Harry was annoyed. Here was his friend holding information from him,
just like everyone else in the wizarding world. He grumbled and paced by
his bed, still trying to figure out who had sent him the present. The
handwriting was familiar, and he knew it wasn't that of Tom Riddle or
Voldemort, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, if you were going to say it the
wimpy way. Scowling, he flopped onto his bed and beat the pillow with his
hands a few times.
"Curiosity kills the cat, literally now doesn't it?" A cool voice said behind him. Harry looked behind him to see his potions professor billowing down the aisle of beds. "The headmaster sent me up here to see if you were in need of anything as Madam Pomfrey was relieved for the evening."
"Oh um, no professor, I don't need anything. But, what do you mean by your statement? 'Curiosity kills the cat?' Are you referring to the fact that my Animagus form is a feline?"
"I'm impressed Mr. Potter, you were able to come to that conclusion much more quickly than I had thought. Remus told me that you were asking people who sent you a certain birthday present." The black haired man sat down on a chair next to the boy, gazing out a nearby window. A few idle birds flew by now and then and finally turned his thoughts back to Harry. Remus was right; Harry did look different than he had the year before. His longer hair, not to mention hair that was tidier than it ever had been, gave him the illusion of a familiar face.
Harry brought the man back to reality. "Sir? Are you saying you know who sent the present to me?" Once again the man fell silent. At that point Dumbledore came striding into the room. He glanced at both Snape and Harry, sighing softly. "Severus, something that was supposed to be told, hasn't yet, has it?" The boy glanced up at his Headmaster, wanting to know what was going on. "Sir?"
"Sorry Harry. This might be easier to understand with the help of..." Dumbledore swished his wand and a mirror appeared in his hand, "This." He handed it over to Harry. "Take a look, please." A loud gasp and the sound of shattering glass were heard momentarily later. Snape turned his gaze from the startled boy towards Albus. "Is he alright, sir?" The potions master asked, seeing Harry unconscious in his bed. "I'm not sure, Severus. At this point I think he needs to hear his entire history. I know it'll be hard, you having only learned it yourself recently, but it needs to be done."
Severus stared down at the young man in the bed, hoping he'd come to soon. A story needed to be told, and he wasn't sure if he'd have the courage to tell it much longer. Luckily for him, a stirring followed by a groan came from under the covers, letting him know that the time had finally come. "Someone please tell me what I saw in the mirror was a dream..." Harry groaned, rolling over and looking Snape straight in the face. "You're the last person I'd expect here..."
The man sighed. "Harry, you need to listen to me. The image you saw in the mirror, it wasn't a dream." Harry gulped from the bed. "But, that would mean somehow I'm related to you..." Severus smiled slightly inside, seeing that Harry wasn't such a complete idiot all the time. "There is something you need to know. I didn't know it myself until a few weeks ago when Albus and Remus were talking to me. It seems that I, not James, am your father." Harry stared up in horror, not wanting to confirm what he saw in the mirror as actual truth. Since he'd left for the summer, he hadn't had the chance to look at his reflection, and even while he was in school the previous year, he hadn't noticed the changes too much. "How...how is that even possible?" Harry pressed, wanting an answer.
Snape had expected this, it'd taken him awhile to let the truth sink in when he had first been told, but he'd had the last three weeks to prepare himself. "In my last year of school, I secretly went out with your mother, Lily. Not too many people knew about this, especially not James or Sirius, mainly only Albus, Remus and a couple of other collected souls we thought we could trust. Later that year, I never thought it would happen, but it did. Lily knew she was pregnant right away. She never told me though, which is why all of this was told to me earlier when Remus saw you first and went to Dumbledore. During that time I had been tricked into becoming one of Voldemort's followers. Everyone thought I'd went willingly, but that's a lie. Once I'd met your mother, I'd wanted nothing to do with the slimy git, pardon my expression. Your mother, crushed, turned to the only one who she had taken a liking to, James Potter. They were, of course, promptly married out of Hogwarts and most likely James never knew of your true heritage or he possibly might have told his fellow peers. I never would have guessed Lily had been pregnant or that you were my son."
Harry stared down into his blanket, feeling his longer hair drape around his neck, and tried to tell himself that this was all a dream. It'd be over soon and he'd go back to hating his potions master and vice versa. "It's not a dream, is it?" Snape shook his head. "I'm sorry, ...Harry." The boy blinked, "Did you just call me Harry?" A smile spread slowly on either face, similarly executed one at that. "Do that again and I might just have to call you ...dad." He smirked, mirth alive in his eyes, and for the first time he could ever remember, Snape threw back his head and chuckled.
"I must say, you're taking this better than I did. Then again, you probably think you're still dreaming," He grinned, tentatively placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Well, unless I'm mistaken, you can't smell things in dreams, and I smell someone who needs to wash the gel off his hair," Harry teased, getting the old look back from Snape, although, only lasting momentarily. "I wouldn't talk there, Harry, because I see a boy who hasn't taken a shower in about three weeks," and to Severus's amusement, he saw a new look of horror on the boy's face as he thrashed around for his wand, wanting to do a cleaning spell on himself. He was calmed by a hand moving him back towards the bed, making him lay back down.
"I believe I'd better go, Harry, or Madam Pomfry will have my head for getting you riled up," Severus mumbled, giving Harry a soft squeeze on his shoulder before getting up to leave.
"Umm, ...dad?" Harry started uncomfortably, "Was it you who sent me the potions present?"
"That I did. I'd only just found out you were my son and realized it was your birthday, not to mention you'd received an O on your Potions Exam, much to my surprise and delight. Thought that they might be useful for the upcoming year."
"I thought I'd recognized that D somewhere before..." Harry mumbled, starting to drift off to sleep.
Severus couldn't help but laugh to himself as he walked silently out of the ward.
"Curiosity kills the cat, literally now doesn't it?" A cool voice said behind him. Harry looked behind him to see his potions professor billowing down the aisle of beds. "The headmaster sent me up here to see if you were in need of anything as Madam Pomfrey was relieved for the evening."
"Oh um, no professor, I don't need anything. But, what do you mean by your statement? 'Curiosity kills the cat?' Are you referring to the fact that my Animagus form is a feline?"
"I'm impressed Mr. Potter, you were able to come to that conclusion much more quickly than I had thought. Remus told me that you were asking people who sent you a certain birthday present." The black haired man sat down on a chair next to the boy, gazing out a nearby window. A few idle birds flew by now and then and finally turned his thoughts back to Harry. Remus was right; Harry did look different than he had the year before. His longer hair, not to mention hair that was tidier than it ever had been, gave him the illusion of a familiar face.
Harry brought the man back to reality. "Sir? Are you saying you know who sent the present to me?" Once again the man fell silent. At that point Dumbledore came striding into the room. He glanced at both Snape and Harry, sighing softly. "Severus, something that was supposed to be told, hasn't yet, has it?" The boy glanced up at his Headmaster, wanting to know what was going on. "Sir?"
"Sorry Harry. This might be easier to understand with the help of..." Dumbledore swished his wand and a mirror appeared in his hand, "This." He handed it over to Harry. "Take a look, please." A loud gasp and the sound of shattering glass were heard momentarily later. Snape turned his gaze from the startled boy towards Albus. "Is he alright, sir?" The potions master asked, seeing Harry unconscious in his bed. "I'm not sure, Severus. At this point I think he needs to hear his entire history. I know it'll be hard, you having only learned it yourself recently, but it needs to be done."
Severus stared down at the young man in the bed, hoping he'd come to soon. A story needed to be told, and he wasn't sure if he'd have the courage to tell it much longer. Luckily for him, a stirring followed by a groan came from under the covers, letting him know that the time had finally come. "Someone please tell me what I saw in the mirror was a dream..." Harry groaned, rolling over and looking Snape straight in the face. "You're the last person I'd expect here..."
The man sighed. "Harry, you need to listen to me. The image you saw in the mirror, it wasn't a dream." Harry gulped from the bed. "But, that would mean somehow I'm related to you..." Severus smiled slightly inside, seeing that Harry wasn't such a complete idiot all the time. "There is something you need to know. I didn't know it myself until a few weeks ago when Albus and Remus were talking to me. It seems that I, not James, am your father." Harry stared up in horror, not wanting to confirm what he saw in the mirror as actual truth. Since he'd left for the summer, he hadn't had the chance to look at his reflection, and even while he was in school the previous year, he hadn't noticed the changes too much. "How...how is that even possible?" Harry pressed, wanting an answer.
Snape had expected this, it'd taken him awhile to let the truth sink in when he had first been told, but he'd had the last three weeks to prepare himself. "In my last year of school, I secretly went out with your mother, Lily. Not too many people knew about this, especially not James or Sirius, mainly only Albus, Remus and a couple of other collected souls we thought we could trust. Later that year, I never thought it would happen, but it did. Lily knew she was pregnant right away. She never told me though, which is why all of this was told to me earlier when Remus saw you first and went to Dumbledore. During that time I had been tricked into becoming one of Voldemort's followers. Everyone thought I'd went willingly, but that's a lie. Once I'd met your mother, I'd wanted nothing to do with the slimy git, pardon my expression. Your mother, crushed, turned to the only one who she had taken a liking to, James Potter. They were, of course, promptly married out of Hogwarts and most likely James never knew of your true heritage or he possibly might have told his fellow peers. I never would have guessed Lily had been pregnant or that you were my son."
Harry stared down into his blanket, feeling his longer hair drape around his neck, and tried to tell himself that this was all a dream. It'd be over soon and he'd go back to hating his potions master and vice versa. "It's not a dream, is it?" Snape shook his head. "I'm sorry, ...Harry." The boy blinked, "Did you just call me Harry?" A smile spread slowly on either face, similarly executed one at that. "Do that again and I might just have to call you ...dad." He smirked, mirth alive in his eyes, and for the first time he could ever remember, Snape threw back his head and chuckled.
"I must say, you're taking this better than I did. Then again, you probably think you're still dreaming," He grinned, tentatively placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Well, unless I'm mistaken, you can't smell things in dreams, and I smell someone who needs to wash the gel off his hair," Harry teased, getting the old look back from Snape, although, only lasting momentarily. "I wouldn't talk there, Harry, because I see a boy who hasn't taken a shower in about three weeks," and to Severus's amusement, he saw a new look of horror on the boy's face as he thrashed around for his wand, wanting to do a cleaning spell on himself. He was calmed by a hand moving him back towards the bed, making him lay back down.
"I believe I'd better go, Harry, or Madam Pomfry will have my head for getting you riled up," Severus mumbled, giving Harry a soft squeeze on his shoulder before getting up to leave.
"Umm, ...dad?" Harry started uncomfortably, "Was it you who sent me the potions present?"
"That I did. I'd only just found out you were my son and realized it was your birthday, not to mention you'd received an O on your Potions Exam, much to my surprise and delight. Thought that they might be useful for the upcoming year."
"I thought I'd recognized that D somewhere before..." Harry mumbled, starting to drift off to sleep.
Severus couldn't help but laugh to himself as he walked silently out of the ward.