UGH! Don't hate me…I know it's been a while & that I said it would be 40 chapters…well, I was wrong... it'll be 41. Decided to split this chapter up. The last final & complete chapter should be up by/on Monday.

Thanks to juliedecarson for correcting some of my errors & providing me with feedback on this story.

Chapter 40 about the truth
Severus could feel three pairs of eyes on him as he entered the great hall Tuesday morning. Thank goodness the wolf had been sent on a mission and was no longer in the castle to torment him.

He turned and glared at Weasley and Granger until the two looked away. If only the same trick would work on the headmaster, Severus thought. At least he knew that the old wizard didn't suspect that he was Harry's father. Wait. Correction, possibly Potter's father.

Was it true? Did he want it to be true? Severus asked himself. Under duress, Severus might admit that he hoped that his son was still alive, even if it was a miracle that the former death eater knew he didn't deserve.

Casting a glance in the headmaster's direction, Severus snickered. Discovering that Harry Potter was actually Synclair Leif Snape would most likely make cause the headmaster to choke on a lemon drop.

Snape's expression turned serious as he started to think of all the negatives involved if it proved true: one) until the war was over, no one else could know; two) in public he would still have to be the greasy-git, evil potion master that everyone loved to hate; three) he would have to call his son Harry, not Synclair; four) the headmaster would have to be informed; five) his son was a Gryffindor-and not just any Gryffindor, but the epitome of Gryffindor.

Severus thought a moment; he could handle calling his son 'Harry'; he could even handle the fact that his son was a Gryffindor. In fact, it might be amusing to be one of the few that know that the poster child of Gryffindor was, by birth, a Snape.

What he didn't like, other than telling Albus, was the fact that not only could he not recognize Harry as his son, but he would have to continue to be vindictive to him and his friends. Okay, so being cruel and unjust to Harry's friends and housemates wasn't much of a hardship, Severus snickered to himself.

Not that he would be all hugs and kisses when the Dark Lord was vanquished, Snape thought, that simply wasn't him. However, he would've liked the opportunity to acknowledge his child.

As Severus thought about the Dark Lord's demise, he remembered the prophecy that specified the details. That prophecy now meant so much more since it involved his son. For the first time Severus focused on the fact that there was a very high probability that neither of them would survive this war. Was it worth discovering if Harry was his son only to lose him?

"Severus?" Albus asked.

"Yes," Snape replied absently, still thinking about the pros and cons of verifying the truth.

"The great hall has emptied; you might want to get to your class. First year Gryffindors and Slytherins, I believe."

"Of course, headmaster," Snape said as he stood up and rushed out the door.

"Albus," Minerva inquired, "What is going on? I have never known Severus to be late for one of his classes."

"Good question, my dear, good question," Albus paused as they headed towards the doors to the great hall. "Join me for tea during your free class?"

"Certainly," she replied, before heading to her classroom.

"Albus," Minerva stated as she took the offered tea cup, "Do you have an answer to my question?"

"Alas, no. However I cannot help but feel that Mr. Potter is somehow involved."

"Merlin, what now," Minerva groaned. "Much as I have come to care for Harry, I cannot help but feel relief when I think that in two years he will graduate and that things will get back to normal. Severus has been unbearable since Harry started to attend Hogwarts. What is the problem now?"

"I've recently discovered that Harry was adopted by the Potters,"

"Adopted, but-"

"It is a rather long story, one that Harry will share with you if he so desires."

"Fine," Minerva reluctantly agreed, "but how does this affect Severus?"

"I'm not sure it does. However I did inform Severus that since he was aware of the adoption, it was highly unfair of him to continue to make derogatory remarks to Harry regarding James."

"I'm sure he took that well," Minerva grinned.

"Actually, it was a most interesting conversation. Never before have I seen Severus so-" Albus paused as tried to find the correct term to describe the potion master, "well, not himself. He was acting most peculiar the entire time. He did in his own way, of course, inform me that indeed something had happened between himself and Mr. Potter. Of course, the two most likely learned a great deal about each other. Such is the result of spending time in someone else's mind, why I remember when I was instructing Severus in Occlumency-"

"Albus," Minerva interrupted.

"Oh, yes, Severus and Mr. Potter. The moment I mentioned Harry's adoption, I could almost visibly see Severus construct a wall to hide behind. I can't help but be curious as to why. It was almost as if he was afraid I had learned something. Something he didn't want me to know…" Albus drifted off, as he tried to think of a reason why Severus would keep secrets from him.

"But what about Harry's parents? Any ideas on who they might be?"

"Only that he was born in England and since Voldemort was able to 'mark' him, that they thrice defied him."

"But Alice was the only order member expecting around that time."

"Yes," Albus nodded, "Which makes me mighty curious as to who his parents were. I offered to help him compile a list of spells and potions to discover the identity. He is currently thinking about it."

"What is there to think about? Why wouldn't he want to know?"

"I'm afraid that Harry hasn't had the best of luck when it comes to his relations. He's afraid that his parents or his parents family might not want him. I, however, am afraid of the opposite reaction. I am afraid that his 'family' would want him for the wrong reasons."

"Wrong reasons," Minerva repeated, puzzled for a moment, "Oh, you mean for his fame or wealth."

"Or worse," Albus stated and at Minerva's inquiring look, continued, "To hand him over to Voldemort."

At Minerva's gasp, Albus started to explain his plan to discover the identity of Harry's parents without him knowing.

"Once I have this information, it will help me decide how to proceed with Mr. Potter. If his parents are on the side of the light, I will greatly encourage him to discover their identity, if it is revealed otherwise, I will not mention the situation to him again."

Snape sighed as he let himself into his rooms. He had only a few minutes before dinner to relax and unwind. His hands were itching to brew a potion. Nothing helped him relax or gather his thoughts like time in his lab.

He quickly settled onto his couch, eyes mesmerized by the glowing flames of the fire, thinking about the events of yesterday.

When three or more people tell you the same thing, it is hard to dismiss it as the rantings of a fool. And to paraphrase Lupin, it was all too much of a coincidence for it not to be true.

If there was one thing Severus Snape prided himself on it was the fact that he wasn't a dunderhead or fool. Only a fool or dunderhead could deny the possibility that Harry was his son.

Oh Merlin, Severus thought, unless he chose to obliviate himself and spend the remainder of his days hospitalized with Lockhart, he couldn't ignore the truth. It was quite possible that he was a father. Not only was it possible, but according to Lupin, Weasley, Granger, and Potter, it was fact.

Severus thought about what else Harry's self proclaimed protectors said to him.

It was only natural that after listening to Granger that he would wonder what Harry was thinking. Did he truly not mind that the Dungeon Dweller was his father? Was he overwhelmed due to the drastic changes in his life that the summer brought about? As Miss Granger pointed out, Harry's entire identity had changed with one note from his godfather.

Godfather. That reminded him of what Mr. Weasley had said. Was Harry really more upset over his rejection than the death of his godfather? Did he really mean more to the child than said godfather? Severus recalled Weasley's words about how this has been the happiest he's seen Harry. Lastly, he remembered Weasley's final comments, 'He trusts you, don't betray his trust'. Quite the ambiguous statement, Snape thought. It could mean any number of things.

The conversation with the wolf was the shortest of them all. Of course, it also had the most thought provoking question, 'would it be so bad having Harry for a son'. A resounding 'NO' seemed to echo in the potion master's mind.

Snape tried to spend most of Tuesday's detention formulating a plan to put into action.

If Slytherins wanted something, they planned and schemed to get it. A Gryffindor would bluntly state what they wanted. A Hufflepuff would convince themselves that they had what they wanted. A Ravenclaw would also plan to get what they want, but would also inform everyone of what they wanted and the logical reasons of why they were doing what they were doing.

Harry could feel Snape's eyes watching him as he worked on his homework. Merlin, how he wished that Snape would put a stop to these detentions, Harry thought. His father didn't want anything to do with him, so why keep up the pretense. Probably just another way to torment 'The-boy-who-lived', Harry snickered.
Snape gave a jump. Right there, that is what he has been looking for. Harry was the perfect blend of him and Sonja. The facial features were definitely Sonja's, but the expressions, the smirk, the glare, and according to Lupin, the billowing robes, were 100 percent Snape. Severus never knew how proud a parent could feel until this moment. As infants, the twins had been too young for anyone to know who they truly looked like. At the age of sixteen, it was quite obvious.

Snape used this moment to pause in his reflections. He needed more time to formulate his new plan. After all, he only had a few days until Potter began to brew the potion. He knew that there was no logical reason why he couldn't 'plan' while his son was in the room. However, as the last forty-five minutes had shown him, he was too busy 'inspecting' his son to concentrate on the papers in front of him. And after this latest revelation, Severus was sure that he would only be looking for more things the boy did that reminded him of himself or Sonja.

The first thing he had to do was to get rid of the distraction so he could formulate a plan that would guarantee success.

"Potter," Snape said, harsher than he intended.

"Yes, sir," Harry asked as he looked up, finding a pair of obsidian eyes focused on him.

"That's enough for tonight. Return to your dorm."

Harry nodded as he packed his homework in his bag, quietly muttering "With pleasure" as he hurried to the door, not knowing or caring how his words were overheard by the man sitting at the desk.

Severus groaned as Harry left the classroom. Things were worse than he thought, Harry truly hated him. Now he definitely needed a plan. A plan to let Harry know that he cared without acting like an emotional Hufflepuff.

The goal of Snape's new plan was to discover the truth.

There were two major steps to this plan. The first was to learn about the boy-who-could-be-his-son. The second, which now seemed impossible due to the fact that Harry hadn't looked at him once during 'detention' and practically ran out of the room once he was dismissed, was the most important. He needed to convince Harry that he wanted to know the truth and that if it was true, that he would be proud to have him as his son.

Severus snickered as he realized he irony of the situation. Many weeks ago he came up with a plan to teach Harry a lesson. The fact that his plan included hurting and humiliating the boy who lived was an extra bonus, as far as Severus was concerned. It was a simple plan, really. He had set up 'detentions' with Harry under the façade of getting to know his 'son'. The two would develop a 'relationship' and Harry would forget his joke and come to care for his professor like a son would care for a father. That was when Severus would make the boy's world crumble. He would move in for the kill by cruelly informing Harry that he wasn't his father and couldn't be happier about that.

Now, with only a few days until the self-imposed deadline of Halloween, he had limited time to learn about his son.

Severus thought about what knew of Harry's plans. Both Granger and Weasley mentioned that Harry was determined to brew the lineage potion. Severus knew that the potion took three days to brew and that timing was critical. He decided that most likely Harry would utilize the weekend to brew the potion, starting it on either Thursday or Friday. Severus groaned as he realized all he had to accomplish by Halloween.

"Harry, Come on. I don't want to be late today." Hermione stated as she pulled Harry from his seat at breakfast.

"Hermione, you never want to be late."

"Well, you shouldn't be late either. What would you do if you get another detention? It would probably have to be served immediately after classes and I believe you have something brewing this afternoon."

"Right," Harry said, jumping up from his seat as he realized what she was hinting at. "Definitely don't want to be late. Hurry up, Hermione."

Hermione ran to catch up with Harry in the corridor. "Harry, we don't need to run. Slow down a little. Now why are you in such a hurry to get to potions? Or are you in a hurry to see Professor Snape?"

"Huh. I'd be happy if I never have to see him again. However, I wouldn't put it past him to give me a detention if I was late."

"Well, yes, but you would deserve it in that case."

Harry rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't acknowledge her words.

"I saw that. You would deserve a detention for being late. Any self-respecting teacher would assign a detention for that reason. Professor Snape hasn't given you one unjust detention since all this started." At Harry's look, she clarified, "Those don't count. He only gave you those so that the two of you could get to know one another better."

"Yes, and it's worked so well," Harry replied sarcastically as they entered the potion lab. "He really took full advantage of the opportunity to get to know me. Nothing comes from those detentions anymore. I wish he would just cancel them."

Severus watched as his son and his best friend walked into class. Judging from Granger's reaction, Harry was upset about something. Merlin, Severus thought, he hoped Harry's attitude didn't affect his potion. It wouldn't do well for his plan if he had to spend the entire class yelling at his son.

"Today's potion is on the board. You shouldn't have any questions. Now get to work," Severus stated as he took his seat to grade papers, only occasionally lifting his head to watch his student's progress.

Towards the end of class, Severus stood and walked around the room to view the result of their work. At Harry's workstation he stopped, peered into the cauldron and lifted his eyebrows, meeting Harry's stare, before giving a slight nod and walking away to check on another potion.

"Harry, what happened in your detention yesterday?" Hermione asked as they waited for Ron by the lake.

"Nothing, why?"

"Professor Snape is acting differently towards you."

"No he's not."

"Yes he is."

"No, he's not."

"Yes, Harry he is. I admit that it's subtle, but it's still there."

"No-"

"Harry," Hermione interrupted, tired of debating like a three year old. "As you and Ron like to say, 'when have I been wrong?"

"Fine. So tell me, how was he different."

"At breakfast-"

"He glared at me as usual."

"No, he looked at you intensely."

"How is that different from glaring?" Harry asked confused.

"He wasn't smirking or sneering at us. Nor was he pondering ways to get us expelled. He was looking at you as if he was trying to find something."

"Not convinced. Next?"

"In class he-"

"Didn't say a word to me."

"Yes, not a word," Hermione agreed, continuing after receiving a glare from Harry. "Nothing bad at all. No comment on your appearance or clothes, your potion skills, your fame. Nothing."

"All that proves is that he is back to ignoring me and pretending that I don't exist."

"Well, then, what about your potion?"

"What about my potion?"

"Harry! He approved it! I think he was proud of you. That's a difficult potion to brew."

"Hermione, I think you've finally lost it. He didn't say a word about my potion. And he most definitely didn't say anything about accepting it or being proud of me."

"No, he didn't say anything, but he nodded before walking away."

"So?"

"So?" Hermione repeated, "Harry, when have you ever known Professor Snape to nod at someone during class,particularly a Gryffindor, especially after inspecting their work?"

Harry was silent as he took his seat in his next class. He couldn't tell you what class it was or what they learned. He was too busy thinking about Hermione's words.

Could it be true? Was Snape finally admitting that he might be Harry's father? Did he make his father proud by brewing that potion correctly? Suddenly, Harry couldn't wait for his next 'detention' with Professor Snape.

End Chapter 40 about the truth
Sorry that I split this chapter up into 2 chaps; but I really wanted to post something since you guys have been so patient and have waited so long. It was a long chapter & since it was the last (or now the second to last & last), I wanted to make it sparkle & shine. Hopefully you all think the wait was worth it. And as I said, the last chapter should be up Monday.

Thanks for all your reviews...I totally love them & you...Feel free to review some more ;)

I would love to hear your thoughts & opinions on this chapter.

6/3/200519