Shortly before noon, on Christmas Day, Minerva McGonagall stamped the snow off her laced boots, before she knocked on the dark green door to Severus Snape’s cottage. Her countenance was determined and her eyes grave. As soon as Snape opened the door and let her in with a slightly surprised look on his face, she started to explain. 

”I’m sorry to intrude on you, Severus. This will shock you, but I’ll go straight to the point. No need to beat about the bush. Harry is missing. I’m sorry I told you yesterday that he was with the Weasleys. I didn’t realise until this morning that so was not the case, when all these Merry Christmas owls turned up at Hogwarts for Harry from his friends. I flooed the Burrow, spoke to Molly Weasley and it appears that we had both been misled by the elusive young man. And, as you had already asked me about him, I concluded that you were as lost about his whereabouts as I. Molly thought of Neville - it would be so like Harry to sympathise with a former rival and to offer comfort to a friend - the poor boy has been quite down since Ginny broke up with him… I’m afraid I called on Augusta Longbottom - on Christmas Day morning, no less! I can’t believe that I got away with it, but I did. Naturally, Augusta would be understanding when it comes to the wizard who conquered Voldemort - the old lady venerates him. While I contacted Mrs Longbottom, Molly sent Ron all the way, by Muggle transport, to Harry’s room in London to check the place out - such an inconvenient place to live at - but he was not there and we just can’t think of anyplace else… I wanted to ask you if you could come up with something, but I didn’t want to floo you, because I knew how worried you would be, so I came in person. Please think of possible locations where Harry could be and let’s…” 

During her torrent of words, Snape ushered McGonagall in front of him, through a corridor down to the biggest room of the cottage which was a combined library and a living-room. He said nothing, but pushed the door open to let her have a free view inside. What she saw made her speechless. 

Harry Potter had his wand drawn in one hand. The other was clutching a small object, maybe an amulet. He was standing in front of a magnificently decorated Christmas tree. McGonagall had never seen such fine details and delicate decorations since Albus Dumbledore’s days. Harry had his eyes closed but snapped them open as if he had sensed their presence.

”Hello, Professor McGonagall,” said Harry with a happy smile and continued in an excited voice to address Snape. ”It works magnificently! It brings me in contact with my deepest layers of magic. Like a key that is unlocking the Ancient forces. It’s beautiful! Look, Professor, I got this amulet from my… from Severus this morning.” He walked over to show her the amulet that he was holding in his hand. ”Merry Christmas, by the way, Professor!” Harry smiled widely and seemed so radiantly happy that Minerva McGonagall could not bring herself to utter a single word of reproach because of all the trouble he had caused her during the morning hours.

”Harry, I believe we owe Minerva an apology and an explanation,” said Snape gently. He continued in an almost shy tone of voice. ”Will you… would you do the explaining, Harry? I’ll… er… I’ll… go put the kettle on…”

The dumbfounded gaze of McGonagall followed him out of the room. She turned mutely to Harry who gripped her elbow to guide her over and offer her a seat in front of the fire. 

”Just a second,” he mumbled and went out of the room, only to come back again carrying a small, ornate case. He opened it reverently and, without a word, showed its content to Minerva McGonagall. 

It took a while for her to understand what she was looking at. She had, after all, not seen many of these in her days. It resembled a silvery casting of the tea grounds, at the bottom of a cup, that you use to make predictions from, in divination. It was an uneven medal made of two slightly different metals meeting and melting together to form a beautifully flourished form. McGonagall gaped at Harry as she realised what it was. Harry nodded his confirmation.

”The drops of our blood - Severus’ and mine that is - transformed within the Potion and formed this. Unmistakably, irrevocably, without any doubt at all, it confirms that…” he said and McGonagall filled him in. 

”You are father and son,” she said, shocked. 

Harry nodded, his eyes glowing with intense joy.

”Congratulations, Harry,” McGonagall said softly. ”Tell me, how is it possible?”

Harry started to tell her everything. About Severus’ secret relationship with Lily. About the betrayal and the misery. About the friendship that had formed between Snape and himself during the war and the strange feeling of kinship. He told her how he had come into possession of Lily’s documents and about the Gestatio Prolongatus spell that had enabled Lily to keep her baby - him - in the womb, six weeks past the normal length of a pregnancy. He told her about Snape’s collapse at the realisation of what it might imply. Minerva McGonagall’s eyes brimmed with tears and she put a hand over her mouth when she heard about Snape’s heart attack.

”It turns out that he had similar spells a couple of times when he was younger. It’s a problem of conductance in the heart and he has a potion that counteracts it, but he has not needed it for years, until the stress yesterday caused him to have a new attack. But he’ll be fine. He doesn’t think it will happen again, but he has promised me to take the potion for a while, just in case,” explained Harry. 

”He’d better,” McGonagall said sternly and glanced over at the other side of the room, where Snape was discreetly dressing a table for tea. He did not interfere in the conversation and kept his face turned away, but you could tell, from the slight stiffness in the way he held his head, that he was listening intently at the conversation.

”When we came here to do the test, it was my turn to break down,” confessed Harry. ”I think that I dared not believe that it was true, so I steeled myself for a disappointment. I did not… I could not fathom that I would finally have a family…” His voice wavered and McGonagall swallowed spasmodically, to prevent herself from starting to sob. ”I have longed for someone who would care for me, all my life,” whispered Harry. ”When the kinship medallion formed, it just became too much for me. I don’t think I have ever cried as much in my entire life…” He gave McGonagall a little embarrassed smile. ”But Severus was there and he was… so calm. As soon as the bond was confirmed, it was like all his anxiety disappeared and he was so serene… He held me and comforted me and… We sat in front of the fire long into the night and talked. We figured out that Lily did this to protect me… and Severus. Once she realised that she was pregnant, she did not think it would be possible for Severus to leave Voldemort without provoking him to kill us all. It was such a relief for Severus to realise that she had not in fact stopped loving him. James Potter helped her stage the deception. Their marriage was only a Muggle facade, not real in the magical sense of the word.” 

”So very strange. We never knew anything about it at the time. Not even Albus could have known,” reflected McGonagall. Harry nodded and smiled again.

”Severus and I - my father, I mean to say, but it’s hard to start calling him that, although I’m all excited when I do -  we talked for ages… It has never been so… easy to talk to anyone… and…” Harry leant forward to Mcgonagall. ”And I felt completely warm… you know? Completely. I have not felt that way for years, if ever. So I believe I’m cured of the Magical Ague. The proof is that I went out with Se… with my father this morning to help him bring the Christmas tree in. The cold was severe, but I did not feel any discomfort at all, can you believe it?” 

”I’m so glad!” McGonagall reached out and pressed his hand. She glanced over at Snape who left for the kitchen again, but their gazes met for a second.

”Look at him,” McGonagall whispered to Harry. ”He’s radiating happiness. I never thought I would see Severus Snape completely content. I belong to those who have always considered him more sad and sorrowful than gloomy and bitter, but this, I could never have imagined… You’re doing him the world of good, Harry. Merlin, he must have wished for this all his life. Just think…”

At this moment, Snape was back with a tea pot in his hand. He gestured for them to come over. McGonagall rose and Snape hastened to deposit the steaming utensil on the table, as he seemed to know what was coming. Sure enough, Minerva McGonagall clutched him to her bosom. When she released him, she padded her eyes with a handkerchief, before she cleared her throat. 

”You two owe Molly Weasley and myself to attend the Boxing day Feast at the Burrow. It will be a great opportunity for you to tell everyone of this wonderful development of events,” she said in a determined voice. ”Because you were not thinking of keeping it a secret, were you?” she added with narrowed eyes.

”We haven’t had much time to think about it at all, Minerva. But…” 

Snape glanced at Harry who nodded his approval. 

”We will attend and…” A new glance at Harry. ”I will tell them the truth. I’m not a coward, you know.” 

Harry smiled and shook his head. 

”I’ll just have to try to prevent myself from bursting with pride,” Snape added dryly, sounding more like his former self, but eyes glowing with tenderness as he looked at Harry, who coloured slightly. 

”I believe we’ll do fine, Father,” said Harry simply.