A/N: I've given Harry a new identity later in this chapter, and I've gone
straight into calling him by his new name. This is so he isn't one thing
half the time and another the rest. Hopefully it will avoid confusion.
He woke the next morning knowing instinctively that something had changed. Scanning himself anxiously in the mirror however, he could see nothing new. Well, at least his hair was still relatively clean and his skin was still lightly tanned from the long hours he'd spent gardening in the sun.
It was eight o'clock, a lie in for him, so he dressed and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Remus, Dumbledore and Buzz were sitting at the staff table, but they were the only ones since even the staff tended to leave over the summer holidays.
"Morning Gramps," he said brightly, coming up behind his great grandfather. Buzz grinned incorrigibly at him and Remus stifled a smile. Unlike the younger pair, he was still too much in awe of the headmaster to tease him.
"Sit down Harry, you're cheerful this morning. Nice robes, by the way."
"Father sent them for me. He reckoned I wouldn't have had any time to pack and that I might not want to stay in the clothes I was wearing before or put on school uniform."
"That was quick Harry," Remus observed, looking at him keenly. "I thought you didn't know what you were going to call him. You seemed uncomfortable enough about when I was talking to you in your room last night."
"Well, I didn't then, so I was telling the truth. It was the Memoranbrall. I don't know why, but it seems perfectly natural now for me to call him that. Mum seemed determined that I'd know the identities of my four fathers and two mothers even when I was very small. Whenever she showed me a picture of Professor Snape, she always said 'that's father'." "Who were the other three?" Buzz asked curiously. "Daddy Prongs, Daddy Moony and Daddy Padfoot."
"Who?"
Tonks stared at him in total incomprehension. Gosh, Harry thought, she must have been deaf to everything at Grimmauld Place - Sirius and Remus had practically always called each other by their Marauder nicknames; perhaps as a memory of the happy times they'd had before Wormtail turned. "James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. I was raised by the Marauders as a whole." "Wasn't Pettigrew a Marauder too?" "Wormtail was never more than Uncle Peter. I didn't like him at all." "The Memoranbrall did help then?" Dumbledore asked anxiously, looking somewhat apprehensive, as though he wasn't sure just what had come up, which, Harry realised, he probably wasn't. "Oh yes, it was brilliant. I never knew just how much I'd missed having memories of my parents before."
"I asked Severus to come here at ten o'clock, directly to my office. I assume you'll want to be there?"
"Well. . ."
"Don't be shy Harry, he's been just as nervous about meeting you again."
"Okay then Gramps, if you think I ought to be there, I'll come up ready."
"Fine, but how many times do I have to tell you brats that I am Granddad or Grandfather but never Gramps?"
"Sorry Gramps, we do try our hardest, really we do," Buzz assured him earnestly. Dumbledore groaned theatrically.
Harry grinned, successfully distracted from the event to come, and applied himself to his breakfast. After almost a month of living on a single slice of bread a day and a few sweets from his friends, he was really hungry now. After they'd all finished, he went up to Remus' office - since he was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, he'd already taken possession of it once again. They spent a very pleasant time together, with Harry listening avidly to the older man's stories and reminiscences of his time as a Marauder at Hogwarts and many of their more impressive escapades.
Ten o'clock came around all too soon for Harry. He went nervously into the office at five to, Remus having kept an eye on the time for him and sent him up, and perched uncomfortably on the edge of the chair. He avoided eye contact or conversation with Dumbledore, sitting opposite him, behind the large desk.
The fire flared green a few moments later and a man stepped out into the room. Harry gasped, but as quietly as he could. It was Severus Snape, all right, but he looked so different from the Potions master he'd known for the past five years! His usually greasy hair was clean and hung in loose waves down the sides of his cleanly scrubbed face. Instead of his customary black robes, he was wearing emerald - Slytherin - green and, even more surprisingly to Harry, he was smiling nervously. Nervously? Since when was Snape ever nervous?
"You look different already, Harry," Severus observed at last, Harry having kept silent out of a desire not to be the first to speak - Snape wasn't the only one with nerves. He didn't have a clue how to act in front of one of his worst, no, former worst enemies in this sort of situation.
"So do you, Father."
"Let's sat that I was encouraged to clean up, but you're calling me that already? They only told you yesterday, didn't they?"
"Gramps gave me my Memoranbrall yesterday evening. Mum called you Father all the time. I think she missed having you around, and your portrait had pride of place."
"Why don't you sit down, Severus, and we can discuss this. You do know that the illusion charms on Harry would be near on impossible to replace? This means that he must take on a new identity; one would assume that you simply acknowledge him. By the end of the summer, his appearance will be completely different."
"You expect him to learn an entirely new role in just a month? You must be mad! And how are you going to explain Potter's disappearance? The 'Boy Who Lived' can't just vanish, the wizarding world would be in an uproar."
"Harry is going to write to his friends."
"I'm allowed to now, then?" Harry asked, feeling a bit irritated at not even being asked his opinion about it. Severus glanced at him sympathetically.
"Yes, Harry, just once, mind you. You must tell them that you are leaving Hogwarts to get extra training and you won't be able to owl them after that in case you reveal your location. All of which is perfectly true, of course. Nymphadora will let herself be seen periodically, at a distance, as Harry Potter."
"I won't be able to tell Ron and Hermione about anything? Even next term?"
"I'm afraid not Harry."
"And what do we call him? The sixth years are hardly stupid Albus, the disappearance of Harry Potter and appearance of Harry Snape is hardly likely to pass without notice."
"Alba suggested Marcus, after her brother. That would mean, in pureblood tradition, Marcus Severus Godric Salazar Snape. How does that sound to you?"
"Marc? I like it. I saw Uncle Marc in the Memoranbrall a few times, and he was really nice."
Severus looked more doubtful, but he nodded.
"If you like it, that's what it will be. It's a good enough pureblood name not to attract notice," he agreed readily after hearing Harry's consent. "And Albus? Altair says yes about next term."
"Excellent. Do you two want to go then? We can sort out anything else later."
"Can I just say goodbye to Moony and Buzz first, please? I won't be seeing them for a while, probably," Marc said, knowing that they were both down in Remus's office and that Buzz would never forgive him if he let this opportunity slide.
"Who?" Severus asked sharply, looking stricken.
"Remus and Tonks."
"Oh," he said somewhat dully," let's go down then. I assume they're in Lupin's office."
"Use the fire," Dumbledore offered. "I believe you'll find them in Remus' study, as you said. You first, Marc. You do prefer Marc, don't you?"
"Yes Gramps," Marc said, smiling shakily. "Thanks."
Marc stepped into the fire and found himself being sucked through to the office.
"He's coming," Marc told them eagerly. "I thought you'd want to see him when he isn't being a slimy git. I don't think you're likely to get another chance."
"Marcus," Severus said warningly, emerging from the fireplace behind his son, although he didn't sound serious.
"Sorry Father, but you are when you're teaching, especially with me."
"You do look quite nice like that," Tonks conceded, grinning. "Hello Uncle Sev."
Marc, Remus and Tonks burst into laughter as Severus' face turned an interesting shade of magenta. He glared at them all, embarrassed at being caught out.
"If you were still at school, Nymphadora Tonks," he threatened. "As for you Marcus. . ."
"Marcus?" Remus asked.
"My new name," Marc explained. "But I prefer Marc. I can't be Harry Potter once I've finished changing, so we came up with a new name. Marc was what Mum wanted, after my uncle, but I can't remember the rest of it."
"Marcus Severus Godric Salazar Snape." his father told him. "And remember that. As a point, Nymphadora. . ."
"Don't call me that!" she interrupted him, wincing at the sound of her full name.
"Whatever. Why uncle?"
"Because you are, Uncle Sev," Tonks said innocently. "You're my cousin's dad."
"Your cousin?"
"Didn't he tell you?" she continued, loving every moment of his confusion. "How stupid of him. My father was a Squib, Ted Tonks, formerly known as Edward Dumbledore. He had two younger siblings, both wizards, Marcus and Alba Dumbledore. He's still alive, you know, if you want to check."
"That's why Marc's started calling you Buzz?"
"Yup."
"Well, you'd better say goodbye, Marc. We need to get home, really."
"Ah Severus," Remus began. "I take it Harry, sorry, Marc is going to have um a few surprises when he gets back. Ones he won't have guessed."
"How did you. . . ? Yes. You'll see in September, now that you're back as a teacher."
"I see. Well, goodbye Harry. I imagine the next time I see you, you'll be Marc Snape fully. Remember what I said last night, and I. . . ah . . . hope you make some new friends."
"Thanks Daddy Moony, I'll miss you."
"I dunno when I'll next see you cous, but may I expect a lively term ahead?"
"Oh yes," Marc said, smirking wickedly. "Harry Potter had far more responsibility than Marc Snape, and seeing the Marauders in action in my Memoranbrall has inspired me. I intend to make my foster fathers proud."
"Great! You'll probably be seeing quite a lot of me next term then, I wouldn't want to miss out on any of the fun."
"That is, if the school's still standing," Remus said with a groan. "I can guess what he saw."
"You can have my room whenever you want," Marc told her. "You know the password. I'll see you, then."
"Wotcher cous, have fun."
Marc grinned at her and flooed back up to the Headmaster's study, followed by his father.
"Can't you control your great grandchildren?" Severus moaned. Dumbledore looked faintly amused and very, very curious at what they'd done.
"What have they been up to this time? It's in the genes, you know, I can't help it."
"That brat got me downstairs so the other one could start calling me names."
"She was just being polite within the family, Father. Uncle Sev sounds nice, doesn't it Gramps?"
"Nicer than Gramps, at any rate. Off you go now, and give Altair my love."
Severus nodded and stepped into the fire.
"Snape Estate!" he called and vanished. Marc took one last look around him and followed. Hall
He woke the next morning knowing instinctively that something had changed. Scanning himself anxiously in the mirror however, he could see nothing new. Well, at least his hair was still relatively clean and his skin was still lightly tanned from the long hours he'd spent gardening in the sun.
It was eight o'clock, a lie in for him, so he dressed and went down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Remus, Dumbledore and Buzz were sitting at the staff table, but they were the only ones since even the staff tended to leave over the summer holidays.
"Morning Gramps," he said brightly, coming up behind his great grandfather. Buzz grinned incorrigibly at him and Remus stifled a smile. Unlike the younger pair, he was still too much in awe of the headmaster to tease him.
"Sit down Harry, you're cheerful this morning. Nice robes, by the way."
"Father sent them for me. He reckoned I wouldn't have had any time to pack and that I might not want to stay in the clothes I was wearing before or put on school uniform."
"That was quick Harry," Remus observed, looking at him keenly. "I thought you didn't know what you were going to call him. You seemed uncomfortable enough about when I was talking to you in your room last night."
"Well, I didn't then, so I was telling the truth. It was the Memoranbrall. I don't know why, but it seems perfectly natural now for me to call him that. Mum seemed determined that I'd know the identities of my four fathers and two mothers even when I was very small. Whenever she showed me a picture of Professor Snape, she always said 'that's father'." "Who were the other three?" Buzz asked curiously. "Daddy Prongs, Daddy Moony and Daddy Padfoot."
"Who?"
Tonks stared at him in total incomprehension. Gosh, Harry thought, she must have been deaf to everything at Grimmauld Place - Sirius and Remus had practically always called each other by their Marauder nicknames; perhaps as a memory of the happy times they'd had before Wormtail turned. "James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. I was raised by the Marauders as a whole." "Wasn't Pettigrew a Marauder too?" "Wormtail was never more than Uncle Peter. I didn't like him at all." "The Memoranbrall did help then?" Dumbledore asked anxiously, looking somewhat apprehensive, as though he wasn't sure just what had come up, which, Harry realised, he probably wasn't. "Oh yes, it was brilliant. I never knew just how much I'd missed having memories of my parents before."
"I asked Severus to come here at ten o'clock, directly to my office. I assume you'll want to be there?"
"Well. . ."
"Don't be shy Harry, he's been just as nervous about meeting you again."
"Okay then Gramps, if you think I ought to be there, I'll come up ready."
"Fine, but how many times do I have to tell you brats that I am Granddad or Grandfather but never Gramps?"
"Sorry Gramps, we do try our hardest, really we do," Buzz assured him earnestly. Dumbledore groaned theatrically.
Harry grinned, successfully distracted from the event to come, and applied himself to his breakfast. After almost a month of living on a single slice of bread a day and a few sweets from his friends, he was really hungry now. After they'd all finished, he went up to Remus' office - since he was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again, he'd already taken possession of it once again. They spent a very pleasant time together, with Harry listening avidly to the older man's stories and reminiscences of his time as a Marauder at Hogwarts and many of their more impressive escapades.
Ten o'clock came around all too soon for Harry. He went nervously into the office at five to, Remus having kept an eye on the time for him and sent him up, and perched uncomfortably on the edge of the chair. He avoided eye contact or conversation with Dumbledore, sitting opposite him, behind the large desk.
The fire flared green a few moments later and a man stepped out into the room. Harry gasped, but as quietly as he could. It was Severus Snape, all right, but he looked so different from the Potions master he'd known for the past five years! His usually greasy hair was clean and hung in loose waves down the sides of his cleanly scrubbed face. Instead of his customary black robes, he was wearing emerald - Slytherin - green and, even more surprisingly to Harry, he was smiling nervously. Nervously? Since when was Snape ever nervous?
"You look different already, Harry," Severus observed at last, Harry having kept silent out of a desire not to be the first to speak - Snape wasn't the only one with nerves. He didn't have a clue how to act in front of one of his worst, no, former worst enemies in this sort of situation.
"So do you, Father."
"Let's sat that I was encouraged to clean up, but you're calling me that already? They only told you yesterday, didn't they?"
"Gramps gave me my Memoranbrall yesterday evening. Mum called you Father all the time. I think she missed having you around, and your portrait had pride of place."
"Why don't you sit down, Severus, and we can discuss this. You do know that the illusion charms on Harry would be near on impossible to replace? This means that he must take on a new identity; one would assume that you simply acknowledge him. By the end of the summer, his appearance will be completely different."
"You expect him to learn an entirely new role in just a month? You must be mad! And how are you going to explain Potter's disappearance? The 'Boy Who Lived' can't just vanish, the wizarding world would be in an uproar."
"Harry is going to write to his friends."
"I'm allowed to now, then?" Harry asked, feeling a bit irritated at not even being asked his opinion about it. Severus glanced at him sympathetically.
"Yes, Harry, just once, mind you. You must tell them that you are leaving Hogwarts to get extra training and you won't be able to owl them after that in case you reveal your location. All of which is perfectly true, of course. Nymphadora will let herself be seen periodically, at a distance, as Harry Potter."
"I won't be able to tell Ron and Hermione about anything? Even next term?"
"I'm afraid not Harry."
"And what do we call him? The sixth years are hardly stupid Albus, the disappearance of Harry Potter and appearance of Harry Snape is hardly likely to pass without notice."
"Alba suggested Marcus, after her brother. That would mean, in pureblood tradition, Marcus Severus Godric Salazar Snape. How does that sound to you?"
"Marc? I like it. I saw Uncle Marc in the Memoranbrall a few times, and he was really nice."
Severus looked more doubtful, but he nodded.
"If you like it, that's what it will be. It's a good enough pureblood name not to attract notice," he agreed readily after hearing Harry's consent. "And Albus? Altair says yes about next term."
"Excellent. Do you two want to go then? We can sort out anything else later."
"Can I just say goodbye to Moony and Buzz first, please? I won't be seeing them for a while, probably," Marc said, knowing that they were both down in Remus's office and that Buzz would never forgive him if he let this opportunity slide.
"Who?" Severus asked sharply, looking stricken.
"Remus and Tonks."
"Oh," he said somewhat dully," let's go down then. I assume they're in Lupin's office."
"Use the fire," Dumbledore offered. "I believe you'll find them in Remus' study, as you said. You first, Marc. You do prefer Marc, don't you?"
"Yes Gramps," Marc said, smiling shakily. "Thanks."
Marc stepped into the fire and found himself being sucked through to the office.
"He's coming," Marc told them eagerly. "I thought you'd want to see him when he isn't being a slimy git. I don't think you're likely to get another chance."
"Marcus," Severus said warningly, emerging from the fireplace behind his son, although he didn't sound serious.
"Sorry Father, but you are when you're teaching, especially with me."
"You do look quite nice like that," Tonks conceded, grinning. "Hello Uncle Sev."
Marc, Remus and Tonks burst into laughter as Severus' face turned an interesting shade of magenta. He glared at them all, embarrassed at being caught out.
"If you were still at school, Nymphadora Tonks," he threatened. "As for you Marcus. . ."
"Marcus?" Remus asked.
"My new name," Marc explained. "But I prefer Marc. I can't be Harry Potter once I've finished changing, so we came up with a new name. Marc was what Mum wanted, after my uncle, but I can't remember the rest of it."
"Marcus Severus Godric Salazar Snape." his father told him. "And remember that. As a point, Nymphadora. . ."
"Don't call me that!" she interrupted him, wincing at the sound of her full name.
"Whatever. Why uncle?"
"Because you are, Uncle Sev," Tonks said innocently. "You're my cousin's dad."
"Your cousin?"
"Didn't he tell you?" she continued, loving every moment of his confusion. "How stupid of him. My father was a Squib, Ted Tonks, formerly known as Edward Dumbledore. He had two younger siblings, both wizards, Marcus and Alba Dumbledore. He's still alive, you know, if you want to check."
"That's why Marc's started calling you Buzz?"
"Yup."
"Well, you'd better say goodbye, Marc. We need to get home, really."
"Ah Severus," Remus began. "I take it Harry, sorry, Marc is going to have um a few surprises when he gets back. Ones he won't have guessed."
"How did you. . . ? Yes. You'll see in September, now that you're back as a teacher."
"I see. Well, goodbye Harry. I imagine the next time I see you, you'll be Marc Snape fully. Remember what I said last night, and I. . . ah . . . hope you make some new friends."
"Thanks Daddy Moony, I'll miss you."
"I dunno when I'll next see you cous, but may I expect a lively term ahead?"
"Oh yes," Marc said, smirking wickedly. "Harry Potter had far more responsibility than Marc Snape, and seeing the Marauders in action in my Memoranbrall has inspired me. I intend to make my foster fathers proud."
"Great! You'll probably be seeing quite a lot of me next term then, I wouldn't want to miss out on any of the fun."
"That is, if the school's still standing," Remus said with a groan. "I can guess what he saw."
"You can have my room whenever you want," Marc told her. "You know the password. I'll see you, then."
"Wotcher cous, have fun."
Marc grinned at her and flooed back up to the Headmaster's study, followed by his father.
"Can't you control your great grandchildren?" Severus moaned. Dumbledore looked faintly amused and very, very curious at what they'd done.
"What have they been up to this time? It's in the genes, you know, I can't help it."
"That brat got me downstairs so the other one could start calling me names."
"She was just being polite within the family, Father. Uncle Sev sounds nice, doesn't it Gramps?"
"Nicer than Gramps, at any rate. Off you go now, and give Altair my love."
Severus nodded and stepped into the fire.
"Snape Estate!" he called and vanished. Marc took one last look around him and followed. Hall