Part 3
"The pain never stops," Harry's mum had told him once. "You just get used to it after a while."
But Harry could have told Lily Potter that she was still suffering, five years after her husband's death. The look in her eyes whenever he asked about his dad was enough to tell him that. And she always answered any of his questions with the same unsatisfactory reply. "You look just like him, you know... except for his eyes... you've got my eyes."
And that was all Harry knew about his father. James Potter, looked just like his son, except for his eyes. And he was dead.
He had tried asking Uncle Sirius about it, and Uncle Sirius had told him his father was very brave. Uncle Remus had said he was noble. Uncle Peter said it had been something to do with Lord Voldemort. But no-one seemed to want to tell him exactly what had happened to his dad, or why.
In a last, desperate attempt, he had asked Uncle Sev.
"When you're older, Harry."
And Uncle Sev always kept his word, so Harry accepted it, and waited anxiously for the day when he would be older.
---
Another five years passed, and Harry's eleventh birthday came and went. Uncle Remus took him to Diagon Alley for his school supplies – where, excitingly, they met Neville Longbottom, the Boy Who Lived – and left him back at Hogwarts with Uncle Sev until his mum finished at work. For some reason, his uncles didn't seem to get on very well with each other. Harry knew it was something to do with their schooldays, but he had never asked for more information.
"Uncle Sev?"
Severus Snape looked up from a potion distractedly.
"Mmm?"
"You were a Death Eater, weren't you?"
Severus was glad he wasn't holding anything breakable when Harry asked that. "Why do you ask?"
Harry didn't answer. He just waited.
"Yes."
"So you know what happened to my dad?"
Severus stiffened.
"You promised to tell me-"
"-when you're older."
"I'm older now."
And, try as he might, Severus could not find any reasonable excuse not to tell Harry what had happened to his father. After all, he would need to know by the time he went to Hogwarts next month...
"He was killed by Lord Voldemort."
Harry sighed, exasperated. "I know that. Why? How? What happened?"
Severus removed his cauldron from the fire. At this stage, it would not ruin it – and anyway, he couldn't risk any explosions while he was explaining Harry's history to him. "You must promise not to tell your mother I told you."
Harry blinked, confused, but nodded.
And so, Severus Snape told Harry the tale of his father's death.
---
Harry was white-faced by the time Severus finished. Just as Lily had been, ten years before...
"That's why you turned spy, isn't it?"
Severus did not move.
"Because Dumbledore needed one after my dad died."
Severus relaxed. Not exactly. "Yes." Because I thought I could protect you and your mother, as James Potter had failed to do.
"Thankyou."
Severus gave Harry a blank look. "What for?" He didn't think he had done anything special.
"Telling me the truth."