Thanks once again to my reviewers!!!
I don't know if there is going to be romance or not, I will figure that out later but this story is not going to be slash or a character bashing story if anyone was wondering.
Chapter seven- Flashbacks and Confessions
"Severus?" Dumbledore's soft voice rang through the man's ears.
Snape said nothing as he continued to glare in Black's direction.
Black was currently on the couch with Harry, talking to him quietly about what had happened after he had fallen through the veil. Harry seemed very interested as he was listening quite intently.
Snape scowled.
Snape hated Potter, he knew that....but Potter was his son.....HIS son, not Black's! He felt his scowl deepen as Potter laughed at something that Black had said.
Snape knew that he hated Potter....well, maybe not hate exactly, he could never hate his own son, even if it was Potter. Well he may not hate the boy, but he certainly held a strong dislike for him.
So why did he feel like this? Why did he feel a pang of jealousy when he saw how much Potter cared for Black and how much Potter depended on and looked up to Black?
Snape wasn't sure. He didn't like feeling this way, he didn't like feeling jealous because Black had Potter's love, trust, and closeness. He still wanted to insult the boy, in fact he already had mocked Potter about him crying when Black had first shown up....
Damn his emotions.
"Severus?" Dumbledore asked him again and Snape sighed.
"What is it you want, Albus?" he said in an irritated voice. The wizened wizard looked at him in concern, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
Snape huffed and folded his arms. He was silent for a couple minutes as he continued to watch Potter and Black. Finally, he spoke.
"I'm not supposed to feel like this!" he hissed, glaring in the two's direction.
"Feel like what, Severus?"
Snape growled and turned to glare at Dumbledore, "Oh use your head, Albus!" he snapped before storming out of the office.
Dumbledore stood there for a moment in a rather uncharacteristic moment of bewilderment, finally he thought about the way Severus had been glaring at Sirius..........the usual, utmost hatred and loathing, but there had been something else there.
Jealousy?
Dumbledore frowned slightly and looked over at Harry and Sirius. Could Severus really be jealous of Sirius? Because of how much Harry cared for him?
The thought seemed completely absurd!
Well Severus had always wanted a child when he had been younger......and Dumbledore knew for a fact that the man could NEVER hate his own child, no matter who it was.
Severus had made a private vow to himself that if he had children one day, that he would love them unconditionally. Dumbledore was the only one that had known about the vow, not because he was the only one that Severus could trust at the time, but merely because he was there when the man made the vow.
Dumbledore grimaced in sympathy for the man he considered a son as he remembered.....
##########FLASHBACK##########
#September 1, 1976#
Albus Dumbledore hurried to the Hospital Wing with a rather anxious look on his old, wrinkled face.
He burst through the doors with such force that it made the school nurse, Poppy Pomfrey jump. Had it not been for the severe circumstance at the moment, she probably would have started yelling at him, as usual.
But tonight was not usual, one lone bed was filled in the entire Hospital Wing, which was a surprise, since it was the first day back.
In it lay a raven-haired, sixteen year-old boy. He had a rather pale complexion, his long fingers clenching the bed sheets tightly in pain.
"Over here, Albus! He came in for his usual check-up and......oh its worse then when he was marked last year...." Poppy broke off and turned away, tears gathering in her eyes.
Albus immediately moved over to the boy and, not bothering to summon a chair, sat down beside him. He took one of the pale hands in his own, wrinkled one and began to stroke it gently.
The boy had dark rings under his eyes. Bandages were wrapped around his torso and a part of his head. A sling held his left arm, bandages also wrapped around the forearm, as well as the upper arm. He had a large, purpling bruise on his right cheek. Red stains were evident through random parts of each bandage.
If he had been sitting up, then Albus would have seen the bandages that covered the boy's back and the many long, slender red stains that were visible through the bandages.
"Oh, Severus...." The headmaster whispered, his blue eyes glittering with unshed tears. "You don't deserve this.....one day, everything will be different, this I promise you my child...."
The boy stirred slightly and gradually opened his onyx eyes. His black eyes darted around the white room as if he were a caged animal. His gaze landed on the old man that was sitting beside him, holding his hand.
Severus sneered at his headmaster and snatched his hand away as if he had been scalded, "Don't touch me!" he snarled toward the older wizard.
"Severus..." the wizard began but the younger one cut him off.
"Don't talk to me! Don't even look at me! I hate you! Go away!" Severus screamed.
"Severus, you are getting hysterical....calm down my child or you will start to hyperventilate like you did last year...." Albus said gently, seemingly unaffected by Severus' rude outburst.
"Don't call me, 'my child'! You lost that right!" the boy snapped furiously, though pain was evident in his eyes. "And didn't you promise me last year that you would never let this happen to me again?"
Albus looked startled, "Severus.....I tried....you know I tried. Minerva, Filius, Poppy, and I...we tried to gain custody of you but it didn't work...I'm so sorry..." A couple of tears escaped the old man's blue eyes.
Severus scowled, though he was noticeably shaking, his dark eyes glittering.
"You promised...." He whispered in a strained voice. "You promised me that you would help me...but you just made it worse! You just made him madder!" He let his dark head drop slightly, a curtain of greasy, black hair falling around his face, "I trusted you......"
"Severus..." Albus looked saddened.
"Just forget it!" the boy snapped before almost instantly calming. "I'll be of age at the end of the school year so it won't really matter..." Severus said in a quiet voice. "I guess I was just hoping that I could have one summer where I wasn't...." he trailed off and turned away.
The boy jumped violently when the headmaster put both of his wizened hands on Severus' face, gently tipping the boy's face so that they were looking in one another's eyes.
"You do not deserve this, Severus...." Albus whispered softly. "Do you hear me? You do not deserve this no matter what you do or no matter what you have done....."
"I don't believe you...." Severus said immediately. "I have killed, Professor..." the boy whispered, tears glittering in his eyes. "He made me kill....I don't deserve your kindness..."
"Don't say that, Severus..." Albus said firmly but gently. "You are a spy....you have been ever since you were marked..... No one deserves this, Severus, no one..."
Severus swallowed and said in a small voice, "Not even You-Know-Who?"
Albus' face saddened as he remembered the abused boy known as Tom Riddle. "No," he told his student firmly. "Not even Voldemort."
Severus flinched at the name and averted his eyes from the headmaster's.
"Severus, I want you to know that no matter what, you will always be loved, you understand? You will always be loved no matter what..." Albus told the trembling boy. "I love you like a son, Severus.....I don't have any sons and even if I did, I would still care for you......"
Albus gently reached to wipe away a tear sliding down the boy's face with his thumb.
"And I will always be there for you, my boy..."
Severus squeezed his eyes tightly shut and Dumbledore wrapped his arms around the boy.
"Why?" Severus whispered, his voice muffled slightly. "Why does he treat me like this?" he asked sadly.
Albus shook his head, "I don't know....I suppose....some people just aren't meant to have children...and your father is definitely one of them..." he let anger seep into his voice.
Severus shivered slightly, sensing the anger radiating off of the headmaster.
"I just don't understand how someone could treat their children like he treats me..." Severus mumbled, drawing back from the hug, his face dry.
He looked up to meet the headmaster's blue eyes and said firmly, "I would never treat my children like that.....I would never hit them or hurt them in any way....." the boy smirked bitterly. "I will be lucky if I even have kids...." He muttered.
Albus sighed, "Don't say that.....I'll bet you anything that there is a young woman who is perfect for you, maybe even in this school, maybe not. You may already know her, and you may not, but everyone has a match, I promise you that."
Severus nodded and said solemnly, "I swear that I will never harm or hurt any offspring of mine in any way....because they don't deserve it..." the boy trailed off and shivered slightly, "...and I already know how it feels, and I would never want my child to go through what I have......I would treat them like children are supposed to be treated. I would love them......and teach them everything that I know so they could become stronger then me one day......"
Albus smiled, "I'm glad to hear that, Severus. You are stronger then your father for sure..."
Severus smiled for the first time since the end of his fifth year.
##########END FLASHBACK##########
Dumbledore smiled slightly at the memory, it had been one of the first times that Severus had actually opened up to him.
"Professor?" Harry's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, Harry?" he said once he had his thoughts back in order. The boy looked as if he wasn't sure what to say, he hesitated slightly and glanced at Sirius uncertainly.
"Can we...can we tell...." Harry quickly glanced at Sirius, who was looking at them curiously.
Dumbledore smiled kindly, "Of course we can...." He turned toward Sirius and said seriously, "But you must understand, Sirius that no one knew about this except James and Lily...."
Sirius stared at him in confusion, "What do you mean? Did they keep something from us?"
Dumbledore nodded and glanced at Harry, who looked rather grim.
"Whatever it is, Harry, we'll get through it, right?" Sirius asked the boy. Harry swallowed and gave a hesitant nod, hoping that Sirius was right.
"Well..." he began sheepishly. "We sort of found out that-" he was interrupted though as the door suddenly burst open and Remus Lupin came hurrying in.
"Sirius?!" he whispered breathlessly. The man seemed to freeze completely before he charged over to his friend and embraced him tightly.
"Y-You're alive?!" Remus sounded weak. He let go of Sirius and said quietly, "Snape said that you were alive and I thought he was just pulling my leg...."
His smile suddenly turned into a scowl as he punched Sirius straight in the face. Sirius gave a yell as he fell backwards onto the ground, holding a rather bloody nose.
"W-Whad da 'ell was dhat for?!" he yelled, sporting the broken nose.
"That was for putting me and Harry through your supposed death you git!" Remus yelled furiously. "Do you realize how much Harry and I blamed ourselves?! Do you realize how we felt?! When you first died I almost wanted to kill myself!!" he roared and Dumbledore was quickly coaxing him into a chair.
Harry was meanwhile on the floor next to Sirius, helping the man up.
"It was not Sirius' fault, Remus...." Dumbledore informed him. "It appears that he actually died and came back to life...."
Remus stopped struggling and stared at Dumbledore as if he were off his rocker, "People cannot come back from the dead, Albus..." he said quietly.
"Sirius did! It makes sense and I had a vision about it too!" Harry piped up for the first time.
Remus seemed to have just noticed him. He paled instantly and took a step back, "Harry..." he said cautiously, eyeing him with fear as if he were afraid that Harry would suddenly start to yell at him.
Harry swallowed and for an instant, felt another presence inside his mind. He shook his head to clear it and looked at his fellow werewolf, "Hi...Remus..." he said quietly.
The tension seemed to be visible between the two werewolves and the two seemed to have gone in a sort of staring contest.
Finally, Remus broke the silence, "Harry...." He muttered faintly, "I-I'm so sorry....I didn't mean....I-I mean I tried to stop myself.....but I couldn't....I forgot to take the potion.....and I tried to but I-"
"Calm down, Remus..." Harry said. "It's okay."
Remus arched an eyebrow, "How can you forgive me for ruining your life so easily? Forget that, how can you forgive me at all?"
Harry sighed, "It wasn't your fault, Remus, it was mine. I was the one who went down there like an idiot. I had forgotten that you went down to the Shrieking Shack now...."
"What are you two talking about!" Sirius sounded very impatient, it was quite a surprise that he had stayed quiet the whole time. He was now tapping his right foot impatiently, his nose had been magically mended by Dumbledore while the two had been talking.
Harry swallowed and glanced at Remus. He once again felt another presence in his mind, it lasted a second longer before it disappeared.
Harry frowned at Remus, knowing that the other presence was definitely him. After all, the man had turned him into a werewolf, they had to have some kind of bond.
"There was.........an accident...on Saturday night, Sirius...." Harry began cautiously, he glanced over at Remus, who picked up after him.
"Think about it, Padfoot..." the man said. "What was Saturday night?"
Sirius thought for a moment before answering, "Full moon..."
Remus nodded and exchanged glances with Harry.
Sirius sat there, confused for a moment before it seemed to click for the innocent convict. "Y-You mean.....he's a....you...you bit him?!" the question was practically yelled.
"Sirius it wasn't his fault!" Harry immediately jumped to Remus' rescue. "It was mine, I was stupid, I went down to the Shrieking Shack that night..."
Sirius seemed to be having an internal battle.
"There's....something else..." Harry mumbled before the man could respond. Sirius groaned, "Something else?! You mean something worse then this? What could possibly be worse then you being turned into a werewolf!" he demanded, glancing from Remus to Harry and back again.
Remus and Harry both flinched. Sirius blushed and glanced at them apologetically.
"I don't mean it like that.....I just..." Sirius said quietly.
"We know what you mean, Padfoot," Remus said. "Don't worry about me, I'm used to it....its Harry that needs to get used to it..." he glanced sadly at the boy.
Harry shuffled slightly.
"My mom.....sent Professor Dumbledore a delayed letter a little while ago...." He said, feeling uncomfortable.
Sirius blinked in confusion. "Why would Lily send a delayed letter?"
"Did you know that my mum and Snape were friends in Hogwarts?" Harry blurted out.
Sirius was once again staring at him in confusion, "No...." he muttered, "Snive-Snape always hated Lily because she was a muggle-born..." Sirius said Snape's name as if it were a disgusting swear word.
"Well, they were..." Harry didn't really know why he was telling Sirius like this, he was stalling, delaying the truth.
Dumbledore noticed this and cleared his throat slightly.
Harry glanced at Sirius and lowered his head, "In....the letter...my mom...she said that...that....James Potter wasn't my biological father..." he said the last part very quickly and glanced up at Sirius cautiously.
Sirius stared at him, "What do you mean James isn't your biological father? You look just like him.....I've seen your birth certificate, Harry, what are you playing at?" he glanced around uneasily. "Did Remus put you up to this?"
Harry stared at Sirius, suddenly feeling anger rising up in him, "Its true, okay its true! James isn't my biological father! It's not some stupid trick that someone else put me up to! Is it really that hard to believe that I'm not your precious best friend's son?!" Harry exploded, his eyes flashing to amber.
"Harry calm down..." Remus said quietly, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder.
Harry felt almost instantly calm as he felt tranquility wash over him.
Sirius was now staring at him as if he had lost his mind, "Harry....there is no way that you could be anyone but James' son....Lily would never cheat on him! They loved each other! They were the perfect match!"
Harry sighed, "My mum didn't cheat on my da-James......" Sirius arched an eyebrow, Harry continued, "....mum never loved James....she only went out with him and married him because she was pregnant and had no husband...."
"You make it sound like he was taking advantage of her, Harry...." Sirius said, his voice not cold but not holding any warmth either. "That can't be true...."
"It is! Why can't you believe me when I tell you that James Potter isn't my father?! Why!" he all but yelled. Remus gave his shoulder a tight squeeze and he calmed himself down.
Dumbledore took that moment to cut in, "If you don't believe him, Sirius, then we have proof...." With that he took out his wand and pointed it at Harry.
"Finite Incantatem Appearance Charm"
Now, if Harry would have known that Dumbledore was going to use that spell, then he probably would have dodged it. But because he had been so shocked that the headmaster was being so blunt the spell hit him before he could jump out of the way, after all, he didn't want to see himself looking like Snape.
Harry felt a tingling sensation on the top of his head, before it slowly made his way down his body until his whole body felt completely numb. Then, it was gone and Harry felt as if someone had taken a rather heavy blanket off from him.
He heard Sirius and Remus gasp sharply and he immediately turned away to cover his face.
"Harry don't...." Dumbledore said, his voice sounding almost cheerful. "We would like to see what your true appearance is wouldn't you?"
Harry groaned and heard a loud 'SLAM', making him jump. His head snapped up to see that only he, Remus, and Dumbledore were now present in the room, Sirius had fled.
"Someone please tell me that he remembered to transform..." he whispered in a tight voice, feeling his heart crumble.
"Its going to be alright, Harry, Sirius will come around, I promise....he's just shocked is all and he needs time to think..." Remus said soothingly, sensing Harry's suffering.
Harry turned to him, "And what about you? Are you going to run away also? Why have you been acting so calm since you found out Snape was my father?" he launched at Remus.
"Whoa, slow down Harry," Remus said, "For one thing I would never run out on you, not when you need me as much as you do right now...I didn't abandon you when I first found out and I swear I will not abandon you now...."
"And how come you've been acting so calm about this whole thing?" Harry asked suspiciously, "You knew didn't you?! You knew all this time and you never told me?!!"
"Calm down, Harry!" Remus sounded slightly distressed, "I did not know about your true parentage and if I would've then I would have told you! It was just as much of a shock to me as it was to you!" he paused before saying knowingly. "Listen, I know you're feeling frustrated and I know you're feeling betrayed, I know how you feel..."
"And how would you know how it feels?" Harry snapped. "You have NO idea what it feels like!"
"Well, I am a werewolf to for one thing and for another thing, I could sense it from you...."
"What do you mean sense? You could never sense these kind of thoughts from me before..." Harry protested.
"Give me a chance to explain, Harry," Remus told him. "When a werewolf turns a person a.......bond, I suppose you could call it, is formed between the two. It's mainly mindset, you know, sensing one another's thoughts...."
"You mean we could talk telepathically!" Harry exclaimed and Remus shrugged.
"Not really, you can just....sense their mood and what they're feeling......and sometimes, when the feeling is really strong, you can kind of sense what the other's mind is mainly thinking about." Remus explained.
Harry smiled slightly, "So it was you that I felt in my mind when you first came in...." Remus nodded, looking relieved that Harry was smiling again, "Yes..."
"Now Harry, would you like to see your reflection before we call Severus down here again?" Dumbledore asked. "And I daresay that Remus will have to fetch Sirius..." a smile appeared on Dumbledore's face, "He could be your.....guard-dog...."
"I didn't know students were allowed to have dogs, Professor..." Harry said.
"Well...technically, it is quite unusual to have a dog but its allowed..."
"But the Hogwarts letter says only a cat, toad, and owl..."
"The Hogwarts letter says the pets that a witch or wizard would usually get.....witches and wizards tend to prefer animals that can help them in some way instead of companionship...." Dumbledore explained and Harry nodded slowly.
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore summoned a medium-sized mirror and Harry hesitated before looking at the reflection that he had been hiding for sixteen years....
When he first saw his reflection, he thought he had been looking through a window instead of a mirror, another wards he was looking at a complete stranger.
His eyes were still the striking green, was the first thing he noticed, due to his lack of glasses, but thick, dark lashes surrounded them. His eyebrows were thinner and arched above his eyes in a perfect arch, just like Snape's. His features had changed dramatically, gone were the boyish Potter look, what replaced it was high cheekbones, slanted eyes, and paler skin. His face possessed a sharp look to it....the Snape look (eugh!). His nose was, thankfully, the same as was his mouth. His hair, though straight and still jet-black, curled at the ends, had a slightly dark red tint to it, and was devoid of any grease. It seemed lay flat on his head, unlike his previous hairstyle, and it dropped down to the middle of his back, which was longer then Snape's was. His fingers were now long and pale, his legs also long and slender, making him at least six inches taller.
Despite the absolute revulsion Harry felt for looking a lot like Snape, he sort of liked his new look. He felt as if it suited him so much better and he somehow felt and...relieved to be free of the 'Harry Potter' look as well as his huge glasses and untamed hair.
"So what do you think? Suits you more doesn't it?" Dumbledore said knowingly and Harry shrugged, "I......like it....I guess...."
He sighed and pushed a strand of blackish-red hair out of his eyes, it was going to take some time to get used to his long hair.
"Remus, if you would be so kind as to fetch Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. Remus nodded and left.
Dumbledore threw some Flu Powder into the fireplace and said, "Severus Snape!"
Snape's head appeared and he glared at Dumbledore, "What is it you want, Albus?" he asked in a bored tone.
"Well you need to get down here and name your son, Severus. Don't you want to see what his true appearance is?" Dumbledore asked jovially.
Snape rolled his eyes and sneered, "I really don't have a choice do I?"
"Afraid not!" Dumbledore said, smiling.
Snape's sneer deepened and he vanished with a 'pop'.
A moment later the door burst open and Remus and Sirius walked in. Sirius looked quite ill, he was rather pale.
"Sirius?" Harry called out almost fearfully.
Remus elbowed Sirius sharply in the ribs and Sirius sighed, stepping up to Harry cautiously. "So...." He began lamely. "Snape really is your father....." he trailed off, looking slightly disgusted at the fact but his face softened as he saw Harry's look of discretion.
"Harry.....I'm not going to hate you just because that git is your father....I- I mean because......Snivellus is your father.....I mean....Snape...is....or.....uh....." Sirius looked slightly lost and Harry couldn't help but laugh.
"It's okay, Sirius.....I was just afraid that you would hate me..."
"Of course I wouldn't!" Sirius sounded mock appalled. "You're my godson boy and you can't get rid of me that easily!" he declared and Harry's face broke out into a grin.
"I guess.....I just got so excited that there was still a part of James in the world that lived and that was here with me.....but I know that even if James isn't your biological father.....he is still your dad and I know that he loved you more then anything....even if he knew that you were Snape's son..." Sirius smiled at Harry.
"And I still want to be your godfather, if you'll let me, that is...and if your............father....lets me....."
Harry smiled and nodded vigorously. "Don't worry about Snape, Sirius, even though he is still my father, we both still hate each other.....and after the war is over, I doubt that he'll claim me for good.......thank Merlin..." Harry mumbled completely unaware of one Severus Snape who had been lurking in the doorway, listening to the whole conversation, watching them with resentment.
() Whew! Okay that's done, I finally got Sirius' reaction (the thing that I had been dreading for like forever).
Yeah, well review!!!
I don't know if there is going to be romance or not, I will figure that out later but this story is not going to be slash or a character bashing story if anyone was wondering.
Chapter seven- Flashbacks and Confessions
"Severus?" Dumbledore's soft voice rang through the man's ears.
Snape said nothing as he continued to glare in Black's direction.
Black was currently on the couch with Harry, talking to him quietly about what had happened after he had fallen through the veil. Harry seemed very interested as he was listening quite intently.
Snape scowled.
Snape hated Potter, he knew that....but Potter was his son.....HIS son, not Black's! He felt his scowl deepen as Potter laughed at something that Black had said.
Snape knew that he hated Potter....well, maybe not hate exactly, he could never hate his own son, even if it was Potter. Well he may not hate the boy, but he certainly held a strong dislike for him.
So why did he feel like this? Why did he feel a pang of jealousy when he saw how much Potter cared for Black and how much Potter depended on and looked up to Black?
Snape wasn't sure. He didn't like feeling this way, he didn't like feeling jealous because Black had Potter's love, trust, and closeness. He still wanted to insult the boy, in fact he already had mocked Potter about him crying when Black had first shown up....
Damn his emotions.
"Severus?" Dumbledore asked him again and Snape sighed.
"What is it you want, Albus?" he said in an irritated voice. The wizened wizard looked at him in concern, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
Snape huffed and folded his arms. He was silent for a couple minutes as he continued to watch Potter and Black. Finally, he spoke.
"I'm not supposed to feel like this!" he hissed, glaring in the two's direction.
"Feel like what, Severus?"
Snape growled and turned to glare at Dumbledore, "Oh use your head, Albus!" he snapped before storming out of the office.
Dumbledore stood there for a moment in a rather uncharacteristic moment of bewilderment, finally he thought about the way Severus had been glaring at Sirius..........the usual, utmost hatred and loathing, but there had been something else there.
Jealousy?
Dumbledore frowned slightly and looked over at Harry and Sirius. Could Severus really be jealous of Sirius? Because of how much Harry cared for him?
The thought seemed completely absurd!
Well Severus had always wanted a child when he had been younger......and Dumbledore knew for a fact that the man could NEVER hate his own child, no matter who it was.
Severus had made a private vow to himself that if he had children one day, that he would love them unconditionally. Dumbledore was the only one that had known about the vow, not because he was the only one that Severus could trust at the time, but merely because he was there when the man made the vow.
Dumbledore grimaced in sympathy for the man he considered a son as he remembered.....
##########FLASHBACK##########
#September 1, 1976#
Albus Dumbledore hurried to the Hospital Wing with a rather anxious look on his old, wrinkled face.
He burst through the doors with such force that it made the school nurse, Poppy Pomfrey jump. Had it not been for the severe circumstance at the moment, she probably would have started yelling at him, as usual.
But tonight was not usual, one lone bed was filled in the entire Hospital Wing, which was a surprise, since it was the first day back.
In it lay a raven-haired, sixteen year-old boy. He had a rather pale complexion, his long fingers clenching the bed sheets tightly in pain.
"Over here, Albus! He came in for his usual check-up and......oh its worse then when he was marked last year...." Poppy broke off and turned away, tears gathering in her eyes.
Albus immediately moved over to the boy and, not bothering to summon a chair, sat down beside him. He took one of the pale hands in his own, wrinkled one and began to stroke it gently.
The boy had dark rings under his eyes. Bandages were wrapped around his torso and a part of his head. A sling held his left arm, bandages also wrapped around the forearm, as well as the upper arm. He had a large, purpling bruise on his right cheek. Red stains were evident through random parts of each bandage.
If he had been sitting up, then Albus would have seen the bandages that covered the boy's back and the many long, slender red stains that were visible through the bandages.
"Oh, Severus...." The headmaster whispered, his blue eyes glittering with unshed tears. "You don't deserve this.....one day, everything will be different, this I promise you my child...."
The boy stirred slightly and gradually opened his onyx eyes. His black eyes darted around the white room as if he were a caged animal. His gaze landed on the old man that was sitting beside him, holding his hand.
Severus sneered at his headmaster and snatched his hand away as if he had been scalded, "Don't touch me!" he snarled toward the older wizard.
"Severus..." the wizard began but the younger one cut him off.
"Don't talk to me! Don't even look at me! I hate you! Go away!" Severus screamed.
"Severus, you are getting hysterical....calm down my child or you will start to hyperventilate like you did last year...." Albus said gently, seemingly unaffected by Severus' rude outburst.
"Don't call me, 'my child'! You lost that right!" the boy snapped furiously, though pain was evident in his eyes. "And didn't you promise me last year that you would never let this happen to me again?"
Albus looked startled, "Severus.....I tried....you know I tried. Minerva, Filius, Poppy, and I...we tried to gain custody of you but it didn't work...I'm so sorry..." A couple of tears escaped the old man's blue eyes.
Severus scowled, though he was noticeably shaking, his dark eyes glittering.
"You promised...." He whispered in a strained voice. "You promised me that you would help me...but you just made it worse! You just made him madder!" He let his dark head drop slightly, a curtain of greasy, black hair falling around his face, "I trusted you......"
"Severus..." Albus looked saddened.
"Just forget it!" the boy snapped before almost instantly calming. "I'll be of age at the end of the school year so it won't really matter..." Severus said in a quiet voice. "I guess I was just hoping that I could have one summer where I wasn't...." he trailed off and turned away.
The boy jumped violently when the headmaster put both of his wizened hands on Severus' face, gently tipping the boy's face so that they were looking in one another's eyes.
"You do not deserve this, Severus...." Albus whispered softly. "Do you hear me? You do not deserve this no matter what you do or no matter what you have done....."
"I don't believe you...." Severus said immediately. "I have killed, Professor..." the boy whispered, tears glittering in his eyes. "He made me kill....I don't deserve your kindness..."
"Don't say that, Severus..." Albus said firmly but gently. "You are a spy....you have been ever since you were marked..... No one deserves this, Severus, no one..."
Severus swallowed and said in a small voice, "Not even You-Know-Who?"
Albus' face saddened as he remembered the abused boy known as Tom Riddle. "No," he told his student firmly. "Not even Voldemort."
Severus flinched at the name and averted his eyes from the headmaster's.
"Severus, I want you to know that no matter what, you will always be loved, you understand? You will always be loved no matter what..." Albus told the trembling boy. "I love you like a son, Severus.....I don't have any sons and even if I did, I would still care for you......"
Albus gently reached to wipe away a tear sliding down the boy's face with his thumb.
"And I will always be there for you, my boy..."
Severus squeezed his eyes tightly shut and Dumbledore wrapped his arms around the boy.
"Why?" Severus whispered, his voice muffled slightly. "Why does he treat me like this?" he asked sadly.
Albus shook his head, "I don't know....I suppose....some people just aren't meant to have children...and your father is definitely one of them..." he let anger seep into his voice.
Severus shivered slightly, sensing the anger radiating off of the headmaster.
"I just don't understand how someone could treat their children like he treats me..." Severus mumbled, drawing back from the hug, his face dry.
He looked up to meet the headmaster's blue eyes and said firmly, "I would never treat my children like that.....I would never hit them or hurt them in any way....." the boy smirked bitterly. "I will be lucky if I even have kids...." He muttered.
Albus sighed, "Don't say that.....I'll bet you anything that there is a young woman who is perfect for you, maybe even in this school, maybe not. You may already know her, and you may not, but everyone has a match, I promise you that."
Severus nodded and said solemnly, "I swear that I will never harm or hurt any offspring of mine in any way....because they don't deserve it..." the boy trailed off and shivered slightly, "...and I already know how it feels, and I would never want my child to go through what I have......I would treat them like children are supposed to be treated. I would love them......and teach them everything that I know so they could become stronger then me one day......"
Albus smiled, "I'm glad to hear that, Severus. You are stronger then your father for sure..."
Severus smiled for the first time since the end of his fifth year.
##########END FLASHBACK##########
Dumbledore smiled slightly at the memory, it had been one of the first times that Severus had actually opened up to him.
"Professor?" Harry's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Yes, Harry?" he said once he had his thoughts back in order. The boy looked as if he wasn't sure what to say, he hesitated slightly and glanced at Sirius uncertainly.
"Can we...can we tell...." Harry quickly glanced at Sirius, who was looking at them curiously.
Dumbledore smiled kindly, "Of course we can...." He turned toward Sirius and said seriously, "But you must understand, Sirius that no one knew about this except James and Lily...."
Sirius stared at him in confusion, "What do you mean? Did they keep something from us?"
Dumbledore nodded and glanced at Harry, who looked rather grim.
"Whatever it is, Harry, we'll get through it, right?" Sirius asked the boy. Harry swallowed and gave a hesitant nod, hoping that Sirius was right.
"Well..." he began sheepishly. "We sort of found out that-" he was interrupted though as the door suddenly burst open and Remus Lupin came hurrying in.
"Sirius?!" he whispered breathlessly. The man seemed to freeze completely before he charged over to his friend and embraced him tightly.
"Y-You're alive?!" Remus sounded weak. He let go of Sirius and said quietly, "Snape said that you were alive and I thought he was just pulling my leg...."
His smile suddenly turned into a scowl as he punched Sirius straight in the face. Sirius gave a yell as he fell backwards onto the ground, holding a rather bloody nose.
"W-Whad da 'ell was dhat for?!" he yelled, sporting the broken nose.
"That was for putting me and Harry through your supposed death you git!" Remus yelled furiously. "Do you realize how much Harry and I blamed ourselves?! Do you realize how we felt?! When you first died I almost wanted to kill myself!!" he roared and Dumbledore was quickly coaxing him into a chair.
Harry was meanwhile on the floor next to Sirius, helping the man up.
"It was not Sirius' fault, Remus...." Dumbledore informed him. "It appears that he actually died and came back to life...."
Remus stopped struggling and stared at Dumbledore as if he were off his rocker, "People cannot come back from the dead, Albus..." he said quietly.
"Sirius did! It makes sense and I had a vision about it too!" Harry piped up for the first time.
Remus seemed to have just noticed him. He paled instantly and took a step back, "Harry..." he said cautiously, eyeing him with fear as if he were afraid that Harry would suddenly start to yell at him.
Harry swallowed and for an instant, felt another presence inside his mind. He shook his head to clear it and looked at his fellow werewolf, "Hi...Remus..." he said quietly.
The tension seemed to be visible between the two werewolves and the two seemed to have gone in a sort of staring contest.
Finally, Remus broke the silence, "Harry...." He muttered faintly, "I-I'm so sorry....I didn't mean....I-I mean I tried to stop myself.....but I couldn't....I forgot to take the potion.....and I tried to but I-"
"Calm down, Remus..." Harry said. "It's okay."
Remus arched an eyebrow, "How can you forgive me for ruining your life so easily? Forget that, how can you forgive me at all?"
Harry sighed, "It wasn't your fault, Remus, it was mine. I was the one who went down there like an idiot. I had forgotten that you went down to the Shrieking Shack now...."
"What are you two talking about!" Sirius sounded very impatient, it was quite a surprise that he had stayed quiet the whole time. He was now tapping his right foot impatiently, his nose had been magically mended by Dumbledore while the two had been talking.
Harry swallowed and glanced at Remus. He once again felt another presence in his mind, it lasted a second longer before it disappeared.
Harry frowned at Remus, knowing that the other presence was definitely him. After all, the man had turned him into a werewolf, they had to have some kind of bond.
"There was.........an accident...on Saturday night, Sirius...." Harry began cautiously, he glanced over at Remus, who picked up after him.
"Think about it, Padfoot..." the man said. "What was Saturday night?"
Sirius thought for a moment before answering, "Full moon..."
Remus nodded and exchanged glances with Harry.
Sirius sat there, confused for a moment before it seemed to click for the innocent convict. "Y-You mean.....he's a....you...you bit him?!" the question was practically yelled.
"Sirius it wasn't his fault!" Harry immediately jumped to Remus' rescue. "It was mine, I was stupid, I went down to the Shrieking Shack that night..."
Sirius seemed to be having an internal battle.
"There's....something else..." Harry mumbled before the man could respond. Sirius groaned, "Something else?! You mean something worse then this? What could possibly be worse then you being turned into a werewolf!" he demanded, glancing from Remus to Harry and back again.
Remus and Harry both flinched. Sirius blushed and glanced at them apologetically.
"I don't mean it like that.....I just..." Sirius said quietly.
"We know what you mean, Padfoot," Remus said. "Don't worry about me, I'm used to it....its Harry that needs to get used to it..." he glanced sadly at the boy.
Harry shuffled slightly.
"My mom.....sent Professor Dumbledore a delayed letter a little while ago...." He said, feeling uncomfortable.
Sirius blinked in confusion. "Why would Lily send a delayed letter?"
"Did you know that my mum and Snape were friends in Hogwarts?" Harry blurted out.
Sirius was once again staring at him in confusion, "No...." he muttered, "Snive-Snape always hated Lily because she was a muggle-born..." Sirius said Snape's name as if it were a disgusting swear word.
"Well, they were..." Harry didn't really know why he was telling Sirius like this, he was stalling, delaying the truth.
Dumbledore noticed this and cleared his throat slightly.
Harry glanced at Sirius and lowered his head, "In....the letter...my mom...she said that...that....James Potter wasn't my biological father..." he said the last part very quickly and glanced up at Sirius cautiously.
Sirius stared at him, "What do you mean James isn't your biological father? You look just like him.....I've seen your birth certificate, Harry, what are you playing at?" he glanced around uneasily. "Did Remus put you up to this?"
Harry stared at Sirius, suddenly feeling anger rising up in him, "Its true, okay its true! James isn't my biological father! It's not some stupid trick that someone else put me up to! Is it really that hard to believe that I'm not your precious best friend's son?!" Harry exploded, his eyes flashing to amber.
"Harry calm down..." Remus said quietly, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder.
Harry felt almost instantly calm as he felt tranquility wash over him.
Sirius was now staring at him as if he had lost his mind, "Harry....there is no way that you could be anyone but James' son....Lily would never cheat on him! They loved each other! They were the perfect match!"
Harry sighed, "My mum didn't cheat on my da-James......" Sirius arched an eyebrow, Harry continued, "....mum never loved James....she only went out with him and married him because she was pregnant and had no husband...."
"You make it sound like he was taking advantage of her, Harry...." Sirius said, his voice not cold but not holding any warmth either. "That can't be true...."
"It is! Why can't you believe me when I tell you that James Potter isn't my father?! Why!" he all but yelled. Remus gave his shoulder a tight squeeze and he calmed himself down.
Dumbledore took that moment to cut in, "If you don't believe him, Sirius, then we have proof...." With that he took out his wand and pointed it at Harry.
"Finite Incantatem Appearance Charm"
Now, if Harry would have known that Dumbledore was going to use that spell, then he probably would have dodged it. But because he had been so shocked that the headmaster was being so blunt the spell hit him before he could jump out of the way, after all, he didn't want to see himself looking like Snape.
Harry felt a tingling sensation on the top of his head, before it slowly made his way down his body until his whole body felt completely numb. Then, it was gone and Harry felt as if someone had taken a rather heavy blanket off from him.
He heard Sirius and Remus gasp sharply and he immediately turned away to cover his face.
"Harry don't...." Dumbledore said, his voice sounding almost cheerful. "We would like to see what your true appearance is wouldn't you?"
Harry groaned and heard a loud 'SLAM', making him jump. His head snapped up to see that only he, Remus, and Dumbledore were now present in the room, Sirius had fled.
"Someone please tell me that he remembered to transform..." he whispered in a tight voice, feeling his heart crumble.
"Its going to be alright, Harry, Sirius will come around, I promise....he's just shocked is all and he needs time to think..." Remus said soothingly, sensing Harry's suffering.
Harry turned to him, "And what about you? Are you going to run away also? Why have you been acting so calm since you found out Snape was my father?" he launched at Remus.
"Whoa, slow down Harry," Remus said, "For one thing I would never run out on you, not when you need me as much as you do right now...I didn't abandon you when I first found out and I swear I will not abandon you now...."
"And how come you've been acting so calm about this whole thing?" Harry asked suspiciously, "You knew didn't you?! You knew all this time and you never told me?!!"
"Calm down, Harry!" Remus sounded slightly distressed, "I did not know about your true parentage and if I would've then I would have told you! It was just as much of a shock to me as it was to you!" he paused before saying knowingly. "Listen, I know you're feeling frustrated and I know you're feeling betrayed, I know how you feel..."
"And how would you know how it feels?" Harry snapped. "You have NO idea what it feels like!"
"Well, I am a werewolf to for one thing and for another thing, I could sense it from you...."
"What do you mean sense? You could never sense these kind of thoughts from me before..." Harry protested.
"Give me a chance to explain, Harry," Remus told him. "When a werewolf turns a person a.......bond, I suppose you could call it, is formed between the two. It's mainly mindset, you know, sensing one another's thoughts...."
"You mean we could talk telepathically!" Harry exclaimed and Remus shrugged.
"Not really, you can just....sense their mood and what they're feeling......and sometimes, when the feeling is really strong, you can kind of sense what the other's mind is mainly thinking about." Remus explained.
Harry smiled slightly, "So it was you that I felt in my mind when you first came in...." Remus nodded, looking relieved that Harry was smiling again, "Yes..."
"Now Harry, would you like to see your reflection before we call Severus down here again?" Dumbledore asked. "And I daresay that Remus will have to fetch Sirius..." a smile appeared on Dumbledore's face, "He could be your.....guard-dog...."
"I didn't know students were allowed to have dogs, Professor..." Harry said.
"Well...technically, it is quite unusual to have a dog but its allowed..."
"But the Hogwarts letter says only a cat, toad, and owl..."
"The Hogwarts letter says the pets that a witch or wizard would usually get.....witches and wizards tend to prefer animals that can help them in some way instead of companionship...." Dumbledore explained and Harry nodded slowly.
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore summoned a medium-sized mirror and Harry hesitated before looking at the reflection that he had been hiding for sixteen years....
When he first saw his reflection, he thought he had been looking through a window instead of a mirror, another wards he was looking at a complete stranger.
His eyes were still the striking green, was the first thing he noticed, due to his lack of glasses, but thick, dark lashes surrounded them. His eyebrows were thinner and arched above his eyes in a perfect arch, just like Snape's. His features had changed dramatically, gone were the boyish Potter look, what replaced it was high cheekbones, slanted eyes, and paler skin. His face possessed a sharp look to it....the Snape look (eugh!). His nose was, thankfully, the same as was his mouth. His hair, though straight and still jet-black, curled at the ends, had a slightly dark red tint to it, and was devoid of any grease. It seemed lay flat on his head, unlike his previous hairstyle, and it dropped down to the middle of his back, which was longer then Snape's was. His fingers were now long and pale, his legs also long and slender, making him at least six inches taller.
Despite the absolute revulsion Harry felt for looking a lot like Snape, he sort of liked his new look. He felt as if it suited him so much better and he somehow felt and...relieved to be free of the 'Harry Potter' look as well as his huge glasses and untamed hair.
"So what do you think? Suits you more doesn't it?" Dumbledore said knowingly and Harry shrugged, "I......like it....I guess...."
He sighed and pushed a strand of blackish-red hair out of his eyes, it was going to take some time to get used to his long hair.
"Remus, if you would be so kind as to fetch Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. Remus nodded and left.
Dumbledore threw some Flu Powder into the fireplace and said, "Severus Snape!"
Snape's head appeared and he glared at Dumbledore, "What is it you want, Albus?" he asked in a bored tone.
"Well you need to get down here and name your son, Severus. Don't you want to see what his true appearance is?" Dumbledore asked jovially.
Snape rolled his eyes and sneered, "I really don't have a choice do I?"
"Afraid not!" Dumbledore said, smiling.
Snape's sneer deepened and he vanished with a 'pop'.
A moment later the door burst open and Remus and Sirius walked in. Sirius looked quite ill, he was rather pale.
"Sirius?" Harry called out almost fearfully.
Remus elbowed Sirius sharply in the ribs and Sirius sighed, stepping up to Harry cautiously. "So...." He began lamely. "Snape really is your father....." he trailed off, looking slightly disgusted at the fact but his face softened as he saw Harry's look of discretion.
"Harry.....I'm not going to hate you just because that git is your father....I- I mean because......Snivellus is your father.....I mean....Snape...is....or.....uh....." Sirius looked slightly lost and Harry couldn't help but laugh.
"It's okay, Sirius.....I was just afraid that you would hate me..."
"Of course I wouldn't!" Sirius sounded mock appalled. "You're my godson boy and you can't get rid of me that easily!" he declared and Harry's face broke out into a grin.
"I guess.....I just got so excited that there was still a part of James in the world that lived and that was here with me.....but I know that even if James isn't your biological father.....he is still your dad and I know that he loved you more then anything....even if he knew that you were Snape's son..." Sirius smiled at Harry.
"And I still want to be your godfather, if you'll let me, that is...and if your............father....lets me....."
Harry smiled and nodded vigorously. "Don't worry about Snape, Sirius, even though he is still my father, we both still hate each other.....and after the war is over, I doubt that he'll claim me for good.......thank Merlin..." Harry mumbled completely unaware of one Severus Snape who had been lurking in the doorway, listening to the whole conversation, watching them with resentment.
() Whew! Okay that's done, I finally got Sirius' reaction (the thing that I had been dreading for like forever).
Yeah, well review!!!