Sadly, Harry Potter does not belong to me. Though I really wish he did. He does, however, belong to the ever talented J K Rowling. Though, I think I spelled her name wrong. Anyways, I think she did us all a great favor literally by giving Harry Potter to the world. And I'll shut up now.

(New Summary: Our entire beings are made up by memories. The events that make up the span of our lives. A memory can never be deleted, but it can be modified. What would you do if you suddenly found that everything you had ever known was a lie? One single action over the summer rips apart everything in Harry's life and has far reaching ramifications. Will it also bring the truth? MPreg

Chapter One – The Heart of the Matter

The dull thud on the stairs caused Dudley Dursley to open his eyes groggily. Grumbling under his breath he stumbled out of bed and over to the door. One of the few things he had inherited from his mother was his penchant for nosiness, and he had to know what was going on. Maybe Potter was into something. He cracked the door open slightly and then his eyes rounded, all sleepiness forgotten. "What the hell!"

---

A soft, hesitant knock on the potions door caused Severus Snape to look up. He had never heard that knock before. Albus always knocked with some sort of God forsaken Muggle beat, Draco with a loud confidence, and Hagrid with a fierceness that threatened to break the door. No one else ever came uninvited. It was only a couple hours past the Welcoming Feast, surely nothing horrible had happened yet? Briefly he debated on whether or not to allow the person admittance, but decided that he might get some fun out of it anyways. "Enter."

The door swung open slowly, and to his utter shock there stood Harry Bloody Potter. The boy had his head downcast, and his hair fell forward, obscuring his face from view. Well, really he wasn't a boy anymore. This was his last year as a student, but he would be teaching the DADA, however the Hell Albus decided that was anyone's guess. Severus eyes narrowed dangerously. "I thought I told you, I didn't want to see you in my class rooms ever again?" It was true. He had said that, two years ago. Not that it had done any good. The boy was still in his potions class, but other than that Potter had never come back.

He flinched slightly at Snape's tone, but remained where he stood in the doorway, his gaze on the floor, and leaning slightly against the doorway. "Please, sir… I… need your help, please?"

Severus stared in surprise at the boy and then his eyes narrowed again. "Come in and sit unless you wish for everyone to hear us, stupid child."

Harry nodded and stepped away from the door slightly, closing it behind him. He sat down gingerly in the first seat he came to, and Severus arched an eyebrow. If he didn't know better he'd say that Potter was scared by the way he was acting. But, Harry Potter had never shown such behavior towards his professor before. It was mind-boggling. "Well? Are you going to tell me or do I need to start guessing?"

"I…" He started but then stopped and took a deep breath as though stealing himself. "I need to know something about potions sir, and you're the only one I could go to."

"There are a great many things you need to know about potions." Severus snarled. Why was this boy here, bugging him? If this wasn't important… The rapid rush of words caused him to blink and glare at the boy. He hadn't been able to make out a word of that it was so low, garbled, and hurried. "Care to repeat yourself?"

"I said… I need to know if, if th-there's a potion to, to change the parentage of a child before it's born."

Okay, Severus was not expecting that question. "Why, Potter, been fooling around and don't want the girl's child?"

"That's not it sir…"

"Then please explain."

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't." He got up, stretching his shoulders and turned to leave. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time." It was after he turned away from the Professor that he heaved a small sigh that might have very well gone unnoticed. But as he left he did one very small thing that grabbed his professor's attention. He was just walking out the door when he unconsciously placed his hand over his stomach and rubbed in small soothing circles. What Severus didn't see, was the falling tear.

---

"Potter, stay after class."

Harry froze, his eyes going wide even as he nodded. He had known that was coming. He'd nearly fallen asleep during Snape's lecture. The class filtered out slowly, Ron and Hermione both giving Harry sympathetic looks. Harry was staring at the floor again, and no one seemed to be noticing that he was withdrawing. It had been a week since the students had returned, and during that week Severus had been watching. He had watched as Harry withdrew repeatedly from his friends, seeking solitude from the hustle and bustle of student life. Potter's rooms had become a refuge, though Severus had caught him once or twice in the astronomy tower, staring out at the quidditch field.

"Sit at the front, Potter, so I can see you better." Harry moved up with out protest, his eyes ever focused on the dirty floor. "Look at me, Potter."

"I can't."

"Like you couldn't explain what you were asking me for?" No response. Severus sighed and did something he never thought he'd be doing. He sat down next to Harry, and Harry flinched away slightly. "Tell me why you need to know." Harry shook his head, but Severus roughly caught his chin and forced his gaze to his. "Tell me, Mr. Potter."

"I can't."

Severus took the time to slowly appraise Potter's appearance, and what he saw was not reassuring. The once sparkling eyes were slightly dull with shame and guilt and large dark bags under his eyes showed his lack of sleep. He didn't comment on it and he pushed away from the boy and coolly moved around the desk, leaning over a potion he'd been working on throughout the class. He bottled some of it before turning back to Harry, watching as the boy squirmed in his seat.

Severus paused, carefully thinking about how to do this, if he approached it directly Potter would run and deny everything. "The answer is yes. There is a potion that can change the parentage. There's a problem though, to use the potion before the child's birth can possibly kill the unborn. It's best to wait until at least a week after the birth before administering it. For whom are you asking this?"

Harry's mind produced a likely alibi, momentarily relieved to know that there was at least something he could do. "A friend."

"Does your friend attend this school?"

"If she did then teachers would already know, wouldn't they? After all, Headmaster Dumbledore knows everything that goes on here, and would do anything to help her. He would have probably come to you himself."

"Why does she not have the child terminated?"

He watched absolutely fascinated as a dark flush appeared on Harry's skin and his eyes iced over. "She doesn't want to lose the baby. In fact she very much wants to have him or her, she just doesn't want the baby's father to be a rapist."

Black eyes locked with shuttered emerald for a moment and then slightly cool fingers pressed a small vial into a numb and cold hand. "Tell her to take this. It will at least help with the morning sickness. If she wishes to still change the baby's parentage you can come back and tell me later. I'll be asking you to stay after each class to give you her potion."

"Yes, sir."

"You may go, Potter."

"Thank you, sir," and as he left he once more placed his hand over his stomach, not sure whether to be happy that there was a way to change the parentage or upset that it couldn't be done before the child was born.

He made it back to his rooms, Dumbledore had decided that since Harry was teaching Defense he should have a private living arrangement so that the other students wouldn't have constant contact with him, and collapsed on his bed with a weary sigh where he immediately took down the concealing charm. He rubbed his hand slowly over the slight beginnings of a bulge, easing both the child and himself to sleep.

When he woke it was time for supper, and he made his way begrudgingly to the Great Hall. He sat at the head of Gryffindor table, Ron on one side and Hermione across from him. Neville was sitting next to Ginny, whispering playfully in her ear, causing her to giggle and Ron to give him murderous looks. Harry carefully picked at his food, only eating partial amounts. His stomach started to rebel as Ron tried to pass him a rather large portion of pork chop.

"Mate, what's wrong with you? You've hardly eaten anything since we got back, and quite frankly you look like Hell."

"It's just taking me awhile to recover from another fun filled summer at the Dursley's." That answer satisfied Ron immediately, as it was no secret that Harry's treatment at the Dursley's was at best unsatisfactory. But then, it could have been worse to. They hadn't severely hurt him in years, and they'd never – NO! Best not to think about it.

He closed his eyes for a moment. "I need to go check my lesson plans. I'll see you guys later." He got up and walked out; ignoring the odd looks he was receiving. He wasn't exactly lying when he said he had to do lessons plans, he did, he just hadn't planned on doing them that night. He sighed when he got back to his rooms and sank gratefully into a leather recliner before accioing his lesson books to him.

His eyes were closed, the books fallen in the floor, and the concealing spell once more gone when Crookshanks came prowling into the room and settled himself on Harry's lap, his head lightly resting against Harry's stomach.

The rooms were dark when Harry suddenly jerked awake with a cry a couple hours later. "No!" The only answer he got was a meow and he looked down, surprised to see Crookshanks on his lap. He blinked and then lifted the cat, placing him on the floor as he got up and headed to his bed. He settled in, curling comfortably under the covers, when there was another mreow and Crookshanks again joined him. Harry couldn't help but to chuckle. "I suppose you're staying then?" The cat purred and settled in against him.

It was the sound of knocking that dragged Harry slowly from the soundest sleep he'd had in weeks. He groaned, mumbled the concealing charms, and stumbled his way to the door where he found Hermione peering in at him. "Harry, are you all right? You didn't come to breakfast and I thought it odd. Were you still in bed? Why is my cat in your rooms?"

"He decided I made a good mattress, I think. I didn't come to breakfast because I was sleeping, Hermione. I would really like to go back to it if I can."

"Harry, it's the first Saturday of the school term and you want to sleep!"

"Yes. I'm tired, 'Mione. I haven't had a descent nights sleep in a long time, let me catch up on it, please!"

"Nope, sorry, you're coming out with us today "

"Hermione, no! I don't want to and I don't feel like it. Please just leave me alone. I still have my lesson plans to finish."

"You are coming outside and you are going to enjoy it. So stop fighting or I'll use the petrificus totalus curse on you." Harry seemed to pale, but before he could respond someone else did.

"Miss Granger, kindly stop harassing the staff. Besides, I need to borrow Mr. Potter for an… experiment."

Hermione said nothing else. She scurried away from them as though she'd been burned.

Harry blinked and leaned against his doorframe weakly, looking up at his professor, or would it be colleague now? "An experiment, sir?"

"I've completed it now. All I wanted to know was how long it would take for her Gryffindor courage to fade."

Harry would have smirked had his world not been threatening to go black. "If you'll excuse me, sir, I think I need to get back to my bed." Harry didn't wait for a response but turned away, quietly shutting the portrait door. He had only taken a step when his world tilted and went black. He landed with a muffled thump on the carpeted floor.

On the other side of the door Snape paused, listening for another sound. When none came he gave a long-suffering sigh, and entered through the portrait. Potter was lying pale on the floor, his eyes flickering slightly as he tried to pull himself out of the dark that was so welcoming.

Severus lifted him easily into his arms, settling the boy's very slight weight against his chest as he carried him through to the bedroom. Had it not been for his suspicions, he would have simply dropped the boy and left. That's what he told himself anyways. Instead, he gently placed Potter down on the bed and watched as the boy gave up trying to fight against the oblivion, and as he slid into a complete state of unconsciousness the concealment charms lifted. Severus no longer had to be suspicious, because now he could plainly see the truth. The slight swelling in Potter's stomach was all the evidence he needed. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was going to take some delicate maneuvering, and he was so not good at delicate.

The fact that there was a swelling though gave Severus a better time line. Potter had to be at least three months, which meant the attack would have happened not long after last term. It was a start.