Title: Family pt2: His Fathers Son
Author: Shorens
Date: Novembre 3, 2012
Disclaimer: Except for the plot. It all belongs to JK Rowling :)
Summary: A month has passed since the letters; Severus and Harry trying to get a normal family relationship while they try to live their lives as they always have done, alone. Harry tries to make his father proud while Severus feel worry for his son actions.
Harry sighed and leaned his head against the wall behind him. The headaches were beginning to form now when he's relaxed, and had he not been at the ministry, he would have sat down on the floor but now he had to settle for the cold that seeped through the wall and in beneath his clothes. He sighed again, just as the door at the end of the corridor opened and Hermione stepped out. She had a slight smile on her face as she closed the door behind her. Harry raised a Snape like eyebrow at Hermione and she lit up and nodded.
"Oh, it feels so good!" He laughed lightly and hugged her. "And you?" She pushed him gently from him to see his face.
"Oui, madame! Me to, and guess what?!" She shook her head vigorously at his smile. "If I pass; Smith will have me as an apprentice next Christmas!" Hermione screamed with joy and threw herself around his neck again.
"Oh Harry you will become a healer! Come on, we need to be quick and be back before anyone notices that we're gone." Hermione looked at her watch and sighed. "Already half-past five, we have to be back before dinner."
Harry grabbed her hand and they began to move forward towards the fireplace entrance. They chatted while they walked about the tests they just took, Harry told he had a bit of problem with a question on his Potions test but the DADA test he took in the morning was without any fuss. Hermione, who had written the DADA test with him asked about a question issue she had and realized that she had been right about it, but her Artimancy test had been a little harder but she though she passed it anyway.
"Do you think you should have studied more?" Harry glanced down at Hermione, and got a happy feeling in his stomach that he actually started shooting a bit in height. He was still short for a sixteen year old boy but he was still taller than most girls.
"Are you saying that we should have taken the NEWTs next year with everyone else and done this test in a couple of years?" Hermione shook her head. "No, I felt that I wouldn't have gained anything from another year or two."
Harry nodded and let her have the fireplace before him. She smiled before she said the password and disappeared. Three minutes later, Harry left the ministry and landed deep inside the Hogwarts grounds.
Ron Weasley slid further down on the couch with a book in his hand. In the chamber of secrets stood the snakestatues in a row and a few sofas formed a circle with the one he sat in. The sofas had all different sizes and shapes but they formed a cozy atmosphere. Ron was alone at the moment, the others had classes. He shook himself and sat up, it did not help that he was nervous now. He glanced at the clock, half past four, he might do some exercise, reading was impossible for him at the moment. He went into a passage between two snakestatues and came into a large library. With his wand he hit the spine of the book twice and it floated back to its rightful place. Instead of going back into the main hall he took left through a door and entered the Fitness Centre. Around the walls were various training tools whiles it in the middle was a large open area. He sighed again and looked at the clock, nine thirty-five. Hopeless! He went out to the main hall again from the training room and came out the other side of the sofas. Maybe he would make a sandwich. He walked over to the other side and in between two snakestatues, he wondered why Slytherin had been so obsessed with snakes, but could not for his life figure it out. Sure he could talk to snakes but have snake stuff everywhere was a little over the top. The room was more modern than anything else in the chamber. A refrigerator and freezer with work benches stood along the wall, with cupboards and drawers. There were two stoves and two ovens and in the middle of the room was one bit table for twenty people. Ron smiled slightly at the table as he remembered that their group of friends did not fill the table completely. He took a glass from one of the cupboards and started to look around in the refrigerator until he came out with a can of orange juice. The toilets were in between two other snakestatues, opposite the library and to the left of the kitchen, they were complete with showers, changing rooms and toilets. The only thing he lacked with the chamber was a bedroom and they would be able to live down here all the time. Ron estimated at the thought as he walked back out to the main hall and sank down on a sofa. On a table in the middle were a few newspapers and he fished out a Quidditch magazine from the pile before he sat down comfortably and began to read, nothing could calm him as well as Quidditch, and possibly Hermione. When he read the newspaper three times, he realized why he was down in the Chamber of Secrets by himself. A fast look at the watch showed just over half past five and he looked over at a fireplace that stood to the right of Salazar's head. In a moment they would be back from their tests and Ron was able to ask the questions he had after his own DADA test. Suddenly the fire blazed into the green flames and Hermione Granger came out.
"How did it go?" The question was out of him before he could rise from the couch. She smiled big and nodded yes before she embraced him.
"You?"
"Good, just question sixteen, you know the one with the Unforgivable ..."
"You mean the question b? Can you survive Avada Kadavra? "Ron nodded."I wrote 'in principle no, but it has happened.'" Hermione shrugged.
"Okay, I wrote, 'No, only if your name is Harry Potter.'" He grinned.
"I wrote: 'I did'." Both Ron and Hermione looked back at Harry, who stepped out of the fire and brushed off his clothes and hair with a grin.
All three burst into laughter.
Snow fell outside the window and lay like a white blanket over the Hogwarts grounds. The lake was frozen and the Forbidden Forest was no longer dark, but white. Different Christmas carols were sung inside the castle; both students and the professors were in the Christmas spirit. Although the spirit of Christmas; there were some things that were as usual. Bins lessons were still full of sleep, the library was a quiet oasis, and people moved when Severus Snape marched past them in the corridors. Severus swept down the stairs and stopped. Three weeks ago had brought him to this place and now he was here again. The boy had sometimes just disappeared over the week and sometimes he had not turned up for meals. However, he always turned up at their meetings. It had been a month since Severus found out that Harry Potter was his, Lily and James's son. Severus had a soft spot for the boy, but it did not mean that the boy had the right to do whatever he wanted and now he was not where he should be. Most of the students at the school sat in the great hall for dinner, but not the golden trio, and when they also had missed lunch Severus was willing to drag them out from the library. Severus entered the quiet environment and looked quickly around but found only some Hufflepuffs further down in a corner but no others. Severus slid up to the counter and Pince looked up.
"Mr. Potter?" Pince shook her head.
"Hasn't been here today ..." Severus nodded thanks and disappeared into the corridor.
Where the hell is he?
The cold could not penetrate through his clothes as he cast a light heat spell on himself when he went floor by floor looking for his son. When he an hour later rounded a corner without success in finding him he stopped and let out a frustrated sigh. He had been looking at the most common places but had not found them. In the middle of the hallway he had stopped in a door opened and the trio spilled out. He straightened his back and cleared his throat.
"Professor Snape!" Hermione Granger closed the door and looked at anything but him.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter. Care to tell me..." Severus Snape penetrated them with his eyes. "...where have you been?"
"Talking to Myrtle." Harry smiled and the others nodded.
"All day?" Weasley and Granger fidget, Harry put his head on the side.
"Really? What's the time?" Severus narrowed his eyes.
"Dinner time!"
"Already?" Harry looked really surprised and hadn't Severus lived a half lifetime with James Potter he would have fallen for it. "I thought we could count on your stomach Ron, to tell us we missed lunch..."
The three laughed and started to go towards the great hall.
"Mr Potter..." They turned and looked at him. "My classroom half past seven. Don't be late!" And with that he was gone.
Severus studied the trio over the dinner. They all sat with their friends talking like nothing happened, but Severus had the feeling that something was up. Had he not been thinking about that feeling he wouldn't have noticed Ginny Weasley stand up and leave the Gryffindor table to join Luna Lovegood with the Ravenclaws. He didn't really know why that interested him but when he saw Terry Boot turn his head lightly towards them and looked like he just stopped talking to his roommates Severus got a feeling in his gut something was happening right before everyone's eyes. And there it was, just for a second, a glance and a small nod, nothing more. Terry Boot who sat three seats to the side and on the other side of the table from Lovegood meet her eyes, she looked back to Ginny Weasley who nodded her head as she answered a silent question. Boot rised from his table, said something to his roommates and left for the Hufflepuff table. It looked like there was something going on and just one minute after Boot had started talking to Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot and Amie Moon, did Miss Moon rise and leave for the Slytherin table. Snape was hooked. Moon sat down with Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis, two Slytherin who were a bit of outsiders for the Slytherin. They did not hang with Parkinsson's girls and had never really chosen a side in the war. Amie Moon looked like she talked to them about a school project and he was just about to let the peculiar moment go as something he just imagined when he saw Draco Malfoy a few seats from them avert his eyes to look at his new gang. Blasie Zabini and Theodor Not. The three guys looked at each other, looking like they were eavesdropping on the girl. Suddenly Draco Malfoy looked across the hall and Severus followed his sight to Harry Potter. Their eyes were locked and Severus thought that either Draco or Harry would start a shouting match but when Harry only blinked once and Draco then looked away everything was over. Full circle, Severus had experienced something he couldn't really explain, and when he looked around the room he saw that no one else had reacted. McGonnagall sat and discussed something with Flitwick and Dumbledore and all the students were just as boisterous as always. Severus looked down on his food and massages his forehead, he probably just made it all up, but when he looked up over the students again, just a few minutes later, he spotted the Slytherin trio just stand up to leave. Davis and Greengrass just slipped through the door and Moon, Abbot and Bones were gone together with Boot and Lovegood. When Severus looked at the Gryffindors he could see that only Harry, Granger and Ron sitting and staring at each other, gone were Longbottom, Thomas and Finnigan who had been there before, and Severus got that feeling again. Just as he thought that he should follow them did Granger and Weasley stand up to leave. They gave a last look at Harry who nodded and Severus could swear he saw Granger look up at him before they left. What is happening?
He had decided to look for the students when he realized that the clock was crawling closer to half past seven and he was supposed to meet Harry. When he was in his classroom again, correcting essays and thinking what he would ask Harry about he heard a knock on the door, signaling that Harry was there. But his son was not who entered, it was Draco, his godson.
"Draco, I wasn't expecting you, is something the matter?" Draco closed the door and turned around, a vacant look on his face as he came closer.
"You were expecting Harry, right?" Draco had now a determined look about him and Severus was on his guard.
"Harry? Since when... Draco what's going on?" Severus put down his quill and studied his godson.
"Come on, Uncle, I will show you..."
And he did follow.
Severus Snape was proud to say that he was a good spy, it was demonstrated as exceptional when he survived Voldemort for so many years, especially when he didn't faithfully serve him... it. Anyway, Severus was proud to say that he rarely was surprised. However, when he was lead down in a tunnel that seemed to have collapsed he wasn't really sure if this was what he had expected when he went with Draco into an unused girls' toilet. When he stepped through a door in to the 'actual chamber' that Draco named it, he stopped for a short time to take it all in. Snakestatues formed an aisle to a large head of Salasar Slytherin and a little lake. In the middle of the aisle stood a few couches and tables; all different, as if they had been taken from different places just to form a cozy place. Suddenly he felt that something had gone right for him today. The students who sat in the sofas were the ones he studied in the great hall at dinner. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were no surprise, as soon as the rules were broken at least one of the golden trio was involved, in one way or another. Amie Moon, Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones, three Hufflepuffs which were certainly ambitious in school but never seen hanging out with anyone but themselves sat and discussed with Terry Boot, a boy half of the school probably had never seen. Luna Loovegood, Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom; three people who often were seen with the trio as soon as they got the chance were there, but Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan who also were present was a surprise. Draco moved from his place beside him and urged him to sit in an armchair beside Theodore Nott, Blasie Zabini and Daphne Greengrass. Severus felt tired when he sank down on the chair.
"Draco?"
"Harry is in the kitchen, he and Tracy are bringing tea and scones..." Just as he said that Harry and Tracy emerged from between two snakestatues and each put down a tray.
"Uh Dad..." Harry sat down in a sofa opposite him. "Hi! Welcome... I just wanted you to know about my friends, and I guess you know everybody but, yeah. We meet here and do homework and stuff because in third year when the war was going on we couldn't be seen together so we pretended to be enemies upstairs but here we could just be ourselves and..." Harry caught Grangers eyes and he stopped talking. Severus got the feeling that they were talking without words again and it irritated him.
Severus scratched his nose as he always did when irritated and gratefully accepted a cup of tea Draco reached him. When Harry and Granger seemed to have stopped talking he looked up again, disappointed. Harry stared doggedly into his cup.
"How many rules do you break now?" He directed his gaze to Granger, who smiled easily.
"None professor, right now it's Friday night, there are no rules about curfews or anything else. And we are still in Hogwarts." He grunted slightly and rubbing his eyes. Severus looked up again and studied his son who did not meet his gaze.
"And you've been here all day, skipping class, if I remember right?" Everybody suddenly started to fidget and Severus leaned back in the armchair.
When everyone had finally agreed on staring at Harry, he sighed and set down his cup on the table, and looked up into Severus's eyes.
"We have been at the Ministry. No one knows about this fireplace and it's the only place you can get in and out of Hogwarts without anyone noticing. "
"What the hell were you doing there?" Severus stood up, suddenly furious. Harry looked away again, and mumbled something he couldn't hear. "What?"
"We took our Apprentice test, the ATs."
Severus's eyes widened. An Apprentice test, or ATs as everybody called them, was for students who had passed their NEWTs to see if they had sufficient knowledge to go on as an apprentice. Usually the tests were taken two or three years after graduating from Hogwarts, and after a student had studied a little over two years more. Severus sat up and looked around.
"How many of you here have taken these tests?"
It took a few seconds before Mr Weasley slowly raised his hand, he was followed by Granger and Draco. After a minute had Longbottom, Bones, Boot, and Davis also raised their hands.
"Okay ..."
Severus scratched his nose but now he was more frustrated than irritated. Weasley and Granger suddenly stood up.
"Girls, I thought ..." and before Severus could get someone to stay he was alone with Harry..
"Dad, I ..." Harry ruffled his hair as James used to do when he was nervous.
"Don't!" Severus looked up at Harry. "Do you know how dangerous it is for you to leave Hogwarts?"
"What?" Had Severus been calmer he would have seen the telltale signs from Lily that Harry got irritated.
"To go to the Ministry, seriously Potter, that was the stupidest..." But he didn't got to finish because his son stood from his place and gave him a look only Severus seen himself master.
"If it didn't cross your mind, professor, that I did it for me to feel sane, like my own person and not because someone told me to or because I had to, but because I choose to be good in school, you don't know me at all. I killed Voldemort, Snape, I had to cold blooded kill a man when I was fifteen because no one older than me dared to, and because they trusted me to do it, I a mere boy. And then you and everybody else treats me like I can't defend myself when that's what I have been doing since I got to this world. I know what I did when I wrote the test, and I'm proud of myself, I just had hoped that my father would have been too..." Severus looked at Harry, the boy had the same body as Lily had when she was angry.
"You are just a boy, Harry you can't..." But Harry didn't listen, he walked with big steps to the fireplace and grabbed the floopowder.
"Don't bother, Snape. Ask Dobby how to exit the chamber. I'm going to tell the news to my father..." And when the boy disappeared Severus whole body hurt. His son, Harry his son, had called someone else his father.
Two weeks after he had been in the chamber he decided to confront his son again. He had studied everything that day, in his mind, with occlumency and in his pensive and he had seen Harry call someone else his father so many times that Severus now knew he said it to hurt him. His Harry was a Slytherin, and Severus was proud, but at the same time so very hurt by the fact that Harry would hurt him on such level. When he realized that Harry would have gone to Lupin he had tried to leave after him, but apparently you needed a password to travel with the floo so he had contacted Dobby and then made his way out from the castle. When he made it to Lupin the boy had already left and he had an angry werewolf to stand up against. But he had god a lot of answers from the mutt, he had told him about Harry and how to raise the young man. Because according to Lupin, that was what Harry was, a young man. And through the weeks he had seen what Lupin saw, he saw Harry talking to the DADA professor, just as an equal, he saw him help younger and older students with school work. He saw his son living, probably for the first time in his life. When he stopped Draco just before entering the chambers Draco looked like he didn't want to be the one who let him in. But if it was for the not so common 'please' that exit his mouth or because Draco could see the panic in his eyes, he didn't know, but Draco gave in. When he entered the chamber it was empty and his heart sank but Draco continued to a side aisle and motioned to Severus to follow. They entered a library that was just smaller than Hogwarts library and between all the bookcases stood his son, tutoring. On the black board that hung on the far wall had his son's sloppy handwriting on it but you could clearly read what it said. In a square on the right side corner was the difference between a brew, a concoction, a draught, an elixir, a philtre, a poison and a tincture written. In the middle was a version of the pepper up potion. Draco grabbed him and dragged him behind a bookcase.
"Watch this!" he whispered excited.
Harry turned around and leaned against the board.
"So, a pepper-up potion type one, what's so special about this, Theo?"
"This is a weaker potion, so it's gentler than type two and better for a common cold and if you are tired, because you can build up immunity to the second one that is stronger."
"Right!" Harry did a stretch next to the text on the board "But what happens if someone is allergic to Dandlion Roots?"
"You can replace them with something else?" Ginny looked uncertain.
"True. Nev, a plant that is similar to Dandlion Roots?" Harry stroked Dandlion Roots in the recipe.
"Asphodel Leaves, but they are stronger and do not mix well with the Butterscotch."
"You can switch Butterscotch with Ginger they have almost the same structure but Ginger is more empowering. At least that is what I read, at some point in a book ..." Susan Bones looked in her notes, trying to find the answer.
"Correct!" Harry scratched Butterscotch and wrote Ginger over Asphodel Leaves. "Now we have a completely new base, which will change the potion a lot as well, does something big happens?"
"It makes Asphodel become sweet, and it intersects with the Honey Water." Theo wrote something in his book, scratching his forehead, "but cut Rue will then pick up the sweet of the Asphodel and makes a neutral pH, but Honey Water would still not work. "
"Well done, guys!" Harry wrote down Rue. "Now Dittany still works in the potion, which means we just miss the liquid. Now, I know a liquid that strengthens the entire potion, it has a feature that makes the drink more efficient. "
There was silence and the others looked at each other.
"Come on, we use it often in potions." Harry wrote an 'S' on the board.
"Salamander Blood." Draco stepped out from behind a shelf, Snape after him.
Harry smiled and shook his head.
"You others are allowed to hit Draco once each because he cheats, but he is right. Salamander Blood," He turned around and wrote it under the new potion before he circled the entire potion, "the iron melts together with the base and ten minutes of simmering and you have yourself a stronger potion without Dandlion Roots. Now, why do we have two, that is like Theo said, if you take this potion too much you create an immunity to it. Nev, read about the many plants and ingredients in the Potion and try to see everything as if you mix plants, then maybe it is easier for you. Gin, Luna, 'To change your potion' is a good book for your essays; just remember not to write to alike. Theo, Tray, Daph, help the others. You too Draco! Terry - a word. You others, scoot!"
A murmur spread in the room when everyone started to talk, Amie, Susan, Hannah and Hermione vanished into the other room with the others.
"Hermione, do you have that book Harry was talking about?"
The answer was not heard when they were already out of the room and when Ron had followed them out Draco turned towards Severus.
"The golden boy is good at Potions, never saw that coming, right?" He grinned and picked out a Potion book from a shelf. "See you later!" And he disappeared.
Severus turned back to Harry, who discussed something with Terry and began to walk closer to the blackboard. He started to read the board while they finished their discussion.
"... But read what I wrote in the margins. It's just little stuff, apart from that it was awesome. I had given you an O! "
"Thanks, Ry!" Terry patted his back and left the two alone in the room.
Harry turned around and damped a rag with water and Severus leaned against a bench. They didn't say anything to each other, only saw the words disappear on the blackboard. When Harry finally had saved the little square with the different formulations, he turned around and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Was there anything special you wanted?"
"How is it that you do not read Potions anymore when you seem to know it ... You must still have it to become a healer, now you just need to read it later, after Hogwarts, am I that bad as a teacher?" Severus watched as Harry had a bitter smile before he snorted and sat on a chair.
"And you never thought that I am your son and already have my newts in Potions?" Severus froze. "Of course it did not ... Serious, you thought I did not know that I needed Potions to become a healer. What have I done to deserve the picture you have of me? "
Harry shook his head and stood and made it to the door out of the library. Just before he disappeared he turned around and met Severus's glance.
"I just thought I got my answers from the ATs yesterday; I've got an apprenticeship with healer Smith from August next year; if you wanted to know. "And he vanished, just like all the others had done before him.
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table at dinner. There was lively buzz in The Great Hall, but after the years you got used to it. A fourth-year student asked him to send the potatoes, this was his home, and he loved that he could anonymously drop down at a table and be one in the crowd, even if everyone knew who he was, when he was still just another Gryffindor. Ron sank down beside him with Hermione opposite. He looked up and saw that most of their gang strolled into the hall.
"You disappeared." Hermione poured water to all three of them.
"Professor Snape, he can make me so frustrated without saying anything." Harry poked easily into the food. "I don't think he even knows what he does."
Hermione nodded and Ron clapped him on the back. Just when Ginny, Neville, Dean and Seamus sat down beside them, Snape swept into the hall. He scanned the Gryffindor table.
"Harry Potter" The hall fell silent as they watched Snape move against him. "Would you be kind enough to accompany me?"
"Where?" Harry stood up with Ron, who held his wrist.
"Out."
"Severus, what is this about?" McGonnagall came down from the teacher's table.
"No greater danger, Minerva. I would only change a few words with Harry. "
"Harry, Severus? What is happening, are you sick?" Suddenly she gasped and put her hand over her open mouth. "No, Severus, you would not ... Severus! He's too young! "
When people started to understand what she was talking about a light giggle spreading over the room and Harry could not help the pulling of his mouth. Ron leaned his head back and laughed, and Hermione put her hand to her mouth to hide the smile but her shoulders shook and tears began to flow down her cheeks. Snape looked horrified and Dumbledore was sitting with a big smile on his face.
"I assure you, Minerva, I do not have a sexual relationship with Mister Potter."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure; he is my son for Merlin sake!"
The hall was quiet so fast, that Harry thought he suddenly become deaf. Part of the hall was staring at Severus or Harry, the rest looked between them back and forth. Severus scratched his nose and sighed.
"Your son?"
Harry nodded to Ron, who released him and he walked slowly over to the two professors and easily grabbed hold of Severus's arm.
"Still a Potter though." Harry smiled. "Snape did some kind of potion that allowed mum, dad and papa to be a parent to me, all three of them. So don't worry, still a Potter."
He patted McGonnagal on his arm before he turned and pulled Severus after him out.
They walked for a while, out through the large doors and came out on school grounds. Christmas was a week and a half away and in three days, everyone would go home to their families. Harry pulsed through the snow toward the lake and Severus followed. They said nothing to each other and Harry had let go of Severus' arm when they came out. The ground was quiet, dusk had settled, the days were not so long anymore and it got dark pretty quickly, Harry remembered all the cups of hot chocolate he, Ron and Hermione used to drink when they sat at the three broomsticks and just enjoyed life. Harry could not decide which season he preferred the most, Ron loved the fall, because then they started to become cooler and all the nice colors came out, he also could play Quidditch without getting too hot. Hermione preferred the spring, when the weather allowed you to be out again and see how everything grew to life and you could start to take off all the bulky clothing. Harry liked all the seasons but the winter made him feel secure. From the darkness and all the clothes, to how you could sink into the sofa by the fire and drink a cup of hot tea and watch the wind play with the snowflakes. There was also the small detail; Hogwarts was wonderful in the winter. They arrived at the lake and stayed right on the edge, it was frozen, but you could see some parts of the water move. Harry smiled and thought of the hours he spent in the lake during fourth year.
"What are you thinking about?" He was a little starlet by his father's voice but turned around.
"Cedric." Harry smiled sadly.
There was silence again, and Harry felt Severus's hand on his shoulder.
"You know, Harry," Severus said after a while, "I am proud that you are my son, and that you are who you are."
Their eyes met, the wind became stronger and the snow began to fall. Harry looked up at the white maze and felt a tear slowly began to roll down his cheek. Severus ran his thumb to get rid of it, and Harry closed his eyes. Then he huddled and hugged Severus over the chest, his father hugged him back.
HI!
So this is the secound part in my AU.
My thught is that is gonna be a triology.
So there are something that will popup in the later oneshots... The last one.
I don't have a BETA and my first language is Swedish so be kind ;)
Tell me what you think:D
Hugs!