The characters of the Harry Potter universe belong to Ms. Rowlings, and I am borrowing them for my own imagination.

Chapter 4 - The Real Severus Snape

"All this is unbelievable." Ron said as he sat next to Hermione on the couch. Professor Dumbledore had requested a break to allow Hermione to get settled a little and to allow the Snape children to settle back into their own beds. Professor Snape's children had requested that Remus and their dad put them back to bed, and Anna graciously agree to make some tea with the aide of Tonks.

Professors Dumbledore and Mogonagall had already left to inform the Weasleys along with the rest of the Order of tonight's events. So Hermione and Ron were now sitting alone in the Snape living room, trying to take in everything that had been thrown at them so far tonight.

"It's hard to believe that only a few hours ago we were watching Jean Valjean singing about one day more." Ron commented.

"I am not sure of how much more in surprises I can take. Although, the shock of the Snape family, has helped keep me from dwelling on my parents." Hermione said as tears started to roll down her face. "Ron, I'm an orphan."

Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione and pulled her closer to him. She turned her face into his chest, wetting his shirt with her tears.

"I know how much you love and miss your parents, but you still have me and Harry. We will always be here for you. We are your family and always will be. And you know that my family adores you. It is probably a good thing that we are here and not at the Burrows. Mom would probably smother you to death, and I have a feeling that Professor Snape won't." Ron said comforting her.

"Did you see the way he comforted his little girl and the pride on his face when he talked about Remy and Brian? Do you think his whole greasy git persona is just an act to maintain his cover? I barely recognized him when we arrived, he seemed so...I don't know...relaxed." Hermione said.

"I think we are going to find out everything very soon." Ron said when they heard Remus and Severus descend the stairs back into the living room. "Remus and Professor Snape are a lot more friendlier than I have ever seen them."

"If Mad Eye could only see the way, you coddle to that little girl of yours." Remus teased.

"I do not coddle." Severus responded looking affronted.

"If you talking about Lily, she has Sev wrapped very tightly around her little finger." Anna added as she entered the living room followed by Tonks, levitating a tray with tea and biscuits before her and setting it on the coffee table.

As everyone helped themselves to the refreshments, Tonks took a seat on the couch next to Hermione, while Remus, Anna and Severus seated themselves on the couch across from them.

"I am sure that the three you have a lot of questions, but if you will allow us to tell our story first, then we will answer your questions afterwards. What we are about to tell you must stay between us." Remus stated.

"Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, I know that you will want to tell Mr. Potter everything, but when you first discuss it, if you allow Remus to be present, I would appreciate it. I just want to make sure that Anna and the kids stay protected." Severus added.

They all agreed to the request.

"Well you all know of Remus friendship with James, Sirius and Peter in school. I grew up with Lily Evans, and we lived near each other as kids and attended primary school together. I was very surprised when I arrived at Kings Cross Station and Lily was there with her parents. Lily was my best friend at Hogwarts." Severus began.

"Lily even invited Severus to her wedding, but Sirius kind of made sure that he was not in attendance. And you know about the when Sirius set up Severus to meet the wolf. I did not know about that until afterwards. It took sometime me to forgive Sirius from trying to turn me into a murderer." Remus added to the story.

"Anyway, after James and Lily died, Remus and I ran into each other at their funeral. Both of us losing the only real family we had left, we sort of bonded over a bottle or two of fire whiskey." Severus said then heard his wife scoff.

"More like a case or two. Uncle Al called my dad to come and retrieve their sorry buts. They were smashed. Completely, totally smashed. Mom shoved and locked them both in the shower running cold water on them. It is lucky she didn't drown them." Anna added.

"Lets not go overboard." Severus said.

"Just being honest." Anna stated. "I was sobber that night, I think I remember your arrival much better than either of you do."

"Anyway, back to the issue at hand. Severus and I formed a friendship afterwards. As he continued as an informant for the Order, I became more active it trying to protect him. I am the secret keeper for his home, and for many other of his secrets. He has been brewing the Wolfesbane potion for me for many, many years. He has hopes in trying to prefect it to make the wolf disappear completely. Has not managed that yet, but it does taste much better." Remus continued.

"Hey, those side effects of yours are not near as bad either, I do recall you telling me." Severus defended himself to the teasing.

"Anyway," Anna said rolling her eyes at the men on either side of her. "As for me up to the point they are at, I am the daughter of Albus Dumbledore and Minerva Mogonagall. No, they have never been married. At Hogwarts, I went by Anna Gall, so that I would not draw attention to my relationship to my parents. Severus started teaching at Hogwarts my seventh year, and we became romantically involved and married after my graduation. I live here, and Sev comes home here whenever he is not on night duty at Hogwarts as well as holidays." Anna stated. "I am sure that over the next few days, you will notice that Lily tends to cling a little to her father. I blame it on that awful Umbridge woman. Due to all the restrictions, Sev was unable to make it home as often." Anna's obvious hatred of Deloris Umbridge very clear and much appreciated by Ron and Hermione.

"In the Order, only Albus and Minerva know of my friendship with Severus and even of Severus's marriage. I doubt any of them know that Albus and Minerva have a daughter. When we found out that Sirius was innocent, we decided it would be best for all involved if we maintained the public dislike of each other. It was not easy, biting my tongue when Severus and Sirius would get into one of their arguments, but I was able to hold my tongue and get a couple pot shots in at Severus." Remus recalled.

"Yes, that was some fun evenings. You should have been here the night Sev got fed up with Remus's apologies. I think it was finally made clear that they were just playing their parts and that nothing said in front of Sirius that was unkind to each other was meant by either one. Sev understood it faster then the most noble, bleeding heart, Remus." Anna smirked and both Severus and Remus laughed at the memory of their blow out.

Ron and Hermione were shocked to hear Severus laugh, but it fit more with the man that sat before them. It was kind and warm. Hermione was even starting to believe that her parents made the right choice in the Snapes as her guardians.

"So, Sirius never knew." Tonks said.

"No, and I don't regret it. I loved Sirius like a brother, but unfortunately we spent thirteen years apart. Although his life had literally stopped, mine had gone on. I don't think he would have understood that, especially that I had formed a close friendship with Severus of all people. He had a hard enough dealing with how much Harry and Nymphadora had changed while he was away." Remus explained.

"That is true. I think he had a hard time distinguishing between Harry and James." Tonks stated adding, "And don't call me Nymphadora."

Remus just smirked in response to Tonks last comment.

"So, the whole Hogwarts persona, that is just for show?" Ron asked.

"You mean the greasy git?" Severus asked and Ron reddened a little at that fact that Severus knew that they referred to him as that, but Severus just smiled at Ron, "Yes, I like my colleagues are of the opinion, that Miss Granger is probably the brightest witch to ever pass through Hogwarts, that both you and Mr. Potter would do much better in potions, if you paid a little more attention and concentrated more. Which I am sure Miss Granger has advised of you as well. And I am very glad that Mr. Longbottom will not be in my class next year. I worry a little at my survival sometime when he is in my classroom."

Hermione blushed at his compliment. And Ron smirked at how bad Neville was at potions, and the fact that Severus was so dead on about Hermione.

"Well we should probably all turn in for the night. Tonks is going to share a room with Hermione, while Remus and Ron will sleep down here. The next couple days are going to be very long and hectic. Hermione, if you need anything, don't be afraid to wake either of us. I am sure that our children may try to make a nuisance of themselves with all they have heard of you two, if they are just let us know." Anna said.

"Thank you." Hermione said as she and Tonks stood and followed Anna to the stairs, while Severus staid behind.

"Tomorrow we will need to make arrangements for Dr. & Dr. Grangers' funeral, as well as retrieve some of Miss Granger's belongings. Then someone should notify Mr. Potter and make sure that he is able to be in attendance." Severus stated.

"We will ask Hermione what she would like for her parents in the morning. Then after we make the arrangements, you and I can go and see Petunia. I have no doubt that she will remember us. Ron, you can stay the day with Hermione, then either I or Tonks can take you home tomorrow evening. And before you say it, I know you would prefer to stay and take care of Hermione, but we all know your mother, and she will have no problem with filing kidnaping charges if you are away for more than one night."

"Yeah, that is true." Ron grumbled.

"Well, we will see you in the morning, Severus." Remus said as he began to make his bed out on the couch.

"Yes, see you in the morning." Severus said as he made his way up the stairs.

TBC