Chapter 3

Severus was exhausted; he couldn't wait to see James. It had been over a year now since he held the man and he never wanted to go half that long again.

"Luc," Severus said as he met up with the blond man in front of the gates to the school. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in a couple of months."

"Yeah," Lucius said. "He gave me 'time off' to spend with my wife and son. Albus said he might pull you if you want. He said that what you're getting is not worth enough to risk you."

"You're kidding? You mean I can marry James and spend time with him, start a family?"

"Listen," Lucius started as they walked up the steps and into the entrance hall of the school. "There is something I need to tell you. Um… It's about James."

"What?"

"Well… see…"

"Spit it out, I don't have all day."

"He got married."

Severus stopped at he felt his heart hit the ground.

"W… Wh… Wha… What?"

"Yeah," Lucius confirmed. "He married Lily Evans. They had a son over the summer."

"Oh dear Merlin."

"Severus," Lucius said trying to get the man's attention.

Severus didn't feel anything as he fell to his knees. Lucius caught him before he fell face first into the stone floor. Lucius got on his knees supporting Severus with his body as he, with great difficulty, pulled out his wand and sent his patronus off for help. Lucius didn't know what to do for his old friend.

"Lucius!"

Lucius turned his face to see Madame Pomfrey and Albus running down the hall towards them.

"What happened," the headmaster asked.

"I told him," Lucius said. "I thought it would be better to hear about it before he saw it."

"Albus," Poppy said quickly as she felt Severus' pulse. "I need to get him to the hospital wing, I am sure he just needs a calming draught but I don't have any on me."

Albus pulled out his wand and levitated the man to the infirmary, followed closely behind by Lucius and Poppy.

Half and hour later Albus was sitting in his office as members of the Order began to arrive. He had left Severus and Lucius down in the hospital to wait for Severus' draught to take effect.

As the Potters and Lupins made there way into the office, Albus knew that this was not going to be the best meeting but he didn't know how to prevent the fall out.

"Molly," Lily said as she greeted the redheaded woman who was sitting on the couch with a little one on her knee. "How are you? Ready for Christmas?"

"Oh Merlin no," Molly said tiredly. "My boys are wearing me out. And we found out this morning that I'm pregnant."

"Oh Molly," Lily said trying to keep that smile on her face. "That's wonderful, right?"

"Only if it's a girl this time," Molly said. "If it's not I may have to kick Arthur out. He wants a daughter so badly and well, I'm not sure I can go through another one after this."

"I thought they said labor got easier the more you had," Lily said with a smirk.

"The labor never gets easier and neither does taking care of them. Maybe if I had a couple in Hogwarts already but they are all under foot all day long. I'm telling you Lily, wait a couple of years before you give your son a sibling."

Lily looked up at her son who was in his fathers arms. James hardly ever put his son down.

"One may be enough for us," Lily said.

James was laughing at the story Arthur was telling him about his twins. James felt someone watching him and looked up to see that it was his wife. He winked at her before looking back at Arthur, smiling.

"How's Harry been," Remus asked as he took the boy from his father.

"Little fussy the last couple of nights," James said as he brushed his son's hair off his forehead.

"How old is he again," Arthur asked.

"Almost five months," James said as he fiddled with the ring on his right hand. The ring he had not taken off in almost 13 months. The ring he had found in Severus' dresser. "He is growing too quickly, before I know it, I'll be sending him off on the Hogwarts Express."

"They do grow up fast," Arthur said.

"Alright," Albus said over the noise of the crowd. "Let's get started."

James took his son from Remus and went to sit next to Lily on the couch. He put his son in his lap and threw his arm around Lily's shoulder, pulling her against him.

"Good evening," Albus greeted them. "We… good you made it," Albus said as he saw Lucius and Severus come through the doors of his office.

'Oh Merlin,' James was shocked to see Severus there. He had to keep himself from jumping up to hug the man. He had to remember that the people in this room thought that he was in love with his wife.

Severus saw James out of the corner of his eye and did everything he could to keep his eyes averted. He did not want to see James with his family. He could not believe the betrayal. James had traded him in as soon as he left.

If his calculations were correct, James and Lily would have needed to conceive almost as soon as he left. Severus couldn't believe that Sirius had let this happen, but Severus didn't see Sirius any where in the room so maybe he didn't let it happen.

"Severus," Albus said pulling him from his thoughts. "Would you like to give us your report this time?"

"Certainly," Severus spent the next fifteen minutes telling the Order everything he had learned by being the Dark Lords Potion Master.

James couldn't take his eyes off Severus. Lily took his hand in an attempt at stilling his trembling. James couldn't hear a word that Severus was saying, he couldn't believe that he had come back.

An hour later, James was brought back to reality as the group began to leave.

"James," Lily whispered in his ear as she reached to take Harry from him. "Go talk to him."

"No," he said pulling Harry back to him. "He should meet his father," he looked Lily in the eye before he leaned foreword and kissed her cheek. "Thanks."

As he stood up, he searched out his love. When he found him, the man was going out the office door with Malfoy close behind.

"Wait," he called out. "Severus!" James quickly followed Severus and Malfoy out of the office with Harry in his arms. As he got to the bottom of he stairs he saw that Severus was half way down the hall. "SEVERUS! Please stop! I want to talk."

Severus did stop. He turned on his heels and marched quickly back to James.

James could see the hatred and pain in Severus' eyes.

"You may want to talk, but I don't. I left here, over a year ago, trying to make a better life for us. I come back to find you left me. There is nothing I want to hear from you. Go back to your fucking family." Severus started to turn around before looking back at James. "Does your slut of a wife keep Sirius in your bed too?"

James watched Severus' retreating back feeling as if he had just been slapped. He held his son to his chest and kissed his tiny head as tears began to slide down his cheeks.

"Daddy loves you little lion," James told his son softly. "Papa would too; he just… doesn't love me."