When Severus entered Grimmauld Place, the house was abuzz with chatter as Order members lingered around, waiting for Albus to signal the meeting's start. Well, every Order member was alert and ready except for the wolf. Severus stepped straight from the floo to the sofa and kicked it with his boot. When that didn't disturb Lupin out of his drunken state, Severus waved his hand. The sofa tilted forward until it dumped the wolf onto the floor.

"Snape," Lupin tried to protest as he picked himself up off the floor, but with his drunken slur it sounded more like a whine.

"Ah, Severus," Albus strolled over to his side. "I was waiting for you to start the meeting."

Severus couldn't help but glare at the man that was partly responsible for making his child's life akin to a living hell. "I am here then, so call the meeting. I do have others things and people that require my attention," he growled.

"Of course," Albus smiled. "How is Harry's training going?"

"Not well," the Potions Master balled his hands up into fists to keep from reaching for his wand or waving his hand.

"No?" the Headmaster frowned. "Try harder. I'm sure Harry will catch on soon."

Nodding for the sake of keeping the fireworks under wraps until more eyes were upon them to witness his patience running out, Severus turned on his heel and strode down the basement stairs and into the kitchen to spot a gangly teenager rummaging through the cupboards with one hand while his other hand held an overflowing sandwich.

"Out!" Severus hissed.

Weasley jumped, his hand knocking over an entire shelf of sweets and biscuits. "Pro-Professor, I-" The Gryffindor looked up at him with wide eyes before scrambling to pick up an armful of food off the floor and fleeing the room.

Severus rolled his eyes. Did Weasley think he was able to assign detentions and take house points during the summer? Not that the Potions Master minded he had that effect on his students at all, but it was rather annoying when he was left with the mess to clean up. But wait, Mr. Weasley was no longer just a student to him. He was Harry's friend, his son's friend, which meant that Severus needed to at least be courteous and civil with the rather uncoordinated teen if he wished to remain in his son's good graces.

Sighing, the Potions Master made a mental note to watch his acrid tongue the next time he encountered one of Harry's friends. There wasn't time to chase after Weasley when he was sure that any moment the Order members would start trickling into the kitchen. With that in mind, Severus sat down at the head of the table even though it had been the Mutt's usual spot as owner of the house. The seat meant that he'd be seated directly across from Albus, and if anyone had the right to take up the open seat, it was him.

Severus pretended to be bored as Order members took their seats. As much as he was looking forward to giving Dumbledore his due, Harry needed him and Severus couldn't afford for the meeting to last the entire night. He was sure Molly Weasley would be fine for a few hours but didn't want to chance anything longer than that. Once the sleeping pill wore off, there was no telling how Harry would feel, and Severus wanted to be there in case the child felt worse.

"Before we get started," Albus said, causing the chatter around the room to stop immediately, "I must first ask if anyone would like a lemon drop?" Groans echoed around the table as only the Weasley twins took up the Headmaster's offer. "Well then," Dumbledore cast a silencing charm at the door, "I am afraid our side has taken quite a hit since our last meeting. We have much to discuss tonight, and it would be best to remember that we are all on the same side as we work through our new circumstances, the first of which is the loss of Sirius Black."

"Will Headquarters need to move?" Shacklebolt asked. "There are few places as protected as this."

"That is up to Harry," Albus shuffled the pile of parchments that lay before him. "Here it is," the Headmaster held up a lengthy, official looking piece of parchment. "According to Sirius' will, he left Harry Grimmauld Place."

"What did Harry say?" Tonks looked towards the Headmaster. Severus quite liked his new spot at the table as it allowed him to see everything that was going on, even the ugly looks the wolf kept throwing at him.

"Severus?" Albus directed the questioning to him. He glared at the Headmaster.

"Perhaps it slipped your mind, Albus, but you didn't inform me of Potter's newest inheritances. Therefore, Potter hasn't been asked," the Potions Master scowled, using the scowl to cover up his half-cringe that came from referring to his child as Potter, but he wouldn't let Albus see how much his and Harry's relationship had changed, not yet.

"Why are we asking Snape? He hates Harry," Lupin slurred as he stood up, knocking his chair down behind him.

"Remus, sit down!" Albus waved his hand and the chair floated up until it was upright again in time for the wolf to slump down into the old, wooden chair. "Harry is staying at Hogwarts this summer to receive lessons from Severus with the hope that Harry will soon be ready to face Voldemort."

Whispers erupted around the table. Some questioned Dumbledore's trust in him while others were excited to hear that soon the war could come to an end. Severus, on the other hand, had had enough of Albus' scheming. They were talking about his child, not a weapon to be trained and used at will.

"Mr. Potter will not be ready to face the Dark Lord anytime soon as you know, Albus. I suggest you find an alternative, one that has adults fighting an adult war," Severus stated, his voice calm and collected. If possible he wished to afford Harry as much privacy as any other child would receive, including keeping Harry's leukemia under wraps considering half the people sitting at the table didn't even know the boy but for his name and face.

"Severus, we have discussed this," Albus said, his voice stern with an angry fire burning underneath. "Although Harry is not advancing as quickly as you would like, he is making great progress."

"Harry isn't making any progress at all because I'm not training him!" Severus slammed his fist onto the table, ignoring the gasps from his fellow Order members.

"What do you mean, Severus?" Arthur Weasley piped up. "Molly returned a few days ago after visiting Harry during one of his lessons with you."

"Are you going to tell them, or shall I?" Severus threatened, tired of Albus trying to smooth over Harry's illness. The Potions Master needed the Order informed that Harry may very well need around the clock protection should a threat be discovered, and he couldn't very well take of Harry and stand outside his quarters to wait for a Death Eater attack or worse the Dark Lord at the same time. Hogwarts provided a large amount of protection, but only a fool would believe that Hogwart's protection couldn't be breached. 

"Tell us what?" one of the Weasley terrors asked with excitement lacing through his voice. Obviously, the twins were as excited to witness verbal fireworks here, as they were to pull pranks at Hogwarts.

"I have not the faintest clue to what you are alluding to," Albus sat back in his chair like a king forced to endure long hours of holding court, but Severus wasn't fooled in the tiniest bit.

Albus' presence pushed against his Occlumency shields and Severus slammed his tightest shield into place before his once trusted mentor could slide into his mind. The Headmaster refused to take the hint and so the Potions Master sent the image of Harry on his hands and knees on the stone floor, vomiting into the basin as Severus held his shaky body up.  Dumbledore fled his mind and slumped in his chair, his eyes cast downward.

Severus was ready to pounce at the opportunity to take advantage of Albus' speechlessness. "Arthur, it may come as a surprise, but Molly did not visit Harry during one of my lessons. She didn't visit Harry at all," the Potions Master paused and made sure to make eye contact with the Weasley patriarch. "Albus obliviated your wife to make it seem that Mr. Potter is indeed fine."

"But that means..." Arthur trailed off as members of the Order were split between calling Severus a liar and admonishing the Headmaster.

"Yes," Severus nodded.

"Harry really has cancer?" Severus thought it was George who blurted it out.

"Yes," he admitted, refusing to deny the claim and sinking to Albus' level.

Silence blanketed the room as Severus saw numerous sets of eyes dart between him and the Headmaster. Charlie Weasley slipped out of the room, no doubt to inform his youngest siblings of Harry's cancer.

"Is Harry okay?" Arthur broke the silence with a whisper.

"Yes, but he shouldn't be pressured to ready himself to fight the Dark Lord," Severus said, leaving out the severity of Harry's condition. He didn't trust that all that was said in the meeting wouldn't be repeated elsewhere, and it was important that the image of Harry as a strong and powerful wizard stayed intact.

"He's doing well," Minerva backed him up as interested eyes turned to her. "I was with Harry earlier to help with a Transfigurations lesson."

"The fact remains that Harry needs to be ready," Albus stated in a desperate attempt to bring the meeting under his control again.

"Albus," Severus warned. Would the Headmaster ever get it? Harry couldn't control his magic enough to keep up a sustained Lumos, never mind any offensive or defensive spells.

"Are you sure you do not need a lemon drop, Severus? They do wonders for one's mood," Albus levitated his tin of lemon drops in front of him.

"I don't need nor do I want a lemon drop," he threw the offending tin across the room.

"Suit yourself, my boy," Albus pocketed the tin after summoning it with a flick of his wand. "Now, where were we before we somehow went on this unnecessary tangent?"

"If you obliviated Molly, how can we be sure you never obliviated one of us?" Moody stood up, his wand pointed at Dumbledore.

"I did not obliviate Molly. Clearly there was a small misunderstanding," the Headmaster said. "Besides, we have more important things to discuss considering our spy let himself be discovered."

That was it. Severus refused to allow the Headmaster to get away with that last comment. "If I hadn't followed Potter and his friends to the Ministry, we'd be dealing with overcoming the loss of those children! Tell me, Albus, what would we do then without the supposed chosen one?" The Potions Master sprang up from his chair, his hand itching to reach for his wand. There were so many hexes he'd like to send Albus' way, hexes that would show him the pain Harry was currently suffering as perhaps a result of the Ministry incident.

Severus wasn't convinced that Harry's cancer was a random occurrence, his magic should've warded off any type of major Muggle diseases, but somehow Harry's magic had failed him. He couldn't pinpoint the moment, but Severus had to believe Harry's resulting depleted magical core from the Ministry incident was somehow at fault.

"Hand over your wand," Moody maneuvered around the table until he was in front of Dumbledore. "A simple spell will take care of the accusation against you."

"My word should be sufficient," Albus crossed his arms in front of him. "And Severus, I am sure help would have arrived soon enough. You underestimate Harry's ability."

"I underestimate Potter?" Severus leaned over the table as the pots and pans started to shake around them. "You overestimate him! He's naught but a child, Albus!"

"A child you hate."

"I've never hated him!" the Potions Master sneered. Pots and pans fell from their hooks, crashing onto the floor.

"Severus," Minerva grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back into his chair. "Calm down."

"Not until Albus admits he's using Harry as a human weapon!"

"I do not have the faintest idea of what you mean," Albus' lips turned up the tiniest bit, but to Severus, who as a former spy had trained himself to notice the tiniest details, it was enough.

"I won't let you!" He pushed pass Minerva and kicked his chair behind him.

"Severus, Harry has never objected to anything I have asked of him."

"Have you ever asked or considered what's best for his well-being?" the Potions Master slipped his wand into his hand. "Tell me Albus, have you always done what's in Harry's best interest?"

"I'd like to think so, though I am mortal," the Headmaster sighed. "What are you getting at, Severus?"

"Look at me," he growled, staring directly into the Headmaster's eyes.

Severus connected with the Headmaster and pushed images of the paternity potion and Lily's letter towards him, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he knew Harry was his child.

Dumbledore gasped as he broke eye contact with Severus. "We will speak of this new development in my office tomorrow."

"With Minerva present," the Potions Master demanded. He didn't doubt for one minute that if he were to meet with Albus alone, the meddling fool might try to obliviate him to maintain a modicum of control over his son.

"If you insist," Albus sighed.

"I do," Severus nodded, slipping his wand away. "Oh, and Albus?" he paused. "Any plans concerning Harry go through me."

With that, the Slytherin strode from the table, his robes billowing behind him as he retreated to the floo to return to his son, leaving utter chaos in his wake.

                                                               ----- 

Something shifted under Harry's head. He blinked a few times trying to make out his surroundings. The sounds of waves and consistent beeping told him he was in his room in Severus' quarters, but why had his pillow shifted underneath him?

"It's okay. It was just me," his professor whispered, a faint light emitting from his wand tip.

Harry sat up and noticed his pillow had been moved to Severus' lap, only he never remembered waking up to move it there. "When did you get back?"

"A few hours ago. I didn't mean to wake you."

He lay back down and resituated the comforter over him, feeling safer now that his professor had returned. "Anything you can tell me?"

"Not anything Order related, but I have something we need to discuss in the morning," Severus said, his voice taking on a weird tone that Harry thought sounded like it contained nervousness, but Severus Snape was never nervous.

"Can't you tell me now?" Harry asked while his eyes drooped shut.

"No, it's much too late, and you're falling asleep as it is," Severus started carding his fingers through his hair, and Harry knew any argument he might think to put up was a lost cause. It felt so relaxing and completely opposite to the pain that took morphine to ward off. "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little," Harry admitted, his speech becoming slurred as he sunk closer and closer to returning to dreamland.

"Sleep now," the Professor whispered and his body gave in, not needing another word of encouragement.

-----

Severus summoned the extra blanket from the foot of the bed and spread it over his son. It was a chilly night in the dungeons, and even though he knew technically a cold didn't come from being cold, but a virus, it made him feel better that the child had one more layer to protect him from the cold.

"Good night, Hadrian," Severus whispered so low he wondered if he had even said it aloud. The name rolled off his tongue like he was meant to say it, but at the same time it felt sacrosanct to use. Hadrian was Harry now for better or worse, and it would be up to his son to decide if he wished to continue using Harry or make the transition back to Hadrian.

He would tell Harry in the morning. The Potions Master had to now that he informed the Headmaster at the disastrous Order meeting. It was something that had to be done, but he wished he had been able to tell his son first.

Too worried over his child's reaction to sleep, Severus had climbed in next to Harry with his outer robes on, seeking a connection with his child in case Harry wasn't pleased with their newly discovered relationship.

Underneath those worries, however, lay fear and a feeling of protectiveness that he couldn't ignore. It was the reason he was sitting up straight with his wand in hand, his ears listening for the alarms to signal his wards were being breached. Dumbledore wouldn't sit and accept Severus' declarations made at the meeting. The Headmaster might try and enter his quarters while he was thought to be sleeping, but Severus was ready, and he wouldn't rest until the meeting with Albus was over and Minerva had been informed. After all, Albus might be able to get away with obliviating one person, but he'd never be able to obliviate both of them at the same time, and as the news spread like wildfire, it would be impossible for Albus to cover up Harry's parentage and ignore Severus' parental rights.

As he looked down at his son, Severus hoped the revelation wouldn't overwhelm the child or upset his mental stability. Not only would it be bad for Harry's treatments, but also before Molly left, she mentioned a small memorial they were putting together for Sirius the following week. Severus had every intention of taking Harry provided a few precautions were taken. It was important the child attended to help with his grieving process, and in addition it provided an opportunity for Harry to speak with his friends while Severus monitored the conversation from the other side of the room, prepared to step in at a moment's notice. First, though, Harry had to still trust him after the coming conversation.