Calamity by MellarkandArt

Dear Professor Snape,
I am pleased to inform you that Vernon and Petunia Dursley were arrested by Aurors late last night. They are currently in Azkaban custody awaiting trial. Unfortunately, little evidence of their crime was found at the Dursley residence and the victim will have to testify. I understand that this will be a difficult thing for him to go through, especially taking into account his notable fame and your desire for discretion, but I can assure you that there will be no reporters in the courtroom and everyone involved is under magical oath not to speak of trial details involving underage witches and wizards.

I will let you know via owl when the trial date is set.

Best regards,
Amelia Bones
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement

***

Dear Professor Snape,
Disclosed are the results of a blood relative test as requested.

Harry James Potter
Born July 31st, 1980

Biological mother
Lily J. Potter née Evans (deceased 1981)

Biological father
Severus T. Snape

Blood adoptive father
James F. Potter (deceased 1981)

Close blood relations: Severus Snape, Petunia Dursley (muggle) and Dudley Dursley (muggle)

Distant blood relations: Narcissa Malfoy née Black, Andromeda Tonks née Black, Bellatrix Lestrange née Black (imprisoned), Sirius Black (imprisoned), Nymphadora Tonks and Draco Malfoy

Best regards,
The Ministry of Magic

***

The second letter was to the point, written by magic and unmoderated. As if it didn’t contain life-altering information.

Severus had wondered, of course, how could he not? With things going the way they did… any man in his position would question it.

Lily had married James so suddenly, barely even sparing the time to tell Severus that it was over between them. Harry had been born shortly after that.

If the baby wasn’t Severus’, then the only logical explanation was that Lily had cheated on him and he didn’t want to entertain that thought at all.

The first time he had seen the child was when he was an infant cradled in his mother’s arms.
The two of them had been strolling along Diagon Alley, shortly before The Potters went into hiding. The baby was just a couple of months old at that point and Lily was positively glowing with motherhood.

Severus knew he should keep his distance from her, she had made it quite clear that if he was to be a Death Eater, he would do well to stay away from her. But how could he possibly? He loved her, with every fiber in his being, and if there were any possibility that the child was his own...

He walked over to her, if not for his Occlumency shields he would have been shaking like a leaf.

“Lily,” he had breathed, looking into those emerald eyes for the first time in nearly a year. The eyes had widened with shock upon seeing him. “Severus!” she exclaimed, absentmindedly pulling her infant son closer to her chest, attempting to protect him from his Death Eater father.

But the baby reached out his chubby little hand and latched onto Severus’ robes, sending a toothless little grin his way. The first thing Severus noticed was his beautiful green eyes. The second thing was that he was a near replica of James Potter.

The next time he had seen the boy he was eleven years old and Severus did his very best to avoid looking at those eyes, choosing instead the focus on the messy mop of hair sitting atop his head.

As much as he claimed to hate the boy for the mere resemblance to his childhood tormentor, the true source of his hatred was because he was a constant reminder of all that he had lost, a reminder of Lily’s infidelity. He hated him because even though Lily had done Severus so wrong, he still had a weakness for her and loved her and swore to protect her child regardless.

His child.

Oh, why hadn’t he questioned it further? He knew that permanent birth glamours existed, he was a potions master for Merlin’s sake! He should have known Lily well enough to know that she would have never been unfaithful to him. He had allowed his hatred and insecurity to blind him.

He should have realized she loved him but couldn’t accept him becoming a Death Eater. Of course she would have done anything to protect her child, even marry someone she didn’t truly love, and disguise her baby to be his.

Had James even known? He must have, for there had been a blood adoption which required consent and even as reckless as he had been and as much as he had fancied Lily, James Potter wasn’t the type to just rush into a marriage. He had helped Lily even while knowing that he wasn’t her first choice and claiming an heir that wasn’t biologically his own.

Did they tell anyone? How could it be that Severus’ child had spent 12 years being starved and pushed around while his father had been right here, not knowing?

And now his child hated him. How he had treated the boy because of his paternity was despicable regardless, but now he knew that he had been treating his own son with such contempt… he was truly a sorry excuse for a human being.

Severus allowed the parchment to slip from his fingers and fall to the stone flooring, he then collapsed into his chair. He was automatically granted custody due to being the biological father and the only remaining parent. Well, Potter - no, Harry - wouldn’t be happy about that.

He could sign it over to the Weasleys and allow the boy to live his life not knowing any better. That would more than likely be the best thing for Harry.

But yet that wasn’t what Severus wanted.

How could he go on knowing he had a son and yet not claiming him? How could he watch the boy walk through the castle corridors every semester, glare at him defiantly during potions class, attempt suicide while playing Quidditch, while never truly knowing him?

He would have to. Nothing good could come from turning Harry’s world upside down. Telling him that his real father was an ex-Death Eater and the father that he had idolized hadn’t really been his father at all…

It was a lot to place on the shoulders of a child, of an abused child no less… it could easily break him. He would have to do what was best for his son, and not necessarily what Severus himself wanted.

Damn Dumbledore. If he had just gone through the proper channels at the Ministry to find a home for the orphan instead of just deciding on his own to place him with Petunia, Harry’s true paternity would have been discovered years ago and while Severus might not have been the best father, he wouldn’t mistreat his child and Harry would be well developed and healthy. But Albus had sent Severus’ son to grow up knowing nothing of love, only of abuse.

He put his head into his hands and tried to calm his breathing. He had allowed his Occlumency shields to fall as his world had just completely shifted on its axes. He had a son, a son with Lily Evans!

It wasn’t often that Severus Snape had no idea what to do or what to think, but it did happen occasionally.

***

It was several hours and a couple of glasses of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey later when Severus came back to his usual self.

He allowed himself a few more moments before replacing his shields and going over to the floo. He threw some powder in and called for The Burrow. Thankfully it was Arthur who answered.

“Severus!” he exclaimed. “Would you like to come through?”

“Actually, if you have the time to spare I would much prefer it if you stepped over to my side, Arthur.”

“Oh, of course, I’ll just tell Molly where I’m going. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Severus hummed his acknowledgment and took his head out of the fireplace. He paced the room waiting for his visitor to come through. When the floo flared and Arthur appeared, Severus found that even with all the words that had been floating around in his head for hours, he didn’t really know what to say.

“I received a response from the Ministry,” he decided finally, gesturing for Arthur to sit before doing so himself.

“Oh? Bad news?” Arthur asked.

“I would not say bad news exactly, just… well, not so great news and some unexpected news as well. For one, I should tell you that the despicable relatives have been arrested, but unfortunately, an insufficient amount of evidence was found at the muggles’ house so Mr. Potter will have to testify at the trial.”

“That is… almost good to hear. The not-so-great news, I presume? I don’t know how well Harry will respond to having to testify, but we’ll manage. What is the unexpected news? Have they discovered a blood relative?”

“Yes, they have,” Severus said slowly.

He was concerned about how Arthur would take this information but he did tell the Weasleys that he would inform them of updates and if he were being honest, he needed to talk to someone about this. Normally the headmaster was the one he would go to discuss such things (not that he had needed to discuss learning that he had fathered a child ever before, but) but with the recent events… Arthur Weasley would have to do.

“Merlin, it’s not someone horrible, is it? I know he is technically related to the Malfoys, but it’s so distant it would be a big stretch for them to be granted custody, wouldn’t it?”

“No no, no need to worry about the Malfoys. They are listed as distant blood relations, but it does not do anything to help their possible quest for guardianship considering the other options.

“As for if this person is horrible, well… I suppose you can judge that for yourself. He has been granted immediate custody as he is a very close relation.” The professor shifted awkwardly. “It has been discovered that James Potter was not the biological father, the father is alive.”

Arthur simply stared at him, mouth agape. “He- Harry’s father is alive? Where has he been all of these years?”

Severus cringed inwardly. “He was not aware of the child’s true paternity, like everyone else he assumed… well, just have a look for yourself.” He stood, picked up the fallen letter from the floor, and handed it to Arthur.

Arthur spent several minutes scanning the parchment before looking back up. “You-you’re Harry’s father?”

“It would appear so,” Severus said, bringing up a hand to rub his weary eyes.

“Wh-how-“ Arthur flushed and looked back down to the parchment. Severus would have smirked if the circumstances had been different.

“I doubt that I have to explain the specifics to you, seeing as you have fathered seven children of your own. In short, there was a time when I was very close with Harry’s mother.”

Arthur nodded in understanding, face still slightly red. “And you never… considered?”

“I certainly considered, but after seeing him… I should have considered a birth glamour. I should have put more thought into it and I truly regret not doing so…”

“It’s not your fault, you couldn’t have known. This… this is unexpected, but it’s not bad news at all. You are not a horrible person. I think you will be a wonderful parent, Merlin knows Harry needs one.”

Severus stood and paced the room slowly. “I am sure that you realize the… animosity between Pot- between Harry and myself. As much as I… well, I do not think that it would be in Harry’s best interest to reveal this information to him. If you and Molly are willing, I… I think it may be best for him to remain with your family.”

Arthur stood as well. “Severus… Molly and I will always welcome Harry into our home, know that… I understand that this is quite a shock but you just discovered that you have a son. Don’t you think you should take more time and consider getting to know him before writing him off?”

Severus ran a hand over his face. “I-I am not fit to be a father, Arthur. Perhaps I am not such a horrible person now, but before Harry was born… well, there is a reason I did not know of our relationship. I only want to do what is best for him.”

“Have you ever tried to be a father before? You might just surprise yourself. It’s ultimately your decision, but… I think someone who has grown up as an orphan has the right to know that he still has a parent living in this world. He is welcome to stay with us indefinitely but I don’t think that you should make any long-term decisions until you’ve seriously thought this through. Regardless of what has occurred in the past, you are his father and he is still your son. I think that you both deserve a chance for happiness together.”

Arthur reached out for Severus’ arm and patted it lightly. “Just think about it some more, please?” Severus nodded slowly.

“I-I will reflect on it further.”

Arthur reached out for Severus’ arm and patted it lightly. “Molly and I are here for you if you need us. Don’t hesitate to call. Or to visit with your son,” he added as went back over to the floo but Severus stopped him before he could throw the powder in.

“Do not mention the trial to him just yet, it… there is still plenty of time for him to prepare. Let him focus on recovering for now. I will discuss the matter with him next week when I bring his next batch of potions.”

Arthur smiled and nodded before disappearing into the flames, leaving Severus alone with his thoughts once more.