"Are you sure nothing happened?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"For the last time, Hermione, nothing happened," Harry said trying to keep how much he was at the end of this tether out of his voice.

"There he is," said Ron with a conspiratorial whisper.

"Just leave it," Harry said.

"Do we need to have a talk with him?" Ron asked darkly.

"No!" Harry said, frustrated. "He didn't do anything. Can we just eat our breakfast?"

"Right," Ron said. "You just showed up from your lesson with him looking like you'd been surrounded by dementors for no reason. I guess you skipped dinner for no reason too."

"Harry," Hermione tried again. "If something happened you need to tell someone. It's not just going to go away. We didn't do enough when people were giving you trouble in the halls back in September and look what happened."

"He didn't do anything," Harry said miserably. He had been miserable since the afternoon prior. He just wanted to forget about it. He just wanted to stop feeling like something horrible was still coming to get him; like he couldn't breathe. He wanted to pretend that it had never happened. He used to be good at that back at the Dursleys. He knew it was too much to think that Hermione would just drop it though.

"He didn't do anything," Harry said again. "I did, okay? Can we not talk about this at breakfast?"

"Don't go blaming yourself if someone's mistreating you," Hermione said.

"I'm getting a head start," Harry said. "It always takes forever to get to Runes. I'll see you in class."

The 'I'm going alone,' was left unsaid. He could hear Ron and Hermione talking anxiously behind him as he walked away with his head ducked down.

"Harry," he heard as he neared the end of the table, and his heart skipped a beat.

"O-oh," Harry said, looking up to see that Benjamin was standing in front of him. "Hey Benjamin. Look, I'm really…"

"No, I'm sorry," Benjamin said awkwardly. "I wasn't paying attention; I didn't realize something was wrong. I probably should have canceled after the dementor thing. They can mess with you for a bit after they're gone, I guess."

"Yeah," Harry said, almost relieved. "The dementors. I should have thought of that too, you know. I guess… Yeah, after the quidditch match, I just wanted to pretend like… But yeah, probably should have done a rain check."

"Right," Benjamin said. "So I'll see you Thursday then. Have fun in class."

"Yeah, you too," Harry said, relieved to have the conversation be over. Relieved that there was an excuse.

Harry started his ascent of the castle.

Had it really been the dementors, though? They made him pass out and they left him with dredged up memories he'd rather leave buried, but he didn't think they left him feeling like everyone else did. Everyone else seemed to feel the effects long after the dementor had gone, like the dementor was still not too far off, but not Harry. He hadn't felt it after the dementor left on the train, not like Ron and Hermione obviously had. He wanted it to be the reason though. He wanted to believe that absent the dementors it would never have happened, and that absent dementors it would never happen again. How could he ever face a threat like Greyback again if he couldn't even train without freaking out.

He was the first student to arrive in the Runes classroom. Professor Babbling didn't notice as she was writing pictograms up on the chalk board. Harry took a seat in the back corner and shut his eyes for the first time since he had woken up the day before.

He didn't know if it was the warmth of the classroom, or the steady scritch scratch of the chalk on the chalk board, or if it was simply that he hadn't slept the night before, but Harry found himself finally relaxing. He felt the tension ebbing away and he had just about drifted off in his seat when the door to the classroom banged open and students started walking in. Hermione was seated next to him quickly, shooting him a worried glance, but she didn't say anything as the other students filled in around them.

When Harry was able to keep his eyes open during the class, he thought to himself that this was perhaps the first time that Hermione had failed to pay attention in class. She kept looking over at him and chewed at her bottom lip. Harry felt bad for worrying her.

When class ended, Harry stayed in his seat while the other students filed out, partly because he felt entirely too unmotivated to get up and partly because he wanted to talk to Hermione alone. When the classroom was empty besides themselves and Professor Babbling, Harry pushed himself up and made his way to the door.

"Look," Harry said tiredly when they were in the hallway. "I'll tell you what happened when we catch up with Ron. It really isn't what you think."

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"Well, yeah," Harry said.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Harry said with a shrug.

They caught up with Ron who had just had a free period. Harry had no free periods while Hermione… Harry wasn't sure how Hermione was managing her class schedule or where she found the time, but she was taking one more class than Harry was, and keeping Harry and Ron on top of their studies as well.

"How're you doing?" Ron asked.

"Alright," Harry said nervously. "Look, so, yesterday, I guess I wasn't as over the dementor as I thought and, well, when we were doing defense stuff I sort of felt like I was… like it was back when Greyback had me pinned and I sort of, like, freaked out. Like I really really freaked out."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess I felt bad for not being able to handle it."

"Don't worry about it mate," Ron said, clapping him on the back. "You've handled plenty worse. Don't feel bad if a dementor's got you off your game."

"So it wasn't anything he did?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry said. "He was great. It wasn't his fault."

"Well alright then," Hermione said, though she still looked worried. "Well you must not have eaten enough chocolate, I think. Here."

Hermione handed him a bar of chocolate. Like many students, she had taken to keeping a bit of chocolate in her schoolbag.

"Honestly," Hermione said. "If my parents knew how much chocolate I've been eating this year…"

"Really Hermione," Ron said. "Mass murderers and dementors, and it's the chocolate your parents'll be upset about."

"Well there's no need for them to find out about any of that," Hermione said. "But if I come home for the holidays and they don't think I've been taking care of my teeth they'll be upset to say the least. I should probably get a dental check-up from Madam Pomfrey before I go home for Christmas."

"So you're alright now though, right?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry really wasn't.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Just, really tired, I didn't sleep well last night." Or at all really.

This would be the defining theme of the day, which turned into a series of small disasters as he drowsily made his way through classes. Mondays were so exhausting with so many classes crammed in together. The last class of the day was of course double potions and Harry managed to fumble his potion rather spectacularly, receiving extra homework from Professor Snape. It didn't help that it was extra awkward to be in the room with the man now that he had sort of officially decided to probably tell the man that Harry was his son.


IIIIIIIIIIIII


"Chocolate Frogs," Harry hazarded. Nothing happened.

"Fizzing Whizbees," he tried. Still nothing. He was probably wasting his time. There were better ways to spend a Tuesday evening than trying to guess the headmaster's password. Namely, catching up on Monday's homework.

"Acid Pops; Mars Bars; Berti Bots Every Flavor Beans; Lemon Drops… Um: Cauldron Cakes, Goobers, Laughy Taffy, Everlasting Gobstoppers…"

There was the rumble of moving stone and the gargoyle in front of him started corkscrewing upwards to reveal a spiral staircase.

Was there a delay there, Harry wondered, or was the password to the headmaster's office really Everlasting Gobstoppers?

Harry hopped onto the rotating stairs to the headmaster's tower office and waited anxiously for the stair to get to the top. Reaching the end of his journey, Harry raised his hand to knock on the door before him but it opened of it's own accord as the Headmaster Dumbledore said, "Come in Harry."

"Good evening, Professor," Harry said as he stepped into the office, lingering by the door.

"Good evening to you, do have a seat," the headmaster said gesturing to one of the high-backed winged chairs that sat opposite himself.

Harry hesitantly took the seat, feeling rather dwarfed by it. He didn't really know how to start this conversation, so what came out was, "I'm sorry to bother you after dinner like this professor."

"Nonsense," the headmaster said. "There is no bother. Tea?"

Harry realized that there was a tea service upon the headmaster's desk that he was certain had not been there a moment ago.

"Oh, you don't need to bother," Harry said.

"Why Mr. Potter," the headmaster said. "If pouring tea was a bother, I don't expect it would be as popular as it is."

"Right," Harry said awkwardly. "Alright then."

The headmaster poured Harry's tea as Harry watched before pouring his own while Harry glanced around the office at the myriad of unique devices, sleeping portraits of headmasters and headmistresses of old, and bookshelves that reached the ceiling that were likely filled with books that one could not check out of the Hogwarts library. Harry was disappointed to see that Fawkes was not on his perch.

"Lemon drop?" the headmaster inquired, breaking Harry from his perusal with a tin of yellow confections held out in front of him.

"Oh, no, thank you," Harry said as he picked up the teacup in front of him.

The headmaster plucked one of the hard candies from the tin and placed it in his mouth before taking a sip of his tea.

"How have you been enjoying your classes, Harry?" the headmaster asked, starting the conversation. "I understand Professor McGonagall had to rearrange your timetable." Somehow, he didn't sound at all like he was speaking around the sour candy in his mouth.

"Oh, yes," Harry said. "They're going well. I had to catch up a bit, but I've had a lot of help, Professor."

"And you are doing a project as well," Professor Dumbledore said. "You are doing yourself and your House proud."

"Thanks professor," Harry said, though he didn't know how well he had been personifying Gryffindor House lately. "Um, I came here to ask you a question."

"Indeed," the headmaster said. "I should take it that this is a very serious question, Mr. Potter?"

"Oh, I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't," Harry said.

"Nonsense, my boy, you may certainly bring less serious questions to me whenever you like," the headmaster replied kindly. "I was merely wondering if I should impart upon you the same warning that I gave you at the end of your first year."

"That the truth is a great and terrible thing, or that you may not answer but you also won't lie," Harry asked.

"I suppose both may apply to this conversation," the Headmaster said knowingly, and Harry could almost think in that moment that the headmaster did in fact know what Harry was going to ask and why, but that, of course, would be preposterous.

"Well, the thing is professor, I wanted to talk about Professor Snape. You see…" Harry sank one of his canines into his bottom lip for a moment before he pushed on. "You've always trusted him to protect me. I mean this summer you had him guarding me every day for weeks. It's just that… well you see I know, or I have a good reason to believe that he worked for Voldemort back when and I want to be able to trust him, and I think I do, and he's saved my life a bunch, but how can I, if I know… I just need to be sure I'm not crazy to trust him."

The headmaster was silent for a moment, and Harry very strongly suspected that he had crossed a boundary; though the headmaster did not look upset.

"I do not know that I can answer this question to your satisfaction Mr. Potter," the headmaster said at last. "I am sure that you can infer that I do in fact trust Professor Snape myself, and most importantly, that I have entrusted your safety to him. I'm afraid the most I can say is that I do trust Professor Snape. I trust him implicitly, and I do believe that if you knew him as I know him, that you would trust him the same."

Though truly he had gained no new information, the headmaster's words did prove to be reassuring to Harry. He frowned at his tea as he processed everything.

"I am curious to know what led you to have such certainty of which side Professor Snape was on during the war," the headmaster said.

"I got a letter, sir," Harry said. "Over the Summer. My parents had set it to be delivered when I turned thirteen. It mentioned the war, and a few people who were involved."

"Indeed," the headmaster said. "Yet in spite of these words from your parents, you found yourself able to trust Professor Snape to such an extent."

Harry shrugged.

"Mr. Potter," the headmaster said and paused until Harry looked up to the headmaster's piercing gaze. "Were there any other important matters in this letter that we should perhaps discuss?"

"Oh nothing like that Professor," Harry said in a rush. "It mostly wasn't about the war. It was about… family stuff. They talked a lot about their time at school and about being married and having me." Harry turned his gaze to his lap before returning it to his tea.

"Well then," the headmaster said as an air of great seriousness lifted from the room. "If that is settled, then perhaps while I have you here you would like to tell me about this project of yours. I have been hearing good things from your professors."


IIIIIIIIIIIII


The avuncular manner that Albus had taken on slipped as Harry left his office and he started crunching on what remained of the lemon drop in his mouth.

Severus was Harry's father.

A great deal had been made clear, but the path ahead was all the more muddled. He had to ask himself; if he had known this was coming, would he have prevented it? Would he have intercepted that letter and removed the relevant text? The answer did not take long to come to him. Of course he would have. He would always have chosen to prevent the blindness that now mired the future. What was one more sin to tally? He had done so much worse to safeguard peace. Yet he did not have that option now.

Outside of Hogwarts, everything moved as it was supposed to. Every event happened as Albus knew it would, every interaction with the Minister was scripted, every letter he received. Inside the castle however, events spiraled more and more into realms he could not predict, and he was working harder and harder to keep things on the right path in spite of events he couldn't affect. Before long, the chaos within the castle would spill out. How long did he have before he could no longer predict the future?

Yet this was good. At least now he knew what had caused the change in Harry. More information could only make it easier to predict and affect change and stability. It was fortunate that the next step was one he found pleasant. He had been guiding Harry and Severus towards an amicable working relationship. It would be best if Albus could make sure the next part of Harry's plan went well.


IIIIIIIIIIII


"Hey Potter," Harry heard from one of the classrooms he was passing in the hall. He looked up and blushed to see Cedric Diggory flagging him down from the middle of what looked like some manner of school club gathering. The older boy got up and headed for the door and Harry waited.

Harry hoped that this would somehow be about something other than the quidditch match. He had heard far too much from his team mates and other Gryffindors about how they didn't blame him for the loss and he rather didn't want to hear the Hufflepuff version of platitudes.

"Hey, um, Diggory," Harry said, not sure how to handle the conversation.

"I just wanted…" Diggory started. "Sorry, about the match. If I'd realized…"

"Yeah," Harry said. "They said you'd tried to void the win. It's quidditch though, you know how it is."

"Dementors aren't exactly covered in the rule book," Cedric said. "It wasn't exactly fair."

"Yeah, well, it wouldn't exactly have been fair if I had won just 'cause I had the faster broom," Harry said with a shrug.

"Thinking about downgrading?" Diggory asked.

"Oh no thank you," Harry said. "But you know; just think of it from my point of view. I shouldn't have won my first match, or at least not like that. The snitch basically flew into my mouth. If I get to call that a win then you can call Sunday a win."

"I seem to recall the fact that you probably wouldn't have won at all if you hadn't kept on your bucking broom. That was some serious riding and speaking as a bloke I'm not sure how you managed," Diggory said.

"It was rather uncomfortable," Harry admitted. Brooms were poorly designed for male flyers, no matter the cushioning charm.

"Well you're a good flyer," Diggory said. "I wish I could see who would win in a fair match."

"We'll see next year I suppose," Harry said.

"Why not sooner?" Diggory asked

"They're really not going to void the match," Harry said.

"So?" Diggory asked. "Let's have a seekers match. Don't you get bored just playing against the snitch in practice? Just three thrilling chases a year? If we're lucky."

"It still wouldn't be fair though," Harry said. "Your Comet's a great broom, but it can't beat my Nimbus."

"Didn't stop you beating Malfoy last year," Cedric said. "Besides, if you want things fair then we can have two matches and trade brooms in between."

"Are you sure you don't just want some good practice before your match against Ravenclaw?" Harry asked.

"Don't you?" Diggory asked.

Harry smiled. "I suppose."

"Great, we'll work it out later," Diggory said, holding out his hand. "I’ve got to get back."

Harry shook Cedric's hand and the older boy returned to the classroom.


IIIIIIIIIIIIIII


After a little trial and error, Harry found that it was easier to dive through walls with his hands at a point over his head. It was best however to make sure each particular wall was passable though. He had the bruises to show that that had been a hard-learned lesson. Until he had a better idea of which walls were safe and which weren't, he found himself being very cautious before passing through a wall. Most walls weren't warded though and getting through the castle had become a lot more interesting, though not necessarily faster. The castle defied the laws of physics in many ways and walking through certain walls did not always lead where one would logically expect. He had once gone through a wall on the second floor only to find himself walking into the dungeon on the other side. Though he was building a mental map of shortcuts.

He turned a few heads as he appeared in the main second floor hallway, but since he was coming from one wall and then walking through the next, no one had time to stop him to ask about the trick. Harry wondered if the twins wanted him drumming up excitement for the product. He dove through another wall and had to take a moment to judge where he was in the castle. Was he in a tower?

In this fashion, Harry arrived at the Thursday defense study group quite a bit earlier than he normally did. Anna and Benjamin probably weren't even in the classroom yet and they were usually the first to arrive. The thought of waiting with them, just them, for the rest of the students made Harry uneasy. Benjamin had acted like nothing was wrong, but he was a nice bloke like that. Harry wondered if he had told Anna. He considered taking a walk, and learning more about the castle, but that wouldn't be very Gryffindor, would it. Harry walked into the classroom only to find that it wasn't empty.

"Ah, good evening," Professor Lupin said. "You're a bit early aren't you, Mr. Potter?"

Harry stood still in the doorway; he also hadn't planned to wait for the start of the study group alone with the professor.

"Oh, good evening professor." Harry said. He noticed the stack of parchment in front of Professor Lupin. "I didn't realize you'd be here; I won't interrupt your grading."

"Ah, well, consider me interrupted," Professor Lupin said with a kind smile. "The study group will start soon enough anyways. Come in, Mr. Potter, I've wanted to ask you how you are doing with the advanced course work."

"Oh it's going well enough, professor," Harry said as he stepped into the classroom and stood by one of the desks. "The spells aren't too difficult. I'm just trying to become a bit faster. I spend too much time focusing on the incantations and movements."

"Have you tried using your toothbrush?" Professor Lupin asked.

Harry's hand went to his mouth. He wasn't even standing that close to the man.

Professor Lupin laughed.

"Not that," he said. "For practice, as a stand in for your wand. You can practice over and over again without exerting yourself, anything vaguely wand like will do. I used my toothbrush when I was your age."

"Oh, no I haven't tried that," Harry said. "There are only so many stunners I can cast before I have to stop."

"It is good to get to that point of course," Professor Lupin said. "Magic isn't exactly like a muscle, per se, but working out your magic does help train you to channel more magic down the line. Now, I've been wondering if you'll want to take the fourth year exam come June."

"What for?" Harry asked.

"To skip it of course," Professor Lupin said.

"I can do that?" Harry asked surprised.

"Well it would be up to whoever is teaching defense next year," Professor Lupin said. "But you have effectively been learning both years curriculums thus far. I would see no need for you to repeat the fourth-year curriculum next year as long as you show competence."

"You aren't even planning on being here next year?" Harry asked, disappointed in spite of himself. He had heard enough to know that the loss of the past two defense teachers hadn't been a fluke.

"I think it's best not to tempt fate," Professor Lupin said.

"It's a shame," Harry said. "We didn't learn half as much with our previous defense professors. It would have been nice to have you back next year."

"Perhaps you'll luck out," Professor Lupin said. "I bandied a few names with the headmaster. There's some good candidates out there, if he can get them to take the job."

"Hm," Harry said. "Well I guess we'll have to wait and see."

"And the exam?" Professor Lupin asked.

"Oh, I suppose I should take it," Harry said reluctantly. He wasn't fond of the idea of having a class without Ron or Hermione. Would he even be with the Gryffindor fifth years, or would he be put in with whatever fifth year class overlapped one of his free periods.

"Well if you want to focus on being able to defend yourself, it really is the best course to take," Professor Lupin said.

"That's the plan," said Harry. "Next time someone tries to get me, I'll have a surprise for them."

"I must warn you," Professor Lupin said. "Fenrir Greyback has rarely been known to be taken by surprise, or to be much phased by it when he is."

"Do you know a lot about him, then?" Harry asked.

"Oh, I've made something of a study of him," Professor Lupin said.

"Then do you know what his thing with Sirius Black was? Or why he killed him?" Harry winced a moment later at the pained look on the professor's face. He hadn't even thought to be delicate. The letter had told him enough to know that Professor Lupin had probably been close friends with Sirius Black.

Professor Lupin opened his mouth to answer but Anna and Benjamin walked in at that moment. Whatever he had been about to say turned into, "We can discuss that another time." He turned his attention to the new arrivals and soon was talking to Anna about a fourth-year class project.

Benjamin walked up to Harry with a smile and Harry did his best not to look like he was still embarrassed about the previous Sunday.

"Good week so far?" Benjamin asked by way of small talk.

"Yeah," Harry said. "You?"

"I managed to blow up the potions classroom," Benjamin said. "I'm counting that as a detractor, though some have tried to convince me it's an accomplishment."

"That would be the twins I'm guessing," Harry said with a smile. "I heard about that. How long did it take to clean up?"

"Only my entire evening without magic," Benjamin said with a wan smile.

Harry grimaced sympathetically. Not for the first time he wondered: if he did tell Professor Snape, would everyone else find out? It wouldn't exactly do to say, 'Hey you're my dad, can we treat this like it's a deep dark dirty secret?' But the peculiar circumstances of his birth were a private matter and everyone finding out would raise a ton of questions. He really didn't like the idea of people thinking his mum had cheated and it was either that or explain every last detail… he might as well take out a full page add in the Daily Prophet.

That he didn't want students giving him grief whenever they got a nasty detention from Professor Snape was also perhaps a factor. If Saturday did somehow go well, there'd be a host of new things to worry about.

"So do you want to practice some wrist locks," Benjamin asked, with none of the trepidation that Harry suddenly felt at the idea of practicing physical self-defense.

"S-sure," Harry said almost immediately, because there was no way he was going to let being afraid of what had happened on Sunday stop him from making sure that no one could grab him like that ever again. That he would never be helpless again. That he would never have to wonder if he could have done something to stop it. That he would never have to look back and think, 'if only.' If he could only keep it together in the here and now.

"Just wrist locks?" he found himself asking and cursed his fear.

"I don't think we'll have time for much more before everyone else gets here," Benjamin said. "We can do a lot more if you want to meet again this Sunday."

"Oh, yeah," Harry said, keeping the nervousness locked down. "Same time?"

"Sure," Benjamin said. "Now, let's say I reach out to grab your collar…"

Harry felt approaching dread the entire time they practiced, until the other students arrived. He didn't know if it was the same dread he had felt that Sunday or if it was worries about what had happened happening again. He kept it at bay though; maybe it had just been the dementor.


IIIIIIIIIIIIIII


"You wished to speak with me, Headmaster?" Severus asked.

"I did Severus," the headmaster replied. "Please have a seat."

Severus enjoyed his weekly tea with the headmaster, but he did rather wish that the man would just get to the point when he summoned him out of the blue. Still though, he waited until the tea was poured and he could refuse the usual offer of a lemon drop.

"Harry came to see me the other day," the headmaster said when they had both taken a sip of their tea. "I do believe that all of your questions shall be answered by the end of this week."

"Oh the mystery may be solved headmaster, but I do not think I shall ever understand the boy," Severus said. "He told you what he has been up to?"

"Not quite," the headmaster said.

"And you disapprove when I have had the need to use Legilimency on students," Severus said.

"Where Harry is concerned, not knowing what is going on in his head makes it very difficult to make sure that it stays on his shoulders," the headmaster said. "Besides, when a student comes in and tells you that he knows for a fact that one of his teachers was a Death Eater and wishes to be assured that he can trust him, one must take every precaution."

"He told you that?" Severus said aghast.

"Not in so many words, no," the headmaster said. "You will understand his position soon enough. It will seem very reasonable when you do."

"The gall," Severus said.

"Yes, it does remind me of someone," the headmaster said with a smile.

"His father," Severus said, and if anything the headmaster's smile widened.

"As I said, it will seem very reasonable," the headmaster assured him.

"But how would he even know?" Severus asked. "The letter?"

The headmaster nodded.

"But then why would he…" Severus pondered before breaking off in complete confusion.

"He did say that he does trust you," the headmaster said. "He wished to have my assurance that he was not unreasonable to have such faith. All shall become clear when he tells you."

"You could tell me now," Severus said.

"Ah, but that would spoil the surprise," the headmaster said.

"I do not like surprises, headmaster" Severus said testily.

"Ah, but it is simply not my place to tell," the headmaster sighed forlorn, as if he truly did wish to tell Severus but was bound by propriety to keep silent. The twitch of his lip gave him away.

"Of course, it is one thing to read a student's mind, but spoiling his surprise is beyond the pale," Severus said being as droll as possible.

"I'm glad you see this as I do," the headmaster said.

Severus sighed. He wanted to storm out to show his displeasure but… it really was good tea and it would be rude to leave before it was finished.

"There is one thing Severus," the Headmaster said.

Severus looked up, for though there was still mirth in the headmaster's eyes, there was definitely a more serious note to his voice.

"What Harry has to tell you will seem impossible at first," the headmaster said. "You may be inclined to believe that he is lying or misinformed. He is not, I have already taken it upon myself to verify the matter. I believe it is important for the both of you that you know that now."

Severus was certain now that whatever the matter was, that it was very serious and that whatever it was, it would probably cause him several headaches. He sipped on his tea pensively. By the end of the week, the headmaster had said. That left Friday and Saturday. Though since he would be seeing the boy for his first time as a lab assistant on Saturday, Severus supposed that it would be Saturday. That left him until then to figure out whatever mess he was about to find himself in. He rather did not like surprises.


IIIIIIIIIIII


'Muggle Military Explosive's Storehouse Immolated, Beckett Dead By His Own Flames,' the front page of the daily prophet proclaimed Friday morning.

The students in the Great Hall were carrying on as though a holiday had just been declared, but absent from the article, and seemingly absent most everyone's minds was the fact that there were probably a great many people dead in that fire besides Beckett. Those people would of course be muggles and hardly worth mentioning in a wizarding newspaper. Even when a muggle woman died saving the blasted boy-who-lived. As usual, the muggles were being dismissed, but Harry wondered if the writer or the editor at the Daily Prophet understood muggle explosives. He was pretty sure Beckett didn't, because if he had, he would have known that setting fire to what was likely a place to store missiles or bombs with fiendfyre was not a good idea. Explosions move much faster than fiendfyre, and Beckett had likely been unable to apparate away before everything in the area had been leveled. Yes, a good many muggle soldiers had probably died in that.

Harry handed the paper back to Hermione who started re-reading the article.

"Well at least it's one less thing to worry about," Ron said, with much less levity than the students around the hall had. Harry didn't know if Ron had read the same deaths between the lines of the article, or if he was simply picking up on Harry's mood.

"Yeah," Harry said. "There's that. It's fitting I guess."

Harry had just turned back to his breakfast when a small origami swan flew up and landed in front of him. He looked around to see who had sent it, but no one was looking at him.

"There's writing," Ron said.

Harry looked back and saw that indeed there was writing curling around one of the wings. He set about unfolding the parchment and read the short note.

See me in my office before the start of classes today.

-McGonagall

Harry looked up to the head table to find that Professor's McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore were absent. There wasn't much point in keeping them waiting. Grabbing a scone, he got up.

"I've got to go see Professor McGonagall," Harry said.

"Don't be late for class," Hermione said. "If you're telling him tomorrow, you don't want it to be right after you get in trouble for being late for potions."

"I'm sure McGonagall'll give me a note if I need one," Harry said as he left. Besides, he had a feeling that Professor Snape would be there as well.

Professor McGonagall's office was relatively close to the Great Hall and Harry, only halfway done with his scone, wound up putting what was left of his pastry in his pocket for lack of a better place for it. The door was ajar and Harry knocked as he stuck his head in.

"Professor?" he asked. He could see the three missing professors standing in front of Professor McGonagall's desk with a woman he did not recognize; it looked like they had been arguing.

"Come in, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said. "I take it you saw the news."

"I did, professor," Harry said, standing just inside the doorway. "Though I'm not sure why you would want to see me about it."

"As tragic as recent events have been, Harry, we have been presented with an opportunity and time may be of the essence," the Headmaster said. "This is Madame Bones, the head of Magical Law Enforcement, she is here because we hope to soon capture Fenrir Greyback.

"And you want my help?" Harry asked, not at all sure where this was going, but he was very excited at the prospect of Greyback going back to prison.

"Very indirectly," Professor Snape said. "But yes."

"We will be announcing over lunch that since there is no longer a threat from Beckett, we will be allowing a Hogsmeade visit for all students who have their permission slips signed," Professor McGonagall said.

"We will be letting the villagers know to expect students this Sunday," Professor Snape said. "If Greyback gets word, he will hopefully realize that this is his best opportunity to grab you."

Harry swallowed and looked at Professor Snape with almost a feeling of betrayal.

"You want to use me as bait?" he asked before taking a deep breath. "I can do that, I think. I still have that anti-portkey necklace, and I still wear it everyday." Harry tugged on the chain around his neck. He could do it, he thought. If it meant justice for Ms. Adler.

"Phaw!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. "We will be doing no such thing Mr. Potter. You will be safely inside the castle. You will of course have a doppelgänger who will keep to himself and favor the outskirts of the town."

"Oh," Harry said uneasily. "Polyjuice then?"

"Indeed," Professor Snape said.

"Who'll impersonate me, Professor?" Harry asked.

Professor Snape merely raised a single eyebrow.

"You?" Harry asked.

"Who better, Mr. Potter?" Professor Snape asked. "I spent a great deal of my summer around you, and for precisely the reason that I could handle matters should Greyback attack."

"What if he hurts you though?" Harry asked, and now both of Professor Snape's eyebrows rose.

"That is my concern, Mr. Potter, and not yours," Professor Snape said sternly.

"But if he's trying to get me…" Harry said.

"Then that will be his mistake," Professor Snape said darkly.

"What if he hurts the other students?" Harry asked, liking the idea less and less as he had time to think about it.

"There will be a staged spat between yourself and Mr. Weasley as you arrive in the village, after which you will skulk around the edges of the town," Professor Snape said. "It may be too transparent, but we are not willing to shoulder more risk."

Harry really didn't like this plan. Greyback was vindictive and cruel and fully capable of quickly murdering people.

"Shouldn't an Auror be doing this, though?" Harry asked. "I mean it's not that you aren't capable sir, but…"

"There will be Aurors, Mr. Potter," Madame Bones said, speaking up for the first time. "Your professor will not be handling this matter on his own. If all goes to plan, he won't even need to raise his wand. It has been agreed that due to his experience with yourself, that he will be able to passably imitate your mannerisms. With luck we'll have drawn Greyback out before he can even get close."

Though she spoke in favor of the plan, Harry got the impression she didn't like it, or perhaps she didn't like Snape's role in it.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Harry asked. "I mean besides giving you some hair."

"Merely go about today and tomorrow as though you are excited to go to Hogsmeade," the headmaster said. "Should anyone express surprise that you are allowed to go, you may tell them that you have your anti-portkey necklace and that you have agreed to stay where it is busy."

"Do you think he can get information from inside the school, sir?" Harry asked, thinking of certain students.

"No," the headmaster reassured. "But it is best to be cautious none the less. Sunday morning, you will get into the carriage to town with your friends. You will have a portkey beacon that will be delivered to you by owl post that morning. The beacon will allow Professor Snape to portkey directly into your carriage. You will then portkey out and arrive safely in my office."

Harry nodded as he processed the plan.

"Unless there is anything else," Professor McGonagall said. "Some of us have classes to be attending to."

"That should be all," the headmaster said. "Do you have any questions, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "What should I tell my friends?"

"Nothing for now Mr. Potter," the headmaster said. "They will be told when they leave for the village during the carriage ride. Now, I do believe that if you leave now, you and Professor Snape can arrive to your first class without being too late."

Harry soon found himself walking the mostly empty halls with Professor Snape.

For the first time in a while, Harry found himself in an awkward silence around the man and wished he could escape using his gloves. He could probably get to the potions classroom before the bell if he did.

"I care little if you believe me capable Mr. Potter," Professor Snape said. "But whatever doubts you do have, you must burry them. You wear your heart on your sleeve and it is best that none of your worry is apparent."

"I don't doubt you professor," Harry said. "You've saved me too many times for that. I'm just worried; I've seen what he does to people."

"A number of people will have failed at their jobs if he gets that close to me," Professor Snape said.

"Yeah, well he got pretty close to me in Diagon Alley sir," Harry said. "And enough people have died in my place if you ask me, so I don't need that on my head again."

"Death is not a line you are waiting in, Mr. Potter," Professor Snape said tersely. "You do not have a ticket with a time and date that someone can take for you. That they died while you were in danger does not mean that you were supposed to have died then."

"Yeah, well they still died trying to save me!" Harry said. "Maybe I wasn't supposed to die, but they shouldn't have died so that I wouldn't."

"Life doesn't work on 'should,' Mr. Potter," Professor Snape said, and now he sounded tired.

"Yeah, well it should," Harry said petulantly, not caring for the first time in a long time how he came off to the man. Professor Snape ignored the comment.

"So you would prefer it be an Auror he got close to?" Professor Snape asked.

"It's not like that," Harry said. "It's just… um, well it's different."

"Different how?" Professor Snape said.

"Well I like you," Harry said before blushing and looking down. "I mean, maybe that's selfish, but I guess I'll worry more about you than someone I… don't know."

Professor Snape didn't speak for a moment and Harry snuck a glance up at him. The man did not speak for a moment.

"I was not aware that I had given you reason to like me," Professor Snape said.

Harry shrugged.

"You don't need to give me reasons," Harry said.

"And yet you have them," Professor Snape said.

Harry shrugged again, he supposed that the professor was about as willing to directly ask his questions as Harry was to answer them.

"Your mother was my best friend when I was your age," Professor Snape said, perhaps too casually. Harry looked up at him in surprise. "Though I suppose you already had an inkling of that from the letter you mentioned. I have been surprised of late to realize that you share some of her better qualities."

Harry found his breath catching and suddenly found his shoes very interesting. For a brief moment, he could hope that everything would go well on Saturday.

"Though I must say she had considerably more common sense when she was your age," Professor Snape continued. The moment was broken.

"Hey," Harry said.

"Did you not just say that you would act as bait for Fenrir Greyback?" Professor Snape asked.

"You actually are acting as bait for him Professor," Harry said indignantly.

"I am a fully trained wizard who is more than capable, and an adult," Professor Snape said. "You clearly did not want to do it, but you said that you would. Why?"

"He needs to be stopped," Harry said. "He's hurt too many people."

"But why you?" Professor Snape asked.

"Because he's coming after me," Harry said insistently.

"That is a very good reason to stay far away from him," Professor Snape said.

"Well what does that make me if he hurts someone else trying to get to me?" Harry asked heatedly.

"It doesn't make you anything," Professor Snape said. "It makes him what he is, a monster. You are not responsible for stopping him."

"Yes I am," Harry said. "It's my fault."

"What drivel is this?" Professor Snape asked.

"Nothing," Harry said, not looking at the man.

"The first two years of you schooling may have given you the impression that you are the hero of some story, but I can assure you that when it comes to Greyback, your only responsibility is to stay safe from him, and follow the plan that we have laid out," Professor Snape said.

"But I…"

Professor Snape cut him off.

"But nothing," he said. "Now with luck he will be dealt with this Sunday, but even if he is not, I need to know that you will not try to run after him."

"Why does everyone think I have a death wish?" Harry asked.

"I could go on ad nauseam," Professor Snape said.

"I'm not just going to go looking for him, Professor" Harry said. "I know how that'd go."

"See that you keep it in mind," Professor Snape said as they arrived at the potions classroom.

Harry had no trouble doing just that. He had a hard time concentrating in potions again that day.


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII


Everyone was in high spirits after the announcement over lunch, and Harry was doing his best to play his part. It was hard though, as worried as he was. Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts went well and when the bell rang Harry was ready to go to the library to get a head start on some homework to keep up the facade of a student who fully expected to spend his Sunday in Hogsmeade when he was interrupted.

"A word, Mr. Potter," Professor Lupin said. "Or two, if you will."

Harry told his friends he'd catch up with them in the library as he made his way to the front of the classroom. He eyed the door as the classroom emptied quickly and they were soon alone.

"I thought, Mr. Potter," Professor Lupin said with a sad smile. "That you might like to finish our conversation from yesterday evening."

"Oh," Harry said as he remembered the pained look in the professors eyes the night prior. "I shouldn't have asked like that. I understand if you don't want to talk about Mr. Black."

Professor Lupin looked at him with surprise.

"I know you were friends," Harry said. "You were both mentioned in a letter I have that my parents wrote."

"I hadn't known if I should bring it up," Professor Lupin said. "If it was still my place to be a family friend."

Harry shrugged. He didn't know Professor Lupin outside of the classroom. He figured he probably felt as conflicted as the professor was on the topic. He was a stranger, but, he had also been a friend to his dad. A very close friend, he could tell from the letter, but what was that now?

"I didn't know either," Harry said. "It was rude of me to ask."

"No," Professor Lupin assured. "You should know. Sirius was your family, your godfather. Did you know?"

Harry nodded.

"You have a right to know what happened," Professor Lupin said very seriously. "I could tell you now if you'd like."

"Alright then," Harry said with a feeling that he was getting a lot more than he had initially asked for.

"Here," Professor Lupin said, pulling out his wand. "Let's have a seat."

Two of the desks from the front of the classroom floated up and transformed into much more comfortable chairs. Harry sat down across from his professor.

"I suppose I should start out by telling you that Sirius was about as excited when you were born as your father was," Professor Lupin started out. "He doted on you constantly; we all did I suppose, but he took being your godfather very seriously. We'd all had turns babysitting you, but Sirius liked to call it Godfather Time. He was your favorite, and everyone knew it."

Harry stared at his knees for a moment as he processed the information and Professor Lupin gathered his thoughts. He didn't know that he wanted more of a reason to feel bad that the man was gone, but at the same time, it was nice to think of a time when he had been wanted.

"We were over all the time," Professor Lupin said. "Even with the war, we always made time for each other. We all fought, in our own way, but even when it was all crumbling down around us, I suppose I still thought we'd all come out on the other end, even with your father and Sirius both being Aurors."

"The letter mentioned a Mr. Pettigrew," Harry said. "Is he still alive?"

"No Harry," Professor Lupin said heavily. "I hadn't planned on bringing this up, but you should know." Harry had the very large impression that he should just stop asking questions. He had once been very good at that.

"He betrayed your parents, Harry," Professor Lupin said sadly. "He betrayed us all. The night your parents died… He told Voldemort where to find them… Where to find you. He died soon after; a Death Eater cornered him after it all and blew the whole street apart to kill him. We never really knew why, as the Hit Wizards killed the man trying to bring him in. I've always supposed he blamed Peter for what happened to their master."

Harry felt a hollow ache in his chest. They had been betrayed. How could someone do that, how could a…

"He was their friend," Harry said flatly.

"I thought so, yes," Professor Lupin said.

Harry took a while to process it all.

"Sirius though," Professor Lupin said. "He was true to the end."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Afterwards," Professor Lupin paused. "It was still dangerous. Death Eaters were still on the loose, were still targeting you. You were sent to your Aunt and Uncle's where the Headmaster was able to erect powerful blood wards to keep you safe. Sirius worked day and night to bring in the Death Eaters. He wanted to make the world safe, so he could take you home. He wanted to raise you, but there was still so much danger out there. I doubt you've ever known, but they caught a few Death Eaters as they attempted to bypass your wards only two days after. You'll probably be interested to know that Sirius was the one who captured Beckett and Rookwood. The last person he stopped was Greyback."

"But I'd heard Greyback killed him," Harry said.

"He did," Professor Lupin said. "Sirius had always had a bit of a vendetta against Greyback, and even before the war, Sirius wanted to be the one to stop him. In the end though, all he found was Greyback's camp. The Aurors swarmed in, arrests were made, children rescued, but there was no Greyback. Greyback found Sirius, later that day. They fought… Sirius was able to subdue him, but he had already taken severe injuries. By the time the Aurors arrived…"

Harry had a hard time imagining what his life would have been like. What if his parents hadn't been betrayed? What if Sirius Black had lived? He had long ago convinced himself that such a life wasn't for him, but that didn't stop him from wondering. He'd been wondering about a lot of things lately.

"What happened to the children?" Harry asked. "Had they all been turned?"

"All but one of them had," Professor Lupin said sadly. "Some had spent a long time in captivity, some less so. Some acclimated back into society better than others. The youngest one graduated from Hogwarts last year I believe."

"Wait," Harry said, surprised. "One of my classmates last year was a werewolf?"

"Oh yes," Professor Lupin said. "With most you really can't tell. Unless you're paying close attention to the full moon. The headmaster wouldn't stop a child from getting their education."

"So they were safe then?" Harry asked.

"Safer I dare say than any student might have been in my day," Professor Lupin said. "There is a recently invented potion that allows a person to keep their mind when they have transformed, making them little more dangerous than an animimagus."

"So no one knew?" Harry asked.

"Only the ones who needed to know," Professor Lupin said. "There was no need to start a moral panic among the parents or the school board."

Harry could have imagined Mr. Malfoy's reaction.

"What would my parents have done if Greyback had gotten me?" Harry asked.

"They would have razed heaven and earth to get you back," Professor Lupin said rather simply.

"Yeah, but what if I had been bitten?" Harry asked. "There are people who hate werewolves just for being werewolves."

"Your parents weren't those sorts of people," Professor Lupin said smiling sadly. "I can assure you of that."

"The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin," Harry said.

"Did it really?" Professor Lupin asked, not seeming to mind the change in subject.

Harry nodded. "I asked it not to. I've wondered what my parents would have thought if I had been." He gave his professor a searching look.

"Ah," Professor Lupin said. "Well I suppose every parent wants their child to be in their old house, but I know they would have loved you all the same. Sirius had a hard time of things for being sorted into Gryffindor; his whole family was Slytherin, but your parents wouldn't have thought less of you. It may seem at times like the war was between Slytherins and everyone else, but I can assure you all houses were represented on both sides."

"I'd gotten the impression that my dad had a bit of a vendetta against Slytherins," Harry said.

Professor Lupin laughed. "I suppose he did. I suppose we all did way back when. But Harry, we largely grew out of that. Your father worked with many Slytherins as an Auror. I certainly can't say that the old rivalry ever truly died out, but I do know he came to respect a few of them. People change a good deal after school you know. I think if you had been sorted into Slytherin, your father would have been boasting to anyone who would listen that you were destined to be the Head of the DMLE or some such."

"What about Sirius Black?" Harry asked.

"Oh he would have teased you about it every chance he got," Professor Lupin said with a smile. "But he teased just about everyone he liked regardless. I don't think Sirius would have ever parroted his parents and treated your sorting like a betrayal. I don't think I can stress enough that Sirius adored you. I think people who didn't know him assumed he was a father; he would tell anyone who would listen about all of your milestones."

"So if I were to have written home to say I was dating a Slytherin or something?" Harry asked.

"Oh is that where this line of questioning has been heading?" Professor Lupin asked with a grin.

"Oh, no, I'm not dating anyone," Harry said pulling a face.

"Hm, well," Professor Lupin thought. "I think the best I can tell you is that your parents would have wanted you to be happy; regardless of who you were dating."

Harry thought about that for a moment.

"Any more insight I can give you?" Professor Lupin asked.

Harry wanted to ask more, but questions were telling, and he had already told enough.

"No, Professor," Harry said. "But thanks for talking to me about this stuff."

"It's no problem Harry," Professor Lupin said. "I remember them fondly, and I enjoyed sharing them with you." Professor Lupin stood up, and Harry followed suit.

"Oh, there was one thing, professor," Harry said. "I was wondering about that spell for dementors. I found it in the library, but I haven't had any luck with it."

"Ah, well it is a seventh-year spell, Harry," Professor Lupin said. "You can certainly master it, but it will take a considerable amount of work, and power."

"It's just, I can't afford to be weak like that," Harry said. "I mean, what if they attack the next quidditch match?"

"Well we can certainly work on it, Harry," Professor Lupin said. "Though it may have to wait while I work around some logistical issues. It may not be until next term, but we will work on it if you want to put the effort in."

"I do, professor," Harry said. "Thank you."

"Very well," Professor Lupin said. "I'm sure you'll probably have plenty of homework to get out of the way before your Hogsmeade weekend."

"Oh, I do," Harry said, feigning enthusiasm.

"Well then, Harry, enjoy your weekend," Professor Lupin said.

"You too professor," Harry said, making his way out of the classroom.

What would my parents have thought about what I'm going to do tomorrow, Harry wondered as he headed towards the library chewing on his bottom lip.


IIIIIIIIIIIIII


"Have you thought about what you're going to say?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry said as he stirred the potion. Only about a million times, in a million ways.

"Well I think it's going to go alright," Ron said confidently, looking up from a chess piece he was fiddling with.

That made one of them, Harry thought. Harry shrugged.

"Are you going to ask him if you can kip over for the summer?" Ron asked.

"I think he should take it one step at a time," Hermione said.

"What do I do if he gets upset?" Harry asked.

"Tell him it's his loss and get out of there," Ron said flippantly. "If he's a jerk after he finds out he's you father he'll be a jerk forever. We'll work on plan-B"

"Yeah, but he'd still know, and it would be weird," Harry said.

"Can't get worse than it was before this year," Ron said.

"But its alright now," Harry said. "This could make it worse. Maybe I should wait till it's closer to the end of the year."

"No," Hermione said. "Harry, remember, this is the testing period. You can interact with him in the safety of the school and if it's working out here it'll probably work out for the summer. You don't want to wait till the end of the year and go into everything blind do you?"

Harry sighed.

"What if he just doesn't want to be a father?" Harry asked. "Like he's alright being friendly with a student, but like… you know, he doesn't want to take one home with him. I'd be ruining his child free summer."

"How'd his child free summer go last time?" Ron asked. "He had to stalk the alley for weeks on end. This way he can stay in whichever dungeon he haunts when school's out."

"He did that for Dumbledore," Harry said. "This time he'd be doing it for me, and he wasn't exactly happy about it the last time."

"Look," Hermione said. "We all want this to go really well and for you to be happy, but the primary focus is you not being homeless and in danger this summer."

"Professor Snape isn't my only option though," Harry said.

"No," Hermione said. "But he's your best option. He can keep you safer than anyone else. Greyback got to you when you were surrounded by aurors. Professor Dumbledore asked the professor to watch you for a reason."

"There are more things to worry about than safety," Harry said in exasperation.

"Well you'll have plenty of time to worry about them while you're safe and sound," Hermione said.

"Do you really think he's going to become terrible again when he finds out he's your dad?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged.

"Maybe not terrible," he said. "But.. I don't know."

Disappointed, disgusted, annoyed, horrified, weary, resigned; he could be any of those things besides terrible. He could think the whole thing was a laugh, a cosmic joke, and tell him to get lost. He didn't need to be terrible; he didn't need to say awful things or assign detentions and take points; Harry would know when he wasn't wanted.

Professor Snape might take him in as a duty; he might even try to be nice about it, but Harry didn't want to be an obligation or a burden. He really wished he could go back to the beginning when he had been pretending to himself that all he cared about was a safe place to stay.

"Time to add the star seeds," Hermione said.

Harry lightly spread the seeds over the potion and watched it glow.

"Alright," Ron said. "Let's pour a bit of it off and see if this thing'll say you have two dads."

A few minutes later they had their answer.


IIIIIIIIIIIII


"That's enough, Mr. Malfoy," Severus said. "Update me on your efforts."

"I've got Jugson going against McDanniels," Mr. Malfoy said proudly. "They'll both be too busy to interfere for a while."

"Did either of them see your hand in the matter?" Severus asked.

"I think McDanniels suspects something, but he's more angry with Jugson," Mr. Malfoy said.

"So you were transparent," Severus said.

"I was not," Draco Malfoy protested. "McDanniels probably just figured I was the only one with the motivation to say anything to Jugson."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy," Severus said. "It was the plan that was transparent, not yourself."

"I.."

"Just because a plan will work does not mean you should execute it," Severus said. "Do not become so enamored with your good ideas that you cannot see their flaws. How are you going to correct this?"

"I could give him someone else to focus on," Draco Malfoy said.

"He is already focused on someone else," Severus said. "Do not make things overly complicated, or you will become his primary focus again."

"So what do I do?"

"At times, Mr. Malfoy, the best plan is to do nothing, wait, observe, and prepare," Severus said.

Draco Malfoy just looked frustrated at that answer.

"How is your Ravenclaw foray?" Severus asked.

"I helped Sue Li in Charms Class," Draco Malfoy said.

"Is that the most you can say for your efforts?" Severus asked.

"They all act like I'm up to something," Mr. Malfoy complained.

"You are up to something," Severus couldn't help but to point out.

"They think I'm up to something bad," Draco Malfoy said, a petulant whine creeping in.

"Perhaps this should cement in you the importance of reputation," Severus said. "Keep working, be subtle, it will take time."

Draco sighed.

"Now, Mr. Malfoy," Severus said. "For our next exercise you will convince me I should give you my last biscuit."

"Is there actually a biscuit?" Draco Malfoy asked, eyeing the professor's desk.

"No," Severus said. "This is merely an exercise."

"It's just I think these exercises would work better if I was arguing something that mattered," Draco Malfoy said. "Like I should be convincing you to vote for something you don't actually want, and if there isn't even really a biscuit I'm not sure what the point is."

"The point is that you should be able to argue anything," Severus said. "I'm sure you would delight to pretend at some political machination, but there are plenty of doldrum things that a good Slytherin must be able to debate."

"Well sure, but just for the sake of it being realistic, professor," Draco Malfoy said. "I mean there should actually be a biscuit."

Severus sighed and retrieved a tin of shortbread biscuits from his desk. He removed one biscuit and placed it on the desk.

"Well, professor," Draco Malfoy said. "It's just that it is supposed to be your last biscuit."

Severus gave a bark of a laugh that startled the boy.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to walk out of my office with this tin Mr. Malfoy," Severus said.

There was a knock on the door and both biscuit and tin disappeared before Severus gave a curt, "come in."

Of course, of all people, it was Harry Potter who stuck his head through the door.

"It's not too early is it Professor?" Harry asked.

"It is early," Severus said. "But do come in. I'll have to familiarize you with my lab procedure before the rest of my assistants show up." He turned to Mr. Malfoy. "We will continue on Tuesday."

Draco Malfoy nodded and turned, pointedly not looking at Harry as he walked out of the classroom.

"Have you been doing your part?" Severus asked Harry when the door was once again closed.

"I have professor," Harry said. "As far as everyone else is concerned, I'm very excited to be going to Hogsmeade."

The boy made some sort of face, and Severus supposed he could imagine what the boy thought of everything.

"With any luck you will be going the next time," Severus said.

Harry shrugged.

"Perhaps I should take you the next time I run to Waldorf's for ingredients," Severus surprised himself by saying. "In disguise of course."

"Really?" Harry said with a very sincere wonder. It was ridiculous how much stock the students put into the little village.

"We shall see, Mr. Potter," Severus said. "But I do believe we were to be discussing lab procedures."


IIIIIIIIIIII


Harry had to remind himself several times that not remembering the proper lab procedure because he had not been paying attention would be a bad way to prelude what was to come later, but it was what was to come later that had him scatterbrained at the moment. He had hoped to have some time to just talk with the professor after they had talked about how the lab was run, but Harry wasn't the only student who arrived early. Faisal Khan and Arianna Leurman, the professor's only other lab assistants soon arrived, and Harry quickly found himself preparing ingredients en-mass. His hand was cramping before long and, all in all, it was a rather smelly ordeal. Arianna was brewing potion bases while Faisal took copious notes and transcribed for the professor. It wasn't all monotony though, Professor Snape had a dozen cauldrons going and periodically he would call them over to demonstrate a technique or explain a reaction. It was very much a different environment than the classroom was.

It was odd though, but the monotony was nice in a way. It gave him time to think over what he wanted to say as soon as the others left, though those thoughts were interspersed with mostly dire thoughts of what would happen next. Three long hours later it was time to clean up the lab and Harry learned a couple of charms that students in detention were not allowed to use. Arianna left pretty quickly after that, but Faisal stayed behind to go over the days results, which largely went over Harry's head.

"Later, professor," Faisal said after he had finally put his notes away.

"Indeed," Professor Snape said as he turned to Harry. "Was there something you wanted Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded and waited for Faisal to walk out. When the door closed behind him, Harry opened up his book bag and pulled out a beaker of potion.

"I wanted to ask you to identify this potion, professor," Harry said.

"Where did you get this?" Professor Snape asked, and suddenly his wand was in his hand. "Did someone give it to you?"

"No," Harry said. "I brewed it. Or, I mean, I helped brew it."

"You brewed a potion without even knowing what it was?" Professor Snape asked, clearly outraged. "Have you any idea how dangerous that is? That could be poison, it could have turned into a toxic cloud!"

Harry had to swallow down the silence that came with a feeling of panic. "No, sir" Harry said, backpedaling internally from the professor's harsh tone. "No, I know what it is, it isn't dangerous, it's…" Why did conversations never go how he had planned them in his head. "I need to explain something to you, and the potion is part of it, but you need to know what it is first and you might not take my word for it."

Professor Snape gave him a piercing look and Harry found himself studying his shoes while he calmed himself down.

"I see," Professor Snape said after he himself had taken a deep breath, and Harry looked up to briefly see a blank expression on the professor's face before a calmer one took over. "We have certainly discussed this in class before, positively identifying a potion is not a quick task."

"It's important, sir," Harry all but mumbled, still kicking himself internally for how badly he had started the conversation.

"Then we should get to work I suppose, this shall be a learning experience for you," Professor Snape said. "Of course you realize, this would go much faster if I knew what I was identifying ahead of time."

"It's best if you don't, sir," Harry said.

"Is it indeed?" Professor Snape asked.

Harry shrugged.

"Then I hope you didn't have many plans this afternoon," Professor Snape said.

"I already told Oliver that I wouldn't be able to make practice," Harry said and Professor Snape's eyebrows rose.

"I don't suppose this is some manner of truth potion?" Professor Snape asked. "If that is what you need for your explanation then I have plenty on hand that I trust implicitly."

Harry thought for a moment and immediately rejected the idea of ever voluntarily ingesting a truth potion.

"Even if you believe I think I'm telling the truth, you probably won't actually believe what I'm saying," Harry said, it certainly wasn't going to make Professor Snape like what Harry had to say any more than he would.

"That is a bit ominous, don't you think, Mr. Potter?" Professor Snape said.

Harry just shrugged once more. It was too late to back out then, he knew, but he was having a hard time thinking this could possibly go well.

"Very well, go fetch a number three cauldron and a standard brewing kit," Professor Snape said before turning to the ingredient stores.

Professor Snape explained the process while they worked, but there were many periods of waiting and this time it was Professor Snape who was filling the silence with conversation. Before long, Harry found he had stopped worrying at his bottom lip and he became much more engaged with the professor. After a while they started discussing what Harry had been learning in Defense Against the Dark Arts which carried them up until the process was finished. Harry reminded himself several times over while they worked that Professor Snape had seemed to be tolerating him a lot better recently.

"Now Mr. Potter," Professor Snape said. "We have a list of ingredients that we know are in the potion, and we've identified as many properties as we can. I can already place this potion in the appropriate family and class, but unless you'd like to spend some time going through potions encyclopedias, perhaps we can cut to the chase."

Harry nodded and pulled a large potions book out of his bag and placed it on the counter before flipping it to a bookmarked page.

"It's the Filius Herritatum Potion," Harry said, and while up until this point the tedium of the potions work had calmed his nerves and kept his mind off of the countless scenarios, he couldn't keep a slight tremble out of his voice now that the time had come to start explaining. Once more, Harry couldn't even imagine this going well, but Professor Snape was giving him a very expectant look, and Harry knew he couldn't back down then.


IIIIIIIIIII


Severus gave Harry a very piercing look as he tried to fit the puzzle together. The potion didn't fit with any of the theories he had had. Who was the potion to be used on?

"The letter I got over the summer," Harry began to explain as he pulled out a piece of parchment and a small granite mortar. The boy was clearly nervous and was steadfastly not making eye contact. "It talked a lot about my mum and you. How you'd been together, like dated, you know. Right after you broke up she found out she was pregnant. She wanted to forgive you, but she was scared of you resenting a half-blood baby 'cause… well… you know."

Severus stopped breathing as the totality of what the boy was saying crashed down upon him. It was the truth, the headmaster had told him it would be the truth.

"She had the child?" Severus asked, his voice ragged. "She had the child in secret?"

Harry nodded, and the boy started pouring the potion into the mortar.

Severus eyed the door, half expecting a student to walk in to have their blood tested. They would be a seventh year of course, though Severus had a hard time imagining Lily putting her child up for adoption.

"There was a potion," Harry said. "To delay the pregnancy, and there was this adoption spell, so um..."

Harry pulled out his potions knife and made a small cut in the back of his hand, letting three drops of blood drip into the mortar. The potion turned a jet black. Severus drew in a sharp breath as realization struck.

The boy was looking exclusively at the potion as he picked up the mortar and poured a small portion of the potion onto the parchment. The potion roiled and rippled and was inexorably drawn into the parchment. Severus watched as the name 'Harry Potter' wrote itself out at the top of the page and then the names 'Lily Evans,' 'Severus Snape,' and 'James Potter' appeared underneath connected by lines.

There was silence in the room as more names appeared below, going back generations, but Severus did not have eyes for the parchment. He looked at Harry, who's eyes were rooted to the tabletop. He looked at his son, and could not help but think of their first interaction. It was not difficult to recall every cruel word he had ever spoken to him; easy enough to remember the pleasure he had derived from being mean to the boy. It was so easy to recall a shattered home and an infants cry on a moonless halloween night. He closed his eyes as shame consumed him.

How could he be a father, he thought bitterly. How could he be a father to this boy.

"Merlin no," he said. "I…"

What words could he say that would make this alright? How could he ever make this alright?

Severus heard the clatter of a chair and the rustling of a book bag.

"Oh, right then," Harry choked out. "Just forget it sir. I…"

Severus looked up to see Harry backing up towards the door, a wild look in his eyes. He looked like he was trying to say something but no words came out.

"Wait," Severus said. "I didn't mean…"

But Harry didn't wait. He tore open the door and ran. Severus was quick to follow. The chase ended abruptly after a flight of stairs when Harry ran right through a wall whose trick Severus could not divine.

Hitting it did not help at all.