Green eyes blinked... and then blinked again.

"Let me get this right." Harry said slowly. "Draco is my twin brother?"

Hermione Granger nodded eagerly.

"And Severus Snape is my great uncle? On my mother's side?" Harry pressed.

The blond haired girl grinned widely and nodded again. "Isn't it wonderful, Harry! You have family!"

"Yes. Lovely," the boy said dryly. "And... and Snape has a twin brother too?"

"Mm'hm. Yep." The Gryffindor wonder-witch was so excited Harry was surprised she hadn't spontaneously combusted.

"You do realize this sounds like the plot of a bad soap opera, right?" Harry asked, trying to let the girl down easy.

Hermione waggled a finger at him. "Now, Harry. You cannot go turning away your family just because you may not agree with their perceived standards. We know better than to judge a book by it's cover, don't we?" she asked, exaggerating her words like she was speaking to a child.

Harry found himself nodding in time with her and it was disconcerting. He had finally lost it. Maybe she would be right and having a family wouldn't be so bad after all.

- - -

"And you're my great uncle and Draco is my twin brother... but... but I'm NOT a Malfoy!" Harry said, thrusting an index finger high into the air for emphasis.

Professor Severus Snape sat in stunned silence as he digested the anxious ramblings of one Harry Potter.

"But none of that is true, right, sir?" Harry asked, green eyes wide with about-to-be-realized fears. "Right?"

Severus took a deep breath and clasped his hands behind his back.

"There is a time, Mister Potter, when we all must face the truths of our bloodline and yours... well... yours.... Honestly, I'm not sure how to describe it any better than you just did," the man gave in with a frown.

Harry's bright green eyes clouded over and he tried not to let his chin wobble. He would not cry in front of Severus Snape - especially if they were related to each other. That would just be embarrassing.

"Well, then," Harry's throat felt scratchy and he cleared it. "Then I guess I have some reading up to do about my 'real' family."

Severus nodded. "I'm sure your little Gryffindor friends would be more than happy to help you out," he said by way of encouragement.

Harry turned and left with a defeated cast to his shoulders. Severus watched, unsure of what it might mean to his work as a spy if word got out that Harry Potter was related to him in any way. He would need to speak with Dumbledore immediately.