Another time consuming anecdote by yours truly! Severus and Harry are the luminaries; father and son, not romantic (Eww). As always, con-crit, flames, and reviews are most welcome.
Ohm and some Ron bashing too. He is really vindictive and egotistical in this AU Fiction.
Cheers!
I'm Not a Potter?
By xXNikolettaBlackXx
AKA
Grimreaperprincess666
Chapter one: Severus' Predicament
"Severus, have you made the potion yet?" Remus asked as they sat in the teacher's common room drinking their tea and grading essays. Over the past few months, they had become social, if not friendly.
"No, I have been so barmy over my latest potion it must have slipped my mind. It will be finished in time I assure you. I have never failed to hand it to you before your symptoms begin yet, have I?" Severus said as he marked an atrocious essay with a D, then looked up at the lycan he had come to call friend.
Remus smiled warmly and nodded in agreement before sipping at his tea.
"Are you nearly finished there, Severus?" Remus asked as he started to pack away his graded vampire essays.
"Oh, yes, I am done with this. It seems I get nothing but more and more dunderheads each year. They get shoddier as the years go by, too." Severus said as he waved his wand and his belongings packed themselves away.
The two men made their way out of the lounging room and started down the corridor to the Great Hall. As they passed Harry Potter, Harry shot Severus and repugnance glare, but said nothing; he then preceded to nod and smile at Remus. Remus abruptly ceased walking; Severus paid no note and kept on walking.
"I can't believe you still haven't told him." Remus said, an indistinguishable tone of incredulity coloring his tone. Severus twirled to glower at him angrily, lips pulled back from clenched teeth.
"Told who what? I haven't the foggiest idea what you're on about…" Severus snarled, but was cut off by a sharp gaze from Remus.
"You know very well who and what I mean, Severus. It's been fifteen years…he has a right to know you." He emphasized his point by grasping Severus' shoulders in his hands.
"Know me? Why in the hell does he have a right to know me? For all I know, he's not even mine!" Snape shouted, and tried to turn to walk away. Remus, however, latched compellingly onto his shoulders and forced him to stay his ground. "Let me go, werewolf." He growled, but Remus kept his grip. For a moment, he did not say anything, his expression shifting between concern and disbelief.
"He IS yours, Severus. How could you believe otherwise?" Remus' eyes had started to fill with unshed tears.
"I knew of the likelihood, but nothing more." Snape replied, though the tone of his voice clearly said otherwise.
"Then why didn't you find out! He could have grown up without all the lies…" All the abuse, Remus thought as he let his grip slacken.
"Oh, yes indeed. As if I would just pop up on his doorstep and admit to sleeping with his mother, oh I'm SURE that would go over well." Severus let his head drop and he rubbed his nose a little and closed his eyes.
"Well, you have never seemed to worry about other's reactions to you before. You have to TELL him! He'll probably find out on his own eventually, and just imagine what a mess that would be…."
"Not anymore of one than if I WAS to tell him. Can you imagine what would happen were he to know? ME! His FATHER? You cannot honestly expect that he would be happy in the least. I am not the type of person that can be a father."
"Oh, so that's it…"
"What?"
"You don't think you're worthy…"
"I'll be astounded if you can think of anyone LESS worthy. I was a Death Eater, Remus, I have done more evil than I can rightly remember…I am not worthy of being ANYONE'S parent, and besides, I would not even know how. Moreover, how do you think he would feel? You obviously have taken a liking to him, what do you think it would do to him if he were to discover that his real father was a murderer? A conscienceless follower of the Dark Lord? A cruel, bitter teacher hated by the entire school? It'd break him; I've no doubt that it would." Severus turned and the two wizards began walking again.
"Then that just proves that you need to get to know him." Remus said after a few moments of silence.
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Severus muttered sardonically.
"Tell me…why ARE you always on his case? Why is it that you always single him out for derision?" Remus replied trying to weasel an answer out of him.
"Simple. To teach him a lesson. Everyone else here, you included, tend to treat him like some brilliant savior of the wizarding world. Half of the people who declare to be his friends would turn on him in an instant if his 'heroic' image were to be tarnished or stripped from him completely. He has to learn to fend for himself out there, one way or another. If I do not break him of the spoiled way of life he probably enjoys at home, who will? You? Dumbledore? I highly doubt it." Severus said as he stopped walking and looked into Remus' gold-flecked amber eyes.
"I thought that might be your reason."
"What? You'd better not even consider criticizing me for my methods, for I assure you, there's plenty I could say about yours." Severus said as he chuckled lightly.
"Have you heard about the Dursleys at all? The muggle family he lives with?" Remus said softly.
"Of course not. If you'll remember correctly, I was passed out when he was placed with them, and I don't have a tendency to bother with hearsay."
"I have noticed. Either way, you would not have learned anything more. Harry doesn't like to talk about them at all, I'm afraid I found out rather by accident…" He trailed off into hesitancy.
"Found out what?" Severus said nervously as he stopped walking.
"Have you ever seen Harry getting mail in the Great Hall; or going home for the Christmas holidays?"
"No, but I hardly see what that has to do with anything…" Severus said as he fiddled with his hands and his cloak to keep himself from turning on Remus to gain every bit of information he contained.
"Severus, the first day of classes I asked him to stay after the lesson. I had noticed he was looking ill, and I wanted to ask what was wrong. He was VERY reluctant to tell me. However, after slipping a little Belladonna into his tea, he gave in and told me some of what had happened." All traces of hesitancy in his voice were gone now.
"Go on…" Severus pressed for more information about his birth son.
"His uncle beats him, Severus; quite often, in fact. As it turned out, he had a pair of fractured ribs, as well as severe bruising across his chest and back. I cornered Mr. Ron Weasley to find out more about the Dursley's, and I daresay it is not pleasant. Evidently, they were not even going to let him come to school this year. I suppose it was a fortunate thing that I showed up…Anyway, one year, Weasley and his brothers had to actually break him out of that house as if it were a prison, bars on his window and everything."
"What? Impossible…Dumbledore wouldn't allow him to stay in a place like that…" Severus stuttered as though he were unable of any coherent speech.
"Dumbledore doesn't know about it. Harry is too proud and ashamed to tell him, and I imagine he does not want any more attention drawn to him, either. He made me give my word not to tell a soul after I found out, and I have kept that oath until now. I tried to get him to tell Dumbledore, but I'm afraid he's just as stubborn as you." Remus smiled as though he had given a compliment. Severus took it as a compliment.
"They …beat him. Why? He's their blood, surely they didn't…."
"The Dursleys abhor magic, Severus. You didn't know Lily as well as I did, but I'm sure you heard her mention Petunia?" Remus cut off whatever denial was emitting from Severus' lips.
"Once or twice, and never with pleasure."
"Yes, well Petunia hated Lily beyond a simple sibling jealousy; she thought Lily was a freak. Once they no longer had to live in the same house, Petunia severed all associations with her sister. She has carried that hate on to Harry, and her husband is the same way. Harry had to sleep locked in a broom closet for eleven years."
"Remus, you are coming with me to see Albus this instant, I will not allow that…that FAMILY to ever-"Severus was yet again cut short by Remus' stern tone of voice.
"No."
"What!" By now, Severus' face was flushed brightly with anger.
"Tell Harry."
"I can't, you know that!" Severus almost looked desperate as he mumbled this.
"He's your SON, Severus."
"I'm aware of that…"
"Then say it, admit it out loud."
"Fine, Harry is my son. Now, can we please get on with it? I may not fancy that fact to be known, but I will NOT stand for ANYONE mistreating him."
"And how, precisely, do you think he sees YOUR behavior toward him and all the Gryffindors?" Remus had yet again stopped walking and had his hands on his hips and his eyebrows rose, looking quite like an upset McGonagall.
"That is different. I have no choice, as long as Voldemort lives and I retain my title as 'spy.'"
"Yes, but you could always let him know that….let him know YOU."
"Oh, so we're back on that again, are we?" Severus rolled his eyes.
"It's the only way you can keep him safe from the Dursleys….by telling him the truth."
"As I have already said, no. WE will inform Albus of the…abuse, and nothing more."
"If we tell Dumbledore, he will remove Harry from that house. Harry will have no choice but to go to an orphanage or a temporary care facility. Now, imagine what that would do to him….he's already got more than enough in common with the Dark Lord, how do you think he'd react to yet another?"
"Surely no worse than if I talked to him," Severus looked sour now.
"I doubt that, Severus. I will make you a deal. If you agree to tell Harry and Dumbledore the truth, then I will come with you right now to talk to him about the Dursleys."
"Then Albus would send him to live with ME. I couldn't do that Remus, I'd be worse than the Dursleys…"
"No you wouldn't. You have never hit a student, and I know that all the yelling that you do is just an act. You only need to give yourself a chance, and spare your son another summer of beatings."
"Very well…."
"Promise and swear that you will tell Harry, and soon."
"I promise that I will tell…Harry…the truth before Christmas. Are you happy now?"
"Yes, but you understand that I am not doing this for 'me.' I'm doing this for Harry…and for you."
"Me?" Severus asked loudly, looking very affronted.
"Yes. You have a son, Severus. You have as much right to know him as he does you. You're both the only real family either of you has."
"I would have to agree with you on the last. Can we please get on with it? I'd like to tell Albus and get this whole thing over with as soon as possible, I'm sure he'll have plenty to say."
"He won't be ashamed of you, you know that."
"Yes…but then he doesn't have to be."
A/N: I am sure you people have figured out that this is definite AU and Sevie, Harry, and Remus are all out of character.
Ya! Two thousand and eighty six words, that is good for me…Ha-ha!
Have fun and please review if you have any questions, comments, encouragement, or notification of a grammatical or spelling error. Thank you all for wasting your time and energy reading my stupid and entirely too long author's notes. I know. You hate me….I love you! Ha-ha. Cheers.
Abhor means Hate.