Chapter One

It was either early morning or late night-one could never be too sure unless possessing a watch. Darkness covered the Hidden Leaf Village in a seemingly unbreakable barrier of safety and contentment. If one were to look in the windows of one of the endless apartments, they would see children and adults sleeping comfortably in their beds. Not even toads were rude enough to disrupt the peace of Konoha with their grating groans.

However, in one apartment there was a loud noise, or it seemed loud considering it was the only noise in the entire village. It was the sound of a conversation that had gotten a bit out of hand. Screams and yells of displeasure emanated from that single home, and they were getting louder. If anybody had been walking close enough to make out the words, they would say that somebody was trying to force another to do something that they utterly did not want to do.

"…I refuse…" said the first person in reply to the second's demand. He was sitting on the couch with his arms crossed in irritation and resolve.

The second person replied in a calm yet forceful voice, "It's your duty, and my order. You have to do it, Lee." Lee was silent, but he still looked as if his mind had already bee made up. The woman sighed, and continued, "Look, I know why you don't want to go, but it doesn't change the fact that this is an official mission that you are required by law to accept…besides, you're the only one that can do it…"

At this, Lee responded. His voice was a mix of respect and exasperation, "Lady Tsunade, forgive me. I cannot take on this mission, for it would be in direct violation of everything I have ever learned. My mind is only for youth and taijutsu; magic is out of the question."

"Lee, if you do not except this mission you will be stripped of your Shinobi status. You will forever be nothing more than a common townsman. That is how serious this is, and I will do it if you don't cooperate." Tsunade was yelling now, the veins in her neck practically popping out. Lee's eyes grew wider during the Hokage's speech, and his face fell like a brick when the thought of being an average villager seeped in.

"I-Lady…Tsunade," Lee struggled to find words as his mind and heart fought. He made fists with his hands, and knew he had to agree to the mission. He gave the woman a tight nod, and said simply, "All right, I will go."

Tsunade smirked happily at getting her way, and spoke once more before exiting Lee's house. "You'll be on a team of five, and you will leave tomorrow at noon on the dot. Come to my office and I'll send you all on your way…" adding the tiniest bit of compassion to her farewell, she added, "Rest well."

Lee looked at his lap, waiting until he heard the sound of the door close. When the Hokage was finally out of his house, Lee stood up and slowly trudged towards the mirror in his bedroom. He noticed the dark circles under his eyes, and his messy hair. Lee decided to heed Tsunade's advice, and made his way towards his bed.

Bang! A noise stopped Lee in his tracks. It sounded like something hard had impacted against the window beside his bed. The ninja opened his window and looked down. Ireni Aburame was at the base of the apartment building, looking up at him.

"I-Ireni-chan…" Lee cried in surprise. His girlfriend was looking up at him with sadness in her eyes.

"Can I come up?" She called out, and Lee nodded widely. Ireni crouched and jumped up to his window on the third floor with ease. She stepped into his room and looked around, obviously avoiding his gaze. Lee cocked his head and met her gaze.

"What is wrong?" he asked simply. Ireni gave a small smile and replied evenly.

"You're leaving on a mission tomorrow-you're going to Hogwarts! I'm just a bit sad that I can't come."

Lee's eyes were wide, "ho-how did you know all of that? Were you listening?"

Ireni's eyebrows made an 'are-you-serious?' expression, and she said, "Um, you and Lady Tsunade were talking loud enough to hear all the way in the Sand Village." Lee's face flushed red, so Ireni quickly changed the subject, "So do you know who else is going to be on your team?"

Lee shook his head, "Lady Hokage did not tell me. I am supposed to meet with her in her office tomorrow." Lee looked deep in thought, and after a moment of silence he happily added, "Ireni-chan! You are not a registered Shinobi! You could come with us on the mission, and Tsunade-sama could not stop you!"

Ireni's frown turned quickly into a smile, and she giggled with delight, "You're right! Okay, consider me the sixth team mate-er, you don't think I'll get into trouble?"

Lee, who was smiling in 'youthful' delight, quickly shook his head, "No, no! Once we are out of the Village, Lady Tsunade cannot force you to stay away from us. You will be free to accompany us to Hogwarts…" Lee's face fell as he brought up once again the destination of the mission. Ireni wrapped her arms around Lee to comfort him.

"Why don't you want to go to Hogwarts?" Ireni asked in a light voice. Lee looked over at her, and smiled weakly.

"I…I am sorry. I cannot talk about it yet." He replied tightly.

"If you tell me, you can get it off your chest," Ireni pointed out, putting her head on Lee's shoulder. He sighed loudly, and answered her question.

"I…well…" Lee fell silent before finishing, "Lady Tsunade believes that she may have found my father. If it is indeed true, then I could be a…Wizard."

Ireni pulled away from Lee so she could stare at his face. He was biting his lip in obvious anxiety, and his round eyes were wandering the room.

"L-Lee! She-your father? Who is it? Who does she think he is?" Ireni was ecstatically questioning her boyfriend, and he was biting his lip in worry.

"Well…she says that…his name is Severus Snape…"

The face of Might Guy was indescribable. It was a mix of abandonment and happiness, loss and excitement. His student might have found his father, his only living relative…but he was leaving for over a year.

"Lee…" Guy cried, tear streaming down his face.

"Guy-sensei…!" Lee replied, an equal amount of liquid coming from his own eyes.

Guy grabbed his student in a tight hug, and they broke down in a huge display of affection. Between sobs, Guy-sensei spoke to Lee, encouraging him about his long mission and giving him advice.

"L-Lee! Learn the magic with all of your youthful vigor! But don't forget to train…never forget to train with all your might," at this Guy pulled Lee away to look at him, and give him the nice guy pose. Lee had a small smile on his soaking face, and he and his sensei entered each others embrace once again. "Now," Guy said suddenly after a moment, "go to Lady Hokage and receive your mission. But never forget that you are precious to me, and if anything should happen to you while you are away, I will suffer the pain right along with you."

"G-Guy-sensei!" Lee choked out. They hugged for another minute, and Lee left to go learn the details of the mission.

Guy watched his student go, and vowed to spend the time that he was away training his other students to become as youthfully successful as Lee.

As the Hidden Leaf Village became a blur around him, the Hokage's mansion came into view. Lee made one final leap at the edge of a roof, and flipped onto the entrance stoop. Two guards were posted on each side of the door, and let Lee in instantly. The young ninja jogged up the stairs quickly and lunged into Tsunade's room (none of the hurriedness was necessary by the way, Lee was merely training; he still had ten minutes before he was due to show up).

"Hello," Tsunade greeted Lee, "your teammates should be here soon…" The Hokage bit her lip, looking like she wanted to say more, but she kept quiet. Lee nodded respectfully and waited near the door. The thoughts of his could-be father came crashing back on his lax mind, and he lowered his head so that Lady Tsunade couldn't see the frustration in his face.

Ten minutes passed in a blur, and Lee heard the door open for the first time. He glanced up and saw three ninja's walk in. Lee wondered where the third was, but the Hokage was already talking.

"Shino Aburame, Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, Rock Lee. You have all been assigned an S-Rank mission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Tsunade began by simply telling the group what they already knew, "There have been reports of unidentified crimes being committed on premises, and they require trained ninja's to learn what's going on," The Hokage turned to Lee, "Your father, Severus Snape was the one who requested this mission. You see, the prime suspect of the crimes is the student-body, so we need somebody who can blend among them and learn what's going on. Lee, you are the only ninja in the village who might be able to use magic, and therefore blend in adequately. Lee, you're this mission's only chance."

Lee gulped quietly, fearful that he might be in over his head. The Hokage continued regardless, "as for the rest of you…" Tsunade pulled out a chart from her desk, "you've all been chosen due to your individual talents. Shikamaru, you will use your intelligence in History, and your Shadow Possession jutsu in charms. Shino, you will use your bugs in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Neji you will use your Byakugan in Potions and Herbology and-oh perfect timing. Kankuro, you will use your Puppet master jutsu in broom flying." At that moment, the Sand ninja Kankuro walked trough the Hokage's doors. Everyone's eyes were wide in surprise at his arrival, and Kankuro scratched the back of his head in discomfort.

"A…why is a Sand Ninja on this mission?" Neji asked in shock.

"He had specific skills that were needed to complete this mission, and the Sand graciously allowed us to borrow him," the Hokage replied nonchalantly, "Now as for you, Lee…" Tsunade turned to the final Shinobi with a mischievous glare, "you will be taking all the classes, and you will be learning actual magic." The Hokage turned back to the group as a whole, "Remember not to get caught by anyone. Never let slip the truth of who we are, or the mission could very well be ruined. Also, I will be sending a backup team to check on you in a month or so, since we can't stay in touch-we don't have any owls. Now," Tsunade motioned for the door, "go to the village entrance. I have arranged for special transportation. Good Luck."

Severus Snape paced his bedroom on the fourth sleepless night since he had heard the news. How could he sleep? How could he sleep knowing what he knew?

A thousand questions were coursing through the Wizard's mind as he sat down on his desk chair. His fingers fumbled with everything and anything they found-Snape was oblivious.

Snape pictured his face, as he had done so many times since he discovered the document. He pictured the appearance of his son, Lee.

Snape wondered many things, and his mind would not be put to rest. It had been nearly seventeen years since he had lost touch with the woman who had given birth to his son, so he knew his relative age. All he wanted was one glance at his face.

Suddenly, an owl hoot came from the window, and Snape went to let it in. He didn't recognize the owl, but he noticed that it was gorgeous. It was a deep chocolate brown with gold tinged feather-tips. Its beak was light russet, and was as sharp as a knife. But the most unusual thing of all was the eyes. One eye was blue—which by itself was an unusual feature for an owl, but the right eye was milky white, and had a long scar running over it. The owl clutched a note in its talons, which Snape uncurled and read hurriedly. He didn't know who it was from, but what it said surprised him:

Dear Severus Snape,

You don't remember me, and I won't bother you with my name. What I will tell you though is a bit of news that might come as a shock to you: you have a son. I won't tell you every little detail because I know that you don't want to hear it. All I'll tell you is that he's alive, and well, and would love to meet you if you would have him. Send a reply with this owl, and make sure that you pay him with a meal.

Forever Yours

Snape reread the letter at least four times, trying to remember who the handwriting belonged to. He knew he had seen it before, but he couldn't place it. He put the piece of paper down, and looked over at the owl. It was standing in place, awaiting its meal and reply note.

Standing up from his desk, Snape trudged to his kitchen and pulled out a small dish of leftover chicken. He took it back into his room and placed it in front of the bird, which finished it in two bites.

Then Snape returned to his desk to write a reply.

Dear Whoever Wrote the Letter,

I already know about my son, and in fact he's coming to visit as I write this. I don't know who you are, but I hope you will tell me, because I do want to know. I also want to know how you learned about my son, Lee.

Sincerely,

Severus Snape

The Professor placed his note in the clutches of the owl, which flew off immediately. It was chilly in the house, so Snape closed the window immediately and climbed into his bed. He believed that he would finally be able to fall asleep, and he was right.

***Hey guys! Just so you know, this is a very old story. Two, three years ago I wrote this. I just decided to post because I'm just now getting into the whole "FFN" thing XD. But this was one of my more serious stories, and It's based off of a joke at school; that Rock Lee is the son of Severus snape, and that's why he can;t use Jutsu. Its a long story, you dont wanna know. But anyway, I hope you'll enjoy. Also, the character Ireni is an old OC of mine. She's an Ice Elf moved to Konoha and is dating Lee. If she bothers you, ignore her. She'll go away lol.