Disclaimer: :( Nope, still not mine! And they'll probably never will be. o
get over it!
**
Claimer: Original plot aspects. *grins wickedly*
**
Summary: Severitus' Challenge, Snape is Harry biological father.
***
A/N Ok, here's chapter two, I don't like the title but I couldn't think of much else, bleargh! Review responses at the end of the chapter! ;)
*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*
----------Chapter Two ~ Remembrance in Letters.----------
Harry froze stock-still, ears perked up and listening.
The voices coming from the living room clarified Dudley wasn't done yet. It seemed he wanted to try each toy out before opening the next one.
Harry sighed in relief. Quickly finishing breakfast, he put it on the table and poured out the coffee for his Aunt and Uncle.
At eight fifteen, the Dursleys made their way into the Dining Room all smiles. Uncle Vernon narrowed his watery-blue eyes dangerously.
"Boy, was this finished before eight?"
"Yes Uncle Vernon," replied Harry, putting on an innocent face.
Uncle Vernon's brow creased together, trying to figure out if he was lying or not.
"Fine! Fine, go up to your room! I'll call you down when you can clean this up!"
"Yes sir," Harry replied meekly, but on the inside he was seething. Shutting the door to his bedroom, Harry's stomach gave a large rumble. He had thrown away the charcoal, while gulping down the water.
Pulling open the door of his closet, Harry peered at his reflection. He was a good four inches taller and his cheek bones had become a great deal more prominent.
He ignored the large bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. Weird. He thought, but he put it down to being starved all holidays.
Shaking his head slightly, he readjusted his glasses and shut the door with a snap.
It was probably very lucky that Harry had left his window open, for if he hadn't the owl who was currently perched on the end of his bed might have flown into the house through the kitchen window or the like, alerting the Dursleys and therefore never knowing what was in the strangely, lumpy envelope.
As Harry was yet to find would have been a grave mistake.
Thanking Merlin, he took the chance to study the owl. The owl was quite extraordinary.
Snowy white with a black diamond on her head, a black tipped tail and black tip on each of her wings. On eye was pale blue, while the other was rich amber.
What intrigued Harry the most, however, was in fact the bundle it was carrying.
The envelope was yellowed and the edges furry. A sure sign it was quite old.
Untying the letter and relieving the owl of its burden, the owl shook out her wings importantly and took flight into the open skies.
Harry watched the magnificent creature fly away before returning his attention to the letter. The envelope read:
Delayed Delivery to, Harry Potter.
*
If deceased, Albus Dumbledore.
Harry just gazed at the light blue shimmering writing. Who would have written him a letter so long ago and not have it delivered until now? He thought wildly.
His curiosity spiked, he opened the decaying envelope with fumbling fingers. Letting it float onto the bed, he settled himself beside it and carefully unfolded the parchment.
The sun reflected off the blue shimmering letters, mirrored in the two emerald orbs searching the parchment desperately. He began to read.
**
My darling Harry,
If you are reading this, then James Potter and I are deceased. I truly hope
This letter is never needed, but my instinct is telling me it is. Harry, there's so much I want to tell you.
But time is short and soon we will be having the Fidelius Charm cast, which, no matter how old you were when we died, you will know some of what happened.
First of all, Peter Pettigrew is our secret keeper and I don't trust him. James assures me his is trustworthy but he is cowardly, and this I believe will be our downfall.
James, too is uncertain, but there is no one else we can possibly use and we think a secret change will be the safest as no one would know.
Just in case something goes wrong, I'm going to put it straight.
Sirius Black is one of our dearest friends and he suggested that Peter be our secret keeper as he would be too obvious. We agreed.
Peter Pettigrew is our secret keeper, swapped secretly for safety's sake. I can only hope Peter will not turn coward, I was never close with him but James and he are friends.
If only Remus were here, although I think Sirius suspects the werewolf within got the better of Remmy. I could never suspect my dear Remus. He is a loyal, honest, and dear friend of mine.
My son, there is so much you don't know, so much there needs to be told and it is impossible to tell you in this one letter, so enclosed is a Gringotts key. It opens vault 593.
Inside there is a note giving you instructions of what to do.
I love you Harry with all my heart and I'm afraid that this letter is going to change your life and that your world will crumble.
This will come as a shock to you. I will not explain this is the letter because what I know and feel cannot be expressed in words.
Which is why I have given you this key. Guard it well Harry. It is extremely precious.
I cannot begin to imagine how this truth will affect you. But in the end, you should be very happy. Everything will be explained when you get to the vault.
Goodbye my son. And remember, I'm always with you.
Your mother, Lily.
**
A silent tear leaked its way down his cheek.
"Mum," he whispered to the heavens. A soft breeze blew in through the bars and ruffled his raven hair, revealing his scar.
Harry couldn't know it, but deep in his sub-conscious, from when he was a baby, he remembered her. And he missed her.
Another breeze blew the blanket off of Hedwig's cage bringing Harry back to the present.
Hedwig regarded him with a worried gaze as he leaned against the wall on the bed, hugging the blanket to himself. He didn't notice, he was staring off out the window, somewhere else.
*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. THUD!
"Aarrgghhh!" bellowed Snape, clutching his foot and jumping around in circles. "Peeves!" he roared, spraying the air with spit.
Hobbling over to the spilled cauldron, he gave it his deadliest glare. On which would have even sent Dumbledore to do a quick 'U' turn.
Collapsing none too gracefully into a jade-green overstuffed chair, he tiredly rubbed his temples. He felt a splitting migraine coming on.
Pulling a silver cord somewhat harshly a house-elf appeared with a CRACK!
"You has needed help sir?" squeaked the house-elf.
"Yes, go to Madam Pomfrey and get the strongest headache cure she can find."
"Ye.. yes sir!" stuttered the house-elf, excited at doing a quest.
Sighing as he stood up, Severus Snape up righted the cauldron and slipped on a pair of dragon-hide gloves.
Sifting through the gluggy mess, he pulled out the cause of the destruction of the precious potion. A bludger.
How the bloody hell did Peeves get a hold of this? He asked himself wildly.
Picking up the bludger that struggled against him, he shut it up in a drawer and turned back to the mess.
A wave of his wand the mess was gone and the stone floor clean. The cauldron had a large crack running down the side. Useless.
He'd make another batch of Wolfsbane potion for Lupin tomorrow.
Finding refuge in his private chambers, Severus Snape noticed straightaway, the glossy, black feather on the floor.
Twirling it in between his thumb and finger, he walked to his private desk. A raven coloured owl sat perched. He had a white coloured diamond on his head and white tipped tail and wings. One eye was emerald green, while the other was violet.
Severus' black eyes locked with the owl's and he quietly untied the letter. The envelope was quite thick, which signalled the parchment was extensively long. It was also old. It read:
Delayed Deliver to: Severus Snape. * If deceased, Albus Dumbledore.
His curiosity stirred he slit the envelope and sat back luxuriously in the winged back chair.
**
Dear Severus, If you receive this letter, then I am dead. First of all know this, I have never Stopped loving you and James still considers you a dear friend.
You know what happened up until your last mission. The one you didn't come back from. Oh Severus, they told me you were dead. Several people told me that they had seen your body.
I was devastated! However, a week later we decided on the Fidelius charm. It was our best hope even Albus admits it.
He still doesn't know the truth about it all.
We're performing it tomorrow Severus. Which is three months after you left. If you are still out there, alive, unable to make it home for some reason which my heart is repeatedly telling me so. Then you would've heard of my and James' wedding.
First of all, it was legal. We love each other and you know that, but we are not in love with each other. So please don't think that we betrayed you, as I'm afraid that you might have believed that for the last 15-16 years.
I could never do that to you and I could never love another man the way I love you. James and me were wed for a reason Severus. One in which I'm afraid is a secret we'll take to our graves.
Two days before you left, I went to my mother and father's house. As you know, my mother is a nurse and having a check-up in which she was so insistent on, I found that I was two weeks and three days pregnant. With our child.
I didn't tell you because in two days was the great battle and it would have only served as a distraction. One in which you desperately did NOT need. It was my fatal mistake.
You never came back to me. You never found out that you were, indeed, going to be a. father. Oh Severus, I know we didn't want to up bring a child in a world of torment, pain and hiding but I am so happy!
Which brings about the reason why James and I got married. You know how it was before in school. We had decided to keep 'us' a secret until the threat of Voldemort was gone.
You know what would have happened if Voldemort found out about us through the Slytherins or deatheaters. If they found out you were dating a muggleborn. And what if they found out you were a spy?
Well, I told James of the pregnancy when you didn't come back. He suggested the only solution without being suspicious was if we were to get married and he claimed the child as his.
If we didn't and Voldemort found out that the father of the baby was one of his deatheaters, he would have tried to claim the baby as his own. And you're not a deatheater. You're a spy. My knight.
But our perfect plan wasn't so perfect. When your son was born, yes Sev, it's a boy! He looked so much like you! He has my eyes, nose and some slight red undertones. He has your cheeks, chin, eyebrows and raven dark hair.
But I can already tell he is going to be tall, just like you Sev. He is going to grow into such a handsome young man.
It broke my heart to see him disguised as James. He should look like YOU! My love. I cried myself to sleep for a long time. But I knew I couldn't do anything and that it was for his and our safety. We named him your favourite boys' name. Harry.
Harry James Snape.
I know you have most likely hated James since, but now you know the truth, that we didn't betray you. Maybe you wouldn't mind the name of your closest friend as Harry's second?
Harry has two birth certificates. A genuine one: Harry James Snape. And a fake one: Harry James Potter.
James loves our son like a nephew. He would do anything for him. He was only too happy to give him his name. He feels like he's the last remaining part of you he has.
I have a horrid feeling that, if you know Harry or have heard of him, then you most probably hate him. You probably see him as the result of our non betrayal.
Sev, you-have-a-son. Our son.
Please take good care of him. God forbid, if my sister Petunia is 'caring' for him, remove-him-at-once! I couldn't bear to think he had grown up like that!
My love, I loathe to think what you have gone through if you are indeed, alive. Thinking that you were betrayed, seeing Harry as the son you never had.
I wish I could prevent it somehow, but I can't. I love you Sev. And if Harry is alive, tell him. He is your son.
Love, your wife, Lily.
**
The letter shook violently in the Potion Master's hands. What from he couldn't even begin to fathom. Rage, hurt, love, sadness, disbelief, shock.
"Lily." He whispered, his voice a light tremor.
"Sev, you have a son, Harry, he is our son.' The words rang through his head like a church bell.
Potter. was his son.
Lily. He thought again. After all these years, she never betrayed him.
A wall of ice surrounding his heart seemed to melt. The mask he wore no longer in place, as emotions danced across his features in a never-ending dance. And James. and. oh no! Pot.. Ha.. Harry!
What have I done? He put his head in his hands. What have I done.
***
"Pig!" hissed Harry urgently. "Slow. Down. STOP!"
Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl, was so tiny it somersaulted through the bars and was now zooming around Harry's head making him feel extremely dizzy.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. With a sharp reflex, Harry caught the owl like he did the snitch.
Luckily Pig had the sense (or just plain stupidity) to shut up. Grabbing hold of the letter, he jerked it off the tiny owl and started to read.
**
Dear Harry, Hey mate! How are the muggles treating you? Well, Dumbledore finally said you could come to our house for the remainder of the holidays! For your birthday too! Hermione is going to come in a week. Her parents didn't let her go to Bulgaria to see Viktor. They were worried with you-know-who and all. Well anyways, we're coming to pick you up on Thursday, 1:30pm whether the muggles like it or not. Oh yeah, we're coming by Floo, so tell your great lump of an uncle to unblock the bloody fireplace! Hope to see you soon!
~ Ron.
P.S: Fred and George have been acting really strange lately, do you know what's up? Percy's not too happy. Anyway, bye!
**
Harry laughed. He could just imagine Gred and Forge putting the 1000 galleons to good use. And using Percy as an over-sized guinea pig!
But soon, as always, he found his thought returning back to his mother's letter. He wanted so desperately to know what she wanted to say and what was in the vault. But then, he didn't.
He had been told so many stories, too many 'when you're older' s, too many lies already, he didn't know if he could handle his world falling apart again. He'd barely been able to start rebuilding when Cedric had died.
The guilt he felt was so heavy. 'Oh stop it Harry!' he chided himself. How he hated Voldemort, it all came down to him. So many families ripped apart, pointless deaths, destruction, torture and pain. It all came down to Voldemort.
Grabbing some ink and a quill, he hastily scribbled a reply on the back of the letter. He wrote:
**
Ron, The muggles are as bad as usual, big surprise there! I'll make sure the fireplace is cleared, I can't wait to go over your house!
The deal with Fred and George? That's for me to know, and you to find out. Thanks again! ~Harry.
**
Tying the letter back to Pig's leg, he watched as the hyper owl zoomed straight into one of the bars. Blinking its great eyes dazedly, he found his balance and flew off in spiralling circles.
"Boy!" roared Uncle Vernon from downstairs. Hiding his mother's letter under the floorboard, Harry made his way downstairs to clean up breakfast.
He spent the rest of the day mowing the lawns, pruning Aunt Petunia's rose trees, washing Uncle Vernon's expensive car, eating a bruised apple for lunch, vacuuming the house and gulping down some greedy mouthfuls of the newly installed, filtered tap.
The fresh, clean water was bliss on Harry's parched throat and after a hurried dinner, Harry found himself trekking the stairs for a well-deserved sleep.
Shutting the door exhaustedly, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep before his head had even touched the pillow. His first since he arrived back from Hogwarts.
He didn't even hear Uncle Vernon noisily slamming the locks across, muttering under his breath about attempting 'funny business' when they were all asleep.
----------end of chapter----------
A/N Ok well hopefully this one was a little longer, lol. Next chapter up in a few! Thanks soooo much to all those who reviewed:
----Review Responses---
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Mystical Witch: Thanks for the review! You're my first one! :D I know the last one was short, that's because it is a prologue. The length of this chapter here will be the length most of my chapters will be.
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Viscountess Babbles-on: Well, your wait is over! ;) Thanx so much for the review, I hope this chapter meets your expectations! I'm glad Aunt Petunia and Dudley were in character. I wanted to have the whole 'Dursleys' thing realistic, I think its about time someone did. BTW, update ur story soon! I'm dying to know Sirius' reaction!!
***
Silver Wolf: I hope this satisfies your curiosity some. Or maybe it has grown? Hmmm. wonder what could be in the vault? I'll keep an eye out for the green and silver snake! *glances around, holding neck protectively* have had faaaaaar too many snake around the neck experiences! Thankyou for the review! It means a lot to me!
***
A/N2: Thanks to all who reviewed again. Now I have something I'm stuck on. In this Fanfic, who should be with Harry? H/Hr or H/G or someone else? If so, then who for Ron? In my other fanfics I have H/G and R/Hr, but I have seen some good severitus' challenges with Hermione and Harry together. Which do YOU think? Thanx!
A/N3: How do u make things bold or italic? I haven't got a clue...
~Lisa
**
Claimer: Original plot aspects. *grins wickedly*
**
Summary: Severitus' Challenge, Snape is Harry biological father.
***
A/N Ok, here's chapter two, I don't like the title but I couldn't think of much else, bleargh! Review responses at the end of the chapter! ;)
*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*
----------Chapter Two ~ Remembrance in Letters.----------
Harry froze stock-still, ears perked up and listening.
The voices coming from the living room clarified Dudley wasn't done yet. It seemed he wanted to try each toy out before opening the next one.
Harry sighed in relief. Quickly finishing breakfast, he put it on the table and poured out the coffee for his Aunt and Uncle.
At eight fifteen, the Dursleys made their way into the Dining Room all smiles. Uncle Vernon narrowed his watery-blue eyes dangerously.
"Boy, was this finished before eight?"
"Yes Uncle Vernon," replied Harry, putting on an innocent face.
Uncle Vernon's brow creased together, trying to figure out if he was lying or not.
"Fine! Fine, go up to your room! I'll call you down when you can clean this up!"
"Yes sir," Harry replied meekly, but on the inside he was seething. Shutting the door to his bedroom, Harry's stomach gave a large rumble. He had thrown away the charcoal, while gulping down the water.
Pulling open the door of his closet, Harry peered at his reflection. He was a good four inches taller and his cheek bones had become a great deal more prominent.
He ignored the large bags under his eyes from lack of sleep. Weird. He thought, but he put it down to being starved all holidays.
Shaking his head slightly, he readjusted his glasses and shut the door with a snap.
It was probably very lucky that Harry had left his window open, for if he hadn't the owl who was currently perched on the end of his bed might have flown into the house through the kitchen window or the like, alerting the Dursleys and therefore never knowing what was in the strangely, lumpy envelope.
As Harry was yet to find would have been a grave mistake.
Thanking Merlin, he took the chance to study the owl. The owl was quite extraordinary.
Snowy white with a black diamond on her head, a black tipped tail and black tip on each of her wings. On eye was pale blue, while the other was rich amber.
What intrigued Harry the most, however, was in fact the bundle it was carrying.
The envelope was yellowed and the edges furry. A sure sign it was quite old.
Untying the letter and relieving the owl of its burden, the owl shook out her wings importantly and took flight into the open skies.
Harry watched the magnificent creature fly away before returning his attention to the letter. The envelope read:
Delayed Delivery to, Harry Potter.
*
If deceased, Albus Dumbledore.
Harry just gazed at the light blue shimmering writing. Who would have written him a letter so long ago and not have it delivered until now? He thought wildly.
His curiosity spiked, he opened the decaying envelope with fumbling fingers. Letting it float onto the bed, he settled himself beside it and carefully unfolded the parchment.
The sun reflected off the blue shimmering letters, mirrored in the two emerald orbs searching the parchment desperately. He began to read.
**
My darling Harry,
If you are reading this, then James Potter and I are deceased. I truly hope
This letter is never needed, but my instinct is telling me it is. Harry, there's so much I want to tell you.
But time is short and soon we will be having the Fidelius Charm cast, which, no matter how old you were when we died, you will know some of what happened.
First of all, Peter Pettigrew is our secret keeper and I don't trust him. James assures me his is trustworthy but he is cowardly, and this I believe will be our downfall.
James, too is uncertain, but there is no one else we can possibly use and we think a secret change will be the safest as no one would know.
Just in case something goes wrong, I'm going to put it straight.
Sirius Black is one of our dearest friends and he suggested that Peter be our secret keeper as he would be too obvious. We agreed.
Peter Pettigrew is our secret keeper, swapped secretly for safety's sake. I can only hope Peter will not turn coward, I was never close with him but James and he are friends.
If only Remus were here, although I think Sirius suspects the werewolf within got the better of Remmy. I could never suspect my dear Remus. He is a loyal, honest, and dear friend of mine.
My son, there is so much you don't know, so much there needs to be told and it is impossible to tell you in this one letter, so enclosed is a Gringotts key. It opens vault 593.
Inside there is a note giving you instructions of what to do.
I love you Harry with all my heart and I'm afraid that this letter is going to change your life and that your world will crumble.
This will come as a shock to you. I will not explain this is the letter because what I know and feel cannot be expressed in words.
Which is why I have given you this key. Guard it well Harry. It is extremely precious.
I cannot begin to imagine how this truth will affect you. But in the end, you should be very happy. Everything will be explained when you get to the vault.
Goodbye my son. And remember, I'm always with you.
Your mother, Lily.
**
A silent tear leaked its way down his cheek.
"Mum," he whispered to the heavens. A soft breeze blew in through the bars and ruffled his raven hair, revealing his scar.
Harry couldn't know it, but deep in his sub-conscious, from when he was a baby, he remembered her. And he missed her.
Another breeze blew the blanket off of Hedwig's cage bringing Harry back to the present.
Hedwig regarded him with a worried gaze as he leaned against the wall on the bed, hugging the blanket to himself. He didn't notice, he was staring off out the window, somewhere else.
*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*O~O*
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. THUD!
"Aarrgghhh!" bellowed Snape, clutching his foot and jumping around in circles. "Peeves!" he roared, spraying the air with spit.
Hobbling over to the spilled cauldron, he gave it his deadliest glare. On which would have even sent Dumbledore to do a quick 'U' turn.
Collapsing none too gracefully into a jade-green overstuffed chair, he tiredly rubbed his temples. He felt a splitting migraine coming on.
Pulling a silver cord somewhat harshly a house-elf appeared with a CRACK!
"You has needed help sir?" squeaked the house-elf.
"Yes, go to Madam Pomfrey and get the strongest headache cure she can find."
"Ye.. yes sir!" stuttered the house-elf, excited at doing a quest.
Sighing as he stood up, Severus Snape up righted the cauldron and slipped on a pair of dragon-hide gloves.
Sifting through the gluggy mess, he pulled out the cause of the destruction of the precious potion. A bludger.
How the bloody hell did Peeves get a hold of this? He asked himself wildly.
Picking up the bludger that struggled against him, he shut it up in a drawer and turned back to the mess.
A wave of his wand the mess was gone and the stone floor clean. The cauldron had a large crack running down the side. Useless.
He'd make another batch of Wolfsbane potion for Lupin tomorrow.
Finding refuge in his private chambers, Severus Snape noticed straightaway, the glossy, black feather on the floor.
Twirling it in between his thumb and finger, he walked to his private desk. A raven coloured owl sat perched. He had a white coloured diamond on his head and white tipped tail and wings. One eye was emerald green, while the other was violet.
Severus' black eyes locked with the owl's and he quietly untied the letter. The envelope was quite thick, which signalled the parchment was extensively long. It was also old. It read:
Delayed Deliver to: Severus Snape. * If deceased, Albus Dumbledore.
His curiosity stirred he slit the envelope and sat back luxuriously in the winged back chair.
**
Dear Severus, If you receive this letter, then I am dead. First of all know this, I have never Stopped loving you and James still considers you a dear friend.
You know what happened up until your last mission. The one you didn't come back from. Oh Severus, they told me you were dead. Several people told me that they had seen your body.
I was devastated! However, a week later we decided on the Fidelius charm. It was our best hope even Albus admits it.
He still doesn't know the truth about it all.
We're performing it tomorrow Severus. Which is three months after you left. If you are still out there, alive, unable to make it home for some reason which my heart is repeatedly telling me so. Then you would've heard of my and James' wedding.
First of all, it was legal. We love each other and you know that, but we are not in love with each other. So please don't think that we betrayed you, as I'm afraid that you might have believed that for the last 15-16 years.
I could never do that to you and I could never love another man the way I love you. James and me were wed for a reason Severus. One in which I'm afraid is a secret we'll take to our graves.
Two days before you left, I went to my mother and father's house. As you know, my mother is a nurse and having a check-up in which she was so insistent on, I found that I was two weeks and three days pregnant. With our child.
I didn't tell you because in two days was the great battle and it would have only served as a distraction. One in which you desperately did NOT need. It was my fatal mistake.
You never came back to me. You never found out that you were, indeed, going to be a. father. Oh Severus, I know we didn't want to up bring a child in a world of torment, pain and hiding but I am so happy!
Which brings about the reason why James and I got married. You know how it was before in school. We had decided to keep 'us' a secret until the threat of Voldemort was gone.
You know what would have happened if Voldemort found out about us through the Slytherins or deatheaters. If they found out you were dating a muggleborn. And what if they found out you were a spy?
Well, I told James of the pregnancy when you didn't come back. He suggested the only solution without being suspicious was if we were to get married and he claimed the child as his.
If we didn't and Voldemort found out that the father of the baby was one of his deatheaters, he would have tried to claim the baby as his own. And you're not a deatheater. You're a spy. My knight.
But our perfect plan wasn't so perfect. When your son was born, yes Sev, it's a boy! He looked so much like you! He has my eyes, nose and some slight red undertones. He has your cheeks, chin, eyebrows and raven dark hair.
But I can already tell he is going to be tall, just like you Sev. He is going to grow into such a handsome young man.
It broke my heart to see him disguised as James. He should look like YOU! My love. I cried myself to sleep for a long time. But I knew I couldn't do anything and that it was for his and our safety. We named him your favourite boys' name. Harry.
Harry James Snape.
I know you have most likely hated James since, but now you know the truth, that we didn't betray you. Maybe you wouldn't mind the name of your closest friend as Harry's second?
Harry has two birth certificates. A genuine one: Harry James Snape. And a fake one: Harry James Potter.
James loves our son like a nephew. He would do anything for him. He was only too happy to give him his name. He feels like he's the last remaining part of you he has.
I have a horrid feeling that, if you know Harry or have heard of him, then you most probably hate him. You probably see him as the result of our non betrayal.
Sev, you-have-a-son. Our son.
Please take good care of him. God forbid, if my sister Petunia is 'caring' for him, remove-him-at-once! I couldn't bear to think he had grown up like that!
My love, I loathe to think what you have gone through if you are indeed, alive. Thinking that you were betrayed, seeing Harry as the son you never had.
I wish I could prevent it somehow, but I can't. I love you Sev. And if Harry is alive, tell him. He is your son.
Love, your wife, Lily.
**
The letter shook violently in the Potion Master's hands. What from he couldn't even begin to fathom. Rage, hurt, love, sadness, disbelief, shock.
"Lily." He whispered, his voice a light tremor.
"Sev, you have a son, Harry, he is our son.' The words rang through his head like a church bell.
Potter. was his son.
Lily. He thought again. After all these years, she never betrayed him.
A wall of ice surrounding his heart seemed to melt. The mask he wore no longer in place, as emotions danced across his features in a never-ending dance. And James. and. oh no! Pot.. Ha.. Harry!
What have I done? He put his head in his hands. What have I done.
***
"Pig!" hissed Harry urgently. "Slow. Down. STOP!"
Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl, was so tiny it somersaulted through the bars and was now zooming around Harry's head making him feel extremely dizzy.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. With a sharp reflex, Harry caught the owl like he did the snitch.
Luckily Pig had the sense (or just plain stupidity) to shut up. Grabbing hold of the letter, he jerked it off the tiny owl and started to read.
**
Dear Harry, Hey mate! How are the muggles treating you? Well, Dumbledore finally said you could come to our house for the remainder of the holidays! For your birthday too! Hermione is going to come in a week. Her parents didn't let her go to Bulgaria to see Viktor. They were worried with you-know-who and all. Well anyways, we're coming to pick you up on Thursday, 1:30pm whether the muggles like it or not. Oh yeah, we're coming by Floo, so tell your great lump of an uncle to unblock the bloody fireplace! Hope to see you soon!
~ Ron.
P.S: Fred and George have been acting really strange lately, do you know what's up? Percy's not too happy. Anyway, bye!
**
Harry laughed. He could just imagine Gred and Forge putting the 1000 galleons to good use. And using Percy as an over-sized guinea pig!
But soon, as always, he found his thought returning back to his mother's letter. He wanted so desperately to know what she wanted to say and what was in the vault. But then, he didn't.
He had been told so many stories, too many 'when you're older' s, too many lies already, he didn't know if he could handle his world falling apart again. He'd barely been able to start rebuilding when Cedric had died.
The guilt he felt was so heavy. 'Oh stop it Harry!' he chided himself. How he hated Voldemort, it all came down to him. So many families ripped apart, pointless deaths, destruction, torture and pain. It all came down to Voldemort.
Grabbing some ink and a quill, he hastily scribbled a reply on the back of the letter. He wrote:
**
Ron, The muggles are as bad as usual, big surprise there! I'll make sure the fireplace is cleared, I can't wait to go over your house!
The deal with Fred and George? That's for me to know, and you to find out. Thanks again! ~Harry.
**
Tying the letter back to Pig's leg, he watched as the hyper owl zoomed straight into one of the bars. Blinking its great eyes dazedly, he found his balance and flew off in spiralling circles.
"Boy!" roared Uncle Vernon from downstairs. Hiding his mother's letter under the floorboard, Harry made his way downstairs to clean up breakfast.
He spent the rest of the day mowing the lawns, pruning Aunt Petunia's rose trees, washing Uncle Vernon's expensive car, eating a bruised apple for lunch, vacuuming the house and gulping down some greedy mouthfuls of the newly installed, filtered tap.
The fresh, clean water was bliss on Harry's parched throat and after a hurried dinner, Harry found himself trekking the stairs for a well-deserved sleep.
Shutting the door exhaustedly, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep before his head had even touched the pillow. His first since he arrived back from Hogwarts.
He didn't even hear Uncle Vernon noisily slamming the locks across, muttering under his breath about attempting 'funny business' when they were all asleep.
----------end of chapter----------
A/N Ok well hopefully this one was a little longer, lol. Next chapter up in a few! Thanks soooo much to all those who reviewed:
----Review Responses---
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Mystical Witch: Thanks for the review! You're my first one! :D I know the last one was short, that's because it is a prologue. The length of this chapter here will be the length most of my chapters will be.
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Viscountess Babbles-on: Well, your wait is over! ;) Thanx so much for the review, I hope this chapter meets your expectations! I'm glad Aunt Petunia and Dudley were in character. I wanted to have the whole 'Dursleys' thing realistic, I think its about time someone did. BTW, update ur story soon! I'm dying to know Sirius' reaction!!
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Silver Wolf: I hope this satisfies your curiosity some. Or maybe it has grown? Hmmm. wonder what could be in the vault? I'll keep an eye out for the green and silver snake! *glances around, holding neck protectively* have had faaaaaar too many snake around the neck experiences! Thankyou for the review! It means a lot to me!
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A/N2: Thanks to all who reviewed again. Now I have something I'm stuck on. In this Fanfic, who should be with Harry? H/Hr or H/G or someone else? If so, then who for Ron? In my other fanfics I have H/G and R/Hr, but I have seen some good severitus' challenges with Hermione and Harry together. Which do YOU think? Thanx!
A/N3: How do u make things bold or italic? I haven't got a clue...
~Lisa