It's been a while since I updated or published a story!
This idea however is something I have gone back to time and time again and I thought it was about time to get my words to paper.
J.K Rowling owns Harry Potter and it's magical world. I am just playing with what ifs.
This story starts at the beginning of year 3. Harry and co have already arrived at Hogwarts and all cannon events have taken place to this point (Harry blowing up Aunt Marge etc).
Warning this is a 'Snape is Harry's biological father' story. There will be angst and drama, this will not be a story where Snape and Harry quickly learn to deal with their newfound relationship, this will happen gradually, and there will be pain for both along the way.
Please read and review :)
Chapter 1: The Potions accident
It had been a potions accident that had set the worst day of his life into motion.
From the offset he should have known the day would end in disaster.
Double potions with the third year Gryffindors and Slytherins, he held whoever had come up with that part of the timetable personally responsible for what had befallen.
He would find them.
The class had started just as any other with Severus towering over the third years from the front of the classroom. With a flick of his wand the instructions were sent to the board and for all their faults the class immediately got to work.
This was their third year with him, they knew now that he would not tolerate stupidity and laziness in his lab.
He stalked up and down the rows of desks, watching the students' hands like a hawk. One slip up, one simple mistake, could prove fatal. Potions accidents were no joke, once students moved to third year, all potions had the potential of turning dangerous. And his colleagues had the check to imply he was too harsh…too strict. He'd like to see any of them step foot in the dungeons and take control of the rowdy teens, in this case rival houses, knifes in hand as they prepared their ingredients. Not to mention the added addition of Longbottom, a disaster with or without the possibility of stuffing up a simple calming draught.
He thought he had made things as simple as possible for the group. It was a Friday afternoon after all, the last day of the first week of term.
Severus had plans for his weekend. He did not want to risk any part of them being in the hospital wing.
None of them, not even Neville Longbottom, could possibly have messed it up.
Not unless they tried to.
That culprit he too would find. Although he had his suspicions firmly cast upon five of the students in the class.
Draco and his witless lackeys or Weasley and Potter. Granger would never break the rules so clearly set out for her, and so the Gryffindor trio, always up to some mischief, were narrowed down to boy hero and his sidekick.
Severus had had his wand at the ready of course, ready for any disasters, but he had been too far away when the explosion had occurred, practically on the other side of the room, no doubt whoever had sabotaged Potter's potion had waited until Severus was far enough away so as to not be seen, to not be stopped.
Potter had copped the full brunt of the explosion, thankfully the rest of the class remained unmaimed.
You wouldn't have thought so though, not with the shrieks that had filled the room when Potter had been knocked back and unconscious. After the shrieks had come complete silence, silence so thick it was deafening.
Immediately Severus had sprung into action, dismissing the class and taking the boy straight to the hospital wing.
He and Poppy had worked tirelessly on the boy, yet nothing they did seemed to do had any affect. Albus and Minerva too had joined them and then word must have reached the wolf for he too came in, what assistance he thought he could offer, Severus had no idea.
" We may have no choice but to wait," Poppy sighed, collapsing in a vacant chair, " His magic should eventually undo the damage."
Severus did not think it was a completely terrible idea. It would keep the boy out of trouble for the immediate future, and they would be better able to guard him from Black's advances.
No doubt the Gryffindor's in the room would disagree, before Severus could put his support behind Poppy's suggestion the wolf cut in.
It was the first time Lupin had spoke. But Severus had felt his gaze upon him the whole time they had been working on Potter, most likely he thought Severus trying to kill the boy in the guise of help.
Lupin more than any should know that he would never harm Lily's son.
" What about a Sanguis Potion?" Lupin suggested as if that were in anyway a possibility.
A blood potion, Severus had no doubt, would work. Potter would probably wake up in minutes, but it was of course an impossibility.
The Sanguis Potion required the blood of a parent.
" In case you have forgotten Lupin, Potter is without living parents, the potion would never work," Severus retorted in frustration. Was he the only person in his year who had listened to Slughorns drawl.
"Would his aunt's blood work?" Minerva questioned, "Lily's sister?"
Albus looked pensive for a second, thinking through the thought as if it were a possibility, Severus cut him off before he had the chance to offer false hope, "No. It must be a parents blood, the potion is useless without it."
"Your blood will work Severus."
At that all eyes fell on the wolf in shock, the silence was again deafening.
Was the man out of his mind?
"Are you out of your mind Lupin?" Severus questioned, the only one it seemed able to put words into sentences.
The audacity of the man to make such a suggestion.
"Your blood will work Severus." Lupin put forward again, more firmly this time.
Severus had to fight very hard to control his desires to hit him square in the jaw.
"As I have already said Lupin, Mr Potter needs the blood of a parent, of which both of his are dead. My blood would offer nothing to him as there is no relation-"
"And as I said, " Lupin cut in, his body squaring up against Severus' much bigger frame, " Your blood will work."
A flash of Lily's skin, naked and sweating, flashed in Severus mind briefly, before he pushed it aside. Lupin's words were not even a possibility.
"I do not think Potter would appreciate this needless back and forth. Nor do I think he would appreciate what you are suggesting of his mother." Severus growled, his tone ice.
Did Lupin know of their brief indiscretion?
"Headmaster," Lupin began, turning away from Severus and towards what he no doubt hoped were to be more understanding ears, "Please believe me, I know Severus' blood will work. Is it not at least worth a try. If it fails, I will never mention it again."
"Lupin I swear-"
"Enough! Enough of this," Albus' voice broke through them both, he did not raise his tone, but there was no twinkle behind his eye, "Severus conjure the potion and add your blood to it. I will give Harry every chance he has."
Severus knew there was no point arguing with the headmaster. He also knew that the potion would do nothing for Potter and any attempt to make it work without Potter or Lily's blood would be futile.
He conjured the vile and a knife anyway. Very deliberately he made a slice in his finger and placed the required drops into the potion.
No matter the sincerity of the situation at hand, Severus knew he would find it very difficult to contain a smirk when Potter remained motionless despite Lupin's assurance that his plan would work.
That Severus' blood would work.
"There," Severus bit out watching Harry's still motionless form despite having been given the potion some minutes before, " As I said, Lupin I do say-"
"What's going on?"
For the third time that day the silence was deafening. All eyes turned to the thirteen-year-old now stirring in his bed. Rubbing his eyes with a confused expression on his face.
On the face of James Potter.
"Impossible," Severus muttered beneath his breath, forgetting that the room was so silent that all in it would have heard him.
"it seems not quite, Severus," Albus retorted, the twinkle very clearly returned to his eyes, " Remus, Severus, I do believe we need to have a talk."
The three men turned on their heels without so much as another word, leaving behind two shocked witches and a still groggy and confused Harry Potter.
" What's going on?" Harry repeated, the last thing he remembered was making a calming draught in potions. How did he end up in the hospital wing?
Why were Madam Pomphrey and McGonagall looking at him like he had grown a second head?
"What did you do wolf?" Severus ground out between clenched teeth once they had reached the safety of the headmaster's office.
"What did I do?" Remus bit back, incredulous, "what do you mean what did I do?"
"You did something," Severus put in childishly, "You had to have, how else could you explain what just happened?"
"I do not think I need to explain the birds and the bees to you Severus-"
"Enough!" This time Albus did raise his voice, " Both of you sit down. Have a lemon drop."
Immediately, as if naughty schoolboys again, the two men complied to the headmasters' orders.
"Now Severus, answer truthfully my boy, is this a possibility?"
Lupin looked ready to retort, but immediately thought better of it, biting his lip, and turning his eyes too onto Severus.
Severus' mind had once again turned to that night. How many times had he thought of that night in the last thirteen years? How many times had he pictured their bodies melting together.
It was a possibility. One Severus had entertained for six months before the child was born as a miniature clone of James Potter.
"You just need to look at the boy to know it can't be," Severus replied looking at his feet, "No matter what may or may not have occurred between myself and Lily, Potter is very clearly a Potter."
"Looks can be deceiving," Albus put forward gently, they lived in a world of magic after all, "appearances can be changed. Blood cannot."
Of that the headmaster spoke the truth. Still Severus could not entertain the possibility. Lily would not have kept such a secret from him.
Even to protect her child?
To protect her marriage?
"Remus," Albus said turning from Severus to the wolf with a curious glance, "How did you know Severus' blood would work. You were quite insistent."
"They told me," They? Severus blanched at Lupins words, what did he mean they? "James and Lily, I mean. They swore me to secrecy of course, but I think they would forgive me if it meant Harry's life."
"Potter knew of, he knew of-"
"That Lily was unfaithful with you?" Lupin cut in, saving Severus some embarrassment, "Yes he knew."
At the Severus could do nothing more than sigh loudly, placing his hands over his face in exhaustion.
It hadn't been an affair, or some great love story as Severus had in his teenage years perhaps hoped for. Lily had not chosen him over her childhood sweetheart and husband. No. It had been one night. One drunken night. Lily had regretted it immediately the next morning and had returned to him.
"Sirius was the secret keeper of their location," Lupin began explaining his knowledge of the situation, " they entrusted me with knowledge of Harry's parentage. You must know that James never held it against Lily or Harry. To James, Harry was his son in all the ways that mattered, but they knew there was a chance that they would not make it through the war alive and so they had wanted someone to be aware and they had needed a witness for the glamour charm."
Ahh, Severus thought darkly, there it was, the explanation for the boy's appearance as James Potter's miniature.
"A blood glamour?" Albus questioned, even though Severus thought the answer obvious.
"Yes, headmaster," Remus responded his eyes lowered slightly, "You have to understand they thought they had no other choice."
Severus had been their enemy, a known death eater, Lily had not wanted him to be a father to their child.
"So I was to never be told?" Severus barked his anger rising despite himself.
"I do not believe that was their intention," Remus responded evenly, failing to make eye contact with the man beside him, was that guilt? "Lily had written letters, explaining the situation to you both, in the event that her and James did not survive. They were to be delivered on Harry's fifteenth birthday- "
"His fifteenth birthday?!" Severus screeched aghast.
"Please, Severus, I did not say I agreed with their plans."
"No?" Severus bit back sarcastically, "You've just went along with it for thirteen years."
"I respected their wishes, as Harry's parents," Remus answered, "and when I saw the relationship you have with Harry, I thought perhaps it had been for the best."
"I think we can all agree with that Severus," Albus put in pointedly, " your relationship with the boy is lacking in any kind of warmth or affection."
If only you tried to get to know the boy Severus, you would see, he is more Lily than James. How many times had Albus tried that tactic on him, trying to ease the animosity between himself and the boy.
The headmasters attempts had never changed Severus' opinion of the boy nor his actions towards him, perhaps sometimes he was unfair on the boy, he doubted the news of their parentage would change his opinions either.
Why then did he care so much that the knowledge of his son had been kept from him for thirteen years?
Still, Severus was not a monster, the knowledge would change some things. The boy was his responsibility now, but that did not mean he had to love him.
Potter would no doubt continue to hate his professor as much as he ever had, perhaps even more so. He was clearly spoilt by his relatives, no doubt he would fear to be taken from their loving home. Perhaps the boy did not need to be informed. Severus could keep his involvement in the shadows, as he was prone to do.
"We will need to come up with the best course of action to tell Harry," The Headmaster said reasonably, his words taking away the current plan Severus was formulating in his head.
"Is that necessary Albus?" Severus questioned despite himself, "the boy is happy believing he is the son of James Potter, I see no reason to destroy that happiness."
"Harry's best protection against Voldemort is family, Severus, you know this. Petunia is no longer his closest living relative. Your blood will offer him greater protection than hers ever would."
Albus knew what he was doing. His eyes were shining brightly despite the seriousness of his tone. He was honing in on Severus promise to protect Lily's son at all costs.
Now the boy was no longer just Lily's son. Apparently, he was Severus' too.
"I will tell him then," Severus answered, standing from his chair and making his way out of the headmaster's office. He needed a stiff drink, "When I feel the time is right."
"I will give you to the end of first term Severus," Albus added stopping Severus in his tracks, " Harry needs to know."
Harry needs to know. Silly old coot, Severus thought darkly as he stalked the path to his private quarters. Lis, he sighed uttering his password and watching as the door appeared and opened from nowhere.
He had never been so thankful for a weekend in his entire time as a teacher. At least he had some time before he had to face Potter again in class. Some time to think over how best to inform the boy of their newfound relationship.
He was stopped short however by the sight he was met with in his sitting chamber.
The dark-haired beauty lying naked on his couch, her eyebrows raised ever so slightly, as if to say your late.
He was late he supposed. Saving Potter had taken up the majority of his afternoon, and then his conversation with Lupin and the Headmaster had been anything but brief.
He was also forgetful. Their plans had all but left his mind with the hecticness of the day that he had been faced with.
He would be forgiven if he told her, but that was not their relationship, and he was not about to let her see him in a vulnerable state.
"You forgot," she huffed, reminding Severus of how young she was, as she covered herself in a cloak standing from her position on the couch.
"No," Severus deadpanned the lie falling effortlessly from his lips, a half-truth would suffice the young witch, " I am sure you'll forgive my tardiness Nymphadora I spent my afternoon tending to Mr Potter, he was injured in class today."
"Oh," Tonks responded a slight blush creeping onto her pale skin, " Is he ok?"
Severus knew that her lack of retort to her given name meant he had been forgiven. Not that he sought out her forgiveness of course, but he had not wanted to deal with her sulking. Not today.
"He will live," Severus answered smoothly, "Now perhaps a raincheck?"
The disappointment crossed over her face only briefly, the first week of each term was their tradition, "Are you sure?" Tonks questioned, "We don't need to go for dinner first."
The little minx.
Severus supposed that a night spent with Tonks would do just as good of a job at helping him forget the day's activities as a bottle of fire whisky.
He wouldn't wake up with a sore head in the morning either.
He turned on his heel, his cloak billowing behind him as it always did, as he made his way to his bedroom. He did not need to look behind him to know that Tonks was following him.
So there it is! The first chapter!
I hope you all enjoyed it, please let me know if I should continue.