The Son Becomes the Father by watercrystals
Summary: Following the death of Sirius, Harry isn't sure what to make of the sudden appearance of a six-year-old boy. The pair form a bond, unaware they're half-brothers, and Harry decides to take the boy to Hogwarts and hide him there. To aide the boy's education, Harry anonymously exchanges letters with Snape.

A story of a how a young boy becomes a father-figure to another while their own father is oblivious of their biological existence. But can sixteen-year-old Harry give what he himself has not gained? Can he go an entire year without being discovered? Just how far will Severus go to find the writer of those letters...Or are some things best left unknown?
Categories: Parental Snape > Biological Father Snape, Teacher Snape > Trusted Mentor Snape Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required), Draco, Dumbledore, Eileen Prince, Ginny, Hagrid, Hermione, Luna, Narcissa, Neville, Original Character, Other, Pomfrey, Remus, Ron, Tonks, Voldemort
Snape Flavour: Canon Snape
Genres: Angst, Drama, Family, General, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mystery, Tragedy
Media Type: None
Tags: Alternate Universe, Child fic, Kidnapped, Runaway, Sibling Addition, Snape-meets-Dursleys
Takes Place: 6th summer, 6th Year, 7th summer, 8 - Pre Epilogue (adult Harry)
Warnings: Alcohol Use, Character Death, Neglect, Violence
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 33 Completed: No Word count: 164477 Read: 236936 Published: 04 Mar 2011 Updated: 06 Oct 2013
An Ultimate Change by watercrystals
Author's Notes:
Wow, thanks to all of my reviewers!

When Harry had returned to the Gryffindor tower that night, following the events of Slughorn's party, he had been very quiet and headed straight to bed.

Toby was already asleep (it was rather late by that point), and the teenager was very grateful for it. Harry made a mental note to thank Dean for watching over Toby to make sure the boy went to bed when he was supposed to, but for now Harry was beyond irritated and tired.

The bespectacled teen frowned as he lay on his back with his glasses still over his emerald eyes and continued to think about what had happened that night. Draco had been at the party, so had Snape, and than Remus showed up...that's when Harry had really fallen into his befouled mood. Sirius had said something about him and his dad before he'd died and it had quite a big impact on certain members of the Order. And yet...no one even thought to tell him!

Harry hated it when he was left out of things that concerned him or that he had every right to know. He was the one who he been fighting Voldemort for years now, he had been the one to see him come back after Cedric Diggory had been killed, he was at the Ministry, he saw Sirius Black die...after everything he had done and endured, they still had the nerve to keep something like this from him.

That he might still have family out there.

It was that part in which Harry longed for answer involving the most, to know if it was true or even possible. Who could they be? Grandparents, perhaps? He didn't know what had happened to his father's parents, although Aunt Petunia had hinted that her parents were dead. Harry smiled a little at the idea of living with his dad's magical parents, but of course...surely if that were possible than he'd have gone to them from the beginning rather than being sent straight to the Dursleys? So many questions and zero answers. Remus had refused to give him anything useful and the only thing the werewolf had told Harry was to ask Snape if he wanted to know. As far as Harry saw it, that was just Remus' way of making sure he never found out.

Huffing angrily, he rolled over onto his side to face towards the door of the room and away from Toby. Harry forgot about his glasses and closed his eyes as he tried to get some sleep, his mind buzzing with the words he'd heard that night which still made little sense to him.

--

As the sun began to rise over the mountains, Harry was already dressed in his uniform and had turned to leave the dormitory. Once he'd ventured out of the common room, he called for Dobby and let the house-elf know that the elf was to look after Toby a bit earlier than usual as he had some important things to do. It had been a lie of course, since Harry simply couldn't stand to sit around in the Gryffindor tower anymore.

Turning into the library, Harry sought out a desk near the rows of books associated with household charms and potions, as well as handy gardening tools. He paid them no interest as he sat down and pulled his Potions textbook towards him.

Harry glanced into his bag which was open at his feet on the floor and frowned. Another reason he was far moodier than he had been following his restless slumber, was because he'd received a letter from Snape. And yet with the events of the previous night, Harry was too mad about his lack of received information (such knowledge that somehow linked to Snape and that the man knew of, plus Remus' advice was still fuming in his mind), and hadn't even bothered to open it.

'Good morning, Mr Potter.' A sudden voice startled him, causing his textbook to slip loudly onto the floor.

'Oh, morning...Madam Pince.' Harry blushed and reached to get his book but she had already summoned it to her hand with her wand.

'I did not mean to startle you, Harry.' Irma smiled at the book she held and than passed it back to the teenager. 'I am surprised to see you here this early, though.'

'Yeah, erm...I woke a bit too early and couldn't get back to sleep.' Harry shrugged honestly. Probably because of their previous conversation, he felt a lot more at ease around the librarian than he ever had before; it was actually rather calming.

'Did you try a half glass of cold milk with exactly three squeezes of lemon juice?'Irma offered. 'I have found it to be very useful in assisting one to sleep when their mind is far too active to do so naturally.'

'No, but thanks.' Harry doubted anyone would have thought to try something so specific and yet seemingly random. And the idea of milk with lemon juice sounded a bit gross to him.

'I'll try it next time.' He nodded.

'You like Potions?' Irma glanced at the boy's chosen textbook with an odd look on her face as though he was missing some sort of in-joke about the subject, even as the expression on her face was not one of amusement, merely curiosity and possible dwelling.

'I do now.' Harry didn't add the “since Snape's not teaching it”, yet the librarian seemed to understand as she nodded and sighed.

'Well, I shall leave you to your thoughts.' She said. 'Although if it's a distraction you desire, I find that making potions rather than reading about them can force your mind to focus and therefore your worries begin to fade far more effectively. Have a good day, Harry.'

As she walked away Harry quickly turned around in his seat and spoke a little louder than the expected whispered tone in the room.

'Wait, ma'am...why do you call me “Harry” more than “Mr Potter”?' He wondered as he had noticed that she'd done it last time as well. The only other teachers who did that were ones who considered themselves more as Harry's friend, such as Hagrid, Dumbledore, and Slughorn.

'Using your first given name seems so much more appropriate, with all things considered.' Irma smiled at the boy and than vanished behind a row of books.

“With all things considered?” Harry repeated with frown. And his mind was flooded with more questions that had erupted into creation following that lone sentence.

This was exactly what he had hoped to avoid.

Harry opened his textbook and tried to make out the first few phrases but they kept forming into either nonsense or things relating to his own thoughts.

With a heavy sigh and huff of irritation, Harry stood and shoved his things back into his bag. He strode from the library and headed towards the dungeons; he was desperate and Madam Pince's suggestion seemed as good enough an option as any at that point. And Slughorn had told him that he was welcome to use the classroom to brew after hours if he wanted to. Of course, technically it was currently before hours, but Harry played dumb to that little piece of fact.

Pushing open the wooden door to the potions classroom, Harry picked a bench in the middle of the room, facing the door. He dumped his things and than flipped through his book for a potion in which he could brew before breakfast. It was already a bit relaxing without his classmates around and the lack of a teacher who either expected him to do perfectly, or else fail before Harry even had the chance to add the first ingredient.

A particular potion caught his attention and Harry wished he could try it out on Remus. Once consumed, the potion would cause bubbles to float from the drinker's nose if he or she told a lie or gave misleading information. It wasn't nearly as powerful as a truth serum and could be rather fooled by clever phrases or reluctance to speak, however it had no scent and could be concealed in most everyday drinks. It was generally used for pranks and making sure a friend hadn't broken a promise of some sort, however Harry thought it would be interesting to see how it reacted to Remus.

The idea of sneaking a potion into the drink of another would never normally cross his mind and he frowned at the thought of it, and yet Harry simply could not stop thinking about what he had almost heard the previous night. Perhaps if he did something about it than he would feel a little better about not knowing? Probably not, but Harry didn't really have much intention to actually use it on anyone, and it was just good enough to brew since it related to his distracting thoughts. He allowed himself, for that brief moment, to believe that this particular potion was a perfect choice.

Lighting the cauldron, Harry felt rather nervous about brewing his own potion without supervision or the aide of either Hermione or the Prince's comments. And yet he was determined to give it a go as the potion didn't list any dangerous ingredients that could cause likely havoc if it all went wrong.

As he set to work with sorting through he ingredients and began to chop a purple-ish herb that smelled slightly of rust, Harry failed to notice that he was in plain sight to anyone who was to wander by the room. Even as Severus Snape left his private quarters and ventured purposefully through the corridor, only to halt at the doorway and stare at the teen with obvious shock and suspicion, Harry not once glanced up from his cauldron.

The Gryffindor vowed to thank Madam Pince later as brewing under his own circumstances really did have a distracting and yet soothing effect on him. As far as Harry was aware, it was just him and the cauldron as the rest of the world blurred out of focus and comprehension.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the unsettling sight of Potter brewing on his own, and with no obvious signs of disaster. In fact, Severus would even dare to admit that the teenager appeared to be rather enjoying himself. To him, it seemed to be an impossible sight, and yet it also made Severus feel very uncomfortable for some reason, as though there was a far more important reason behind the boy's deliberate, precise movements that the man feared to discover.

As Severus stared at the teenager who was still foolishly oblivious to such observations, he noticed something very odd about the child.

Slowly, as though a glamor spell was being removed from the Gryffindor, Severus was startled to see not the Potter mop of hair but straighter, blacker hair that was far too alike his own for comfort. The emerald eyes stood out in the darkened dungeon and made the other side of the boy's inheritance even more painfully clear. And the glasses were but mere obstacles one faced when they wished to fully absorb in the gem-like appearance of those emerald orbs.

Not himself, obviously, but others who wished to do so.

Severus watched as the Gryffindor Potter slowly became a different child in his mind; not Harry, but...himself. The blackened hair that curtained Harry's face, as he had his head bent to read the textbook, was straighter than it had ever been. His high cheekbones from his mother and emerald eyes were far more obvious than before, and his face was paler than it perhaps should be for one who deep down really enjoyed the outdoors.

Severus suddenly felt the urge to join the boy, to investigate this matter first-hand, and with a sharp inhale of dread, he crushed that impulse immediately.

Harry dropped the sliced figs into his cauldron and stirred twice clockwise before he reached for the jar of crow feet. He frowned and paused as he could have sworn that something had shattered his solitude and interrupted his peace. Glancing across the room and towards the doorway, he was dismayed to find that it remained completely empty. Shaking away the weird feeling of being watched, Harry grasped his knife and returned to his work; he thought his potion was turning out to be as good as he had hoped it would without outside influences.

Further along the corridor, Severus was enraged and desperately tried to calm himself as he spotted a few older students wandering towards the Great Hall. He snapped at anyone who crossed his path (even McGonagall, who gave him a reproachful glare in return), and strode right out of the castle to venture a walk around the grounds and away from the eyes and ears of others.

In truth, he was terrified.

Because now Severus knew that the worst was to follow. That he would have to reconsider his entire argument against Black's words several months ago. He would have to re-examine his memories and address the fact that the final real words of Sirius Black may indeed have not been entirely impossible or false. Remus was right, as Severus was furious to admit even if it was only to himself, that such a matter was worth looking into. And now he had no choice other than to try to figure out if Lily really had chosen a different father for her son, and that Harry Potter wasn't really a Potter at all – at least, not in the way in which Severus had considered the teen to be.

Was he a Potter or...quite simply, Harry? Severus did not want to find out and would give anything not to have seen the sight of the boy in the dungeons a moment earlier. It contradicted everything and only made Severus hate the boy further. Well, perhaps hate was indeed too strong a word. Fine, he strongly disliked the Gryffindor annoyance, and yet nothing in his mind reverted back to what it had been deluded to before.

Something about Harry had changed. This change had become noticeable and visible to others, although mostly the ever-observant Severus Snape. Following the mere sight of the teenager contentedly brewing in the dungeons with his all-familiar appearance...it impacted Severus in ways he continued to deny the existence of. And now, something had changed for Severus too.

And he did not like it even the slightest.


Harry stood by the doorway of the dormitory as he watched his friends saying goodbye to Toby, who had specifically made sure no one left without him giving them a hug first; although, Hermione and Ginny were the only ones who really hugged the little boy back.

Harry watched his dorm mates and the two girls pass by him before he closed the door and followed after them, leaving little Toby in the dormitory to draw some pictures with Dobby – the elf had previously been sitting on the floor nearby Harry's bed where he pulled on his new mutlicoloured woolen socks, in which Hermione had made for him as an early Christmas present.

Harry hadn't said a word to anyone other than Toby since he had returned from the dungeons smelling slightly of mixed herbs. Hermione had commented on the scent, and than left him alone when it was clear that he didn't feel like talking; she was the only other one that knew as much as Harry involving what Remus and Snape had conversed about, since she'd tolerated his ranting on the walk back to their common room after the party. No doubt by breakfast she had informed Ron as well because both of Harry's friends decided to let him remain distant and unresponsive for the most part of the morning meal. It had been the only time she'd dared to talk to the redhead properly again.

Although, directly after she'd told him, Hermione distanced herself from Ron again with a glare in his direction, possibly over the fact that Lavender had spotted him and rushed over to cling to him and gush over how she was going to miss her Won-won.

They had finished breakfast and headed to get their trunks before they said goodbye to the little boy who would miss their company over the holidays and now everyone was leaving to go home or elsewhere to enjoy their festive holidays. Harry was the only Gryffindor staying behind, other than his additional company who wasn't really a Gryffindor at all.

A handful of other students from older years and different houses were also remaining behind, but other than Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy, Harry knew none of them.

'Good bye, we'll be back before you know it.' Hermione hugged Harry sympathetically as he stood in the doorway of the Entrance Hall to watch his friends depart.

'Yeah, sure.' He returned in a dull voice, clearly not really believing her and still not in the mood to talk, even if his successful brewing session had ended with the results he'd hoped for.

It had made him so calm and upon consideration, he'd placed his potion into a vial and it was now sitting in a safe place inside his trunk. Now Harry was moody again as all of his annoyances and stresses returned the moment he had left the potions classroom; now he longed to return, but could not; Toby still needed him.

'Yeah, mate.' Ron added. 'And you'll be busy, so it's not like it'll be too boring, right?'

'Right.' Harry used the same voice as he had answered Hermione with. 'Bye.' He added in a gloomier voice and waved to them as Ron, Luna, Hermione, Ginny, and the others all turned and walked away to join the others heading for Hogsmeade station.

Huffing with annoyance towards his lack of excitement at the approaching Christmas holidays, and how he longed to be a the Burrow for Christmas, Harry turned sharply and released a loud gasp as he bumped straight into Snape.

Severus had been caught by surprise when the teenager didn't join his friends and hurriedly turned to unexpectedly collide with him. He reached out to grasp the boy by his shoulders to prevent either of them falling from the surprisingly strong impact.

Catching himself, Severus quickly dropped his arms by his side again.

'Mr Potter.' Severus glared down at him and had the urge to dust off his robes out of pure reflex to having someone bump into him.

'What's. Your. Hurry?'

'I didn't see you, sir.' Harry ducked his head to avoid the his eyes, no doubt embarrassed to having caused such a scene.

Severus had no idea that it was because Harry was still dwelling angrily on what he had overheard and been told by Remus less than twenty-four hours ago.

'Obviously.' Severus remarked and frowned suspiciously.

He had heard all about Peeve's lyrical words only moments before the Bloody Baron had showed up to put an end to it. Such an incident had interested Severus further because however rarely the Slytherin ghost ever performed favors for anyone, it was only ever for either Dumbledore or anyone who has been sorted into Salazar's house. It was most strange that the Baron would assist Potter, unless the ghost simply wanted to put an end to the poltergeist's singing for his own reasons?Yeah, that was probably it.

Severus had expected the boy to hurry off the moment it was clear that he could go, but Potter made no move to leave. Instead, the teenager slowly raised his defiant gaze to meet his own and seemed as though he had something important on his mind in which he wanted to ask Severus. Which was ridiculous, since when did Potter ever want to ask him anything?

'Sir, I wondered if I might ask you something?'

'Go on.' Severus narrowed his eyes curiously.

'Well, you hate my dad...um, and since you obviously went to school with him, Remus and S-Sirius.' Harry struggled to say his deceased godfather's name and also wasn't sure if he could hold onto his bravery long enough to get his question out.

'I-I was wondering if you knew...well, if you knew my mum too, since you were in the same class, right? You never mention her but I saw in your...' He stared at the ground again as he thought on their terrible incident that had ended his Occlumency lesson the past year.

Exhaling, Harry forced himself to look up again. 'Did you know her, sir?'

Quite some time ago he and Toby had discuss this matter, that if Snape had known James than he'd have likely known Lily as well. Having bumped into the man and without wanting to mention what he had overheard, no matter how tempting, he decided to see if it was actually possible for Snape to tell him something he'd asked. In a way, it was a test, in his efforts leading up to what Remus had advised Harry to do it he'd wanted answers.

He had been angered to hear the option and fought against it, but with each hour he thought about it, Harry only became further desperate to know what Sirius had been talking about. To the point where he decided to at least try and get something from Snape because really, what did he have to lose? Either he gained answers or a detention; either was likely at this point.

Severus growled at the child who had the nerve to mention three things he hated quite strongly all in one minute; the Marauders, that blasted memory, and...how he could not deny the boy the truth, and the fact that he had indeed known Lily.

'And why, pray tell, would you approach myself with such a question, Potter?' Severus was not sure if he wanted to answer the real question just yet as he had not been prepared for it and didn't want to admit it to the boy.

'I was under the assumption that Lupin and Black, not to mention numerous members of the staff or Order, would have filled your head with many tales involving your parents by now.' Severus was surprised when his answer caused the teenager to scowl in a unsettlingly familiar way as the Gryffindor thought upon the response he had been given.

'Yeah, they did.' Harry stared up at the professor he could no longer force himself to hate; the man who had always told him the truth in his own way. Maybe he had been wrong after all, to think that Snape wouldn't provide him with the answers he so keenly sought.

'I heard all about how my father was a good man.' He said. 'How he was brave and all that, but no one really mentions mum, only how she sacrificed herself for me.' Harry sighed and the man was thankful that the boy stared at the ground again because Severus had flinched very slightly at the mention of the night that had cost Lily her life.

'Everyone is trying to paint some sort of picture of my parents.' Harry was lost in his own musings and knowledge that for the briefest moment, he didn't even care who he was so casually talking to.

'I don't want that.' He stared at Snape's calculating gaze. 'I just want to know what my mother was like when she was younger, or at Hogwarts.'

'Your aunt did not tell you?' Severus raised an eyebrow, surprised that Harry was in his 6th year at Hogwarts but still didn't know his mother any more than when he'd been little.

'No.' Harry pulled a face as though to demonstrate what a stupid suggestion he thought that to be. 'My aunt doesn't even like my mum.' He still couldn't believe how easy it had become to say these things to Snape. Perhaps it had something to do with the way the man was staring at him with a confused expression rather than spitting insults and taking points?

'She doesn't like anything, much.' Harry uttered so quietly that Severus almost had to strain his ears to hear those words.

It made him pause as an invisible shiver coursed through him; Severus recalled saying the same thing to Lily about his own father. When she'd asked if Tobias Snape didn't like magic, Severus had told Lily that his father didn't like anything, much.

He stared at Harry and hoped that while the phrase was the same, the reasoning behind it was far different than his own.

'Sir?' Harry sighed. 'Did you know my mother?' He asked again and felt braver this time as he faced his professor.

'Yes.' Severus answered softly.

'You did?' Harry's heart began to beat faster with anticipation as he realized that he may be about to learn something new about his mother.

'What was she like?'

'This is neither the time nor place for such a discussion.' Severus glanced around at the Entrance Hall in which they were still standing inside.

'Well, when and where?' Harry asked eagerly. 'Please, sir...I really want to know.' He bit his lip nervously, now worried that the opportunity was about to be snatched away from him before he even had the chance to learn anything.

'Perhaps after the holidays.' Severus decided as he was have plenty of time to prepare himself for such an incident that was likely to tear open old wounds.

If the boy had been given proper information about his mother by anyone else, Severus wouldn't have even agreed to this to begin with. But he knew, it would be such a shame for Lily's only son to not even know her, the woman who had loved the boy more than enough to give away her life in order to preserve his own without an ounce of hesitation.

Harry was a bit disappointed but decided that considering who he was talking to, it was quite a reasonable arrangement.

'Okay.' He nodded and watched as Snape turned swiftly and strode back inside the castle, making the teen wonder why the man had been out there to begin with.

Christmas was almost upon them and he had much to get ready before such a time occurred. Harry could be on his way to the Burrow right now to enjoy a relaxing, fun time with his friends, instead he would be doing is best to ensure that this Christmas was as great as it could be for his little brother, Toby.

And yet, as the teenager sighed and returned indoors with the destination of the Gryffindor tower in his mind, Harry had no idea that no matter how complicated and busy his life already was, everything about about to get a little more...interesting.

To be continued...
End Notes:
It seems there was a glitch previously, making it seem I had updated 3 chapters in a row whereas really they had been up for over a week. Something about the most recent list?

Anyway, it appears to be fixed for now, so please..review and let me know what you thought!


This story archived at http://www.potionsandsnitches.org/fanfiction/viewstory.php?sid=2473