"That's it?" asked Severus in a strangled voice.
"Yes." came the terse reply from Lupin.
"You're...nnnh...you're not going to take revenge?"
"What good would it do? Even if we tortured you, James and Lily would still be dead... Besides, if what you said it's true, then you've already paid you penance"
"And you'll be serving your sentence for a lifetime. The only reason I didn't kill you was because Harry could do with more protection" chimed in Black.
"Also, because Harry seems inexplicably fond of you and Sirius and I would never do something to harm him." finished Lupin.
Black was pointedly looking away form Severus, glaring at Dumbledore in the meantime.
Severus got up slowly from the floor and walked gingerly to the couch where Dumbledore was sitting.
"Now, I believe, it's time for my part in this tale. When Severus came to me, confessing his role in the Dark Lord's knowledge of the Prophecy, I let the Potters know what he had done and why. They were angry and shocked at first. Many a rows ensued between them for a few weeks until James forgave you.
He acknowledged that, and I quote, ' Snape was a git, but I was too, and I believe, in the end, I was the worst one. I was wealthy, spoiled, and loved, while he was poor, mistreated and starved for affection; if me and Sirius hadn't tormented him every day for the entirety of our stay at Hogwarts, maybe he would have turned out differently. Maybe He would have gone and claimed the Prince seat in the Wizengamot and his title as the Head of House. Maybe he would have helped us sooner, and more extensively. He was intelligent, and an all right guy, for a git. I'm sorry for how I treated him, but, if we end up dead because of the prophecy, I'm punching him in the nose, when he joins us in the afterlife'.
Lily, for her part, had forgiven you almost at once. They were in hiding, but she wanted to do something to show Severus he had been forgiven. She discussed with James at lenght, and, in the end, they made you godfather."
"Whaaaaaaaat?!" screamed Sirius. Lupin and Severus were too busy gaping at the Headmaster to wince at the sheer volume of Sirius' voice.
"But...But..." Severus was stuttering, scrambling for words that would not come.
"As you know, in the wizarding world it's common to name three godparents for each child, especially if said child is the heir to a Noble and Ancient House. Sirius was chosen as first godfather, Alice Longbottom as Harry's godmother and a spot had remained vacant. Naming Severus as his secret godfather had great benefits for Harry: Severus will have to reclaim the Headship of House Prince, and, until he has his own heirs, Harry is his magical Heir; besides, Severus' prowess in Potion is well known, and he is bound to teach Harry something; to end with the fact that Harry will have one more person protecting him." Dumbledore's eyes were now twinkling again.
"But I am also Draco Malfoy's godfather" came Severus' feeble objection.
"What is it with people naming this git godfather?!" Sirius asked rhetorically, in an exasperated tone.
Then, he turned around, leveled his gaze on Severus and said: "House Black has primacy on house Malfoy, therefore your loyalty will be first to Harry and then to Draco Malfoy."
The icy, haughty, tone with which he said it reminded Severus strongly of the most influencial Purebloods.
Lupin's head whipped so fast in Sirius' direction that from his neck came a loud 'snap'. "Sirius."
barked Remus.
Sirius ran his left hand between the strands of his silky, shiny, soft-looking hairs and sighed. "Thanks Moony."
Now Severus was curious. What was that?
"So, er... Why is Harry so attached to Severus?" piped up Lupin.
"Of course, of course...Dear me, I had forgotten.
I believe that James called it 'The Greatest Prank To The Marauders Ever (Take that y'all, I win! )' and that Lily meant for it to facilitate Severus' affection towards young Harry, since the boy would already recognize you as his 'uncle' when you two met." Dumbledore's smile was now blinding.
Sirius huffed. " Yes, but HOW?! Harry has never seen the git before!"
"Oh, but he has." said Dumbledore. "In fact, I believe he saw Severus at least five days a week for roughly eight months."
"But I had never seen the boy before today! Surely, Albus, you must be mistaken!"
"I am not so old as to not recognize a clever idea when I see one, at least as of yet. Patience, Severus, I will explain."
"After Lily and James decided to name Severus godfather, they also thought it would be best if Harry could have time to adapt to his presence in his life. To that end, James performed, almost daily, a complex series of self-transfigurations, aimed to replicate Severus' appearance. Lily devised a charm that would change his voice to match Severus' and, after an hour or so of preparation, James could have passed for you. He even studied your mannerism to be more credible. Then, he would play with Harry, for an hour or so, and would be seen by him interacting in friendly fashion with Lily. It was, on every aspect, an elaborate act, professional, even."
Severus started to speak. "I knew that he would never me alone! Even from his grave..."
Dumbledore raised his hand, silencing the man. "It wasn't intended as a slight to your person, Severus. After all, Lily wouldn't have agreed if that had been James' intent, as you very well know. It was meant to facilitate your bonding with Harry."
"Hmph. If you say so..." Severus reluctantly conceded.
"Now, you have to swear an oath to effectively become Harry's secret godfather."
"So I can refuse?"
"Yes, you could, but I doubt that you want to deny Lily her last peace offering. Moreover, Magic already considers you Harry's godfather, whether you want it or not, so it would be quite irresponsible to refuse your role in young Harry's upbringing. Alas, the ultimate choice is yours to make."
"What if I don't want to share Harry?" asked Sirius.
"You will have to." answered Severus, curling his lips.
"Make me" retorted Sirius.
"Oh, I will." Severus raised his wand...
"Boys! That's enough! Cease your foolishness!" Ordered the Headmaster.
"Very well, Headmaster, young Harry will have another godfather; may I prove to be more competent than the other one."
"Hey! That's me you're talking about!" protested Sirius.
"Obviously."
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
"No, sir. We've understood. Well, I did, at least; you can't say for certain with Black, his brother was always the sharpest of the two..."
"You, mmphmmmmmmphmmmmmmmmmmmmm" Black was trying to speak but Remus had put his hand on the other's mouth and was preventing Sirius to speak. "Swear the bloody oath, Severus, and let's get on with it!" said Lupin.
"All right, Lupin, if you insist..."
"I, Severus Tobias Snape, swear on my magic and my life to provide Harry James Potter with everything he should need, in my power to provide, protecting him and guiding him trough his life at the best of my abilities. So I swear, so mote it be." A faint golden glow surrounded both the sleeping form of Harry and Severus, linking the two with a thick, golden, ethereal line, that started to fade when Harry woke up a minute later, leaving speechless, in it's wake, two astonished marauders, one Potion master and a thoughtful Headmaster.