Disclaimer: *Looks under the bed* Hmm ... It appears that while I still don't own Harry Potter, I do own a lot of dust bunnies.

Chapter 104

Harry was a nervous wreck. His stomach was in knots. As a result, the couch in the Gryffindor common room exploded - which might not have been so bad had he not been sitting on it at the time.

"Harry, what has gotten into you?" demanded Hermione as she tried to repair it.

"We're supposed to finally sit down and talk tonight," he whispered as he repaired a cushion.

"You've not talked yet?" she asked surprised. "What do you do when you're up there with him?"

Harry looked away. It was Ron that saw his expression.

"You've not been back have you?" he accused.

"Yesterday."

"Where have you been staying?"

Harry shrugged. He couldn't tell her the Room of Requirement with so many eaves droppers. He was sure they were already curious as to what he was talking about.

"Since most of my house mates think I'm the spawn of evil reborn, I've not felt the most welcome here."

The 6th year that had been causing him the most trouble sent a glare his way.

"I just wish they would make up their mind about me already."

"What are you going to say?" asked Ron as he sat back down on the newly repaired couch.

"I have questions that demand answers. After that ... no idea."

"When are you going up there?"

"I figured I'd go after lunch."

"Potter!"

Harry looked up to see Angelina waving him over. "Yes?"

"Are you free for Quidditch tonight?"

"You all still want me on the team?" asked Harry surprised.

"Not everyone thinks you're turning into You-Know-Who. Besides, I don't care if it's found out you're You-Know-Who's son, the odds of us finding a better seeker are non existent. They'll all love you again when we win the next game."

Harry rolled his eyes. Some things never change. "I can't tonight, Angelina. I should be free tomorrow."

"You better be. Your Dragon Pox put us behind schedule."

An hour later found Harry heading to the hospital wing. When he knocked on the private room door and opened it, it was to see Snape sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You're being released today?" he asked, surprise evident on his face.

"Yes."

Harry could tell Snape was uncomfortable. Part of him was glad that he wasn't the only one.

"Do you feel like talking now?" he asked hesitantly.

"I do. I would prefer to do so in my quarter's. I hate the hospital wing. However, I realize this will most likely make you uncomfortable, so we can either go to Lupin's quarter's or to the Headmaster's office. Both have offered them for our use this morning."

"Your quarters' are fine, sir," said Harry. The last thing he needed was for Remus or Dumbledore to see his wrath as well.

Severus nodded. "We'll use the floo."

"Severus Snape, sit back down in that bed this instant!" said Madam Pomphrey as she rounded the corner.

He sneered. "I told you, I'm going to my quarter's today."

She huffed as she scanned him. "Very well. Take it easy for another day. No brewing unless you're seated."

Harry snickered quietly because the look Snape gave her indicated that he wasn't going to obey.

Five minutes later found Harry being dumped face first out of the floo into Snape's quarter's.

"Oww ..." he groaned. He didn't think he'd ever get the hang of that.

"Have a seat Po ... Harry. I am going to change."

He watched as Snape disappeared through a door. He then looked around the room. There was more color present than he had anticipated. The main color was black, but there were also splashes of green and blue around as well.

His eyes then narrowed at something on the fireplace mantle. It was a clock with his name on it. There were different phrases: class, detention, out of bed, mischief, castle grounds, home, mortal peril, dying, dead.

Right now the arrow was pointing at home. He narrowed his eyes at it even more.

"It always says home when you are at the castle, and not in one of the other various places mentioned. The only exception was during this past summer when you were staying with your Godfather. It said home then as well."

Harry jumped. He hadn't heard Snape re-enter the room.

"Why do you have this?"

"To help me keep an eye on you. Though, it's supposed to be in my bedroom. I guess Albus moved it out here. Did you want anything to eat or drink?"

Harry shook his head before sitting down in a chair. Snape took the seat opposite of him.

"What did I do to you that was so bad that you didn't want me?" blurted Harry before he could stop himself. It was the question that he wanted answered the most.

Snape winced. "Once I got over the shock of the truth, I wanted you instantly, but I did not believe I could be a good father to you."

"Why didn't you tell me anyway? Do you know what it did to me to learn from Voldemort that you were my father?"

"I tried, several times, as I'm sure you'll recall."

"You should have tried harder! All you had to say was, 'I'm your father!'"

Snape raised an eyebrow at him. "And you would have believed me?"

"Maybe not at first, but I'm sure if you showed me proof ..."

"Has Albus taken you to retrieve the letter your mother wrote to you yet?"

"My mom wrote me a letter?"

Severus sighed. "She did. I assumed he or Remus would have taken you already."

Harry fidgeted in his seat. "I've been avoiding them. I'm upset with them too."

"There's no need to be upset with them. They have been encouraging me to tell you the truth. I told them not to tell you themselves."

Harry recalled what Snape had said to him this past summer. "You told me that in the grand scheme of things, what you had to tell me was not important. Is having a family not important to you?" He couldn't keep the hurt out of his voice.

"Of course it is." Snape looked around the room before focusing on him again. "I ... am not proud of my past but I knew that I would be in an excellent position to help bring the Dark Lord down from the inside. It was an opportunity that could not be wasted. I knew you would be alright with Black. Of course, there was also that connection that appeared between you and the Dark Lord. I had to wait for you to learn occlumency."

"And after I learned it?"

"The day I discovered Umbridge's blood quill, I had planned on telling you, but it distracted me."

"And after that?" snarled Harry.

"Your Godfather was killed."

"Excuses!" yelled Harry.

To his surprise, Snape nodded. "They were just excuses. I was ... afraid you wouldn't want me in your life once you had Black."

Harry suddenly burst out laughing, which caused Snape to narrow his eyes at him.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh. But I can only imagine Sirius' reaction to all of this." He was then brought up short. "Did Sirius know?" Remus had said that he didn't, but Snape might have told him without Remus finding out.

"No. Your mother had written him a letter as well. He never received it."

"How do you know?"

"Because she left it in my keeping. Albus was going to give it to him the week he went missing."

"Can ... Can I see the copy of my mom's letter to you?"

Snape's eyes narrowed. He then got up and disappeared into a back room.

Harry leaned back into the chair. His mind had so many thoughts running through them, that it was hard to just latch onto one.

Did he really want this? Was Snape keeping anything else from him? Was anyone else keeping anything from him? Would this put Snape in anymore danger than he was already in? Why did Remus and Dumbledore pressure Snape into telling me? Did they really not want to be his guardians?

He didn't realize he had asked that last question out loud until Snape answered him.

"Of course they wanted you. It had more to do with the fact that they knew I wanted you more."

Harry startled, which in turn caused some books to fly off of a nearby shelf. "Sorry, sir. Sneaking up on me is bad."

Severus eyed the books before waving his wand to set them right. "I was surprised Pettigrew got in here and past my wards, and that he only took a copy of my letter. He appeared to have left the photo album alone."

"He probably caused a diversion to sneak in and then used the Silent Sneaker Jinx," said Harry automatically as he eyed the contents in Snape's hands.

"There is no such jinx."

"There is. My d..." Here Harry faltered. "Remus, Sirius, and them invented it. They can get past most traditional wards without setting off the alarm. It was in a book that Sirius had given me that listed all of their pranks and spells and such."

"Harry ... James is your father as well. You can call him dad in my presence. I don't want you to feel any more uncomfortable than you already do. If we are going to make this work, it will take time and effort from the both of us."

Harry slowly nodded as he reached for the items Snape held out and began to read the letter.

"She was going to let me find out the truth when I turned 17?"

"I don't know what her letter says to you. If you want, I can have Lupin take you to get it tomorrow."

Harry nodded. He then flipped through the photo album. Without realizing it, he had tears running down his face.

This looked like he had a normal childhood.

He tried searching his memories for these events, but all he could come up with was the blinding green light of his parents being murdered.

Harry then tensed.

"Harry?" asked Snape gently, no doubt seeing him tense.

"It was you ..."

"What was me?"

"I remember you .. I ... You ..." Harry paused and gathered his thoughts. "I remember you holding me when I was little."

Snape frowned thoughtfully. He had only ever held Harry twice that he could recall. The day she brought Harry to see him and the night Lily had died.

"You ... argh," said Harry with frustration as he ruffled his hair. It was hard to voice what he wanted to say. "I remember the night they died, very clearly. Dad yelling for mom to take me and run. Mom rushing in and picking me up. She was about to do something ... apparate maybe, when the door blew off the hinges. She then sat me back down in the crib and stood in front of me." Here Harry frowned again. "I don't remember what was said, but he eventually killed her. I then remember that blinding green light coming at me. After that, it's black. The next thing I remember is being safe in someone's arms. I had always assumed it was an out of order dream."

"I can't believe you remember all of that," replied Severus, very softly.

"I didn't ... at first. Then the dementor's came. They caused me to remember more." Harry sighed then looked back down at the photo album.

It was perhaps 10 minutes later when Harry spoke again. "I don't understand. That letter and this photo album suggests that she really loved you and you've told me more than once that you loved her. Why didn't you two get married?"

"It's ... complicated."

"Is it because of that fight you had in your 7th year?"

"What do you know of that?" snapped Snape.

"Not a lot. Just that you called her a mudblood."

"It ... was one of the reasons, but I'd prefer not to talk about it just yet. Did you have any more questions?"

"What is this going to mean for you?"

"I don't understand."

"Are you going to have an even bigger target on your back now because of everyone finding out the truth?"

Snape gave a humorless laugh. "Of all the things to worry about, you're concerned about me? Let me reassure you that I'll be fine."

Harry then squinted at Snape. "I feel like such a prat. You're tired. I should probably go."

"Did you have any more questions?"

"I have a lot of questions but most of the important ones were answered." Harry carefully sat the letter and photo album aside. "You need to rest. I'll go find Remus and see if he'll take me to Gringott's tomorrow."

"Harry."

He paused.

"I want this to work between us. That being said, you may come to see me at anytime. I will set the wards to recognize you. Just put your hand on the door and say 'Amaranth'."

Harry nodded. "I ...er ... hope you feel better, sir." He then fled the room.

It took him a while but he eventually found his way out of the dungeons - thankfully without running into anyone else.

Severus sighed. Potter had just left his quarters. That had been the most awkward conversation he had ever had.

He thought he had handled it well though.

Evidently the boy had somewhat come to terms with the idea, though it was plain to see that he was still hurting over how he had learned the truth.

Not that Severus could blame him.

He stood and retrieved Lily's letter to re-read it.

"I'm trying, Lily. I just hope I don't screw this up even more than I already have," he whispered into the air.

With another sigh, he returned the items to his room before heading toward his personal lab. He needed a distraction.

"Harry! I'm surprised to see you. Come in."

Harry entered Remus' quarter's.

"How was your talk with Severus?"

"Was okay. I need more time to come to grips with everything." He shook his head absent mindedly.

"Understandable."

"He said my mom left a letter for me in Gringotts. Can you take me tomorrow to get it?"

"There's a full moon tonight. I won't be able to. I'm sure Albus will though."

Harry frowned but nodded. "Do you have the Wolfs' Bane potion?"

Remus smiled. "I do. How did yours and Severus' talk go?" he asked again.

"He's still in one piece if that's what you're wondering."

"I knew you wouldn't harm him," scolded Remus.

"What would Sirius have thought?"

Remus sighed. "He'd ... well, he probably would have tried to kill Severus. I imagine it would have taken all of us to get him to see reason."

"Would he have still wanted me?"

"I told you before, yes. I imagine Severus and Sirius would have both fought for custody of you."

Harry shrugged. "I don't see why. All I do properly is attract trouble."

"Nonsense, Harry."

"Who would have won," he asked curiously.

Remus put a glass of pumpkin juice in front of Harry. "Severus' claim as father would have won out."

"Would Snape have kept me from Sirius?"

"No," replied Remus without hesitation. "He knew how much you loved Sirius."

Remus noted that Harry never asked if Sirius would have kept him away from Severus.

"I'm just so tired of all the lying. I still feel as if things are being kept from me."

"Most of what has been kept from you has been to protect you. You are still only fifteen."

Harry glared at Remus but opted to stay silent.

A couple minutes had passed in silence when the floo nearly startled him as it flared green. His eyes widened as Tonks came tumbling out of the fireplace.

"Oh!" Her hair turned a violent shade of red. "Hello Harry."

Harry looked between Tonks and Remus. "I'll ... uh ... just be going now."

"You don't need to leave because I'm here, Harry," she said kindly.

"I need to find the Headmaster. Bye!" Harry then fled from the room.

"That was awkward," he muttered as he headed to Dumbledore's office.

A/N: Look! They talked! Ok. So I know that most of the questions that Harry probably should have asked didn't appear in this chapter. Truth is, Harry is still trying to come to grips with the fact that he has an actual father still living that apparently (after this talk, anyway) still wants him. It has to be a shock going to this from the Dursely's cursing his existance.

And, yet again, I am sorry about the delay in posting. I've been going back and forth from WV to VA and about every week and a half. I take my writing with me when I go and I do actually get quite a bit done, but I imagine it's not to anyone's satisfaction. Also, when I'm back to my desktop, I've been absorbed into replaying Dragon Age: Origins (followed by Awakening and then DA2). Oh the story possibilities, but I won't be working on any other story until this one is done, and we still have quite a ways to go. (Not to mention the fact that I keep replaying the origins part of the game and haven't gotten very far lol.)

Anyway, up next: Harry reads the letter his mother left for him.

Oh, and I swiped the password to Snape's quarters from the song Amaranth by Nightwish. (Whom I have been listening to a lot, along with Within Temptation and Flyleaf.) For what it's worth, an Amaranth is a flower grain type thing. It can signify immortaility too, which is kinda ironic. Anyway, I figured with it being a type of flower, Snape would like it because it could also mean Potion Ingredient. hehe

Ok ... going to work on typing the next few chapters now. *shifty*