.11 years later, a skinny boy with dark hair and eyes arrived in Hogwarts. Severus watched as he took his turn with the sorting hat. Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, both new friends of his, had already been sorted into Gryffindor.

The Potion Master wondered if anyone else would notice the resemblance between himself and Harry, as well as the lack of features resembling James.

"Hmmmm….. Potter, huh? You don't feel like a Potter to me. You feel like a Slytherin."

Severus turned his head slightly. He hadn't kept their secret for eleven years just for it to be spilled by a hat.

"No, not Slytherin. I want Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor, huh? You would do well in Slytherin."

"No Slytherin."

"Gryffindor!" The hat finally made its decision.

Severus and Harry both breathed a separate sigh of relief. The latter for being sorted into the house he wanted and the former for not being called out by a hat.

Because he had been known to hate James Potter while they were in school, Severus pretended to dislike Harry, all the while closely watching over him.

Harry often noticed Professor Snape watching him, but he didn't know why. He was the only one who never said anything to him about his parents.

Only once, when Harry wondered out loud to Hermione if his mother was good at potions, when he was nearby. It was the first time he'd ever seen him do anything besides scowl. The professor stopped, looked at Harry for a moment, smiled slightly and said "Oh, your mother loved potions".

George and Fred also happened to be nearby. They watched the professor's very strange behavior and exchanged a look.

"I think he must have had a thing for her, yeah?"

"Sure looks like it."

So many professors and parents who met Harry commented on his parents. Especially his mother, and how smart and kind she was. He heard about how his father was mischievous and a trouble maker, but good at magic.

He didn't know how they died, only that they had died when he was a tiny baby.

When Harry didn't get to potions class on time, he was given a detention with Professor Snape. He noticed the professor watching him several times as he scrubbed cauldrons and chopped ingredients. He seemed to get a lot of detentions in potions class after that.

He finally asked if his father got a lot of detentions, too. Professor Snape's eyes got huge and his face turned red and he screamed at Harry to never mention his father to him again. Then he abruptly ended his detention and didn't give him another one for months.

Harry started noticing that if he mentioned his mother around Professor Snape, then he got a positive response. But if anyone mentioned James Potter, he'd become incensed.

In Harry's third year, he spent a lot of time with Professor Lupin because he wasn't able to get the Dursleys to sign his permission slip for Hogsmeade outings. He heard a lot of stories about his father's escapades.

He asked what happened to his parents. Professor Lupin looked at him for a long moment, then explained that he'd be told what really happened when he got older.

"You may hear other stories, but they're not the truth."

"Professor Lupin, why can't you just tell me what happened?"

"You're not ready. It will change everything you know about yourself and your parents. Your world will change."

Later, having seen Harry talking to Lupin, Severus approached him. They hadn't spoken since that horrible day at the Potter's.

"I see Harry is spending a lot of time with you during the Hogsmeade trips."

"He is. His relatives wouldn't sign the permission slip, so he can't go along on the outings." Remus put the emphasis on the word 'relatives'. Severus caught it and glared at him.

"You haven't told the boy anything, correct?"

"No, I haven't. I don't feel he's ready, even though he asks. Especially since he now knows I was their friend. I don't feel it's my place to tell him who his father is."

Severus stood quietly, deep in thought. He finally spoke. "I will tell him. But not until he's much older. This is too much for a 13 year old. Sometimes, it's even too much for me."

Severus turned to walk away. "Severus, did you love her?"

He turned back to face Remus. "More than you can imagine."

"We were going to help her get back to you, you know."

"Sure you were. Your loyalty was to James, even if he was beating her. Did you know he had beaten her very badly on the day she left him?"

"No, I didn't." Remus looked shocked. Then he corrected himself. "Yes. We saw blood on the floor the night she left."

"He'd beaten her after the Order meeting and then again, very badly, two days later. We'd parted ways in Sirius' kitchen, but then she came to my house covered in blood and barely able to stand. It took me an hour to heal all her injuries."

Remus drew in a sharp breath. He'd had no idea of the extent of the abuse his friend had inflicted on his wife.

"When you and Sirius had come to their house the night she left, he had put a glamour spell over her so you couldn't see what he did."

Severus watched as Harry walked around on the grounds with Hermione and Ron, his best friends.

"Right now, he idolizes both of his parents. Why steal that?"

Remus walked to the window and also watched the trio of third year students laughing and joking.

"It started as revenge, you know, my sleeping with Lily." Remus turned to look incredulously at Severus.

"It was revenge for all the bullying he'd inflicted on me over the years. I had had a crush on her since the day I'd met her. I knew he was dating her and it was a way to get him back, knowing I was shagging his girlfriend behind his back. I could turn her on just by raising an eyebrow at her. Then I fell truly in love with her."

"So are you the one who invented that spell?"

Severus just smiled, and walked away.

It was after Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin at a Quidditch match. Everyone was walking back to their houses when Draco's voice rang out.

"Hey Potter! I heard Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. He killed your parents! My father said he killed them both and was ready to kill you, too."

Harry turned around, wand at the ready, but Hermione was quicker. She quickly disarmed Draco and put the Levicorpus spell on him. Luckily, Professor Mcgonagall walked around the corner and lowered him to the floor.

Looking at the three third year students in her office a few moments later, it was obvious something was upsetting all three but especially Harry.

Hermione filled her in on what happened. "Draco told Harry that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and that he killed his parents and almost killed him. Is that true?"

"Miss Granger, take Mr. Weasley to the Gryffindor common room, please. I need to speak with Mr. Potter."

After they left, Harry asked if it was true.

Professor Mcgonagall paused, deciding what to do.

"Professor Lupin told me that whatever I heard about my parents' death wouldn't be true, but that I'm not ready for the real truth yet. He said he'll tell me when I'm older."

"Oh, did he? Well, Professor Lupin is very wise. He will tell you when you're ready."

Then she offered him a chocolate biscuit and a calming potion, excused him from any further activities for the day and sent him to his dorm to lay down.

Remus was sitting in his classroom writing the next day's lesson when she came in.

"Remus, we need to talk."

"Okay." The tone in the headmistress's voice told him she meant business. He put his pen down.

"Mr. Malfoy told Mr. Potter today that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban and that he's the one who killed his parents. He also told him that Sirius tried to kill him."

Remus' heart sank. He'd been hoping none of this would come up yet. He sighed and covered his face with his hand.

"What have you discussed with Mr. Potter about his parents?"

"I told him I knew his parents, that I was friends with them. He asked how they died and I told him he wasn't ready for the truth, but that when he was I would tell him."

"And what is the truth, Remus?"

"Sirius is innocent. He didn't do it."

"Well, then. That's a bit of information. Who did?"

"Only Sirius, myself and one other person know that."

"Who is this mystery person?"

"I can't tell you. To divulge that would be to divulge an even bigger secret and that I cannot do."

"Well, I believe I've encountered more mysteries and have even more questions than I did when I entered your classroom. Thank you, Professor. I believe I will be going now, but we shall speak again. Good day."

"Good day, Headmistress."

Remus visited the potions lab to fill Severus in on what had happened. The potions master silently considered everything he'd heard.

"I didn't bring your name into it at all, but I did make the mistake of telling her that there was a mystery person who also knew what happened. I believe she is now determined to discover who and what we all know."

Draco was given three days of detention for his behavior. For performing spells on another student, Hermione was given one.

Severus hadn't forgotten that James Potter never received a single detention for levitating him upside down in front of the school and causing everyone to see his underwear. He also remembered that he'd gotten his own type of revenge the next day.

He'd raised an eyebrow at Lily during charms class. She'd gotten away from James by making an excuse that a friend needed her after a break up. Then she'd discreetly followed her lover to the Shrieking Shack and they'd shared each other several times.

On a back staircase, Fred and George Weasley presented the Marauder's Map to Harry. He couldn't help but notice as he watched it that afternoon and night that Professor Lupin was frequently in the company of Professor Snape. The next day, he grabbed the twins and asked them about it. They confirmed that they'd also noticed that, especially in the past few days since Draco's revelation.

This caused Harry to wonder if Professor Snape also knew anything about what happened to his parents.

He devised a plan to pepper Professor Lupin with questions during the next Hogsmeade trip, then follow him in the Invisibility Cloak.

"Does anyone else know what happened to my parents? How do you know Sirius Black didn't kill them? Why does the Ministry think he did it? How did he escape?"

"My goodness, boy. You sure are full of questions today. How about we go to my classroom and I can teach you the Patronus charm?"

For the next two hours, Harry practised the charm to expel dementors and other threats. When he was dismissed, he walked out in the hallway, put on his invisibility cloak and waited.

Sure enough, Professor Lupin made his way to the potions lab, so Harry followed.

"He's asking questions. A lot of questions. Who else knows what happened to his parents. How do I know Sirius Black isn't guilty. Why does the Ministry think he is. That boy is smart, he has his father's curious mind and he thinks about everything."

At the last sentence, he saw Professor Snape raise his head and look sharply at his visitor.

"I suppose he does." The potions master suddenly looked right at Harry. "He's even smart enough to know when to use his Invisibility Cloak. He certainly has his father's knack for sneaking around." With that, the cloak was snatched off his body and he was being glowered at.

"Mr. Potter, you have no business snooping around and listening to private conversations. I'm giving you a week of detention. You will ask no more questions regarding your parents. You've been told that you're not ready. When you are, you will be told. Not before."

"Sir, I don't have any family. They were the only family I had. I just want to know how they died."

"And you will. In time. Now go."

"May I please have my cloak back, sir?"

"After you serve your detentions. I will see you after supper."

After Harry was well out of earshot, Remus whispered "He's just like you, you know that right?"

"Don't make me give you a week's detention too, Remus."

"What did you mean by his father's knack for sneaking around?"

"You never had any clue what was going on between me and Lily, did you?"

"Nope, can't say I did."

"Exactly."

As Harry scrubbed cauldrons for him that evening, the Potion Master thought about what Remus said. The boy was a lot like him. He also was starting to look like him. His eyes were dark like his and his hair was black. Remembering what he'd said about not having any family had tugged on Severus' heartstrings, much to his chagrin. Little did the boy know that he had family right in this room.

"Potter, you scrub cauldrons slower than a giant in a Quidditch match. James Potter was always slow and lazy, too."

Harry gave him a quizzical look.

"What is it, Potter?"

"You told me never to talk about my father to you. But sometimes you smile when someone talks about my mother."

"Your mother was an amazing woman."

"You knew her?"

Professor Snape sighed sadly. "Yes, I knew her."

"Why do you hate my father so much?"

"Didn't I tell you not to ask so many questions? Now get to scrubbing or I'll give you another week."

"Yes, sir."

A few weeks later, the trio was walking outside when a dog ran up and snatched Ron's pet rat Scabbers out of his hands. The three chased it into the Forbidden Forest. There, they witnessed the dog transform into a man.

"Can I please have my rat, sir?"

"This rat is mine now. He's a traitor and a murderer, as far as I'm concerned."

"Who are you and who is the rat?"

"I'm Sirius Black." He gestured at the rat. " This is Peter Pettigrew and he has a lot to answer for."

The rat tried to get away, but he wasn't successful.

Harry started to walk towards the man, intending to get answers.

"Watch out, Sirius. He's going to bombard you with questions."

The trio turned around to see Remus walking towards him.

"Harry, I believe you've been told multiple times and in no uncertain terms to stop asking questions."

"Yes, sir."

"Now go back inside. Tell no one what you saw."

The two men watched the trio leave, then hugged.

"So he's been asking questions, huh?"

"Boy, has he ever! He knows you were accused of their murders but that you didn't do it. He knows that Severus, myself and now you know what happened. That's all."

"He knows nothing about Severus?"

"No, and Severus and I agreed he'll be the one to tell him. In time."

Sirius glanced down at the rat in his hand. "What shall we do with him?"

"Maybe we should see if rats can swim!"

Scabbers tried again to get away, but Sirius threw him up in the air.

"Shopputaratis aquensis."

The rat flew to the lake from a high elevation, then abruptly dropped all the way down into the water.