Several hours after everyone had gone to sleep, Harry bolted upright in bed, searching around frantically for an imaginary enemy. Realizing it was only a dream, he laid back down in bed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. His heart was hammering wildly in his chest and it took all his effort just to take a few deep breaths. Now that he was awake, he couldn’t really remember what the dream was about – just that it was frightening. He curled into a ball for a few minutes before deciding he needed to use the bathroom.

When he got back, he stared at his bed for a long moment, wishing for something but not knowing what exactly, then crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over himself. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep again. After what seem like seconds later, he was awakened by a hand shaking his shoulder.

“Go ‘way,” mumbled Harry, his voice further muffled by the pillow.

He heard a sigh before the covers were yanked off of him, “Hey!”

“Hay is for horses, boy, grass tastes better,” said Tobias, obviously amused and once again reminded of the many times he went through this ritual with Severus.

Harry rolled over on his back and opened one eye. “What?”

Tobias chuckled a bit, “Come on, get up. Up! It’s time for breakfast.”

“It’s too early to get up,” complained Harry, but even as he said this, he was crawling out of bed.

“It’s just after seven thirty, now, I expect you in the kitchen for breakfast by eight.”

“Fine,” mumbled Harry rubbing his eyes.

“What was that?” asked Tobias sternly.

“Yes, sir,” he corrected immediately.

“Very, good, now hurry up and get dressed.” With that, Tobias left the boy to go finish making breakfast.

Harry opted for showering later that night and went over to his trunk, removing some of his nicer clothes. Well, as nice as overly large, beat-up hand-me-downs could be, anyway. Once dressed, he combed his hair, which seemed to be lying flatter lately. A trait Harry had originally chalked up to puberty, but now figured it was because the potion wearing off. He had gotten slightly taller in the last few months as well – and clumsier. Eventually, Harry made his way to the kitchen, where Severus and Tobias were waiting on him.

Once Harry took a seat at the round table between Severus and Tobias, Tobias started placing plates and bowls of food on the table. After Tobias sat down, he pick up the plate of eggs and after serving himself he passed it to Severus, who glared at the offending plate since he was forced to set his cup of tea down in order to fill his own plate. Once Severus finished, he passed the plate to Harry who, after so many years of getting whatever the Dursley's had left over, was surprised to see there was still plenty of eggs. Once everyone had a helping of eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice, Harry, drawing on his Gryffindor courage, decided to get some answers.

“So, when will my appearance start to change?”

Severus, looking annoyed that anyone would dare breathe this early in the morning, replied, “The potion started to wear off on your fourteenth birthday, I dare say some changes have already taken place. However, within the next two months, you should start changing drastically.”

“So we have to wait two months before finding out what he really looks like?” Tobias asked casually, yet slightly disappointed as well.

“I do believe that’s what I just said, but there is a counter-potion I can brew that will make the changes occur almost instantly.” Severus’s tone wanted to be sarcastic, but it was had to produce the affect at such an early hour.

“But Dumbledore said we can’t do magic.” Harry pointed out in an almost haughty fashion.

“We can’t do magic that can be traced, you daft boy. If you ever bothered to listen in class, you would know that potion making draws on a different kind of magic that can not be traced.” Severus snapped in teachers mode, while glaring at the boy across the table from him.

“In that case, Severus,” commented Tobias, glaring at Severus slightly for his attitude, to prevent Harry from saying something stupid, “if Harry likes, will you make the potion?”

“I’d like to see what I really look like. Waiting will drive me insane.” Harry was glaring at Severus, but some excitement crept into his voice.

“You don’t have that far to go,” mumbled Severus and continued to ignore his father’s glare, which was continuing to intensify, before speaking again impartially. “I’ll start on it after breakfast. It’s really a rather simply potion and I should have all the ingredients with me.”

“How long will it take to complete?” asked Harry, some nervousness could now be heard along with his excitement.

“Six hours. You’ll be able to take it after lunch.” Severus continued on still detached.

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes all that could be heard was the click of the silverware on the plates.

Tobias was the one to break the silence. “So, Harry, how have you been doing at Hogwarts? I assume you have friends? And you have good grades, right? Anything exciting happen?”

Harry noticed Severus roll his eyes, an action that went unnoticed by Tobias. He shrugged before answering, “Hogwarts is good. My best friends are Ron and Hermione they’re both in Gryffindor with me and my grades are pretty good…”

Severus scoffed at this, “Except in potions, correct?”

Harry felt his anger rising and narrowed his eyes before replying, “Only because the instructor is an ar…”

“Enough both of you,” commanded Tobias in a tone that clearly said it would be unwise to disobey. “The two of you are acting like ten year olds. Honestly, Severus, let the boy talk with out your commentary and Harry, be polite and don’t let him get to you.”

Harry continued to glare, unaware as to how childish he looked. “Yeah…well, nothing exciting really happens…”

Severus was shocked for a moment when he realized the boy wasn’t going to expound his adventures and brag about being a ‘hero, not only to Hogwarts but the world’; therefore, he decided to see what would happen if he were to ‘reminded’ him. “Nothing exciting? Really?” purred Severus. “Because I would think your asinine attempt to go after the philosopher’s stone your first year would be considered exciting. Foolish and dangerous, yes, but exciting. Then again, maybe that experience pales in contrast to the events of your second year. You remember your second year, don’t you? When you went after the basilisk? Or what about what happened recently with the Tri-…”

“Shut up!” shouted Harry, clearly angry, his breaths coming in labored gasp as his arms shook. He didn’t want to think about those things, especially not the tournament. “Just shut-up! You don’t know anything about it. You…”

“Harry! Stop it, now! Calm down, boy.” Tobias placed a hand on Harry’s arm but he jerked it away still glaring at Severus. He suddenly got up and ran to his room. Tobias watched him go before turning to face his older son who was also staring after the departing boy.

“Severus…”

“I had no idea he’d react that way,” defended Severus. He wasn’t sure why the boy had reacted that way, but was determined to find out. His newly found younger brother was turning out to be quite the puzzle – one he was determined to solve.

Tobias sighed, “Just finish your breakfast and start on that potion. I’ll talk to him.” Tobias got up and walked toward Harry’s room.

Severus raised an eyebrow as his father left surprised that he wasn’t on the receiving end of a lecture before realizing he would have to clean up the kitchen on his own.

Tobias knocked on Harry’s door, but not receiving a reply let himself in. “Harry,”

“Go. Away,” came Harry’s muffled reply, since his head was buried in a pillow.

“Want to tell me what that was about out there?” asked Tobias neutrally, coming to stand beside the boy’s bed. He could tell that Harry’s breathing was irregular, but couldn’t tell if it was because he was angry or crying or both.

“NO!”

So he was angry. “Harry, I know Severus can be… difficult at the best of times, but you can tell me...” Tobias’s placating tone was interrupted by Harry’s broken staggered voice.

“No… I don’t want to… please… just leave me alone.”

Tobias watched the boy for a few more minutes before turning around and leaving, closing the door behind him.

Going back to the kitchen, Tobias noticed that Severus had finished cleaning up and was currently setting everything up to make the potion.

“He won’t tell me anything.” Tobias stated indifferently even as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

Severus looked up from what he was doing. Though his father’s tone seemed harmless enough, Severus could tell, if only because the man had raised him that his father was angry. That didn’t stop him from making a mockingly casual reply “And you want me to do what about that?”

“I want to know why he didn’t want me to know about whatever it was you were talking about. What you were talking about and moreover why did it upset him?” Tobias’s tone betrayed his waning patience.

“I can tell you what I was talking about, but as for why it upset him, or why he didn’t want you to know about it, you’ll have to ask him.”

“Yes, well after you do that, you can tell me why you pushed him. It was obvious he was getting upset. Why didn’t you back off?” Tobias was usually a very calm person, but his son knew exactly how to push all his buttons and his anger was slowly making its way to the surface.

“I didn’t know he’d react that way. Besides, he’s probably just doing it for attention anyway.” It was a lame defense and Severus knew it. Nevertheless, the boy shouldn’t have reacted like that. He should have been boasting about his adventures and scheming new ways of getting into trouble. Perhaps the boy wasn’t quite as arrogant as his fath…well his adopted father. With that one thought, it became painfully clear to Severus that he had disliked the boy merely because of whom he thought his father was. He still thought Harry was spoiled and his attitude could use some adjusting, but he could no longer blame those traits on James Potter. With those thoughts in mind, Severus went ahead and told his father about the messes the boy had gotten into since he had started Hogwarts, including the happenings of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

When Severus was finished, he stepped away from the potion – it needed to sit for two hours before it was time for the next ingredient – and sat at the table next to his father.

“He’s a child,” stated Tobias.

“Yes, and one who causes more trouble then he’s worth,” commented Severus cynically.

That was the last straw for Tobias. He had tried to be patient with his son; after all, Severus was an adult now, but now his patience had just worn out. Severus was obviously too blind to see what was in front of him. “That’s enough, Severus!” shouted Tobias, slamming a hand down on the table. “You haven’t said one good thing to or about the boy since he walked through the door. I don’t know why you’re such an arse to him, but it ends now. For god’s sake, he saw a boy die Severus, one who wasn’t much older than him. How would you feel if you were in his place?” Tobias could tell Severus was getting angry but didn’t give him a chance to answer before he continued with his triad. “I shouldn’t need to tell you how you would react, because you already know. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, it’s a large part of the reason why you took the Dark Mark to begin with.” Tobias knew he struck a nerve when Severus looked down at the floor, but he wasn’t done yet. Severus was an adult and shouldn’t be acting like a spoiled brat. Tobias paused for a moment letting what he said sink in. “I’m going to go try to talk to him again. It would probably be a good idea if you apologized to him. Whether you like it or not, Severus, he is your brother.” With that, Tobias stood up and went back to try to talk to Harry again.

Severus hadn’t felt so utterly humiliated in years. His father had just chewed him out as though he were a bratty defiant teenager again. Then again, if he had to be honest, his actions hadn’t been much better then that of a teenager’s. He would never admit it, but a part of him knew his father was right. As for the apology, he’d have to think about that.

Harry had finally managed to get his breathing under control and a pretty good handle on his emotions, but wasn’t quite prepared to talk to anyone yet. Therefore, when he heard the knock on the door again, he ignored it, hoping that it would just go away. It didn’t go away though and after a minute or two, Tobias entered the room and left the door open behind him.

“So,” began Tobias, “Severus filled me in on what you’ve been doing the last few years at Hogwarts. Now, would you care to tell me as to why you didn’t want me to know?”

Harry shrugged, wanting to be anywhere but there at the moment.

Tobias sighed and looked up, praying for patience. “Harry, I just want to help, but you have to talk to me. Now, why didn’t you want me to know about your little escapades?”

Figuring that Tobias wouldn’t leave him alone until he got an answer, Harry sighed before he answered. “It’s just that everyone expects me to do those kinds of things or that I go looking for them, but I don’t. I hate when people think about me as the boy-who-lived. I just want to be Harry.” Not to mention I’d rather forget about it myself, Harry added to himself.

“Harry look at me,” commanded Tobias his tone leaving no room for argument. Once Harry made eye contact, Tobias continued. “I realize that you want people to like because you’re Harry not the boy-who-lived or whatever other garbage they call you, but if don’t want to be treated that way you shouldn’t act that way. And letting some greasy dungeon-dwelling git bother you is childish. Throwing a temper tantrum and sulking because you got upset is also childish, and while you are hardly an adult, you are too old for such foolish displays. Now, you can either stay in your room and sulk all day or you can get up and show Severus that he can’t bother you so easily. It’s your choice.” With that, Tobias left the room, leaving the door open.

Harry stared after Tobias as he left and realized he was right. He shouldn’t let the potions master get to him. Getting up, he walked out the door and towards the bathroom. As he was leaving, he ran right into Severus who opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again in order to step around Harry and enter the bathroom. When Severus emerged, Harry was sitting on the couch in the living room skimming through a book he found on the small stand by the couch.

Severus took a deep breath and sat down on the opposite end of the couch. “I…that is to say, I didn’t expect you to react so severely to what I said. I assumed you sought out the attention, but your reaction leads me to believe otherwise.” Severus took another deep breath and glanced at the boy sitting on the other end of the couch…his brother…, whose mouth was hanging open slightly and his eyes wide with surprise. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that…I’m sorry.”

“You’re…what?”

“Do not expect me to repeat myself, boy,” Severus said, his formally neutral tone hardening a bit.

Harry could only gape like a fish out of water for a few more minutes. Eventually, he managed to find his voice. “It’s okay, I guess… it’s just I hate being the boy-who-lived and I didn’t want my…your…our…whatever he is to know about it, because I thought he’d just start thinking of me as the boy-who-lived and not as…well, it wouldn’t help him to think of me as his…son.”

Severus could only stare at the child for a moment unsure as to what to say. Why would this child want someone he just met to like him so much? Let alone be so readily accepting of a practical stranger as his father. The boy had lived the past thirteen years with his Aunt and Uncle – surely, he wasn’t ready to just abandon his life with them? Suddenly, his muggle training as a psychologist kicked in and he knew something was off. “What about your Aunt and Uncle?”

“What about them?” Harry couldn’t keep the anger from his voice as he said this.

“You’ve lived with them for most of your life; surely you’re at least appreciative that they took you in,” Severus was becoming increasingly disturbed by Harry’s tone and body language.

“They only took me in because they were afraid of what would happen if they didn’t. They never loved me. I was nothing more then a servant to them.” Harry finished, blinking his eyes rapidly to prevent the tears that wanted so desperately to form, amazed at what he had just revealed, and to his hated professor no less.

“What do you mean?” asked Tobias from the doorway. He had come in during Severus’s apology and been listening to them talk for a few minutes.

Harry shrugged, regretting that he had said anything and certainly not wanting to discuss his life at the Dursley’s with two people that were virtually strangers. “I don’t really want to talk about it,” mumbled Harry drawing his knees up to his chest.

“You’re the one who brought it up,” Severus pointed out in a surprisingly gentle tone. He had worked with many abused children in both college and while at Hogwarts. Harry’s behavior, which he had apparently been ignoring for the past four years was setting off warning bells left and right. But the boy couldn’t have been abused. The schema he had built up around what he had thought to be James Potter’s son was beginning to shatter. “Harry, by not talking about it you’re practically confirming to us that our theories are right and that you were abused.” Severus noticed Harry flinch slightly at the word ‘abused’. “We will not let it drop. If someone hurt you, especially your guardians, we need to know.”

“Promise you won’t tell anyone,” Harry glanced from Severus to Tobias then back to Severus, “and that you won’t use it against me.”

“No,” said Tobias firmly. “We promise it won’t be used against you. Right Severus?”

“Correct,”

“But,” continued Tobias, “I refuse to say I won’t tell anyone, because if they did something they shouldn’t have, something abusive, they will pay.”

“We promise not to tell anyone who would use it against you,” said Severus looking at his father for confirmation.

“That I can promise, as well.”

“They never really abused me,” explained Harry, “they were just never overly nice to me. I was a burden and they let me know it. They would make me cook all their meals, but most of the time wouldn’t let me eat. Before I came to Hogwarts, my room was a cupboard under the stairs. And the only clothes I ever had, except my school uniform, where hand-me-downs that never fit.”

Severus could only stare at the child curled up on the couch. He knew they weren’t getting the full story, but also knew it was all they could hope for, for now.

“That is abuse, Harry,” commented Tobias. “Abuse doesn’t necessarily mean being beat; neglect and verbal abuse can be just as damaging.”

Harry shrugged.

“I have to finish the potion,” said Severus quietly. All his assumptions and opinions about Harry had been shattered and he needed to think, an action he found much easier when standing over a softly brewing caldron. He slowly got up and walked into the kitchen to tend to the potion.

After a couple minutes of silence, Harry spoke, “Can I go outside for a walk?”

“Sure,” replied Tobias, needing time to digest this new bit of information himself. “Just don’t go over the hill, into the forest, or beyond the stream. We’ll be eating lunch soon, so make sure you’re back by one o’clock. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

Tobias nodded and watched as the boy…his son… got up and walked out the front door. Once Harry had left, he went into the kitchen to talk to Severus.

……………….

About two hours after they had eaten lunch, the potion was complete and they were gathered in Harry’s room.

“So, let me get this straight,” said Tobias, “Eileen gave him a potion at birth that covered up his true appearance and it will wear off on its own in about two months, but you made a counter-potion that will do just that: counter the potion. Revealing his true appearance within minutes of him taking it.”

“Yes,” agreed Severus. Turning to Harry he asked, “Are you ready?”

Harry nodded unable to take his eyes off the hot pink potion Severus held in his hand.

“Get in bed and lie down. Since we have no idea what the actual changes will be, it’s probably best if you’re lying down and unable to fall and crack your skull open.”

Once again, Harry nodded and crawled into bed, sitting up against his pillows. Severus handed him the potion and he plugged his nose as he downed it all as quickly as possible. At first, nothing happened and Harry began to wonder if something had gone wrong. Then he felt it. It started out as a tingling in his scalp, but soon magnified to an itch that traveled down his entire body. Just when he thought he couldn’t stand it anymore, it stopped, and from the looks on Tobias and Severus’s faces he knew the potion was finished. He quickly got out of bed… and tripped. Flying head first towards Severus, who managed to catch him and stand him upright again. It was then he noticed he couldn’t see. The world was one big blur. He was about to panic until felt he glasses being lifted off his face and his vision suddenly became clear.

Harry blushed furiously with a mumbled, “thank you.”

Severus raised an eyebrow and put the glasses on the bedside table.

It was then Harry realized he wasn’t as short anymore. True, he hadn’t grown a lot, but he was at least two inches taller, the top of his head only an inch shorter than the professor’s shoulder. Not only that, but he practically had to hold Dudley’s pants up, despite the fact they were already held up by a belt, because he somehow seemed to have gotten thinner too. Walking over to the mirror on the closet door, Harry got a good look at his new appearance.

His hair was still black, but was slightly longer, coming down to the bottom of his ears and it was straight. It looked greasy as well but when he touched it he noticed it just felt silky. His eyes were no longer green but black as well. His nose, thankfully, hadn’t changed that much, but was hooked and not that much larger than it had been before. His cheekbones were higher, making his face look less round, but what was really surprising was his body as a whole. His legs seemed awkwardly longer then the rest of him making him look like…well…an awkward teenage boy.

Tobias came up behind him and, although he was looking at Harry, addressed Severus. “Remind you of anyone?”

Severus nodded. Harry did share a remarkable resemblance with himself at that age, but, then again, they were brothers.