.

Madam Pomfrey tutted softly.  “It may sooth the pain, but it will do nothing to help with the scaring.”

“Yes.  The student who informed me of these sessions was bleeding profusely,” Minerva agreed.

“How awful,” Flitwick squeaked.  “Who was the poor child?”

“Harry,” Minerva said, “Harry Potter.”

There was a collective sigh from the professors.  This wasn’t the first time he noticed his coworkers expressing unexpected amount of concern for his son.

“Were the Muggles contacted?” Sprout asked after a moment.

“No,” Minerva paused heavily and said, “But his family was.”

All her colleagues with exception of Severus looked at her as if she had grown another head.

“Is there something you would like to tell us,” Madam Pomfrey asked a moment later.

“It is not my story to tell.” Minerva replied.  Her eyes turned to the Potion’s Master, “Severus.”

Severus sipped his coffee calmly as all eyes in the room turned to him.

“Well,” Sprout urged after Severus didn’t speak for almost three whole minutes.

“I’m Harry’s father,” is all Severus said.

As expected the other professors were in quite the uproar.  They wanted to know how.  When did Severus find out?  Why hadn’t he done something to protect Harry from the Muggles, Umbridge etc.?  How could he have treated his own son the way he had for the past five years?

Severus let them rage and question.  He sat back and sipped his coffee almost contently.  After almost ten minutes of being verbally assaulted Severus spoke again.  “Lily and I had a tryst when James had disappeared for a short time on an Order mission.  I only found out the truth of our familial connection this summer.  The Headmaster knew all this time and let Harry stay with the Muggles even though they proved to be unsuitable guardians.  I am trying to remedy my relationship with my son.  This is a personal matter however.  What we are here to discuss are the practical implications of Harry’s family reality.”

There was some muttering for a moment before all agreed.  The rest of the meeting past quickly as the professors ironed out all the details of making sure Severus was treated like any other parent in terms of scholastics, disciplinary actions, while maintaining their secret from their acting Headmistress.

Severus made it through his day as well as could be expected with the way the day began.  He was glad he had over an hour between when his class ended and dinner was served.  He took the time to take a much needed shower helping to relieve some of the day’s tensions.  He dressed slightly more casually under his heavy teaching robes.  He doubted the students would notice his missing waistcoat.

Severus ate his dinner quickly before retreating to his quarters once more to wait for his son.  Severus was so lost in thought he missed the first charm alerting him there was a student in his office.  He rose quickly, completely unsurprised to find Harry waiting for him.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Potter,” Severus said. “Please came through.”

Harry followed his dad nervously.  He normally didn’t have Occlumency lessons tonight.  He hopped he hadn’t gotten the professor into trouble.

“Take a seat,” Severus offered before stepping to the fire to order their usual tea service.

Harry took the tea cup offered too nervous to speak.

“As you gathered from her comment last night Professor McGonagall informed your professors of your status as my son.” Severus said dunking his shortbread into his tea.  The wizard pulled it out almost instantly, small smile graced his lips as he took a bite, his tea free of floating bits.

Harry watching him puzzled.  “I thought you said you didn’t like dunking?”

Severus quirked any eyebrow at his son’s line of inquiry.  “You are more concerned about my tea than your professors’ reaction to what in some circles would be considered shocking news?” Harry shrugged.

“I feel obligated to try dunking my biscuits from time to time.” Severus explained.

Harry nodded.  “So how they take it then?  Madam Pomfrey was pretty mad when she saw my hand this morning.  She kept going on about how you could let this happen to me.  There was also some stuff about me being stupid for trying to sort it out myself.”

Severus nodded, “From your statements, and the rather angry note I received from Madam Pomfrey this afternoon regarding your visit, I should be glad you did not see her last night.  I am fairly certain I would have needed medical attention if you had.  It was only the forewarning that stopped her from coming to my quarters and hexing me, I am sure.”

“Madam Pomfrey would have hexed you?” Harry asked disbelievingly.

“Perhaps,” Severus confirmed.  “She is a powerful witch and can have a bit of temper when someone hurts her particular favorites.”

“I’m one of her favorites?” Harry asked surprised.

“You are.  I must assume it was your upbringing with the Muggles that first endeared you to her.  She has a soft spot for those with difficult home lives.” Severus said mildly.  “I was one when I was in school.  If it were not for Madam Pomfrey, Black and Potter would probably have gotten away with even more of their high jinx.”

Harry hummed in agreement.  

 “Her preference for Granger and Weasley are far more difficult to explain.”  Severus continued.

“Hey, they’re my friends.”  Harry protested.  “What did the other teachers have to say?”

“There were the expected questions from the rest of the staff.  Very little will change for you.  I will receive a copy of your term reports.  If you are achieving anything below the average of ‘Acceptable’ in any of your classes I will receive a report,”  Severus pointed at him sharply.  “You better hope that does not happen, or you’ll be scrubbing cauldrons with a toothbrush.”

Harry nodded.  He wouldn’t put it past his dad to do just that.  “What about Hogsmeade?”

“You will continue to have permission.  All slips and forms requiring a parent or guardians signature now require my signature.  Under no circumstance while I am employed at this school will the mutt’s signature be accepted.  Your Head of House has been informed if any of your marks are below an average of ‘Exceeds Expectation’ you are to be benched from the Quidditch team until they improve.  I will not have any child of mine skating by on his fame when he is perfectly capable of achieving such a feat.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed uncertainly, “That it?”

Severus frowned.  “No.  There was another matter brought to my attention.  It is about our relationship.”

“Oh,” Harry said surprised.  This was possibly the last thing he expected the professor to talk to him about.

“I am aware I am not the world’s kindest man,” Severus said firmly.

“You’re not that bad,” Harry tried.

“I believe bastard, greasy git, overgrown bat are the words you have used in the past to describe me.” Severus supplied.

“Well, that was before.” Harry protested.

“Yes, well there was a concern I was not doing enough to try and fix our relationship.” Severus countered.

“Err… what do they want us to do?” Harry asked nervously.

“It is not so much you’re doing as my own.  I have been encouraged to convey my feelings more clearly to you.” Severus explained.

“Huh?”

“I need to make sure you know how I’m feeling.” Severus clarified.

“This person met you before?  You don’t tell anybody how you feel.” Harry said almost laughing.

“That is not the case in most families, Harry,” Severus said his voice lilting slightly.

“Yeah, but since when were we normal.”  Harry asked now actually laughing.

“Indeed.” Severus agreed.  “In all seriousness.  I would like you to know I care for you.  I regret I was not there to prevent the atrocity your Muggle upbringing. For my own behavior here at school there are no words to describe the guilt I feel having made you suffer.  Much of my resentment and anger has not been directed at you, but those who hurt you, myself included.”

Harry was blown away.  “It’s alright… Dad.”

“It is not. However, I will endeavor to do better in the future.  Now, would you like to practice your Occlumency for a while or retire back to the Tower for the evening?”  Severus asked softly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Dad may not be the warmest guy out there, but it was nice to hear he cared.  It had to have made him super uncomfortable to say it and for that I can never thank him enough.”  Harry said softly.

Present

Harry shifted on his stool.  He was beginning to wish he hadn’t chosen to a different way to answer Bridget’s question.  Or that the Headmaster had made attendance optional.  At least than there would only be people who wanted to hear what he had to say.

Harry spun around to look at the Headmaster.  “Err… would it be okay if we took a couple minute break?  I think we all could use some time to get up and stretch our legs.”  

Dumbledore nodded before getting up from his seat and announcing, “We will have a ten minute break.  There will be a buzzer to inform you when there are two minutes remaining.  You are to be back in your seats before the ten minutes are up.”

There was a great amount of scraping and chatter as the students got up from their seats, some speaking to friends, others just standing and stretching.

Harry hopped off his stool and headed for the head table.  He could almost feel the hole his father’s eyes had been drilling into the back of his head.

Harry approached the edge of the platform, but his father beckoned him closer.  Not bothering to use the stairs Harry pulled himself up onto the stage and made his way to his father sat.  Severus raised an eyebrow at his son’s display of laziness.

“I should take points for that Mr. Potter,” Severus said once the boy was standing almost directly in front of him.

Harry only shrugged, “Is there something you wanted?”

Severus shook his head.  “I only wished to tell you that you are doing a good job.”

Harry smiled a little, “Thanks.”

“You are welcome.  Perhaps you should have something to drink?  You have been speaking for an extended period of time.”  Severus said offering a goblet of water.

It was clear to Harry this was not simply a suggestion.

“Okay,” Harry said taking the goblet.  He had to admit the water felt good on his parched throat.  

Severus made him drink two more goblets full.  The buzzer as students started filling back into their seats.

“Suppose I should get back to my seat.”

“Indeed.”

Harry handed the goblet back to his father.  He walked to the edge of the platform and jumped down.  He just smiled at the cross look he got from Professor McGonagall for this.  Since the witch had discovered Harry and Severus relationship she left much of Harry’s discipline to his father.  Harry took his seat looking back to the head table quickly.  His face fell slightly as he saw his head of house speaking to his father.  Severus nodded at whatever McGonagall was saying.

The Headmaster rose from his seat and clapped his hands.  The dull mummers of conversations instantly died. “Harry if you would please continue your story.”

“As things got better between me and Dad, things between me and Sirius got weird.  Sirius didn’t like me spending time with Dad.  He sort of saw is as dishonoring the sacrifice James made for me or something.  I didn’t want to lose him, but I also wanted to build my relationship with my dad.  It was a super awkward place to be those few months.  Hell, it’s not exactly a great place to be even now.  That’s after they made their peace.  Before, it was like being stuck in the middle of a war zone and I didn’t even have to attend the Order meetings with them. Personally, I’m surprised the Order Headquarters are still standing with the rows those two got into.  At least from what I’ve been told about them.”  Harry explained.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May 1996

Harry’s frown deepened as he read more of the latest letter from his godfather.  He knew he was telling Sirius less, but he wasn’t sure how much Sirius wanted to know about what he was doing with the professor.  From reading his latest  letter it  sounded like Sirius was  more upset about not going on with Harry’s lessons.  In the past when Sirius asked about their lessons he’d been so nasty about the professor it just seemed like it was better idea to leave him out of it.

“What’s wrong mate?”  Ron asked seeing the look on his best friend’s face.

“Snuffles is mad at me.” Harry explained.

“Snuffles?  What’s he got to be made at you ‘bout?” Ron asked confused.

“He wants to know more about my Remedial Potions lessons,” Harry explained.

Ron shrugged, “Tell him then.  I get why he wants to know more.  I wouldn’t let you go to that greasy git if it were up to me.”

“Don’t call him that,” Harry snapped, at the same time Hermione hissed, “Ron.”

“What?  Up until a couple months ago you would have said the same thing.”  Ron said defensively.

“Ron you have to know the professor is treating Harry better.”  Hermione scolded.  “If he was so horrible why would Harry have spent so much time with the professor during Easter Break?”

Ron shrugged.  “He was in detention wasn’t he?”

“Of course not,” an exasperated Hermione said.

“Then how come he made Harry spend the whole day doing those potion ingredients?” Ron demanded.

“He was helping me.  I told him I was thinking about trying to become an Auror.  He said if I didn’t pull my potions grade up I wouldn’t make it into N.E.W.T. level Potions.  He made me do all those ingredients to practice my technique.  It’s the first step in becoming a better brewer according to him.” Harry explained.

“Yeah, whatever,” Ron grumbled.  “Still if Snuffles wants to know more I’d tell him.  Don’t want him coming for the school or something.”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed reluctantly.

“Harry, I’d talk to the professor first if I were you.” Hermione advised.  “We don’t know how much the professor is telling the Order.  If Hedwig gets intercepted again we can’t give up everything  that way either.”

Harry nodded. “I’ll talk to him tonight.  Maybe I can Floo Snuffles or something.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Hermione said uneasily.  “You said you were nearly caught the last time.”

“Yeah, but that was in Gryffindor Common Room.  If I talk to him from the professor’s quarters there should be no reason for that toad to be watching.” Harry explained.

Hermione looked no more at ease, “Make sure you ask the professor before you do anything Harry, please.”

Harry conceded.  “Fine, Hermione.  I’ll make sure I ask the professor if I can Floo his most hated enemy from his quarters.”  Harry’s tone was almost as sarcastic as Snape’s.

“Hey, she’s got a point mate.  He might know more about what Umbridge is up to.”  Ron said.

“Alright, I’ll ask.”  Harry agreed sincerely this time.

Later that evening Harry headed down to dungeons with Sirius’ letter in his bag.  Harry was nervous before his Occlumency lesson for the first time in ages.  Those nerves weren’t lost during the lesson and it showed.

“What is your problem this evening, Potter,” Severus demanded after breaking past Harry’s shield for the third time in almost as many minutes.

“Sorry sir,” Harry said distractedly.

“Your apologies do nothing for me.  What is distracting you?”  Severus snapped.

Harry sighed and pulled the letter from his bag.  He handed into the professor reluctantly.  Severus quirked an eyebrow at the boy’s odd behavior.  He quickly scanned through the mutt’s letter.  Of course, the boy would be distracted.  His godfather was basically accused Harry of lying and dishonoring James Potter. Severus would kill the mutt the next time he saw him.

“Sir,” Harry asked softly.

“What is it Potter?” Severus bit out.

Harry shifted his weight back and front anxiously.  “Could I …err… could I maybe Floo him… Sirius I mean.  I want to talk to him about what’s going on… and Hermione pointed out that somebody tried to read the letter Hedwig was carrying.  The last time I talked to Sirius somebody…”

“Do stop rambling, Harry.”  Severus commanded. “You may use my Floo.” Severus waved his hand dismissively.

“Thanks,” Harry said offering the man a weak smile.

“Yes, yes.  You are not to tell the mutt about our Occlumency lessons, or the fact you have been spending your free time down here.” Severus instructed.

“But sir,” Harry objected.  “That’s what he wants to know about.”

“It is not my fault he has yet to learn he cannot always get what he wants.” Severus shot back.

The two wizards’ eye met, neither wanting to back down.  “Fine,” Harry pouted after a tense few minutes.  “I won’t tell him about that stuff.  What am I supposed to say then?”

“That is your concern.  I don’t care if Black feels left out.  He has no need to know what is going on in our lessons,” Severus said.  “I will let you have your privacy.”

With a click of his heels the older wizard disappeared down the hallway further into his quarters.

Harry sat back on his haunches in front of the fireplace.  He wished he’d been given a better idea what to tell Sirius.  Or better yet, been told what exactly he was allowed to talk about with his godfather.  Finding his resolve Harry threw the Floo Powder in and called out 13 Grimmauld Place.

Harry kept his eyes shut as the world spun green around him.  Harry opened his eyes once more to the sight of kitchen table legs and scuffed brown shoes.

“Hello,” Harry said after a moment.

There was a screech as a chair was pushed back then footsteps.  Finally Remus’s face appeared before the fire.

“Harry, what are you doing here?” Remus offered in way of greeting.

“I wanted to talk to Sirius.”  Harry explained.

“I’ll just go and get him then.”  Remus said before disappearing out of sight.

A moment later the two wizards came into view.

“It was good seeing you,” Remus said rising once more.

“You can stay… Please stay,” Harry pleaded.  Maybe if somebody else was there Sirius wouldn’t get as angry.

“What’s up kiddo?”  Sirius asked sitting more comfortably on the floor.  “Are you sure this is such a good idea after last time?”

“I wanted to talk to you about your last letter.  Professor Snape is letting me use his Floo.  I can’t imagine Umbridge is watching this one.”  Harry explained.

Sirius grunted.

“Look, I just wanted to tell you I’m fine.  My lessons are going fine.  Professor Snape thinks I’m making good progress.”  Harry told them.

“Yeah and how is the bat treating you?”  Sirius demanded.

“We’re fine.” Harry rushed.

“That’s what you used to say about the Dursleys.”  Sirius countered.

“Sirius, honestly, we’re good.” Harry protested.  “He’s treating me alright.  He’s telling me about my mum.  He’s helping me with Potions even.”

“Of course he’s telling you about Lily; the slimy git was obsessed with her.  I bet he’s telling you all about the horrible thing James used to do to him too.” Sirius said darkly.

Harry shock his head.  “No.  We haven’t really talked about James.”

“Oh no, of course not no.  It’s probably best you just not talk about him. I bet he’s hoping if you don’t talk about him you’ll forget about James and then he can become Daddy without a fight.  I should let you get back to Daddy-dearest.”  Sirius said.  Before Harry had a chance to object Sirius was gone.

“He hasn’t, Remus.  He’s not… Like I could forget James…” Harry said close to tears.

“Don’t worry about it, Harry.  He’s just feeling a bit put out.  He’s taking it harder than all of us.  He can’t understand why James didn’t tell him he wasn’t your father.  I’ll talk to him.” Remus reassured.

“Thanks,” Harry said pulling his head back through the flames feeling completely unsatisfied.  If he had to bet, things just got worse between him and Sirius. 

Present

“It’s a good thing that Sirius wasn’t the only person in my support network at that point.  I wasn’t sure if he was ever going to want to speak to me again.  Yeah, Remus said he would, but I knew he was hurt.  I was pretty mad at him too.  First, he calls Dad names and asks me if Dad is… never mind.  I hated the fact he wasn’t willing to forgive Dad for the stuff that happened in the past.  I’d moved past it, he should have too.”  Harry complained clearly agitated.

“Anyway, coming back from Easter Break, and even after the stuff with Umbridge, things between Dad and I were probably the best they’d ever been.  And the thing with the blood quill meant that Dad was being super protective.  He wanted to know everything that was going on with me.  We had our Occlumency lessons at least a couple of times a week and potions practice for a couple of hours on the weekends.  Things were going so well.”

“Then I did the dumbest thing I have ever done.  That’s saying a lot coming from a guy who took on a thousand year old basilisk single handed at twelve and competed in the Tri-Wizard Tournament and such.  I’ve done a lot of dangerous things.” Harry let out a sad sigh, “This was the dumbest though, because of who it hurt.”

Harry took a deep breath and continued.  “Before Easter Break one of my dad’s students disappeared.  He was shoved into a cupboard on the third floor.  Nobody saw him for like a week or something.  He reappeared during my first Occlumency lesson after break.  Dad had to go and help rescue the student from the toilet he’d Apperated himself into.  Meanwhile, I was left waiting in Dad’s quarters.”

“I don’t know how I possibly thought this was a good idea, but I saw Dad’s Pensieve sitting on the coffee table.  I knew that they are incredibly personal, but I was curious.  Before I knew it, I was falling through Dad’s memories to his time at Hogwarts.”  Harry shook his head sadly.

“I won’t go into a great amount of detail, but Dad had a very bad day and James picked on him,” Harry let out a soft chuckle.  “I must not have wanted to live very long.  When Dad found me in there I was pretty sure he was going to Crucio me into next year.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 May 1996

Harry felt his blood run cold at the sight of a mature Severus Snape.  He was dead.  He knew it, but he didn’t care.  How could Snape talk to his mum like that?  Didn’t Snape always say Lily was his best friend?  How could he call her that name if he was her friend?

Severus pulled Harry out of his memories.  He should have locked the Pensieve away.  He was worried about his student and hadn’t stopped to think.  With the improvement of his relationship with Harry he would have thought the boy would show more respect.  It seemed he gave the boy too much credit.

“GET OUT!” Severus thundered as soon as their feet hit the hearth rug.

“No!” Harry yelled back.

“Get out. NOW!” Severus said stepping forward Harry’s arm still held firmly in his right hand.

“No!” Harry yelled again.  “I’m not going anywhere.  How could you call Mum that?  You said you were her friend!  You loved her!”

“This is none of your concern Potter!” Severus yelled.  He was right in the boy’s face now.

“Bullshit!”  Harry snapped back.  “She was my mum.  If you loved her you could never have called her that.  Maybe Sirius was right.  You only wanted her ‘cause James had her.”

“Enough,” Severus said shoving the teen away from him. “Leave now Potter.”  Severus warned once more.

“No.  Not until you tell me how you could be my mum’s best friend and call her that.”  Harry demanded crossing his arms over his chest like and over-sized toddler.

“I do not have to justify my actions to you Potter.  You were not present for the matter you would not understand.”  Severus snapped.

“Really?” Harry demanded.  “It looked like you called my mum a ‘mud-”

“Don’t say that word,” Severus snapped cutting him off mid word.

“Yeah, well you called her one of those.  That’s enough for me.” Harry finished.

“You know nothing.”  

“You get to call my mum names because James was picking on you?  That makes sense.  That would be like me calling Hermione names if Draco was picking on me.” Harry said petulantly.

“SILENCE!” commanded Severus,“I will not be insulted by my child when he is the one in the wrong.”

“Am not,” Harry blurted out.

“If you have a desire to ever see your broom again I’d quit now Potter,” Severus hissed.

Harry shrugged, “Umbridge already has it.”

Severus quirked an eyebrow at Harry’s casual dismissal.  “Perhaps you would rather lose the chance to ever see the village again during your school career.  I am told you are rather fond of visiting the Three Broomsticks.”

“You can’t.”  Harry said disbelievingly.

“I can and I will if this attitude does not stop this instant.” Severus promised.

Harry thought about fighting again, but stopped just in time.

“You will be silent as I tell my story.  One word and you can explain to your little friends why you are once again banned from the village.  Now sit,” Severus instructed.

Harry flopped gracelessly down on the sofa.

“You do not deserve an explanation, but to stop you from making any more appalling statements about my character, I will give you one anyway,” Severus said taking a seat in his favorite chair.

“You have no doubt been told that Po-James and I did not have the most cordial of relationships.” Severus began.

Harry nodded.

“What others have failed to tell you is James was bully.  The torment he carried out on his fellow students, me in particular, goes far past some petty schoolhouse teasing.  He made my life a living misery for the better part of seven years,”  Severus explained.  “His behavior was all but condoned by the faculty.  I was left all but defenseless.  Your mother was the only person who stood up for me.  She was also my only friend.  Over the years our friendship became…strained.”  

“Lily did not care for the people I was spending my time with.  Many of these people would go on to be Death Eaters.  They were already doing their best to gain the Dark Lord’s favor.  Lily saw these people for what they truly were.  A mixture of House pride and contempt for unsolicited advice made me blind to her protests.  My failure to listen eventually virtually ended our friendship.  That afternoon by the lake was the first time Lily approached me in weeks.”

“The last thing I wanted was her pity.  I could defend myself.  Lily’s actions, though they were well intentioned, lead me to lashing out.  I tried to apologize that evening.  I tried to explain myself, but Lily would have none of it.”  Severus said sadly.

There was a long pause before Severus said almost too softly for Harry to hear, “I never stopped loving your mother.”  In a more audible volume he said, “I hope that satisfies your need for an explanation.  Now, I believe we have a punishment to discuss.”

“What!?” Harry protested.

“You broke into my personal memories Mr. Potter.  You are a fool if you think I would ever let such a breach of trust and privacy to go unpunished.”  Severus explained calmly.

“That’s not fair,” Harry huffed.

Coolly Severus countered. “No, what is unfair is I cannot leave my son in a room and trust him not to break into my Pensieve. I am aware the Headmaster told you about Pensieves and how disrespectful it is to enter them without an invitation.  I thought you respected me more than that.”

Harry looked down at his trainer embarrassed. “Sorry sir,” he mumbled.

“If you were truly sorry you would never have done such a thing.” Severus snapped.

“If I could take it back I would,” Harry protested. “What’s my punishment?”

Severus stopped.  He knew how his own father would have handled such an offense.  There was no way Severus was beating his son to a bloody pulp.  He swore he would never treat a child, any child in such a manner.  “We will start with detention every night this week.” Severus said thoughtfully.

“But that’s a class punishment,” Harry whined.

“And a four foot essay on respect and how you should have reacted this evening.”  Severus added at the boy’s protest.

Harry let out a sullen huff, “Fine.”

“That will be all for tonight Mr. Potter.  You are dismissed,” Severus said waiving the boy out.

Harry walked to the door and stopped. “Dad?” He asked nervously.

“What is it Mr. Potter?” Severus asked irritably.

“That thing with Mum… by the lake… was that why you said she was a forgiving person… because she forgave you are some point… I guess she must have since I’m here?” Harry rambled.

“Enough Harry,” Severus cut him off gently.  “Yes, that is one of the many reason I said you mother was a forgiving person.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry said awkwardly.  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Indeed.  Good night Mr. Potter.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Present

“That was the first row Dad and I had since… well, we started not hating each other is probably the best way to put it.  I might have acted tough in the professor’s quarters, but once in the halls on my way back to Gryffindor Tower, I lost it.  I was scared witless.  Like I said, that doesn’t happen to me often. I was scared Dad wouldn’t want me anymore.  I thought that row ruined everything we’d worked for the last few months.”  Harry pushed his hair out of his eyes.

“I didn’t know who I should talk to about our fight.  I was pretty sure Dad didn’t ever want to see me again.  I thought about talking to Ron and Hermione about it, but they didn’t really know my dad outside of how he was when they were at Hogwarts.  The person, or people I really needed to talk were Sirius and Remus.  They’d were James’ best friend at school and there at the same time as Dad obviously.  I knew Remus was made a prefect to try and keep James and Sirius in check.”

Harry paused to take another sip of water.  “I was so confused about everything.  I should have gone back to the Tower as it was already kind of late, but instead I headed up to the Owlery.  I spent a good part of the night working on a letter to Sirius trying to explain everything I saw and what I wanted to know.  It didn’t make a lot of sense when I tried reading it through, so I ended up sending him a note asking him if we could Floo-chat again.”

“The response I got back was from Remus, not Sirius.  Remus didn’t know exactly what happened between Dad and me, but from the short note he could tell something was bothering me.  We agreed to chat in a couple of days.  It would be the first chance I would get to the Floo where we were less likely to be interrupted.  That only meant I had to survive my first two detentions with Dad.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May 1996

Harry dragged his feet as he made his way down the corridor to the Potion’s classroom.  He was fairly certain if he could choose between having to sit detention with Umbridge and her blood quill or face the enraged Potion’s Master he’d gladly take the blood quill.

Harry couldn’t remember a time where he’d disappointed an adult this much.  The Dursleys never expected him to achieve anything so it was impossible to disappoint them, maybe other than continuing to show up on their doorstep each summer.  Maybe that time Remus caught him sneaking back into the castle after he went to Hogsmeade.  Harry nodded to himself.  That was the closest thing.  Even that was nothing in comparison.  Harry hated the heavy feeling of guilt in his stomach.

Finally he stood before the door, taking a deep breath he wrapped his knuckles on the door.

“Enter,” Severus’ deep voice issued from inside.

Harry pushed the door forward.  The professor sat at his desk, a large pile of papers sat in front of him.  “You will be scrubbing those cauldrons… without magic.  Get to work Mr. Potter.”  Severus instructed never looking up from his reading

Harry let out a defeated sigh and turned on the tap.  A heavy silence filled the room for close to an hour before Harry couldn’t take it any longer.  He turned the water off as he finished rinsing his tenth cauldron of the night.

Severus looked up at the sound, or rather lack of it.  “I wasn’t aware you’d been dismissed Mr. Potter.”  He said coolly to the teen.

Harry pushed up a sleeve with a wrinkled hand.  “I wasn’t sir,” Harry said taking a step away from the sinks and towards the professor’s desk.

“Then I suggest you get back to work,” Severus said letting his eyes fall to his papers once more.

Harry took another step forward.  “I was hoping we could talk about what happened the other night.”

“Your hopes are not my concern at the moment.  I had hoped you could be trusted to follow basic courtesy, and yet, here we are.  Get back to work,” Severus snapped.

Harry gave the professor a pleading look but it was for naught as the man’s eyes were again on the stack of paper.  Harry managed to get another 30 cauldrons washed before his watch beeped 10:00.  He had 30 minutes to get back to the Tower or be in trouble for breaking curfew.

“You may go Mr. Potter,” Severus said from his desk.  “You will report here at six tomorrow evening to ensure we have time for your Occlumency lessons.”

Harry let out a small sigh, “Yes sir. Good night, sir.”

Harry pulled his sleeves back down.  He grabbed his bag and set off in a jog back to the Tower.  The last thing he needed was another detention for being out past curfew.

Harry had a hard time concentrating in class that day.  He hoped the professor wouldn’t be nearly as cold to him as he was last night.  If he was this mad at him how would he be this summer.  Would he still want Harry to come live with him this summer?  That was weeks away yet.  The professor couldn’t stay mad at him that long could he?  Harry groaned.  The man was still mad about fights in the schoolyard 20 years ago.  Harry was doomed he was certain of it.

If Harry wasn’t going to live with his father during the summer where would he go?  He couldn’t stay with the Weasleys that long.  That would be rude, he couldn’t risk over staying his welcome at the Burrow.  That was the closest thing he’d ever had to a home and he needed to make sure that he’d always be welcome there.  He knew the Weasleys would never say he was a bother, but still Harry couldn’t do that to them.

Maybe he could go stay with Sirius.  They’d always talked about doing that.  Maybe this would be the year, just the two of them.  Maybe Remus would be there too.  It would be great.

Harry couldn’t get excited about the prospect no matter how great it sounded.  He never realized how much he was looking forward to going home.  A real home of his own, with his own family, not just saddled on somebody because they happened to share the same blood.

He needed to put things right.  He had to. He couldn’t blow this with one stupid row.  It was too much.

Harry wasn’t hungry at dinner time.  He took food, but merely picked at it.  He needed to talk to his father.  He had to make it better.  Pushing his plate away Harry headed down to the dungeons a full fifteen minutes early.  He didn’t bother knocking this time, just marched into the classroom.

“I was not expecting you for another quarter of an hour Mr. Potter.  It is also respectful to knock before entering a closed room.  A good thing to keep in mind since it was your lack of manners that land us here.” Severus commented icily.

“I know sir,” Harry sad somewhat breathlessly.  He’d taken the journey at a run.  “I wanted to talk about that.  I know I messed up the other night.  I’m sorry.  I wanted you to know that if you don’t want me to stay with you this summer now –”

“What are you on about?” Severus burst out.

“I just understand if you don’t want somebody you can’t trust living with you. I’m glad you offered it.  I get it was my mistake that made me lose it.” Harry explained.

“Who put such a dunderhead notion in your pathetic Gryffindor mind?” Severus asked.

“Sir?” Harry asked confused.

“You are my son Potter.  I am not going to kick you out for snooping through my things.  You are being punished for your actions now.  You will have to do your best to earn my trust back, but it has not cost you your home.  Now get to work.  We still have a lesson tonight.” Severus said motioning toward the sinks.

Harry headed back toward the sinks but stopped.  “About our lesson tonight, sir.  Could I use the Floo again?  I wrote Remus and Sirius the other night after everything.  I said I’d try to talk to them tonight.  I’m sure they’d be happy to hear things are back to normal.”

“Things are not back to normal,” Severus corrected.

“Yeah, but they sort of are. I’m not getting chucked out or anything.  I was pretty upset when I wrote them the other night.  I just want to let them know we talked and stuff.”  Harry explained.

Severus considered it for a long moment before saying, “Very well, but only after you have your lesson.”

“Okay sir,” Harry agreed almost happily.

Severus was certain as his time as a teacher he’d never seen a student so content to clean cauldrons.

Present

“If you told me that evening my detention was going to be the highlight of my night I probably would have laughed.  How could a couple of hours scrubbing cauldrons be good?  I was being punished for breaking into my dad’s Pensieve.  The only good thing there was Dad told me he still wanted me.  That was great.”

Harry licked his lips nervously.  This next part of the story was so important, but it was painful.  It couldn’t be skipped though, the actions of the that night set up many of the events that happened in the course of the weeks that lead up to Voldemort’s demise.

“With things between Dad and I cleared up, even if they weren’t mended I was really looking forward to talking to Sirius and Remus.  I wanted them to know I was alright.  I didn’t need them to worry and go off and do something stupid, like showing up at the castle to hex Dad.”  Harry chuckled softly and found Remus in the crowd.

“I was more worried Sirius would do that then you Remus, honest.”  Harry said lightly.

The werewolf gave him a nod in understanding.  Sirius gave the pair a mocking glare at the exchange.

“Right, so after getting soaked washing cauldrons for about two hours Dad decided I’d had enough of that for the night.  We moved into his quarters to work on my Occlumency lesson.  I spent about ten minutes or so organizing my memories, with Dad’s help, before we started dueling.  I did an okay job of keeping him out; especially  out of the most painful parts of my memories.  That went on for about an hour.  Dad called the lesson off early to give me time to talk to Sirius, but not until we had our normal tea.”  Harry explained.

“It was nice to finally be able to catch my breath and relax for those couple of minutes.  My appetite was back something terrific as well.  I think I ate all but two of the biscuits the house elves sent up.  I could tell you Dad was less than pleased.  I’m not sure if he was more upset about me binging on sweets or the fact I got all the chocolate shortbreads.  Those are his favorite.”  Harry looked over his shoulder and gave his father a cheeky grin. “Now, nobody get the idea you can bribe him with those or something.  He’s not that cheap.  Trust me, I tried.  Just if you’re ever to tea with him go yourself a favor, leave him at least one or two.”

Harry’s voice lost its cheer as he continued his story.  “Finally after tea and biscuits Dad let me Floo to Grimmauld Place.  If I could go back and change time I would ask Dad to say no.  If he had, everything might have gone very differently.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

May 1996

Harry waited until the world stopped spinning before opening his eyes.  He hated Floo travel.  At least when it was only his head going through he couldn’t fall out and make a fool of himself, or go out the wrong grate.  He wished he could just use a telephone.  There was no nauseating spinning with a phone call.

“Harry,” Remus greeted warmly after seeing the teen’s head in the fireplace.

“Hey, Remus,” Harry greeted just as warmly.

“Hold on a minute.  Let me go and get Sirius.  He just stepped out,” Remus said rising from the floor.  Harry watched the faded, shabby trousers as they  retreated and then returned with an equally grimy pair a moment later.  Harry smiled at the two wizards as they sat down.

“How are you Harry?” Remus asked anxiously.  “You sounded rather upset in your last letter.”

“I’m good,” Harry replied.

“Really,” Sirius asked skeptically.

“Yeah Sirius.  I’m good.  Me and D-the professor talked about things.  I’m still in a bit of trouble, but we’re okay.” Harry explained.

“What happened exactly Harry?  You sounded distressed, but you didn’t tell us what happened.” Remus asked.

Harry bit his lip nervously. “I… errr… broke into Da-Professor Snape’s Pensieve.  He was busy taking care one of his students.”

“Harry James Potter!” Remus scolded as Sirius broke into a grin.

“That’s brilliant.” Sirius said with a chuckle.

Harry frowned at their reactions, his godfather’s especially.  He expected to be in trouble.  Why was Sirius basically congratulating him?

“He went spare when he caught me.” Harry confessed.

Sirius’ face darkened dangerously.  “Did he put a hand on you?”

“No. No.  He pulled me out and just sort of yelled.  He tried to throw me out,” Harry assured them.

“He better not have.” Sirius whispered threateningly.

“He didn’t touch me Sirius.  I promise.”  Harry pledged.

Sensing the tension building Remus asked, “Is that what you wanted to talk to us about?  About how Severus was treating you?”

Harry shook his head, “Not exactly.  I wanted ask you about was I saw.”

Remus looked slightly puzzled.  “I’m not sure we’re the best people to discuss that with surely Severus –”

“I already asked him.”  Harry blurted out.  “I want to know more about James and you guys were his best mates.”

“Harry, what exactly did you see in Severus’ Pensieve?”  Remus asked.

“Come on Harry,” Sirius encouraged.  “It could have been that bad.  You’re still breathing and all.”

Harry gave his godfather an unsure look.  “It was during your D.A.D.A. O.W.L.  It started just before the written exam ended.  James was a few seats in front of Professor Snape.  The professor was really focused on his test.”

“You could say that.  The git walked out of the room with as much ink on his nose as the parchment,” Sirius said snidely.

“Sirius,” Remus scolded.  “Let Harry tell his story.”

Harry took a breath and explained. “Well, they called time and everybody left the Great Hall.  Professor Snape headed out the Hall and wandered by the lake.  You guys and Da-James sort of followed him.  I’m not sure if you were meant to, but you ended up close to each other.  James was mucking about with a Snitch.  Then you saw Professor Snape.  You guys started messing with him.”

Remus paled at the story he remembered the incident with shame.

“I didn’t say anything,” Remus muttered ashamedly.

“No, but you didn’t defend him either,” Harry snapped back.

“That’s not what I meant,” Remus defended.  “I should have tried to get James and Sirius to lay off.”

“I remember this,” Sirius interjected.  “The greasy git tried to hex us.”

“Don’t call him that,” Harry snapped.

“James was showing off for Lily,” Sirius continued oblivious to Harry’s objection.  “Man, did he have it hard for her.”

“He was trying to impress my mum?”  Harry asked dumbfounded.  “No wonder she thought he was a ‘toerag’.”

“We were young,” Remus explained.

“You were my age.  I would never do that to somebody!”  Harry countered.

“Really,” Sirius asked in disbelief.  “You wouldn’t take the mickey out of somebody to impress girl?”

‘You weren’t ‘taking the mickey’,” Harry argued.  “You guys picked on him for no reason.  You weren’t being funny.  It was mean.”

“We had plenty of reasons.  That overgrown bat was already well on his was to being a Death Eater.”  Sirius snapped back.  “James was just trying to put him in his place.  Besides he deserved what he got for calling Lily what he did.  Did you see that part?”  Sirius demanded.

“Yeah, I did.  He never would have called Mum that if you hadn’t ganged up on him,” Harry protested.

“Bollocks,” Sirius said.  “It was only a matter of time before he did.  He already called everybody else of her birth that name.”

“Sirius,” Remus said softly, “We didn’t help matters.”

“You’re taking Snivellus’ side, Mooney?” Sirius asked in complete disbelief.

“Harry is right.  We should never have treated Severus the way we did.”  Remus explained.  “He wasn’t doing anything to hurt us.”

“Were you guys always like that?” Harry demanded.

Harry dropped his eyes sadly, “More than I would care to admit.”

“Don’t make Snape so innocent Remus,” Sirius snapped.  “Snape was capable of some pretty dark magic.  He never passed up the chance to jinx James.”

“Maybe if you guys didn’t pick on him all the time,” Harry protested.

“You weren’t there, Harry.  You don’t know what he was like.  You’re letting him brainwash you into believing he was some helpless victim.  You never saw what he and his Death Eater buddies did to the Muggle-borns.  Your dad was just…” Sirius growled.

“The professor is my dad.” Harry cut in not caring how rude it was.

Sirius visibly cringed at the statement.  “James is your dad.  He gave up his life for you.  Snape is just a bastard who asked your mum for some fun.” Sirius bit out before storming out of the the kitchen.

Harry stared at the place his godfather had just occupied dumbstruck.

Remus sat back just as horrified.

“Give him some time Harry,” Remus said after a moment.  “He’ll come around.”

“Whatever,” Harry grumbled.  “I’ll see you Remus.”

“Harry,” the werewolf called out, but the teen was already gone.

Present

Harry took a second to catch his breath.  “In the wake of what happened Dad decided to use my detention for extra Occlumency lessons.  I was grateful not to be scrubbing cauldrons.  It was useful too since I got out a bit earlier to review for my O.W.L.s. Those were rapidly approaching.”

“Everything here at Hogwarts sort of calmed down right before exams.  My best friend Ron helped us win the Qudditch Cup for the second time in a row.  My life was almost normal with classes and Occlumency lessons.  As our exams got closer the more stressed everybody got more.  Hermione became increasingly bossy, Ron was snappish.  I ended up spending a lot more time in Dad’s quarters studying down there.  He didn’t seem to mind the company and with all the threats he made about me not doing well on my exams I think he was glad to see me studying.”

Harry pushed his hair away from his eyes once more.  “With all the studying, homework and stuff was I was pretty stressed.  I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t sleep very well when I’m stressed.  I’m pretty sure Dad took to spiking my evening tea with Calming Draught.”

“The worst of these nights was the night of our first O.W.L.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

June 1996 (The week before)

Severus handed Harry his cup of from their traditional post-lesson tea service.  Harry took in gratefully.  There was something soothing in a warm cup of tea, even without drinking it.  Harry couldn’t wait for the next week to be done.

Harry took his first sip of tea and let out a contented sigh.  Why couldn’t things always be like this: a cozy couch, warm tea and biscuits and nothing to worry about on the horizon?

Severus watched as his son melted back into the couch.  In that moment Harry looked his age, or younger possibly.  There was a contented innocence he rarely saw on the boy’s face.  It hurt Severus to know he was in part responsible for the teen’s troubled past.

“Are you ready for your exam in the morning?”  Severus asked taking a sip of his own sweetened tea.

Harry shrugged.  “I guess.  I’ve been studying everything like mad.  It’s scary since they can ask us about almost anything we’re supposed to have learned over the last five years.  That’s a lot of stuff to remember.  And then what if we didn’t learn about it because we had sh –” Harry stopped at the sight of his father’s raised brow.  

“Horrible professors,” Harry finished lamely.

The professor’s expression did not soften at Harry’s attempted correction.  “I can assure you that Minera and Filius are among the best instructors you will find.  As Charms is your first O.W.L. this should put you mind somewhat at ease.”

Harry shook his head, “I’m not taking about them.  Look at who I’ve had for Defense.  A guy who had Voldemort plastered to the back of his head, Lockhart, and Umbridge. Harry ignored the grimace that crossed his father’s face at the sound of the Dark Lord’s name and ticked off the professors on the fingers of his right hand.

“You are forgetting the werewolf and the Death Eater disguised as a half-mad ex-Auror,” Severus pointed out.

Harry gave another shrug, “Yeah, well at least with them I learned something.  Quirrell was supposedly scared of his own shadow and the most dangerous thing we talked about were trolls.  Lockhart was more interested in selling us books than having us learn the difference between a centaur and a Minotaur. Not that I’m sure he knew the difference.”

Severus let out a soft chuckle.  “Lockhart was a fool.  A particularly disappointing choice to lose the position to.”

“Then there’s Umbridge.  She’s probably the worst.  At least with the other two they acknowledged there’s a dark side to magic.  I know they were both evil and everything, but they showed us what can happen.  Umbridge wants us to believe the world is made of nothing but shining, happy, perfect people.  She’d probably say ‘Voldemort isn’t that bad, he’s just misunderstood’ if the right person asked her.”  Harry spat.

Severus frowned at his son’s rather astute assessment of the Acting-Headmistress.  “Indeed,” was all he said.

“I’ve lost half of my school years to idiots.  How am I ever supposed to pass this test?”  Harry rambled.

Severus found it hard, but managed not to breakout in belly bursting laughter at Harry’s expense.  “Harry, I refuse to believe you are so obtuse you believe yourself capable of that level of failure.”

Harry have him a puzzled look in response.  Severus shook his head at the teen’s incomprehension.

“You really must try to improve your vocabulary, Harry.” Severus chided mildly.

“It’s not that I didn’t understand,” Harry tried to cover.

“Then why do you resemble one who has just been Confunded?”

Harry bit his lip.  “You said something nice… about me.”

Severus nodded in agreement.  “Yes, but I fail to see the significance.”

“You don’t do that… not about me.” Harry countered.

Severus took a deep breath cursing himself to the darkest depths of Hell for damaging his son’s confidence so severely.  “We have had several conversations about my unfair assessment of your skills over the years.  Harry, if there is one subject you should never fear in your abilities it is Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“But..” Harry began.

“Harry,” Severus cut him off.  “You are one of the most gifted students in that subject I have ever encountered. You were able to make it to the Philosopher’s Stone and face the Dark Lord at 11 years old.”

“I had loads of help to get there and it was only Mum’s protection that saved me.” Harry protested.

Severus put his hand up to stop his son’s rambling.  “At 12, you knowing faced a basilisk, a task which normally would have been relegated to half of the Ministry of Magic.  Again you faced the Dark Lord and survived.”

“Only ‘cause Fawkes –” Harry interrupted.

“Harry, let me finish,” Severus snapped.  “At 13 you were capable of producing a corporeal Patronus, a feat many adult wizards are incapable of.  You not only produced a Patronus, but were able to drive off a significant Dementor swarm.” Severus gave the teen a piercing look before he could protest.  “At 14, you were the youngest contestant of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.  You faced any number of obstacles in it, including a dragon, and the Dark Lord yet again.”

“That was my wand,” Harry whined.

“Indeed.  And yet you were still able to maintain your head enough to put up a fight and bring back Diggory’s body.  Many fully trained witches and wizards could not say they would have done the same.  Brave men and women fled in fear of the Dark Lord.”

“Don’t you see, I’ve just gotten lucky?  I’m not that special. I’m just lucky.”  Harry whined.

“You have been lucky, but you are talented.  This concern about your O.W.L. is misplaced stress for your other exams.  You mother did something similar before our Charms exams”  Severus said reassuringly.

Harry perked up interestedly, “Really?”

Severus nodded,“Yes, I heard her in her library the night before the exam lamenting her unpreparedness to one of her dorm mates.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed.

“You should not fear for your results on that particular exam.  I fully believe you are more prepared than even Granger.  You should also find your other exams less daunting if you have truly been using your time to prepare.  You are not an untalented wizard.  You should do well as long as you have studied.” Severus said kindly.

Harry smiled at his understated compliment, “Thanks.”

Harry checked his watch.  “I should get back to the Tower.  I wanted to go through my Charms notes again before I go to bed.”

Severus rose walking Harry to the door.  “A commendable idea.  Do remember to get a good night’s sleep.”

Harry scoffed, “Like that’s going to happen.”

Severus frowned at his son’s comment.  “You are having difficulty sleeping?”

“Errr… yeah,” Harry said uneasily.

“Why did you fail to mention it?” Severus asked.

Harry shrugged, “It’s nothing, pre-exam jitters, you know?”

“Indeed,” Severus agreed. “Still, would you care for a mild sleeping potion?  You would fare better on your exam on a good night’s rest.”

Harry shock his head, “No thanks, I’ll be alright.  Good night.”

“If you are sure,” Severus said certainly.  Harry nodded.  “Very well, good night Harry.  The best of luck on your exam,” Severus offered.

“Thanks,” Harry repeated.

Harry’s walk to the Tower was uneventful.  He spent much of the walk practicing wand movements of charms Flitwick reviewed with them in the last week or so.  He needed to look at his notes for some of these they’d done early on.  The Common Room was mostly deserted when he arrived back at the Tower.  Those who remained were either in their fifth or seventh year.

Harry found Ron and Hermione at a set of cozy couches near an open window.  Harry flopped down on the couch across from Ron.  The redhead was splayed out on the couch similarly.  

“How was your lesson mate?” Ron asked putting his notes a side for a moment.

Harry shrugged, “The usual.”

“You ready for this?” Ron asked gesturing back towards the abandoned notes.

Harry gave another shrug. “I guess.”

“You shouldn’t be so carefree about this Harry.  It’s your future you’re setting tomorrow,” Hermione scolded from behind her fortress of books.

Ron rolled his eyes, “He knows ‘Mione.  He doesn’t need you laying into him too.  Snape’s been doing it for ages.”

“And he should be,” Hermione said making her first appearance of the evening.  “The professor knows how important it is for Harry to do well.  You’d do well to listen to the professor too Ronald Weasley.”

“Shut it Hermione,” Ron snapped.

Harry did his best to ignore his friends’ bickering instead choosing to focus on reading Hermione’s notes.  The two continued to squabble for several minutes.  It only ended when Hermione stormed out of the room and up to her dorm.  Harry wasn’t sure what had been said, but he knew it must have been something horrible.  He would make sure the two were still speaking in the morning.

“You coming mate,” Ron asked standing by the arm of Harry’s sofa.

“No, I want to read through a bit more these,” Harry said gesturing to the still sizable pile of notes.

“Okay,” Ron said.  “See you in the morning.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, eyes already back on the papers.

Harry rubbed at his eyes drowsily.  ‘The key to a weightless charm…’

Harry was back in the Department of Mysteries.  He knew the shelves instantly.  He continued down the aisles until 15b came into view.

Down the aisle sat Sirius his arms bound behind his back.  His legs tied together too.  A wand was being pointed at his head by a faceless Death Eater. “Curcio,” an icy voice drawled and Sirius writhed in pain.

“Sirius!” Harry shot awake, drenched in a cold sweat.

Present

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep on that couch.  I didn’t realize I had until I woke up.  I knew I was capable of seeing what was going on in Voldemort’s mind.  Both Dad and Professor Dumbledore warned me it was possible that the reverse might also be true.  That’s why it was so important for me to Occlude before I went to sleep.  After the incident with Dad’s secret I was super careful.  I was just so tired.  I fell asleep.  I was reading and then I was there in the Ministry,” Harry explained.

“I knew this was Voldemort’s image.  I didn’t know if it was real or what but I did know I needed to tell Dad about it.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

June 1996 (the week before)

Harry threw himself off the couch.  He needed to get to his dad’s quarters, now.  He took the stairs two at a time as ran up to his dorm room.  He didn’t care how much noise he made.  All that mattered was saving Sirius.  The man might be a jerk, but he was still Harry’s godfather.  He loved that asshole.

Harry slammed the door to his circular room open.  He sprinted across the room throwing open the trunk at the end of the bed.

“Harry,” a sleep bleary voice asked.

Harry turned, Neville Longbottom peered out from between his four-poster’s hangings.

“Go back to sleep Neville,” Harry hissed.

“What’s the matter,” Ron asked from his own bed.

“Sirius is in trouble.  I need to get to Dad’s quarters.  I have to go help him.”  Harry explained.

Harry missed the confused look on Neville’s face and the look of absolute horror on Ron’s.

“Is that the best idea mate?  You know how Snape is.”  Ron asked cautiously.

“I have to help him Ron.  He’s my godfather,” Harry argued.

“Yeah, I know but….”

“What’s going on,” Neville demanded.

“None of your business Neville.  Go back to bed.” Harry ordered.

Neville’s face fell slightly, but he closed his curtains anyway.

Harry took the opportunity to pull his Invisibility Cloak from the bottom of his trunk.  “I’m going now.  You can come with me or not.  It’s up to you, but I’m not letting Voldemort torture or kill Sirius.”

Ron sat back for a moment before finally throwing back the covers and joining Harry.

“We should get Hermione.” Ron suggested as they headed down the stairs to the Common Room.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Harry demanded.  They were wasting time.  “If we try going up there it turns into a slide remember?”

As they reached the Common Room they were greeted by an unexpected, yet welcome sight.  Dobby stood in the middle of the Common Room his large head covered in a precarious stack of Hermione’s elf hats.

“Dobby!” Both boys exclaimed at once.

“Harry Potter and his Weazy!” Dobby squeaked back.

“Dobby, we need you to go get Hermione,” Harry demanded all semblance of manners.  The house elf didn’t seem to mind however.  He simply bobbed his head excitedly disappearing in a blink of an eye.  No more than two minutes later the elf and Hermione were there.

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Hermione demanded pulling her dressing gown tighter closed.

“Sirius is in trouble.  I need to talk to Dad.  We have to go help him.” Harry urged.

“What?” Hermione asked.  “Harry, you’re not making any sense.  Sirius is in trouble?  Where is he in trouble?”

“He’s at the Ministry.  We have to go help him.  Voldemort is torturing him.”  Harry explained.  “We’re wasting time.”

“Voldemort?” Hermione stressed. “Harry, did you ever think that this is possibly him trying to trick you?  You said the professor and Dumbledore said Voldemort might be able to see into your mind and you do his.  They said he could plant images.  Did you consider this might be a trap?”

“I know that Hermione.”  Harry snapped. “That’s why I want to talk to Dad.  He can go and check Headquarters to make sure Sirius is where he’s supposed to be.  Come on.  We’re wasting time.”

Ron and Hermione exchanged troubled looks, but walked closer to Harry so all three could fit below the Invisibility Cloak. The three made it about a quarter of the way to the dungeons before Harry lost his patience with their slow progress.

“Sod this,” Harry cursed pulling the cloak off himself.

“Harry,” Hermione hissed.  They boy wasn’t sure it was a condemnation of his choice of language or making noise in the hallways when students were supposed to be in bed.

“No Hermione.  This is taking too long.  We need to get there now.” Harry protested.  Before the girl had a chance to respond Harry set off down the hall in a run.  Ron and Hermione shared another troubled look before setting off after him as best they could.  They only caught up to him at the door to Snape’s private quarters.

Harry stood breathless at the entrance to his father’s quarters.  He didn’t have a password for the door.  He never seen a door that didn’t either take a password or have a key.  What was he supposed to do now?  Lacking any better ideas Harry began to pound his firsts on the door.  Ron found him there a moment later, Hermione just as the door swung open.

Severus Snape stood before the trio furious obviously just pulled from the thralls of a deep sleep.  “This had better be good Potter.” The man snapped glaring at his son.

It was then he noticed Harry’s obvious distress and the fact he was accompanied by his ever present fellow trouble makers.

“In,” the Potions Master order sharply to the three.

The three students skidded past the man, two too scared to speak, the other fighting the urge to until the door snapped closed being them.  As soon as the quartet was in the man’s living room Severus demanded, “Explain to me why three Gryffindors are banging on my door at 2:30 a.m. on the day of their first O.W.L. instead of up in their beds asleep.”

“Sirius is in trouble.”  Harry explained.

“In trouble? Don’t be ridiculous.  The mutt is safely at Headquarters probably fast asleep, (or more likely passed out, but that was close enough Severus added to himself.) like you three should be.” Severus snapped.

“He’s not.” Harry pleaded.  “He needed his father to understand.

“How would you know?” Severus demanded of his son.

“I saw him.  He’s at the Ministry.  Voldemort is torturing him.” Harry explained.

“You saw him?” Severus asked skeptically.  “How could you see the Dark Lord’s mind if you Occluded your mind before you slept.” His voice no more than a hiss.

“I forgot, Dad.  Please.  Sirius is in trouble.  We need to go help him.  Please,” Harry begged.

“We will speak about this later,” Severus promised. “I will go and check Order Headquarters to put your concerns to rest.  I will not let anyone walk into the Dark Lord’s trap because you, Potter, are too foolish to follow simple instructions.”  Severus transfigured his nightshirt into a shirt and slack.  “You three are to wait here for me.  If I find you have moved so much as an inch before I am back you will be scrubbing cauldrons until your grandchildren are sitting their N.E.W.Ts.”

With that the wizard threw down a pinch of Floo-Powder and disappeared up the fireplace.  Severus stepped into the kitchen of 13 Grimmauld Place a minute later.  The kitchen was empty, disproving Severus’ original hypothesis.

“Point me towards Sirius Black,” Severus grumbled to his wand.  He was going to kill the mutt when he found him. The man should never have put Harry in this level of distress.  If he acted like an actual adult Harry wouldn’t have to have the fear that the man might do something as stupid as Harry feared he was going to do now.

Severus wand stood stubbornly in place.  The spell would point him in the mutt’s direction as long as he was within a two mile radius.  “Point me towards Sirius Black,” Severus snapped again.  Again his wand stayed in place. “Damn it.”

A shuffling could be heard in the hall.  Severus crossed the gloomy kitchen to determine the source.  He was meet with the unpleasant visage of Kreacher.

“Where is your master?” Severus requested sharply.

“The nasty half-blood is talking to Kreacher.  Kreacher is not telling him the blood traitor is not being here.”  The house elf muttered darkly to himself.

Severus promised himself if the damn mutt survived this night he would kill him himself.  He knew the Gryffindor was a fool, but never thought the fleabag would be stupid enough to actually leave Headquarters, let alone go on to the Ministry.  As Severus considered the best way to rid himself of the troublesome mutt once and for all the Dark Mark flared to life for the first time in months.

Severus fought back a curse as the pain surged through his arm.  He threw down another pinch of Floo-Powder.  He placed a hand over the Mark as another wave of pain coursed through it.  Severus schooled his features as his head appeared in the flames of his living room hearth.  A trio of concerned faces greeted him.

“Black is not there,” Severus stated before any of the children had a chance to ask.  “I am being summoned by the Dark Lord.  I am not back within the next hour you are to go to Professor McGonagall.  Under no circumstance are you to come after me or go to the Ministry.” Severus commanded.  “Is that understood?”

A chorus of “yes,sir” met his ears.  He gave them a sharp nod before pulling his head back.  Severus took a moment to strengthen his shields for possibly the last time.  If the Dark Lord knew what they feared he did he probably would never see his son again.  He should have told the boy how he felt.  He wished he knew how to say those words.

Severus pulled Lily’s face to the forefront of his mind and placed a hand directly over his mark.

Present

Harry let out a sigh.  “Dad ordered us to wait there in his quarters.  I didn’t know if any of you had ever had to sit and wait to find out if someone you loves is okay.  It sucks.  Everything is beyond your control.  I tried my best to do as he asked, but there is only so much waiting I can do.  I couldn’t in good conscience let Dad do in there with no help.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

June 1996 (the week before)

Harry paced the length of his father’s sitting room for the 20th time in as many minutes.  He couldn’t sit still.  He needed to be doing something.  Sirius was in danger, so was his dad.  He needed to go help them.  His father would be furious with him, if he disobeyed his orders.  Harry would never forgive either man if they died tonight.  Harry turned on his heel and paced back the other way.

“Harry sit down,” Ron snapped from his seat on the sofa.

“I can’t.” Harry snapped back.  “I can’t just sit here and wait.”

“Harry you heard what the professor said.  We’re supposed to wait here.  If he’s not back in an hour we’re to go and get Professor McGonagall.”  Hermione reminded her friend.

“I know what he said Hermione.” Harry bit out.

“Then sit down,” Ron urged.

“No,” Harry snapped. “You might be willing to sit and wait here like good little kids, but I can’t.  I’m not willing to see Dad and Sirius tortured and killed because we were too scared to ignore a grown up’s orders.  I’m going.  You can come with me if you want, or sit here and wait.”

“Harry, mate,” Ron began.

“No,” Harry protested.  “I don’t care if you come or not.  I’m not losing anyone else because I was too scared to do something about it.”

Ron gave Hermione a pleading look.  “Fine,” The girl agreed.  “Now how do you want to do this?”

Ron gave a frustrated sigh.  If one of them was to be the voice of reason in should have been Hermione.

Harry thought out loud. “Voldemort had Sirius in the Department of Mysteries.  If he’s there that’s probably were Dad is too.  That’s where we need to go.”

Hermione nodded in agreement as Harry went over their points of information. “How do we get to the Ministry?”

“Err… when I went with Ron’s dad we took the Underground.  We can’t do that here.  We could fly there.” Harry offered lamely.

“Or we could just Floo.” Ron pointed out obviously.

Harry turned to Ron then the fireplace, then back to Ron.

“Dad took the Underground ‘cause we were in London and he loves Muggles.  Normally he Apperates to the Ministry from the Burrow, but you can Floo too.  Dad doesn’t like doing it though ‘cause Floo Powder is kind of expensive.” Ron explained his ears going slightly pink with embarrassment.

“Obviously,” Hermione stated.  “How did I not think of that?”

“Fine.  Let’s get going,” Harry affirmed.

Harry took the box from the mantle and held it open for his two friends.  Each of the teens took a pinch before Harry grabbed one himself.  Hermione stepped into the fireplace first.  Ron followed as soon as Hermione disappeared.  Harry was just behind the other two.  He had waited another moment he would been confronted by a very distressed Neville Longbottom and frazzled Minerva McGonagall coming through his father’s door.  Instead the two were greeted by an empty sitting room.

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace at the Ministry of Magic.  Ron and Hermione stood together not far from Harry’s fireplace.

“Where do we go?” Ron asked.

“We need to get to the lifts.” Harry told them.

The three headed off at a run quickly crossing the vast atrium.

“What department Harry,” Hermione asked as they called for a lift.

“Department of Mysteries.  That’s were Ron’s dad was standing guard at Christmas.  It was the same hallway.” Harry informed them jabbing the appropriate button as they stepped into the lift.  Harry pulled the doors closed quickly.  They stood anxiously doing their best to ignore the tinny version of Christina Warbucks.  The elevator came to a stop.  Harry pulled the doors open and ran down the hall.  Hermione and Ron were right on his heels.

Harry stopped outside the familiar door.  Ron almost crashed into his back, stopping only in the nick of time.  Hermione much more gracefully came to stand beside Harry.

“What’s wrong Harry?” She asked.

“Something doesn’t feel right.  It looked different in my dream.”  Harry said uneasily.  “Keep an eye out,” Harry instructed stepping forward grasping the door handle and threw it open.  The trio stepped into a circular room of doors. 

“Great,” Ron muttered.  “Now which one do we use?”

Harry shrugged.  He stepped forward grabbing the door on his left.  It refused to open.  Harry let go and stepped back.  The doors began to spin.

“Brilliant, can this place get any better,” Ron grumbled.

“Harry, open another door, but don’t let go until I say so,” Hermione instructed.

Harry nodded in confirmation, but said nothing.  He took hold of the right hand door this time.  The door opened into a room full of green light.  Harry looked over his shoulder before stepping through.  Ron and Hermione followed him after Hermione marked the door with two blue lines.

The room was strange.  In one corner stood an oversized hourglass.  On the top was a hatching chick grew into an adult bird.  When all the sand reached the bottom the bird died, only for the process to start over again.  There were shelves and shelves of Time-Turners.

“This isn’t it,” Harry said pulling his eyes away from the cycling bird.

The other two teens followed Harry back out of the room.  The doors spun as soon as the one they exited clicked shut.  When the doors stopped this time Ron opened the one straight in front of him.  The room before him was dark.  Gathering his courage the redhead stepped forward, his friends right behind him.

The room light up as they crossed the threshold.  They were at the top of a pit.  At the base stood a stone arch.  A curtain hung from it.  It fluttered gently as if in a breeze.

“Do you hear that,” Harry asked his companions.

“Hear what?” Ron asked befuddled.

“Voices,” Harry said walking closer to the edge.  “It’s like they’re on the other side of the curtain.”

“Harry,” Hermione urged. “There are not voices.  Come on, we need to find your dad and Sirius.”

The mention of the wizards broke the spell the arch had on Harry.  He turned back towards the way they came.  He couldn’t help but give the arch one last curious glance.

Hermione marked the door with three lines before it shut behind them.  The doors spun once more.  Harry grabbed the handle of the door beside him without a mark.

This room too was dark, but Harry could make out the high shelves.  It was the right room!  He didn’t wait for his friends to follow this time.  He had to get to Sirius.  He needed to help his dad.  He ran for all his worth only slowing enough to read the numbers on the ends of the aisles.  He made a sharp turn at aisle 15.  Sirius should be just down this way, but he wasn’t.

Instead of Sirius sitting bound and tortured sat Severus.

Harry nearly called out, but stopped at the sharp look received from his father.  Father and son’s eyes met, “LEAVE NOW!  FORGET THE PROPHECY!  GO HARRY!  NOW!” Severus screamed in Harry’s mind.

His dad had never told him they could communicate with Legimancy. Harry looked at his father once more and gave the man a sharp shake of his head. 

“The Dark Lord will be most pleased to know his trap worked so well,” Lucius Malfoy said stepping into the aisle.

“What are you doing here?” Harry demanded.

“Now Severus, you should have made sure your boy had better manners.  That’s no way to address you betters Potter, or should I say Snape?” Lucius drawled.

Harry’s face paled at the comment.  If Voldemort told his followers about Harry’s paternity what else had they told them?  Did Voldemort know about Severus’ spying?

Severus struggled against his bindings at the comment.  Harry was grounded for the next century if they ever made it out of here.  How could boy so stupid?  He’d made it clear the teens were not supposed to come after him or Black under any circumstance.  He couldn’t wait to scold the boy for his idiocy.  The boy would have perfect technique preparing every ingredient Severus could think of by the time he finished his punishment for this stunt, the little idiot.

“Why are you here?” Harry demanded again.

“Are you that stupid Potter?”  Lucius asked in response.  “I am here to collect the prophecy for the Dark Lord.”

“Then take it,” Harry ordered.

“Obviously the boy inherited his dim wits from his Mudblood mother,” Lucius directed toward Severus. 

Severus nearly his bonds in half at the comment.  How dare Malfoy insult his Lily like that?

“What do they teach you at that school?  I can’t simply take the prophecy, Potter.  Only those it refers t may touch the orbs.  Clearly the Dark Lord cannot collect it himself, so you will do it for him.  That is if you ever wish see your father alive again.” Lucius sneered.

Harry looked from Lucius to his father and back again.  Harry bit his lip uncertainly.  His emerald eyes found Severus’ onyx.  “LEAVE ME!” Severus commanded again.

“No,” Harry’s inner voice squeaked.  Severus could feel the boy’s concern, fear, and most unexpectedly, love.  He never thought the boy had grown to care for him so deeply. 

“I’m not losing you too, Dad,” Harry’s voice told him.  He was more confident this time.

Severus cursed the boy’s stubbornness.  “You and I will talk about your inability to follow instructions when e return to the castle,” Severus’ voice told the boy.

Harry shrugged in acknowledgement.

While Malfoy focused on the exchange between father and son he failed to notice the actions of the other two teens.  Hermione had crept closer to the professor, close enough to cut the restraints on the professor’s wrists.  Meanwhile Ron had Body-Bound the two Death Eaters closest to him.

With his hands free Severus picked up one of the discarded wands.  Harry’s eyebrows shot up at his father’s actions.  He hadn’t realized Hermione had managed to free him either.  Severus cast a nonverbal spell cutting through the rest of his bindings.

Harry took the opportunity to distract Malfoy by approaching the shelves.  He cast his eyes over the many orbs.  Finally about halfway down the shelf almost at eyelevel Harry saw it.  A small label read: By S.B.T., To: A.B.W.D., About: LV and ? (Harry Potter).  This little ball of glass is what had set every event in his life in motion.  If it weren’t for this he never would have had to live with the Dursleys, he would have been normal.

Harry was tempted to smash it just for that reason.  Harry put out his had to take it.

“No,” a soft voice hissed in his ear.  “Leave it.  If you do not remove it the Dark Lord can never know what it contains.” Severus advised his son.

Harry looked back to the aisle Malfoy lay in a crumpled pile a few feet away.

“How -” Harry tried to ask.

“Not now,” Severus said.  “We need to move now.  They will wake in a few minutes.  Come now!” Severus ordered.

Harry and his friends ran after Severus.  They were almost to the door when the first curse was first at them.

Severus turned back letting the three teens pass him.  When Harry stopped Severus glared at him.  “Go Potter!  You are in enough trouble as it is.”

Harry shot his dad a grin before casting a Reduction Hex at one of the many shelves.  The room was filled with the sound of shattering glass and the voices of thousands of Seers.

The four got out into the circular room of doors as their precursor dodged the falling orbs.  Severus shut the doors behind them.  He canceled Hermione’s markers too as the doors spun around them.  When they stopped Severus pulled the door second to his left open.  Harry was impressed to see the door which lead to the corridor in front of them.

Harry was certain if it were left to him they would have gone through every room before they got back here, with Death Eaters hot on their heels the entire time.

Severus urged the teens into the corridor before him.  Once they were all out and Severus behind them Severus shut the door.  He set the door on fire with purple flames.

“That should slow them,” Severus said almost proudly.  “To the lifts,” he commanded the teens.

The young people willingly complied running down the hall. Harry slowed his pace to run by his father’s side.  Severus shook his head at his son’s antics.  He really needed to have a long talk about the boy’s lack of concern with own safety.  The boy’s sense of self-preservation was severely lacking.  The four entered the first lift available, jabbing the button for the Atrium vigorously.

“You three are to go to the fireplaces at the first opportunity.  You are to go straight back to Hogwarts.  This is no place for children.”  Severus told them.

“We’re not children,” Harry almost whined.

“You are underage Potter.  You are a child.”  With that Severus pulled Harry tightly to his chest.  Harry’s arms found their way to Severus’ waist after a stunned moment. “More importantly, you are my child.  I will not see you put your life in any more pointless harm tonight.”  Severus corrected sternly.  “Am I understood?”

Harry nodded embarrassed into his father’s chest. The embrace only ending as the lift came to a halt.

The sight that greeted them was rather unexpected.  Sirius was in the midst of a duel with his cousin Bellatrix LeStrange.  Arthur Weasley was fighting Radolpho LeStrange, and Tonk was fighting Avery.  Remus Lupin stood above the dead body of Peter Pettigrew.  A smug smile adorned the werewolf’s face, but there was at least a note of sadness there too.  There were several other duels as well but they were too far away to tell who they were.

The room was filled with multi-colored lights and sounds from the many duels.

Severus raised the borrowed wand ready for action as he escorted the teens out of harm’s way.  They heard Sirius let out a bark of laughter as he dodged a Killing Curse.  He fell silent a moment later as he tripped backward on the fountain’s ledge falling into the pool at its base.

“Sirius,” Harry yelled running forward.

“I killed Sirius Black! I killed Sirius Black!” Bellatrix sang, dancing oblivious to the mayhem happening around her. 

“Harry!” Severus called charging after his son, leaving the other two teens to fend for themselves.

“Snape,” Bellatrix hissed as the wizard came running after Harry.

Harry didn’t know what spell she used, but one moment his father was fine, the next the man was bleeding to death of sword like wounds.  Harry let out a distressed cry.  He couldn’t lose his father, not now.

“Crucio,” Harry cried, hexing Bellatrix.

The woman let out a cry of pain as the curse took hold.  Harry only broke the spell when he collapsed in pain himself.

“My, my, what would dear Dumbledore say?  His precious Harry Potter casting an Unforgivable.  Not such a golden boy are we?  Poor Bella.”  Voldemort said surveying the situation.  Harry’s head felt like it would explode at any moment as the dark wizard approached him.

“Now, we can’t have that,” Voldemort said taking the boy’s wand from his hand.  “Do you know what you’ve put poor Bella through Harry Potter?  How would you like someone to do that to you? Crucio.”

Harry writhed in pain as the curse took effect.  He breathed deeply as Voldemort released him a moment later, only for it to start once again.  This time was even worse.  Harry was able to see the burst of flames that was Fawkes, even through the pain.

“Leave him be Tom,” Dumbledore asked patiently.

Harry gladly accepted the change of focus.  He watched amazed as the two wizards began to battle.  Harry turned to see his father not far from him.  The man was covered in blood.  Harry crawled toward the man with what little strength he had left.

“Fawkes,” Harry called weakly.

The phoenix heard him call none the less and flew over to the boy.

“Help him.” Harry begged the bird.  “Please Fawkes, I can’t lose him.”

The bird gave a piecing stare.  A tear appeared in the bird’s eye.  It dropped into one of Severus’ gaping wounds.  The wound began to close almost instantly.  Harry prayed it just wasn’t too late.

Harry lost all interest in the battle.  He just wanted to know his dad was going to be alright.  That was until his body was once again rocked with pain.

Present

“Voldemort wasn’t very happy he was losing his fight to Dumbledore.  He considered himself the greatest wizard ever it wouldn’t do to lose this fight,” Harry explained casually, “Well, he figured a good way to distract Professor Dumblerdore was to possess me.”

Harry shuttered at the memory.  “That was the worse few minutes of my life.  It was painful.  It hurt more than being bitten by the basilisk, having to grow all the bones back in my arm, or falling over 50 feet.”

“Anyway, if Voldemort could take this back he probably would.  We had no way of knowing it then, but possessing me was the final nail in his coffin, sort of speak.  While Professor Dumbledore was temporarily removed as headmaster he went hunting Voldemort’s Horcruxes.  I think I mentioned those before,” Harry watched as several heads bobbed in confirmation.

“Okay, great.  I can’t really put off explaining them anymore, or the story doesn’t make any sense,” Harry became very antsy as he describe the next part of the story.  “A Horcrux is an especially evil bit of magic that allows a wizard, or witch I guess, to store part of their soul in an object.  Most people would never think to do this.  It requires the person to tear their soul apart.  Murder is an easy way to do that.”

“Then the person takes that part of their soul and stores it in an object.  As long as that object is around the person can’t truly die.  Like I said, most people if they do this make one maybe.  Well as everybody knows Voldemort was never normal.  Instead of making one, he made five on purpose, one accident and then there was the bit of soul in his body/floating around after he tried to kill me the first time.”

Harry held up seven fingers, “The first Horcrux destroyed was probably the earliest one made.  This was the diary Voldemort owned when he was about 16 or so.  It was also how the Chamber of Secrets got opened in my second year.  I destroyed it with the basilisk fang that was slowly killing me.  I can’t say how much I owe Fawkes for healing me from that.”  Harry ticked one finger down.

“The next one was a ring.  The ring at one point belonged to Salazar Slytherin, one of Voldemort’s ancestors.  He stole the ring from his wizarding grandfather before murdering the man and his uncle too.  Voldemort made it into a Horcrux and eventually returned to the shack where his magical family lived and hide the ring.  Professor Dumbledore destroyed this one in his unexpected time off,” Harry ticked down his second finger.

“The third one, I’m not sure where that is in our list of order of creation, but it was third to be destroyed.  This one was a necklace.  It too was at one points Salazar Slytherin’s and Voldemort’s uncle’s.  He probably took it when he stole the ring.  The weird thing was, we found it in Sirius’ house last summer when we were clearing out all the dark artifacts and rubbish and stuff.  Nobody realized it had part of Voldemort’s soul in it at the time, obviously.  It was just a locket nobody could open.  Kreacher, Sirius’ house elf said Sirius’ brother, Regulus, a failed Death Eater brought it back one day.  That being the case we thought it might be a good idea for the Headmaster to look at it.  He destroyed it over the summer around the same time he destroyed the fourth item on the list.  He used Godric Gryffidor’s sword, the one I used to kill the basilisk, to destroy both of them.” Harry ticked down his third finger.

“The fourth, as I mention was destroyed over the summer.  This one is a little scary because everybody in this room, probably saw it at some point, at least if they went to Hogwarts in the last fifty years, they just didn’t know it.”  Harry waited for the excited muttering to die down.  “I know spooky, right?  This Horcrux was in Voldemort’s special award to the school.  He got it while he was still Tom Riddle, for helping to capture the person who supposedly opened the Chamber of Secrets.  That person didn’t do it of course.  Moaning Myrtle died because of Voldemort did, but that doesn’t matter anymore.  Professor Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort created the Horcrux when he came for an interview to be the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.  He originally wanted to teach.  When he didn’t get the job he must have hexed it too.  Since after that, nobody’s been able to hold the job for more than a year.  And people day Dad really wants it.” Harry let out a soft chuckle at his own joke.  He ticked down his fourth finger.

“The fifth was the last of the intentionally created Horcruxes.  This was Nagini, his pet snake.  He created her sometime after he disappeared after his first fall.  He was able to use part of her life force to sustain himself, and her body to move around, so why not store a bit of his soul in there too.  He should have probably protected her a bit better.  All the other Horcruxes had loads of hexes and charms and things to prevent them from being destroyed.  This one, Nagini, was killed with one good hex, when Mr. Weasley chopped off her head at Christmas.”  Harry put down another finger.

“These last two bits were also in living things.  There was one that was in Voldemort’s body,” Harry explained,” and the last one, the accidental Horcrux, was me.”  A stunned silence fell over the crowd.

“What happened next was really personal...”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

June 1996 (the week before)

Images dizzyingly flashed before Harry’s eyes:  Sirius hugging him at Christmas, unwrapping Mrs. Weasley first Christmas sweater, having tea and biscuits with his dad, his mum and James standing over his crib as a baby.  They were all moments Harry felt safe and loved, the teen realized.  He would have smiled if everything didn’t hurt so much.  Maybe it wouldn’t after a little nap.  Everything went black…

Harry opened his eyes again after what felt like hours later.  Nothing hurt, he was rested.  Harry looked around him.  This certainly wasn’t the Ministry.

“An interesting choice,” a female voice behind him commented.

Harry knew that voice, even if he’d only in his memory.  “Mum,” Harry said spinning around.

“Hello dear,” Lily welcomed warmly.

“Where am I?”  Harry asked surveying his surroundings once more.

“It looks like King’s Cross to me,” Lily said cheekily.

Harry let out an annoyed huff, “I meant why am I here?”

“You’re just like your father, so very literal.” Lily teased.

“Dad?  Which dad?  I have two.”  Harry accused.

Lily’s face fell.  “I know sweetie.  I know.  You should never have found out the truth that way.  Tuney can be a bitch sometimes.  I never thought she’d treat you the way she did no matter who your father was.”

“Yeah, well she did,” Harry grumbled angrily.

“I know.  No amount of apologizing can make up for it, but I am sorry.” Lily said.

“That’s what everybody says,” Harry complained.

“That’s enough of that young man,” James scolded as he appeared from nowhere.

“Dad,” said a bewildered Harry.

“Glad to know I still hold that title.” James said grinning.

“Errr…” Harry uttered looking uneasily at his trainers.

“Harry relax,” James told him.  “I know you call Sn-Severus ‘Dad’.  It’s fine with me.  He’s getting a chance with you he always should have.  I only wish it hadn’t take you two so long to find out.” James said, his sincerity clear.

“Really?”  Harry asked surprised.

“I may never have gotten along with him, but he was your mum’s best friend and with all that he’s done to look after you… he should have the chance to know his son,” James explained.  “I want you know this too, Harry.  I never loved you any less for not being mine by blood.”

Harry smiled for the first time since waking in this strange place.  “Thanks.”

Looking around this odd version of King’s Cross.  It was very like the real station, but everything was white and there were no other people. 

Once again he asked, “Where am I?”

“You’re in the place between places,’’ Lily explained.

Harry gave her a very puzzled expression response.

“Think of it as sort of a waiting room for the soul, Harry,” James explained.  “This is where you come before you ready to move on to the next life.”

“I’m dead?”  Harry asked disbelievingly.

“Not quite,” James said.

Harry gave the man another puzzled expression.  “If I’m not dead, how can I be here?”

“You are a very special boy, Harry.”  Lily said softly.  “When You-Know-Who gave you that scar his Killing Curse backfired.”

“I know,” Harry agreed nodding.

“Yes, dear.  What nobody knew at the time was when that curse backfired a part, a very small part of You-Know-Who’s soul attached itself to your body.” Lily continued.

“I have a bit of Voldemort in me?”  Harry asked.

“No,” James said.  “You did, but not anymore.  When You-Know-Who possessed you tonight at the Ministry your body couldn’t handle the stress.  That’s why you’re here.  When you go back the bit of You-Know-Who will be gone.  It died when your body did.”

A confused Harry asked.  “When I go back?  I can go back?”

“You can,” Lily confirmed.

“What if I don’t want to go back?” Harry asked uncertainly.

“We can’t make you choose one way of the other.”  James told him.  “Harry, you need to know if you don’t go back that many people will suffer and die.  It says in the prophesy one will die at the hand of the other.  Only you can truly kill off Voldemort.”

“It’s not fair!” Harry protested close to tears.

“I know sweetie,” Lily said pulling her son to her chest.  “I know.  This will be the last time you will ever have to face him.”

Harry relaxed into his mother’s comforting presence.  He let out all of his hurt and frustrations.  He let her touch sooth him.  When the tears finally stopped Harry felt relieved.  He’d never had a chance to do that.  He wished he never had to leave.

“Come on Harry,” James said placing a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder.  “You’ve got people waiting.”

Harry nodded dejectedly.

“You’ll be fine.” James promised.  The man then pulled Harry into a fierce hug.  “Give Severus Hell for me,” James told him cheerily before placing a rough kiss on the top of his head.  “And tell Sirius to give him a break.”

Harry him a grateful smile in return.

“Ignore him,” his mother told him.  She too pulled Harry into a tight embrace.  “Be happy Harry,” Lily commanded.

Harry nodded. “I will.  I love you, both of you.”

“We’ll be waiting for you,” Lily and James promised.

“Wait, I have to ask one more thing.”  Harry said turning back.

“Yes dear,” Lily prompted softly.

“I don’t look like Da… How come I don’t look like Severus?  I’m not going to wake up one morning looking totally different or something am I?”  Harry asked nervously.

“No dear,” Lily reassured.  “Some magic cannot be undone.  You look like you always will.  Now go.”

“Wake up, Harry.  Come on wake up.” Severus pleaded.

The man sat beside his son’s apparently lifeless body.

“Let him go Snape.”  Sirius barked.  “He’s gone.”

“No,” Severus protested.  “No, he’s done it before.  He can do it again.”

“He’s dead Snivellus.  There’s nothing we can do about it.” Sirius snapped.

Harry choose that moment to let out a soft groan.

“Harry,” both wizards cried excitedly.

“Dad,” Harry all buy whimpered.  He hurt too much to move.

“Stay still,” Severus told his son.

Harry gladly stopped moving.  “What happened?”

“It is unclear.  I believe the Dark Lord tried to possess you.  However, his attempt failed a moment later.  He is nearby, too weak to move.” Severus explained.

“Help me up,” Harry requested. “I can kill him.”

“No,” Severus said pushing Harry back down.

“Dad, I can do this.”  Harry protested.

“No,” Severus said continuing to hold the boy down.  “Let the Headmaster deal with him.”

“He can’t,” Harry begged his father to listen.  “It has to be me.  The prophesy says it has to be me.  Please Dad. Let me up.”

Severus’ face tightened, but he gave the boy a nod taking his hand off his chest.  Sirius helped Severus get Harry unsteadily to his feet.  The young wizard held out his hand for his wand.  After a moment’s hesitation Sirius placed it in the boy’s palm.

Voldemort had also gotten to his feet, much more gracefully.  He pointed his wand at Harry.

“This ends now Potter,” Voldemort hissed.

“Fine,” Harry agreed “Expelliarmus!”  Harry yelled.  At the same time Voldemort yelled, “Avada Kadvra!”

Two bursts of green light passed each other, one barely missed Harry, the other hitting Voldemort squarely in the chest.  Voldemort fell in a crumpled heap to the ground dead.  Harry spun around to see Severus tucking his wand way.

“You killed him?” Harry demanded.

“Yes,” Severus confirmed.  “I knew you couldn’t no matter how much he deserved it.  Now come, you have a trip to the Hospital Wing in your future.”

Harry groaned, “Can’t I just go back to your quarters?  I got possessed by Voldemort isn’t that punishment enough?”

Severus shook his head at his son’s complaints.  “An interesting choice of topic, Harry.  We will have a long discussion of your punishment, but only after Madam Pomfrey give you a clean bill of health.”

“Yes sir,” Harry grumbled, not fighting the tight embraces his father pulled him into as they crossed the Atrium to the fireplaces once more.

Present

“I was already back at the castle and tucked into bed in the Hospital Wing by the time the Ministry officials arrived.  Fudge was shocked to say the least, or so I’m told, when he saw Voldemort’s dead body in his lobby.  The Order captured most of the Death Eaters that were left in the Ministry,” Harry said causally.

“Bellatrix was one of the last taken down.  She put up a good fight, but she under estimated her pink-haired niece, Tonks.  Bellatrix tried to Curcio Tonks and Tonks didn’t take too kindly to that.  Tonks killed Bellatrix just after Fudge arrived,”  Harry let out of soft chuckle, “That was probably some greeting.”

“Anyway,” Harry said pushing his glasses back up his nose,“The Headmaster told Fudge about everything that happened that night, or at least what he knew of it.  He made sure Sirius didn’t get Kissed by the dementors too.  Fudge almost did that, even after they showed him Pettigrew’s dead body.”

“All the Death Eaters were rounded up and taken to Azkaban.  Their trials start next week, I think….”  Harry frowned, he wasn’t sure this was his place to mention this or not.  He shook his head.  The fact both of Draco’s parents were arrested and he was now being sent to live with his Aunt Andromeda was his own business.  Harry wouldn’t be the one to make it public.  Although, Harry wouldn’t be surprised to see the story in the Daily Prophet over the next couple of days.

“Like I said, I missed all the excitement since I was back here at the castle.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

June 1996 (The week before)

Severus pulled Harry closer to him as they approached the fireplaces.

“Granger, Weasley, come,” Severus called from his spot.

The two teens came running almost instantly.  

“Is Harry alright Professor?” Hermione asked nervously.

“I’m fine,” Harry mumbled.

“You are not.”  His father protested.  “You and your little friends are going straight to the Hospital Wing.”

“You said that already,” Harry pointed out.

“Indeed,” Severus agreed.  “Granger go through first.  You should be able to Floo directly to the Hospital Wing.”  Severus pulled a small pouch of powder from his pocket and offered it the teen.  Hermione took a pinch before passing it to Ron. The redhead took his own share and gave the sack to Harry.

“No,” Severus said as Harry readied to take some powder.

“Huh?” Harry protested stupidly.

“You will be Flooing with me.” Severus explained.

“Dad, I’m not a little kid,” Harry protested.

“You are injured.  You have difficulties with Floos on a normal basis and I will not be forced to track you down halfway across the country because your pride would not let you Floo with your father.”  Severus said tightening his grip slightly as if to prove his point.

“Fine,” Harry pouted.  He didn’t miss the amused looks on his friends’ faces.

“Whenever you are ready Ms. Granger,” Severus said.

“Yes sir,” Hermione said stepping into the fireplace.  “Hogwarts Hospital Wing.”

Ron followed shortly after.  Finally it was Harry and Severus’ turn.  Harry would deny it if he were asked, but he was grateful for his father support.  It was becoming harder to stand by the minute.

“You are fine, Harry,” Severus soothed as the teen sagged further into his side.

“I know,” Harry agreed resting his head on his father’s chest as they stepped into the fireplace.

A moment later the pair arrived in the fireplace of the Hospital Wing in a swirl of green flames.  Severus guided them out of the fireplace almost gracefully, quite a feat for having an almost unconscious teen sagged against him.

Madam Pomfrey looked up at the sound of the fireplace coming to life once more.  “Finish changing Mr. Weasley, I will be back in a moment.”

The witch came fussing over to the freshly arrived pair.  “What happened Severus?”

“He was possessed by the Dark Lord,” Severus explained picking up the teen carefully.  He moved toward a bed as quickly as possible without jostling the teen too severely.

“My goodness,” Pomfrey uttered.  “He does certainly seem to find his share of trouble.”

“More than,” Severus corrected as he gently placed his son on the bed, the sheets already tuned down.  Severus pushed a lock of hair off the boy’s forehead.  He then gently plucked the glasses off of Harry’s nose.  Severus didn’t realized the teen had fallen asleep.  He wondered when that had  happened.

Severus stepped away from the boy’s bed at the mediwitch’s gesture.  She waved her wand in a complex series of loops conducting a basic scan of Harry to determine the damage.  Severus never left Harry’s bedside.  He watched the boy’s chest rise and fall in a deep easy rhythm.

“How is he,” Severus asked as the nurse put away her wand.

“He is exhausted.  There should be no lasting damage from the possession or the battle.  He is a very lucky young man, Severus.  Make sure you take good care of him.” Pomfrey ordered.

It was then she noticed the blood on the younger man’s robes.  “Let me take a look at you.” Pomfrey requested.

“I am fine.” Severus protested.

“Let me be the judge of that,” the mediwitch said forcing Severus onto the bed beside Harry.  The witch set about casting the same intricate series of loops.  “You need Blood Replenisher and rest, Severus.”  She said surveying the results.

Severus nodded in understanding.  “I will see to it.”

“No, I will.  You are staying the night here,” Pomfrey corrected.

Severus frowned at the statement, but acquiesced none the less.  He pulled out his wand lazily transfiguring his robes into a nightshirt, before doing the same to Harry’s.

“You need your rest Severus,” Pomfrey reminded the man.

“I am aware.  However, I believe my son will be infinitely more comfortable resting under the covers.”  Severus said stepping to Harry’s bed.

The man ever so gently pulled the blankets over the sleeping teen.  Severus tucked them firmly around his son.  Harry slept through the entire process.  Severus counted it as a success.  He hesitated a moment before placing a kiss on the boy’s brow.  With his son set to rights Severus climbed into his own bed.

“Your potion,” Pomfrey said handing him a vial before the wizard got too comfortable.

Severus grimaced at the taste, but downed the contents in one go.

Severus was roused a few short hours later by the screams of an adolescent girl.  Severus cast his eyes around to determine the cause of such a disturbance.  Finding nothing Severus turned to Hermione.

“You had better have a good explanation for such a commotion Ms. Granger.” Severus warned.

“Our O.W.L. Professor!”  Hermione wailed.  “Our Charms written exam is almost half over.  We missed the exam.  It counts for forty percent of our total mark.”

Severus looked to the other two occupants of the ward.  Neither boy steered at their friend’s clear distress.  Severus pondered the meaning of such heavy sleeping.  “I am aware of the significance your exam, Ms. Granger.  I am sure you will find the Ministry will grant you, Mr. Weasley, and my son special dispensation based on the events of last night.  You will need to sit your exams before term begins in the fall.  That is true, but you need not do so this morning.  Severus said doing his best to reassure the young witch.

How his son could enjoy the company of such a high strung young woman Severus could not fathom.

“Are you sure, sir?” Hermione asked.

“As sure as I can be from my present location,” Severus confirmed.

Hermione sat back on her bed seemingly placated.  Severus moved to get out of bed as the mediwitch came bustling up the ward.  

“Do not make me stick you to that bed, Severus Snape,” Madam Pomfey warned.

Severus lay back reluctantly.  “I need to speak to the Headmaster,” Severus told the nurse.

“You need another dose of Blood Replenisher.  You can speak with the Headmaster when he arrives back at the castle.  He is still at the Ministry dealing with the fallout of last night,” Pomfrey said shoving a vial of potion into Severus’ hand.

Severus obediently took the potion making a face once again at the taste.  “How were the boys able to sleep through Ms. Granger’s outburst?” Severus asked handing the vial back to Pomfrey.

“I doused both of them with Dreamless Sleep.  I made sure Mr. Weasley took some before bed, I administered Harry’s dose when he woke around breakfast time.” Pomfrey explained.  “You should try to rest some more.”

Severus nodded, but was not sure he could if he tried.  He laid back none the less.  He turned to watch Harry sleep.

“He’s fine, Severus,” Pomfrey said taking in the professor’s actions.  “I will wake you when Harry wakes.”

Severus nodded again, his eyes slipping closed once more.

Harry sat in bed with a shot.  He was surprised to see his father asleep in a chair beside his bed his head resting on the foot of Harry’s bed.  Harry looked around the Hospital Wing.  The room was bright, probably mid-afternoon.  There were no other patients.  His father was the only person in sight in fact.

Harry turned as the doors at the end of the room creaked open.  The sound was enough to rouse the drowsing Severus.  Harry looked to the doors to see Dumbledore coming towards him.

“Good afternoon gentlemen,” Albus greeted cheerfully.

“Headmaster,” Severus said coolly.

“Afternoon sir,” Harry greeted much more warmly.

“Harry, you will be happy to note you have been granted special permission to take your O.W.L.s at your convenience,” Albus informed the pair.

“Weasley and Granger?” Severus asked.

“Were granted the same leeway,” Albus confirmed.  “Also, the Minister wishes me to tell you that if you or your companions wish to become Aurors, or any other Ministry position, you are welcome to them, regardless of O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s.”

“Madam Pomfrey has cleared you both to return to your quarters.  She thinks it would be best for Harry to rest in your quarters for the next several days, Severus,”  Albus told them.

Severus nodded.

“That’s okay. I can go back to the Tower,” Harry protested.

“You will do as you’re told Potter,”  Severus said pushing his hair back.

“I’ll be alright Professor,” Harry said.

“You are sleeping in our quarters until you are given permission to return to the Tower, Potter.  Now, let the Headmaster finish,” Severus snapped glaring the teen down.

“But I don’t want to intrude,” Harry protested.

“You are not intruding if it is your home,” Severus corrected.

“But I don’t have a bed,” Harry countered.

“Gods Potter!  Everything will be seen to.  Now hush and let the Headmaster speak.” Severus snapped at his son.

Harry looked at his father uncertainly, but said nothing.  

“Severus, I will cover your classes for the next week, under order of Madam Pomfrey,” Albus said.  The Potions Master frowned, but made no further protest.

Albus continued.  “You’ll be glad to hear Sirius’ name was officially cleared by the Ministry.  He can rejoin the rest of wizarding society whenever he is ready.  As a special treat in light of last night’s events all exams for students not sitting O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s are cancelled.”

The Headmaster looked from father to son,“As you can imagine the press is already clamoring to get your side of the story.  I have received at least a dozen requests from the Daily Prophet for the story.”

Harry turned his father,“Do I have to talk to them?”

Severus shook his head.

“I will never force you to speak with those imbeciles.  However, if you do not speak for yourself Skeeter, and beasts of a similar ilk, will try to tell the tale themselves,” Severus told his son.

Harry frowned, “Can I wait at least?”

Severus nodded,“We will prepare together.”

Albus smiled at the easy exchange between father and son.  The two would do well together.  “One last thing..” Albus said.

Severus quirked an eyebrow curiously,“The Ministry wishes to bestow Harry the Order of Merlin, First Class.”

“What about Dad?” Harry requested.

Albus frowned slightly,“There was no mention of Severus in the conversation with the Minister.”

“Then tell them to shove it,” Harry said angrily.

“Harry,” Severus protested.

“No,” Harry snapped. “I couldn’t have done it without you.  If they don’t want to admit you did anything then they can keep their stupid award.”

Severus let out a bark of laughter,“You truly are you mother’s son.  Lily could never stand for those who deserved recognition being left out, no matter the circumstances.”  

Harry gave his father an indignant look, but took it as a compliment anyway.

“Very well,” Albus said rising, “I will pass on your sentiments to the Minister.  Keep me apprised of your plans with the press.  I will make any necessary arrangements.  Now, I believe it is time for you boys to go home.” 

Present

“I should probably have dreaded the upcoming talk with Dad more than I was. I knew I was in trouble. I deserved whatever punishment I got,” Harry said as he shifted on his stool.

“I guess I wasn’t dreading it because I wasn’t scared. If I ever got in trouble with the Dursleys they made sure I felt their disapproval. With Dad, I knew he would never hurt me, not physically. It was nice knowing there was no pain heading my way, a strange thing to say I know,” Harry explained.

“Dad and I had some important things to discuss.  There was the whole thing about what actually happened at the Ministry, my dependence on a certain spell, not to mention my punishment.  After the Pensieve incident I got detention. This was way more serious and I honestly had no idea what to expect this time.  It was a good thing that Professor Dumbledore canceled exams.  It gave me and Dad lot of time to deal with things.”

“One of Dad’s favorite things to give as punishment  was preparing a barrel full of frogs for use in potions.  I really should say his favorite thing was for me to have to deal with it.  I think I’ve cut up more toads in the last week then all of the students in Hogwarts’ history combined.”  Harry complained picking a bit of frog skin out from under his nail.  

“I only have a few more months of this to look forward to.  But I’m getting ahead of myself again….”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

June 1996 (The week before)

“Sit at the table, Harry,” Severus instructed his son as they entered the professor’s quarters.

Harry gave his father a questioning look, but did as he was told. Severus crossed the room stopping in front of the hearth. A moment later a platter of sandwiches and pitcher of iced pumpkin juice appeared before Harry.

“Your horrid Muggle relatives may have starved you when you were in trouble, but I will do nothing of the sort.” Severus said taking a seat, “Eat.”

Harry obediently took a ham sandwich from the tray.  The two sat in a semi-awkward silence as they ate their afternoon meal. Despite being hungry. Harry couldn’t bring himself to eat more than half a dozen bites. Severus wiped his mouth and hands pushing away from the table.

“I forgot you do not care to eat before your punishment is handed out,” Severus said setting down his own sandwich. “I apologize.”

“It’s alright,” Harry said with a shrug.

“It is not. It was rude if me to eat when you were clearly uncomfortable.” Severus disagreed.

“I’m fine,” Harry dismissed. His protests were refuted as Harry’s stomach made a hungry growl.

“It seems we should speak about your punishment soon if only to put an end to such distressed rumblings,” Severus said lightly.

Harry gave him another shrug.

“Stop that infernal gesture. It is lazy and means nothing.” Severus scolded. The wizard rose pacing by the table.

“Yes sir,” Harry said sitting up straighter in his chair.

“Your behavior last night was deplorable. You were specifically instructed to stay here. Your refusal to follow my instructions not only put your life, but the lives of your friends at stake. Do you realize that Harry? Granger and Weasley could have been killed! Their lives were only put at risk because of your choices!” Severus yelled.

Harry looked down at that statement, ashamed.

“Look at me when I am speaking to you,” Severus ordered.

Harry looked back to his father. His face was flushed with embarrassment, his eyes bright with tears.

“You could have been killed Harry!” Severus continued. “You DID die last night! It is only by a miracle you are here now! Do you know how that makes me feel? I nearly lost my only child!  The only person in this world I love!” Severus yelled.

Harry’s breath caught in his throat at his father’s last word. His dad loved him. He had actually said “love”. That was when the tears began to fall in earnest.

Severus let the boy’s tears fall. He would not be like his own father. Tobias would have smacked Severus if he every put on such an emotional display. Harry’s tears slowed after several minutes. They fell, but no longer in such heart wrenching sobs.

“Do you realize if it were not for Longbottom’s actions you and your friends would have most likely been killed?” Severus asked.

Harry cocked his head to the side, “Neville?”

“Yes,” Severus confirmed. “Longbottom heard your conversation with Mr. Weasley before you came to my quarters. The idiot thought you were suffering from some sort of breakdown. He believed you refered to me as your father.” Severus added at Harry’s puzzled look.

“Oh,” Harry muttered at the clarification.

“Mr. Longbottom’s actions allowed Professor McGonagall to alert the Headmaster and the other members of the Order of your whereabouts. Yet another group of people who put their lives on the line for your stupidity.” Severus scolded.

Harry shrunk in on himself. He had never felt so stupid or as young as he did right now. He was pretty sure he’d take one of Uncle Vernon’s beatings right now if given the choice. At least those were over quickly.

“I’m sorry,” Harry said softly.

“That does me little good now,” Severus snapped. “You are grounded for the summer. That means no flying, no telly, no sleepovers, and extra chores. You have lost the privilege to sleep in Gryffindor Tower until next term. You are to come directly to these quarters when you finish with dinner. Am I understood?”

Harry nodded.

“A verbal response, Mr. Potter.” Severus snapped.

“Yes, sir.” Harry said. Harry licked his lips and asked, “Where am I going to sleep?”

“Follow me,” Severus ordered.

Harry hopped out of his chair following his father down the small hallway. Harry had never been in this part of his father’s quarters. The professor never gave Harry a tour, and Harry never felt the need to ask for one. There were four doors off the hallway. Severus stopped in front of the door at the end of the right side. Harry waited for the man to open the door, but when his father made no move to do so Harry stepped forward.

“Go ahead,” Severus urged softly.

Harry pushed the door in. The room was not overly large, but not too small either. It was larger than Dudleys second bedroom though. Along the wall stood a four-poster bed identical to his one up in the Tower, Gryffindor bed hanging included. At the foot of his bed was his trunk.

Along the same wall was a large window. The light was sort of green and eerie.

“We are under the lake,” Severus explained.

Harry nodded. His eyes continued around the room. There was a large wardrobe along the wall parallel to the foot of the bed. There was a desk and bookcase on the wall with the door.

“It is very basic at the moment,” Severus commented. “You may personalize it as you like. I expect you to keep it clean. The house elves have been given clear instructions, they are not to step foot in this room.”

“Alright,” Harry agreed, pulling the curtains back on the bed. He sat down testing the mattress.

“It should be to your liking, I had the elves bring down your bed from the Tower. I saw no reason to leave your bed up there for the moment. It will give the other boys a bit more space. We will shop for a more permanent solution this summer.” Severus told Harry.

“Okay,” Harry agreed flopping back onto the mattress.

“If you don’t need anything at the moment I have essays which need marking,” Severus excused himself. “I will come and get you for dinner.”

Harry lay on his bed for a long time thinking about all that had happened the night before and what his father just told him. Before Harry knew it his father was knocking on the door.

“Dinnertime?” Harry asked sitting up.

“It is,” Severus confirmed. “Did you sleep well?”

Harry shook his head. “Didn’t sleep. I was just… thinking. You know about everything.”

Severus nodded.

“Dad,” Harry asked after a moment.

“Yes, Harry,” Severus acknowledged.

“It doesn’t make sense.” Harry said without preamble.

“What doesn’t make sense?” Severus asked mildly.

“Voldemort. The prophecy said that I had to kill him. You shouldn’t have been able to kill him.” Harry tried to explain.

“The prophecy said ‘one must die at the hand of the other’. Your death after the Dark Lord possessed you is by his hand. However, this does not matter. The Dark Lord could not die until the Horcruxes he created were destroyed.”

“What’s a Horcrux?” Harry asked curiously.

“It is a dark magical act that allows a wizard to store part of their soul in an object. As long as that object remains intact, the wizard cannot die.” Severus explained patiently.

“So the bit that ended up in me wasn’t the only one?” Harry asked confused.

“No, it was not. At what point did the Headmaster tell you that you had a piece of the Dark Lord’s soul?” Severus asked slightly unnerved by his son’s lack of emotion at the information.

“He didn’t, Mum did. She said that it attached to me when the Killing Curse backfired. So it didn’t really mattered who killed him once I died?” Harry asked.

“No, as proven by my spell.” Severus confirmed. “Harry, if you ever wish to become an Auror, you need to learn more than one spell. Disarming your opponent is not always a valid option.”

Harry shrugged. Severus rolled his eyes at the noncommittal gesture.

“Dad?” Harry asked again hopping up from the bed to join his father at the door.

“What is it Harry?” Severus replied.

“Can I see Sirius?” Harry asked nervously, “Like today?”

“If he will speak to you. He is still your godfather. I have no intention of keeping you from him. You may also visit him this summer, without my company. However, you will be required to be home before dark,” Severus said.

Harry looked up surprised. He hadn’t expected his dad to be so willing to let him see Sirius.

“I will contact Black after dinner,” Severus promised.

“Great. Thanks Dad,” Harry said cheerfully.

“Now come, you are in need of dinner,” Severus said heading out of Harry’s room.

Harry followed his father almost happily. Harry’s light mood carried him all the way to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

“Hey mate,” Ron greeted. “You alight? Your bed and all your stuff is gone. You’re not expelled are you?”

“No,” Harry said taking a seat across from Ron. “Dad just moved it down to our quarters.

I’ve ‘lost the privilege to sleep in the Tower until fall term.’”

“That’s rotten.” Ron grumbled. “That all he’s doing to you?”

Harry shook his head. “I’m grounded for the summer. No sleepovers, T.V. or flying. I’ll have extra chores too. I have to go straight back to our rooms after dinner. Not too bad really,” Harry said helping himself to the mashed potatoes.

Hermione chose then to speak up. “You’re very lucky, Harry.”

“Yeah,” Ron agreed. “If it were my mum she would have walloped me with a wooden spoon.”

“Dad won’t do that, but I get to spend all summer gutting frogs,” Harry told them.

His fellow Gryffindors made faces at the task.

“Harry?” Neville asked anxiously.

“Yeah, Neville?” Harry said turning to the other boy.

“Is Professor Snape really your dad?”

Harry nodded.

“How long have you known?” Dean Thomas asked dropping his fork in shock.

“This last summer, the night of the Dementor attack. My aunt told me. Showed me a letter from Dumbledore about it and everything.” Harry explained.

The talk of Harry’s parentage spread through the school like wildfire. By the end of dinner the students were no longer talking about O.W.L.s, N.E.W.T.s, or the fall of Voldemort, but wondering how Severus Snape had a tryst with Lily Potter. Severus could have strangled his son for his lack of forethought.

“Did you not think to discuss with me your announcement of our relationship?” Severus demanded of Harry as they walked back to their rooms.

Harry shook his head, “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“It is not your private life being discussed by the entire student body,” Severus snapped.

“Like I haven’t been there,” Harry grumbled.

The two walked back to their quarters in a heavy silence. Severus did not stop until he reached the hearth. “12 Grimmauld Place,” Severus called out after throwing down a pinch of powder and putting his head through.

Harry sat on the couch watching his father. He heard his father call out, “Black”. There was a short exchange before Severus pulled his head back once more. Almost the next moment Sirius was stepping out of the fire place.

Harry gave the man a welcoming smile. Sirius grinned right back.

“Hello Harry, Sn-your dad said you wanted to talk to me,” Sirius said flopping down on the couch next to Harry.

Harry nodded. Severus watched the exchanged somewhat uncomfortably.

“I will be in my office, if you need me, Harry. Try not to burn my rooms down Black,” Severus said by way of leaving.

“Right grouch you dad is,” Sirius said sitting back. “At least James knew how to have a laugh.”

“He’s mad at me,” Harry explained. “I told Neville that Professor Snape is my dad and now everybody in school is talking about it.”

“Well he’s a little late. The Prophet ran that story this morning. It was on page four. The kids here just didn’t notice since none of the little sods read past the first page unless they’re looking for Quidditch scores.” Sirius said, clearly amused.

“Great,” Harry grumbled.

“It’ll be alright kid,” Sirius tried to sooth.

“Yeah, well, it’s not you they’re talking about.” Harry protested. He could just see the owls coming in now.

“Nope, I’m on page six,” Sirius informed him cockily. “Seriously, it will all blow over in a couple of days. There'll be other things, Death Eater trials, Umbridge getting sacked and whatnot.” Sirius promised. “Now, what did you want to talk about?”

Harry took a deep breath and launched into his story of crossing the vale. Sirius listened patiently as Harry told him everything.

“Well,” Sirius said, “I guess I need to be nice to Snape from now on. Thanks for telling me Harry. I’ll see you kid. Now I’ve got some things I need seeing to.” Without another word Sirius left.

It was late in the afternoon and the Leaving Feast would be starting in about an hour, but Harry had no desire to go.  His father had already said that it was fine with him for Harry not to attend.

Harry was not looking anymore forward to the next morning.  Professor Dumbledore had asked him to give a speech in front the student body, as well as, a few select reporters to describe his defeat of Lord Voldemort.

Harry didn’t understand why everybody was calling it his defeat.  It was his dad who cast the final Killing Curse that destroyed Voldemort, but he stopped asking that question days ago.  Nobody could give Harry a good answer.  As annoying as it was, Harry understood why the Headmaster wanted him to do it.  It would help to avoid what happened the previous summer with the press printing all sorts of lies.  Everything happened so quickly though, Harry wasn’t sure he could explain it.

Harry let out a soft sigh. Since returning to the castle Harry hadn’t wanted to see most of his classmates.  In a way he was very glad his father forced him to move into their rooms in the dungeons.  Harry thought if he wasn’t on restriction down here, he probably would have taken to hiding in them anyway.  Harry only made appearances at meals or in the Potions classroom.

Everything was just odd.  Up until the events of the previous week, Harry’s entire life, even before his birth, his fate was tied to that of Lord Voldemort.  Now with that not being an issue, Harry wasn’t sure what to do with himself.  It should have been liberating, but at least for right now, it was more troubling.

Harry was alone in his father’s quarters with nothing to do.  His father and friends were at the Feast and wouldn’t be back for several hours at least.  Harry supposed he could try and figure out what he would say at the press conference, or look ahead to his summer homework, or better yet, revise for his O.W.L.s, but none of those sounded particularly appealing.

Letting out a sigh Harry heaved himself up from the sofa.  Since he moved into his father’s quarters almost a week ago there was little left to explore.  Harry knew where everything he needed was kept and what not to touch.

Harry still spent most of his time in the living room.  He loved the fact he was never forced to hide himself away like at the Dursleys.  Harry crossed the living room.  He took in the pictures on the mantle.  He’d never really paid that much attention to them before.

There was one of his mother and father, probably no more than about 12.  The other was a rather serious looking woman.  She had his dad’s sallow complexion, dark eyes and hair.  This must be his grandmother.  He should ask his dad more about her sometime.  He still didn’t know all that much about his grandparents.  There was another picture of his mother, this time by herself around 15 or so. The last picture took Harry a bit by surprise.  It was one of himself, it looked like it was clipped from the Daily Prophet, probably somehow connected to the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

Bored, Harry continued on to the bookcases that lined the room.  Harry continued along the wall until he reached the Muggle literature section.  He’d managed to make his way through “Treasure Island” and that hadn’t been so bad, but there wasn’t anything else by that author.  Harry ran his finger along the spines of the books until his fingers stopped on a small paperback.  It was shorter than many of the other books.  It was unimpressive really, but something provoked his curiosity.  Maybe it was the fact his father mentioned Lily like the author, or how beat up the cover was, he couldn’t say.  Harry pulled the book from the shelf and flipped to a random page.

The book, it turned out, was a collection of poems entitled “Leaves of Grass”.  Harry wasn’t a big fan of poetry, but he knew his mother was and notes in the margins seemed interesting.  They weren’t in his father’s writing, but Harry would hazard a guess there were in Lily’s.

Deciding to spend a bit more time investigating the comments Harry took a seat in the overstuffed chair Severus had conjured for Harry a few days before.  Harry threw his legs over one are while resting his back against the opposite and began to read.  That was the way Severus found him several hours later.

Severus was surprised to find his son tucked away in a book.  Harry hold him he was not a fan of reading.  Maybe “Treasure Island” had been enough to turn that around.

Severus pushed Harry’s feet so they were off the arm of the chair and once again on the floor.  “May I inquire to what has you so enthralled?”

Harry just held up the cover for his father to read.  

Severus raised an eyebrow in surprise.  “I would not have taken you as a fan of poetry, let alone Whitman.  He was an America Muggle from the time of their Civil War,” Severus remarked at seeing the cover.

Harry shrugged. “You said that Mum liked him and the comments were interesting.  Did Mum make them?”

Severus nodded, “The more Lily liked a poem the more comments she would make in the margins.”

“Oh, she didn’t have much to say about this one, but I kind of like it.”  Harry said raising his eyes from the page for the first time since his father returned.

“And which would that be?”

“I don’t know if it has a proper title, but the first line is ‘Year that trembled and reele’d beneath me.’” Harry told his father dog-earing the page.  He missed the obvious look of displeasure at the action on Severus’ face. “In kind of sums up the last year for me,” Harry added helpfully.”

“How is that?” Severus asked taking a seat across from the teenager.

“’Your summer wind was warm enough, yet the air I breathed froze me,’ it’s sort of like the Dementor attack last summer.  The way everything goes cold when they’re around, even when you’re in the middle of a heat wave. ‘A thick gloom fell through the sunshine and darken'd me,’ that was most of the year.  I mean with all the stuff in the papers about me being a liar and having to deal with Umbridge.  ‘Must I change my triumphant songs? said I to myself,/ Must I indeed learn to chant the cold dirges of the baffled?/ And sullen hymns of defeat?’  If I asked you at the start of term if I could ever beat Voldemort,” Harry ignored his father’s cringe at the name, “You would have said I could never do it.  There was a while there I didn’t think I could do it either, but I did.”

“Indeed you did.  Though, I do not think that was what Mr. Whitman meant when he wrote the poem, it is an interesting way of looking at it Harry.  Are you prepared for tomorrow?”

Harry nodded.  “I can tell them what I remember.  I remember the fight in the Department of Mysteries, and getting to the Atrium, but after that it’s all sort of hazy, or stuff I don’t want to share with the public.”

Severus gave the boy an understanding nod.  “You do not have to discuss anything you do not feel comfortable sharing.  Have you packed?”

Harry gave his a confused look.  “Pack? Why do I have to pack?”

Severus gave the boy a small smirk in return.  “Did you really believe I spend my entire year living in this dungeon Harry?”

“I…no sir, it’s just…” Harry began to say.

Severus held up his hand to silence the boy’s ramblings.  “I have a house, Harry.  It’s not much, but it is where I spend my holidays.  It is also where I grew up.  If you would like, at some point this summer I can show you where I met your mother and where we used to spend our time together.”

“I’d love that.  I guess I better go pack.” Harry said jumping up.

“It would be a constructive use of your time.  However, we will not be leaving the school immediately after the press conference tomorrow.  We will stay here approximately a week before going to Spinner’s End.  Nevertheless, I expect you to be prepared to leave before that.  I will not have any of this last minute rushing so many students do because they fail to pack ahead of time.  Do we have an understanding?”

“Yes sir,” Harry replied obediently.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry looked down at his watch, then back at the crowd.  The Hogwarts Express was scheduled to leave in less than an hour and a half.  Harry was sure at least a few students still were not ready to leave.

“So, that about covers everything.  I know that was a round about way of answering your question Bridgette, but it was the only way I could think to.  Thanks for listening,” Harry said offering a wave to the crowd.  There was a polite round of applause followed by the excited babble of voices and scraping of chairs as students and teachers followed Harry as he made his way out of the Great Hall, bringing another year at Hogwarts to a close.

“Are you ready to go Harry?” Severus asked stepping into the doorway of his son’s room.

Harry slammed the lid of his trunk, “Think so.”

“Do you not wish to bring Mr. Whitman with us?” Severus asked pointing to the small paperback at the head of Harry’s bed.

“Oh right,” Harry said. He snatched the book up, sitting in the back pocket of his jeans, behind his wand.

Severus frowned. “We need to give you a proper wand holster. No Auror should store their wands in their back pocket.”

“Yeah Mooney got on my case about that too.” Harry said making no move to move his wand. “Are we Flooing to your house?”

Severus shook his head. “The house is not connected to the network. Something we may have to change in the future. We will Apparate from the village.”

“Okay,” Harry agreed.

“Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Potter.” Severus said stepping back.

Harry hefted his trunk off the floor. Severus led the way out of his quarters making sure the door didn’t close on Harry. They were halfway down the hall when Harry stopped, setting down his trunk. Severus waited for his son, watching.

“Want to help me out?” Harry asked breathlessly.

“No, but I will make your job easier.” Severus said waving his wand.

Harry frowned, but picked up his trunk once more. It was light as a feather. “Thanks,” Harry said. “Why didn’t I ever think of that.”

“Because the only spell you seem confident in, is your ability to disarm people.” Severus jibed.

“Oi,” Harry objected, “I’ve got a pretty good Petronus too.”

Severus snorted amused,“Shall we proceed?”

Harry nodded continuing on their walk out of the school. The summer was going to be very different than those that had come before it. He couldn’t say he was going home, Hogwarts was and always would be his home. Harry shook his head, no it would always be his first home, Harry corrected. At least, that’s what he hoped to be the case.

“What are you thinking about Harry?” Severus asked.

“Nothing,” Harry said with a shake of his head.

Severus quirked an eyebrow at the boy’s reaction, but did not press the issue. He would let Harry set the pace. Even as the relationship had improved greatly over the last few months there was much still they had to learn about one another. He did not want Harry to feel pressured about anything.

The walk up the grounds was made in silence. It was not an awkward silence, however. Severus became more anxious as they approached the gates.

“Dad?” Harry asked.

“Harry?” Severus said turning to his son.

“Is something wrong?” Harry asked.

Severus frowned. “Why do you ask?”

Harry made it best attempt at a shrug, the movement hampered by the trunk he still carried. “You’ve gone all quiet.”

Severus’ frown only deepened. Lily had complained of him doing that too. Using the very same phrasing, in fact. Strange held up boy could remind him of something like that. He didn’t even realize he remembered such a comment being made.

“Dad,” Harry repeated.

“I apologize. I was lost in thought.” Severus said.

“What were you thinking about?” Harry asked hopefully.

“The house and then your mother. Your comment about me ‘going all quiet’ stirred a memory of your mother. She made a similar comment at one point.” Severus explained.

“Oh,” Harry muttered.

“You did nothing wrong,” Severus reassured. “Harry, I must warn you. Spinner’s End… The home I grew up in is very different place than you did.”

“Great,” Harry said legitimately happy.

Severus was surprised by Harry’s reaction. Of course the boy didn’t truly understand what he was saying. He had never seen Spinner’s End.

“Dad, don’t worry about it. I’m not worried. Anything will be better than going back to the Dursleys.” Harry reassured.

Severus did not look any more reassured. The pair stopped not far past the gates. Severus removed his wand once more. He shrunk the boy’s trunk so it was no larger than a matchbox. He did the same with the owl cage that had been balanced on top. Hedwig had been told to meet them in Spinner’s End.

“You couldn’t have done that before we walked all this way?” Harry asked.

Severus smirked. “You could have asked.”

Harry glared.

“Perhaps you should learn to ask for help, Harry. The questions you ask will also affect the answers you receive.” Severus told him.

“Right,” Harry agreed. “You plan on doing that sort of thing all summer?”

“No, Mr. Potter,” Severus said with a smirk. “I plan on doing this the rest of your life.”

Harry sighed pocketing the trunk and owl cage. Severus held out his arm.

“You need to hold onto my arm firmly while we Apparate. Just concentrate on holding onto me and you will be fine.” Severus told his son.

Harry did as instructed. Severus turned on his heel and a moment after a very unpleasant experience of what felt like being sucked through a straw, the pair reemerged in the countryside. Harry watched as a fox started back into the woods. Harry looked around, his dad was right. This place was very different from Private Drive. The stream was a bit gross, but there were worse things he supposed. The houses here were a bit rundown, grimy. Honestly, it was much better than Privet Drive. There was character to these buildings.

“Follow me,” Severus said, walking up the hill.

“Is this where you and mum grew up?” Harry asked running to catch up with his father’s long strides.

“Not exactly,” Severus said. “Your mother grew up a bit closer to the village. Her neighborhood was much nicer.”

“Oh,” Harry said uncertainly.

“We can visit that part of the village later, not today,” Severus said. “Harry, the house is in a… Bit of the state. It goes  uninhabited for…”

“Dad,” Harry cut off. “You told me already. I really don’t care. You are not going to beat the magic out of me or try and starve me. I’m really better off. If the paints the bit worse for the wear… We can work on it.”

Severus gave in another uncertain nod. The pair crossed small footbridge to a more rundown neighborhood.

“Welcome to Spinner’s End,” Severus grumbled.

Harry now had a better understanding exactly what his father meant. Still he was happier here than the neat trim houses of Little Whinging. Severus stopped outside of his third house on the street.

Severus flipped key into the door, and threw open the front door. Severus let Harry stepped into the dark entry Hall. With a wave of Severus’ hand candles all around the room came to life.

Harry’s jaw dropped at the sight of all the books. He was certain Hermione would die from excitement to see half of them. Every wall in the sitting room was lined with bookcases. And Harry had thought that his dad’s rooms at Hogwarts had a lot of books.

“Your bedroom is upstairs,” Severus said revealing a staircase behind yet another bookcase.

Harry followed his father up the stairs. He noted the walls here to use it fresh coat of paint or two. Severus opens the door at the end of the Hall. Harry looked in.

This room was roughly the same size as the one Harry inhabited at Hogwarts. There was a single bed in one corner, a desk located under the window, and bookshelves and dresser on the remaining wall. The walls were faded cream. Definitely could use a new coat of paint here as well. Harry crossed the room to sit on the bed.

“We’ll get you a new one in the next couple of days,” Severus promised.

Harry nodded. He would hold his dad to that one. The mattress was old and lumpy. It reminded Harry of his old bed in his cupboard.

“This used to be my room,” Severus supplied.

Harry gave another nod.

“You’ll be allowed to decorate however you wish. Do not feel that you must keep anything. I have no strong attachment to anything in here.” Severus told him.

“Was it always…” Harry began to ask.

“Yes,” Severus said casting an eye around the room. “We will work together on making this place –“

“A home,” Harry supplied.

Severus gave a satisfied nod. “A home, indeed. I will leave you to unpack. We will be going out for dinner. We’ll pick up the other necessities at that time.”

Severus turned to leave.

“Dad,” Harry called.

“Harry,” Severus said turning back to his son.

“You need… Could you restore my trunk and Hedwig’s cage?” Harry asked.

“Of course Harry,” Severus said removing his wand.

Harry placed both in the center of the room. With a lazy wave of Severus’s want both were restored to their proper size.

“My room is at the opposite end of the Hall. I will be downstairs if you need me. If not, I will come to collect you for dinner.” Severus said before leaving.

Harry looked around the room. He pulled open the windows to relieve some of the stuffiness of the room. He flipped open his trunk. First his textbooks went on to the desk. His robes were hung in the wardrobe. The rest of the Muggle clothing placed in the dresser.

Harry found a Gryffindor pendant near the bottom of his trunk. He wondered how long it had been in their. He pulled it out. Harry crossed the room looking for something to tack it up with, he found alone thumbtack. Harry hopped on the bed placing a pendant above the headboard.

“Glad to see you’re making yourself at home,” Severus said behind him.

Harry let out a squawker surprise. He turned to his dad. “It’s okay isn’t it?” Harry asked uncertainly.

“Harry, I said you are free to decorate as you see fit. If you desire to paint your room in red and gold, you’ll be allowed to. Although, I must say I’m much happier with just a pendant.” Severus said, amusement clear in his voice.” Now, let’s go to dinner.”

Harry got off the bed. “Where are we going?”

“The pub, it is the only place that has food that’s edible.” Severus said.

Harry followed his father out of the house and much of the way they had walked hours earlier. He turned at an abandoned in play park.

“This is where I met your mother by the way.” Severus said crossing the park.

Harry looked at the broken swing set. “Here?”

“Don’t sound so surprised, Harry. It was not always in such a state. Your mother and aunt were on the swings when I first saw them. Your mother jumped from the peak of her swing. She floated to the ground like a leaf on the wind. I knew then she was a witch.” Severus said an air of amusement in his voice.

“What did you do?” Harry asked.

“I ran out and yelled at your mother that she was a witch. She did not take the news as I would have liked. No, she was rather offended. It was several weeks before she was willing to speak to me again. This is when your mother and your aunt started to drift apart.” Severus explained.

“Drift apart? They were close? Aunt Petunia never talked about Mum.” Harry replied.

“Your aunt resented your mother’s talent. Her jealousy poisoned their relationship.” Severus told him.

“Oh,” a stunned Harry muttered.

The two arrived at the above. Severus set Harry to sit at a booth in the back. He returned a moment later with a pint of stout in one hand, a soda for Harry in the other.

Severus ordered them both fish and chips with mushy peas, when the waitress came. They talked about how Harry might wish to redecorate his room. The boy had been evasive. He had no real idea what he could get for bedrooms. Harry did confirm that he needed and wanted to repaint the room. He did not know what color though.

Severus relieved Harry’s nerves with a gentle reminder that Harry should feel free to change the room how he wished to make it his own. Severus added that Harry’s renovation project could be counted as part of his punishment efforts.

Harry pouted slightly, reminded of his sentence. Severus promised that he would never force Harry to work in the same conditions as the Dursleys. He would never be denied food or water after such a day either.

When Harry asked about the rest of the house Severus agreed to give him a proper tour. He even apologized for his lack of forethought doing it on their arrival. Severus had simply figured Harry would like some time alone to adjust to his new surroundings. Severus added, that if Harry desired they could make changes there as well. The only stipulation it be done without the aid of magic. Again, Harry was supposed to be working off his debt.

As they ate several people said “Hello” to Severus much to Harry’s surprise. Severus explained the men had been drinking buddies of Tobias.

After dinner, the two of them went on to the grocery store. Severus had Harry carry the basket as he collected enough food for the week. From there, they made their way home.

Severus showed Harry around the house after they put the groceries away. Harry noted how empty the covers were. Severus explained that he never kept much in them as he was away much of the year, but that could be easily fixed. Severus also made sure to tell Harry that he should never feel as if he needed to sneak food. If he was hungry, he should go get something to eat, even if he was in the middle of a project. Harry wondered if the comment was targeted more to his father than himself.

They returned to the dining room after the tour. Here Severus laid out a detailed schedule of Harry’s days for the summer. Harry was a bit surprised by this. Severus explained it was for both their benefits. It would make sure Harry had got enough sleep, food, and time to work on his summer assignments, and in turn prepare for his O. W. L. s. Harry questioned how it was supposed to be to his father’s benefit. With a smirk, Severus told him it would save the aggravation of his time being wasted by the rubbish Harry normally turned in.

The first week was filled with fits and starts. Severus and Harry spent several days out of the house running various errands and acquiring necessities for the house. One of the first things change was Harry’s bedroom.

Out at once was the rickety, beaten down bed frame. The old wardrobe and chest of drawers were replaced with a simple, but elegant oak set. Harry also added a night table to go with it since he needed a place to put his glasses. Harry liked his father’s desk and the many slots and drawers it had. He changed the chair though, he was too short for the one Severus had.

They also spent a good deal of time on another day replacing Harry’s wardrobe. Severus complained about seeing his son dressed up like a vagrant. Harry had complained the entire time. At first, the teen had just tried picking things at random, to get it over with. Severus in turn, made Harry try everything on, to ensure it fit appropriately. Harry slowed his pace slightly after that, putting slightly more thought into his selections and weighing the worst of the wasted effort of trying on something he had no chance of liking.

After the first week, things settled a bit more into a routine. Harry would get up at 8 AM. Severus would have breakfast prepared for both of them. After breakfast, Harry worked on his summer assignments and kept busy preparing for his O. W. L. s until 11 AM, when he would join Severus in the lab preparing ingredients. After lunch which the two of them worked on together, Harry would lead them in the restoration project of the day. They would work on this together until dinner time. Dinner was taken in turns, as who prepared it. Severus was mildly surprised at how good a cook Harry was, but then was reminded how his son had come to talent and was enraged once more.

After dinner Harry was free to do as he pleased. Some nights this meant a game of chess with his father. Other nights he would telephone Hermione or visit Ron as the house was now connected to the Floo Network.

The weekend things were a little less regimented. Harry was allowed to  sleep in until 10 AM and was given a break from his standard schedule. Most weekends this meant a visit to the Burrow or Sirius. Sirius may still be Harry’s Godfather, but he and Severus’ relationship was still touchy, at best. Instead, of him coming to see Harry, Harry would Floo over, always returning home before dark.

The week of Harry’s birthday, Severus agreed to let Harry and his friends sleep over, despite his original pronouncement. It was strange for Harry to watch his father interact with his friends in this informal setting. Severus and Hermione had gotten into a spirited discussion of house elf rights. Severus had given a rather passionate defense of a wizards rights to keep and use house elves as they saw fit. Hermione was appalled and fought back tooth and nail. It was only after Hermione had cooled down, that Harry informed his friend that Severus was baiting her. Harry had recognized the calculated glint in his father’s eyes. Hermione was speechless at this. Severus even congratulated Hermione on her well-thought-out arguments and ability to recall detail (though a bit less gently phrased).

Severus and Ron played chest every night he was over. Severus was amazed by the boy’s talents and only managed to win one game. That had only been by the skin of his teeth.

Having spent time with Harry’s friends, Severus grew to understand why his son counted on them so. Severus was certain, if it was not for Hermione his son and Weasley would have been killed multiple times by now. Severus also appreciated Weasley’s loyalty, though it was not without its faults. Ron had always been there when Harry was truly in need of him.

At the end of the week all three of the trio sat there O. W. L. s. Severus was certain given the extra time and tutelage Harry Harry would come out with respectable marks, most likely even good enough to pursue his goal of becoming an Auror without the special leeway granted by the Ministry.

Before they knew it, summer was coming to an end. The house and been completely transformed over the six weeks. Every room of the house had fresh coats of paint. There was new furniture replacing the ratty couch is that was in the living room when Harry arrived. The kitchen gleamed it in a way it had possibly never done before.

The house was not the only thing that was transformed. Harry and Severus’ relationship had changed. The two had grown closer over the course of the summer. The hours spent working and playing together away from the prying eyes of the wizarding world they had moved, or at least started to move past misconceptions they didn’t even realize they had.

Harry looked around his room making sure he had everything he needed.

“Are you prepared to leave tomorrow?” Severus asked standing in the doorway once more.

“Yeah,” Harry said flopping down on his bed, looking at the freshly done paint. Harry had chosen a warm yellow for his walls. He had heard quite a  number of jokes from his father about being mis-sorted into Gryffindor. Clearly he was meant to be a Hufflepuff. Harry shocked his father was a retort about how he had chosen to not be in Slytherin. That had put an end to the jokes… for a few days.

“It’s going to be weird going back,” Harry commented.

“How was that?” Severus asked sitting at Harry’s desk.

“When I was at the Dursleys, I was always counting the days until I got to go back home to Hogwarts. I don’t have to do that now. I have a home here,” Harry supplied.

“Even with all the chores and frogs you’ve been required to get the summer?” Severus inquired.

“Yeah,” Harry agreed with a dismissive shrug. “I’m still better off here and then at the Dursleys. And then I don’t have to worry about Voldemort either. I’ll have a completely normal school year.”

“Yes, that will be a nice change of pace. I will enjoy the ability to go to sleep at night and not have to worry if you and your little friends are out wrestling trolls, facing a Basilisk, confronting escaped convicts, etc.” Severus admitted.

“Saying it like that makes it sound boring,” complained Harry.

“I am sure you’ll find something to entertain yourself. You might even bother to sit and do your homework before the last moment before it’s due.” Joked Severus.

“Nah,” Harry disagreed. “There’s still Quidditch.”

“Yes Quidditch. Let us not forget Quidditch. There must be away for me to worry about you losing your life.” Severus agreed.

“Are you ready to go back?” Harry asked.

“As ever I will be. I will be glad when you finish and I can retire guilt free.” Severus commented.

“You really can leave Hogwarts?” Harry asked.

“I am. Do you really believe I would continue on after you left?” Severus asked.

Harry shook his head. “But I don’t ever really want to leave Hogwarts.”

“Harry, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home. And you will always have a home here,” Severus promised.

Grinning Harry said,” Thanks Dad.”