The next morning Harry was silent, so silent that even Ron noticed, and it took three times for Professor Sprout to call on Harry before he spoke.

“What’s wrong, mate?” Ron asked him after he had correctly answered Professor Sprout’s question.

“Nothing is wrong,” Harry said, “I’ve just got a lot on my mind with Sirius Black and everything.”

Thankfully Ron bought the lie but Harry knew that Hermione didn’t.

“This isn’t about Sirius Black and you know it,” Hermione said, “Go and tell Professor Snape about the letter, show him the letter, and find out the truth.”

Harry knew that Hermione had a point but he just couldn’t bare going down there and talking with Snape about what the letter contained. The main reason was that Ron would want to come and he didn’t think he could take Ron’s shocked expression when he found out that his best mate was the son of Snape.

“I don’t know,” Harry said.

“Harry, I know that you think that Professor Snape won’t understand but he was there and he’s the only one that can tell you what you need to know. Also he might be able to get you away from the Dursleys. Ever thought about that?”

Harry had thought about that, a lot. However he didn’t know if Snape would want to take him away from the Dursleys since he thought that Harry was a spoiled prince in their household.

“Fine, I’ll go and tell him,” Harry said, finally giving in, “But I don’t want Ron coming. This is personal!”

Hermione smiled at him, “I’ll keep him away,” she promised.

“Thanks,” Harry said.

“Tonight’s the Full Moon,” Dumbledore stated to Snape. “Who’s going to cover Remus classes?”

“I’m doing that,” Snape said, grinning, “No one will notice anything odd by Monday.”

“Good,” Dumbledore said, “So how are you and Remus getting along?”

Snape glared at him and then answered, “I stay away from him and he stays away from me.”

“Severus, I really wish that you would let this go,” Dumbledore said gently, “It wasn’t his fault that Sirius told you how to get into the Shrieking Shack.”

“And why don’t I believe that?” Snape asked.

“Because you choose not to,” Dumbledore answered and then left Snape along with his thoughts.

“Now just knock on his door and go in when he tells you to enter,” Hermione urged Harry.

They were outside Snape’s office and Hermione was giving him pointers.

“And what if he throws me out?” Harry asked.

“He won’t,” Hermione said, “Just show him the letter and see what happens. I’ll head back to Gryffindor tower so that Ron doesn’t follow.”

“Thanks, Hermione,” Harry said.

“No problem, Harry,” Hermione said and Harry knocked on the door.

They both heard Snape’s cold voice say, “enter and it better be good, Albus.”

“He thinks I’m Dumbledore,” Harry said.

“Just go in,” Hermione urged, her hands pushing him on.

Harry opened the door just as Hermione walked down the corridor, heading back to Gryffindor tower.

Snape’s office was his usual doom and gloom but Harry knew that if he didn’t show Snape the letter then he would never know that his mum had written anything before her death. Harry figured that it just seemed fitting that Snape knew. The person in question was busy grading papers, muttering about how stupid Crabbe was.

“What do you want, Potter?” Snape said coldly.

“Well, sir, I got this letter from mum and I thought that you might want to read it,” Harry said.

Snape looked at him and then sneered. “Is this your idea of a joke because if it is then it’s not funny?”

“No, I got the letter right here,” Harry told him and pulled out his mum’s letter.

He handed it to him and waited to see what would happen. Snape started to read the letter in silence. Finally: “I don’t know how you managed to forge Lily’s writing but I’m not impressed.”

Harry stared at him, the second time this term that he had been shocked at what was coming out of Snape’s mouth.

“I didn’t forge her writing,” Harry told him, “This was given to me by the Ministry of Magic.”

“Likely story,” Snape snapped, going red, “Get out of my office and don’t you dare show your face at my door.”

“I’m not leaving until I prove to you that I’m telling the truth,” Harry said.

Snape rose and for the first time the look on his face truly scared Harry. But he held his ground because he knew that his mum would have wanted Snape to know, to grasp.

“GET OUT OF HERE!” Snape screamed.

“YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE ME,” Harry screamed back.

Suddenly Snape had his wand pointed at Harry and the look on Snape’s face made Harry want to run for the hills.

“Oh I can make you leave,” Snape said.

“What in the name of the Gods is going on down here?” asked the stern voice of Professor McGonagall.

Both wizards had no idea that McGonagall had come in.

“Get this boy out of here before I hex him,” Snape urged.

“I’m not leaving until he sees sense or uses one of his potions,” Harry said to her.

“Severus, drop your wand or I’ll hex you,” McGonagall threatened, “Now what’s going on?”

Snape, thankfully, put his wand away. “Potter showed me this and I want him suspended for lying to a teacher.”

He handed McGonagall the letter and she read it. All of a sudden she went white and sat down in a chair.

“Oh Gods, I didn’t know that she had written this,” McGonagall said.

“What are you talking about, Minerva?” Snape asked; his tone harsh.

“The letter isn’t a forgery,” McGonagall told him.

“See, I told you,” Harry said but Snape stared at her.

“What’s going on here, Minerva?” Snape asked.

McGonagall looked at him and then said, “You weren’t supposed to ever find out but then they died and I thought that I would be the one, alone, that would carry this burden.”

“What burden?” Snape demanded.

McGonagall sighed, “A few months before everything when to hell Lily came to me, big and round with Harry, and told me that James wasn’t the father of her son. I told her how this was possible and she said that Lucius had slipped her an extra powerful lust potion and that you had been there to ‘help’ her. She wanted to know if there were any charms that she could use to hide the fact that Harry wasn’t James son. I told her everything that she needed to know and vowed that I would never tell you the truth.”

Snape sat down, his eyes wide and his face pale. “Harry’s my son!” he said to no one in particular.

“Yes and she did something to the vault that if you ever found out during Harry’s time at Hogwarts that the money from the Potter vault would go into your vault. I think that it might be going into it right now.”

“I don’t want any of Potter’s money,” Snape stated.

“I know that but Lily wanted you to be able to provide for your son,” McGonagall said.

Snape put his face in his hands. “Oh Gods, Lily must be having a good laugh right now.”

“Don’t-.”

“Harry, I think that we should give Severus time to process this,” McGonagall said.

Harry nodded and both of them left.

“So did you tell him?” Hermione asked when Harry returned.

She had been wondering how the whole thing had gone and she had been thankful that Ron had gone to bed as soon as she returned from dinner.

“I told him and at first he yelled, I yelled, and then McGonagall came,” Harry explained.

“Was she able to calm both of you down?” Hermione asked.

“Let’s talk about this in a corner,” Harry said, “And away from the Weasley twins.”

Hermione nodded and led her to a corner.

“So was she able to calm both of you down?” Hermione repeated her question.

“She did more then that, she told Snape that Lily had told her that I wasn’t James’s son.”

Hermione stared at him.

“He also said that I need to give Snape time to process all this,” Harry went on.

“Well I totally agree with that,” Hermione said, “It isn’t everyday that you find out that the boy that you thought was your enemies son is actually your son and I’ll keep the matter tight lipped. I don’t want anyone finding out your situation, they might blow it out of proportions.”

“Thanks, Hermione.”

“No problem, so need help with your Charms?” Hermione asked him.

Harry laughed, “No, I think I’ve gotten it.”

“Alright but if you need me I’ll be here,” Hermione told him and left.

“Oh Gods, Lily, why didn’t you ever tell me,” Snape said.

He had been re-reading Lily’s letter for the tenth time and he still couldn’t process what she had written.

“Severus, are you alright?” Professor McGonagall’s voice asked.

He looked up to see that he had forgotten to close his office door. He was relieved that it hadn’t been Dumbledore.

“I’m surprised that the boy didn’t go to Dumbledore right away,” Snape said, “Telling him how the great black bat is his dad.”

He heard McGonagall sigh. “Severus, I know that this is hard for you but Harry needs a father.”

“He has the Dursleys,” Snape said, “Anyway; everyone will hate him if they find out the truth.”

“And what truth is that, that the famous Harry Potter now has a father,” McGonagall said, “Stop being blinded by what you think of him and look at the fact that you have a son that needs you.”

“He doesn’t need me, Minerva.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” McGonagall said and she left him alone with his thoughts.

Harry decided to take time away from the earth shattering news that Snape was his father and finish the essay that was due tomorrow in History of Magic. Snape might not want to yet recognize Harry has his son but he wasn’t going to give him a bad impression by turning in a half completed essay.

“The Library will close in twenty minutes,” Madam Pince told Harry.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Harry said.

He quickly pulled out the book that he needed and had Madam Pince check him out. Putting the book in his bag he headed back for Gryffindor tower.

Unknown to him something was watching him. It had escaped from Lupin’s office and was now trailing behind Harry. Suddenly it gave a huge leap and bit into Harry’s arm. Harry screamed in pain and reached for his wand, kicking at the creature. It held on and only let go when a stunner came at him. Harry laid back and let blackness overcome him.

When Harry came to he was in the hospital wing with a very worried Madam Pomphrey and Professor McGonagall.

“What happened?” Harry asked.

Both women looked at each other and then Professor McGonagall spoke. “Harry, I’m afraid that you were bitten by a werewolf.”

Harry looked at her, “A werewolf, but their not real,” Harry told her, “Just something that Malfoy said because he was scared.”

“I’m afraid, Mr. Potter, that werewolves are very real,” Madam Pomphrey said, “And you were bitten by one.”

Harry stared at her and then looked at his bandaged arm.

“Professor Snape put a salve on it so that it would heal without leaving a mark,” Madam Pomphrey explained, “Severus has done very extensive work in the this area.”

“So he can make me a potion and I’ll be better,” Harry said.

McGonagall sighed, “I’m afraid that a potion won’t work. Once you’re bitten you are at once infected. It’s too late for any form of help.”

Harry felt his whole world crashing around him.

“Potter, I know that you don’t want to hear this but someone from the Ministry was informed,” Madam Pomphrey said, “He’ll-.”

“Not now, Poppy,” McGonagall cut in.

“But he has to know,” Madam Pomphrey urged.

“I said, not now,” McGonagall said; her voice like steel.

“Fine,” she snapped and left for her office.

“Thanks,” Harry said as McGonagall sat down.

“No problem,” McGonagall said, smiling at him, “Look, I know that you’re all new to this but we’ll make sure that no one finds out what happened.”

“Ron will find out,” Harry said to her.

“Well Mr. Weasley is only as smart as you make him out to be,” McGonagall said.

“Professor, how did a werewolf get inside the castle?” Harry asked her.

“I think I better let the Headmaster answer that question,” McGonagall said, “Because I’m not in my right mind to answer that.”

“Mr. Steward will be here in the morning,” Dumbledore told Snape.

“From the Werewolf Register Office,” Snape inquired.

“Yes,” Dumbledore said, “I can’t believe that Lupin bit Harry.”

“I find it difficult to understand, I gave him the potion,” Snape told him.

“Could one of the ingredients of gone bad,” Dumbledore inquired.

“Might have happened,” Snape said, “Damn, this is my entire fault.”

Dumbledore looked at him, “Are you suddenly worried about Harry?”

Snape hid his surprise well. “No, I’m worried about my reputation.”

Dumbledore at once bought this and let Snape go.

Snape headed back to his lab and looked at the jars of ingredients that he used for the Wolfsbane Potion. He pulled out the key ingredient, Wolfsbane, just as the door slammed open and a very angry Ron Weasley appeared.

“What did you do to Harry, you evil git,” Weasley snarled.

“Get out of my lab, Weasley, before I take points off.”

“I don’t care, you did something to Harry,” Weasley told him, “And I’m going to get you sacked.”

“Ron, get out of there,” Hermione said, “Or I’m going to talk to McGonagall.”

Weasley glared at her and then left.

“Sorry about that, Professor,” Hermione told him.

“You don’t need to apologize for him,” Snape said.

“Sir, what really happened to Harry?” Hermione asked him in a tone that wasn’t accusing.

“He was bitten by a werewolf,” Snape confessed and Hermione gasped.

“But how could a werewolf get in here?” Hermione asked him.

“Because Dumbledore hired him,” Snape confessed, “I’m supposed to brew this Wolfsbane Potion but the stupid supplier sent me bad Wolfsbane.”

He opened it and let Hermione smell it, she reeled.

“Oh Gods, that smells bad,” Hermione said, going green around the neck.

“It’s not supposed to smell like that,” Snape said, “Now I have to order a new container of Wolfsbane if I’m going to brew it from not only the man that bit your friend but for him as well.”

He heard Hermione sigh, “Sir, I know that I’m not supposed to get involved but Harry needs you. The Dursleys will kill him if he returns and transforms.”

“I highly doubt that they’ll kill their favorite relation,” Snape said.

“Sir, they hate him,” Hermione said, “Just go to his Uncle’s house and see with your own eyes. That’s all I’m asking.”

She turned to leave and then stopped. “Despite what a lot of people think, I know that you will make a great father.”

And she left, leaving her wisdom behind.

Boy, she’s wise and a good friend.