Severus was currently pacing in his classroom. He couldn't, for the life of him, keep still. He felt ashamed at how fidgety he was; like some teenaged girl.
He had been able to lie to the most powerful dark wizard of all time. He had been able to successfully fool the Death Eaters into believing he was a traitor to Dumbledore. He had faced monsters no one could ever imagine. But he couldn't approach his own son about his parentage.
Granted, Harry hadn't realized that he was his father until Friday, and knowing even a tiny bit about the boy, it could be assumed that he was denying the whole thing.
Severus had planned to seek him out over the weekend; however, he couldn't muster up the will, and instead passed the time grading copious amounts of subpar papers and lackluster potions. He hadn't even left the dungeons for anything but meals and even then, he ate fast and promptly returned to his office.
Of course, his behavior garnered no attention. The other professors at Hogwarts were used to his distant personality, and respected the fact that he wasn't the chatty sort. On rare occasions Dumbledore or McGonagall would make polite small talk with him, but they both knew how to keep it short.
Fortunately, he had no encounters with either the Professor or the Headmaster. While he hoped he could save face long enough to make it through a short exchange with a colleague, he wasn't certain he could. There was just too much on his mind.
He had to figure out what to do about Harry. He knew the boy would be resistant to the facts; he was hardheaded, just like him; and just like his mother.
Severus had to go about this carefully. He couldn't just expect him to believe that he was his father. Not when he had already gone through 15 years of teachers, parents, even strangers telling him he looked like James Potter.
No, he had to methodically plan how he was going to go about this. He could try to hold Harry back after class, but that would not give him enough time; not to explain all he needed to.
Maybe he should let the boy come to him. He had, after all, seen undeniable proof that his past may not be what he always thought. It was a considerable possibility that Harry would eventually come to him with questions. He would just have to wait.
Yes. He would wait, and when the time came, he would fill in the story for Harry. He knew it would take time before Harry was ready, but if he came of his own volition, he would be more open to hear what Severus had to say.
With that, Severus felt the weight on his shoulders lessen. He settled down at his desk and prepared for the morning class of insolent first years to arrive.