A/n: Re-posted 08/22/2013

italics = Thoughts

Chapter 21 – Telling the Truth Can Be Really Hard

It was just after about ten minutes holding Severus that Harry let go of his father and looked around. Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes as she looked at him, but everyone else there, including Percy, Arthur and Hermione were looking at Harry like he had suddenly grown a second head.

"I..." Harry didn't know what to say. He had thought about telling his friends about his new relationship with Snape, but he had been so frightened that something had happened to his dad during the chaos that became the World Cup that he had completely forgotten that Sirius was the only one that knew the whole truth, and his godfather wasn't in a position where he could help Harry, having to stay hidden as a dog and all that.

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron was the first to get over the shock of watching Harry hug the dungeon's bat.

"Ron..." Harry started to answer, but he didn't know what to say to calm his friend down.

"No Harry." the younger redhead stopped him "don't try to fix this. Don't you see what's happening here? What he's done to you?"

"And what have I done to Harry, Mr. Weasley?" Severus couldn't stay quiet, seeing Harry doubt himself again.

Ron turned his head so fast it made a loud cracking sound, his eyes were huge as he looked at the potion master, he had completely forgotten that Snape was there. And his parents. He had just been so angry that Harry had hidden something like that from him.

"You... you..." Ron didn't know what to say now that he had the attention of everyone. His mother was looking at him reproachfully while Fred and George were sighing behind her back, telling him how screwed he would be if he didn't fix everything right that second.

"Ron." Harry tried again "if you calm down I'll explain."

"Calm down? Calm down? You... hug the old bat and I'm the one who has to calm down? You need to see a healer! Now! Snape has obviously jinxed you! Or... a potion! He must have made you drink a potion! That's the only explanation to what I just saw!"

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!" growled Molly Weasley "You will apologize to Severus right now! I raised you better than this! How dare you say something like that about you professor!"

"But mom! Don't you see..." Ron still tried to defend himself.

"No Ron." Harry's monotonous voice made everyone look at him with concern "Your mother's right. You know nothing. You don't have a clue what happened to me this pasts weeks. Yes, now I get along fine with Professor Snape, how could I not when he's my dad?"

"DAD?!" this time Hermione and all the other Weasleys participated in the choir, startled by the news.

"That's right, Dad." Severus answered in his usual cold voice that made even Molly embarrassed about her reaction to the news. "Harry is my son, which means that if any of you have something to say about it, go ahead and say it now, in my face, because if I ever find out that one malicious comment made by one of you hurt MY SON in any way, the responsible for that will find out why I was considered a follower of the Dark Lord" Severus kept eye contact with every single person there, daring them to say something. When it became clear no one was going to say a thing, he looked back at Harry and said "Get your things, Harry, It's time to go back home."

WHOSSONWHOSSONWHOSSON

The next few weeks before the first of September went without problems to Harry. Severus tried to give him a bit more attention, spending a few hours after dinner talking with Harry and helping him with his homework. Harry also passed two afternoons with his father in his potion's lab. Without all the glares, Harry proved himself to at least be able to make a potion without much difficulties, but he'd never be as passionate about potion making as Severus was.

The last week of vacation Severus, Harry and Padfoot moved to Hogwarts. The potion master needed to prepare for the beginning of lessons, and as Severus simply refused to leave Harry and Sirius alone he demanded that Dumbledore provided rooms for them in his privet chambers at the school. Harry spent his days enjoying the sun, walking and talking with Hagrid or in the quidditch field. The image Harry made, completely relaxed flying in the Broomstick Sirius had given him was one of Severus favourites of all times. Not that he would ever tell anyone about it.

When the first of September arrived, there was a small misunderstanding in the Snape family. Harry wanted to ride the train from London to the school, but Severus couldn't see why he had to go and put himself in a dangerous situation just to come back to the exact same place he had left. In the end, Sirius managed to convince Snape that every student in the train would be expecting to see Harry there and that missing the train and being at the school before the other students would get unwanted attention.

Severus had a hard time conceding the point to the marauder, but in the end, he decided they were right, so he would aparate with Harry from Hogsmeade to King Cross station. Harry would take with him only his backpack, Severus had put his foot down, there was no sense in making the boy carry his trunk all around – again – when the house elves would be more then pleased to take it from the dungeons to the Griffindor tower.

Harry was nervous. He was sitting in a cabin more or less in the middle of the train. They had arrived almost an hour early, so Harry had been able to choose where he wanted to sit. Severus had made him promise not to step out of the train for anything till he was back at Hogsmeade, and after Harry had promised, Snape had went back to Hogwarts. It would've been terrifying for the other students to meet their dreaded potion's professor before arriving at the school.

Twenty minutes before eleven o'clock Harry saw a mass of orangey hair coming in the station. He watched as a few of them looked around as if searching for someone, so he put his head out of the window and called them. Charlie was the first to find Harry. The dragon tamer's smile could light the darkest of places. Soon Fred, George, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were inside the train.

"I'll maybe see you all sooner than you think" said Charlie, smiling when the twins put their heads out of the window to say goodbye to their mother and siblings.

"Why?" asked Fred curious.

"You'll have to wait and see." answered Charlie "Just don't say anything to Percy, he would go on and on about how it's secret information until the minister decides to divulge it."

"Yeah... Even I want to be a student at Hogwarts again." said Bill, his hands in his pockets, looking at the train with a longing look.

"Why?" asked George getting impatient.

"You'll have an interesting year..." answered Bill, his eyes twinkling "who knows, maybe I'll ask for some time off to come and have a look..."

"Have a look at what?" asked Ron, getting in between his twin brothers so he could better hear his older brothers.

Right at that moment the whistle of the train was heard and Mrs. Weasley waved at then.

"I'd invite you for Christmas but... well… I'd thought you'll want to stay at Hogwarts this year... for something or another..."

"MOM!" complained Ron "What do you know that we don't?"

"You'll find out tonight, I'm sure. It's very exciting, I'm pleased they changed the rules, however."

"Rules? What rules?" asked Harry, Ron, Fred and George together.

"Oh, I'm certain Professor Dumbledore will tell you... now, behave! Do you hear me Fred? And you George?"

There was a last whistle and the train began to move.

"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" screamed Fred through the window as Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie were getting smaller and smaller "What rules have changed?!"

But Mrs. Weasley just smiled and waved at then. Before the train had made the first turn, she Bill and Charlie had disappeared.

When they couldn't see the platform anymore they all sat. Harry looked at them with cautious eyes, waiting for one of them to say something.

"Look Harry, if you're sure that having the bat as your father is a good thing, there's nothing more I could say." said Ron after several minutes of silence.

"What Ron's trying to say" finished Hermione "is that after we got over the surprise of seeing you hugging professor Snape so suddenly... we got it. We understood why you didn't say anything about it by letter. Does he take good care of you?"

"Yes. It's the best thing that ever happened to me." answered Harry sincerely.

"Then I'm happy for you." she said smiling at him.

"You sure he didn't give you some potion to make you change the way you think about him?" Ron had to try again.

Harry laughed. Fred slapped his younger brother's head and everyone else started laughing as well. Soon they had forgotten everything and went back to trying to guess what Mrs. Weasley, Charlie and Bill had been talking about. In that moment, Harry felt completely at peace.

A/n: Reviews anyone?