A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone, here's the moment you have all been waiting for….the truth, the whole truth and nothin' but the truth….well okay, and a little fluff for my buddies on the Albus and Minerva group. Up after this: What brooch, More FLUFF, personal and real battles of all kinds! Stick around, and review!
A/N 2: Everyone go read Harry Potter and the Last Great War by Stephanie Johnson…its AD/MM and H/Hr and it's done!!!!!
Chapter 13: Revelations
Alathea and Harry sat in the chairs facing the Headmaster's desk, Snape was standing behind them. They'd been told to go into the office and wait. So they waited. After a few minutes Dumbledore and McGonagall entered. They didn't sit. They both looked nervous. "What's going on?"
The headmaster sighed, suddenly he looked very old. "Harry, Thea, do you understand why you were given to muggle families?"
"To keep us safe, from Voldemort and from the death-eaters and such."
"Right. To keep you safe. Well, I'm afraid your family is a bit more displaced than you realized. Your fathers were both given up for adoption when they were young too. In reality, your last names aren't Potter and Snape and James and Severus were brothers."
"What!" Snape yelled.
Dumbledore held up a hand to stop the potions master's protests. He sat in the chair behind his desk and McGonagall moved to his side. She took a seat in the chair he'd transfigured next to him and grabbed his hand tightly. The rooms other occupants didn't notice the death grip she had on his hand, as the desk blocked their view. "A long time ago a young witch and a wizard fell in love. They got married, but as the wizard was very famous and rather unpopular among some unsavory characters, they decided to keep their marriage a secret. Which worked out very well, until the witch found out she was pregnant. They took a year off and went to Australia, where they hoped they wouldn't be recognized. After the twins, James and Severus, were born, their father took them back to England and gave them to an adoption agency. The agency placed the boys." He looked up at Severus sadly. "The parents had no say in whom the boys were placed with, believe me. They'd even begged that the boys be kept together, but to no avail. The rest you all know."
"You're being rather evasive Albus. Who are my parents?" Snape growled.
Alathea put a comforting hand on his sleeve and slipped her other hand into Harry's. "Yes, who are they?" She asked softly.
"We are." McGonagall answered her. She lowered her tear-filled eyes from the stinging betrayal in her son's gaze. "We…we were just trying to protect you."
Harry nodded calmly. He'd become rather adept at handling huge shocks and random left turns on his life path. "May I go and have some time to think about this." He asked quietly.
"Of course Harry." His…grandfather acquiesced. "Oh, Harry. Discretion is still encouraged, but you should feel free to tell Ron and Hermione."
"Thanks."
Alathea still didn't say anything, but her father was full of anger that he wanted to spew at them. "All this time." He hissed, his voice low. "All this time, you never told me…"
"We wanted to protect you." Minerva whispered feebly staring down at her hands.
"From what? Voldemort? He got me all on my own. You should have said something."
"We should have." Albus agreed. He stood and crossed over to the angry man. "It never seemed like the right time. But you're right, we should have."
Severus turned his back and stared hard into the fire place. "It's a little late." His voice was cold. "I've got essays to grade. Headmaster. Professor." And he swept out of the room.
Alathea was suddenly alone in the room. Her newly found grandparents watched her. They both seemed so sad and hurt. She offered them a small smile. "I can't say I understand why you did what you did. But then, I rarely understand what my father does either. I'm sure you had your reasons and that to you, if to no one else, they seem very important. And I'm sure that everything you did, you did out of love. And I guess…that's enough for me." She gave each of them a kiss on the cheek. "They'll come around, you'll see." Then she left.
When the room was empty, Minerva let out a sigh and crossed to where her husband now stood alone, by the fire place. "How is it that Thea, who always seemed the most child-like is the one who was most mature."
Dumbledore smiled and pulled her close. "Children and those of us who have the fortune to remain rather childlike don't look at things the same way. The most important thing for a child is love. Anything done in love can be forgiven. And children have remarkable clarity of perception and abilities to rebound. Alathea, perhaps because she grew up away from the expectations and threats, managed to retain those abilities it seems."
Minerva closed her eyes and pushed the unpleasant thoughts away. "You know she may look like me, but she is most definitely your granddaughter."
He chuckled warmly and kissed the top of her head. "I think she's show herself to be your granddaughter too, before too long. Besides, I know exactly where Harry and James got their mischievous streak."
"I do not know what you're talking about." He could hear the blush in her voice.
"Oh and I suppose you still maintain that poor Olive Hornsby and Sybill ended up with purple fur for a week because they accidentally fell in a potion that prolonged the transfigurations they'd for some inexplicable reason, preformed on themselves?"
"Of course." She smiled up at him.
"And you ended up in The Three Broomsticks with Donavan Potter, Arabella Figg, and Malcolm Weasley because you somehow miraculously sleep walked all the way to Hogsmeade without running into any teachers and they were only there because the saw you in the common room, and having read that it isn't a good idea to wake a sleep walking person they thought they should follow you and make sure you didn't get hurt? Then, when you woke up you all decided to have a few butterbeers before you came back since you were already there."
"Naturally." She agreed with a smile and a twinkle in her dark eyes.
"You're a terrible fibber." He moved over to his desk after giving her a kiss, and settled down to answer some letters.
"Besides, to hear Alastor tell it, you were quite a problem as a student as well."
"Minerva, I may have had my fun, but you my dear professor, set more records than any other student in Hogwart's history. None of which were broken until Sirius and James got here, and they only broke half of them."
She sat across from him and shrugged. "I always was a bit of an over-achiever."
"Minerva you hold the record for most detentions, most detentions for a Head Girl, causing the most bodily injuries to fellow students, the most elaborate pranks ever pulled on a professor…" He shook his head. "James and Sirius broke your record of most times a person has snuck off the grounds, by I believe two times, and they were off the grounds monthly with Remus! They also broke your record for most rumors spread, and most rules broken in a single day, both by less than ten. And lets see, ah yes, I believe you and Sirius are tied for the number of illegal quidditch moves, and I know you hold the record of the only student to every actually cause a professor to have a heart attack."
"Two Professors." He merely quirked an eyebrow. "There was the prank that gave Professor Binns his final heart attack, although I'm not sure I can be blamed for that, he was already well over two hundred years old at the time. And then there was my seventh year, when Headmaster Dippet allowed us to wear costumes to the Halloween Ball, and I believe you were admitted to the hospital wing for chest pains apparently caused by my Arabian Princess costume."
"Minerva, you wore a belly dancing costume made of midnight blue chiffon, and you didn't wear anything underneath. But that's beside the point. Honestly, my dear, if the Weasley twins ever got a hold of your school record they'd worship you as their goddess."
"I was a girl."
"No, you were the most brilliant holy terror I have ever met. And clearly that level of creativity and that penchant for trouble was passed from you to our children and grandchildren."
"Fine, I concede the point. But I will never forget the look on your face when I walked into the Great Hall that night." She told him with a giggle.
"You were a tease. There wasn't a boy in that room who wasn't ready to drop dead when he saw you."
"I didn't care, I wore it for you." She told him bashfully. "By that point I was absolutely head over heels for you and I knew you could die in the war and I didn't want you to die without my ever being with you. I was more desperate than anything else that night. I wanted you to see me as a woman."
"The message was received loud and clear Minerva. And that reminds me of another record that you hold. As far as I know, you are the only student to ever engage in repeated trysts with a professor."
"I was eighteen."
"That made it legal, but not necessarily acceptable, if you recall correctly. Besides I'm can't exactly say it was a bad thing, I'm just not sure I know of any other student whose had that particular…privilege."
"Speaking of privileges, Albus, I believe as Deputy Headmistress, I'm entitled to certain privileges as well. Like pulling the Headmaster away from his tedious paperwork so that he doesn't miss the very important meeting he was supposed to have with his Deputy."
He put the letters aside and stood, a broad grin on his face. "What meeting was that again?"
Minerva led him to the door, an equally delighted smile on her face. "The one that due to the late hour is going to have to take place in your chambers. And Albus, we have a lot to discuss, so be prepared for a very late night."
"Of course. After you my dear." He followed her out to door to his office and down the hall.
