Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.

Web of Lies: Revelations.

He hadn't slept a wink last night, thoughts about Alec and Albus plaguing his mind, making it impossible for him to relax enough to fall asleep. News had come that Albus was doing slightly better, even if he wasn't out of the woods yet. That had been about an hour ago, and now, the time for breakfast was approaching, and Severus still didn't know what to do about Alec. He had come to terms with the fact that the Harry Potter he had thought he knew before had never existed. And while still feeling a bit betrayed by the headmaster and the child, he understood that it had been necessary, especially with him, considering how close he got to the Dark Lord when he was called.

No, he knew he would forgive them both, and given time, he would get over his doubts and keep the relationship he had built with the teen. The problem he had was another one, was he really the right person to take care of the teen right now? Salazar had said he would bring the boy here, but Severus didn't know if he would be able to push all his issues aside and help the boy so soon after he had found out the truth. Someone else would probably be able to do a better job and yet, a part of him resented the idea of someone else taking care of the teen now that Dumbledore wasn't there to do so. Alec was his nephew in a way, he was the one the child called "uncle." It was him Dumbledore had trusted with his safety while he couldn't be there.

Those feelings overruled his common sense that was telling him he should let another teacher deal with the child. So he stayed, and waited, hoping his instinct would be right and he would be able to help the child without his darker feelings getting in the way. Just as he had done the night before, Salazar appeared in his rooms. The two Slytherins looked at each other intently, and Severus could have sworn there was a proud glint in those ghostly eyes.

Salazar looked down at the young man standing in front of him, he still saw the conflicting emotions in his eyes, but the fact that he was here told him that he was willing to try. He hoped he had made the right choice in confiding in the man. "If you knowingly hurt him, I will make you regret it."

Severus kept his gaze locked with the ghost and nodded. Yes, and he knew Salazar would not be the only one to hunt him down if he hurt the child. Suddenly, the fire flared, and Severus turned around to catch the small form that tumbled out of it. One glance at the pale, tearstained face erased any lingering doubt about his ability to forgive the teen. This was Alec, the child he had come to love, and he couldn't bear seeing him so upset.

Without a word, he drew the child into his arms and went to sit in his armchair with the teen curled up in his lap. He noticed that Salazar had left and felt somehow happy that the founder seemed to trust him after his reaction the night before. Pushing all thoughts about that aside, he concentrated on the child. He gently started to rock him a bit, trying to comfort him now that tears were starting to fall down his cheeks again.

"That's it, Alec, don't keep it inside, cry as much as you need."

They sat together for a long time, with Severus patiently waiting until the tears had stopped. Finally, after a few last sniffs, Alec drew away, trying to dry his puffy eyes with his hands. Smiling fondly down at the teen, Severus carefully dried the tears that the boy had missed before hugging him closely again.

"Better?"

Harry nodded into the shoulder his head was resting against. "Yes, thank you, Uncle Severus. How's Granddad doing?"

The man considered lying for a moment, but that wouldn't help them if things turned out for the worst. Sighing, he gently started to pet the boy's hair. "I won't lie to you, Albus is doing better than he was yesterday, but he isn't out of danger yet."

Harry nodded and buried his head deeper in his teacher's chest, drawing all the comfort he needed at the moment. "I thought you had gone to the hospital with Aunt Minerva?"

Severus tried to detect some reproach in the young voice but found none, there was just a deep sadness and tiredness. "I went, but I came back as soon as we realised you were still here. I'm sorry we forgot about you, that was unforgivable."

Alec shrugged slightly. "Doesn't matter."

Snape frowned and drew a bit back so he could see the teen's face. A few tears were once again making their way down the teen's cheek, but Alec seemed to be fighting against them. "Of course it matters; we shouldn't have left you behind, especially after hearing such bad news." Then, looking a bit sterner down at the teen, he continued. "But you should have gone to one of the teachers if you didn't want to go to your common room. We were looking for you for hours after we realised you weren't there."

Alec bowed his head, avoiding looking the man in the eye. "I'm sorry, Uncle Severus."

For a moment, the man wanted to bring Salazar into the conversation, but one look at his charge convinced him it was not the right moment to do so. Despite the ghost's assurances that the boy had been sleeping last night, Alec still looked completely exhausted, and it looked like he would fall asleep at any given moment. Sighing slightly, the Potions Master drew the teen back to his chest and started to rock him lightly, hoping to push the teen to sleep. He was about to succeed when someone knocked lightly on his door. Cursing in his mind, the Potions Master stood up and put the child in the chair he had just abandoned.

"Stay here, I'll be right back."

Without waiting for an answer, the tall wizard moved to the door and opened it. Professor Sinistra was standing there, a worried frown on her pale face. "Ah, Severus, we just got a message from St. Mungo's. It seems that Alec's parents have arrived, and they asked if you would take him there."

The younger man frowned but nodded anyway. "Ok, I'll take him. Is there anything new on Albus?"

The woman shook her head sadly. "The doctors say that they can't do anything else until he wakes, and they don't know when that might happen."

Severus nodded and quietly bid the woman goodbye. Turning around, he saw that the boy was curled up in the couch, with his eyes closed. Silently he moved to the fire and asked a house-elf if he could bring Alec some clothes. After the little being complied, he returned to the couch and sat down next to the child.

"Alec."

Before he had the chance to shake the boy's shoulder, his eyes snapped open and he sat up straight.

"Uncle Severus?"

The man nodded and presented him with some robes. "Get changed, Child. Your parents are in the hospital, and they want to see you."

For a moment, Harry didn't move. He was not in the mood to play right now, he just wanted to curl up and try to calm the panic that had started to size him with the notice of the attack on the headmaster. On the other hand, he knew there were few chances to get close to Dumbledore now if it wasn't because his supposed parents wanted him there. And no matter what, he wanted, no, he needed to be close just in case something else happened. The old man had protected him for a long while and he felt the need to protect him now that he couldn't do so himself. Steeling himself for what surely would be an uncomfortable and tense meeting, Harry took the robes from the man's hands and went to the bathroom to change.

Severus watched silently as the boy came out of the bathroom, dressed in the clean robes he had given him minutes before. He was looking very pale and frail, like he would collapse at any given moment. Silently, he offered his hand to the child, and Alec latched on to it with both his smaller hands. Severus, now knowing the truth, couldn't help but wonder if Albus had done something to make him seem smaller than he was. He didn't sense any magic around him, but a fifteen year old couldn't be so small. Pushing those thoughts aside, he pushed Alec gently to the fire, and after tossing a bit of floo in it, he stepped in the fireplace, the boy firmly attached to his side.

When they reached the hall in which Dumbledore's room was, Severus felt Alec tense at his side. Frowning a bit, he looked down and saw that the child had his gaze locked on something. Following the direction he was looking at, he noticed that Minerva was sitting there with a younger couple. The woman was leaning against the tall man standing besides her. They were listening as Minerva spoke, nodding from time to time. Looking back to Alec, he saw the doubt shinning in his blue eyes and suddenly understood why the boy was so tense.

Sighing, Severus squeezed the child's hands a bit. He understood now that the teen had never seen his supposed parents before and was afraid to destroy his cover. Luckily, Severus had been introduced to Albus's niece many years ago and was now able to calm the child's fears.

"Don't you want to go say hello to your parents, Alec?"

The child shifted at his side, letting some of the tension ebb away from him. "Do you think they're still mad at me?"

Severus couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, surprised at how the child managed to keep his act together. "I don't know what your argument was about, Child, but I'm sure that hardly matters right now. Are you still angry at them? A few days ago you were really angry at that letter from your mother."

Alec pressed a bit more against his side. "It was stupid, I shouldn't have been angry; they only wanted what was best for me."

Severus nodded, he was now fairly sure Harry hadn't been angry at the letter but he didn't press the matter. They needed to get a move; they were starting to draw attention. Before he could move, the woman looked up and locked gazes with the child. The Potions Master felt the boy tense before he let go of his hand and rushed towards the woman. If he hadn't known better, he would have found himself in front of a perfectly normal family driven together because of an accident. Shaking his head, he walked closer as Amanda gave Alec to Chris and smiled up at him with slightly red eyes.

"Hello, Severus, how have you been?"

To be continued...

A/N: Merry Christmas to you all, I hope you enjoyed this.