"...But I don't understand!" Severus exclaimed.

Harry made a distressed noise at the obvious tension he felt in the room. Severus held his son and calmed him.

"We have to presume that Lily simply planned to use this charm in case of any emergencies," the Headmaster said calmly.

"Yes, but what could have made her use something that could possible kill her minutes after use?" the dark-haired man said hysterically.

"The evidence is sitting on your lap, my boy," Dumbledore stated.

Severus looked down at his little innocent son, suddenly overwhelmed with relief that he still had this proof his and Lily's love.

"I've never heard of a charm that does such a thing as transporting one through wards," Severus whispered.

Dumbledore looked at the two ‘boys' with twinkling blue eyes.

"What?" Severus asked curiously.

The bearded man just smiled and stared.

"Wait," Severus said, "did Lily invent this charm herself? She was always very talented at charms."

"Alas, no, my dear boy she did not," Dumbledore assured, "while she was rather talented, I do not think she would be able to invent a charm of this power. Also, I doubt she intended to leave this boy unless she had to."

Dumbledore looked pointedly at Harry, who was sitting quietly in his father's lap.

"Where did she get it then?" he queried.

"I believe I have only heard once of its use, and that was long ago. It has long since been discarded, as no one liked the rather..." Dumbledore coughed, "unfortunate side effects."

"So, where have you found out about this charm?" he questioned impatiently.

"...Or curse, rather..." he mumbled, when Dumbledore was not forthcoming with his answer.

"I have heard it only from an ancient book, the only book of the founders that was discovered in Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.

"One of my students long ago had run across it in some secret room of Hogwarts or other..." Dumbledore trailed off.

Severus waited patiently, unconsciously rocking his son in his arms as he fussed.

"This student was intending to keep the book himself, it was a valuable book, and he thought it belonged to him, because he was the last descendent of the Slytherin line," Dumbledore looked up and waited for a reaction.

The man too glanced up, and the baby looked on curiously.

"Who was it?" Severus inquired quietly.

"Tom Riddle, who was in his seventh year at the time," Dumbledore replied.

Severus wasn't surprised. Harry, on the other hand, looked distressed at the very name of the murderer, even though there was no way he could know of the man's identity.

"It contained some useful information, including that spell. The spell was made to ensure that in the case of extreme emergency, the founders and students would be able to flee the castle through the wards. The incantation is some sort of long chant, but it has stopped being used since the wards are now bound to the headmaster," Dumbledore informed Severus.

"May I see this book?" Severus asked.

"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said regretfully, "it was lost."

"Lost!" Severus exclaimed, "Stolen, you mean?"

"Yes, it was taken that same year that I received it, I hadn't even gotten through half the spells before it disappeared from my office."

Severus was stunned. How could the headmaster be so careless with such a valuable item?

"Now," the old man said suddenly, "are you planning on making plans for the funeral?"

It was hard to breathe. Just thinking of his love made his throat close up and his eyes tear. He knew he had to be strong, though, for Harry. The aforementioned boy looked up with his bright eyes and put his tiny arms around his neck, sensing his grief.

"Yes, I am planning to have it two days from now, this Saturday," Severus said, once he was in control of his voice once more.

There was a respectful silence. Both men were remembering the charismatic redheaded woman; the baby was remembering the soft voice of his mother.

"About Harry, Severus," Dumbledore said into the silence.

"Yes?" the man inquired.

"I think it would be best if the boy was put with his relatives."

"What!" Severus exclaimed, startling the boy in his lap to tears, "I am his relatives... I am his only family remaining!"

"Lily's sister-"

"No! I will not have him living with those Muggles. They are the vilest creatures, and I don't mean just because they are Muggles. Her sister and that oaf are horrid people. They despise everything magic, and I won't have him living with ‘family' who will treat him like he is some kind of-of-FREAK!"

Severus was panting from his long tirade, and Harry was crying. The dark-haired man calmed and sat back down, shushing and rocking the baby all the while.

"Severus, you and I both know that you cannot have possession of a child when-because you know he will-Voldemort comes back. He cannot even know that you have a son, let alone the one that destroyed him."

The ominous man glared darkly and got control of his temper. He breathed deeply and when he spoke his voice was quiet and cold. "Albus," he said slowly, as if to a stupid person, "if you think that I am going to spy for you and leave my child with illegitimate chaperones, you have something else coming to you. Let me get this through your head, I am not leaving my son, appropriate guardians or not. My family is more important to me, and I won't do it anymore. When Voldemort comes back you can just find someone else to risk his or her lives, because I won't stand for it anymore. I am going to take care of my son, and he is going to grow up knowing me. I will not have him losing another parent, he has already lost one due to the fact that I was unable to protect her."

Dumbledore apparently understood that he would not be swayed.

"Very well, Severus. We will have the blood wards put up at your house after the funeral, this way no one who wants to do you harm will be able to enter the perimeter."

Severus stood, nodded, and flooed out without saying a word. He was tired of the war, and he wished more than ever that he would arrive home with warm arms encircling his neck.

He stepped out of the grate and stood silently. The man looked down at his bright-eyed son and knew that they had a long road ahead of them. Severus only wished that he had help. He shook these thoughts away. He learned long ago that wishes don't come true.

"Life is never fair to Severus Snape," he thought.