DISCLAIMERS: I don't own anthing other than the plot. J.K. owns the characters and I just borrowed them to play with.

A/n: Re-posted 08/17/2013

italics = Thoughts

Chapter 5 – The True Comes Out.

Severus paced in his office. He knew that his exit of the infirmary wouldn't stop the headmaster to come and interrogate him. For Dumbledore to come and try to find out what exactly Snape knew that he didn't.

And he was right. Little more than half an hour had passed when Dumbledore came into his office without knocking.

"Severus" said the headmaster looking directly in his eyes "what EXACTLY did you mean when you said I was putting YOUR SON at risk?"

Snape took a deep breath before answering.

"Just what I said, headmaster." his voice showing calmness, even if calmn was the last thing anyone would feel when they had withhold something from Albus Dumbledore.

"You know very well that Harry is a Potter! What was all that? You never showed any sign of affection towards the boy and now you claim he is your son?" Dumbledore was getting more and more annoyed, and an annoyed Dumbledore were never a good thing.

"You're right when you say Harry's a Potter..." started Snape.

"Good! We're all set now, so we can move..." Albus tried to finish the conversation.

"BUT!" Severus didn't seem to mind the interruption "He's a Potter by adoption."

"That's absurd! What are you talking about?" demanded the older man "if Harry had been adopted I would've know!"

"I doubt even Poppy knows about it." was Snape's answer "and she helped give birth to the boy."

"Do you have any proof of that, Severus?" asked Dumbledore losing the sparkle in his eyes.

"You should remember that Harry had dragon pox this year, right?" and after a nod from Albus he continued "Harry Potter is allergic to the root of Mimbulus mimbletonia." finished the potion master like it was the answer to all the questions.

"I still don't know where you going with this, Severus. This is an allergy found in magical families. Why is it important?"

"You're right, Albus. It is an allergy RARELY found and only among magical families. An allergy that the Potter family never had."

"And how could you be sure of it?" asked Albus, thinking of the consequences of Harry really being a Snape.

"Do you really believe that Poppy wouldn't know? She was practically his family's healer! The Prince family, on the other hand..."

"Always had this allergy..." finished Dumbledore "as your mother made sure to notify the school when you were accepted. But it's not only the Prince family that has this allergy!"

"No." agreed the potion master "but how many members of those other families actually knew Lily Evans and can claim to have spent a night with her some ten months before she gave birth? Harry IS my son, Albus. I made a paternity test with his blood."

Snape opened a drawer and after a little search, he took the results he had for more than a month now, giving it to the headmaster.

Severus had never seen the face of Dumbledore so pale in his life. Not even when they heard about the Potters' death.

"It's false!" exclaimed the headmaster.

"You can ask Poppy to redo the test." said Severus calmly "the result won't change. And since we're on this subject, I actually want Poppy to do it, as soon as possible, seeing as Harry will spent the holidays with me, and as far away as possible from those relatives of his."

"You can't do this, Severus." said Albus more relaxed "Harry's protected with the Dursleys. You don't want him to lose that protection, do you?"

"And what good does that protection if just last summer he spent most of the holidays on Diagon Alley?" asked Snape "there is nothing you can say that will change my mind, Albus. Harry is MY SON. And I'm going to take care of him."

"And when Voldemort is back?" Albus didn't gave up "are you going to give you son in a silver plate to him?"

"We both knew my spying days would come to an end, Albus. And we both know that I was never your only spy. Harry's guardianship came to me the moment I accepted the fact that he is my son, as you well know."

"Very well" said the headmaster, defeated "in this case, I believe it should be yours the privilege of telling Harry the truth."

"It'll be my pleasure." was Snape's answer.

"I'll ask Poppy to redo the test. Just so we're absolutely sure."

"As you wish, headmaster." agreed Severus "as soon as this test come up I'll tell the boy."

Albus nodded and turned to leave, but before he opened the door, Snape stopped him.

"One more thing, headmaster. Do you really believe that Black is innocent?"

"Without a doubt, my boy."

"What about his sanity?"

"I believe he's as sane as he always have been." was Dumbledore answer.

"You mean he's as insane as he always was..." said Severus which means I don't want him anywhere near Harry completed him in thoughts.

"He is Harry's godfather. You don't really think you can keep them apart, do you, Severus?" the twinkle in the old man eyes was almost blinding.

"That's something we shall see, Albus. And it will depend on how much he's changed, won't it?"

"I hope you know what you're getting into, my boy." were the parting words of Dumbledore.

I hope too thought Severus, thinking about all the fights he would have to fight before he had Harry's trust.

The next day was the day the students would go back to their homes. Harry was finishing his packing when an owl delivered a message from professor Dumbledore asking him to go to his office, so they could talk about where he would be during vacation. At first he was happy, thinking that the headmaster had finally been convinced that the Dursleys were not the best place for him. The young man even imagined himself going to live with his godfather, even if Sirius was still running from the minister.

When Harry arrived at the headmaster office, though, he found not only professor Dumbledore, but the nurse and Snape as well. Harry had a grudge with Snape, and it seemed that the potion's professor had on against him too. At least till a few weeks back.

Snape might have thought that his acting hadn't changed around the boy, but Harry could clearly see a difference in the attitude the professor had when he was around. And the last thing he had said on the day Sirius fled didn't help Harry understand what was going on with his professor. Especially because Harry refused to think that what the professor said that day could be true.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" asked the dark haired boy, sitting on the only vacated chair, between the nurse and Snape.

"Yes, my boy." answered the headmaster "we need to discuss where you are going to stay this summer."

"Are you saying I don't need to go back to the Dursleys, sir?" Harry was barely able to hide his hope.

"Before we talk about it, could you, please, donate a few drops of your blood to Poppy?" asked the old man.

Harry was confused. Why would they need my blood for? He asked himself. But he did what the professor requested and let the nurse pierce his finger and shed a few drops of blood inside a small cauldron. At least now I know why Snape is here thought Harry if they want to test my blood in a potion... he is, probably, the better person to do it...

Dumbledore, Poppy and Harry were silent while Snape followed the last steps of the potion. Then, he poured it on a parchment and banished the rest of it.

"It takes two minutes for it to be ready." told Snape, going back to his place.

When the two minutes had passed, Dumbledore pointed his wand to the parchment and said revelium. Harry saw words forming on the parchment, but before he could read what they said, Dumbledore took it and read.

"Er..." started Harry "what is going on here, sir? What was all this?"

"It's a difficult thing what I have to do now, my boy..." said the headmaster.

"I believe that this privilege is mine, Albus." Said Snape before Harry or Albus could say anything more "Po... Harry. There is a... there seems to be a discrepancy involving your conception."

"What?" Harry could barely understand what Snape was saying.

"It seems that James Potter adopted you right after you were born." said Snape.

"No!" said Harry "it can't be! James Potter is my father!"

"By adoption." corrected the professor "it came to my attention, recently, a few details that made me believe that Potter wasn't your biological father. That actually, I AM you father."

"WHAT? NO! That's impossible! Professor! You know this is not true!" Harry was begging one of them to tell him it was all just a joke, a mean joke, but just a joke.

"I must agree with Severus, my boy." said Albus giving Harry the parchment "we just did a paternity test with your blood, and here clearly states that you are Severus' son."

Harry looked to the parchment in front of him and asked it to show him something to prove to all of them that he was a Potter, and just a Potter.

It said:

Harry James Potter:

Mother: Lily Anne Potter nee Evans

Father: Severus Tobias Snape

Father: James Charlus Potter

Heir to:

Snape Family

Prince Family

Potter Family

But all Harry was able to read was Father: Severus Tobias Snape.

"NO!" Harry tried to deny it again.

The world around him started to blur, and all he could do was hope that all this was only one of his strange dreams. But when after seconds he was still stuck in that nightmare, Harry got up in a hurry, making the chair fall to the ground and, leaving behind the calls from Dumbledore, Pomfrey and Snape, he run. And run. And run. The parchment that was his doom smashed in his fist.

This just CAN'T be true!

A/n: So... Reviews?