The Secret Sons

I do not own Harry Potter or anything in the series/franchise. It belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm just taking some liberties with it. Hope you like it.

I.

She stood back from the crowd, not too near to be considered a part of it, yet not to far to merit any attention. She was a slight figure in a dark hooded cape, covering dress robes that were somewhat shabby but still serviceable. One hand clutched it close, while the other held an umbrella shielding her from the rain that was beating down on the mourners.

She was surprised to hear about the service. Despite her little knowledge on the goings-on of the Wizarding world and the events that had recently passed, she knew that the man they were burying today wasn't that well thought of by many. Yet they came in droves today: members of the Ministry of Magic, professors from Hogwarts whom she recognized during her short stay there years ago, even people she occasionally saw on the street of Statford, where she resided.

In front of the crowd stood several people she didn't recognize. Majority of them had red hair of various shades, their faces bearing enough similarities that marked them as a family. With them was a young man with a shock of disheveled black hair and bright green eyes not quite hidden behind his glasses. When he lifted his hand to his forehead, she noticed the lightning shaped scar. Harry Potter.

He was flanked by a tall young man also with bright red hair, and a serenely beautiful young woman with brown hair tied back. Neither one was touching Harry, but they showed a united front, one of which she approved and understood. She knew that they were his best friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermionie Granger.

A man wearing stately wizard robes walked up to Harry, who leaned down to listen to what he had to say. The Boy Who Lived straightened, nodded and walked out to face the crowd. Taking a deep breath, he began to speak.

"I thank you all for coming today. Truly, I was surprised by your attendance, as I had never let people know that we were having this service.

"I know Severus Snape wasn't the most popular amongst the teachers of Hogwarts, and that many didn't trust him, despite the assurances Professor Dumbledore gave about him and his character. Even my own father and his friends didn't fully trust him, thus the wide gap between them and Professor Snape."

Here Harry paused, and glanced at his friends. Hermionie was clutching Ron's arm, looking at him worriedly. Beside her was Ginny, and she gave Harry a small nod, encouraging him to go on.

"In the light of the recent events, I have come to know this man. Oh, I can't claim to know much, as I too was consumed by anger at him, seeing what he had done and believing that he had done it for Lord Voldemort. Those who were there during that last battle heard what I said. Severus Snape was never Voldemort's man. Severus Snape was Dumbledore's, from the moment Voldemort made movements to kill the woman he loved from childhood.

"I believe now that I wasn't --- none of us, meant to know who Severus really was and what he was to do. In the end, it was all revealed to me, and I learned that the man I so despised was the man I was supposed to be in great debt for."

Harry gazed out to the crowd, his eyes unashamedly brimming with tears. "I owe Severus Snape many thanks, and I owe him an apology. He is not a coward, as I had thought, but rather, he was the bravest man I had ever met."

He stepped back from the crowd, back to his friends. He reached for Ginny's hand and felt her warmth envelop him. He knew he could never repay Severus in any way, but he hoped that somehow, the man knew that he was grateful.

Far back from the crowd, the woman let her tears silently flow. Harry Potter's words were a balm to her soul.

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Author's Notes: Well, I finally decided to upload this. It's still a work in progress, so please bear with me. I've been reading Harry Potter since it came out and have been a fangirl for nearly that long. However, I'm am aware that I'm too familiar with their world, and am sometimes too lazy to research. This was born out of a random ramble after finishing "Deathly Hallows." I guess you might have an idea where it'll go, especially when you go on to the next chapters. I'd love some constructive feedback, and if you catch some inconsistencies, wrong grammar or spelling that I've missed, let me know (if possible, nicely :D).