I do not own Harry Potter's world but I sure would love to live in it. Many thanks to AngelAuthor14, a good friend and beta

Revelations

After spending a few minutes with Harry the Headmaster of the Pre-School returned to his office. His new teacher was waiting for him in the reception area and after apologizing for keeping him waiting Severus ushered him into his private office and offered him a cup of tea. After the house elf brought their refreshments the two of them discussed the job.

Severus liked the young man immediately. Having been a undercover spy when Voldemort was in power he knew the danger Roger was in and the stress he was under. Arrangements were made for Roger to move into his quarters the next day and to start working with the children the following week.

Returning to his office Severus changed into muggle clothing (luckily he was one of the few wizards who knew how to do so appropriately), told Dobby and Daisy where he was going and went to collect Stephanie.

When the door opened in response to his knock he almost lost his breath. Stephanie was dressed in "a little black dress" with diamond stud earrings and her hair up. Severus thought her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. They took Jaelle back to his quarters and left the castle.

Walking to Hogwarts gates to apparate to the restaurant he had chosen for them Severus finally found his voice. "Stephanie, you are beautiful tonight, in fact you are breath taking."

"Thank you Sev, I was beginning to think you weren't going to speak this evening," she smiled back at him.

"I've been trying to find my voice since the minute you opened your door, but as I said, you took my breath away."

They reached the gates and because Stephanie did not know where they were going Severus put his arm around her and apparated them to a sidewalk in London right outside the door of a small Italian restaurant that he had discovered years ago.

After being seated and ordering he looked across the table at the woman who was watching him with a smile in her eyes. "I have never really had a serious relationship with a woman Stephanie," he began. "While I was still a student at Hogwarts I was deeply in love with one of the other students, but while she loved me, it was only as a dear friend. My jealousy and stupidity ruined the friendship and I have regretted in ever since."

"I was bitter and angry, jealous, and stupid. I joined the Deatheaters. The things I saw and the things I was expected to do sickened me Stephanie. I knew I had made a mistake, the biggest one of my life. I finally swallowed my pride and fear and went to Albus. I told him that I wanted to get away from the life I was living and he believed me. He hired me as Potions Master for the school. It was decided that we would let Voldemort believe I was still an enthusiastic follower. The Dark Lord thought that I was spying on the Order, when in reality I was spying for the Order. Unfortunately, everyone else thought I was following Voldemort too. I had to let them think this way because several students were children of Deatheaters. I became the most feared and disliked Professor in the school."

Stephanie reached over and put her hand on his and said "Hush Severus, you do not need to tell me all of this. I can see that this is painful for you."

"No, let me finish please. It is of utmost importance to me for you to know all of this. Because of my life style I could not consider being close to or marrying anyone because if Voldemort thought I loved someone or if I had a family they would be in terrible danger. He never hesitated to punish one of is followers by hurting the ones they loved. I could not risk that."

"Then Harry came along. He is the son of the girl I told you about. He needed me and I quickly came to love him as my own son. I quit spying, but until Voldemort was caught and no longer had any power I was afraid for him every minute."

"The point is that he is gone now and I am in love. This time it is a real love, I know now that the other was a youthful infatuation. Lily and I were friends, and as I had never had a true friend I mistook the love I had for her and she for me as the real thing. It was always and still is, a love based upon friendship. I didn't really realize this until I met you. I have been falling in love with you since the day I met you and I want nothing more than to be a part of you life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Stephanie, will you marry me?"

Severus reached in his pocket and brought out a ring. It was gold with a huge fire opal surrounded by small but perfect diamonds. Stephanie looked at him with glowing eyes as she whispered one word, "yes."

Severus spent the rest of the evening, including the meeting, floating on the clouds. He could not believe that this beautiful creature was willing to marry him and spend her life with him!

Albus, who took one look at the two of them and knew that his friend had finally found the one, mercifully kept the meeting short. They decided to strenghten the wards at the school and wait until their agent could get more information for them before they took any action. Dumbledore decided that he could let Severus see his memories if he needed to catch up.

The next morning Severus woke Harry early. "Come on sleepy head, as soon as you have dressed and eaten your breakfast we are going on a trip!"

Harry immediately jumped out of bed and into his clothes. Over breakfast he tried to get his Dad to tell him where they were going, but all he could get out of him was a "you'll see when we get there."

Severus apparated them to a small village. Harry looked around and saw a sign that said Godric's Hollow. His father led him down a street to a cottage sitting in an overgrown lot. The cottage had been a pretty place at one time but now it looked empty and run down.

The man looked down at the child who was looking up at him.

"Daddy where are we? I think I should know but I don't, but shouldn't I?"

"Harry, you are going to be moving into the Castle when the new term begins and there are some things I need to tell you. I have not hidden anything from you if I thought you needed to know it. That being said, I have not told you things that I thought you were not ready to know."

"You know that Voldemort killed your parents and tried to kill you. This is the house you lived in with your parents. Dumbledore had you taken from here as soon as he heard what had happened. You were taken to your Aunt's house where we found you horribly neglected and abused. I was lucky enough to be able to adopt you and have always been thankful for that. Let's go find your parents graves and I will tell you the story."

The two of them explored the overgrown garden and at the back of the garden they found a huge oak tree sheltering the graves. Harry looked down at the headstones and wondered what life would have been like if they were still alive. Then he looked at the man who had loved and taken care of him and smiling up at his Dad he sat down on the grass between his parents' graves and said, "Sit here and tell me the story Daddy."

"Your father was an Auror Harry. He was young and just starting his career, but was destined to do great things. Your Mom stayed home and took care of you. She was the first and best friend I ever had. Your father tried for years to get Lily to look at him and he finally won her over. She was a firey little thing, and so beautiful Harry. You look just like James, but you have her green eyes. Those eyes could sure shoot firebolts when she was angry. It was magnificant, unless you were the one she was angry with."

Your father had many friends, but there were three special ones. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. They were known as the Mauraders. Harry, those guys were amazing! They were pranksters, and most of the pranks were brilliant. I wouldn't admit that for years, I didn't like them. I hated your father for years, because Lily married him. I was so jealous. But, not too many years ago I realized that your Mom loved me, but only as a friend. She never loved anyone but your father. And after he met her he never looked at another girl. She was the one for him from the start."

"I really can't give you the details of your life with them, because your father and I were still enemies. But you can talk to Sirius or Remus. They will be happy to talk to you. They have just been waiting for the right time. There are other people who remember them and want to share memories with you. I am going to attempt to tell you the parts I know about."

"There was a prophecy, which has obviously been proven wrong, that Voldemort thought predicted that you had to kill him unless he killed you. I will be ashamed of until the day I die that I was responsible for his discovery of the existence of the prediction."

He looked down at Harry with tears in his eyes, "I can only beg your forgivness for my part in this story. When I found out what he was planning I tried to stop it, I tried to save them, but I couldn't. After your parents deaths I went to Dumbledore and starting working as an undercover agent within Voldemort's organization."

Harry thought for a few minutes then turned to Severus. "Dad you don't need my forgivness, you need your own. You didn't intend anything to happen the way it did. I know that because I know you." The boy threw his arms around the man and said "I love you. You are my Dad."

Severus swallowed hard and wiped his eyes. "After Voldemort found out about the prophecies he wanted you dead. He didn't like your parents because they were working with the Order against him."

"Your parents came here and went into hiding. Do you know what the Fidelius Charm is?" Receiving a nod from Harry he continued "Sirius was the secret keeper, but he was concerned that everyone would assume it was him and somehow torture it from him. So James and Lily made Peter the secret keeper but they told no one, not even Dumbledore or Remus."

"Peter was always a treacherous little rat in my opinion, and I'm sorry to say I was right. He saw that Voldemort was getting stronger every day and he wanted to gain favor, so he went to Voldemort and told him where the Potters were living. Voldemort waited until Halloween and attacked while your parents were alone. He killed your Dad and then followed your Mom upstairs where he had run with you. Harry, Lily's love for you is the reason the killing curse rebounded and hit him instead of killing you. Everyone thought that Sirius betrayed your parents but they were wrong. He discovered the bodies and went after Peter. He knew that he had betrayed them and he wanted to kill him. When he caught him on a crowded muggle street Peter killed twelve muggles escaping from him. The rat bit off his finger and left it on the ground when he blew up the street and he escaped into the gutter. When the ministry found Sirius there they arrested him and threw him into Azkaban without even a trial. He stayed there for years. When Voldemort was arrested the story came out and Sirius was released."

" You are the only person to have survived the killing curse. You have been kept out of the lime light all of your life. I've never taken you out into the Wizarding World because you are famous there. You are called The Boy Who Lived. Until he was defeated I did not want you outside Hogwarts. Then, when I thought it was safe a new Dark Lord arose in Europe. Unfortunately this man, Count Vladimir, is the illegitimate son of Voldemort and hates you because he believes that everything that happened to his father is your fault."

Harry thought about all of this for awhile. "Dad, am I going to have to fight this Count one day? If I am I think I should start learning how right away, don't you?"

"Oh yes son, we will be starting immediately. But in the meantime I would prefer not to advertise your presence. Vladimir has moved into his father's old home and I know that some of the children of his followers will be attending Hogwarts. Albus and I have talked about it and think it would be a good idea for you to change a little. I will take you to London and have your scar removed and get you some colored contact lens. We think you should use a new name too. What do you think about Charles Snape?"

"No, Dad. I don't want to change my appearance or my name. I have a scar and my mom's eyes and my name is Harry James Potter Snape. If I hide all of my life I will be afraid all of my life. I am really more afraid of fear than I am of Count Vladimir."

Severus hugged his son and asked if he would like to go into the house. Harry asked if they could come back and do it another day so the two of them returned home.