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A/N: Chapter COMPLETELY REWRITTEN.

Fathers and Sons

Chapter 4:

The Headmaster's Protests

Severus glanced at his husband. Some time ago he had explained to Remus the contents of the letter he'd sent to their son, as well as showed the short note he had received in return. Now, they were about to talk with Dumbledore about getting the said son away from the Dursleys. It was rather obvious that the Adoption Charm was being removed by itself -- or, rather, as a result of Michael's natural magic reacting to the news about his true parents. And, therefore, they wanted their son back.

Severus' thoughts wandered to the time he had first seen Remus as something to be desired and not despised. Not long after the incident of the Shrieking Shack -- something that might have made him hate the werewolf forever -- they had been paired up in DADA to work on a project. At first very reluctant but forced to do as he was told, the Slytherin had slowly come to see some positive traits in the Gryffindor. And, by time, he had come to notice that not only was Remus a human instead of a beast, but he was also much more pleasant and friendly than any of the other Marauders. By the time they left school, they had in secret become fast friends, and, not too long after that, lovers. And here they were now, married and with a teenage son -- although to them the son was as good as newborn, so little impact had they had in his life up to that point, aside from their teaching duties.

His husband, Severus knew, was in a great turmoil at the moment. After so many years of knowing where his son was but unable to do anything about it, Remus would now -- hopefully -- finally be able to become a true father to his child. That was, if the boy allowed that -- and he was going to, that Severus would make sure about. His beloved was suffering, that he saw despite his occasional emotional blindness, and he was determined not to let there be any more pain for his husband.

The Potions Master himself was confused above anything else. He didn't really know what to think or how to react; it was all too new and shocking to him. He'd never seriously considered being a father. Sure, if Remus had brought up the topic, he probably would have agreed; like the werewolf had stated, he was certainly not averse to the idea of having an heir. Not that he'd raised the topic himself, no; as Remus was the one of them who was actually capable of carrying a child, he might have felt like Severus was trying to pressure him into bearing an heir for his husband. And that was certainly not what Severus wanted to do. He'd always thought that if they one day had a child, it had to be a mutual decision, even though the idea was certainly appealing to him when he thought about it. "After the War is over," however, was his usual comment on any subject such as this one, and he didn't really expect to live to see the end of the War.

Now, however, he discovered that he already had a son -- one that hated him. It was quite unsettling. He wasn't the most agreeable of men, that he was the first to admit, but he was certain that, had he known the truth from the beginning, he wouldn't have raised his son to hate him. Having had a difficult father -- although "difficult" was really too mild a word -- Severus had always been determined that if by some miracle he became a father some day, his children would like him. He'd even managed to make Remus love him despite all his faults; surely he couldn't be much worse a father than anybody else? Well, apparently he was, although he blamed that on his lack of knowledge about the boy's parentage. Sadistic and cruel he might be at times, true, but not entirely heartless, definitely not when it came to anybody he cared about.

...Merlin only knew what the boy was feeling at the moment. His hated Potions Professor, the "greasy git" and a Death Eater, was actually his father, along with another male professor, one who was a werewolf. That must be quite a shock for a boy who had always thought that his parents had been normal, at least by Wizarding standards -- a nice, loving mother and a brave, handsome father. Quite a shock, indeed.

It wasn't that he hated the boy, no. He disliked the boy's disrespect for rules and the way everybody was always letting him get away with little more than a slap on the wrist no matter what he'd done. Sure, he also got annoyed by not only the boy's own character but also by the hint of his old nemesis he had always seen in the boy. He knew that if the boy still was annoying, he couldn't blame James Potter for it but himself instead. He'd perhaps been the victim more often than not, but he wasn't entirely free of blame, either.

At last, the door opened and Albus stepped in. He looked cheerful as ever, although he seemed also curious as of what these two men were doing in his office, especially together. A pair of thin, white eyebrows rose high as he saw Remus' hand wandering towards Severus' and grasping it, and when Severus allowed the hand to stay as it was, the twinkle in his eyes doubled. "What can I do for you, my boys?" the Headmaster asked cheerfully. Well, he would not be cheerful anymore after a moment.

Not being one for pleasantries, Severus decided to go straight to the matter. "We want Potter out of the Dursleys," he said. "We don't particularly care just where you place him, although the Grimmauld Place might be the best option, but he can't stay with those Muggles a single day longer."

Now, Albus' eyes widened, and the twinkle disappeared almost entirely. "What!" he asked, surprised. "No, Severus, that cannot be. His aunt's home is the only place where he can be safe, thanks to the protection of blood. Also, the Grimmauld Place is too full of memories of Sirius. Merlin only knows what staying there would do to the poor boy; he's got enough on his mind as it is."

"Pity you didn't think about that all those years ago," snapped Remus, although he still appeared just as calm as ever. "Those Muggles neglected him, Albus, they abused him. Your blood wards -- Dark magic if there ever was any -- maybe protect him from magical offenders, but about those Muggles they can't do anything. Surely Harry can take some memories for a month if he can take his relatives for years?"

Dumbledore looked quite taken aback, and Severus smirked inwardly, although to an outside observer there was no change of any kind to be detected on his features. He recognized that tone of voice all too well. It was the tone his dear husband used only moments before he exploded.

Remus might be the calm and controlled one, even more so than Severus himself -- but when he snapped, the results were that much worse. Seemingly all the negative emotions inside Remus, the longing, uncertainty, regret, everything, had decided to come out in the form of anger. Well, it was good he got rid of some of his tension -- especially when it wasn't directed at Severus. He mentally cheered Remus on as the werewolf leant forward, his eyes flashing as they were locked at the still speechless Headmaster.

"Fine. Harry will not leave the Dursleys, then," the werewolf said, the anger now more evident in his voice. "However, the only boy that stays there is their whale of a son. I may be a werewolf, Albus, and Severus may be a Death Eater, and therefore neither of us especially enjoys the affection of the Ministry of Magic, but even we have some rights that cannot be ignored. Tonight, we will get the boy from the Privet Drive and take him to the Snape Manor, where you will recast the blood wards, based on me. I know they won't be as strong, seeing that I'm only Lily's second cousin, but he'll be safe enough."

Severus almost wished he'd had a camera. Hell, forget almost; at the moment he would have paid about anything to be able to take a picture. The blend of shock and confusion on the Headmaster's face was absolutely precious, even more so as it was seen on the ever non-surprised Albus Dumbledore.

At last the ancient wizard seemed to regain the use of his vocal cords. "W-what do you mean?" stammered the Headmaster. "How are you going to get Harry from the Dursleys if he's not going to leave from there? And what rights exactly do Severus and you have to take him away from there -- and especially to the Snape Manor? If the Ministry knew the Boy Who Lived ever stayed in such a Dark place, they would --"

"Be quite shocked, I assume," Severus cut in, careful not to show his amusement. "I assure you, Albus, little Darkness remains from my father's times. It should be a good place for the boy to stay at, with both strong wards and the absence of anything that might remind him of the mutt. In fact, I think it's the best solution -- who ever would try to look for him, or even for me, at such a place? It's widely known I detest my blood relations. And as for your questions, well, we're not taking Harry Potter anywhere." This time, onyx eyes were the ones that flashed, instead of amber ones. "Instead, we're taking our son Michael home."

Now, Dumbledore was most certainly purely shocked. "...Harry is your son?" he asked quietly.

"No, Albus, he's not," Remus said. "However, Michael Snape, the boy known to you as Harry Potter, is indeed our child, adopted by James and Lily when he was just a newborn baby. And, as his biological parents, it is our right to demand him to stay with us. You're out of excuses now, Albus."

"Do feel free to check it," Severus said coolly. "His natural magic has reached its peak, and the Adoption Charm is already disappearing. The school records will soon claim him to be Michael Severin Snape, our son, if they don't already do so. You hardly can deny our rights to our own son, now can you?"

For a moment Dumbledore just stared at them, still shocked. Then he sighed quietly. "I still do advise against it," he said quietly. "However, I hardly can deny you your rights to him. If Harry is harmed, though, you will answer to me for it," he then added with a hard tone, the usual twinkle disappearing.

"Oh, no, Albus," Remus replied with his most pleasant smile, his inhumanly sharp canines flashing. "If Michael is harmed, you will answer to us for it." Nodding at the Headmaster, the werewolf then stood up. "Thank you, Albus. We shall now go to get our son from those awful Muggles."

At first following his husband, Severus then turned to look over his shoulder at the doorway. "To me it hardly matters what happens to Potter," he said quietly to Dumbledore. "However, to Remus, Michael's fate is definitely important. And, because of that, I will not have you meddling with our son's life anymore. He is ours now, and you have no say in his life." And, with this, he turned around, his robes billowing behind him as he swept through the school's corridors after his husband.

Dumbledore was left standing alone, watching the door that was closed behind the two men.

Next chapter: No Looking Back

Remus and Severus get their son from the Dursleys.