A three inch stack of mail sat waiting on the corner of Remus Lupin's desk. He had been avoiding going through it for days and the pile had just kept growing. As he sat at his desk way into the evening the night after Halloween, he decided he'd better sort through it. It was the full moon in a few days and he knew he shouldn't hold the mail until after he recovered from his transformation. There might be something important in the stack.

He had gone through about one-third of the mail, throwing most of it away, when he came upon an envelope that looked extremely out of place. Remus covered a yawn and picked up the envelope, looking to see who it was from. The envelope only had his name inscribed on the front in purple ink. He opened the envelope, pulled out a single piece of parchment, and read the letter.

After he finished reading, he dropped the letter and rubbed both hands across his face and left them there. "I don't believe it. Severus is Harry's father!" he said to his empty office. He quickly raised his head. "That's who I see when I look at Harry. I knew there was something different but familiar about him now. He's already taken on some of Severus' traits, especially in his face."

Remus read the letter again and carefully placed it back in the envelope. It was one item he really wanted to keep. Walking through his office to his adjoining quarters, he removed a box from the bottom of his trunk where he kept all of his old keepsakes, and placed the letter inside. With thoughts of this new revelation in his head, Remus decided it best not to continue going through his mail. Instead he went back to his office to lock up and shut off all the lights.

He returned to his quarters and sat down on the couch after quickly asking a house elf to bring him some tea. After the tea arrived, he took a few sips and sat back, pondering over the letter. He really wasn't sure how he felt about it. The news, of course, came as a shock.

The letter from Lily didn't give much detail, but he found it extremely hard to believe that he missed anything going on between Severus and Lily while they were all students at Hogwarts. They really did succeed in keeping their relationship hidden. The entire time they were at Hogwarts, Remus thought that Lily and James had been an item. They sure had him fooled.

Remus' thoughts then turned to Harry. He knew how desperate Harry was for a family, but had a hard time believing Harry would willingly accept Severus as his father. Knowing the boy, he'd put up a fight about it. In the end, Harry would more than likely feel betrayed.

He was glad Harry would finally have someone out there to care about him and be the family he wanted and needed. If he was able, he'd gladly do it. He just couldn't get it past his mind that anyone would have been better than Severus to fill that role. In all of his years of knowing Severus, he just didn't think the potion's master was father material. But then again, the man really had no reason to act that way.

He couldn't even begin to think what Severus was feeling about this revelation. He knew the man would be infuriated. He just hoped that although Severus loathed Harry, he wouldn't take it out on the poor boy. It definitely wasn't Harry's fault. Hopefully Severus' feelings towards Harry would change after viewing whatever memories Lily had saved.

As hard as it would be, he then knew he had to pretend he knew nothing about the truth while around Harry until Severus told Harry.

If it wasn't for him feeling so weak because of his upcoming transformation, Remus would have had a conversation with Severus in the next day or two. Deep down he felt that Severus might try to deny the truth. Heck, if he was in Severus' place, he might deny the truth too. But for Harry's sake, the truth needed to come out, even if he had to tell Harry himself; which he hoped it never came down to. He only hoped the ornery potion's master would listen to him when the time came to talk.

~SH~

The sky outside Gryffindor tower was an inky black when Harry woke up the next morning, two days after Halloween. Knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, though it was hours from breakfast, he lay awake in bed; his thoughts from the night before the cause of his sleeplessness.

Seeing the curtains still closed around his bed, Harry sat up, propped his pillows behind him on the headboard and sat back. He then brought his blankets back over him, the chill from the approaching winter having made its way into the castle, and rubbed at his eyes.

He couldn't believe the luck he was having this week. What was he talking about? Not this week. These past few days. First he learned he needed to start Occlumency lessons again with Snape, then he got a detention…twice. It definitely couldn't get any worse, or so he hoped.

Feeling a nagging itch on the back of his neck, Harry raised one of his arms to scratch at it. As he did so, he noticed a slight soreness in his arm, and when he clenched his hand to scratch, a more pronounced pain in his hand. Who would have thought a detention could cause that much pain?

Harry then thought about his detention. He had never had a detention like that before from Snape, or from anyone. It really was uncalled for. Especially the one Snape gave him right before he left. It wasn't like he dropped the glass jars on purpose. It really was an accident.

It was then he decided to go down to breakfast early and see if he could speak with Professor Lupin. It probably wouldn't get him out of tomorrow's detention, but at least he could see if he was right in thinking the task he was assigned to do was too extreme. If anything, he knew just getting it off his chest would make him feel better.

He sat there, for what felt like hours, before the sky outside started getting lighter. Figuring breakfast should be starting shortly, Harry got dressed and went down to the Great Hall.

Luckily when he entered the Great Hall, there were only a handful of students and a few teachers seated around the massive room. He really didn't want to call attention to himself. Students normally stayed away from the staff table. Seeing Remus seated at an empty part of the table, Harry decided to speak with him before eating.

Remus looked up as Harry approached the staff table, and gave the boy a warm smile. "Good morning Harry. Did you need something?"

"I wanted to ask you if you had some time to talk this morning before classes."

Remus hesitated before answering, wondering if Harry's topic was about Severus. "Sure, I'll always make time for you Harry." Knowing that Harry had just entered the hall and had yet to eat, he continued. "Why don't you eat breakfast first and we'll head up to my office in half an hour. Will that be enough time for you?"

"Half an hour will be fine. Thanks professor."

"You're welcome." Remus watched as Harry turned away and sat down at the Gryffindor table a little ways away. He really hoped Harry didn't want to discuss Severus being his father. He didn't have it in him to discuss it this morning.

~SH~

Half an hour later found Harry and Remus walking through the corridors towards Remus' office. Knowing Harry probably wanted to wait until they were behind closed doors to talk, Remus kept their conversation to non-important things like how classes were going and what he planned on doing during the next Hogsmeade weekend.

After entering his office and closing the door, Remus motioned for Harry to have a seat at one of the chairs in front of his desk. He then pulled his chair from behind the desk and set it down next to Harry. Taking a seat, he looked at the boy. Seeing it didn't look like Harry was going to start the conversation, he began. "What's on your mind Harry?"

Harry sat there staring at his hands folded in his lap. He knew what he wanted to say, but just didn't know how to say it. He also really didn't want to have Remus think any less of him because he had gotten not one, but two detentions from Snape in one day. "I just," he looked up at Remus. "I wanted to get your opinion on something." Harry dropped his gaze back down to his hands.

Remus followed Harry's gaze to his hands. The way the boy was rubbing his hands, almost massage-like, it looked like he was trying to ease pain. He, after all, was familiar with pain and knew all he ways of trying to relieve it. "Harry, are your hands hurting you?"

Harry quickly averted his eyes from his hands to the professor. "Um." He stopped, unsure if he should continue. But as he thought about it, he’d never know if the professor could help him if he didn’t tell the truth. He nodded his head. "Yes, sir."

"Have you visited the hospital wing yet?"

"No. They don't hurt that much," he replied quickly. The last thing he wanted was to go to the hospital wing. He spent too much time there as it was.

Remus took Harry's hands in his own and looked them over. "Everything appears to be fine." Satisfied, he let go of Harry's hands and watched as the boy immediately began massaging them again. "If the pain increases Harry, I want you to go to Madam Pomfrey." He waited until Harry agreed, then went on. "What happened?" he asked, nodding to Harry's hands.

"It's from a detention last night," Harry began.

"A detention?" he asked puzzled. "I don't recall many, if any, detentions causing pain.”

Harry gave a shudder as he remembered his detentions last year with Umbridge. He then wondered why Remus didn’t notice the words scarred on his hands.

Remus continued unaware of Harry’s thoughts. “Well, except if the detentions were served with Filch. Those almost always caused pain." Remus gave a chuckle then stopped. "Harry, you didn't have a detention with Filch did you? I know Professor Dumbledore said Filch was forbidden to oversee detentions, but I don't think it's beneath some professors here to hand a few of theirs over to him every once in a while."

Harry laughed at Remus' comment. "No sir. Not with Filch."

"Who was it with?"

"It…it was with Snape," Harry gave reluctantly.

"What did professor Snape have you do to cause your hands to hurt?"

"He had me start my detention refilling his flobberworm mucus stores. Then he had me begin cleaning out the potions storeroom; the jars and vials, shelves, floor. Everything in that room! He then said that assignment has to last my next four detentions."

"Four detentions! What could you have possibly done in one day to deserve four detentions?"

"I didn't do anything!"

Remus looked at Harry with a smirk. He wasn't that dumb. He knew Harry did earn a detention here and there. But he couldn't believe the boy would do anything to earn himself four detentions in only one day.

"I really don't have four detentions…yet. I only earned one." Harry stopped talking, not really wanting to explain further. He took a few deep breathes. "Snape had just given us our assignment and Ron and I made a comment to each other."

"Mmm hmm."

"That's it. I swear." Harry looked at Remus and saw his raised eyebrow. He then knew he had to continue. "Until…"

"I thought so," Remus interrupted with a small smile.

"No, it's not like that," Harry began, trying to defend himself. "That's all I did to get last night's detention. All I did was tell Ron that Snape was crazy to think we really did our homework on Halloween. Then I got a detention and Ron didn't. I swear that greasy git has it out for me." He added the last as an afterthought.

"Harry," Remus warned. "Do show some respect."

Harry's face went a little red. He hadn't meant to talk like that in front of Remus. "Sorry. It's just, Ron always seems to get away with everything and I'm always the one who gets a detention. How can I not think Snape's got it out for me?"

"I'm pretty sure…no…make that absolutely positive, you're reading into it all wrong." Remus wanted to say more, but had to hold his tongue.

"Then why, while in that detention, did he give me another detention tomorrow night? Just for accidentally dropping and breaking two glass jars while I was cleaning?"

"That does seem a bit excessive," Remus agreed.

"Good," Harry said relieved. "I'm glad you agree." Harry stood up from the chair he was sitting in and walked to the far end of Remus' office, examining the bookshelves and debating whether to continue. Then deciding he had nothing to lose, turned around to face Remus. "Um, sir, do you think you can speak with Professor Snape about my detentions?"

"Harry, you know I can't do…"

Harry sat back down in his chair. "I know you can't get me out of them. I just want you to talk with him. See if you can lessen them. Or at the least, make him see the assignment he's giving me for these detentions is a bit excessive."

Remus regarded Harry before answering. "I will see what I can do, Harry. But I won't make any promises."

"Thank you professor."

"You're welcome." Remus quickly glanced at the clock on his desk. "You better get going Harry. First class starts in about five minutes."

Harry nodded and walked to the door. "See you around. And thanks for listening."

"Anytime, Harry. Remember, anytime."

Harry left Remus' office and headed to his first class of the day.

Before grabbing the items he would need to teach his DADA class, Remus decided he would talk with Severus about Harry's detention, but it would have to wait until after his transformation.

He also decided to wait for a few weeks before speaking with Severus about Lily's letter. If Harry didn't mention anything about Severus being his father by the beginning of December, he'd talk to Severus about it then. He wanted to give the potion's master some time to have the conversation with Harry before he butted in.

~SH~

Unfortunately the day passed in a blur for Harry after leaving Remus' office. He had a full schedule of classes and spent all his free time with Neville and Ginny, still too upset with Ron and Hermione. But in the back of his mind during the entire day, he was dreading the start of his Occlumency lessons with Snape.

~SH~

A half an hour before Severus went to his office to prepare for Harry's Occlumency lesson, he set out a small glass and bottle of fire whiskey on the table by the fireplace in his private quarters. He knew he would need it after the night's lesson was over and wanted to be prepared. He was definitely not looking forward to tonight at all. He felt it an extreme waste of time, but of course had to agree with the Headmaster. He was the best at the subject and the Potter brat did need to learn it. The wizarding world, and his, depended on it.

After entering his office, Severus laid out everything he thought he would need for Harry's lesson. Then, not wanting a repeat of the previous year, placed his pensive in the storage closet. He was shutting the door when he heard a knock on his office door. He quickly spelled the storage closet locked. "Enter," he said after taking a deep breath to ready himself.

With a scowl on his face, Severus watched Harry enter the room, close the door behind him and meet his eyes. "I'm here for my lesson Professor Snape."

Severus muttered something unintelligible under his breath while turning around and walking to his desk. He then spoke aloud to Harry. "Of course you are foolish boy. Why else would I see you in my office in the evening, besides for a detention which I know you don't have tonight?"

Harry said nothing.

"I suggest we see how incompetent you are with Occlumency before I begin your lesson. I need to know if my time teaching you last year was a waste. Although I can almost say, without a doubt, that it was." He then motioned for Harry to come to the other side of his desk.

Harry walked over near the wall by the desk and faced the potion's master, wondering what the professor was going to have him do first.

Not even giving Harry any indication of what was going on, Severus raised his wand. "Legilimens."

Before he could utter a protest or raise his wand, the office blurred in front of Harry and everything went dark. Images began flashing in front of him as Severus rifled through his mind...

Receiving his first real Christmas presents his first year at Hogwarts…Kissing Cho under the mistletoe in the Room of Requirement…Watching Sirius fall through the veil…Releasing a Boa Constrictor on Dudley… Being thrown by the hair into his small cupboard by Vernon after doing something freakish at seven years old…

As soon as Harry felt Severus going through his memories, he tried to push him out. No matter what he did, Severus continued to shift through his memories; each one more painful than the last.

Harry sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express watching out the window in envy as Ron and Ginny received a hug from Mr. & Mrs. Weasley before boarding… Speaking with Sirius about living with him, after exiting the passageway under the Whomping Willow... Watching helpless as Cedic Diggory was struck with the Avada Kedavra curse… Remus holding him back to keep him from following Sirius after he fell through the veil…Voldemort performing the Cruciatus Curse on him in the graveyard…Sirius falling through the veil…

"Stop!" Harry yelled as he opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor in a sweat. He took a few ragged breaths. "Stop, please."

Severus lowered his wand at looked at the boy on the ground. "Pathetic. You're worse off than I thought."

Angry at his professor, Harry slowly stood up and took a seat in the chair next to him, his body shaking. He placed his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands as he tried to get his breathing under control. He hated that Snape was seeing all his memories, especially the ones he was trying to forget. "Please sir, no more for tonight."

"As much as I want to agree, Potter, I find it necessary to continue if you plan on getting anything out of these lessons." He pulled out the chair behind his desk and sat down.

"If you would just give me any hint as to what I need to do to keep you out," Harry began irritated, letting his hands fall to his lap and sitting back in the chair, "I might be able to actually do something."

"We've already been through this last year. How many times do I need to tell you? Clear your mind. Think of nothing and feel nothing."

"I'm trying. It's obviously not working. There's got to be something else I need to do."

Severus huffed and picked up a book he had sitting on his desk and handed it over to Harry. "I want you to read two chapters a night in this."

Harry grabbed the thick book and looked at the cover. "The Art of Occlumency: The First Steps," he read aloud.

"I know the title Potter," Severus said exasperated. "This book goes into detail on the various techniques you can use to clear your mind and rid yourself of emotions."

Flipping through the pages, Harry looked at the professor. "I'll start reading it tomorrow."

"No Potter. We will try one more time. Then you will go to your dorm room and read the first two chapters tonight."

Harry looked at Severus gloomily. "Fine. I'll read tonight." Harry then set the book in front of him on Severus' desk; not really planning on reading the book until the weekend. "I'm ready to try again sir."

"We will wait five minutes then begin. You need to calm down and get your breathing under control.

Nodding, Harry's eyes wandered over to shelves behind Severus. After seeing several items floating suspended in murky, beige-colored liquid and getting disgusted, he instead opted to flipping open the cover of the book in front of him. He skimmed through the first half when Snape told him to stand for their next attempt.

Severus raised his wand and spoke the incantation.

Like before, Harry's vision went blurry then dark. Then his memories appeared in front of him like snapshots. He tried his best to block Snape, but wasn't able to. Again he found himself on the floor, sweating, shaking, and out of breath.

Severus glared at Harry, still lying on the floor. "Just like before," he spat. He lowered his wand, placing it back in his robes, and set about cleaning up his desk. "That is all for tonight, Potter. I do not want to waste any more of my time on you this evening. Go back to your tower and read."

Because he was able to leave from his lesson early, Harry bit back a malicious remark, knowing it would land him with another detention, and slowly stood up. After getting his bearings, he made a bee-line for the office door, glad to be leaving. He only got eight steps away when he heard Snape's silky voice behind him.

"You best not forget the book Potter." He held the book out towards Harry.

Turning around and not meeting the professor's eyes, Harry grabbed the book and hastily made his way out of the office and to the Gryffindor tower.