The rest of the day was just a usual one for the Boy-Who-Lived. Pointing, whispers, stares. The usual for him. Harry just ignored it.

He’d missed a few classes because he’d overslept, what was the big deal? Unless there was something Ron and Hermione hadn’t told him.

There had to be a reason everyone was so interested in watching him. And he was sure that it had something to do with Snape.

After classes, Harry went up to the Tower and cornered Ron and Hermione in a secluded section of the Common Room.

“Is there something you’re not telling me about today?” he demanded to know.

“N-no,” said Hermione nervously.

“Hermione, we’ve got to tell him. We can’t keep it from him,” said Ron. Hermione frowned and reached for her bag. She rummaged through it and wordlessly handed the Daily Prophet to him.

‘Harry Potter Not a Potter?’ the front page screamed at him.

Harry dropped backwards into a chair and clutched the newspaper, a flood of emotions coursing through his body. He read through the article, rage at the newspaper growing with every word.

Harry Potter Not a Potter?

Daily Prophet reporters have just today received news that Harry Potter may not be a Potter at all, but a Snape. Out sources reveal that none other than both Harry Potter and Severus Snape revealed to several of Harry Potter’s close friends that Harry is indeed Snape’s child.

Severus Snape, Potions Master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is known as the Death Eater turned spy for the Light side. He has been known to have protected Harry on several occasions, including the most recent one in which Mr. Potter received a serious blow to the head during a Quidditch match.

“He [Severus] has been getting quite dodgy lately, not docking points off Potter all the time. He [Severus] has been giving him [Harry] quite the large amount of detentions, plus the time he [Harry] disappeared for two weeks. One might wonder if they were….you know….together?” says Draco Malfoy, a sixth-year Slytherin at Hogwarts.

Well, we have no need to worry about them being “together,” as Mr. Malfoy puts it. More information on this will be forthcoming as soon as it’s available.

Harry heard the newspaper crinkle as his hands clenched into fists out of rage.

“Who Wrote This?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“It doesn’t say, but we have a good idea of who it was,” said Hermione, her voice trembling slightly.

“Who?” growled Harry.

“Rita Skeeter,” said Hermione quickly.

“What? I thought you were blackmailing her!” gasped Harry.

“I am, well, was,” said Hermione. “I’ve already sent a letter to the Ministry, informing them of her illegal Animagus status.”

“That isn’t going to take back what she wrote,” said Harry furiously as he jumped up to pace back and forth in front of Ron and Hermione.

“They all know now. Look at them.” Harry gestured at the few Gryffindors that were in the Common Room with the crumpled newspaper. They quickly looked down, not daring to meet Harry’s eyes.

“Harry, will you stop that?” asked Ron.

“Stop what?” Harry growled.

“You look like Snape when you do that,” said Ron. That was it. Snape’s rules could go to hell. He was done here.

“That’s it. I’m out,” snarled Harry as he stalked towards the portrait hole, throwing the Daily Prophet at the fire as he passed it.

“Damn Rita Skeeter,” he muttered as he shoved the Fat Lady open and stalked out.

“Harry!” he heard Hermione yell after him. He ignored them and headed down to the Room of Requirement, rage still flowing through his body.

He was nearly to the corridor when he felt a want tip press into his neck and a harsh voice whisper, “Don’t make any sudden moves or I will not hesitate to kill you.”

He was pushed roughly down the corridor and over to a door that appeared in the wall.

“In,” ordered the voice and he was shoved inside. Harry landed face-first and rolled over quickly. There was no one there. Suddenly, an arm was wrapped around his neck and he was yanked to his feet.

“How about we have a little fun, Mr. Potter? Or shall I say, Mr. Snape?” An icy chill ran through his veins as he recognized that cool, calculating voice as none other than Draco Malfoy.

“What are you doing, Malfoy?” asked Harry furiously.

“Oh, just assuring my place as the Dark Lord’s future right-hand man,” drawled Malfoy.

“Let me go,” said Harry furiously.

“And just why should I do that?” asked Malfoy, his voice dripping with scorn.

“Because everyone will be looking for me,” said Harry. “They’ll know exactly who took me.”

“Everyone? Really, Potter, do you think I’m stupid? You don’t think that this was all arranged so that it would be easier to get at you? Well, I’ve got a newsflash for you. You played right into our plan.” Harry swallowed nervously. Just what was Malfoy planning?

“You see it now? I knew there was something going on between you and Snape. Since when didn’t he take the opportunity to take points off you in class? What was it with your little disappearance at the beginning of the year? And just why were you getting so many detentions? Well, all it took was a few carefully planned out schemes, and I had all the information I needed. At first, I thought you two were lovers, but then, I thought, why would Snape risk his job to be with you? And then it hit me. All those changed mannerisms of yours, your attitude, you weren’t lovers, he was your father. I knew if I waited long enough, you would tell your little friends, and then, I could use that information to get you. Malfoy laughed.

“And look how it played out. Everyone’s too scared of you to come looking for when you when you go missing. Pathetic, really, how quickly your so-called friends abandon you the second they hear something bad about you. Now, we’ve got about a half hour until the Portkey is set to go off, so I think I’ll have a chance to practice a few new spells I’ve been learning.”

He released Harry and shoved him to the floor. But before Harry had a chance to try and run, thin cords shot out of Malfoy’s wand and bound his wrists and ankles together. Harry struggled futilely with his bonds, and froze in fear as he heard Malfoy incant a spell.

“Crucio!”

~Snape’s POV~

Snape sat in his office, glaring at the newspaper, which lay on his desk instead of grading the essays he had collected from his second-year class that day.

How in the hell had the Daily Prophet found out his and Harry’s secret? Neither of them had said anything, and he was certain Harry’s Gryffindor friends at least knew how to keep sensitive information secret.

Harsh pounding on his door brought Snape out of his reverie and he stood up to answer the door. He opened the door and found Ron and Hermione standing there, looking quite horrified. Hermione clutched a half-charred copy of the Daily Prophet.

“What do you want?” asked Snape.

“It’s Harry, sir,” said Hermione quickly. “he’s run off and we were wondering if he came down here.”

“What?” hissed Snape.

“He saw this and….just….flipped out,” said Ron, pointing at the newspaper. Damn Gryffindors. They never knew when to keep their mouths shut.

“Have you any idea of where else he might be?” asked Snape.

“Erm……the Room of Requirement. It’s on the--”

“fourth floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy,” interrupted Snape impatiently. He pushed past them and started upstairs.

“Are you coming?” he asked the gaping Gryffindors.

“Yes,” said Hermione determinedly and dragged Ron along behind her. The walk only took about ten minutes and soon they had arrived at a plain brown door across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. He turned the handle, but the door didn’t budge. Snape pulled out his wand and tried all the unlocking spells he knew.

“Damn,” he muttered as the door steadfastly refused to open. There had to be warding spells on the door but which ones?

Snape wracked his brain, trying to think of the spells a Death Eater would use. Then, he thought of something. The quote in the Daily Prophet has been from Malfoy.

“Shite,” he swore as he realized that Malfoy had to have Harry in there.

All of this had been one big plot. Most likely going all the way back to the beginning of school. At least that narrowed the spells down a bit. He began launching another tirade of spells at the door, hoping to find the right one.

“Umm….sir, what are you doing?” asked Hermione nervously.

“Quiet, Miss Granger,” he snapped and continued with the spells.

Finally, he heard a loud click and the door swung open, revealing Malfoy with his back to them and Harry lying tied up on the ground. Harry’s eyes widened as he saw the trio. Snape motioned for him to stay silent and he pushed the Gryffindors to the side, where they would be out of harm’s way.

He raised his wand and softly uttered, “Petrificus Totalus.” The blonde boy stiffened and fell to the floor, completely motionless. He cast a Stunning Spell on the boy just in case and knelt by Harry. He quickly untied the cords that bound Harry, and then helped him to his feet.

“Are you all right?” he asked concernedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” said Harry as he walked over to where Malfoy lay.

“Stupid ferret,” muttered Harry as he kicked the boy vengefully.

“Let me guess, attempted murder isn’t grounds for expulsion either?” he added.

“Harry, the Headmaster will be the one to deal with--” started Snape, but stopped abruptly when Malfoy’s body glowed blue and vanished.

Harry swore loudly, but Snape went over to him and said, “I think a visit with the Headmaster is in order.”

“Sure,” said Harry. He sounded strange, not at all like his usual self. Snape attributed it to the trauma he’d experienced and led the way up to Dumbledore’s office, the three Gryffindors trailing behind.

When they arrived at the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore’s office, Snape gave the latest asinine password, “Em and Em,” and headed upstairs with the Gryffindors.

Dumbledore summoned them in without them having to knock. Snape sat down in one of the four chairs that were across from Dumbledore’s desk. Harry sat down beside him and then Ron and Hermione.

“Severus, what brings the four of you up here?” asked Dumbledore.

“I trust you know about the article that was in the Daily Prophet?” said Snape.

“Yes, of course I do, though I have no idea how they found out,” Dumbledore mused. “Do go on.”

“I think these three need to explain first,” said Snape, gesturing to Harry and his friends. As usual, Hermione had to be the first to answer.

“Well, you see sir, we were trying to keep the article from Harry for the moment,” started Hermione.

“Oh yeah, that worked out so well,” muttered Harry.

“And he confronted us and found out about it. He got really angry and took off. That’s all we know,” she finished.

“Because you two were being idiots,” said Harry.

“Harry, don’t be rude,” said Snape quietly.

“They did it first,” retorted Harry.

“Harry, why don’t you tell us what happened after you left Gryffindor Tower?” asked Dumbledore.

“I wanted to go to the Room of Requirement for a while, until things cooled down a bit, but when I was nearly there, Malfoy grabbed me and took me to the Room of Requirement at wand point,” said Harry flatly.

“He used the Cruciatus Curse on me for a while, and then Professor Snape came in and rescued me.”

There was something off about Harry’s story. He certainly didn’t look affected for the amount of time he would have been under the curse.

“He didn’t use any other curses on you?” asked Dumbledore solemnly.

“No,” said Harry certainly.

“And where is Mr. Malfoy right now?” asked Dumbledore.

“He was Portkey’ed out with the Portkey that was meant for Harry,” said Snape.

“Ah, well, that is very unfortunate for us. If he returns, he is to be brought to me immediately,” said Dumbledore. “But that is not something to discuss around students. I am very glad to see that you were not taken, Harry, but I really must return to work now. I believe I need to have a chat with the Minister about erecting more wards around the school. You are all dismissed.” The foursome trooped downstairs in silence.

When the gargoyle had closed behind them, Snape turned to Harry and asked, “Would you like to come down to my quarters for a while?”

“I’d rather not, not right now,” said Harry. “I think I’ll just go back to the Tower.”

“Make sure you stay with your friends,” said Snape, feeling slightly hurt by Harry’s blunt refusal to come with him.

“Sure, whatever,” said Harry dismissively and walked off.

“Will you two keep an eye on him? Something’s not right,” said Snape.

“Sure, Professor,” said Hermione. She grabbed Ron’s arm and started off in the direction Harry had went.

Over the next few days, Snape kept a close eye on Harry, noticing small, odd changes in his behavior.

Harry was quiet when in the Great Hall, eating quickly, then leaving, regardless of the rules that Snape had set up for his protection. It seemed Harry didn’t care for his safety anymore. At least Ron and Hermione continued to tail him, making sure that he remained safe from the Slytherins.

When he had kept Harry after class one day to talk to him about his behavior, Harry had been antagonistic and belligerent, eventually storming out of the room in anger.

Snape had gotten several complaints from Harry’s teachers about him acting out in class. He’d walked out on more than one class and had received several detentions. It seemed like Harry had just turned into a different person, right in front of their eyes.

Heavy knocking on his office door made Snape set aside his quill from the essays he was supposed to be grading and wave his wand to let the person in. Remus Lupin stepped inside and shut the door behind him. He looked strangely upset and unsettled. Snape pointed to the chair across from his desk and Lupin sat down.

“I need to talk to you about Harry,” said Lupin.

“Talk then,” said Snape impatiently. It probably wasn’t something he hadn’t heard already. There wasn’t much that Harry hadn’t done to annoy his teachers yet.

“I had the sixth-years practicing dueling today,” started Lupin. Oh Merlin. He’d just jinxed himself with that thought.

“What did Harry do now?” asked Snape, not sure that he really wanted to know what had happened.

“Well, as I said, they were to practice dueling. I paired Harry with Michael Corner, thinking that it would be a nice, safe pairing, since Michael’s a Ravenclaw,” said Lupin.

“What happened?” asked Snape, dreading the answer.

“It was about halfway through the class when it was their turn to duel. Before they actually began the duel, Michael started making some inappropriate comments about you to Harry. Harry....he just went nuts. I’ve never seen him so angry before. The look in his eyes.....it was scary. He started flinging hexes and curses at Michael so fast that he never had a chance to block or dodge them.” Lupin shook his head, looking stunned. Snape was shocked by Harry’s actions.

“I want to see this in a pensieve. Hold on while I Floo the Headmaster,” said Snape. He went over to the fireplace and took a handful of glittering emerald powder from the box on the mantle piece.

He threw it into the fire and said, “Headmaster Dumbledore’s office!”

Dumbledore’s bearded face appeared in the green flames and asked, “What do you need, Severus?”

Snape turned to Lupin and asked, “Does he know about the incident?” At Lupin’s curt nod, he turned back to the Headmaster.

“I wish to see Lupin’s memory of the incident in his class today. I wondered if I might borrow your pensieve?” asked Snape.

“Of course, Severus. I’ll bring it down immediately,” said Dumbledore. His face left the fire with a pop and Snape returned to his desk.

“He’ll be down momentarily,” said Snape.

“Good,” said Lupin. “Have you any idea what’s causing Harry’s behavior?”

“I honestly don’t know. He’s been acting like this since Malfoy tried to kidnap him and then vanished,” said Snape. Lupin leaned forward in his chair and stared intently at Snape.

“Is there a chance that Malfoy did something to him, something that’s making him act this way?” asked Lupin. “Because I can’t imagine that Harry would be this aggressive on his own.”

“Malfoy had Harry trapped for about a half hour, he could have done anything to him, but Harry says he only used the Cruciatus Curse, and not very long,” said Snape.

“Then there’s something he’s not telling us,” concluded Lupin.

Before the conversation could go farther, knocking alerted the two men to Dumbledore’s presence. Snape got up and opened the door, allowing the much older wizard to enter. Dumbledore set the pensieve down on Snape’s desk and the retreated to the door.

“Do let me know when you are finished with it, Severus,” said Dumbledore before closing the door again. Snape reseated himself at his desk and pushed the pensieve over to Lupin.

“I trust you do know how to use this?” he asked.

Lupin nodded and pulled out his wand. He placed his wand to his temple, and after a minute, pulled a silvery strand away from his head and deposited it into the pensieve. Snape picked up his own wand and prepared to stick it into the swirling liquid.

“Are you going to watch?” asked Snape.

“I think I’ll just wait here. Living through it was plenty for me,” said Lupin. Snape dipped his wand into the pensieve and felt it tugging him into the depths of Lupin’s memory.

Colors swirled around him until he landed on his feet in the middle of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry and Michael Corner were standing near him, their wands raised, preparing to duel.

“All right, you may begin,” said Lupin.

“So, having fun with Snape, Potter? Or shall I call you Snape?” sneered Michael as the two circled each other warily.

“Shut up and duel,” growled Harry, his eyes narrowed in anger.

“Hit a soft spot there, did I? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were pursuing extra-curricular activities other than Quidditch,” said Michael, a smirk on his face. It was then that Snape saw it.

Harry’s face had been full of rage before, but his eyes. They seemed to have darkened, turning into a strange greenish-gray, like a sea before a storm. They were slightly glazed and unfocused, like he wasn’t really seeing.

“Don’t talk about my father like that,” hissed Harry.

“I’ll talk about him however I want,” said Michael. “How about you tell us where you really were those two weeks at the beginning of term?”

“That’s none of your business,” said Harry, his face beginning to redden.

“Having fun with dear old dad, were you?” mocked Michael.

Harry growled deep in his throat and began launching an amazing variety of spells at Michael. Spells he should never have known. Spells he could not have known, mostly spells that were bordering on Dark Arts. Students began screaming as Michael began sporting all sorts of disfigurements.

“Harry, stop!” yelled Lupin.

“Harry, don’t!” yelled Hermione. Harry stopped his spells and looked into Hermione’s eyes. There was a sort of desperation on his face, a look that Snape couldn’t quite comprehend. It was almost as though he were asking for help.

The spell was broken seconds later, and Harry ran out of the room, shoving people aside in his haste to get away. The memory ended, and Snape could feel the pensieve spitting him back out.

He was returned to his chair in his office and he stared fiercely at Lupin.

“There is definitely something wrong with Harry,” said Snape firmly. “It has to be some sort of Dark Arts spell, something Malfoy learned from his father. We’ll need to go to the Slytherin Common Room.”

Snape returned the memory to Lupin with a flick of his wand and led the way out of his office. They headed to the Slytherin Common Room, where they were immediately granted access without the password. The Slytherins stared in shock as he swiftly entered their Common Room.

“There is nothing wrong. We just need to check on a few things,” said Snape and headed to the sixth-year boys’ dormitory.

They quickly found Malfoy’s trunk and began searching it after casting a few unlocking charms, plus using the unwarding spell that Snape had used to counteract the wards that Malfoy had used on the Room of Requirement.

Snape soon realized that the search was going to take forever. He therefore decided to use a charm that would mark all the items that had been touched by Lucius’ magical signature, any Death Eaters’ signature, really. It was better to be safe than sorry, especially where Harry was concerned.

He waved his wand in a sweeping arc over Malfoy’s possessions and incanted, “Révéler tout mangeur de Mort' la présence magique.”

Nothing glowed except a small wooden box nestled in the bottom of Malfoy’s trunk. Snape picked it up and the red glow died.

“This is all we need. Let’s get out of here,” said Snape. He led the way out of Slytherin House and back up to his office. Once inside, he moved the pensieve to the side and set the box down.

There was no latch or lock that he could see, so he pulled out his wand again and began to cast unlocking charms on it, though not the usual sort of them. He used charms he’d been taught as a Death Eater, eventually hearing a click, as the box was unlocked.

The lid sprang open and the men could see a pile of parchment scrolls filling it. Snape pulled one out and unrolled it.

Dear Draco, it read.

Your mother and I are so pleased to have the Dark Lord accept you into his following. I have uncovered a spell that will help you immensely in your task for the Dark Lord. It will be difficult for you to learn, but I have faith in your abilities.

The incantation is pour altérer un esprit. Be sure that you have him where you can clearly cast the spell at him otherwise the spell could have drastic results.

Be careful, my son, and good luck.

Your father,

Lucius Malfoy

“This is it,” said Snape excitedly. They had the proof they needed to get Malfoy expelled, plus the means to help Harry. He held the letter out for Lupin to read. The lycanthrope took the letter and scanned it quickly.

“What does this mean, his task?” asked Lupin when he passed the letter back.

Snape sighed mentally. He could remember his task as clear as the day he’d had to perform it. Malfoy’s task was a cakewalk compared to what he’d done.

He could still hear the Dark Lord’s voice, commanding, “Kill the girl!” The green light that had emitted from his wand as he’d cast his first Killing Curse.

“Severus?” said Lupin quietly. Snape shook his head.

“It’s the first task a new Death Eater has to perform for the Dark Lord. They have to do it before they are allowed to attend an actual meeting or go on any raids. I’d guess his was to do something to Harry,” said Snape.

“Did you have to do one of them?” asked Lupin quietly.

“Of course I did, you bloody idiot,” snapped Snape. “My past is not up for discussion at the moment. What Malfoy did to Harry is what we need to figure out.”

“Fine, Severus. I was just curious, that’s all,” said Lupin.

“Then get your curiosity under control. I don’t want you making inquiries into my past,” said Snape sharply.

“All right, calm down,” said Lupin, anger hinting in his voice.

“I am calm,” said Snape. “Now, do you have any idea of where Harry is?”

“I don’t exactly know where, but I know a way of finding out,” said Lupin.

“Then find him,” said Snape.

“We’ll need to go to my office,” said Lupin.

“Fine, lead the way,” said Snape. Lupin stood up and led the way to his office. Inside, he went behind his desk and pulled a folded piece of parchment from a drawer.

He touched his wand to the parchment and quietly said an incantation. He then held it out so that Snape could see it too. It was a complete map of Hogwarts, with tiny dots labeled with peoples’ names.

“There he is,” said Lupin, pointing to a spot on the map that Snape saw was the Astronomy Tower. “What’s he doing up there?”

“I don’t know, but let’s go see,” said Snape. The men were silent during the short walk and when they reached the top, they saw Harry kneeling by the edge, looking out over the grounds. When he heard them approaching, he jumped up and spun around, looking startled.

“Harry, what are you doing up here?” asked Snape.

“What do you care?” retorted Harry.

“I am your father, Harry. I care about you and I want to know what’s wrong with you,” said Snape. “Please come down to my office with us so we can talk.”

“Talk? Ha,” Harry snorted. “You just want to give me more of your psycho-analysis crap. I’m sick of hearing it. Can’t you just let me alone?”

“Harry, there is something wrong with you. What did Malfoy do to you?”

“Nothing, he didn’t do anything to me,” said Harry vehemently.

“You’re lying, Harry,” said Snape calmly.

“No, I’m not,” said Harry. He started edging towards the open area that led to the stairs.

“Look at yourself, Harry. You would never act this way normally,” said Snape.

“I am acting normally,” said Harry.

“We can help you. You just need to come with us,” said Lupin.

“No, I don’t need help and I don’t need either of you,” replied Harry. He finally made it to the opening and took off running.

“Stop, Harry!” yelled Snape as the two ran after him. Harry quickly gained speed on them, and disappeared around a corner. When Snape and Lupin rounded the same corner, they stopped in shock as they saw Harry lying on the floor, clutching his head.

They knelt beside him and saw that his eyes and teeth were clenched tightly as his body shook with pain.

“Harry,” said Snape quietly as he laid a hand on Harry’s arm. Harry’s eyes opened slightly and Snape could see that they were bright green again, but only for a second, then they were back to the strange sea green.

“Harry, are you all right?” he asked. Harry’s body relaxed and his eyes opened all the way, still that disturbing color. He sat up and pushed himself away from Snape and Lupin.

“Get away from me,” he hissed, his attitude completely returned. Snape grabbed his arms, unwilling to let Harry run off again.

“No, we’re not going to leave you alone and we won’t go away,” he said forcefully. “I would be neglecting my duty as a parent if I did so.”

“Guess what? I do not care,” said Harry slowly, pulling himself out of Snape’s grip. He stood up and looked them straight in the eyes.

“I don’t want or need your help. Give it up, because I’m not your little pet. Duty as a parent, my arse. You can both go to hell for all I care. Just stay out of my life.”

He turned and walked away, leaving behind his shocked father and Professor.

“Oh my God,” whispered Lupin. Snape got to his feet and watched his son walk away without a single glance back at them.

“If Malfoy comes back, I am going to kill him,” hissed Snape. He reached down a hand and helped Lupin to his feet. He walked off in the opposite direction that Harry had gone, in the direction of the library.

“What are you doing?” asked Lupin. “We need to follow him.”

“No, he’s made it quite clear he doesn’t want us around him. We’re going to the library and we’re going to find this spell. I will not let Malfoy take my son away.”