Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore were playing a game of chess when Harry and his things tumbled into Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore and Lupin exchanged a serious look before Dumbledore greeted Harry, "Good morning, Harry. Did you enjoy your time with the Weasleys?"

Harry brushed himself off and replied, "Good morning, Professor. Yes, I had a wonderful time."

Lupin moved forward now and greeted Harry with a smile. "Hullo, Harry."

Harry smiled back, "Hullo, Professor Lupin."

"Well Harry, it is my pleasure to announce to you that you have been made a house prefect! You may take your things up to Gryffindor Tower; Remus can show you the way. Then, in one hour, I want you to come to Professor Lupin's office. There is a matter of the utmost importance we have to discuss with you." Dumbledore looked very serious as he explained all of this, but Harry noticed that the usual twinkle in his eyes was still there.

"All right, Professor. Thank you," Harry replied.

"Come on, Harry. I'll get Hedwig for you," said Lupin. Lupin walked with Harry to Gryffindor Tower, and on the way there Harry tried to get out of Lupin what Dumbledore wanted, but Lupin refused to talk about. Harry resigned himself to just having to wait. Then the conversation turned to Sirius.

"Professor, where's Sirius?" asked Harry.

Lupin looked up, he'd been lost in his thoughts. "Sirius? Oh, he hasn't come to Hogwarts yet. Actually, he doesn't even know you're here. He'll be here before school starts, though, so don't worry."

Harry looked a little confused. "Umm... why isn't he here yet? Why doesn't he know I'm here? Isn't this the safest place for him?"

"Harry," said Lupin, "You'll just have to trust Dumbledore."

"That wasn't much of an answer, Professor," Harry said, a touch of resentment entering his tone.

"I know, Harry, but that's the way it is." Lupin smiled apologetically. Harry got the message. Lupin did not want to talk about it, though he did know why Sirius wasn't there with them.

"Look, we're here." Lupin's voice broke into his thoughts. "Password's 'lemon drop', and it'll probably stay that way until the term starts."

"All right, thank you, Professor," said Harry.

Harry walked into the room that he'd shared with the others in his year for the past four years. He set down his trunk at the foot of his bed and sat down. Though he was apprehensive about his meeting with Dumbledore, he looked around with a smile. It was good to be home.

***

Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore was sitting in Remus' office trying to calm down the younger wizard. Remus was pacing around the room worrying frantically about the two lives that would now be changed forever. No matter what happened, after reading Lily's letter neither person would be leaving the room the same as they came in. "It will all work out in the end, Remus. Lily is right to tell them. The potions she gave Harry will be wearing off soon, we have no choice. We can't leave them in the dark. Severus will be wondering too when he sees Harry. This must be done," Albus explained.

"I still don't like it. The two hate each other! This will never work out, I'm sure of it!" exclaimed Remus.

"Sure of what, Lupin?" came Snape's voice from the doorway.

Remus jumped, not even his keen werewolf's sense of hearing had detected Snape's arrival, that or he'd simply been too busy worrying. "Is it time already?" he asked.

"Yes, Remus. It's time," came the headmaster's calm voice.

Snape was getting impatient, and he burst out, "Time for what? I was busy working on my plans for the NEWTs level class, can someone either tell me what's going on, or may I leave?"

Dumbledore sighed. "No, Severus," he said, "I cannot tell you just yet what we need, but you may not leave. Some very important news has come to my attention. We're just waiting for young Mr. Potter to arrive..."

Snape sneered, "Potter? What does he have to do with this?"

"Everything, Severus. Everything," was Dumbledore's only reply. "Ah! Here he is! Come in, Harry, come in." Dumbledore ushered Harry into Remus' office and conjured an extra chair for him to sit in.

Harry had been standing in the doorway, waiting and watching, his nervousness compounded thrice over by the presence of Professor Snape. When Professor Dumbledore addressed him, he walked in, hesitantly.

"Don't worry, Harry. Sit down, lemon drop?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry sat down, still looking rather pensive, though he did accept the offered lemon drop. Dumbledore sighed and knew that he couldn't reassure the boy any further, he also realized that actually with the news that Harry was about to receive the boy was quite right in being nervous.

"Sit down, Severus." Dumbledore waited until Snape sat (which he didn't do until after sending a glare towards Dumbledore), and then he continued, "Remus and I have come across some very important letters. The letters in question are from your mother, Harry."

Both Harry and Snape let out a small gasp and then Dumbledore continued, "I received the first one the day before your birthday, then Professor Lupin received the second letter. Now there are two letters left and they are meant to be opened at the same time in the same place." Dumbledore paused and searched the faces of the two seated in front of him, Harry was still looking pensive and even Severus' mask was showing signs of strain.

"The last two letters are addressed to the two of you," he concluded.

Harry's eyes widened and Snape asked, "There's one for me?"

Dumbledore's eyes had lost their twinkle now. "Yes, Severus. One is for you," he replied solemnly. Snape nodded and Dumbledore continued, "I am going to give you yours, Severus, and Harry, Remus will give you yours. Your letters are meant to be read together, here and now." Dumbledore paused again until the two nodded to show that they understood, though Snape looked dismayed. "Very well, here you go. Remus and I will wait until the two of you have finished."

***

Harry opened the envelope that Professor Lupin gave him, and he held it carefully. These were his mother's last words for him. He knew that no matter what the letter contained, and he knew it must be serious indeed to have Dumbledore and Lupin looking so concerned, he would treasure the letter for as long as he lived. He carefully took out the letter and began to read:

My darling son, Harry,

 

Oh how I wish I could see you grow up! I wish I could have been there to buy your wand with you, to see you study, to see you laugh, to see your triumphs and even your failures, to see you love, and just to see you. For I know that if you're reading this I'm dead. I've charmed the letters to show up the day before your 15th birthday in case I don't retrieve them. Harry, I have something very important to tell you. I think that by your 15th birthday you will be old enough to understand the truth in this letter and to be able to live with it.

Harry, you will have grown up being told that your father is, was, James Potter. In truth, he is not. Harry, I know you must be feeling confused, but you must continue to read. You must know the truth, only the truth, Harry, will set you free. And so, I will tell it to you.

Harry, the years before you were born were dark years. I'm sure you know of Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters. Albus will have seen to that. Twelve months before you were born, Voldemort started a special extermination program of muggle-born witches. At this time he left the wizards alone, only he knows why, though I think that now I at least have a suspicion as to what he was doing.

Voldemort had his followers kidnap the muggle-born witches, no one knows what happened to them, they simply disappeared. Well, I should correct myself, I do know what happened to them, but I am the sole exception, as I lived when I should not have. You see Harry, nine months before you were born, I was one of those witches taken by the Death Eaters.

I was taken to Voldemort, the Dark Lord they called him, he looked me over, but never was a word spoken. Then he told them to take me, apparently I was to be given to one of his favorites. Not until later did I learn who he meant. I almost died when I discovered that this Death Eater had been a friend of mine when I was young. When he realized who I was, he begged me to listen to him. He'd been devastated when he learned that I was one of those taken. This incident was the last in a series of many incidents that had shattered this young Death Eater's faith in his cause.

However, he couldn't let me go unless he did what Voldemort commanded. A spell had been placed on the room so that if either of us left before we did, we would be killed. So I consented.

We had no choice, Harry, really, neither of us did. He whispered words of apology to me the entire time, and I could hear the pain in his voice, Harry, he meant it, truly, he did.

After the deed was done, I was supposed to die. Instead, the young Death Eater took me away, and then that young Death Eater went to Albus Dumbledore and told him that he deserved the Dementor's Kiss for all he had done. Albus, in his infinite wisdom, saw this as taking the easy way out and gave the young Death Eater a new purpose -- he would spy for the Order of the Phoenix, an order of witches and wizards fighting against Voldemort. He was a good spy, Harry, really, he was. He was the one who told us that Voldemort was looking for us and that we needed to hide.

Anyway, some weeks after I returned to James I realized that I was pregnant. After you were born, I explained the whole thing to James, because we knew instantly that he was not the father. I'll be honest, Harry, James was furious. He had not been on good terms with this Death Eater at Hogwarts, and this only made things worse. But in the end, I managed to calm him down and get him to realise just how dire our situation had been. James has decided to adopt you as his own (though this is in name only, as everyone else thinks you are James' son), and we are pretending to everyone that you are really James' son. We feel that not only is it in your best interests, it is also in the best interests of that young man.

In school, one of my best subjects was potions. I created a set of potions that would allow you to look like James. The catch was that they would wear off roughly 15 years after being administrated. We would have given you more, or perhaps not. It would depend entirely on the situation of the world. As it stands, that decision has been taken away from us. Only I know how to make the potion, and only James can supply one of the necessary ingredients. The potions are wearing off now, Harry. You're beginning to take on your true appearance. You will probably look a lot like your father when all is said and done.

Harry, now I must tell you the name of that young Death Eater, though I'm sure you can already guess. Albus told us of his plans for that young man, and I'm sure you know him. Harry, the man who took me that night was a friend of mine for most of my years at Hogwarts, and despite all that happened between us, I still care for him as such. So don't hurt him. The Death Eater who took me that night is Severus Snape.

I love you so much Harry. I know you'll take this truth and make something good of it, you must make something good of it. Don't hate him, Harry. I don't, and if any of us should, it is me. Yet I don't. Even James came to terms with it, and by the time we went into hiding, he loved you as if you were his own.

I love you, Mum

For a moment, Harry couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe what he had just read. He didn't know how he felt; he felt numb. Then something hit him, and he jumped up and yelled, "He's my what?!"

***

Snape couldn't believe that he had received a letter from Lily. Why now? He couldn't understand why he had to open it here, with Potter, rather than on his own. Sighing softly, he opened the envelope and gently opened the letter and began to read:

Dear Severus,

 

I can only imagine the confusion you must feel at this moment. You never were one for surprises, were you.

Severus, it's time for the truth to come out. I have kept it from you for, what James and I have decided, is a very good reason -- to keep you and our son safe. I know you recall the night that I was taken to Voldemort, the night that you went to Albus and offered yourself to him. I also know that you've been feeling guilty over that night ever since. Well, before I continue I just want to make one thing very clear to you: stop it. I won't have you feeling guilty about it. I've forgiven you for it, and even James has. You are not to continue holding this over your head.

I realise that after the way we parted after our fifth year, you probably don't believe me. But while I was pregnant with Harry I had a lot of time to think, and I decided that everything could have been so much worse. Had I been given to anyone but you, I'd be dead now -- and for my life, I'm grateful, even though we were coerced into doing what we did. And besides that, I'm older now, and I know that not everything is as straightforward as we might wish it to be.

Anyways, some time after that night I realized I was pregnant, but it was not until after the baby was born that we realized that James was not the father -- you are. James has decided to accept the child as his own, and I have created a set of potions that will allow him to take on James' appearance for roughly 15 years. Now that James and I are dead no more potions can be made, not even by you, my Potions Master. The truth has most likely already begun to make an appearance, but it won't show itself fully until after the potions wear off completely.

I know that Albus has you teaching at Hogwarts. He told me he would give you the position, and you know Albus, no one turns him down. You know your son already, you just have to accept him. I hope you do, I hope he accepts you. I want you two to take care of each other; you need a family, and he needs one too. You're probably too much in shock to make a guess as to who your son is, so I'll just have to tell you. We named him Harry James Potter.

Take care, Severus.

Your friend, Lily Potter

Snape put down the letter in shock. He had a son? Something had come of that fateful night? He couldn't accept it, he didn't want to accept it. He wanted to simply go on with his life. He couldn't do this, he didn't even know how to be a father. He wasn't even particularly sure that he wanted to be one. Then something hit him and he jumped up and yelled, "He's my what?!"