Summary: Can one person and fate make the difference in Severus' life?
Disclaimer: I own nothng but the plot, sue me and become poor.
A/N: This fic is AU, not canon. and thanks! to my beta Karri
Now to my reviewers!
AccioSeverus: Thanks!
Pure Black: Remus shall be appearing again very soon
Bella: Thanks I like sweet Harry
Lady Lily3: snicker grannie
Elwen of Imladris: mwhahahaha
mb: You reviews keep me in smiles also!
Mebear: Thanks! Welcome to the fic
Ruse: thankie! he would be uber protective
athenakitty: Yes, yes, and yes
Ceyxa: Dumbledore is shocked as well, or appears so
blonk: a dog? he doesn't get a dog sorry
juliedecarson:d thank you
You all RULE! now to the chapter
Chapter 10
Severus and Harry stepped out of the fireplace, and Lotty took the things they had and put them away. Harry wanted to go outside, but Severus told him they should sit down and have another talk. When he saw the look of concern on Harry's face, he knew he had to explain quickly. "It is nothing bad Harry, I just wish to tell you some things that you should already know."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry happily climbed onto the couch beside Severus. Severus pulled the smiling boy into his lap, and looked down at Harry. "I am about to tell you many things you may not understand right now, but you still need to know them."
Harry nodded his head, and waited for his father to speak. "Go ahead Daddy, I promise I won't interrupt."
"Harry, you may ask questions if you do not understand something, but yes I need to get this all out without too many interruptions."
Severus then took in a deep breath and began. "Harry a long time ago, I loved your mother. We had went out together in secret, off and on during our last year at Hogwarts. If you are wondering why it was in secret, it was because a Slytherin and a Gryffindor going out was unheard of then. After we graduated your mother and I met several times and went out. We fell in love, and she became pregnant with you, I assume. She never told me about you, and married James Potter."
"Why didn't she tell you about me, Daddy?"
"Harry, I was young and made a bad decision. I joined the Dark Lord, and your mother was furious with me. She stopped seeing me, but claimed she knew deep down that I was a good man. She told me she had faith I would turn from my wicked ways, but that she had to leave me."
Severus looked at Harry's bewildered face, gave him a small hug, and continued on with his story. "I took my sorrow and placed it in the wrong place. I was cruel and ruthless, but a encounter with your mother in Hogsmeade reminded me of the man I used to be. I ran that very day and threw myself at the mercy of Professor Dumbledore."
"The old guy with the long beard?" Harry asked, tilting his head a little.
"Yes," snorted Severus "The old guy with the long beard."
"Professor Dumbledore took pity on me and gave me a second chance. He made me a spy, and that is what I have been doing until I came to your aunt and uncle's house. Now my days of being a spy are over, as, if I return, the Dark Lord will not be pleased."
Harry seemed puzzled by all this information, and sat silent for a long time. Finally with a determined look on his face he looked at Severus. "Daddy, are you ever going to go back there? I don't want you to be hurt."
Severus smiled at the innocence in the question. "No, Harry. My job now is to be a father, nothing more. Now why don't you go and get washed up for dinner."
Harry hugged his father and bounded away to wash up. Severus watched him and knew that nothing could replace the time he had lost with his son, but he would try to make amends to the child. Smiling, which was a rare occurence, he got up to follow Harry and wash for dinner.
Sitting down at the table, Harry breathed in the scent of hamburgers and sausages. He had asked Lotty to make them while Severus had been gone. Harry covered the plate back up, as his father came walking into the room, and sat with his hands folded in his lap.
When Severus sat down, his stomach rumbled from hunger. He hoped Lotty had fixed something filling, for he felt like he could eat a horse. He looked over at Harry and wondered why the boy had become so quiet. Not wanting to jinx this solemn moment, he took off the lid covering his dinner, and stared down at what lay on the plate.
"Lotty, what is this laying here on my plate?" he asked the house elf, who was washing up the dishes.
"Master Harry asked for it, so Lotty went out and found it right away. Is Master Severus not pleased?"
Severus was about to tell the house elf he had no clue what this was lying on his plate, but it could not possibly be a meal. He didn't however, when he saw the look on Harry's face change from joy, to a look of fear that he had done something wrong. Looking down at his plate again, he cleared his throat.
"Exactly what is this new thing we are trying tonight, Harry?"
Harry was startled, but quickly recovered. "Its sausages and hamburgers. Dudley and his friends used to have them all the time, but they never let me have one. When Lotty asked me what I wanted for dinner I told her this."
Severus stared at the mound of food and wondered if he could open his mouth that wide. Opening his mouth, he took a bite and was startled when he heard giggles coming from Harry. Wondering what was so funny, he peered over his burger and saw Harry pointing at his robes. It seemed two pickles had slid out, and a big glob of ketchup had landed on the front of his robes. Quickly he grabbed a napkin and wiped up the ketchup, and then wiped the mustard from Harry's chin. Severus then dived back into his burger as Harry pushed a plate of sausages toward him.
An hour, two hamburgers, and one sausage later Severus sat down on the couch full. He motioned Harry over to him, and pulled out a small book. "How about a story before bed?"
"What book are you going to read?" Harry asked as he crawled up into Severus' lap.
"We are going to read The Wizard of Oz, and I will show you how our wizarding world is different from this book."
Harry snuggled in and laughed as his father made the wicked witch's voice sound shrill and high.
Lotty came in later to tell them she had finished turning down their beds, and found both of them asleep on the couch. Pulling a blanket from the shelf, she wrapped them both up, and blew out the light in the room. No one that knew Severus would ever picture this scene in their minds, but here he was snuggled up with his son, a smile of contentment on his face.
Harry on the other hand was buried so deep into the folds of Severus' robes Lotty wondered if the boy could breathe. She watched him try to snuggle even deeper, and pulled his face free. Harry whimpered and tried to dive back into his father's robes. Severus opened his eyes and peered at the house elf trying to untangle Harry. He was about to ask what Lotty was doing when Harry stirred.
"Daddy, don't leave me here, stay with me."
Severus shooed Lotty away and curled his arm around Harry. He drifted off, listening to the peaceful sounds of Harry's breathing. The most beautiful sound in the world.