PART 7: No Games

Harry stared at the parchment for a full two minutes before he carefully rolled it up, handed it off to Snape and deliberately walked from the room. Lucius and Remus moving aside at the softly spoken, 'excuse me.'

Lucius made to go after him but Remus stopped him with a hand on his arm, 'leave him be,' he said softly.

Severus, however, had unrolled the parchment and cursed colourfully.

'What is it Sev?' Remus asked, looking concerned.

'One month and apparently it didn't mean anything,' he stated cryptically as he handed the parchment off to Remus before he followed Harry's path out the door.

Remus and Lucius shared a look, both curious and concerned about what the results of Harry's paternity test were if it sent both men off.

If Lucius had been drinking anything he would have spluttered it all over Remus, but since he wasn't he simply choked on air. Remus however didn't seem much surprised.

'Did you know?' Lucius asked once he could breathe again.

Remus shook his head, 'No but one night after Lily turned James down again he was... different. And then he started to smell different. Now it just seems to all make sense.'

'I'm glad it makes sense to you,' Lucius replied as he began to rummage through Severus' potions books.

'You probably shouldn't be doing that.' Remus stated eyeing Lucius with no small amount of suspicion. 'What are you looking for?' He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

'There's a potion that you can brew that can tell you if you have any creature blood in you.' Lucius stated, 'help me look,' he demanded.

With a sigh, Remus began to flip through the potions manuals.


Severus found Harry on the roof of the garage. It was someplace he came when he needed to get away from people or just Lucius.

'Go away!' came the muffled demand from the bundle at the edge.

Severus didn't say anything nor did he leave. He sat next to the sobbing figure and watched the all grey cat that had two white paws that was lying in the birdbath.

They sat there together in silence for almost an hour. The cat providing Severus with entertainment as it tried to get birdseed from several of the feeders that were scattered around the gardens.

'How?' Harry finally broke the silence as he looked up from where his head had been buried against his knees.

Severus smirked, 'surely I don't have to tell you how babies are made, do I?' he asked playfully.

Harry gave him a weak, wet glare before smacking him. 'No, I mean, how is it possible for him to have carried me? Besides I thought you hated each other,' he stated.

'I didn't hate James, Sirius was the total berk. James, when he was alone and not mooning over Lily Evans was tolerable.' Severus replied with a sigh. He then launched into the tale of how Harry came to be.


James Potter wandered through the halls of Hogwarts much later than any student should be. He was covered by an invisibility cloak so he wasn't too worried about being spotted. However he wasn't exactly aware of his surroundings as he muttered constantly to himself and as such he collided head on with another student who was out of bed at such an odd hour.

'Potter, you really should pay more attention to where you're going,' Snape advised as he brushed himself off.

'Yeah well maybe you should,' Potter shot back, it was a weak comeback and both new it.

Snape heaved a sigh, 'did Lily turn you down again?' he asked as the pair sat on the large window ledge.

'I'm just a gluten for punishment, I guess,' he replied as he folded the cloak and held it in his lap.

'You know she made that promise to her father, don't you?' Severus asked as he watched the stars.

'I know but I just keep hoping that one day she'll say yes,' James replied wistfully.

'Maybe if you ask her after graduation she'll say yes, you twat,' Severus offered without the maliciousness he often used when Sirius was around.

'I don't know if I can wait that long,' James replied.

'You've waited this long, what's another few months?'

'It's been too long as it is,' came the sad reply.

Severus was suddenly unsure of what he should do, he felt bad for his sort of friend but at the same time, he wasn't someone he was always with. But it was decided for him when he felt a pair of warm firm lips on his.

He was stunned for a moment but found himself kissing back.


'Ack! That's good, I don't need to hear about my conception!' Harry shouted covering his ears as he then shouted, 'lalalalalalalala.'

Severus could only laugh, 'alright I won't go into detail but it was more than once before graduation then we went our separate ways. He joined the order and married Lily,' he gave another sigh.

'Yeah but if I was conceived a month before graduation, how was I born in July only a month later,' Harry asked, letting himself lean into Severus.

'You weren't. We graduated in '79 you weren't born until '80,' Severus replied, 'every creature has a unique gestation period, in males it's longer because the body has to prepare for something it is not naturally equipped to be there. I believe that the first time,' again Harry covered his ears, squeezed his eyes shut and shouted before Severus stopped him by gently tugging his hands down, 'the first time, it initiated that change, we continued for about a month, until graduation.'

'So my father, carried me for 13 months?' Harry asked, gaining a little bit of maturity.

'Yes, he seemed to have,' Severus replied with a slight grimace that matched Harry's.

'Wow, that's a ridiculously long time,' Harry stated.

'Yes it is but the giraffe carry for about 14 months and elephants about 20,' Severus replied almost offhandedly.

'Is that why you hate me?'

'I don't hate you Harry, I tried but... you just... you don't let people hate you. I was jealous of what James and Lily had, family, and I wanted that,' Severus replied.

They fell into silence again, watching as the grey cat chased shadows about the garden.

'If you had known-?' Harry started.

Severus pulled the smaller man into his arms, hugging him fiercely, 'if I had known I would have done everything in my power to ensure that I would raise you,' he buried himself in the wild locks that smelled of strawberries, 'I am so sorry, cub,' he whispered brokenly.

That was Harry's undoing, "cub", it was what Remus called him and to have someone else call him that, Harry sobbed into the strong chest of the other man.

Finally he pulled away as it started to rain, 'sorry,' he mumbled as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

'Don't ever be sorry for crying, it is nothing to be ashamed of, besides I would be too if my world just got turned on its axis.' Severus offered as he helped Harry stand.

'Whose cat is that?' Harry asked as said beast stalked something in the long grass at the edge of the field.

'It's Lucius' familiar, Mittens, I believe.' Severus replied with a smirk.

Harry burst into laughter and by the time they returned to the lab, after checking to see if Remus and Lucius had moved his laughter had turned to periodical fits of giggling.

They gave each other a worried glance when a loud bag erupted from the lab.


'He did it!' Remus all but shouted as soon as Severus and Harry entered the lab, sounding like a 5 year old folding under their parent's pressure, as he pointed at Lucius. He was hiding under a table at the far end of the room while Lucius stood at the other end, covered in orange sparkly goo, which also covered half the room.

'Tattle,' Lucius glared at Remus, who refused to come out from under the table for fear of the orange goo.

Remus stuck his tongue out.

'Lucius,' Severus said in a warning tone.

Lucius looked into the cauldron much like a recalcitrant child would their shoes. 'There were only four ingredients and 6 steps.' He replied pouting.

'What have I told you about brewing?' Severus asked, and Harry had to bite the inside of his cheek, this sounded very much like a parent scolding a child for doing something they knew they shouldn't.

'That I shouldn't,' Lucius replied with a sigh as he cleaned the mess up with a wave of his hand.

'Then why did you?' Severus asked, looking over the potion.

'I wanted to try.' He seemed to snap from his childish persona. 'Damn it Sev, I'm a grown man I should be able to blow shit up in my own house.'

Severus could only laugh, 'that may be but I rather like you as a friend and I would hate to have you blow yourself up.'

Lucius gave a sigh, 'fine but can I watch you brew it?'

'Yes,' he then turned to Remus who was still under the table, 'it's safe now Wolf, you can come out now.'

'Merlin's testicle, he's worse than Longbottom,' Remus commented as he came out of his hiding spot.

'You have no idea,' Severus replied as he prepared a fresh batch of ingredients.

Both Harry and Remus started to laugh again.

Remus pulled Harry into a one armed hug as Severus brewed and batted Lucius away several times, 'you okay?'

Harry gave a nod, 'yeah, I think I will be. It was just a lot to find out that James was my mother, I guess, and that Sna- Severus is my father.'

'You still have me, cub, you know that right?' Remus asked wrapping the other arm around his cub.

'And now I have Severus too,' Harry replied.

'That you do,' Remus replied with a small smile.