Hey guys! Here's chapter 2! I've been sick the last week and wrote this and a chapter to another story between nausea sessions. This is completely unedited but I didn't want to leave you waiting for two much longer. I think it's been three months exactly because of school, life, work, and sickness. -_-

Disclaimer: Do you think I'd be writing fanfiction if I was the author? No, this would be the actual book - as crappy as it probably is.

"Potter," a voice sneered from the doorway ten minutes later.

"Snape," Harry shot out of bed and promptly got tangled in the sheets, landing in a pile on the floor.

"As eloquent as ever, I see," Snape smirked as Harry groaned in pain. "Now get up so we can discuss business. This is no way to behave in public."

"I'm in my bedroom," Harry muttered under his breath before righting himself and sitting back on the bed while Snape took one of the chairs. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"You read your mothers note I presume?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"And I assume you're wondering how exactly your mother knew you'd have this inheritance since she did not receive it and the last in your fathers family to receive his was his grandfather."

"Why yes, yes I am."

"Your mother was always curious about everything, especially about the magical world," Snape began. "In our first three years at Hogwarts, she must've nearly read out the entire library on her free time – quite the accomplishment I must say, one that even Ms. Granger has yet to do. In the later months of our third year, Lily found a book on inheritances. Being utterly enthralled, she searched for as many books on them as she could.

"If there was anything about inheritances that someone wanted to know, they went to Lily. During the summer between our fourth and fifth years, we went to Gringotts together to be tested for any latent inheritances. You know what they found in her blood: both her being a pureblood from magical descent and her Elfish blood. You should've seen her when it did not manifest in her on her seventeenth birthday, everyone could see it.

"After we stopped talking in our fifth year, she started hanging out with the mongrel, the Wolf, and your father – she never really did hang out with Pettigrew lucky enough… she didn't trust him. I can only guess that she had them tested for latent inheritances. The Wolf, as you know is a werewolf. What you probably don't know is that the Blacks have Metamorphmagus blood running through their veins. It's where Nymphadora got the gene from. You might possibly have that running through your veins too, seeing as your fathers' mother was a Black but you'd have to see the goblins to check.

"Now, when your father was tested, he already knew he had draconian blood thanks to his grandfather and his grandmother didn't receive any inheritances like your mother. His test came back dormant, obviously. You mother, knowing as much as she did, knew that having inheritances on both sides of the family increased your likelihood of inheriting them and had you tested for Elfish and Draconian blood specifically on your first birthday – the earliest age to detect these things safely. As you know from her letter, you inherited both.

"Here's where things get tricky: eight months before your first birthday, Voldemort made me create a potion to awaken latent inheritances. He tested it out on numerous Death Eaters, I and the Malfoy's being prime examples. When Lily heard of this during one of the order meetings she asked to speak to me in private afterwords.

"She told me that she'd forgiven me long ago and hadn't known how to approach me. I don't know if she was telling the truth or not, but I hope she was. She told me that she'd appointed me as one of two godfathers for you when you were born – which was true – and asked if there was an age limit for the potion as she would like to give some to you. I told her that it was untested for infants and she asked if we could try it. I reluctantly agreed because it would give you a better chance of surviving that that was all your mother cared about. At that point I would've done anything your mother'd asked and I had.

"I begged her to take to potion as well and even give some to James, if it would make her happy and safe. She said no. She didn't want to take the potion then find out he was neither her mate, nor he hers and then leave you to the fate of only having one parent. I told her that it was more a possibility that you'd have two sets of parents because of how much they loved you and that you'd have the mutt, the wolf, the Order, and even I upon rare occasion spoiling you. She still refused.

"And you know what happened. They died and left you completely alone while it could've been prevented. I regret every day not forcing your mother down and making her drink it. The only thing I regret more is that I am the reason Voldemort hunted you and your family down in the first place…"

Harry just stared at the Dungeon Bat as if he'd grown three heads and was doing the cancan in a tutu. "That… is a lot to take in…"

"Think about what I've told you and I'll have your friends bring you up something to eat for dinner. You're probably starving right about now," Snape said with none of his usual bite. "After all, you've been out of it for a week.

When Hermione and Ron came back with food, Harry ignored them – but not the food, he was pretty hungry – lost in thought. His first action of thought was to have Snape checked into St. Mungos. His second though was to have himself checked into the room next door. His third though? Man this is good stew…

What? He was hungry. He hadn't eaten in a week and that was still one of the more important priorities besides his and Snape's mental health.

The fourth thought however is what stranded Harry on a deserted isle in the Bermuda Triangle. I wonder what my mate was like… Obvious, Snape and his mother drugging him didn't faze him but the prospect of having a mate… Oh, yeah, absolutely terrifying. Would she like his cooking? What did they like to eat? Was she a high class snob? Or an orphan alone in the slums? Would she like him? Hate him? Be completely neutral? Surprisingly that last one was completely horrible in Harry's mind. He hoped that she'd show at least some emotion towards him. And… and…

He needed to change his thought process before he became sick with anxiety.

"So, Harry," Hermione tried to get his attention. "What do you think of this whole inheritance thing?"

"What do you think?" Harry stared at her like she'd become Snape. "Did you know that Snape knew this would happen all along and he didn't tell me or even give me some hint? Well, I'll tell you; this was a wonderful surprise birthday present. Let me put it up there with the birthday beatings at the Dursley's. And don't get me started on having a mate… Oh, god… What if she's someone on Voldemorts side?"

And there he went back on the mate subject.

As Harry started pacing his room, Hermione sighed and perched on Ron's bed while Ron sat on Harry's eating what Harry didn't touch of his dinner. At eleven, Remus told them to go to bed and that they'd be making a trip to Gringotts in the morning to pick up money for school supplies, and see what was in Lily's vault.

And so, after much coaxing, Hermione left Harry and Ron's room, Ron passed out, and Harry lie in bed staring at the ceiling all night thinking about his mate-to-be.