"Harry, wake up mate."

Harry felt a wet cool cloth pressed against his forehead. Why? What was wrong? Oh yes, he had passed out. He blinked a few times and saw Ron's face hovering on his face.

"Are you alright?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe not."

Ron nodded in sympathy. "Understandable. If I were you, I would freak out too."

Harry sighed. His life had always been complicated and full of secrets, but this was the worst of all. So he was not James and Lily Potter's son. Who was he, then?

"Find anything else, Mione?"

"Just that your mother, Lily Potter, really was pregnant and gave birth on July 31th, your birthday. She delivered at home, though, not at St. Mungo's."

"You mean that my father isn't James Potter?"

"I don't think so. You two are so alike, Harry. It's almost impossible for two unrelated persons to share an almost exact look."

"Maybe the one who got my mother pregnant looks like my father?"

"Your father didn't have any siblings, according to his documents. The only living relative you had when your parents passed away was your aunt Petunia."

"Glamourie?" They had covered the glamourie lesson the year before. There were several varieties of the spell, including some designed to grow along with the person.

"It isn't. I just did the counter-spell on you while you were unconscious. There isn't a single sign of the glamourie spell. Besides, Professor McGonagall would know if any of her students wear it."

"How will she know?" Ron asked incredulously. "Does she check on us one by one? If she does, I never notice!"

"Of course you don't! She does that quietly. It's her obligation as Head of the House to ensure each student's true identity. It's in Hogwarts a History, everyone knows it."

"You're the only one who knows then." Ron snickered.

"Shut it."

"Stop it, you two!" Harry groaned.

Both his friends blushed. "Sorry," they said in the same time.

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked as her curiosity peaked dangerously. She couldn't bear not knowing; she would do anything to gain the knowledge she sought. "Knowledge is power" was the motto she lived with and that had helped the trio countless times in their adventures, including defeating Voldemort.

"Ask Sirius or Remus, of course!" Harry said. "They were my parents' closest friends."

"Do they know?" Ron doubted. "After all, they always treat you like your father's son."

Harry shook his head. "I can't believe my mom was cheating on my dad," he said despondently. He buried his head in his hands, feeling once again that he was Fate's favorite prank. Tears started to well up in his eyes, but he held them back, refusing to cry in front of his best friends.

"Everything will be fine, Harry," Hermione comforted him. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly. "We don't care who your parents are. We'll be always be there for you. Right, Ron?"

The red head nodded vigorously. "Of course! You are our friend, Harry, and nothing's gonna change that." He put one of his hands around Harry and the other around Hermione. The three of them embraced as understanding flowed silently between them, offering comfort and assurance in the chaos of the world.

**********

The next day, the trio visited Remus as soon as they finished their breakfast. Harry decided that he didn't want to wait to find his true parentage. He had enough of living in the never-ending web of lies of who he truly was! People always gave cliché excuse for keeping things from him: "you are too young"; "it is for your own good"; "you are not ready". Harry's blood was boiling as he thought about it. He clenched his fists so hard they left marks on his palms.

"Harry, you okay?" asked Hermione who had paid close attention to her best friend since they left the Burrow.

"No," Harry gritted his teeth.

Ron didn't reply to that. He knew Harry's outburst was not to be taken lightly. He squeezed Harry's shoulder. "We're here," he said when they reached their destination: a small cottage in the middle of the forest. Remus' home.

They found their favorite teacher weeding in his small but beautiful garden. He hadn't expected their coming, but he was very pleased nonetheless. Smiling widely, he took off his gloves and embraced Harry.

He let go of him and faced the trio, still smiling as if Christmas had come early. "What a pleasant surprise! Come in."

They entered and sat on the old sofas. Remus went to the kitchen to fetch some drinks. Harry still wore his tense expression, though he had unclenched his fists. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and fidgeted in their seats.

"What brings you here? Have you finished with the documents? I was not expecting you to work so quickly. They're not needed until next week."

Harry couldn't stand it anymore. "Who's my father, Remus?" he blurted out.

Remus frowned. "What's the matter, Harry? Why are you asking me that?"

Harry stood up and yelled, half hysterically. "I am sick of it! I am sick of being lied to! Who the FUCK is my father!?"

Remus was stunned at Harry's unusual emotional display, especially the use of his language. Harry NEVER used such crude language in front of anyone, at least not in front of him.

"Hey, calm down mate!" Ron quickly gave a glass of lemonade to Harry who was almost hyperventilating now.

Remus turned to Hermione who turned away, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze. "What's the matter, Hermione?"

The girl fidgeted before answering in a barely audible voice. "We found out that Harry's father isn't James Potter."

"Shocked" was an understatement—Remus almost fainted. He looked at Harry who was being embraced by Ron, his chest heaving, and then to Hermione who clearly looked very uncomfortable.

"What," he asked slowly, "exactly are you saying? That Harry isn't James' son?"

Hermione nodded.

"How? When? Who?"

Hermione swallowed. "We found out when we sorted the documents yesterday." And she explained everything.

Having listened to Hermione extraordinary explanation, Remus sighed deeply. God, how could this be? He leaned to his seat and closed his eyes. "Harry, I truly don't know about this. It really surprised me, and not in a good way."

Harry snorted. "Imagine how I felt when I found out." He had released himself from Ron's embrace.

Remus nodded and opened his eyes. "I was very close to your father and mother, Harry. I don't know everything about them though, but one thing I am sure, they loved each other deeply and would never have deliberately cheated on each other."

"Then how?"

Remus shook his head. "I must admit though, I was rather distant from them right after they got married because I went to Romania to find cure for my lycanthropy. When I returned, you were a few months old. I saw you once and then you and your parents went into hiding. I don't know where, of course."

"They thought you were the traitor."

"Yes." It sounded painful for Remus to say that. "Voldemort told all werewolves that he could make the monthly transformation painless."

Harry had calmed down a great deal. So Remus hadn't lied to him. Funny, he was more relieved than not he didn't get the knowledge of his true parentage from Remus. That meant he could still trust him.

"I'm sorry," Harry said while putting on his hand on Remus' knee.

The werewolf smiled. "It's ok. You have every right to be mad."

"Does Sirius know, though?" asked Hermione.

"I'm not sure. You'll have to ask him," Remus replied.

"We will," Harry said. "We'll visit him in St. Mungo's today. Will you come with us?" he said hopefully. Whatever answer he would get, he would need Remus by his side. If not for support, then for preventing any fatal outburst.

"I will. Now, I'll prepare lunch and we'll go there after lunch, okay?"

The three of them nodded.

******

A/N: this is NOT HP/RW slash! Thanks to Lizz for beta reading.

Response to reviewer:

LoMaRiBa: thanks for your input. I have a beta now. Thanks to Lizzy.

Kateydidn't: yes, I know about that blood thing. Lucky that the rarest blood type can receive from other types isn't it?

Sever Us: thanks for your input. I must remember it, it's very easy to slip on that "quite" and "quiet" one you know.

Rickman's girl: O –sigma? You mean Blood Connection by Viscountess Babbles on? It's a terribly good fic and I RECOMMEND IT to everyone who loves a little twist of Harry as Snape son. I based my plot on hers, with a little twist. So if you are so curious about what happens next, read her fic. It will give you some hints.

Riddlerr: No None Sense: Hermione checks on 3 of their medical records: Harry's, James', and Lilly's. She just asked for Harry's first, and then his mother's. Since she sorted James', she already had his medical record in hand. Harry joked that Lilly was named after her magical blood type? She realized that she had seen James' and that James' type was A ( or L ) too and thus it was impossible for them to have a son with AB blood type. The revelation shocked her tremendously and she felt the need to check their medical records to avoid making false assumption.

LadySnape, Saavik, xicum, Raquel, Silver Angel, Usagi-Princess, Lady Lightning, WitchWay, Rain_Cynara, Radcliff lover: thank you very much for your support on this fic! Also thank you for complimenting my English. Now that I have a beta, I can write better.