Screams and cries of anguish reverberated around the room. Fudge quickly ordered the guards to take the remaining condemned back to their cells. He had wanted the brat to hurt but he hadn’t wanted this. The public that voted him into office expected that boy to save them now he was gone and with him the Minister’s position once it got out he had refused to give Severus Snape any special consideration.

Fudge looked about him, many witches were in tears and the wizards were quiet as they tried to comfort them. He spotted Albus Dumbledore and a weeping Minerva McGonagall amongst them.  With some trepidation he approached the two. The look he got from Albus was cold and once Minerva saw him she lashed out slapping him hard across the face. “Are ye happy now that he’s gone Cornelius?” she spat at him.

He shook his head “I… I never meant for that to happen. I admit I didn’t like the boy but I didn’t want him dead. He hasn’t defeated You-Know-Who yet.”

“Is that all he was to you, a weapon?” Minerva growled. She wanted to strike the man again but Albus was stopping her.

Those around them become quiet as Fudge had stated his dislike for the boy.  Rather than face the accusations and the wrath of those in the room Cornelius Fudge turned and fled. Some ran after him wanting answers. Other milled around before finally leaving. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall sat on one of the lower benches and comforted each other. In the quiet of the room disembodied voices could be heard coming from the ‘Veil’ reminding them of what they had lost. As they sat Albus thought about the day Severus and Harry had found out they were father and son and why it had been kept a secret.

Albus had been sitting quietly in his office going through yet more Ministry correspondence. Even though he hadn’t been expecting it the knock on his door was welcome as it gave him an excuse to ‘abandon’ the parchments. “Enter,” he called. His face lit up when he saw who had been behind the closed door, “Severus my boy, what can I do for you?”

“Headmaster, we have a problem and we were hoping you could help us,” Snape had said quietly.

“We?”

“Yes, Pot…” Severus turned to look at the young Gryffindor and realised he was not there. “I’ll be right back.”

Albus was slightly amused to see his usually stoic Potions Master somewhat flustered. The younger man returned momentarily with a reluctant and tearful Harry Potter in tow. Now he was starting to worry. ‘I wonder what Harry has done this time?’ he thought. Then he realised that Snape was not angry at the boy if anything he looked worried. “Come and sit down both of you,” he said leading the way not to his desk but to a small sitting room, “Tea?”

“Yes Headmaster,” Snape said quietly guiding Harry, “I think Mr. Potter would enjoy that special blend you use.”

Dumbledore knew that his young friend was referring to calming potion he regularly slipped upset students, irate parents and disgruntled staff. He called a house elf and ordered the tea. When he looked up he noticed that Harry was practically sitting in his teacher’s lap and Severus was letting him. ‘What has happened to make them act so differently?’ he wondered. The elf returned and he served the tea, giving it a few moments to take affect before asking what the problem was that Snape mentioned earlier.

“Albus do you remember me asking about brewing the ancestry potion?” Snape asked and Dumbledore nodded. “My fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins brewed it today. I paired them up so there would be less botched potions. Harry and Draco’s potion was perfect. The outcome was not what we expected.” Snape withdrew Harry’s parchment from his one of his robe pockets and handed it to the older man.

There wasn’t a lot that could shock the elderly wizard; he had fought two wars and lost family and friends to both. But this, this he was not prepared for. “How can this be?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know Albus. I, that is, we were hoping you knew. I have no recollection of being married to Lily or of Harry’s birth.”

“I’m sorry my boys, I don’t know any more than you do.”

At that point a loud trill of a bird sounded from the other room. After excusing himself Albus rose and went to see what the commotion was. He returned with Fawkes his familiar on his shoulder. The phoenix had sensed Harry’s distress and wanted to be close to the boy. The bird trilled again and when the teen lifted his eyes to the bird’s they connected in a way they never had before. Fawkes trilled once more then with a blinding flash he was gone.

“What was that about?” Severus asked but he got no reply as the bird had returned with a parcel that he dropped in Snape’s lap. Glancing down he recognised the elegant writing, “Lily,” he whispered. The boy sitting next to him heard him though and quickly looked at the address label ‘Severus Snape, Potions Master.’ Harry sighed his mother had beautiful writing.

Carefully almost reverently Severus put the parcel on the coffee table. The two older wizards scanned it to make sure there were no hidden hexes, curses, spells or portkeys. With trembling hands Snape untied the strings, broke the seals and unwrapped the paper. Inside was an ornate box with a flur-de-lis carved in its lid. Around it were carved protection runes. Within the box that was lined with black velvet nestled several vials. Most were recognisable as memories. The others were potions Snape did not recognise. One of the memories was labeled ‘Watch me first.’

Not knowing the content the two older wizards encouraged the younger to stay where he was while they viewed it. The process had taken longer than they thought it would and when they returned Harry was curled up on the sofa asleep. They shook him awake gently and decided to eat dinner together before viewing some of the memories with Harry. Over dinner they told him what they had discovered, that his parents with the help of James Potter had ‘hidden’ him from Voldemort to protect him and his parents. How they had changed his appearance, altered memories of some people and obliviated others.

Severus’ memories they had stored away. Only Fawkes would know where they were and he would retrieve them if they found out they were father and son or if Voldemort was dead or if Harry was in dire need of a blood transfusion or some other life threatening medical emergency. Most of the memories had been put back where they belonged. The potions had been invented by him to help restore minor memories that he had buried. “We left a few for you to see Harry and once you have I’ll put them back too.”

The teen had been too anxious to eat much and was relieved when the time came to go into the other room. Together father and son entered the Headmaster’s Pensieve. The first memory was of the lake at Hogwarts. A pretty red headed girl and a dark haired boy were sitting on a blanket. As they watched the boy knelt up and appeared to be reaching into his pocket. The two observers moved closer to hear what was being said. The dark haired boy who Harry had just realised was Snape gazed lovingly at the girl. “Lily Anne Evans will you marry me?” young Severus had asked, his eyes never leaving hers. Lily’s face broke out into a radiant smile and she threw her arms about him.

“Yes Sev, I’ll marry you.”

They watch as he placed a plain gold band with a single diamond on her finger and then kissed her hand. They embraced again before she called out to some friends nearby. James Potter had been the first to congratulate them.

The memory faded and shifted. A nervous Snape, resplendent in royal blue robes, stood by the shore of the same lake. Music played softly and voices murmured. A wedding march began to play and all those gathered turned to watch a vision in white walk gracefully towards the man she was about to wed. In her hands she carried a bouquet of red roses with Peace Lilies mixed in.

Their vows had been simple pledges of their love, body, magic and souls to each other. For each vow their joined hands had been bound by a magical cord of a different colour. When their pledges were given and acknowledged the cords had glowed then shimmered before dissolving into their skin. This was followed by the exchange of rings and the words that accompanied them seemed familiar to Harry. "With this ring I thee wed: with my body I thee worship: and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.” Both had promised.

“Your mother wanted the muggle ring ceremony to make her parents feel better about the whole thing. They were worried that the marriage would only be legal in the wizarding world,” Severus explained to Harry.

After the newlyweds kissed the memory shifted again. Avery pregnant Lily was glaring daggers at her husband. “This is all your fault,” she screamed. “Look at me. I’m fat and ugly and…” and she burst into tears. Snape quickly crossed the floor to her and wrapped his arms around her.

“Shh Lily Love, you’re as beautiful today as you were when I met you in the park. Even more so because you are carrying our baby.”

Lily’s cries gave way to a gasp and she clutched at her abdomen. With wide eyes she looked at her husband. “Sev, I think it’s time.”

He picked her up and carried her upstairs to their bedroom setting her carefully on a chair then setting the room up for the impending birth. He left her long enough to fire call Poppy Pomfrey and James Potter. For their plan to work they needed the latter present.

The memory fast forwarded to shortly after the baby’s delivery. The new parents held their tiny bundle close. “He has your hair, Sev,” Lily mused.

“Not my nose though, thank Merlin.”

“What are you going to name him?” Madame Pomfrey asked.

“Henry Severus James, after his three fathers,” young Sev said with a smile.

“Three?” queried Poppy.

“My father Henry, Severus is obvious and James after his Godfather,” Lily stated.

The mediwitch smiled and excused herself to go downstairs to fill out the paperwork. “Can you ask James to come up please?” Lily had asked her.

She nodded and James entered the room a few minutes later. He congratulated them both then he became quite serious. “I’ll ask one last time, are you sure?”

“Yes,” Severus and Lily replied together. The three then set about changing the baby’s appearance. When Poppy returned with the birth certificate they altered her memories making her think James was the father and Severus was there because Lily wanted him to brew child birthing potions. After she filled out a second form and had left Severus had said a very tearful goodbye to his wife and son. He and James left the room.

The memory shimmered and faded. Father and son found themselves back in Dumbledore’s office. It was too much for Harry and he collapsed in a sobbing heap. Albus had watched in awe as Severus knelt to pick up his son. Cradling him close to his chest he asked to use the floo. He also asked that the Headmaster inform Professor McGonagall that Harry was with him and quite safe.