Chapter 2: Happy Christmas
For a long moment Severus just stood there staring at the head sitting in his fire. "What do you mean by son?" His voice was calm and slow even though that was far from how he felt. That was just Severus however. He was a master at controlling and even hiding his emotions.
"Step through Severus, and I will show you." With that Albus withdrew from the floo, and glanced at the 3 teenagers before him.
Not two seconds later, a frustrated Severus spun out of the fireplace with the signature Snape scowl. "What are you talking about Albus?" He then spotted the golden trio standing there, and actually had to fight to keep the shock off his face. All he could do was assume that it was the golden trio. That was definitely Ronald Weasley, but beside him Miss Granger had the appearance of a cat and instead of seeing James Potter beside the two, he saw a miniature version of himself.
All three of the children looked just as stunned as the potions master felt, but Albus was relaxing in his chair just observing. "I'm not sure I understand all of it, but it seems that Miss Granger managed to brew some Polyjuice potion, and it has brought out the true appearance of young Harry here."
It wasn't often that Severus Snape was caught off guard, but this was definitely one of those times. Not only had Albus Dumbledore told him he had a son, but he also told him that a 2nd year girl had managed to brew Polyjuice potion. That would have been an accomplishment enough for one of his 7th years who had to have gotten an O on their 5th year O.W.L. in Potions, and then continued on and managed to pass their first year of N.E.W.T. To have a 2nd year girl accomplish it? That was not possible. To have the girl in question do it without his knowledge? That was not even a conceivable thought. There was just no way.
"Is that so Miss Granger?" Severus's voice was the normal ice as he forced his shock not to show. Then, without waiting for the girl to respond, he turned to Harry. "Headmaster, do you want to explain to me why you called this disrespectful, arrogant, child my son? I can assure you that Potter got the girl."
Harry was just as stunned as Snape. There was no way he could be Snape's son. Snape hated him, and he hated Snape. It was a mutual agreement. When Snape said that Potter got the girl, Harry's confusion grew. Of course his father got with his mother. Snape probably hadn't even looked twice at her. She was just another Gryffindor, and a muggle born at that. He shot a confused look at Ron who just shrugged looking just as confused and horrified as Harry.
"Severus, I'm sure you know the magic behind this. It's rare and complex, but probably not beyond Lily's talents." Albus's voice was calm, but slightly amused. "Young Harry's appearance here shows that you must have' gotten the girl' at one point, even if it was just one night."
Severus's glare snapped towards Albus as the memory flashed through his mind. It had only been one night, and Lily had been completely distraught. Severus had long since joined the Dark Lord, and had been entirely blindsided when Lily had shown up on his doorstep in tears. She had always been his weakness, and this time had been no different. He had welcomed the girl in and offered as much comfort as he could. The two had then drunk a little, and he had even ended up sleeping with her. It had been a one night thing, and Severus hadn't seen Lily since then. He hadn't even so much as heard from her. It had been exceptionally painful because after a single, drunk, night in heaven, Lily had once again turned a cold shoulder to him as if nothing had happened. Now he was staring at the 12-year old Boy-Who-Lived, and being told that he was his son? This wasn't possible.
"I'm sure that we can't jump immediately to that conclusion Headmaster," Severus' voice was cold as he once again focused his gaze on the entire trio. "Polyjuice potion is extremely hard to brew, and very easy to mess up in even the simplest ways. Mr. Potter's," he refused to think Harry could really be a Snape, "appearance is not the only one that has come away different than what it should," he pointed out as he looked meaningfully at Hermione. He couldn't bring himself to think that Harry was really his son. That Lily had lied to both him and James for about 2 years, and gone to such lengths as to physically cover up the boy's identity. That thought of such strong betrayal from Lily was too much.
"That wasn't her fault," Harry growled at the Potions Master. He didn't care how confusing all of this was. There was no way He was going to let Snape insult Hermione, or any of his friends for that matter. He was barred from continuing however when the Headmaster spoke up.
"Severus, I know you are not that thick," Albus' tone was slightly amused as he watched the horrified looks of both Harry and Severus. "Miss Granger is a perfectly bright witch that made a simple error by drinking a potion with a cat hair instead of her intended prospect. It will not be easy to fix, but can in fact be accomplished. Mr. Potter on the other hand, you know as well as I do, better probably, that partaking of a Polyjuice potion, correctly brewed, will erase all traces of magical glamour, and return one to his natural appearance. I daresay I doubt that Lily ever thought her son would need to use Polyjuice potion."
"And that brings to mind the question of just why did the children need to use Polyjuice potion?" Severus's head was spinning in confusion, and there were 20 million questions all whirring around inside his head at top speed. To his deeper frustration however, neither of the children, nor the Headmaster, cared to answer that particular question. Not that any of his questions were being answered to his satisfaction mind you.
"Professor Dumbledore sir," Harry's voice was soft as he finally found the courage to speak up. "I can't be Snape's son. My mum loved my dad, James."
At this Snape snorted as he tried to hold in a laugh. "Naïve," he stated simply ignoring the glare from the 12-year old.
"Severus, there is no need for any of that," Albus chided gently as he studied Harry. "I'm quite sure that Lily did in fact love James Harry, but I don't think he was the only one that had her heart. He was just the only one she would openly admit her love for, but that is not my story to tell."
"Alright, assume that Potter... Harry," the name sounded foreign on Severus' tongue, "is my son. What happens now?" Severus was still coming to terms with all of this, and honestly wasn't sure what to do. The boy certainly couldn't live with him. If Voldemort ever managed to come back he would hardly be able to take up his role as spy if he had guardianship of the blasted child. That was assuming they could even talk the child into going with him. He had made his opinions of the Potter brat quite clear for the past year and a half. Just 6 months ago the boy had thought he was in conspiracy with Voldemort to kill him. There was no way he would want to live with him. Especially since Severus had no intention of pampering the brat like he was no doubt accustomed to.
"I would believe, Severus, that the answer would be clear." Albus spoke quietly, but fixed both of his pale blue eyes on his young potions master. "You are the boy's rightful father, and therefore would obtain legal guardianship."
At this news Harry's eyes flew open wide in shock and terror and he looked at his two best friends. Hermione silently sat there playing with her now furry hands, but Ron looked at Harry with a mirrored look of astonishment and horror.
Once you took everything into account, Harry wasn't sure what to think about this. Surely this meant leaving the Dursley's, which was something he had dreamed about for 11 years now. On the other hand however, was Snape really a better choice? Harry could accept that the man would not kill him like he thought the previous year, but he was entirely certain that the Hogwarts Potions Master hated him. Hadn't he tried to get him and Ron expelled at the start of term? Maybe it would be in his best interest to stay with the Dursley's. After all, it was only a few weeks a year that he actually had to put up with them. He could manage.
Then there was the fact that Snape clearly didn't want him. The man had just brought forth every possible argument to deny having a son, to deny having him for a son. It wasn't really a surprise to Harry however. He was used to not being wanted. Mrs. Weasley might have been kind to him for the few weeks he was at the Burrow over the summer, but that had been the first time Harry had truly felt accepted anywhere. Even then, one had to remember that it had only been for a few weeks, so he hadn't really had time to show the Weasleys how much of a burden he really was.
It had been several seconds since anyone had spoken, and Harry slowly looked away from his best mate to look into the dark, cold, eyes of his most hated professor. Harry wished more than anything that he could read Snape's thoughts.
While Harry had initially glanced at Ron, Severus had eyes for nobody but his son as soon as the Headmaster had pronounced that he would have legal guardianship over the boy. Both boys shared identical looks of what could only be horror, and Severus couldn't blame them. He was the feared and hated bat of the dungeon. Even if he was in a position to care for the boy he had no doubt that Harry would actually want him. Nobody had ever really wanted him since his mother had died. Lily had been his best friend for several years, but he had even destroyed that when he had called her a mudblood that day on the grounds.
When the boy finally looked at him Severus continued to study him silently as he tried to make out the different emotions filling his young face. There was definitely fear there, but he wasn't quite sure of anything else. Curiosity? Of course the brat was always way too curious for his own good so that would make sense.
"When?" It was all Severus could manage to choke out, though he didn't take his eyes off of his newfound son.
"It would go into effect immediately Severus." Albus's calm voice made both Severus and Harry look at him in questioning horror. "I honestly believe there is no better time. The Christmas break is still in effect, and the two of you would have plenty of time to bond a little, and figure out the kinks of your relationship before you have to return for the second half of term. I would suggest that the two of you leave Hogwarts. Go to your home in Spinner's end, or the Potter or Prince Manor for the remainder of the brake and spend the next few weeks getting to know each other, and learning to work out your differences."
At this suggestion, Harry and Severus's looks of astonishment were joined by Ron and Hermione's.
"Professor, are you sure that's a good idea?" It was Ron that spoke, but it was obvious by the fact Hermione was chewing her lip that she also had her reservations about this idea.
"I can assure you Mr. Weasley that I will not maim, or disfigure your friend in any way." Snape's tone was icy, and the look on the face of the youngest Weasley boy showed that he didn't believe him. Oddly enough, this made him slightly more determined to take Harry home with him for the holiday. Even if it would be a 2 week nightmare trying to handle the arrogant brat until term started again. "Before Harry," He had to pause to speak the child's given name, "and I leave however, I am still very curious as to what has been going on here to lead us to this realization, and Miss Granger's feline appearance."
"Ah, yes, I too would like to make sure I have the entire story straight," Albus stated as he glanced once more at the seated preteens. "Miss Granger has been very diligent in answering my questions so far, but I believe we should start at the beginning. We have established the fact that she managed to brew a N.E.W.T. level potion, but I believe I am still clueless as to the reason behind her actions since I sincerely doubt her motives were purely out of curiosity." At this last statement Dumbledore fixed Hermione with a warning look that clearly told the girl she had better not think of lying to him.
Taking a deep breath Hermione let out a heavy sigh. They were really in for it now. She decided that since they had already involved the Headmaster, she might as well tell the entire story, and make it as honest as she could. "We wanted to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room and question Malfoy about being the heir of Slytherin." Even as she said it she heard how ridiculous it sounded, and knew they were going to be here for a while explaining.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose to try and control his temper as the young witch spoke. "Enlighten me Miss Granger, why on Earth would you think that a second year student knows anything about the heir of Slytherin?"
Hermione just stared at her cat hands feeling like she wasn't the best one to answer that question. She was thankful when Harry spoke up for her.
"Malfoy has made it clear that he doesn't like muggle borns, and wants to get rid of them. He called Hermione a mudblood at the start of the year, and on Halloween he said that the mudbloods would be next to be petrified. We know that the chamber was opened before, so we figured Malfoy's father had opened it when he was in school, and has now told Malfoy how to do it. We also know that the heir of Slytherin would probably be from a family of pureblood Slytherin's, and the Malfoy's have all been Slytherin for generations back. We figured that it would be a good idea to ask Malfoy himself, but knew he would never tell us, so wanted to disguise ourselves as his friends. Ron and I became Crabbe and Goyle, and Hermione was going to become Bulstrode."
Severus gritted his teeth as he prayed to Merlin for patience. It really was going to be a long 2 weeks with just him and the likes of this Gryffindor. "And it never crossed your brilliant minds that the staff hasn't already question Mr. Malfoy?"
"Well, no. Not really," the boy had the decency to blush slightly at his lack of thought in this matter.
"Even if they had though, Malfoy wasn't likely to tell the staff. They've been trying to protect everyone, and he wouldn't want them to stop his opening the chamber."
Snape closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He imagined that Potter wouldn't be so hard to put up with, so long as he could get away from Weasley. Severus wondered if the boy had any intelligent thoughts of his own, or if he just followed Potter into whatever hair brained scheme came next.
"Am I correct in assuming you got nowhere with your questioning of Mr. Malfoy?" Even Albus's patience was starting to wear thin.
"Yes sir." It was Harry that spoke once more. "He doesn't know anything about the chamber or heir."
"Obviously," Snape's voice expressed just how stupid he thought all of this was. "Now the Headmaster has already hinted to me that you got the ingredients to make this illicit potion from my personal stores. Would one of you care to enlighten me as to exactly how you managed to pull this off?" Severus had to admit to himself that having second years able to break into his private stores and steal from him was a little insulting to his pride and intelligence.
"Well..." It was Hermione's voice that spoke this time, and Severus focused his attention on her. Of course she'd be the most likely of the three to figure out a way to slip into his office unnoticed. "Harry..." The witch trailed off and looked at her dark haired friend to take it from there.
Harry sighed. Snape was going to murder them. That much was certain. "I caused a distraction in the Potions room so that Hermione could slip in and get the ingredients she needed since she knew exactly what they were, and wouldn't get into as much trouble if caught since she has a pretty clean record."
Snape had to hand it to the kids there; they had a valid point in getting the girl to do the actual stealing. Had either of the boys been caught they would have faced expulsion since they had already broken serious rules, and laws, at the start of term with the flying car stunt. "I see," was his only response to this. He was slightly curious as to how they had managed to get ahold of the book in the first place, as well as to how they had managed to brew the potion without anyone finding out, but he felt that those were very minor details that could be worked out later if he so desired since these particular instances weren't actually against him personally. Severus repressed a sigh as he glanced at the Headmaster, wordlessly asking permission to handle this himself.
"I must impress upon you children the seriousness of your actions." Albus's tone made all three children look at the floor. Neither of them had ever seen the Headmaster as anything but cheery, but there was clear disappointment in his voice now. "That potion is a very controlled substance in the magical world because of its ability to impersonate people, as well as its disastrous effects if brewed incorrectly. That is why the book with the recipe for it is located in the restricted section, and why only N.E.W.T. students are allowed to brew it under careful supervision of the Hogwarts Potions Master. On top of that, you also stole the required ingredients, which is not only against school rules, but against the law as well. Boys, I seem to remember telling you just a few months ago that any further serious infractions would leave no other choice for me but to expel you." Albus watched as all three young sets of eyes before him widened in horror.
"But Professor," Hermione's voice was barely a squeak, and she shut up entirely when the Headmaster held up a hand to silence her.
"Let me finish Miss Granger," Albus continued softly. "Seeing as you boys were not the ones actually brewing the potion, nor did either of you actually do the stealing, I do not see consuming the potion, or creating a disturbance in the Potions classroom as valid reason for expulsion." Albus smiled slightly as he saw the three children slump heavily into their chairs in relief, but he schooled his expression once more as he turned to Hermione. "You Miss Granger are guilty of both infractions, and I cannot ignore them entirely." Albus watched Hermione's eyes start to pool with tears and continued quickly. "Seeing your substantial standing here at Hogwarts due to your high marks, and the fact you have nothing on your record as of yet however, I believe that I can leave you with a warning as I did with Mr. Potter and Weasley at the start of term."
"Thank you Professor." The words sounded dry in Hermione's mouth, and she quickly placed a paw to her furry face to try and wipe away the tears she felt spilling over. The salty water had sunk into her fur however, so it was useless and she once more dropped her paw into her lap.
"I will have to write to your parents about this Miss Granger, but aside from that you may consider this matter closed as far as I am concerned." Albus watched the children all exchange looks of relief, and couldn't help but smile. "I will however turn the three of you over to Professor Snape to discipline as he sees fit since it was him you stole from, his class you created the disturbance in, his field of study you abused, and his house that you infiltrated."
"Yes sir." All three children sighed and spoke in unison. They might have escaped expulsion, but Snape was going to murder them for sure. There was no way they were going to live to see the start of term in January. In Harry's case however, he wondered if this wasn't such a bad thing since if he was murdered now he wouldn't have to figure out how many times he would die in the next two weeks while living with Snape as a legal guardian.
Snape smirked in satisfaction at hearing he would be able to deal with the children as he saw fit. Turning his attention to the girl that seemed to be behind most of this he decided to start with her. "Miss Granger, for your illicit potion brewing, and for stealing from my personal stores, I will be taking 20 points from Gryffindor, and you will report to my office for detention every Saturday afternoon at 2:00 for the remainder of the school year, effective as soon as term starts again in January." Seeing the girl nod timidly he turned his attention to the youngest of the Weasley boys. "Mr. Weasley, for assisting in, and partaking of the illicit potion, and for breaking into the Slytherin Common Room, I am deducting 20 points from Gryffindor and you have detention with me every evening at 7:00 for two weeks as soon as term starts up again." With the redhead's nod Severus turned to the dark haired teen, still amazed to see he no longer mirrored his most hated rival. It took several moments for Severus to be able to speak, and he still wasn't at all sure what to call the boy. Under the circumstances it didn't seem right to call him 'Mr. Potter,' but Harry seemed too familiar for the current situation. "As for you young man," that was going to have to work for now. "For assisting in, and consuming the illicit potion, for breaking into the Slytherin Common Room, and for the disturbance in my classroom in order for Miss Granger to get the required ingredients, I am deducting 30 points from Gryffindor, and you will serve detention with me every night for 3 weeks as soon as term starts up again."
Harry could just nod glumly. It Christmas day, and yet they had just managed to lose Gryffindor 70 house points. This was so unfair. Neither he, Ron, or Hermione dared to argue however because considering it was Snape they were dealing with, they were all pretty certain it could get worse if he so desired even though they had no guess as to how he would manage that.
"Harry, you will have your trunk packed ready to go to my home for the remainder of the break, and I will expect you at my office at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Once at home we will discuss everything else, and the behavior I expect from my... son." Severus had to pause and practically force the word out. "Until then, I bid all of you goodnight." With that he spun on his heal and exited the office via the door deciding it would do him some good to patrol the halls as he made his way through the castle to his quarters even though with the castle nearly empty there was little chance he would find any wayward students wandering around.
"Well then boys, I believe it would be best for you to see Miss Granger to the hospital wing so that Madam Pomphrey can sort out her little potions mishap and then head to your dormitory for some much needed rest." Albus rose to his feet from behind his desk with the usual twinkle in his eye back in full swing. He opened the door for the three children to exit the office, and as they began their decent down the spiral staircase he called out once more, "Happy Christmas children."
'Yeah,' Harry thought bitterly to himself as he, Ron, and Hermione walked down the stairs. 'We spend all that time putting the potion together to gain nothing, and instead find out that I'm not who I think, that Hermione has to go to the hospital wing, and get busted for the entire thing after taking such careful measures not to get caught. Happy Christmas indeed.'
Author's Note: Alright, all I can say is WOW! I did not think I would be assaulted by over 20 reviews for one small chapter. And all of them positive! I cannot promise that I will update this fast again since I already had this on my computer, and wanted to get it out quick thanks to the overwhelming number of reviews, but I will try to be as quick as possible about the next chapter. Before we get too involved however, I would like to hear your opinions on what you might like to see as this story progresses; especially as far as Draco is concerned. Do you want a lot of Draco? Draco to remain a side character? Draco to be Snape's God son? Snape to not like Draco? Draco to eventually get adopted? Shoot me some ideas here guys. I cannot promise I will accept all of them, but it will also give my creative juices some boost.
~Lily
