"What do you want, Potter?" Snape folded his arms. "Five points from Gryffindor for speaking to me in such a manner."

Harry coloured. "Do you think I care about points?"

When Snape merely raised an eyebrow, Harry growled, "I want to talk about something important, Professor. Can I come inside or would you rather we talk here?"

"I'd rather you go away before you find youself in detention." Snape snapped.

"Well, guess what, I'm not going away!" Harry shouted.

"Lower your voice!" Snape spat. He jerked the boy inside his quarters and slammed the door. Malfoy, extremely surprised, stared at it. He had to tell Crabbe and Goyle all about this.

Meanwhile, inside the quarters, a row was going on.

"This has gone much too far, Potter! One more word out of you-"

"I want to know who the heck you think you are! Did you or did you not have a thing with my mother?" Harry blurted angrily.

Snape froze. He looked down at Harry's furious face.

He knows, he thought as his heart seemed to wither.

"I-"

"You played her up? Was Dumbledore telling the truth?" Harry demanded.

"Lower your voice immediately!" Snape spat again. "You are exaggerating it-it was never anything, Potter, it was simply a brief dalliance before we both came to our senses-"

"Are you telling me you actually forced her to-"

"I did not force her to do anything!" Snape bellowed. "How dare you speak to me in such a way! Any other student would have been expelled this very moment, Potter, you are walking on very, very thin ice-"

"I want to know the truth!" Harry said firmly, his voice cracking. His shoulders were heaving as if he were sobbing, even though his eyes were dry. Harry felt too crushed to cry. Not that he would cry anyway, never in front of Snape. "I want to know what happened! I want to know everything that happened! I'm not going to accept this. You can't be my..." He trailed off, staring down at the floor in despair.

"Sit," Snape glared at him. "Sit and I will explain. You have your facts mixed up, Potter, let me-"

"Don't you tell me what to do, you bastard," Harry looked up angrily. "How dare you look me in the eye!?"

It was like everything had froze for Snape. The world went black and his brain stopped functioning. The minute the word bastard came out of Harry's mouth, absolute rage consumed him. One second he was staring at the boy, and the next he had taken hold of his collar and was pinning him to the wall.

"Don't you ever say that word in front of me again," he said softly and dangerously, his hand gripped in a death-like way on Harry's collar. "If I could break your face right now, you insolent brat, I would,"

Harry stared at him in shock. He tried to wriggle away, but the grip was too strong. Indignation suddenly overcame him. Snape was the one who had done everything! He was the one who had betrayed James Potter! How dare he act so calm and not even care!

"YOU MAKE ME SICK!" Harry screeched before punching Snape in the face. His fist met skin, even bone, and he saw the man stagger behind, his hands automatically clutching his face. Harry had done it. The thing he had wanted to do for years. He had punched Severus Snape.

XXX

He has gone too far this time, the part of his mind which was still working told him. The boy has gone much too far this time. It's time I teach him a lesson.

Snape looked up, one side of his face bright red. Harry glared back insolently, as if daring him to come closer and get smacked once more.

"Bend over the table," Snape straightened up and commanded, shaking with fury.

"Excuse me?"

"I told you," Snape came closer, absolutely furious. "To bend over the table. Now,"

Harry looked rather confused so Severus did it himself. He forced the boy over his desk and pinned him there.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry struggled, kicking. "Let me go! LET ME GO!"

But Snape was much too angry to 'let him go'. Hands white and shaking, he grabbed the ruler off the desk and whacked Potter one.

"Ah! What are you doing?" Harry struggled insanely but Snape held him down, intent on teaching the boy a lesson.

"What I am doing," he whispered. "Is what I should have done long before. You will not speak to me in such a manner!" Whack!

Harry couldn't believe this was actually happening to him. This had to be fake, this couldn't be legal, let alone allowed!

Whack! Whack! Whack!

That hurt. What was he doing? Why was he swinging so hard? Harry jumped in pain as the blows were aimed everywhere, even the tops of his thighs.

"Let me go you egoistic bullying bastard!" Harry screamed, kicking. "I'll tell Dumbledore! He'll fire you just like you should be you dirty-"

"Oh, do tell him Potter," Snape just whacked him harder and harder, cracking down the ruler, letting Potter feel the embarrassment and pain with every natural pause. "I'll be notifying him of your recent behaviour as well. You are not-WHACCK!-allowed to physically assault a teacher. WHACK!"

Harry sucked in his breath harshly.

"The minute you entered this school," Snape whacked him very hard every few words, making Harry jerk. "You have been causing immense trouble. I have tried to be patient, but you do not listen. Then screaming your head off and daring to assault me? I will not tolerate it, Potter, I will not!"

Harry pressed his nose to the desk, biting his lip. It hurt, Snape was probably whipping him bloody, but he couldn't cry, not yet.

"I know you are upset," A sneer crept into Snape's furious voice. "But you have no right to behave in such a manner," WHAAAAACK! This was the hardest one yet and Snape was still very angry. The boy deserved this thrashing, he was still holding back his real strength and this punishment was too good for the likes of Potter.

"You betrayed my motherrrrr..." Harry said, gasping wetly. "You forced he-her-AH! and you ruined everyone's lifeeee...James Potter was AH! a good man-my mother was-Ugh!-was forced to lieeeeee..." Harry was actually crying, or at least trying not to.

Snape suddenly felt pity and stopped paddling the boy's behind. He stopped and let his hand fall to his side. Harry made no move to get up.

"And nooww...I'm stuck looking like you!" Harry hissed.

Snape dragged him up and off the desk and shook him. "Do you know what you are saying?" He demanded.

"I'm saying the truth!" Harry shouted, tears coursing down his face. "And you can't face it and-and-"

"What in Merlin's name is going on over here?"

Snape and Harry jumped and turned around. The quarters were in a mess, things overturned. The two of them had messy hair and Harry looked like a wreck, crying and flushed. Severus was shaking in anger.

"Dumbledore?" Snape frowned.

Dumbledore looked at Harry's tears and Snape's flushed and angry face.

"What is happening here?" He asked again, looking stern.

Before Snape could say anything, Harry piped up: "I came to ask him!". He sounded very angry.

Snape held his breath. Any moment now, and Potter would tell Dumbledore that he had just smacked him.

Well, he was leaving anyway.

But Potter didn't even mention it. That was so odd that Severus kept on frowning.

"Why don't we sit down and talk properly?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. He looked directly at Snape who looked back.

What has been happening over here? Dumbledore's eyes spoke.

Snape didn't answer.

"I-I don't-" Harry protested weakly but Snape gave him a look.

"The Headmaster wants you to sit. So you will sit," He said coldly.

Harry stared at him blankly for a few harsh moments, but then he obeyed. It seemed that he was a little wary of him after the recent punishment.

They all sat, Snape the last one to do so.

"Harry, I think you are taking this a little too hardly." Dumbledore began in calm tones. He watched as Harry shifted uncomfortably on the chair, blushing slightly as he did so. Snape was paler than usual.

"Am I?" Harry asked, dangerously.

"Severus, perhaps you would like to explain?" Dumbledore turned to him.

Snape couldn't believe it. He didn't even know half of what had really happened. He had just found out. Why was Dumbledore doing this to him?

"I-" Snape shook his head.

"Well, then. Professor Snape and your mother had always been acquaintances," Dumbledore started. Snape's heart stopped. Hadn't he explicitly asked Dumbledore never to tell Potter that? He had taken his word! Snape looked up, looking murderous. But Dumbledore went on, "I know the news is shocking. Perhaps I should have told you all this long before. But the facts are plain-Professor Snape is your true father, Harry, not James."

Snape looked at Harry anxiously-the boy was looking deathly white. One moment he was sitting, and the next he slumped and fainted.