A/N: Votes as of Friday morning:
Option 1 (goes back to and forgives Dumbles): 2
Option 2 (works on own to overthrow Dumbles and Voldie): 50
Option 3 (sides with Voldemort): 14
Takes over Wizarding World (new Dark Lord): 3
Mix between 1 and 2: 1
Mix between 2 and 3: 2
If you have an opinion and haven't expressed it yet today is the last day for you to do so. Or, mor accurately, the last day for you to do so and have me be able to actively use it in planning the fic. Thanks again to everyone who has responded. Your words have helped me immensely. I don't use a beta so I don't run the story by anyone before posting. Your reviews help me to notice when I am going off track or may in the future. Thank you!
Chapter 19
Bill smiled in encouragement at Harry. He knew that his lover felt vulnerable revealing yet another secret to his father yet Bill also knew that he could trust Severus.
Harry nodded briefly and closed his eyes. He gracefully shifted into the small ocelot, sitting on the floor blinking up at his father. Most ocelots were around twice the size of a cat but Harry didn't make it to quite that large. He was probably only a few inches longer than the average housecat. His golden fur was covered in the dark spots and rings and dark fur tufted at the top of his ears. He was absolutely adorable—not that Snape would ever admit it.
An ocelot was a good choice for his animagus form. With the number of tattoos he had he would have run the danger of any or all of them being his identifying mark. With his heavily spotted fur it was impossible to recognize any spots that didn't fit in perfectly. Ocelots were known as quick and agile hunters, qualities that Harry definitely had in abundance. He was small and powerful in his animagus form just as he was as a man.
Severus bent down to pet the small ocelot. "What a wonderful form for you, Harry" he murmured. He was marginally surprised that he could touch Harry in his animagus form but he decided that the magic from the runes must be disrupted by his new form. He lightly stroked the small ocelot's back as he examined him closely.
Bill smiled and bent down as well, softly rubbing Harry's large ears. "It looks like I will be a feline as well, and it seems to be something big. We're not quite sure what though. Perhaps a lion."
Severus nodded at this information but didn't take his eyes off of his son. "Merlin Harry, I can't believe you're an animagus. Does anyone beside you four know of it?"
Harry shifted back and ended up sitting between Bill's legs. Severus took a quick step back so he wouldn't make his son feel too crowded.
"No. Poppy knows I am an animagus but she hasn't seen my form. She hasn't seen any of our forms yet."
"It was a good idea to train as animagi though. With the number of people who are trying to kill you it is always a good idea to have another escape route." The Gryffindors nodded at this. They had, in fact, started training largely because they felt that Harry needed another form and they didn't want to make him train by himself.
"Maybe you all should keep your papers for a few days and look them over more carefully to make sure that everything is ok. We can get together next weekend to fix any problems."
"What are you doing out of work, Bill?" Ron asked, seemingly just noticing that his brother was at the manor on a workday.
"I asked for a small leave of absence. I have to go back tomorrow."
"That's too bad. I feel like I never get to see you."
"I'll be staying nights here for a bit. I'm sure you'll be in and out some during the summer so I'm sure we'll get to see each other more than usual."
Ron nodded. He was closer to Bill than he was to any of his other brothers for some reason. Since Bill had moved out he had missed his oldest brother constantly. Bill visited all the time but it was never the same. He was thrilled when Harry started dating his brother because he knew it would be another incentive to come around more often.
"Your new clothes are lovely Harry" Hermione said, admiring Harry's outfit. Harry was, for once, dressed in clothes that fit him perfectly. He had on a pair of dark army green pants that fit low on his hips and a long sleeved black T-shirt with the sleeves pushed up a bit. The T-shirt occasionally rode up a bit on his torso revealing a large black tattoo on his stomach between his hipbones. It was impossible to tell what it was with the tiny flashes that they kept getting but Hermione and Ron knew that it was a tattoo that was written in Parseltongue. The written language looked somewhat similar to Arabic although it had more twists and swirls. Harry had never revealed to them what it said.
"Thanks Mione. Severus had his tailor come out yesterday to fit me for some new things. He sent on a few things early this morning" Harry said as he ran his fingers over the new clothes. He was still a bit uncomfortable in clothes that fit him, having used his cousin's enormous cast-offs to hide in for as long as he could remember.
"I see you've taken off the glamour. The tats look great. I don't think I've ever seen them all. Will you show me later?"
"Sure. My glamour broke when Dumbledore took my mum's glamour off me. I haven't taken the time to reapply it yet. I kind of like having it off."
Ron and Hermione exchanged slightly murderous looks but didn't dwell on the topic. They knew their friend too well. He would bring up the Dumbledore issue when he was ready. They wondered though, how he was going to deal with the Headmaster when the time came. Although Harry was not one to seek out confrontation they knew that the Headmaster had gone too far, even for Harry's typically even temperament to be able to handle.
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The four Gryffindors and Severus were spread throughout the library. Harry once again lay on the floor surrounded by books although he was joined this time by Hermione who sat next to him, carding her fingers through Harry's long hair. Bill, Ron and Severus all sat in the chairs near the fire, discussing potential problems with the plan in general in low tones. They had decided without much discussion that Harry and Hermione would focus on the spell while the others would focus on the actual logistics of the rest of the plan.
"Do you think Harry will be recognized by any of his year mates?" Severus asked Ron, concerned that the other Gryffindors would recognize his son.
"I doubt it. None of them really know Harry."
"They've lived with him for six years now."
"Yes but Harry is rarely there…and when he is there he hardly speaks to anyone. He usually just sits by Mione and me in silence, doing work or else just thinking. The Gryffs know that we try to keep pestering students away from him so they rarely even bother anymore. When he is outside the common room he puts on the Golden Boy façade which the rest of Hogwarts sees. Although the Gryffs think it is odd that he does that they don't talk about it with people outside the house. We may be fools at time and rush into situations blindly but we always stick together."
Severus nodded. Gryffindors did tend to stand by each other regardless of what happened. Just look at the werewolf and his friends. He was pulled back to the issue at hand when Ron continued. "The only people who know him at all are the two of us, Neville and Ginny. Nev and Ginny don't even know that much about him, they are just near him more than most, at least when we aren't in our study room. I guess it is possible that the two of them might figure it out but I'm not sure even they could."
"The Gryffindors have private study rooms?"
"No." Ron started squirming. "I believe that Harry should be the one to tell you about this, sir."
Severus looked at him for a moment, evaluating his options. He could force it out of the boy but he wanted to gain Harry's trust and to gain Harry's trust he needed to start by being polite to his friends. "Do the other Gryffindors know about your private room?"
"No."
"Do they know about Harry's home life?"
"Not really. A few might have made their own guesses but nothing has been confirmed and people rarely gossip about it anymore."
"And they know nothing at all about the tattoos?" Severus asked, honestly surprised at that revelation. Everyone knew Gryffindors were insufferably nosy…how had they stood being near Harry and not knowing anything at all about him?
"No. Not even Neville and Ginny know anything about Harry's tattoos. They stay close to him mainly to keep others away and to help protect him if there is an attack. They know that there is a lot that they don't know but they are content with things the way they are. I'm sure they're curious but they don't pry too much."
Severus nodded, indicating that he understood but remained silent for a while. He finally explained his purpose in starting the conversation. "I have asked Harry to leave the glamour off for the upcoming school year. The tattoos should help to hide him, or at least distance himself from Harry Potter about as far as it is possible to do. You are certain that no one knows of his tattoos?"
"Absolutely."
Bill spoke up finally. "That should be a good plan. We'll have to be careful though that students can see that he has tattoos without being able to touch them or else they will quickly learn that they are more than they seem."
Severus sighed. As stupid as it sounds he had not thought of that yet. Merlin, he was slipping.
"Could we try to work on him, getting him to put everyone on the warning list and doing away with the no touch rule altogether?" Severus looked at Ron like he was insane. "I mean, I know he clearly doesn't want to do that but he will still have protection that is just as good, really. Then he could wear short sleeves and stuff without having to worry about someone casually brushing against him."
"Weasley, Harry can currently hardly bear any casual touch, especially if it is even remotely unexpected. He still often tenses when he is touched even if he can see it coming. I can not imagine that he will be ready for something like that in only two months."
"Two and a half, really" Bill slipped in helpfully.
Snape glared at him. "Do you really think that an extra fourteen days will change that much about him?" He noticed that his voice had raised slightly and he quickly lowered it again, not wanting to attract Harry and Hermione's attention. "I will not force him to do something like this if he is not ready. When the time comes and he is ready for it I will celebrate along with the rest of you but I cannot force this, no matter how much I might want it myself."
"But just think Severus, he has come so far in only a few days with you. Maybe he will be ready…"
"Then we will see when the time comes Bill" he said sharply. "You will not mention a word of this to him until then. We can discuss this again in a month to see where he is at." Ron and Bill nodded their understanding. He was right: they couldn't force him. Harry might seem to be doing better right now but this wasn't a real test. He was in a place that he had moderate trust in and was surrounded by three of his most trusted friends and an adult that he trusted more than any other male adult. Just because he could finally tolerate and occasionally enjoy a bit of casual touch among his friends did not mean he could bear it when he was surrounded by hundreds of students.
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"I wonder if they've come up with anything useful over there" Harry said softly to Hermione.
"Hmm…oh, no doubt. You know how Ron is, and Bill too, especially when he gets going with Ron. And the Professor is incredibly intelligent as well, not to mention he's used to looking at the details, being a spy and all."
"I guess so." Harry stretched in a manner akin to a cat and smiled softly. "I'm happy, Hermione." Hermione didn't dare believe her ears. She had waited so long for Harry to be able to say that.
"You're happy?"
"I'm happy."
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"When will Harry take the NEWTs?" Bill asked quietly.
"Next weekend."
"Will he be going to this school to sit them? If so we need to arrange some security" Ron said.
"I'm still discussing it with Rianna. She wouldn't mind coming here to administer the exams but some of the practicals must be overseen by professors in order to be legitimate. I am clearly disqualified due to our relationship and so he would need to be near at least a few other professors. She is in the process of sorting through her contacts to see if she can find enough professors who owe her favors."
"Severus…I know it really isn't my place but I am curious as to why you are both staying at Hogwarts. I know Harry would miss Hermione and Ron if he left school but wouldn't it be safer for you two here?" Bill asked, uncertain of if he was pushing the surly Potions Master too far too quickly. Severus had already gotten angry with him once today over the tattoo issue: he didn't want to experience Snape's anger twice in one conversation.
Severus sat back and sighed. "I had assumed that Harry had told both of you exactly what happened when we went to Dumbledore's office." Both Weasleys shook their heads. Harry had been rather vague, only making it clear that the Headmaster had offered incontrovertible proof that Severus Snape was his biological father. Bill had since learned that the proof involved a shared memory but Harry had not detailed the actual memory he had seen.
"I suppose it is time to tell you both what we know, seeing as you are two of the people closest to Harry and the two most likely to assist with any planning that will happen." Bill and Ron nodded their heads, ready to assess every word that Snape said to try to find any loopholes or problems.
"We went to our appointment, aware that the Headmaster was planning on revealing something to us. What we were not aware of though, was the nature of the information that Dumbledore was going to tell us. We both assumed it had something to do with the war effort. When we arrived, the Headmaster brought out his pensieve which contained a single memory.
"The memory was that of the Headmaster's meeting with a young Lily Evans. Lily revealed that she was pregnant with my child and that she feared for the babe's life due to my…connections." Bill and Ron nodded. They wouldn't force him to go into detail about his past. They knew what had happened well enough as it was. "She had recently been experiencing prophetic dreams and she knew that she would be dead within two years of the boy's birth. She and the Headmaster planned for her to go to Potter and ask him to marry her in order to offer some sort of protection to her child once she was gone. She had hoped that a pureblood name would offer a greater level of safety for Harry given the current issues at war. She clearly did not foresee Potter's death or she would have chosen to marry the Ravenclaw instead."
Bill and Ron looked completely dazed. They had no idea that Lily's marriage to James Potter had been a complete sham—even to the point that she nearly chose another random boy to marry! They had assumed that Harry was the result of an alcohol induced one off or a rape forced by Severus' service to Voldemort. It had never occurred to them that Harry was a love child who had been given another man's name for protection.
Ron finally shook himself out of his daze. "He knew. He knew the entire time, didn't he?" Severus nodded. "He's known since Harry's mum was pregnant," he continued, "and he did nothing to help her, to help you?" Severus nodded again.
"Merlin, it's worse than I thought" Bill muttered as he ran his fingers through his long hair, snagging on the leather tie he had pulling it back. He impatiently ripped it out and flung it on the table. "I suppose I can understand him keeping it from you as long as you were a loyal Death Eater but once you came to our side he should have revealed all. You came to our side around the time of Harry's birth, didn't you?"
"About a month before, actually."
Bill said grudgingly "I guess I can even understand him keeping it from you as long as Lily and James seemed to be happily married. It was completely illegal, keeping your son from you and arbitrarily deciding to give him to another man, especially when pureblood titles and estates are involved, but I can see someone rationalizing the lie if they thought it would protect the baby. But once they were both dead, to have sent him to the muggles…" Bill faded off, not even capable of finding words to express himself anymore.
"What happened when you found out? What did you two say to him?"
Severus looked across the room at Harry for a long moment, collecting his thoughts. The memory of that morning made his throat close up and tears threatened and he would not be brought to such a state with Weasleys present. He finally looked up. "Harry was distraught. He was…gods, I've never seen such complete and utter devastation on anyone before. He…." Severus paused again, to regain his composure. The Weasley boys exchanged looks. They knew that the formerly snarky Potions Master was barely keeping it together.
Severus cleared his throat. "I immediately announced my intent to resign my position and remove my son from the vicinity. The Headmaster" he sneered, "reminded me of a certain clause in my contract that prevented me from quitting as long as my progeny attended Hogwarts. So we left as quickly as possible to come here and collect ourselves. I knew that we needed time to figure out a plan."
The three men sat in silence for a moment. The only sounds in the library were of the fire crackling, pages being turned softly by Harry and Hermione and their quiet conferences about what they were reading. Ron suddenly smiled. "Wait a minute…what exactly does the clause say?"
"Hmm? Oh, some rot about remaining in my position until any progeny I may or may not beget have graduated."
"No, the exact words, not the general meaning. Do you have a copy of your contract here?"
"I should have." Severus seemed to be catching up a bit. He wasn't entirely certain where this was going but he had a pretty good idea. How the hell had he not thought to check the damn contract before now? Having a son certainly was distracting!
Severus left the library to go to his personal study. Ron and Bill followed him, knowing that the conversation might be better to be had in private. Once they had figured out a few options then they could approach Harry with them but they needed to narrow the plans down to a few that could work and that wouldn't upset or hurt Harry.
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A/N: Next chapter I'll answer the question of why Harry and Sev can't just leave Hogwarts since Harry will have effectively graduated once he passes his NEWTs. Thanks to the reader who pointed that out to me. I can't believe I missed that!
Looking forward…Revenge on the Dursleys coming in a few chapters (I believe 2, but it is subject to change). Will Bill get to put any of his curses to use? insert evil villain laugh Please review!