Where Art Thou?
By: obsessed-with-HP
Summary: Set 5 years after Hogwarts. Harry has a twin brother. Dumbledore knew all along, but no one else did, not even Sirius or Remus...
Chapter 5: Another Secret Exposed
Severus Snape was sitting at his desk reviewing the syllabus for the upcoming year when he heard a knock upon his office door. Wondering who would be visiting him at such an unseemly hour (1:30 A.M. Really!), he stood and strode to the door that led to the corridor. When he opened it, he saw Harry standing there, gripping a piece of parchment. Harry let a slow long breath and relinquished the parchment to him. Curiosity showed itself blatantly on his face as he opened the abovementioned letter. Severus' face grew ashen the farther down he read.
When he finished, he too clasped the already crumpled paper in his hand as he nearly collapsed against the door, allowing Harry access. As soon as he had crossed the threshold, Severus had appeared to acquire enough of his self-control back as he strode to his study at a brisk pace. When Harry arrived, at a much slower walk, he noticed Severus sitting stiffly in an uncomfortable looking straight-backed chair rereading the letter. When he finished, he slumped back, sighed, and whispered to himself, so low that Harry didn't hear him, "A twin!"
He looked up emerald met onyx for a brief moment. Severus let out an inaudible sigh and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "Bloody hell Albus." Harry allowed a brief grin to encompass his face, but it faded quickly when Severus looked away with a faraway expression and started speaking...
"Shortly after I graduated my seventh year, I received an invitation to join the Dark Lord;" he spat out the name, still having difficulty speaking about Voldemort. "I was a young power hungry child then and believed the lies he preached. Not many years later, after a near death experience, though nearly every day was one, I realized the things I was doing were inhuman. Seeking sanctuary, I sought help in Dumbledore and Hogwarts, the only place I had ever felt relatively safe. After explaining my story and convincing him of my truthfulness, he allowed me his help, but I still had to outwardly remain loyal to the Dark Lord. I had to somehow convince him to let me go to Hogwarts. I fabricated an intricate lie telling him I could spy on Dumbledore and gain intelligence. He agreed to the 'plan' and allowed me to take the open position of potions, for Dumbledore wouldn't allow me to have the position I really wanted then, Defense Against the Dark Arts.
While at Hogwarts, I still had to answer his summons, and every time, Dumbledore told me to do whatever I had to do to convince the Dark Lord of my loyalty. He sent me on a mission to retrieve an item from James Potter. I disguised myself as Potter with the help of polyjuice potion when I knew he wouldn't be home. When I had arrived, I found out the item had gone with Potter. As I was about to leave, your mother, Lily, found me and, thinking me to be James, asked me to bed with her. Knowing she would realize I wasn't really her husband if I refused, I had to. We slept together that night Harry."
"You... and my mum... did that?" stammered Harry. "Yes, we did. I had stayed up all night after she fell asleep, thinking about what I was going to do. The only thing I could do was steal away before she woke up, and I did, but Lupin found me as I was sneaking out. Having run out of potion, he easily figured out what had happened. I escaped while he was still figuring it out. I hid outside while he went to check on Lily. When he saw that she was fine, and came back outside, knowing that I was still there. He said that he would keep an eye on me, till he made sure she was all right. About two weeks later, he came to me and announced that Lily was pregnant and that he knew it was by me. He threatened to tell Lily and James but I told him that I would make sure everyone knew about his secret if he did."
"Then that means... that... you're my father! But, how do you know for sure?" Harry stuttered. "I simply acquired a sample of your blood while you were in the hospital wing during your first year. It proved beyond a doubt that you were my son." "What about my brother... Evan?"
"I never knew there would be twins, I was on a mission when she went into labor." "Did Dumbledore tell you about Evan afterwards?" "Me? I don't think he knew I was the father until I told him after I had returned from my mission. I didn't even know there would be twins till now, it was quite a shock."
"Wait, if you knew you were my dad, then why didn't you ever tell me? I would have wanted to know. I never would have had to live with the Dursleys" Harry stated. "It was too dangerous at the time. After you defeated the Dark Lord, I was hospitalized for a short time while you were being delivered to the Dursleys. Then, I was put on trial for my association with him. When I was finally freed, I thought you would be better off surrounded by family and a memory of Lily and James than with a former 'dark' wizard. If you had grown up with me, you would have been ridiculed about your birth and assaulted with questions. I was afraid. I didn't, and still don't, have the slightest idea on how to be a father. I was terrified that I would mess up, that something would happen to you if I were to claim you as my son..."
Harry, shocked, handed him the medallion. "Dumbledore told me you could tell me what this meant..." Severus sighed again. "It is an ancestral relic passed down through the Snape male line. The inscription, Amrys colas sna-pe de walys proctar, means 'The children of Snape will be the protectors.' Every one of my ancestors has only had one child. The legend states that when two siblings of the Snape line are united, they will protect the world from a great evil." "Evil? But... I've already defeated Voldemort." Harry declared. "It doesn't say what evil. So... Harry, what happened to your brother... Evan?" Harry retold the story. When he finished, Severus looked horror stricken. "I'm so sorry Harry, I never knew he would kill your parents. He sent everyone on a mission that night, I guess to make sure that whoever the spy was would not give him away." "It's all right; there was nothing you could have done." Harry responded.
"How can this medallion help me on my search?" Harry inquired. "I'm not sure," replied Severus. "I could come along and help, but I would most likely need to be back before term starts." "Why?" "Unless Dumbledore can get another potion's master, I will have to teach." "Couldn't Draco teach?" "Maybe... but I will need to inform him and make sure he's ready to fly solo." Severus stated. "I still need to tell my Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Sirius, Neville, and Luna. I should be ready by tomorrow evening, how about you?" Harry questioned. "I should be ready in about two days. I still need to pack. What are you going to tell your friends?" "I'm not sure. I was going to tell them about my brother, should I tell them about you?
Severus was silent for a moment, contemplating the pros and cons of publicizing his long kept secret. Finally, he answered, saying, "I would rather you not tell them about me just yet. We don't know what this new evil is; this information might endanger your friends if they let anything slip. After Vol..." He sighed in frustration, "After Voldemort, we don't need them in danger like that again any time soon." "Why do you still have trouble saying his name, it's been years?" Harry queried. "Harry I was his servant for over twenty-five years, old habits die hard. Go tell your friends about your brother, then we can talk." "Okay, I'll see you later."
As he walked down the hallway toward his girlfriend Ginny's room, he thought about how he and Severus had called a truce because of the war. They slowly became friends after working together on so many missions. It was tough at first, because of their pasts, but they each gained respect for the other. That respect grew into an ironclad friendship.
