Blinded by charms

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognise does not belong to me. Harry Potter and Severus Snape along with all their friends belong to the oh so lucky J. K. Rowling.

This is a response to a Severitus Challenge. The only thing that does belong to me is the way that this has been written.

Major thanks to Zephyr5 for betaing and helping work past any writers block that has happened by giving me great ideas, as well as writting the sorting hat song seen in a later chapter

Thanks to Maisix for helping with the betaing too.

Summery: Set after the fourth book but before the fifth. Harry discovers in his fifth year that whom he though was his father is wrong. Can he learn to accept the truth and form a relationship with the man he has hated for so many years? Can Severus look past his hatred for an old foe and see the boy he must accept as his own?

Warning: it may take a little while to get into this story I tried to make the reveal happen sooner but it just didn't seem to work out. Sorry but please have patience and stick with it, and any reviews with constructive criticism will be gratefully received.

Chapter 1

The sun filtered in through thin curtains to fall on the dark haired youth lying on the bed. Slowly emerald eyes fluttered open, enjoying the quiet calm; wincing when the shrill cry from downstairs shattered it.

"BOY! GET UP BOY!"

Sighing, Harry Potter rose and went to the bathroom to wash. Looking in the mirror when he got there, he wasn't surprised to see that not only had he been getting taller over the past few weeks, but that he had begun to look different. It had all started just after his fifteenth birthday - nothing specific though. His hair had appeared different, now when the light caught it, it looked to have reddish tints scattered through it. Also his eyebrows were beginning to arch a little more, whilst his eyes were a touch narrower, but continued to hold the brilliant emerald gleam - everyone who met him told him his eyes were so like his mother Lily's.

Finishing washing, he returned to the small bedroom where he quickly got dressed before going downstairs.

Entering the kitchen, Harry saw that his uncle, Vernon, and cousin, Dudley, were both at the table already. Dudley glared at Harry, but his uncle remained hidden by the morning newspaper. As he sat down at the table, his aunt, Petunia, pushed a plate in front of him, glaring before returning to the kitchen.

"Eat up quick. You have a lot of chores to do." She called back over her shoulder. Harry just nodded and began eating the small amount of food he had been given. Once he was finished his aunt put him to work with so many chores, that by the time he went to bed he was too exhausted to try and do some of his homework. Instead he went straight to sleep.

The next morning Harry jerked awake. His scar was throbbing, and he knew he had dreamt of Voldemort, but he was unable to remember any of the details. He lay there enjoying the few minuets peace while the pain from his scar eased. It wasn't long until he heard the usual yell from downstairs.

"BOY! GET UP BOY!"

When he finally got downstairs his scar had returned to its usual dull throb that he could easily ignore. When he entered the kitchen he found Aunt Petunia glaring at him with annoyance. Not sure what he had done now, he just stood there waiting for her to say something. He didn't have long to wait.

"That old bat Figg just phoned. She has to take one of her cursed cats to the vets and so can't take you. You'll have to come shopping with us for Dudley's new school clothes."

When Dudley had returned home that summer he had been accompanied by a letter from Smeltings, politely asking if the Dursleys could get him a new uniform from a shop that specialised in boys of his size, as they were unable to do so themselves.

Harry had been told that he would be staying behind, something he had been happy with - even if it did mean going over to crazy Mrs Figg's. Now it appeared he would be going with them on the special trip to London. This was something he wasn't looking forward to, as he knew he would be made to carry everything whilst being ignored and glared at - at the same time. What was worse was that Dudley had been allowed to invite one of his friends along. Said friend, Piers Polkiss, arrived whilst Harry was eating the cold toast that Aunt Petunia had given him.

It wasn't long until they were all in Uncle Vernon's car and travelling to London. Apart from the occasional elbow in the side from Piers, who was sitting next to Harry in the car (Dudley absolutely refused to sit next to him), the journey passed relatively peacefully. As did the visit. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were busy picking things out for Dudley. Dudley and Piers were busy trying to avoid them whilst creating mischief of their own, and so left Harry alone to carry the many bags and parcels that had been collected so far.

Suddenly the day took not only a disastrous twist, but for Harry a very confusing one. He was trying to keep up with the Dursleys, stay out of reach of Dudley and Piers, and not drop anything he was carrying. Which is why he never saw the tall man in front of him until it was too late. The collision resulted in Harry dropping a few of the bags and parcels he was carrying. He was making his apologies and picking up the things he had dropped when Uncle Vernon's voice drowned him out.

"What the hell do you think you are doing dropping Dudley's new things all over the pavement boy? Why weren't you watching where you were going?" Uncle Vernon didn't wait for a reply, but proceeded to turn to the tall gentleman and was about to say the same, but the glare being aimed at him stopped him cold, and instead he began to stutter an apology of his own "Erm….so sorry….It's the boy….my nephew….bit of a dim lad you see." Before he could go any further he was interrupted.

"It is no bother, however I would have thought that Mr Potter would have learned to look where he was going by now" Harry froze, the silky voice all too familiar. Looking up, Harry found himself looking in the black eyes of the potions master from his school, Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry