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 writer's block that has happened by giving me great ideas, as well as writing the sorting hat song

Summery: Set after the fourth book but before the fifth. Harry discovers in his fifth year that who 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?

Chapter 9

Severus sat there staring at Harry, briefly their eyes met, before Harry turned away quickly to gaze at the Headmaster but it had been enough for Severus to see the uncertainty and confusion that Harry was clearly trying to hide.

"Harry, please come in and have a seat. I'm sure all of this is just as confusing for you as it is for Professor Snape." Dumbledore said while indicated the chair next to Severus.

"Albus" Severus growled glaring at the headmaster; he preferred to appear in control of himself at all times. Harry crossed the office and took the seat, his gaze not leaving Dumbledore's desk, as he refused to look at Severus, who had resumed watching the young man.

"I'm sorry I ran out Professor." Harry said quietly, his eyes never moving to look at either man.

"It's understandable." Severus replied, "You need not apologise. However, the suit of armour…." He didn't finish the sentence as Harry visibly winced when he mentioned it.

"Now Severus I'm sure we can forgive Harry this time" Dumbledore said. How the headmaster knew of the incident puzzled Severus as he knew he had been the only teacher present unless he was just guessing as a result of the unfinished sentence.

"Of course Albus" he conceded, he would explain about what he had seen at a later time.

"Thank you sir" Harry said.

"Now Harry, I presume you came here to talk to me about what has been revealed this night?" Dumbledore asked, gazing at Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles. Harry merely nodded, still refusing to look at either man. "Well," Dumbledore continued, "as flattered as I am that you both trust me enough to come to me with this, I believe that it is an issue best left for the two of you to work through together."

Harry looked up at the headmaster eyes wide with horror, and they both immediately opened their mouths to begin protesting but Dumbledore held up his hand forestalling their comments, and finished saying, "of course you are welcome to come and talk to me at any time. But I firmly believe that you should discuss this with each other first."

Harry gave a small sigh and then gave a single nod of acceptance before rising, whilst Severus looked ready to protest further but the warning look in Dumbledore's eyes made him realise it would be pointless and so he too rose. In a slightly softer tone then normal he said, "Very well. Come with me." Before leaving with Harry following him, but at a slightly slower pace.

Severus was forced to wait a moment in the corridor as Harry had not yet emerged from the staircase. Once they he had though they began heading down to the dungeons during which time they remained silent but Severus did alter his pace slightly to accommodate for Harry's slower one.

Harry being a little lost in his own thoughts didn't notice this small compromise from his professor, his mind still whirling slightly from all that had been revealed.

Harry had assumed that they were heading for Severus's office, but was soon proven wrong when he saw the stern wizard walk straight past it and carried on to a different door that was harder to find as it seemed to blend so well with the wall.

With a flick of his wand Severus disabled the security wards he had in place and pushed the door open, indicating for Harry to precede him into the room.

In his second year Harry had flown to Hogwarts in a flying car with Ron, once there they had been caught by Snape and taken to his office, which had been...unsettling, as the walls had been lined with shelves of glass jars filled with unidentifiable creatures. As such he was expecting to see something eerily similar in the man's private rooms, which is why Harry was surprised at what he found when he walked through the door.

The embers, burning in the fireplace were charmed to never die, so that it kept the rooms at a comfortably warm temperature. In front of the fireplace there was a coffee table made of a dark but rich mahogany, the top of which was covered in marks, showing its continued use over many years. This was flanked by a large black leather sofa with a matching armchair to one side of it; the leather on both was worn with age, giving it a soft and comfortable look.

Immediately behind the seats stood a small table with two chairs of a paler wood, then what was obviously the professors personal work area. A desk made of the same wood as the coffee table and a desk chair covered in black material that, like the sofa and armchair looked well worn and comfortable to sit in, along with a large L-shape worktop which stretched across half of the far wall and round behind the desk. In the space left behind the desk, and by the door, stood two large bookcases containing many different books.

On the floor there were thick, dark sapphire blue rugs to protect from the slight chill of the stone floor. Three doors led off to different rooms but they were both closed, however Harry guessed at least one led to a bedroom.

While Harry stood there taking all of this in, Severus had entered, closed the door behind them and moved across to the armchair, sinking down into it. He indicated the sofa and said, "Have a seat. Obviously these are my personal rooms, so no one will disturb us here." Harry just gave a single nod and sat down on the edge of the leather sofa placing his bag at his feet.

Tension filled the air as they sat watching the glowing embers; Severus glanced up several times at Harry before he finally broke awkward silence. "You must believe me, I never knew. Your mother never told me." There was a tinge of desperation to his voice that Severus hated hearing as it showed a small loss of control, must be the effect of the alcohol he thought to himself. Taking a deep breath he did his best to push the feeling of desperation and anxiety away and regain complete control.

Finally after several long, silent seconds, Harry looked at him, "I do believe you" he replied quietly "but I don't understand. How is it possible that you're my dad?" The confusion he felt was evident in his expression and Severus decided that sarcasm would not be appropriate in this situation, but could not help the small sigh before he began to speak.

"I told you in the hospital wing, I am not able to remove all the memories of my service to the Dark Lord, when I teach you Occlamency"

Harry nodded at this but stayed silent.

"That is because my pensive is full of memories of Lily, your mother." Severus finished softly refusing to look at Harry keeping his eyes trained on the fire as he surprised himself at how filled with emotion his voice was, again most likely due to the alcohol allowing him to open himself up in a way that he hadn't for a long time, at least not with anyone other than Dumbledore.

This new information surprised Harry, obviously there had been something between his mother and Snape for him to be born, but he had not considered the possibility of a long-term relationship, or that any memory of it might cause pain to Snape.

"What happened?" he asked then quickly added, "If you don't want to talk about it I'll understand."

Severus looked up and regarded Harry for a moment before deciding, "You have a right to know." Then rising from the chair he walked over to one of the shelves behind his desk and picked up a pensive. Seating it on the desk he removed several long silver strands one at a time, restoring the memories to his own mind before returning and sliding back down into the chair, his eyes taking on a distant look as he fell back into the memories.

"It began in our first year at Hogwarts. Your mother was a natural at Charms; while I exhibited a natural and already proficient talent at potions, something that my father was...rigorous about in studying so that I was capable of brewing at the level of a fourth year student before I had even started at Hogwarts. Unfortunately he was not as...focused on my development in other areas, including Charms and so I was forced to work hard in learning them.

Lily was an exceptional woman. She saw how I struggled, and ignoring the fact that I was in Slytherin offered to tutor me. This also led to me offering to help her with potions, an area she struggled with slightly herself. We became friends.

Over time we grew closer, something that caused a great deal of dismay to the Gryffindors that hated not just Slytherin but me in particular, James Potter and his friends. It was in our fourth year that Lily and I began to date; it was just after we left Hogwarts that I proposed and she said yes."

A smile pulled at Severus's lips as he remembered that joyous night, a smile that soon disappeared as he continued. "We were engaged for less than a year when I became one of the Dark Lords followers to spy for the headmaster, but eventually The Dark Lord began to be suspicious of all the time I was spending with a known muggle-born witch and so I decided that it would be safer for your mother if I no longer had contact with her." Severus snapped back to reality "You must understand, my actions were the result of my intentions to draw the Dark Lords attention away from her. She must have been pregnant with you when we separated; she never told me."

Severus was watching Harry for his reaction to what he had been told. Much of the initial confusion had disappeared, but it was clear he still had questions.

"How did my mum end up with da….James?"

"I don't know." Severus calmly admitted "By then I had sunk deeper into the Dark Lord's forces in an attempt to avoid suspicion. I only knew of their marriage due to the Daily Prophet's wedding announcement page, until then I was unaware of Lily having any feelings for Potter beyond friendship. You would need to speak to the headmaster about that, he may be able to tell you." He strove to keep all emotion out of his voice as he discussed the man he considered to have stolen Lily from him. It was the one thing that had driven him to finally feel the same intense hatred that James had always felt for him, hatred that until that night he had taken out on Harry while still attempting to protect him in honour of the life debt he owed to James.

They fell back into silence, as Harry returned his gaze to the fire, while Severus continued to watch him knowing that he would have more questions, most likely ones that he would find to be uncomfortable to answer.

Eventually Harry looked up and proved him right by asking "Why didn't you warn her about the attack on Halloween? Why didn't you try to save her then too? When she needed you most?"

Severus had expected that Harry would ask this and he thought he was prepared for it, but now realised just how wrong he was as he felt himself become a little breathless at how blunt and defiant Harry looked at he asked. Nevertheless, he returned the young man's stare as evenly as he could before saying, "I tried to. But I was trapped unable to reach or contact either your mother or the headmaster." At his words he saw an angry spark in the young man's eyes once more, and whether due to the alcohol he had consumed or his own struggle in trying to deal with the situation made the mistake of trying to mollify Harry's anger by saying in as calm a voice as he could "I understand how you feel…."

"No you don't!" Harry interrupted, his anger flaring at both the words and the professors calm tone "She was my mum! She needed you, and you let her die!"

The sharp memory of Lily's death, and the feelings of loss and guilt that he still felt regarding his part in it coupled with the lingering effects of the strong brandy overpowered Severus, sparking own anger so he couldn't stop himself from glaring back at Harry. "You're right." He spat out venomously "That's what you want to hear isn't it? That you're right, perhaps there was something I could have done and I was too blinded by panic about possibly losing the one woman I loved to notice, so I let her die!" His anger completely swamped him now, causing his voice to rise in volume so that he was shouting, "But by Merlin you cannot make me suffer anymore than I have done every moment of my miserable fucking life, since I lost the one person I could ever say I truly loved! So go ahead and blame me but know this, there is nothing, nothing that you could do to make me feel worse!" Silence fell between them as they sat glaring at each other, in the end Harry was the first one to look away.

After several long moments the tension eased a sense of calmness returned between them and Harry asked, in a voice so soft that Severus almost missed it, "What was she like?"

Harry sounded so vulnerable and small with that one question that Severus felt a touch of guilt at having shouted like he had; especially over what most would agree had been a justified comment from the younger man.

He took a moment to consider his answer, "She was a very beautiful, kind and caring woman." A hint of a smile touched his lips "She was also very generous and never cared what people thought about her, or anything she did. She was a true Gryffindor." He paused before softly saying, "You can be a lot like her at times." Harry looked up at him at that and Severus saw gratitude in his eyes.

Steeling himself and making sure to continue talking in a soft voice Severus made a quick decision, as well as trying to sound comforting, something he rarely did for his own Slytherins, he said "Harry, this has been a shock to both of us, but I am sure that everything will be ok."

Giving a small smile to the potions master, Harry said, "I like you calling me Harry. It sounds better."

At that Severus couldn't stop a small smile re-appearing on his own face, before he turned serious once again, "Well in private I'm sure I can remember to call you thus; however I hope you understand I cannot do so in lessons or any other time we are public. Neither can my behaviour towards you alter, as it would draw the notice of children from certain families that could then result in endangering my position as a spy."

Harry nodded, "I know. But at least now I know it really isn't anything personal."

Severus arched an eyebrow and his smile grew a little more as he said, "Of course now that we know you are my son, I expect your potions grade to improve."

"It's not like I don't try. You're just too strict" Harry said defensively but with a smile of his own "I get on ok in my other classes, like transfiguration" he added.

Severus just shook his head at him, "Yes well, Minnerva is your head of house"

"Yeah but she doesn't favour Gryffindor students like you do the Slytherins." Harry retorted.

Severus smirked at him "That is precisely what students are made to think, but I assure, all of the head of houses, including Minnerva McGonagall, show preference to their students. I just happen to be more overt than my colleagues."

Harry gave him a disbelieving look as if to say 'sure-they-do', when another thought occurred to him, one with the potential to make everything that had happened the best thing in the world. "Does this mean that I won't have to return to the Dursleys?" He asked hopefully.

Severus wanted to say yes after what he had witnessed this summer, but knew he could not. "I'm sorry Harry, it might not be a…. pleasing thought, and as hard as this may be to believe, you do have protection there that not even the headmaster can replicate, not even here at Hogwarts. I'm afraid that unless the Dark Lord is defeated before the next summer holidays you will have to return to them."

Harry just nodded his head looking back down at his feet, a mournful look suffusing his features, "It's okay I understand. I guess it would be too dangerous" he responded gloomy.

Severus felt sympathy for the young wizard wash through him, after all he knew only too well the pain of growing up with a relative who made life seem miserable, thankful that he had had that one life line that had kept him sane, unfortunately this could not be so for Harry.

Trying to soften his voice and succeeding only slightly, he said "I wish I could take you away from them Harry but it would be too dangerous."

Harry just nodded again. They sat in silence for several more moments before Severus glanced up at the clock only to find it was well past curfew. "Harry, it's late and this has been a lot for the both of us to take in, as such we need to think of getting some rest. Come I will escort you back to Gryffindor tower."

Without a word Harry picked up his back before standing and followed Severus out of his rooms and down the dark and deserted corridor.

As they walked Severus tilted his head slightly to look at Harry, then quietly said "It would be best if you did not mention any of what we have talked about to anyone. I suppose you may tell your two friends but no one else"

Harry, still lost in whatever thought had him, barely nodded as if he was only partially listening to his professor. Severus decided to leave him to his thoughts and the rest of the walk passed in silence until they reached the portrait, only to find the fat lady asleep in her frame.

Before Harry could step forward and poke her awake and give the password, he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder, looking at the man he now had to start think of as his father, waited impassively for whatever he wanted to say.

Severus regarded him with a neutral blank expression on his face before saying in an equally neutral voice that was slightly tinged with the comfort he had offered before, "It will be ok Harry. And we can deal with the charms placed on you during our next occlamency lesson"

Harry attempted to smile but Severus could tell it was strained but when he spoke it was with a completely neutral tone "I had better go, as you said it's late and Ron and Hermione will be worried" With that he stepped forward and woke the portrait which proceeded to grumble about students being out of bed late before admitting him entrance.

Severus watched him pass through the hole behind the portrait and waited for it to close before heading back to his own rooms in a black swirl of his robes.

AN :- Hey everyone, well sorry this has been so long in coming, but life has seriously gotten in the way over the past few years.

This is only a short chapter covering that first conversation between them and I hope you all like, I am currently putting the finishing touches to the next chapter that will be up in the next week or two.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to work that pesky Grim in over these two chapters but he should be turning up soon causing plenty of trouble for our two stars, but not before our favourite werewolf does so first.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all the people that have continued to read and review this story while I have been absent from the site, it was truly wonderful to get those and the only reason why I tried to get back to it as quickly as I could, but as I said life wasn't that easy to push aside.

Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and any comments are as always welcome.

Keep writing and have fun

V d mouse