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Last time
"I want revenge against Dumbledore for what he did to our family." Severus could not help but feel the tiny bit of pride he felt for his son swell as he nodded.
"I promise you Malachi that I want revenge just as much as you do. To get that revenge we must get to Malfoy manor and inform Lucius of what has happened.
Harry had nodded and Severus removed his wand from the holster on his wrist. The elder wizard looked around the foyer of the Dursley's home until his eyes settled on a small stone figure that the family had picked up on a vacation one year. He reached over and picked up the statue and quickly muttered the words that would turn the item into a portkey.
He held the object out to Harry and waited until the boy placed his hand on it. When they were both ready Severus spoke the word to activate the item. As he spoke he watched Harry's face and saw the nervousness that arose as the portkey activated. His son's face was quickly lost as he felt the pull of the portkey at his naval.
A few seconds later the two wizards stood at the very edge wards surrounding the Malfoy property. It was still too early in the morning for the son to begin rising and the cool darkness of the night closed in around them. Harry moved closer to Severus as the gravity of what was happening to him finally started setting in. Severus seemed to understand how the younger wizard felt and muttered a quick spell to conjure a warm cloak. He wrapped the garment around Harry's shoulders. This would allow the boy a bit of privacy for the time being.
Harry did not expect a cloak to be wrapped around his shoulders but he was grateful for the gesture from his father. It was still so hard to believe that Severus was his father and the man continued to amaze him. He was so calm and collected. "He has to be, his role as a spy would allow him to be no less." As Harry surveyed the man who he had so recently found to be his father he began to notice things he would not have noticed before. He suddenly realized that the elder wizard was anything but calm. Harry could tell by the man's stance that he was ready to defend himself and his son if the need arose.
The uneasy of the man before him made Harry feel a little better. He realized the risk that was involved in this situation. Severus was going to have to announce himself as a spy in front of Lucius Malfoy and then go before the Dark Lord to announce the same thing. The odds were high that both he and Severus would be killed on sight.
"Isn't death better then living as a pawn?" Harry asked himself silently. "I know I would rather embrace death then serve a master against my will." For a second Harry wanted to back out and leave. He wanted to go back to his old life where he had been oblivious. Truthfully though, that was running away and he was through running. He had been a pawn of Dumbledore's since before he was even conscious of his actions. "I don't want to run. I want to make him pay for what he has done."
Suddenly another thought occurred to Harry. "Won't betraying Dumbledore and pledging my services to Voldemort be like trading one master for another?" The thought perplexed Harry but he realized as he pondered the situation that destiny his life was simply setting itself back on course. "I was born to serve the Dark Lord, this is a choice I would have willingly made already if it weren't for Dumbledore's interference. I would rather serve a master I chose to serve then one who forces me to serve him."
Harry looked over at his father. The elder wizard appeared deep in thought but he noticed Harry eyeing him and turned towards his son.
"Are you ready for this? There is no going back after we enter the wards." Harry nodded
"I would rather serve a master I chose to serve then one who forces me to serve him." With this thought in his head Harry made the first move and stepped beyond the edge of the Malfoy wards. He looked back at his father and the man's face broke into a satisfied smile. The words he said as he crossed the wards to join his son surprised Harry.
"You have all the qualities of a true Slytherin prince. I was blind to them up until now. You lead when you most, you are not afraid to seek revenge against those who harm you, and you can be cunning when you must be. If it hadn't been for that overwhelming Gryffindor brashness you would have been in Slytherin." Harry smirked.
"You are right, if he hadn't been for my stubborn brashness I never would have argued with the Sorting Hat till it placed me in Gryffindor. Then you would have had to deal with me rather then McGonagall." Severus stopped and stared at the boy.
"The hat wanted you in Slytherin and you talked it down? I've never heard of a student able to do that before." Harry nodded and looked at the ground.
"It said I would be great if I were in Slytherin." Severus studied the younger wizard before him. Before now he had always seen Harry as a spoiled little brat with no will to be great. To him Harry had been a carbon copy of James Potter; in truth he hadn't been far off. This boy, this Harry, was a complex young man with goals and aspirations that Severus never would have guessed at. They continued walking in silence toward the manner until Harry interrupted his thoughts when he spoke again.
"I never wanted to be famous when I was growing up. Loved yes, but famous never. Do you have any idea what it was like to be eleven years old and suddenly informed that I was the most famous wizard to live since Merlin and Voldemort? I've always wondered who wanted to be my friend because I was Harry, not because I was famous. I was never sure until recently. I believed they wanted to be my friends but then when they completely abandoned me over the summers I began to realize they wanted the fame." Severus nodded slightly.
"That is one of the dangers that we all face at some point in our lives. I won't lie to you Malachi, if both of us live through the events that face us in the near future then you will see a lot of that kind of behavior from people. There are certain people though that you will always be able to turn to. The Snape house is one of the most powerful in pure-blood society. Our family has been pure since it was founded. The Malfoys are related to the Snape's and the ties between the two houses run deep. Lucius and Draco act like they do because it is what is required by their status. In truth family is a big deal." Severus looked up toward the manor which they had been slowly approaching and Harry followed his gaze.
The manor was huge and beautiful. Distinct Gothic architecture and elaborate stone meddled to create a building that was meant to inspire awe in those who stood before it. The grounds were neat and well kept with distinct pathways leading throughout the gardens. Harry could identify numerous plants from the times he had tended his aunts flower beds and could appreciate the beauty that grew around him.
"The gardens are wonderful." He told his father as they made their way toward the house at a slightly faster pace. Severus nodded.
"They are Narcissa's pride and joy. She oversees their planting and maintenance personally each season." The revelation surprised Harry. He had only met Narcissa Malfoy once, during the Quidditch World Cup. He had never pictured the stern woman as a person who took pleasure from gardening.
The two wizards finally reached the door and Severus knocked. They waited for a couple minutes and Severus was about to knock again when the door opened to reveal a house elf.
"Master Severus. It is a pleasure to see you. Master Lucius is waiting in his study, he informed me to bring you to him as soon as you arrived." Severus bowed slightly to the house elf.
"Thank you Kala, lead the way." The house elf returned the bow and gestured for them to come inside. She then closed the door and began leading them through the halls of Malfoy Manor. Harry, having never been here before, was quickly lost but Severus seemed confident in the path they took. Not too long after Kala stopped in front of a set of heavy oak doors.
"His Lordship is inside sir. I will announce your arrival." The little house-elf immediately slipped into the room leaving Severus and Harry to wait. They did not have to wait long before she returned. "He will see you now." She stated. Severus nodded in acceptance and led the way with Harry trailing behind.
Lucius stood from his desk the second they entered and stared at Severus.
"You had better have a good reason for waking me out of a sound sleep Severus." The man seemed agitated but his mood seemed to calm as he took in Severus' expression. "What happened Severus? It must be something important or you would not have come. You said it was a matter of family." Many things that were unspoken hung in the air between the two elder wizards as Severus motioned Harry forward.
"At midnight I received a message by owl. It made me aware that the state of things within my family were not as they seemed. I investigated and found that what the letter said was true." Severus motioned for Harry to remove the hood of his cloak and watched Lucius' reaction as the younger wizard did so.
The elder man's expression of one of utter disbelief at first which quickly turned to anger. "WHY IN THE HELL IS HE HERE SEVERUS? YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!" Harry flinched at the outburst but Severus had expected it and remained calm.
"If you will let me explain Lucius there will be no need for you to shout." Severus reached into his cloak and retrieved the letters that Ana had arranged for he and Harry to receive. "I believe these will answer your questions. I also suggest you stop yelling before you wake Narcissa and Draco." He placed the letters on Lucius' desk and stepped away.
The elder Malfoy was still red-faced and seething with anger as he sat down and examined the letters. He opened the one that Severus had received first and began reading. Harry and Severus watched as the color of his face slowly turned from bright red to a dull pall color. As soon as he had finished the letter he dropped it as if it had burned him and opened the letter Harry had received. If possible the color of his face palled even more.
Upon finishing the second letter he removed Harry's birth certificate and studied it. Then with his mouth in a grim line he looked up at Severus and began speaking.
"If I understand what I just read and am interpreting the situation correctly then you are telling me that HARRY POTTER is none other then your son?" Severus nodded and sank into one of the chairs across from Lucius' desk. Harry remained standing as far back as possible from the clearly upset Malfoy. "Good god Severus." Lucius ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair with a look of unease.
"You are sure that this isn't some kind of joke Severus? God please tell me it is."
"No Lucius, it's not. I received that letter this evening, on the day that my son would have turned sixteen. Harry received the other letter you read this evening as well. This is not some damn joke Lucius, this is extremely serious. Now DO YOU BELIEVE ME OR NOT?" Severus practically screamed the last part and Harry jumped slightly. Lucius leaned forward and picked up the birth certificate once again.
He read over it and sighed before removing his wand and casting a quick spell on the pieces of parchment in front of him. Immediately several colors rose above the paper and Lucius studied them intently. Mumbling to himself as he did so. There were also colored lines extending from the birth certificate. One reached to Harry, another to Severus, a third to Lucius and a fourth disappeared out the door.
Harry could make out "yellow proves age, violet proves handwriting match, red indicates aura and spellcrafters marks, white indicates authenticity on the birth certificate, green line indicates the person, blue would go to the parents, and black would go to the godparents." Suddenly Lucius waved his wand and the colors and lines disappeared. He looked up at Severus and Harry noticed that the man seemed older.
"I believe you." Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and Severus seemed to relax in his chair.
"What do we do next Lucius?" The blond smirked slightly at Severus' comment before his frown returned.
"His Lordship must be informed. He will not be happy about this." Lucius considered his next words carefully before speaking. "You are the spy he has been searching for aren't you Sev?" Severus looked down and nodded. There was no going back now; he had to tell Lucius everything. Lucius did not have to hear a reply to know that he was right. "I hope you realize that Voldemort could simply kill you both. You probably would have been safer if you had never revealed this to anyone." At those words Harry couldn't stop himself.
"There was no way I was going to be let myself continue to be Dumbledore's pawn. I would rather DIE then fight his war for him. If I agree to serve Voldemort then I will live knowing I made that choice." Harry's outburst effectively left Lucius Malfoy speechless before a small smile graced the elder man's face and he motioned for Harry to come forward.
Harry did as he was instructed and Lucius stood before walking around the desk to meet him. The elder wizard studied the boy before him and the smile broke into a grin.
"You have your mother's temper Malachi and you have her eyes. I can tell you are your mother's son." He turned to Severus. "I will arrange a meeting with Voldemort as soon as possible. For now though let me get the two of you settled so you can get some sleep."
Severus nodded wearily. His son's outburst had surprised him in more ways then one. He had expected Harry to remain silent but when he had decided against silence he had made Severus proud. The boy had spoken with a conviction that was worthy of Ana and seeing a glimmer of his wife in his son made him even prouder of the boy. He stood as Lucius called for Kala. The little house-elf appeared with a pop and Lucius ordered her to take there guests to their rooms.
With that they left Lucius and followed after the house-elf until they reached their rooms where they retired for the night in preparation for the next days.
Yea! Another chapter down. I hope everybody enjoyed this chapter. Harry has taken the first steps down the dark path. I warned you guys this would be a DARK HARRY fic and I hope I don't upset too many people by building my story this way.
Next chapter will include Voldemort's reaction to the news that Harry is Severus' son and the fact that Severus was the spy in his organization. You guys will also get to see how Dumbledore reacts when he finds Harry missing