A/N: Here is the latest installment of Web Of Lies.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

It was Saturday morning and Harry was enjoying his scrambled eggs when the owl post began to arrive. Over the years he'd learned to stop expecting anything to come to him, and just admired the aerial dance of the owls as they swooped around the hall. He blinked when two large owls flew right to him, a long package suspended between them. He stood and raised his hands to accept the parcel and grinned widely. It was his new broom. He'd almost forgotten about it.

He gratefully fed the two owls a piece of bacon each and opened his parcel under the envious gaze of his housemates. He looked up at his father and gave him a warm smile. Harry stroked his hand along the inky black handle and then smiled as he saw his name emblazoned on the handle in sparkling silver text, Septimus Snape. He let the other Slytherins look at it, Draco admiring the elegant sweep of the bristles.

"I say we all head down to the pitch so that Septimus can try out his new broom. The Ravenclaws don't have the pitch booked until eleven o'clock." Draco smiled, looking forward to seeing what Snape could do on a broom.

"I think that's a great idea." Harry grinned and after finishing his toast, he and the other Slytherin fifth and sixth years vacated the table. Soon they were bundled up in winter cloaks with warming charms as they streamed out onto the snowy pitch. It was a cold day, the wind crisp, but the boys were all too excited to care.

Harry was the first to the air, letting out a whoop of excitement as the broom surged under him. It was an amazing blend of his original Nimbus' agility but had almost as much power as his Firebolt. He heard the sound of someone coming up on him and looked back, seeing Draco racing up to catch him. The two boys did a speed lap of the pitch, darting in and out of the rings. The rest of the Slytherins joined them and they played an informal game of Quidditch, just playing with some practice quaffles and leaving the bludgers and snitch in the case.

Unseen by the boys, a lone girl was watching, hidden under the trees. Her hazel eyes tracked the boy in the lead, unable to help but compare him to her missing friend. There were differences of course, but it was the similarities that were occupying her mind. There were too many coincidences there for her to ignore. The timing of his arrival, the green eyes, and now proof that he was an exceptional flyer, it all pointed to Septimus Snape being Harry Potter in disguise. And she was going to find out why. Carefully she withdrew and headed back into the castle. She needed to do some research.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

Severus despised the monthly staff meetings that all the professors were required to attend. It was a waste of his Saturday morning. They were usually pointless, with even the very best suggestions over-ruled with a well meaning smile from the Headmaster. It was also the first time since his return to the school that he'd been forced to spend any length of time in the man's presence. He kept his anger at the man locked deep in the darkest recesses of his mind, safe from casual detection. Any sourness in his expression was usually attributed to his horrible disposition rather than any specific cause.

"Does anyone have anything to start us off with?" The Headmaster enquired, bracing himself for the usual laundry list of petty issues that his various Professors invariably brought up at these meetings.

"Actually, Albus, I have something I want to discuss." Remus said, smiling at everyone. "Given the current political climate, I would like to reform the Dueling Club. It would only be open to fifth year students and above, and I would want another Professor to partner with me in administering the club. I've been trying to incorporate more practical lessons for those years, but I can only do so much during class time." He said.

Severus looked surprised and mentally pleased at the man's initiative. It would be the perfect way to continue Harry's training without drawing attention to it. "I'd be willing to assist, if simply to avoid utter and complete chaos." He said in his usual condescending tone.

The Headmaster looked surprised, but nodded. "Well, if there is no objection I will approve the formation of the Dueling Club. I am pleased to see the two of you on better terms." He said to the two men. "If all the Heads of House could post notices in their common rooms next week, we can get it under way. With that settled, shall we move on? Minerva, is there anything of note in your classes?" He asked her.

"Just the usual post-holiday laziness, with a few exceptions. Young Mr. Snape seems to be integrating well. He appears to have an excellent grasp of the subject, and I must admit it has been a welcome surprise. His fellow Slytherin year-mates seem to be following his example and paying more attention in class as well." She gave Severus a smile.

"Ah yes, our newest pupil. Has anyone noticed him struggling at all?" Albus asked his staff.

"I wouldn't say that he's struggling, but I have recommended a tutor for him in Runes. It's clear that he's a very dedicated student, but he hasn't benefited for a sound basis in the subject." Bathsheba Babbling smiled kindly. "He assures me that he is very committed to achieving an OWL in my class."

"Who did you recommend Bathsheba?" Severus asked.

"Miss Granger. She is my best student and she was kind enough to volunteer as soon as she heard we had a new student. She is such a thoughtful young witch..." Professor Babbling seemed about to descend into one of speeches, extolling the many merits of Hermione Granger, when she was cut off.

"I will make certain my son takes full advantage of that offer Bathsheba." He said. Severus was surprised that Vector hadn't said anything. Harry had no basis in Arithmancy, and it was not a class he expected Harry to excel in, but he did expect him to make an effort.

"Good, good, I'm glad to hear he's fitting in so well. No issues with his dorm mates, Severus?" He asked, concerned that Severus' hasty departure from Voldemort's service might open the boy to hostilities on that front.

"There are no issues, Headmaster. In fact, he and young Mr. Harper seem to have formed a fast friendship." Severus said with a smile, unable to help looking a bit smug. No, his son was not the needy outcast that he had once been, or that Albus seemed to have anticipated him being.

Albus just smiled benignly, and let the conversation drift to other topics. After a long hour of dry conversation, they finally took a break for tea. Severus settled down in his usual chair and blinked with surprise as Filius settled in beside him. He could count on one hand the number of times the other professors had sought him out willingly.

"Your son does you credit, Severus." The diminutive professor smiled and sipped his tea. "How are you getting on with the lad?" He asked kindly.

"Well enough, I think. I never saw myself as a parent, and find myself feeling grossly unprepared." Severus admitted with a sigh. "I cannot complain though, he has been a very easy child to deal with, once we moved past the initial awkwardness." He found it strange to be having this conversation with Filius.

"I'll keep an eye on him in my classes. This must be a very big adjustment for him, losing his mother in addition to starting formal studies. It would be reasonable to assume that he's feeling a little overwhelmed." Filius said to Severus. He was glad to see the younger wizard growing as a person, finally. He'd known him since he was eleven years old, and for the first time there was something in his life outside of books and cauldrons. It would be good for him.

"I'm certain that he is. Surprisingly, Mr. Malfoy has taken him under his wing. I believe they have been talking about some of those things. I admit I never imagined them as likely companions." He said and shook his head a little.

"Why ever not? I know Lucius was several years ahead of you in school, but he always seemed to make an effort to watch out for you. It's nice to see such friendships continue in a second generation." Filius tried very had to stay out of politics, he judged as he saw and not how the Daily Prophet dictated.

"Hopefully their friendship will yield better results for them both." Severus said very quietly, face closing off. He was worried for his friend, and prayed to the Elements that Albus found a way to free him from Azkaban before long. "You must excuse me, Filius. A group of my NEWT students have booked extra time in the lab today and I promised to supervise." He stood and set his tea down.

"Of course, Severus." He replied.

Severus turned and swept out of the staff room, robes billowing behind him. He wasn't sure when he'd started being approachable, but he was very sure he didn't like it.

o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.

The Slytherins had finally conceded the pitch to Ravenclaw, and the boys all trudged back up to the castle, their cheeks red from the cold. They snuck into the kitchens and were bombarded by the House Elves, plying them with steaming cups of hot cocoa and chocolate biscuits. Once they were warm the boys headed back to the Common Room. Harry put his broom away in the little broom cupboard in their dorm and took off the heavy winter cloak. He grabbed his Runes book, some parchment, and his quill set and smiled at Terrence. "See you later; I need to get working on some of my make-up work for Runes." He said.

"Better you than me, mate. See you later." Terrence smiled and flopped on his bed, paging through a copy of Quidditch Monthly.

Harry snorted and headed out, finding a quiet table near the back of the library, consciously avoiding the table he'd used to sit at with Ron and Hermione. He started reading his text and taking notes. He jumped when a book bag was tossed onto the table and he was left staring at none other than Hermione Granger herself.

"Hello, Septimus Snape, isn't it?" She said and sat down. "Professor Babbling mentioned you'd need a tutor for Runes. It's a fascinating subject, wouldn't you agree? There's just so much you can do with them. I've kept all my study notes and essays back from third year on and I'm sure that you'll find them very helpful, as I always keep very detailed notes." She got started on one of her famous speeches, and then she noticed the boy sitting across from her watching with wide blinking eyes.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" Septimus asked, politely but clearly baffled.

"I'm Hermione Granger." She said with a smile. "What are you working on?" She looked at his paper and frowned a little. It was nothing like Harry's writing. This script was slanting and fluid, rather than blotchy and halting.

"Professor Babbling assigned me some catch up work, to give me the over-view I'll need to sit my OWLs." He said. "She wants me to write an essay on Runic Warding, but there is not a great deal of information in this text. Is there one you could suggest?" He asked her, tone very cultured.

"There is one book, 'Runes through the Ages' by Tedelia Twaddle. It has a lot of advanced runic wards and their application, but you'll need a pass for the Restricted Section to sign it out." She told him. "Until you do, I'd start with 'The History of Warding' by Daedalus Holtrum. It should be over on the third shelf there." She said and carefully slipped her wand out under the table.

He smiled. "Thanks." He got up and went to the shelf, seemingly oblivious to her moving her wand under the table at him. He was aware that no one else was this far back in the Library, just in case she did something stupid.

Hermione whispered first a simple 'finite', and when that didn't work she fired through seven different glamour dispelling charms, frowning harder with each successive try. It had to be a glamour...it was the only thing that made sense. She put her wand away in a hurry as he turned, having found the book out of place.

"Found it. Someone had it tucked behind another book." He said and sat down, mentally laughing at the look on her face. She looked well and truly stumped. He flipped through the pages, and started making notes, as if nothing had happened. He knew the more she was ignored, the more frustrated she would get.

"Well...I have to go. If you need anything else, I'm usually here on Saturday mornings." She said, almost tripping over her words.

"Thank you Hermione, it was nice to meet you. Maybe I could get those study notes from you at some point this week." He said with a smile and after she nodded he returned to his books. He felt a little bad about deceiving her, but it was also fun to get one over on his sometimes too brilliant friend. He managed to hold off actually laughing until she was gone. He went to Ms. Price and showed her his pass to the restricted section and was allowed to sign out the Runes book Hermione had mentioned. Professor Flitwick had given him the pass yesterday, so that he could work on his extra-credit essay.

He left the library and headed down the secret passage to the Dungeons and paused a moment. After a minute of consideration he decided to go to his father's quarters to study. He missed the quiet afternoons back at the Heath when they'd both been reading in the study together. He knocked and gave the password, entering.

Severus looked up from grading essays and smiled. "Is something wrong?" He asked, surprised to see him here so early. They had agreed to have dinner together on Saturday evenings but he'd never expect him to give up his afternoons as well.

"No, I was wondering if I could study here this afternoon?" He questioned.

"Of course, I did add the extra desk for you." Severus smiled. "What are you working on?" He asked and straightened, taking a break from second year drivel.

"Runes." He said and got himself set up at the empty desk.

"Ah yes, Professor Babbling mentioned she had suggested you ask Miss Granger for help." He chuckled.

"She sort of found me," he snorted, "and fired almost a dozen glamour dispelling charms at me when she thought I wasn't looking." He rolled his eyes.

"She is not one for subtlety." Severus said drily, though inwardly he was a little concerned. If the little busy-body was suspecting something all ready, how long before others did as well? "I imagine it frustrated her to no end when it didn't work."

"Oh it did." Harry said. "It just means we need to keep an eye on her. Hermione doesn't give up easily when she thinks she's right." He sighed.

"Well, no spell she could perform would reveal your identity. There are some potions she could employ, but for those she would need a sample of your blood. As long as you keep that out of her hands, there is little she can do." Severus resolved to keep a close watch on his stores this year. "I do have one question; in second year...did you three actually manage to brew a successful Polyjuice potion?" His tone was silky.

Harry smirked. "Yes, we did." He knew damn well it was an advanced level potion, and they had pulled it off.

"Five points to Slytherin." Severus grinned and returned to his work. He enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon in quiet companionship with his son. It was nearly dinner when Severus put his things away and looked at Harry. "Have you attempted your Patronus yet?" He asked Harry.

Harry shook his head. "I haven't really been able to find some time to myself. Draco and Terrence have been keeping a close eye on me ever since the run-in with Seamus and Ron."

"You may find yourself glad of the attention at some point. However, as regards your practicing there is no time like the present," Severus said and gestured for him to stand. "Your practical session is on Tuesday, and we need to know in advance if it's going to be a problem."

Harry nodded and took a deep breath, standing and moving to a clear space in the room. It wasn't a destructive spell, so he didn't need to worry about it damaging anything. He found his new memory and let it fill him and then he spoke the words, standing tall. "Expecto Patronum!" His wand moved in sync to his words and he felt the Patronus form, erupting from his wand. A magnificent three-headed Runespoor slithered through the air elegantly. Harry smiled as it circled him, and upon realizing there was no threat it then disappeared.

Severus smiled softly. "Very well done." He touched his shoulder, relieved. A Runespoor was as far removed from a stag as day was from night. Even though he knew that Harry was capable of performing this spell, he still felt surprise at the evidence of his son's skill.

Harry smiled. "Now I'm hungry." He said and relaxed as his father laughed at him.

Together they settled down to enjoy their meal. Severus enjoyed the peace and quiet, realizing he would be looking forward to these weekly meals together. Miss Granger might prove to be a problem, but he had some ideas how to deal with her. He would just need to make sure she was too busy for any extracurricular activities.

TBC