December - Harry, age 13

Harry sat up early in the morning, staring down at his covers. He had only been a little curious when he heard the floo roar to life last night. He knew McGonagall's voice well and it was rare for her to just visit for nothing.

He ran his hand idle along the top of the covers, swallowing heavily. Snape had pressed for him to stay within the castle, all because of Sirius Black. Now he was curious if it was for a different reasons completely.

McGonagall had been worried that he'd find out about Black. About how he was his godfather. Of course Snape had assured the woman he wouldn't.

Harry swallowed once more. Why would Snape hide that from him?

Slowly, the thirteen year old pushed himself up and slipped on his glasses. The last thing he needed was to tell on himself that he heard the conversation so late at night, but he had to know.

Snape sat in his armchair, the morning paper in his hands. Black's face was plastered on the front page as it had been for the past several weeks, the word 'WANTED' under his picture in large bold print.

Snape's eyes scanned the article, noting that Black had not been spotted in over a week.

Snape had been working diligently at protecting his child. Not only had he tightened the rules, he had done everything in his power to make sure that Harry did not discover who Black truly was. The last thing he needed was his child running headlong into a dangerous situation because the man was his godfather.

A soft sigh escaped the man's lips as he opened the paper.

Harry stepped down the hall, resting a hand on the wall for a brief moment before stepping further into the parlor. His eyes settled on the open paper in front of Snape, watching Black's face.

"Mornin'..."

Snape looked up from the paper as the child walked into the room. "Good morning Harry. Did you sleep well?"

"mn... I guess." Harry moved across the parlor, sitting down on the couch and pulling his legs up towards himself. His gaze broke away from the paper to rest on his knees. How could he even bring it up? "Was thinking a lot last night."

"Thinking about what?" Snape's eyes drifted to an article about an upcoming sale at the Apothecary.

"Sirius Black." He chewed on his bottom lip, pulling a decorative dark pillow to himself. "... I really didn't sleep well, actually."

Snape closed his paper, setting it on the table beside him before his eyes settled on his child. He knew his child well. He knew that tone. There was more to this than the boy being unable to sleep. That tone held guilt. "What is it Harry?"

Harry rubbed at his knee idly before wrapping his arms around his middle. "I know McGonagall was here," he muttered, sparing a glance over to Snape.

Snape raised a stern eyebrow, his gaze remaining on his child. "How do you know that? You should have been fast asleep by the time she arrived. It was quite late."

"I told you I wasn't sleeping well," he muttered, swallowing heavily. "And I heard voices. And...and why didn't you tell me?!" Desperation finally hit the teen's voice as he looked at Snape fully.

"There is absolutely no way that you heard a word of what we discussed from your room little boy." Snape sat up straighter as his eyes narrowed on his child. The man could feel his heartbeat quicken at the realization of what Harry knew.

Harry swallowed, looking away and down to his legs. "Doesn't matter how I heard." He cleared his throat, glaring to the pillow. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did not tell you because I did not want it to interfere with you keeping yourself safe." Snape cleared his throat before continuing. "I have been trying to keep you safe."

"How does me not knowing keep me safe?" The same desperation didn't leave his voice as he took in a shaky breath. For Sirius to be his godfather, he had to have been good friends with his parents. "You said he was with Voldemort." Harry didn't care at that point that he was using the name around his guardian. Not then. "But he was obviously friends with mum and dad."

"He was." Snape nodded. "At one time he was." The man let out an annoyed sigh. "I did not need you to make a poor decision to try and find him or put yourself in a bad situation simply because the man is your godfather."

The teen made a face at the words. "Why would I? Do you really not trust me that much?" Harry muttered, rolling his eyes despite himself.

"This is not about trust." Snape's eyes narrowed on the child. "I have always done what I thought was best for you. This time that just happened to include keeping some information from you."

"Aren't you the one that says... what is it... 'omission of truth is still a lie'?" Harry huffed at his own words. "So just say you lied."

"You had better watch that cheek of yours young man." A deep sternness took over Snape's face. "We already need to discuss the eavesdropping you did last evening. You do not want to add disrespect as well."

"I'm just being honest!" He felt his chest tighten at his words. He knew he was pushing Snape, but it wasn't fair! There had been no reason to hide anything from him!

"You know exactly what you are doing." Snape felt his temper rising. "And I will not stand for it. You will speak to me properly or you will stand in the corner until you can do so."

Harry took in a breath, releasing it slowly. "Sorry," he whispered, looking downward.

"If you want to believe that I lied to you then that is fine, however, I kept the information from you in an attempt to keep you safe." Snape let out a loud breath. "Regardless of what Black is to you, he is dangerous."

"Did you think I wanted to run after him with open arms?" Harry shook his head, shoulders slumping. "But if he is my godfather, why does he want to kill me? Are you sure he even does?"

"I am sure that he is dangerous. I am sure that he was heard muttering your name for months in his sleep before he escaped Azkaban. That is enough for me to make sure he does not come anywhere close to you." Snape sat back slightly in his chair. "If I did not think he was after you, I would not go to the extremes that I have."

"It was still useless to lie about it. What's the full story about him, dad?" Harry leaned his head back slightly to stare at Snape. "Because nothing about him I've heard is adding up."

Snape eyed the child carefully as he thought over the question. He was sure that the truth would only result in his child being even more upset. "Are you aware of what a Secret Keeper is?"

"No." Harry shook his head, finally relaxing. "I've heard of it though."

"A Secret Keeper is very advanced magic. It is essentially concealing a secret is a single human soul. When your parents went into hiding, they made Black their Secret Keeper. He was aware of where they were." Snape watched his child carefully as he spoke the words.

Harry swallowed, staring back at Snape as he studied the man's face for a long moment. "And told Voldemort," he finished softly, taking in a short breath.

Snape nodded. "Then went on to kill several others that same evening." The man gave his child a serious look. "He is extremely dangerous Harry. Which is why I kept this information from you. You worry enough without all of the information."

"Why though?!" Harry pushed himself to sit up properly, turning as he did so. "So what, he was just never their friend?" Anger was written clear across the teen's face as he stared right back at Snape.

"I do not know the answer to that," Snape replied in a gentle tone. He could see that the explanation as to who Black was had hurt his child.

"Kill him myself," the teenager muttered just above a whisper, resting his chin on his hand as he stared off to the side. Let Black find him. He would take care of him.

Snape felt the anger rise in him at the words, the features of his face went stern. "You will do no such thing young man."

Harry didn't reply, instead he only looked back down to the floor with a small shrug.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear." Snape's tone was stern once more. "Should you do such a thing my belt will come off."

"Why? Because I did everyone a favor?" Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at even his own words. He doubted he could kill anyone, let alone someone who's murdered others.

"That is enough." Snape's tone remained stern. "I am being quite serious Harry James. This is not a game."

"I am too." The teenager bit back with ease, his arms tightening around the pillow before he lessened it slowly. "I never said it was a game."

"Harry James," Snape said the teenagers name in a dangerously low tone. "That is enough.

Harry took in a breath, looking down to the pillow and idly rubbing a finger against a frayed edge. "Sorry," he finally muttered.

"Honestly Harry, that cheek of yours is a bit much this morning. Did you wake up wanting to go over my knee? Did you decide that it has been too long since the wooden spoon has been out?" The man gave the child a stern glare. "Because I can assure you if this cheek does not stop it will make an appearance."

"I said I'm sorry," Harry uttered, placing the pillow to his side and looking over to the man with a huff. "And I'm too old for any of that."

"Yet you continue with your cheek." Snape eyed the child carefully as he sat up a bit straighter. "And you are far from too old to go over my knee."

"I am," Harry pressed, folding his arms over his middle as he stared at the man. "And I'm not even being cheeky either!"

Snape raised an eyebrow at the words. "What makes you think that you are too old for something that works so well?"

"I just am." Harry shrugged. "I'm thirteen... being on restriction is fine enough." At least he felt it was true! Being on restriction was more than enough!

"I was unaware that it is now your decision how you are punished." Snape shook his head at his child. "As long as you are under age I will punish you as I see fit."

"Well I'm still too old for it." Harry folded his arms around his middle. "I hate the whole year. I hate that I'm practically trapped here and my parents own friend made sure they were killed!" His anger deflated rather quickly at his own words.

Snape felt his anger diminishing as the child spoke. A small sigh escaped him as he waved a hand, calling the boy to him. "I am sure this will all be over soon. Black will be caught and things will go back to normal."

Harry pushed himself up, moving across the parlor and stopping in front of his guardian. "Then... let me like trap him or something."

"Absolutely not." Snape leaned forward hooking his hands under the child's armpits and lifting him up to sit on his lap. "And you will not take this matter into your own hands."

The teenager hardly had to be lifted as Snape moved him. He rested his arm around Snape's shoulders, taking in a breath. "But it couldn't be too hard to catch him if I'm involved."

"The answer is no young man." Snape's fingertips tapped the boys knee. "That would be far too dangerous."

"Then what if he's never caught?" Harry shifted his legs, bending at the waist slightly and resting his head on his guardian's shoulder.

"He will be caught." Snape turned his head to look at his child properly. "I happen to think that he will be caught sooner rather than later."

"I don't know," Harry muttered, the fight completely gone from him by that point.

"I suppose that you will just need to trust me then." Snape hummed, his fingertips tapping the boys knee once more. "Shall we discuss your misbehavior last night?"

"Not really." Harry shifted his knee away slightly before resting it back. "I should of known to begin with."

"Perhaps," Snape agreed. "However that does not excuse eavesdropping. You know far better than that."

"But I didn't hide it." That had started to be the most important thing to tell Snape. If he came to him first. There truly was quite a large difference between hiding something from Snape and just admitting it.

"Which I appreciate." Snape nodded. "Your backside should appreciate it as well. If I had discovered your misbehavior on my own you would certainly be fetching the slipper."

Harry swallowed, lifting his head up at the words. "You don't even have to do anything." He pressed, biting the inside of his cheek.

"You need to learn to respect others privacy." Snape's fingertips tapped Harry's knee once more. "I should be able to have a discussion with someone without setting a silencing charm as well as without worrying that you are listening, when you should not be."

"And I only listened because it was about me and something you should of told me. I'm not going to run off and find him. Even if I want to hurt him... I'm not an idiot. I don't go looking for trouble... it just... tends to find me. Really well." Harry's voice dropped, looking down with a frown.

"You only listened because it was about you?" Snape's hand moved to tap Harry's chin firmly. "How would you feel if I eavesdropped on conversations that you have with your friends? I am sure that you talk about me at times."

"I defend you a lot." Harry frowned, resting his head back down despite the tap. "I just hate... finding out things about me. Everyone else knows more about me than... me. That's not fair."

"I planned on eventually telling you Harry. When I felt that the time was right, you would have known." Snape tapped the boys chin once more. "That also does not excuse your eavesdropping either. You have known since you were six years old that doing so is wrong."

"Sorry." Harry shifted his head slightly at the tapping, bowing his head down closer to his chest. "I just wanted to know."

"What are we to do about a consequence for these actions?" Snape looked down at the child sternly.

"I don't know." Harry sighed heavily, sparing a look up to Snape and cringing inwardly at the scowl. His shoulders slouched a considerable amount before his eyes fell to his knees.

Snape hummed softly at the words. "Perhaps my hand needs to remind that backside of yours of the rules?"

"No." Harry shook his head, closing his eyes as he did so. "I swear."

Snape was silent for several long moments before his fingertips firmly tapped Harry's knee. "Four feet on why eavesdropping is wrong to be completed by tomorrow evening."

Relief and shock coursed through the teen, causing a small smile to tug at his lips as his eyes opened to rest on Snape's hand. "Okay." He forced his smile away, a neutral expression crossing his face as he looked up to him.

"Do you need to write an additional four feet on why you will not be putting yourself in any dangerous situations despite the information you now know?" Snape raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the boy. "Or can I trust that you understand not to do so and what the consequence will be if you do?"

"You can trust me." Harry nodded his shortly at the man, lips twitching just slightly. "I already told you. I don't go looking for trouble, dad."

"This is serious Harry. This is not sneaking out past curfew or misbehaving in class. Your talk of going to find him is not acceptable." The man's hand moved to tap the boys chin once more. "Do not even consider doing such a thing. I hardly want to make good on my threat but I will all the same should you do such a thing."

Harry sighed, adjusting his head against Snape's shoulder as he stared back at his guardian. He never doubted Snape's threat, but he still couldn't see the man ever actually using his belt.

"I really won't. Okay?"

Snape nodded with a hum. "Okay." He tapped the boys knee once more.

"Okay," Harry repeated, relaxing once more and looking down to Snape's hand. "Love you."

" I love you very much." Snape's hand rested gently on the boys knee. "Very much indeed."