Chapter Two New Life

Harry started to flutter his eyes as he came to. His head was pounding and his body ached. He heard people across the room talking but he was in too much pain to process what they were actually saying. He did catch a few words though, such as, ' lost a massive amount ' and 'such a thing to the prince'.

He tried to open his eyes but it was too bright, so he let a small groan escape his dry lips. This brought the conversation to a halt and drew everyone's attention to Harry. The next thing he new, he was being poked and prodded by about three pairs of hand. Then he had question upon question being poured down on him, before he could even think of an answer to someone's question, he was being demanded to answer another. He raised his arms over his head as if he was someone caught in the rain.

"Stop! Step away so he can breathe," commanded a silky voice. And at once everyone obeyed without question. Now that he did not have everyone breathing down his neck for answers last nights events came flooding back to him. In the flash of an eye he was huddled in the back corner of his bed away from everyone. His eyes were as round as saucers and he was starting to hyperventilate. He looked wildly around the room when his eyes finally rest on the Elf that gave everyone the silky demand. The demand came from his father, Severus Snape. His father was Severus Snape. His father and mother were Elves, as was he. He guessed this proved it. Everyone else was right he was not human. He wondered if everything else everyone had told him was true. He already knew that his Uncle was right about everything, he was a freak. He didn't deserve love; he didn't deserve what little he had. He still had to wonder, and he knew he would get beat if he voiced it out loud, but still, who else knew? How come no one had mentioned this before? One of the biggest questions in his mind was, though, if he had family members why didn't he go live with them when he was a child? Why did he have to go live with the Dursleys for sixteen years? These were just a few of the questions swarming like angry bees in his head.

While Harry tried to figure out the answers to these, Severus was getting worried. Harry's breathing had quickened to an alarming rate, he was shaking worse then a tree in a thunderstorm and he would bet a thousand gallons that Harry's heart was beating faster then a humming bird's wings. He called for a Calming Potion and in a second he felt the cool vial slide into his hands. He guessed someone had gone to get one earlier. Not even Elves are that fast. He tried to get Harry to down the potion in one easy gulp. Harry was very cautious about what he put in his mouth apparently, even in his hysterical condition. Harry had knocked the vial out of Severus' hand twice and one time he had broken the vial in Severus hand. After the third vial had been knocked to the floor he had had just about enough. He pinned Harry on the bed and opened his mouth while one of the other elves poured the nasty concoction down his throat.

After a minute or so the potion had taken affect. Harry's breathing had come down back to normal and his body had relaxed and was longer shaking, but he was still staring wide eyed at his father. He had a million things still running in his head, but now he could think a little straighter.

Severus was still worried though, Harry was no longer hyperventilating, that was true, but every passing second he looked madder than anyone had ever seen him. Why shouldn't he? After everything he had been through, after all the people he had lost, or thought he lost, in his short sixteen years. Now this... His studying his Elven magic could have prevented a lot of things from happening. If he had been able to talk to the trees he wouldn't have had such a bad experience with the Whomping Willow. He would have long known about Sirius being his godfather and of his innocence. He would have been able to sense the Triwizard trophy was a portkey. His Parselmouth skill would have been worked on, and a number of other things that probably would have saved a few more lives and would have prevented numerous days and people in the Hospital wing. Severus knew he had to make Harry tell him what was wrong, and there was going to be plenty that was wrong, or one day he was just going to snap. It was not good to keep things bottled up. Severus knew from experience. He knew one simple question that was going to make him snap too.

He was a little hesitant to ask. He knew he had to. An angry wizard was bad, but an angry Harry was going to be something like no one had ever seen. Severus knew Harry was the most powerful person in this world. He could feel the power coming off him in waves. It was amazing that someone so small could hold so much, and most of the time hold it all back. Getting back on track, Severus decided to ask, any longer of a wait and Harry was going to just brush off the question as easily as if it were a leave falling from a tree. Finally in a cautious voice he asked,

"Harry...are you okay?"

Harry was a little hesitant to answer the question. He knew he was going to get beat if he did answer the question the way he wanted. Just like he would at the Dursleys', but he started thinking about everything that had happened to him with in the last three months and he just snapped. He started yelling at Sna-, no, his father.

"Of course I'm not all right! Would you be okay if you had just found out and seen everything I just have? In the past three months, I have seen my Godfather die, I have been beaten, raped, and I have just found out something that will change the course of this war. I have found out my two best friends in the world, my two first really friends in the world are my bloody Sister and Uncle! My father, who for the past sixteen years of my life I believed was dead, turns out to be the one and only Greasy Git Slytherin bat! My entire life has been a lie! My dead Godfather is my cousin. The person who I have thought of as a second mother is my grandmother! Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't anyone tell Hermione? Why was I going to go live in the wizarding world and she was not? Why don't we look like you? Why don't you look like you?! Why did I have to go live with the Dursleys? Why do I always ruin people's lives? First my mother's then Cedric and Sirius, now the Weasleys! Bloody Hell! What are the Weasleys going to think? What are they going to do when they find out? If he ever does talk to me again Ron is going to shove this in my face. What is- OWW!!" Everyone looked behind Harry and there stood a very pissed off looking Hermione. She had her hands on her hips

"Harry James Potter! What do you think you are doing? He asked you a question! You didn't need to blow up in his face about it! If you even listened to half of the things you were ranting about, you would agree you sound ridiculous! I would also prefer if you did not talk for me please, yes I am your friend and I am your sister so you were worried, but I can think for myself! I'm a big girl. You can be as bad as Ron sometimes! As for the Weasleys, why in the world would you think they would not talk to us again? We are all family, even before we found out about this. This is just the icing on the cake. We have known each other since we were eleven, and you are not going to get rid of us that easily, especially after everything we have been through. And don't you even TRY to blame everyone's deaths on yourself! It was not your fault, it was Voldemort' s. Our Mothers, Cedric's, Sirius' death... anyone else in the world that has died from this war, is not your responsibility! You did all you could to save them. It was not your-"

If you looked at Harry behind the tears in his eyes, you could see pain. The pain and death Voldemort had caused for everyone. In a whisper that would not have been heard if it had not been for their Elven hearing, Harry said. "You're wrong Mi. You're wrong. They died because of me, they died instead of me. I see their deaths. I see and feel everyone's deaths and pain. He knows it, that's why he does it. He is punishing me, trying to drive me out of my mind. It's working. I can't sleep, I can't eat. I know I deserve it though so there is no point in trying to make me feel better. Voldemort might do the bidding, but it is my fault they are dying. It's my fault..."

Harry curled up around himself on the floor and was crying in his knees. Everyone was shocked at what Harry said and no one moved for a whole minute. Then one lone figure did. He walked right up to Harry, pulled him into his lap, and held him while he wept. When everyone finally was able to move, they noticed the couple sitting on the floor.

Instantly Severus recognized who was holding his son. He was an Elf who had recently taken up his heritage. He ran away from his home a few weeks into the summer and had been staying here ever since. He was not well know around the kingdom, as he spent most of his time in the library or in his room trying to make up and learn everything he had been forbidden to do since childhood. Severus, on the other hand, knew him very well. He was his Godparent after all. It would be terrible if he did not know him.

Seeing them curled around each other brought a smile to his face, even under these circumstances. He had to wonder if Harry knew who he was holding on to though. Would he have him in the death grip he had him in now? Thinking of Harry made him think of a few other things as well. Like, how did those slashes on his back come to be there? And did he actually say he was beaten? AND raped?! Who did this to him?

Did Harry see the deaths and pains he inflicted and had himself been under? Gods, he prayed he hadn't. Was he put under the full blast of the pain or was it lessened because it was only a vision? What did Harry think of him now that he had most likely seen him somewhere in one of the visions? He hoped that he could forgive him.

Thankfully he did not have to go to the Death Eater meetings anymore. Severus had been found a spy just two weeks ago. He had almost died that night. Voldemort thought him dead. He was thankful that the Gods had spared his life so he could now take care of his son and daughter. He could also still help in this war. The only people who knew he was an Elf were either Elves themselves or dead. Yes, he could be a very usefully asset in this war, especially being the prince. He could get almost anything he wanted at the snap of his fingers. There was still hope for the Light Side.

Shaking his head to clear his mind he looked back at his son. He knew he had a lot to explain soon, both to him and his sister. Once Harry had calmed down he swore to himself he would tell them. Looking over at Harry while he said these things in his head, he watched his Godson pick him up and sit down with Harry. They looked so perfect together. He heard rumors that Harry was gay while at school, he never took interest in what the school gossip was. This little bit made him curious though. He wondered if it were true. Would his son and Godson ever get together?

Next he looked over at his daughter. She was turning into a beautiful girl. This of course was not her natural figure but he had no doubt she would be just as beautiful as her mother, he could see it in her eyes. He was soon going to have to be chasing boys away in the Elven, Muggle, and Wizarding world alike. She was brilliant, though she hardly had any experience with boys, which he was thankful for. But he also knew that whether he liked it or not, they were going to be coming into the picture soon.

Looking back over at his son, he saw him and his godson lying down on a bed, now almost asleep. Severus decided that he should probably let Harry sleep right now and talk to Hermione. He would not tell her everything, but he needed to talk to her about a few things in general and get to know her a little better.

He walked up to the nurse and asked her to watch over Harry for a few minutes while he was gone. Getting the okay from her, he walked over to Hermione. Putting a hand on her shoulder and whispering in her ear he said, "Hermione, may I talk to you a second please."

Hermione jumped a little out of her daze and whirled around to see her father smiling lovingly at her.

"Oh! Yes, of course, just one minute please?"

He nodded his head and she walked over to Harry and whispered a few words in his ear. He gave her a slight nod and whispered a 'see ya.' She kissed him on the forehead and then lent over and whispered something in his Godson's ear. His eyes widened for just a second. He looked at her oddly and then nodded his head.

She gave him a quick smile and walked back over to Severus. Severus gave her a suspicious look and walked toward the door with Hermione at his heels. Once out the door they walked in silence. Finally Hermione broke the silence "You're wondering how I knew it was Draco, aren't you?" He looked over in surprise for a minute and then broke out laughing.

"I should have known you would have figured it out. You have always been a smart girl. So what gave him away? " She looked up at him and smiled.

"Well, his hair was a big give away. Not many people in the world have hair like that. Even among the Elves it looks uncommon. Second, his attitude, the air and the way he holds his chin up as if he is above and beyond everything and everyone. It took me a minute to figure it out, he has changed, I can tell. I don't know how I can tell or how he has changed but I can." By the time she quit talking she had a puzzled look on her face. The wheels in her head were working in overdrive trying to figure everything out.

Severus let a small smile play on his lip for a minute, "You have Empathy, I have it also. You can sense things about people. Such as if they are lying or telling the truth, whether their intentions are good or bad. It is my favorite and most useful gift. Before the end, you are going to be thankful for it as well. I'm glad one of you got it. Although I do believe Harry has it as well, just at a smaller level. It may get stronger after you two take up your Heritage but you have the gift stronger then he will ever have. I must warn you though. An Empathist is a lower level Seer. Sometimes you may find yourself in visions, but not too much, and mostly only with people you are close with, such as the Weasleys, or your parents, Harry. We won't know how high your Empathy level is until your Heritage, so I'm not sure what all of your powers involving Empathy will be. We will just have to wait."

Hermione was listening with rapt attention. She wanted to learn everything she could about this new world she was in and this was her first lesson. She felt as if she had started Hogwarts all over again. The wonder, the fear, the excitement of gaining the knowledge only hundreds out of millions of people know... This was much more exciting though. No one outside the Elves knew of the things she was going to learn in this place. She asked the first question she thought of "Where is the Library?"

Severus chuckled "I was wondering when you were going to ask me. I will show you, but we will half to turn around."

They were silent once more as they headed for the Library. Once again Hermione, with her Griffindor courage, broke the silence. "Do I call you dad now or Professor, or what?"

Severus was a little taken back by her question, but then again he really shouldn't have been, should he? What WAS she suppose to call him? He didn't think he had the right yet to be called their dad, and he may be their professor, but he was their father first and foremost, and he told her just as much.

Hermione pondered everything for a moment before deciding it was just better to change the subject. "So how long do you think it will be before Harry and Draco are together? I'm betting no later then the end of the first term."

"HA! Hermione I will take you up on that bet! I love both of those boys but they are far too thick and stubborn for their own good. If one day they do realize their feelings for one another and actually admit them to each other it would be a miracle! If they do get together before the end of term, then you can have or make me do whatever you want. If you lose and they do not get together, you will come to my office and clean up the room and that includes the cauldrons. Are you brave enough to take the bet?" He raised an elegant eyebrow in her direction.

"You're on, Potions Master!" They turned to each other and shook hands. "So where is this Library?"

Severus chuckled over their bet for a second and then turned down the hall. "This is a secret entrance to the Library. Only the Royal Family knows of it. None of the buildings are connected besides these portraits. Later I will show you and your brother all of the portraits through out the kingdom, it will take a while to memorize but I have made something similar to the Marauders Map for both of you. And before you ask, yes I know all about the Marauders Map. I know how it works, I know that it was James' and now it is Harry's. Well, it will be his once Albus gives it back to him," He stopped to chuckle and shake his head. "That man is a menace to worried parents. Completely nutters and absolutely brilliant... May the Gods bless him and keep him healthy.

"Anyway, I am getting off the subject! The entrance is around here some where...AH! Here it is. It is the portrait of the Elven maiden reading a book. A little obvious I think, but the first King put it up and it can't and won't come down so..." He looked over at Hermione and she looked as if she was trying to memorize every word to heart, which he had no doubt she was doing. They walked right up close to the portrait, Severus looked around to make sure there was no one around, and he told Hermione to lean in closer. "Now look here, do you see this little indent in the corner of the frame?" She nodded "To get into the Library you need to put your right thumb on it and whisper Lormirith." She watched as he did this and then the portrait shimmered. "Come on."

He took her hand and walked through. What she saw on the other side blew her mind. The ceiling was twenty feet high, all the walls were covered in books, and in the middle of the room were bookshelves standing alone that were also covered in books front and back. Hermione squealed in delight and ran to the first shelf. Severus followed behind her in a leisurely walk, laughing all the while at her antics. He remembered the first time he had brought Lily here. She had given almost the same response. When he found her she was already buried in a book with two other ones next to her, waiting to be read.

He just smiled. Some things about his children will never change. "Hermione, why don't we take these back with us and we can go check on your brother and Draco. It has been about an hour now and I told the nurse we would only be gone for about thirty minutes. So, we better get back before someone worries, and right now everyone has been worrying enough."

On their way back they talked about what she had done during the summer, and Severus got to know what a wonderful young lady his baby had grown up to be. It was one of the best conversations he had ever had. Even though he just listened to Hermione, he felt it was very rewarding. She reminded him so much of Lily that it was almost painful, but it was the best pain he had ever had. His thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when he heard some yelling from the Hospital Ward that Harry was in, without a second thought he ran down the corridor and into the room. Hermione was right behind him. They both stopped right in the door, half with shock and half with relief. Harry and Draco were on the opposite ends of the room throwing insults at each other. The nurse was sitting on one of the beds in between them almost in tears because apparently she could not get them to stop.

Severus started laughing and looked down, between laughs he asked Hermione "Are you sure you want to keep this bet, I will only let you out right now." Between her own laughter, she looked up at her father, and with mischief in her eyes said "No way, Potions Master, you're not getting out of owing me a favor."

"Petrificus Totalus."

"Finite Incantatem"

A/N: YAY! Finally I have gotten this out. I'm sorry it has taken forever, but I am finally getting a life! Plus I'm going to be moving back home to the states soon, and everything is becoming crazy. I promise I will get the third chapter out sooner though.

I have to thank my Reviewers. All eight of you. Thanks guys don't worry I will continue. I also have to thank my Beta, without her, I'm not sure if you guys would understand half the stuff I wrote. I also have to thank my brother. Thanks ya ass monkey!!

For all you new readers please Review!! Love ya!! KORNfused