It was obvious to them both that something was happening at the castle as they drew nearer, because several adults that Harry didn't recognize were running in and out of the front doors at random.

"What exactly caused Umbridge to try to curse your mark off?" Severus said between gasps for breath. He still managed to give his son a stern look.

"Oh, erm... that."

Severus raised a brow. It was slow going up the drive and they had plenty of time for Harry to explain.

"Well, Kenai and I... and a few others, decided to get rid of Umbridge once and for all."

"And how may I ask did you intend to do that?"

"Well Kenai had this pen-" Harry briefly went over the events from earlier that evening before the summons to much consternation from Severus. Two sons, not one, he reminded himself, and then remembered how much more trouble two could be than one. He just had to look at the Weasley twins to know that, but it appeared that Harry and Kenai were determined to hold on to the title they had once taken from the red headed twins.

"You do realize those are aurors going into the castle, do you not?" Severus asked when they drew near enough to begin the ascent up the steps to the oak front doors.

"I had a feeling," Harry said before he gave a nervous chuckle.

"There he is!" a deep voice shouted then, and several people pulled their wands out as Harry made the top of the steps, still trying to support Severus' full weight and feeling as though he were ready to collapse himself.

"Help me," Harry said, "he's been stabbed. I tried to heal him but it didn't work out very well."

Luckily Dumbledore and McGonagall were there in the Entrance Hall, along with Tonks and Kingsley who were also members of the Order.

Two aurors took Severus for Harry, but there were still more wands than Harry liked to think about aimed directly at him.

"Harry, what's happened?" Albus said, hurrying over to him.

"We killed Voldemort."

There were gasps and wary looks at Harry's statement, but he tried to ignore them. He was aware now that Fred and Draco were in separate corners of the hall being questioned, and wondered where the rest of his friends were and just how much trouble they were in.

"How?"

"I'd really like to sit down before I explain if that's all right with you." Dumbledore motioned for Harry to move into the Great Hall, but before Harry could take another step, three aurors blocked him and one of them said, "Not so fast. Roll up your sleeve first."

Harry pulled up the sleeve where the inky snake had been, but there was only a red griffin now, unmoving and looking innocent. It looked just like the Gryffindor crest.

The aurors raised their brows and then motioned for him to go into the Great Hall, where they followed him in and had a seat at the end of Gryffindor table. The rest of Harry's friends were there as well, spread out from table to table as they were interrogated about the night's events involving Umbridge.

"Why don't you start with the accusations Dolores Umbridge has made against you," a tall beefy auror said in a deep voice as he forced Harry to have a seat by pressing down on his aching shoulder. Harry winced a little and noted that his father had been seated directly across from him. Severus gave him a tired, yet encouraging look however, and Harry took a deep breath.

"What am I being accused of?"

"She says you had the dark mark on your arm and that you and several other students threatened her.

"That's not true," Harry said. "And for the record, the two stories are the same, so listen carefully because I really would like to go to bed and I don't want to tell it twice."

Dumbledore had a seat next to Severus and so did several of the aurors, although quite a few remained standing.

"Three weeks ago I was captured over Christmas break. Two death eaters took me to Voldemort and I was branded with the fledgling mark. I took it because it was the only way I could see to stay alive and fight another day." He glanced up at his father for more encouragement, but Severus was looking ready to pass out, and so Harry hurried along with the story, wanting to get him some medical attention. "Voldemort told me I had to kill Professor Snape or else be killed."

"I told my friends, and... my father and my father came up with a plan. The plan was that when we were called I would pretend to kill him. He had draught of living death in a capsule in the back of his mouth. When they told me to stab him with Slytherin's sword, I did it and he bit down on the capsule. Then when Voldemort went to give me the brand I asked if I could kiss his hand first. He allowed it, only instead of kissing his hand I stabbed it with this." Here Harry removed the invisible ring where only the small poisoned spike was visible.

"We'd dipped it in basilisk venom from the chamber of secrets and in all sorts of other deadly poisons and potions. Voldemort was dead within minutes. I pretended to take his place then. Pretended I was the new dark lord, and the death eaters bowed to me. But I changed their marks to griffins." He rolled up his sleeve again to explain the new tattoo.

"We figured out how with a book on protein charms my friend Hermione gave me for Christmas. I also made it so that they can't attack any living being with magic or physically, and told them that they would be on the run for the rest of their lives because the aurors would always be able to find them."

"How's that?" Kingsley asked, finally speaking up.

"Watch." Harry touched the tip of his wand to his mark and said, "Point me," and they heard a scream in the distance from somewhere out on the grounds.

"Looks like one of them is close," Harry said. Some of the aurors ran off to search, and Harry said to the remaining gathered there, "I don't want this mark. I can transfer it to any of you who wants it."

The aurors broke away for a few moments with Dumbledore to discuss the matter, and when they came back to the table Kingsley offered to take the mark. Harry touched his wrist to Kingsley's wrist then and encanted the same spell he'd used to change the marks of the Death Eaters. The mark disappeared from Harry's arm and reappeared on Kinglsey's and Harry was glad to be rid of it.

"They warned me there were some who weren't present, so you won't be able to catch them all. But you can get at least forty of them," Harry said, and Kingsley moved off with a few more of the aurors.

The remaining three at their table turned their attention back to Harry, and one asked, "And how does this pertain to Dolores Umbridge running through the Ministry of Magic screaming about death eaters in Hogwarts?"

Harry rubbed his temple and gave another look at Severus, who really was looking ill. "She's been using blood quills on students as punishment. You can look at my hand if you don't believe me, or Draco's, or at other people from the other houses. She's also been trying to starve us and to be honest I think she's demented. She makes you thank her when you're done having your hand mutilated. We couldn't take it anymore. So we drew the mark on people's arms and went into her office to save a first year Sytherin that was in there. He was crying and we told him he could leave. She got upset and we told her that Voldemort had taken notice of her tactics and wanted to initiate her and she was being summoned to meet him tonight. She freaked out and tried to hex the mark off my arm. When she couldn't she blasted us out of the way with a spell and ran right over the top of us out the door."

"And you think it's appropriate to intimidate ministry staff?" A new voice came from somewhere behind him and Harry turned to find the Minister of magic.

"I think it's appropriate to save eleven year old children from being tortured. I'm kind of surprised that you feel it's appropriate to allow the torture of children for minor infractions Minister. I did see a roll of parchment with your name on the bottom that said you were ok with whatever Professor Umbridge did and that it was all in your name. By the way Minister, isn't torture illegal?"

The aurors raised their brows and turned to Fudge, who could only sputter. "Well, I don't know about any paper, I-"

Dumbledore snapped his fingers then and a roll of parchment appeared from thin air. "I believe this is the parchment Harry is referring to," he said as he handed it to an auror. "Dolores was kind enough to provide me with several copies."

Harry's friends watched in awe now from the other tables along with the aurors interrogating them as Fudge was put in a magical bind and marched from the Great Hall by the aurors.

"Sir?" Harry turned to Dumbledore now and said, "If it's all right with you now can we please take Professor Snape to the Hospital Wing?"

"Yes, of course dear boy." Dumbledore snapped his fingers again and a stretcher appeared. Harry helped the last remaining auror at their table lift his father onto the stretcher where he lay pale and distant to say the least, and Harry's stomach did a little somersault to know that he had done this damage to his father.

By Dumbledore's wand the stretcher floated out of the Great Hall, and with a last relieved look at his friends, Harry went after it, grabbing Kenai's sleeve just outside and leading him away from the aurors.

"Is dad going to be all right?" Kenai bit his lip and looked uncertain.

"I think so. I'm still not entirely sure this isn't some sort of dream I'm having, because it was on shaky ground at best that be tricked Voldemort."

"But he is dead, isn't he?"

Harry nodded. "I hope so."

* * *

Harry would never cease to be amazed at the speed with which his life had a tendency to change. It was like a roller coaster that he often had no control over the speed or loops, but sometimes had a choice of left, right, or straight ahead.

He was allowed to see Ginny again, on the tentative terms that the Weasley's would still be closely monitoring the situation, although Fred, George, and Ron seemed convinced of Harry's loyalty now and were not heeding the parental orders to watch him when he was with Ginny.

Things seemed to be patched with Draco as well now too, and strange as it was, Draco and Kenai were now more on the grounds of shaky friends rather than hardened enemies.

Harry also had a brother, one he was certain of and happy to have. It was no longer an uncertain relationship that liked to ride the roller coaster in a head on collision course with his own cart.

The only relationship Harry still felt uneasy with was that of the one with his father. They had been through much, but Harry was still uncertain of where he stood with the man. In the past month and a half he knew his father had been making an effort to get to know him, and protect him. He had certainly made great strides in the fatherly realm, offering up his life to the point where Harry had run him through the back with a sword, but Harry could not be sure how things would play out in the future.

After much deliberation, Harry had decided on one thing for certain: he did want his father to know who he really was, and the only way for that to happen and for Harry to protect himself at the same time was to give his father the journal. The journal he'd written to him.

Severus had been in the hospital for three days, and Harry had not been to visit him. It was possibly because he was feeling guilty over having been the one to cause his injures, and in fact to get them all into that mess in the first place, but Harry didn't want to think on that just now as he walked calmly down to the dungeons.

At his father's office door, he gave three knocks, and was bade to enter. Carefully he made his way inside and stood before his father's desk. Severus looked up and waited.

"I er... I don't know if we can ever be a family after what you've done to me," Harry said, staring his father straight in the eyes. It was a truth he had to speak, although it hurt him to do so. All he'd ever wanted was to be part of his father's family. "I've been deprived of the most basic of needs for so long, that I don't even know if I can be a normal person anymore. I don't feel what others feel... I feel fear, and uncertainty, and anxiety. I feel sad and alone, even when I'm in a room surrounded by friends."

Severus looked down at his desk, stung by the truth in his son's words. He swallowed hard and said sincerely, "I would like to try to remedy that."

"I don't know if you can. I don't know if you want to." Harry reached into his back pocket and pulled out a tattered old journal... the same one Severus had seen in the boy's desk so long ago.

"Whatever happens, I want you to have this. I want you to know who I am."

Severus reached forward and took the journal from Harry, feeling how smooth the brown leather had grown from use.

"Where will you write your secrets if you don't have this?" he asked.

Harry turned to leave, and paused in the doorway. "I'm hoping that someday I won't have anything to write... and when I do, I hope I can tell it directly to you instead." Harry left then, and Severus sat down heavily behind his desk, the journal before him.

After long moments of trepidation at what he might find within, he opened up to the first page, and stared down at the untidy scrawl of an eleven year old boy. ‘Dear Dad, I'm so happy to find out that you're alive. I love you so much, and I hope that someday we can be a real family. All I ever wanted was a real family, and a home. -Love, Harry Severus Snape.'

Tears welled up in Severus' eyes, and he said silently. "I vow to give you a real family and a real home Harry. Someday, somehow, I will make it so."

Outside the office door, Harry let his head fall back against the wall at the faint words he heard from inside. "I have a dad," he said quietly to himself, a joy he had not previously known welling up within him. "I have a dad, and he loves me, and I'm going to have a real home."