Twenty minutes later, both wizards had been dosed with Veritaserum and their stories confirmed. They were now eyeing each other with thinly disguised contempt, but they had – at last – found themselves with a common goal and a common enemy. “If we work together, we’ll catch him in no time,” Sirius finally said. “As an Auror, I can track him down using all our resources.”

Severus fought off the last effects of the Veritaserum. Sirius had been dosed first and had therefore had more time to recover. “Don’ wanna work with you,” he slurred. “Slow me down.”

“Not likely,” Sirius scoffed. “But if you point us to the Death Eater hideouts, we can –“

“Would you two listen to yourselves?” Minerva finally burst out in anger.

Startled, both men looked at her. “What?”

“You’re so busy plotting your revenge on Pettigrew, you are forgetting the most important thing.”

“What’s more important than finding that rat and – “ Sirius swallowed hard “ – arresting him.”

“Assuming he doesn’t resist arrest,” Snape said meaningfully. A dark look of agreement passed between the two men.

Minerva couldn’t restrain herself any longer. She stepped forward and slapped Sirius across the face, hard. As he reeled back, staring at her in shock, she snapped at him, “You should be ashamed of yourself, Sirius Black!”

When she heard Snape’s snicker, she spun around and slapped him just as hard. “And you, Severus! Shame on you!”

“You may not like it, Professor,” Sirius said coldly. “But while Gryffindors normally don’t condone revenge –“

“Slytherins extol it as a virtue,” Snape put in silkily.

“You idiots!” she cried. At her tone, both men took a nervous step backwards. “Do you imagine I care if Peter Pettigrew ever lives to see Azkaban? If he were in front of me right this second, do you imagine I wouldn’t use an Unforgiveable myself?”

“But – but – then what are you so mad about?” Sirius stammered. He exchanged a look of confusion with Snape. Both looked over to Albus, but he appeared as bewildered as they.

“You ignore the only miracle of the night,” she said with cold fury. “So you can run off and play your little games of revenge. What difference does it make who captures Pettigrew? His damage is done. But you have an obligation right here – which you can’t seem to be bothered to recall.” At Sirius’ look of utter incomprehension, her voice grew even colder. “Lily and James would be disgusted with you, Sirius. They trusted you with their most precious treasure and you haven’t so much as thought about him once in the last half hour.”

Sirius’ eyes grew huge. “Harry!”

“Yes. Harry. And what is to become of him as you run off to play Auror and try to feel better by getting yourself killed by the remaining Death Eaters who are still running around out there?” Minerva demanded. “You have a child now, Sirius. One who just lost both parents. And you can’t be bothered to spare a thought to his welfare. You should be ashamed of yourself.” She turned away and made it two steps before the first sob reached her ears. She turned back just in time to catch Sirius as he collapsed to his knees, crying uncontrollably.

“Oh, Merlin! Harry! Poor Harry…I’m sorry, Lily. I’m sorry, James. I didn’t mean to forget… Oh, Harry… I’m so sorry, Pronglet… I can’t do it, Harry. I can’t, I can’t…” Sirius broke down, his words becoming unintelligible, as the events of the night finally caught up with him.

Albus came and put his arm around the sobbing man. “Come, Sirius. Come with me, my boy. Let’s get you a Calming Draught and then you and I will floo to Auror Headquarters and explain what has happened. Once they know about Pettigrew’s animagus form, they will be able to find him in no time.”

He exchanged a long look with Minerva as he drew Black away. Oh, Minerva, he thought resignedly, the changes you have wrought tonight – I only hope the future you have insisted upon will end as well as the one I had foreseen. By saving Harry, you may have doomed us all. 

After the Headmaster and Auror had left, Minerva turned to look at Snape. “And exactly why did you slap me? I was certainly not entrusted by Potter to look after his brat,” the dark man sneered.

Minerva looked at him closely. He had his cold, disdainful mask firmly in place, but she could see the tiny lines of strain around his eyes and the way his hands trembled. Severus was holding himself together by an act of sheer willpower.

“James and Lily may not have named you godfather, Severus, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep your priorities straight. Harry is more important than revenge right now.”

Severus snorted. “To whom? I owe nothing to Potter’s spawn. My allegiance is – was – to Lily.”

Minerva actually smiled. “And what would Lily’s reaction have been had she heard you refer to her child as ‘spawn’, Severus?”

He colored. “I did not mean –“ He collected himself. “The child is not my concern, Madame. I suspect the boy’s mother would be as horrified as his father at the notion of my coming within twenty paces of their infant.”

Minerva’s face softened. “Lily often spoke of you to me, Severus. She had forgiven you your hasty words before the week was out. She knew full well it was the very sensitive pride of a teenaged boy that was speaking, not your heart. Even after you took the Mark, she worried about you and hoped you were safe and well.”  Severus was staring at her, his mask for once wholly stripped away. Hope warred with denial in his face. “She never stopped caring about you, Severus. She never forgave James for his treatment of you, and she never stopped arguing with him about it. When you forswore the Dark Lord and joined the Order, she got James to promise that they would reach out to you. But then they were in hiding, and Lily refused to endanger you by making contact. She knew just how dangerous a game you were playing. But when she died, she had already made plans to make you Harry’s other godfather. She was just waiting for a safe time to tell you. She hoped that seeing James was willing to trust you with his son would once and for all make you move past your very understandable hatred and bitterness. She wanted you to be part of her family and part of Harry’s life.”

“It’s – it’s not true,” Snape protested, but the pleading note in his voice revealed his true desire.

“I can show you the letters she wrote me, telling me her plans.”

And for the second time that night, Minerva rushed forward just in time to forestall a collapse. Where Sirius’s tears drew attention with their volume and loud self-reproaches, Severus’ were just the opposite. He cried silently, withdrawing from comfort, rather than seeking it out. He folded in on himself, hiding his face. His shaking shoulders the only outward sign of his uncontrollable grief.

Minerva enfolded him in her arms, ignoring his lack of response, and soothed him as if he were one of her first years.

After what was a surprisingly long time to Severus and short time to Minerva, he managed to get his emotions under control. Mopping at his face with a handkerchief (black, of course), Severus muttered an embarrassed, “Thanks” in the witch’s general direction.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, controlling her twitching lips with great skill.

Snape took a deep, shuddering breath. Merlin, it felt good to know that Lily didn’t die despising him. He had not thought he could ever know happiness again, but McGongagall’s words had given him a moment of pure joy. It hadn’t lasted, of course, but that was all right. He could die now. There still wasn’t anything left for him – except scorn for the Mark he still bore. Without even his spying duties for the Order, he really had no purpose in life, no way to keep atoning for his sins. It was better to die. Perhaps he could manage to find Pettigrew before the Aurors. If he killed him in front of them, then turned on them, they’d probably Avada Kedavra him and save him the burden of having to brew his own poison. And besides, it was too clichéd – a Potions Master poisoning himself? Please. He had more style than that.

He managed a small, shaky, but nevertheless genuine smile for Minerva, then got to his feet. “I will be going now,” he announced.

Minerva eyed him. He was much too calm. There was still something very wrong here. “And where are you going?”

He shrugged lightly. “I have business to attend to. There is nothing for me here at Hogwarts.”

Minerva shook her head. “Have you forgotten your godson?” She went over to the crib where the child still slumbered, oblivious to everything.

Snape jerked his head away. “He is in good hands,” he told her, eyes averted.

“Why won’t you even look at him?” Minerva demanded, approaching with Harry in her arms.

Snape twisted, refusing to contaminate the child with his gaze. “Take him away!” he ordered, his voice harsh. Just because Lily had forgiven him, didn’t mean he had forgiven himself. He had done terrible, evil, disgusting things. He had helped a psychotic Dark Lord and betrayed his only true friend to them as surely as Pettigrew had done. He didn’t deserve to live. He didn’t deserve even to see the child who – in another life – might have been his treasured godson, an eternal link between himself and Lily.

A sharp jab in his midriff, while his head was averted, sent him staggering backwards to land back in his chair. Before he could rise, a small bundle was deposited in his lap and a sticking hex bound his backside to the seat. He glared up at McGonagall, trying desperately to avoid looking at the baby who was beginning to waken. “Take him away! At once!”

“No.” She informed him calmly. “Not until you look at what you are prepared to walk away from.”

Fine. She wanted him to look? He’d look. Then, having satisfied the old harridan, he would leave and find Pettigrew and kill him and then himself. He should have all that finished before most wizards were sitting down to breakfast.  Slowly, hesitatingly, as if it were a basilisk and not a baby in his lap, Severus let his eyes drift downwards.

Blanket, blanket, blanket, sleeper with duckies on it, duckies, duckies, little round baby chin… and then Lily’s eyes pinned him. He gasped, the sound loud enough to make Harry’s eyes widen further, and he was lost. He snatched the child up, cradling him to his chest, and this time his sobs were loud and wrenching.

Astonishingly, Harry didn’t shriek or fight. He merely blinked at the dark haired man who was making such odd noises and dripping water on his head. When Snape, hiccupping and choking, lifted his head, Harry grabbed onto his nose with a big smile. “Node!” he announced proudly.

In that moment, Severus felt a surge of protectiveness so fierce that it took his breath away. He could not abandon this child. To Hell with Black, Dumbledore, or anyone else who wanted to part him from his godson. Someone else could be responsible for tracking down Pettigrew and having him Kissed. He was going to be too busy guarding this baby. From everything.

Snape looked up at Minerva, and she smiled, knowing she had won. Or rather, Harry had won. He had vanquished despair.