DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter or related characters.

Chapter 39 confrontations

"Harry, thank you for stopping by."

"Didn't realize I had a choice, headmaster," Harry replied as he took the seat across from Dumbledore's desk.

"We always have a choice, Harry,"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's our choices that make us who we are," Harry mumbled.

"Right you are, my dear boy, right you are. Now, I was wondering, if you would inform me what has been going on with you these last few months? You claim to forgive me for my past mistakes, yet you don't share your troubles with me. You were even reluctant to have me teach you occlumency last summer. I can't help but feel that there is something that you have been hiding from me."

Harry was silent as he looked at the floor.

"Harry, please look at me. I promise not to use legilimency. I just want to know what is going on. As I mentioned last spring, I think of you like a grandchild. I will gladly help you in any way that I can."

Harry looked at the headmaster and came to a decision after seeing the sincerity in the older wizard's eyes. "Headmaster, I will tell you what is going on and why I didn't want you to teach me occlumency, but other than that, I must insist that you leave this matter alone. It is something that I can and will handle on my own." As Dumbledore went to comment, Harry continued, "If I find myself over my head or needing assistance, I will let you know, but please don't meddle. If you do, you could make things worse and I don't think I could forgive you for that."

Albus nodded after he thought about Harry's words. He knew he did not want to alienate the boy he had come to care so much about. "I agree, wizard's honor."

"It started over the summer, a few days after I returned home. I was wishing, praying for something to keep me from dwelling on Sirius's death. That wish was granted by Sirius himself."

"Ho-"

"One more condition, professor, please don't interrupt. If you have any comments or questions, please right them down. I will answer what I can when I finish."

Dumbledore nodded and Harry continued. "Sirius sent me a letter that was charmed to be delivered in the event of his death. The letter contained information that few people knew, and most of those were dead (1). The letter stated that I was adopted by Lily and James in Sweden while they were on a mission."

When Albus went to ask a question, Harry pointed to a piece of parchment. As soon as a quill was in his hand, Albus started writing frantically. "Lily was in her second trimester of her pregnancy when they left England. The baby, a girl, was born in April. Due to complications, Jasmyn died soon after birth and most likely, Lily wouldn't be able to carry another child. Six months later, Sirius was at the Swedish ministry when a coworker walked in with an orphaned child of a former auror, Cybelle Swann. The minister wasn't sure where to place this child when Sirius mentioned his friend's recent tragedy.

"To make a long story short, Lily, James, & the Swedish Minister agreed that it would be best for them to adopt me. Lily guessed that most her friends had expected her baby to be born during the summer and that they would assume that I was their natural child. They decided not to tell anyone about the adoption or Jasmyn, for reasons only they could say. Sirius had some information regarding Cybelle's family in Sweden. I contacted them at once, hoping to find the family that I always wanted. They immediately replied that they wanted nothing to do with me, but did forward one thing they had of Cybelle's, her journal. After reading the journal I discovered that I was actually born in England and that Cybelle had adopted me while she was here on temporary duty. And that is pretty much all the information I have," Harry concluded. After all, without the lineage potion, there wasn't any proof that Snape was his father.

"The prophecy," Albus started to inquire.

"Figures that would be the first thing you ask about." Harry snorted. "Since Voldemort was able to 'mark me as his equal', then I figured the child in the prophecy still could have been me. Plus I was born in England; it is quite possible that my parents thrice defied Voldemort. Of course, this most likely means that they were not in the Order."

"Most likely, since I only knew of two, well, one order member that was due around the time frame mentioned in the prophecy." Albus agreed. "And I apologize for my first reaction being about the prophesy. It's just hard to know that if Lily and James shared the news about their daughter and your adoption, that your life would have been very different."

"Not just mine," Harry replied, "But Neville's as well. And don't worry too much about thinking of the prophecy first. In all honesty it was one of the first things that I thought about too."

"Hmm," Albus replied, thinking about the events of the summer and the beginning of term before asking, "Was this the reason for the changes in your appearance?"

"Yes, sir. It seems that both of my adoptive parents used the adoptive charm to change my appearance so that I would look like their natural child. After finding out about the adoption, the charm gradually reverses itself over the course of a few weeks."

"I see." Albus said, while nodding. "Now, why is it that you didn't want me to teach you occlumency last summer?"

"Um, well, I wasn't ready for anyone to learn about the adoption. I figured if Professor Snape learned about it, he probably wouldn't care much. You, however, were a different story. I was afraid that you would try to forbid me to find my real family or that you would become obsessed with finding out who the mystery couple was that thrice defied Voldemort. I knew I couldn't handle that, so I chose Snape to teach me."

Dumbledore had a sad look on his face as he said, "I understand, Harry. I hope that I wouldn't prevent you from finding your family, but I do understand why you would think that and why you requested that Professor Snape instruct you instead."

"It all worked out for the best," Harry answered confidently and enigmatically. "Is that all, Professor?"

"Just one last comment, Harry. Have you tried to locate your natural family? Did Cybelle leave any information in her journal?"

Harry grew pale as he once again avoided the headmaster's gaze. "Nothing explicit, Hermione was able to decipher some clues, though."

"Ah, I take it your friends know about the adoption. Anyone else?"

"Both Hermione and Ron know, as well as Remus and Sn-Professor Snape."

"There are potions and spells that can be used to discover who your birth parents are."

Harry grew paler and nodded, but didn't say a word.

"Would you like me compile a list of these for you? I think your best choice would be a potion. The charms, can be quite complex, plus the results are only shown momentarily before disappearing. I'm sure that I could get Professor Snape to help you brew one of the potions."

Harry started to cough to keep himself from yelling a resounding 'NO!'. Instinctively, he started backing away towards the door, unaware that his hands were shaking.

Upon hearing Harry cough, Albus looked up and noticed that his student was slowly heading towards the door, his hands trembling. Albus wasn't sure if it was a reaction to Severus's name or if it was because Harry thought he was meddling. There wasn't much he could do to make Severus and Harry get along, he could, however, clear up any misconceptions Harry might be thinking about his meddling. "Harry, I don't want you to feel that I am trying to control your life. I just wanted you to know that I will support you, no matter what decision you make."

"Yes, sir. I'll think about your offer and let you now. Sometimes I wonder if it would be better or worse to know the truth."

"Worse?" Albus inquired. "How could finding your family make things worse?"

"With my luck and family? Plenty, believe me" Harry retorted, "So far everyone I thought was family has made it more than clear that they either hate me, want nothing to do with me, or both.

"What if I find out who my family is only to discover that they didn't believe? What if they thought I was dead? What if they didn't want me?"

Albus nodded, while imaging some other scenarios, someone who only wanted Harry for his fame and riches or someone who was sympathetic to Voldemort's cause. "I understand, Harry. Take all the time you need. I will help you in any way I can, if you make the decision to find your family."

"Thank you, headmaster. Any other questions?"

"No, not at this time. You are dismissed." Albus said absently as he reached for his tin of lemon drops. Part of him was wondering why Harry was so positive that everything worked out for the best while another part of him was worried about who his parents were. It would be traumatic for Harry to decide to find them only to discover that their reaction wasn't positive.

A few moments later, Albus leaned back and smiled, his eyes twinkling, as he formulated a plan. He promised Harry that he wouldn't meddle, but he also swore to protect Harry at any costs. Albus new which promise was more important than the other.

That night Harry and Hermione met in the Room of Requirement to discuss the brewing of the lineage potion.

"Harry, these notes are really good. You shouldn't have any trouble brewing the potion. The only thing you need to remember is to add each ingredient at the key time. Just a few minutes off on any of the ingredients will ruin the potion."

Harry nodded.

"Because of the restrictions imposed on you due to classes and detentions, I outlined possible starting times and noted when each ingredient needs to be added. I think the best thing to do is to start the potion tomorrow after classes. The potion would then be completed before the Halloween feast on Thursday."

"That sounds good. I don't think I would be able to enjoy the feast if I was anxiously waiting for the results of this potion."

"Okay, then, here is the schedule of times and ingredients to be added. It's a good thing this potion only requires your hair. I would hate to think what you would have to go through to get a sample from your fa-Professor Snape."

"Hermione, it's okay if you refer to him as my father when it's just us. I won't get upset just because he wants nothing to do with me."

"I know, Harry. I just don't like calling him that because he doesn't deserve it."

"What is this? Hermione Granger not respecting a teacher?"

"I respect him as a teacher, but not as your father," Hermione retorted. "It takes more than biology to make a father and so far, Professor Snape hasn't shown that he's capable of it. I sincerely dislike him for what he's doing to you."

"Hermione, he's not doing anything to me." Harry responded, slightly amused at his friend's attitude on his behalf. "I'll admit that I'm a bit disappointed in how everything has turned out, but after all, it's not like my life is really changing is it? I haven't had a father for the last fifteen years and even after the potion is brewed, I won't have one. The only thing that will change is the fact that I will now know the identity of my father."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Hermione, don't feel bad for me-"

"I don't. I feel bad for Professor Snape. He is letting his fears keep him from the best thing life has to offer, a family." And somebody needs to tell him that, she finished silently.

After the conversation she and Ron had yesterday in the common room, she had been thinking about talking to one of the professors about Harry. Unfortunately, she didn't feel right breaking his confidence and telling the headmaster about the likelihood that Snape was Harry's father. Harry was quite adamant that even if Professor Dumbledore knew about the adoption, he didn't want him to know about Snape. She had thought about talking to Remus, but didn't want to bother him since the full moon was last night. The only other choice was to talk to Professor Snape directly.

Monday morning, after telling Harry that she had some questions on the assignment and would see him in their next class, Hermione walked up to the potion master's desk.

"Professor Snape?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, question on the assignment?"

"Oh no, sir, I don't expect any problems on this assignment. In fact, I should have it completed in an hour. Of course, I would then spend a few-"

"Miss Granger," Snape interrupted, "If you don't have a question on the assignment, then may I ask why you are here?"

"Of course, I'm sorry, sir," Hermione said as she regained her composure by taking a deep breath. "I'm here because of Harry."

"Mr. Potter? What has he done now?" Snape inquired.

"He hasn't done anything. I actually wanted to ask what you were doing."

"Excuse me, Miss Granger?" Snape said with a snarl.

"I meant, what is the purpose of all these detentions? I know that you wanted the two of you to get to know each other outside of the student/professor personas that you portray, but don't you think that this has been going on long enough? All of these games you are playing are taking away from what really matters, a family, your family."

"Miss Granger," Snape said coldly, "Please tell me why you think this information concerns you?"

"Harry is my best friend, sir, what concerns him concerns me. I would do anything to help or protect him. However, I never thought that I would need to protect him from his own father!"

"Miss Granger-"

"Sir, I'm sorry if you think that I am stepping out of line, but what you are doing to Harry is slowly destroying him. He has done everything you asked. You wanted the two of you to learn about each other, Harry told you more about his life then he did any other adult he knew, including Sirius. You wanted more time to think about things, Harry waited while you tried to grasp what was happening. He listened when both Remus and I asked him to be patient and to try to understand how difficult this has been for you. What Harry couldn't understand was how come no one told you how difficult this has been for him. That is why I am here.

"He has always tried to separate the 'boy-who-lived' from Harry. His identity was tied to the connection he had with his parents, James' hair; Lily's eyes; his stag patronus, well, okay, his patronus is the same, but otherwise, it's all different. Can't you understand how difficult that must be? His whole world has turned upside down. The only thing that has been constant is the fact that none of his 'family' wants anything to do with him. The Dursleys have hated him since he was left on their doorstep, just for being a wizard; Cybelle's parents rejected him since he was born out of wedlock and the identity of his father was never revealed; and you, well, I'm not exactly sure what you are doing or why.

"He's dealt with so much since he realized that you were his father; he lived in fear that one of his mentor's would reject him for being your son; his best friend went into a coma just hearing about the possibility that your were his father; he's been so paranoid about letting something slip and putting you in danger that he is constantly erecting silencing and privacy charms everywhere he g-"

"Miss Granger, enough," when Hermione went to interrupt, Snape held up a hand and said, "Do not interrupt me, unless you want your prefect badge removed."

Hermione stared at Snape before slowly nodding.

"Good. I do not appreciate being discussed by you and your Gryffindor pals. Likewise, I do not enjoy you occupying my valuable time for what is a personal matter and does not concern you, regardless of who your best friend is. Now, kindly leave this room before you find yourself with as many detentions as that best friend."

"Sir,"

"I said leave, Miss Granger."

"Fine, sir, I'm leaving," Hermione said as she headed towards the door when Snape started to glare. "I just thought that maybe you should know how your son was feeling about all this, how difficult it has been for him as well, and especially what he plans to do now." Hermione turned and walked towards the door.

"Miss Granger, return at once and sit down." When Hermione complied with his request, trying to hide the triumphant smile on her face, Snape continued. "One, don't refer to him as 'my son'. Two, explain what you mean about what he plans to do now."

Hermione longed to ask him why she shouldn't refer to Harry as his son, but quickly decided that this wasn't the time or the place. "He plans on brewing the lineage potion by himself."

"Why?" Snape thought out loud. Why would Potter bother to brew the complex potion if no one was around to enjoy the joke with him?

"He wants to know the truth, sir. That is all he has wanted since he found out about the adoptions. He doesn't believe that you will ever consent to brewing the potion with him, so he has decided to take control of the situation himself." Hermione paused for a moment and looked at her professor. After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "Am I dismissed, sir?" It was her hope to leave before he started to deduct points or assign detention.

Snape nodded absently as he sat silently in his chair thinking about what Miss Granger had said before he stopped her. He withdrew a quill and some parchment and wrote a short note to be delivered to Mr. Potter.

"Harry, how come you aren't in detention tonight?" Ron asked as he and Hermione walked into the common room.

"Snape cancelled."

"Professor Snape, Harry. And why did he cancel?" Hermione asked, as Ron quietly slipped out of the tower.

"Like I know why Professor Snape does anything?" Harry stated sarcastically. "Most likely because he no longer wants to keep up the façade of pretending to be interested in me or my life."

"Harry, I'm sure he has a legitimate reason for canceling."

"Of course, he does, Hermione. Just like he always has a legitimate reason for deducting points from Gryffindor." Harry said as he stood up, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to the room of requirement and check on the potion."

Hermione sighed as she watched Harry exit the tower. She hoped she didn't make things worse by talking to Professor Snape.

Ron was mad. No he was angry. No he was beyond angry, he thought as he left the common room without a word to Harry or Hermione. He couldn't believe that the potion master dared to cancel Harry's detention. The greasy git should be thankful that he has an opportunity to get to know Harry. The former death eater should consider himself blessed that he is Harry's father. Instead the overgrown bat believed it to be impossible; denying any likelihood. Ron knew that he didn't take the news well when it was first reavealed, but after thinking about it, and realizing that there was nothing he could do to change it, he had decided that he had best accept it if he wanted Harry to be a part of his life.

And he did. Ron gave a shudder as he realized that his path in life would have been very different if Harry wasn't a part of it. He would either be like Percy, trying to prove himself better than his brothers or he would have failed out of Hogwarts, since he never cared much about learning, grades, or work. Harry kept him from being too serious. With the drama that was Harry's life, he needed someone who could get him to relax, unwind and have fun without worrying about the consequences. That was Ron's job, andit was only because of Hermione, that he managed to pass all of his classes. Harry was the one who thought of warning her of the troll on Halloween of their first year. That was the start of the three-way friendship that had kept his life in balance for the last five years. If Harry hadn't been in his life five years ago, Ron knew that he would've been a prime target for You-know-who's manipulations; either as a young wizard seeking power any way he could or as a young wizard with very limited choices for his future.

He had been thinking about talking to Snape ever since he mentioned it to Hermione last weekend. Someone had to do something and knowing Hermione, he thought that she would probably go straight to Dumbledore. It looks like it was up to him to confront Harry's father, also known as, the evil potion master.

"You're doing this for Harry," Ron reminded himself as he stood outside the potion lab for the first time this year. Detentions and deducted points won't matter if it helps Harry, Ron thought. After the many times that he had let Harry down, he was determined to succeed in this. Hopefully Snape would listen to him and understand the opportunity that he is passing up.
"Sir?"

From the corner of his eye, Snape saw a flash of red hair and sighed before looking at the teenager that stood in his doorway. "Yes, Mr. Weasley? I'm going to assume that you aren't here about a class assignment since you are not in my class."

"No, sir, I mean, yes, sir. I mea-"

"Mr. Weasley, kindly inform me of why you are hovering in my doorway."

Ron took Snape's words as an invitation and entered the potion lab, closing the door behind him and setting up silencing and privacy charms that he learned from Harry and Hermione.

"Wait," Snape sneered as Ron went to speak, "Let me guess, you're here to talk about Mr. Potter."

Ron stared at Snape in shock before nodding, "Yes, sir. I'm worried about Mr. Po-Harry. He's been very distant lately. And depressed. Worse then when Cedric or Sirius died."

"And what did you expect me to do about it?" Snape commented coldly.

"Talk to him. He is your son, after all."

"Mr. Weasley," Snape drawled sharply, "I don't know where you get your information, but you should wait until a hypothesis is proven before stating it as fact."

"Then why won't you let him prove it! This waiting is killing him. He believes that you don't want to know the truth. That you don't want him as his son. It's tearing him apart.

"He plans on brewing the potion by himself just to prove that he's not crazy for believing that you are his father. He doesn't want you to know. He said that at least if you didn't know then he could pretend that you weren't rejecting him."

"If he doesn't want me to know, Mr. Weasley, then why are you telling me? Do you Gryffindor's have so little disregard for your friend's wishes?"

"No, sir. Trust me, it wasn't easy to come down here and talk to you about this, but somebody had to, for Harry. I'm doing this because I believe that not even you could be so heartless to reject your son. Harry is one of the best things that happened in my life and I don't understand how or why anyone would deny the chance to have him in their lives."

"Is that all, Mr. Weasley?" Snape's tone clearly indicated that it better be.

Ron however, didn't come this far just to back down at the first sign of trouble. After all, he was a Gryffindor.

"No, sir, I also wanted to say that in the past few months, while getting to know you, Harry has been happier than I have ever seen him. He has come to care for you like a son cares for his father. He constantly worries about the danger you face, especially Vol-, er, You-know-who," Ron substituted. Harry had mentioned how Snape didn't like it when Voldemort was referred to by his self-proclaimed name and Ron refused to call him the Dark Lord, not even to please Snape.

"You have come to mean more to him than Sirius. Harry trusts you, sir. Don't betray that trust."

"Are you finished?"

Ron looked at Snape's emotionless face for a sign that anything he said made it pass the ice barrier of the potion master's heart. Upon seeing no such evidence, Ron sighed and said, "Yes, sir, I guess that's all."

"Fine, you are dismissed."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to leave, thankful that he didn't lose points or earn a detention.

"And Mr. Weasley, if you ever attempt anything like this again, you will have detention for a month and lose more points from Gryffindor than you could ever hope to."

"Yes, sir," Ron said as he proceeded to the door.

"Severus, we need to talk about Harry."

"Not you, as well, Lupin," Snape sneered, "who will be next? Albus?"

"What do you mean, 'not you, as well'?"

"I've already had 'conversations'" Snape snorted, "with Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. Tell me, did the three of you plan this to ruin my day?"

"Actually, Severus, we didn't, that is just an unexpected bonus. Now what did Hermione and Ron tell you?"

"Why don't you tell me what you want to say first, then we'll compare notes," Severus replied sarcastically.

"Fine. I want to know what you are playing with with Harry."

"The same thing he is wolf."

"Harry believes he is getting to know his father. Can you honestly tell me that you are only trying to learn about your son?"

"Don't call him that!"

Remus, in a remarkable Snape imitation raised one eyebrow, "Why not, Severus? After all, you said that you are doing the same thing that Harry is, and he is trying to find his family."

"Lupin," Severus warned, "Just leave it alone."

"Sorry, but I can't. I'm here for Harry's sake."

"That's one."

"One what?" Remus asked, puzzled about Snape's comment.

"One thing all three of you had in common."

Remus ignored Snapes reply and asked, "What is it going to take for you to realize that it is extremely possible that Harry is your son? He looks like your wife; the birthday is the same; he has the same reaction to root of whatever; when upset he resembles you. Even his robes billow when he walks down the corridors! Why won't you see it?"

Severus just remained passive, no emotion on his face, no words leaving his mouth.

"Would it be so bad having him for a son?" Remus asked quietly.

Once more, Severus was silent.

"Severus? Severus, my boy, are you here?" Albus called from the floo, breaking the silence. "Ah, Remus, didn't see you there. Hope I'm not interrupting anything. Severus, could you come up here for a moment; there is something I need to discuss with you."

"Of course, headmaster," Snape answered, relieved to throw Lupin out of his rooms. "Looks like we'll have to finish this fascinating conversation later, wolf," Snape stated as he held the door open, indicating Remus to exit his rooms.

Once in the corridor, the wizards headed in opposite directions; one to their quarters, the other to the headmaster's office.

Snape spent most of his journey contemplating the words the Golden boy's groupies shared with him.

He wouldn't say it out loud, but the probability of Harry being his son no longer seemed impossible. Both the wolf and Granger had some valid points which actually wasn't that surprising since they were probably the smartest Gryffindors to attend Hogwarts in the last fifty years. No, the surprising part was that Weasley made sense.

Of course, part of him wondered if Lupin lied. It seemed too much of a coincidence that all three would choose today to discuss 'Harry' with him. Not to mention the fact that two of them practically said the same things. Severus decided that he needn't finish the conversation with Lupin after all; he would probably just reiterate what the two younger Gryffindors said. Twice was enough, Severus thought, he didn't need to hear it a third time.

"Ah, yes, Severus, do come in," The headmaster greeted the potion master, indicating a chair for him to take.

"You said you had something to discuss with me, headmaster?"

"Yes, a small matter concerning Mr. Potter and his adoption."

Severus paled. His worst nightmare was coming true. The headmaster knew about his past.

"Severus, you're looking quite pale, do you wish to reschedule this discussion?"

"No, now is fine," Severus insisted, regaining his composure. "You were saying?"

"As you know, Mr. Potter recently discovered that he was adopted, not once, but twice."

"And this affects me how?" Severus replied coolly, determined to deny any possibility of paternity to the headmaster until it was proven.

"Severus," Albus warned. Severus just stared at the headmaster, not saying a word. After a few moments of silence, Albus continued, "What you are doing to the boy is cruel. I insist that you stop immediately."

Once more, Snape gave no visible record of even hearing his friend's words.

"Severus, why do you persist in playing these games? I've been aware for quite awhile now that something was happening with yourself and Mr. Potte-"

"How?" Severus asked. He didn't mean to ask, thus admitting that something was different, however, his curiosity got the better him. If Albus had found out, what was keeping the other professors or worse- the students from finding out?

"Why, Severus, didn't you know? I know everything that goes on in these castle walls," Albus, stated merrily, his eyes twinkling.

"Don't give me that. I'm a professor, not a student. I know that you only know what the portraits tell you. And don't even attempt to tell me that the portraits informed you of this situation." Severus glared at the headmaster demanding an answer.

"Harry told me on Sunday."

"Albus, one day does not qualify as 'quite awhile."

"I also had some help from you," the headmaster admitted, before reaching down into his desk drawer and retrieving a book.

Upon close look, Snape realized that it was identical to the lesson planner that the headmaster presented him with every year. At his questioning glance, Albus answered, "Everything you write in your book shows up in this one as well."

"Albus," Snape growled, trying to remember what he had written in the book.

"Unfortunately, you do your job as a spy too well. Even personal notes and lesson plans you instinctively write in code. Most of it still remains a mystery, but some things make sense now, specifically the notes about Harry and his father.

"Severus, Harry has told what he has discovered these last few months, and I cannot believe that you would be so cruel." Albus' tone was full of disappointment and sorrow.

"Albus, I-" Severus started to say, without knowing how to continue, his face normally void of expression, now almost portrayed every emotion known to man. Sorrow from disappointing the one person who always stood by him; Disbelief that Harry was his son; Hatred at the person who kidnapped his children; Anger at himself for not being able to protect them; Regret at how he has acted at this situation; Joy at the thought that one of his children might have survived; and many more, each washing over the others, until he could barely identify them.

How could he explain all that he had been feeling that day when the boy he professed to hate, wanted to hate, stated that he believed that the two of them were father and son? That was the day when he came up with his 'plan'. Surely Albus would understand that he thought that it couldn't have been anything but a joke. Miracles didn't happen to Severus Snape.

Albus didn't know what was going through Severus' mind at the moment. Never before had he seen so many emotions at once. Whatever Severus was thinking, it was a lot more powerful than any rebuke that he could give.

"I don't want to know what you were thinking when you started your game. And I especially don't want to know what you were planning. All I care about is that it stops.

"I've let a lot of things slide to keep you safe within these castle walls, but no one has the right to torment students on such a personal level."

Severus slowly nodded, as his hands twirled the edge of his robe. He couldn't understand why the headmaster wasn't asking about Sonja. Surely Harry wouldn't have told him the whole story?

"I'm glad that you agree with me. Now, I do not want to hear that you are continuing to torment Harry about his father. For years you have hated him simply because you believed that James was his father. Now that you know the truth, treat him like any other student-or Gryffindor, rather," Albus stated, eyes twinkling, "I do understand the need to keep up appearances regarding your assignment. However, I want no more comments from you regarding your opinion of Harry's father. The child has been put through too much these last few months, he does not need you adding to it."

Severus' head snapped up as he stared at the headmaster. Was it possible? Did Harry not inform the headmaster about his possible origins?

As if reading his mind, Albus continued, "Harry has some difficult choices to make in the future. I have offered to help him learn the identity of his parents. I trust that the information I am about to share will not be used to torment him further?"

Inside Snape was screaming 'yes', eager to know what Harry and Albus discussed, but outwardly he slowly nodded his head, as if the information Albus was about to share didn't matter.

"Harry is rather reluctant to learn his parents' identity," Albus paused as Severus started to cough.

Severus was trying to keep from snorting in disagreement. Reluctant? That boy has been after him to brew the potion for weeks. Why would Albus think he was reluctant?

"It seems that Harry hasn't had the best of experiences when it comes to family. Everyone he has believed to be his family has stated that they want nothing to do with him." Albus shook his head in disbelief. "It is inconceivable to me how some people think nothing of telling a child, a believed to be blood relative, that they are not worthy of their time and attention."

Once more Albus paused, this time to watch his younger friend grow pale.

"Severus, are you okay?" The headmaster asked, concerned about the health of the man in front of him.

Severus, not trusting himself to speak, nodded.

"Perhaps we should continue this later?" Albus offered.

Snape started to refuse before deciding that perhaps a break would be best. "Yes, perhaps we should. I need some time to think, er, rest," Severus corrected as he hurried out of the headmaster's office.

End Chapter 39 confrontations

UPCOMING: Chapter 40 the truth

I say most because the Sweden MOM knew about Harry's adoption…

Okay, so Albus almost knows…

Some might think Hermione is a bit out of character, confronting Snape like that. It's not anger, its righteous indignation. Similar to how she gets about the house-elves, but worse, since it is her best friend.

5/5/05