.

.

Harry Potter and the Father

Chapter 4

The Letter And Explainations

When Severus woke up in the morning, he had a hangover, with a groan he went into his private potions cupboard before downing the potion that was orange, labelled Hang over Potion. He went and showered, used the toilet and dressed before going down to breakfast, nodding to Poppy, Minerva and Hagrid. Eating some breakfast he was and never would be a big breakfast eater; his main meal was his dinner. Poppy always fussed over him, but she knew when to stop. She knew he was not always comfortable with mothering, affected by his own mother never being able to do it when his father was about. But she did make up for it when he was not there with sweets and ice cream, she always had to use glamour charms and buy it, she knew he had people watching her when he was gone.

Today he had to teach again, he sometimes did not know why he stayed there, trying to teach in compete students to brew potions. He loved his potions and would happily love to brew potions until his heart content, but he owned the Headmaster a life debt being here fulfilled it. He was allowed to leave, he did not because he did not feel he had fulfilled the debt and it would be there until he feels he had. He was teaching third years as well as seventh and fifth year in that order today.

Over ten exploded potions twenty detentions, he was sitting in his private quarters. The meeting had been cancelled and he thanked Merlin that he did. He went and had a bath, a much-needed bath. Settling down he started reading his potion book one he had bought last summer. When he saw one he really wanted to do; which required unicorn blood he jumped at the chance. He could not remember putting his unicorn hair away, 'what happened to the bottles?' was all Severus thought

Clicking his fingers he did not wait for Blinky who he knew was the only Elf to clean his rooms. He had requested it only be one elf, one that didn't bow, scrape, blubber or debase themselves all the time

"Have you seen unicorn blood, I left it in a set of my clothes?" asked Severus.

"Yes, master Snape, Sir, they is in your drawer sir's right there" said the elf pointing to the place where he had put the unicorn hair. When it came obvious that's all Severus had wanted the elf popped away again.

He opened the drawer and found what he was looking for; looking at the letter, he remembered that he had gotten it on the way to the bank. Putting it on his desk, he left for his lab, and spent the next two hours working on a potion. After finishing it, he put them in vials after ladling them; he then labelled them and put them in his own personal potions cupboard. You would find all sorts of potions in there, from healing potion to lust potion, more than half of them were illegal. No one would be able to get into them, because it is charmed and hexed to only let his magical and blood signature open the door.

Shutting the door, he went and sat down with a drink of fire whiskey, wanting to have another shower because his hair had a small amount of grease in it, contrary to popular belief he did not like his hair greasy he loved making potions day in and day out, even one potion made his hair greasy.

Remembering the note he whispered "Accio Letter" the letter came flying towards him opening it, he ended up dropping it he knew that hand writing. Cursing he said "Why do you torment me so Lily?" trying and succeeding in stopping the tears from falling, he had long ago stopped crying over it. With a resigned sigh he could never put the letter in the fire to burn no matter how much he tried. Opening it he began reading to himself, tears unchecked made there way down the man's cheeks as he learned the truth from so long ago.

Dear Severus,

If you are reading this then I am dead and cannot tell you in person. Your father is now dead, this is charmed to send to you if your father is dead and if I am too, it would not have sent if I had been alive. It pains me to have left you, but it was not because I did not love you, there is something I must tell you.

After we graduated from Hogwarts I got curious to know if I had magical blood because I for a Muggle born was great at charms as well as potions, just like you, and to my greatest surprise and sadness, Tobias Snape came up as my Father and Eileen Prince/Snape as my mother, I was horrified to realize you were my brother, my twin brother.

I could not stay with you it would not be right, so I went to someone else, to get over you and I did in some way, I began loving you as my brother. I look exactly like you Sev under the charms and so does my son, he looks exactly like you and me in every way well apart from the nose there is nothing of James in him at all. It shamed me to cover my son's looks from the world he was such a cute baby it hurt me to hurt my child putting the charms on but I had no choice. I couldn't risk my life my sons life or yours I knew how much you loved mum and I couldn't do that to her either.

If I am dead, I hope the war has abated, and my son is alive, if he is I would love you to be an uncle to him, if both James and I are gone, I have an adoption paper here and I would love for you to look after my son.

I have begged Dumbledore not to send my son to the Dursley's, I fear they would be abusive, I was a freak in my sister's eyes, such hurtful words hurt me that summer before my first year and every year after that, she even went so far as to beat me, to try to make me normal even worse, she got her boyfriend to help, it hurt. However, not that it matters Dumbledore swore not to let my son go there, if he is with Sirius get him.

Sirius is not a father figure, Harry will grow up thinking pranks and bullying people is ok, I do not want my son brought up like that. I again have to apologize for the break up I love you my brother and I apologize for the way James treated you, he is sorry too. He finally grew up much too late! If only I had known sooner I suppose it wouldn't have made any difference. Is still wouldn't have told you! I couldn't I hope you understand that.

Goodbye Severus,

Lily Evans-Prince-Snape-Potter.

Severus could not move he was frozen on the spot; the fact that Lily had never stopped loving him became clear. His heart felt lighter than it had ever felt in his life, with a smile, which was wiped of his face when he remembered a part of the letter. He didn't want to think on the fact he had almost married his sister, his twin sister it horrified him. He did understand why Lily had never told him then something else began troubling him.

The words replayed around his head …He promised not to place my son there…..they beat me. Gulping he looked at the adoption remembering the other thing she said ….he looks nothing like James he looks like me and you in every way well apart from that nose.

Knowing that Lily's son, his nephew, may be getting beaten at Muggles had him leaving

He had always wanted a family, well here was a chance, and for his own son that was his own blood. There was nothing anyone could do because the adoption paper was unbreakable and Lily signature made it all the more permanent no one will be taking his son, his nephew away from him. Even if he loved the Dursley's and Lily was wrong he would still take him. Harry would be his; he would come to love him and come to love the world he should have always remained in.

Running out of the dungeons he did not pass anyone while running past the apparition barriers, thinking 'I'm going to be having a long talk with Dumbledore when I get back, Lily begged him not to put her son there and what does he do?' Thought Snape changing his clothes to Muggle clothes, he apparated to the Muggle world. To where he knew Harry was living.

Running down the road he passed several startled Muggles most were in doors as it was dinner time. Finding number Four Privet Drive, he shivered at how normal and still everything was, all the houses along in rows and the houses across the road all looked the same, same cut square grass, same plants around the grass. Everything was far too tidy for his taste, apart from one that had children's toys lying around a tree in the middle of the grass and two at either side of the door.

"Alohamora" said Snape, as the door opened with a click as the locks were magically turned. He entered the living room, he found everything abnormally quiet, frowning he noticed pictures of a very obese father and son, a stick like figure he knew to be Petunia Evans. Not one picture of Harry Potter was to be had, growing concerned, he knew he had the right house and was now sure Lily had been right.

He silently wondered where the occupants of the house were, trudging up the stairs he found four rooms. One was done in a ghastly peach colour, full of dog pictures and porcelain figures. Shutting it he went to another, he found it was a spare room, full of broken and discarded toys. Growing more and more concerned, he opened the master bedroom and found it to be an adult room, obviously belonging to Petunia and Vernon Dursley if the dent in the bed was anything to go by. The last room he entered was full of toys, by the look of the room Severus knew this boy to be spoiled. Shaking his head he backed out and closed the door. He was obviously going to have to wait till they got back, and demand answers then.

As he walked back down the stairs he was about to step foot in the living room to wait when he heard a noise. It wouldn't be anything normal people would pick up on, but Severus had been a spy and relied on all his senses, including his hearing. The noise had been very quiet perhaps it had been an animal? He took another step and heard another quite whimper. He identified it as coming from a cupboard, Severus was no animal lover but surely they wouldn't keep a poor animal stuck under the stairs? Narrowing his eyes he undone all the locks ready to rescue the cat or animal they had in there.

Severus opened the cupboard hesitantly wondering if anything would jump out at him, instead he nearly passed out. Lying there in front of him was Harry Potter the boy who lived, saviour of the wizarding world, lying on a blooded cot not one bit of him recognizable the only reason Severus knew was the hair and the lightning bolt he could see, not even all the blood on the kids head could hide it. He was expected to save them all yet here he was lying as if he were nothing in a Muggle house beaten abused and most of all dying.

Then fear began gripping Severus Snape unlike anything he had ever felt before - even when Lily had been targeted by Voldemort for the simple fact she had a child born on July 31st when the seventh month dies.

Oo Will Harry survive the trip back to Hogwarts? R&R