FicWad

So sorry this took soooo long. College is crazy busy!!! And I ran out of my stock of chapters.



There is a lot of scheduling in the first half of this chapter. This is so everyone knows when it is in the future when Harry is in lessons. Also a few bits of info get dropped along the way, so don’t skip it. Thanks!



Be sure to review!



Last Chapter…



“Good. We have one more item of business, I think, before you all depart.” Dumbledore smiled around at them all in a grandfatherly manner. Harry narrowed his eyes at the old man. That look was never a good sign, especially for Harry.



Chapter 16 – Of Apprehension



“The final topic, which I feel we must discuss, is Harry’s Venefici Sopor.”



Aurelia wrinkled her nose of the headmaster. “Why would we need to discuss that? It should be between him and his parents or legal guardian.”



Harry quirked an eyebrow at her. “My parents are dead and my legal guardian is both out of the country, and wanted for 13 counts of murder and escaping Azkaban.”



Severus shifted on his feet at the comment, almost imperceptibly. Aurelia blinked at Harry. She then turned her gaze to the headmaster. “?” She made a small, confused noise.



Dumbledore smiled warmly. “Yes, Sirius Black is currently in Romania, on Charlie Weasley’s Dragon Reserve. He is overseeing the preparation and shipping of our two dragon guards. I have pushed forward the date of the shipping, Harry, which I am sure you will be glad to hear. Sirius should be returning within the next few days. Remus is right now discussing matters with Charlie and Hagrid to prepare on this end.” The headmaster was obviously more at home talking about this topic then those discussed in his office over the past few days. “However, moral support and understanding are not the only reasons I wish to have this discussion now. The actual reason I wanted all of you present for this,” He put a small emphasis on the word, glancing around that the Coven members. “I was hoping you would all consent to give Harry extra lessons in your chosen area, this summer and perhaps into the year. If he so chooses that is.”



Severus smirked at the hastily added end remark. Dumbledore was once again covering his arse and manipulating those around him. He seemed to do it without thought and gave his actions no notice. Severus furrowed his brow in thought. Perhaps he doesn’t even realize he is doing it… It was most certainly an interesting idea.



“However,” The old man continued. “First things first. Harry, your Venefici Sopor or Wizard's Sleep was a magical rite of passage that released your magical core. You will have much greater magical power available to you now. You must be instructed in how to control those new powers. As Ariadne and I are the only ones whose Venefici Sopor was close to yours in length, I think it is best if we taught you together. Together, I think we have enough power to cap your magic, should it go out of control. Is that acceptable, Ariadne?”



The blonde raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Yes, Headmaster, that is acceptable to me. Harry, is that alright with you?”



Dumbledore looked surprised, but turned a grandfatherly smile on Harry. The boy bit his lip for a moment, almost as if he were fighting back laughter, then said, “Yes, that’s alright with me. I mean if I need the lessons, I have to take them right?”



Ariadne grinned. Dumbledore’s smile widened. Harry shot a look to Hermione, who simply raised an eyebrow at him.



Dumbledore continued, “I believe, that once we teach you, Harry, to control your magic, you will find that you need extra practice with the subjects you have already taken. To…shall we say bring you up to speed? Also, Ariadne will be teaching material that I think you will find both useful and interesting.”



“Mr. Potter,” Severus took a small step forward. All eyes were immediately turned to him. “If you feel you could use some extra practice, as the headmaster so delicately put it, in Potions, I would be willing to spare a few hours a week to tutor you. If you wish it. If you did not receive an O in your OWLs as is required for entry into my NEWT level Potions, I might consent to admitting you to the class, if your progress is acceptable.”



Harry looked taken aback. He blinked several times as if trying to clear his head. “Yes. Thank you so much, Professor Snape. Without Potions, I can’t become an Auror. I would really appreciate extra lessons. And I’ll try not to blow anything up or um…open anything I am not supposed to.”



He met Snape’s eyes. It seemed to Harry at that moment, that there might be the hint of amusement behind his cold black eyes. A moment of understanding passed between them.



“Alright, Mr. Potter. I will hold you to that promise.” The last sounded almost like a threat to Harry.



The headmaster cleared his throat. “Well, there is one lesson to add to your schedule for the summer, Harry.”



Turning a cold gaze upon the headmaster, Severus said, “I am free Monday afternoons.”



“Excellent.” The headmaster beamed. “Now, Harry, because you were unable to finished your History of Magic OWL, we are allowing you to continue with that class, if you chooses to, no matter what score you receive. Of the Coven’s subjects, which interested you the most?”



“Well…” Harry chewed his lip for a moment, his emerald eyes drifting from one woman to the next. “Magical and Physical Dueling sounded really fun and useful considering my record of getting forced into duels.” He paused. “Archery sounded interesting too. I am not sure I really understand what Magical Dance is and I never really got the purpose of Ancient Runes. No Offense.”



“None taken” Olympia smiled. “Runes are the basis of most complex spells. They are the reason you make certain movement with your wand when you’re casting. They are also the basis of all Coven Magic.”



“Magical Dance also relies on Runes,” Ekantika piped up. “The Runes form part of the Dance pattern to be followed. Magical Dance uses movements and human energy to cast spells. It helps the caster to focus using mediation, martial arts, and some ritual dance. The dances are mostly Indian, Irish, or African in style, but I do teach a few spells based on ballet.” The Irish dances are the most complex and can be very powerful because they follow the patterns of the Celtic knots, which are older then most Runes.”



Harry looked interested by both explanations, but Hermione looked enthralled. She hung on Ekantika’s every word.



“Hmm…Both of those sound really cool.” Harry grinned.



“Sir! Can I please sit in on some of Harry’s lessons? I will be here anyway. Please!” Hermione leaned forward so far she almost fell off her chair. Harry chuckled softly.



“Of Course, Ms. Granger. If the instructors agree, I am sure that would be fine.” Dumbledore looked to the Coven.



“You are most welcome in our classes and extra lessons, Hermione.” Ariadne smiled at the bushy-haired girl.



Dumbledore drew a quill and roll of parchment from his desk and with a flick of his wand ink was blossoming on the page. “So, Monday’s will be Magical Dueling with Olympia and Ariadne in the morning and Potion with Severus in the afternoon.” As he spoke the feather made a schedule on the paper, filling time slots. “Tuesdays will be Magical Dance with Ekantika in the morning, which I believe Ms. Granger wishes to join, and I think Professor McGonagall will agree to Transfiguration in the afternoon. Wednesdays will be Physical Dueling with Ariadne and Olympia in the morning and, because one can never be too prepared, Defense Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon with Ariadne. If you excel at your usual speed, Harry, I believe it is possible that you may take your NEWT in that subject early and proceed onto studying for mastery.” Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled madly, setting everyone on edge. What on earth was the headmaster cooking up now? He continued. “Hermione, do you wish to join the Dueling lessons on Wednesday?”



Hermione nodded vigorously. “May I also join the Archery lesson, Professor?”



“Of course. Thursday, then, will be Archery in the morning with Isoko and Ancient Runes in the afternoon with Olympia. Hm…I believe you both will benefit from taking lesson from one of our other new Professors. Would you both like Wizarding Law and Culture?”



“Honestly, sir, you should have a class like that for all the muggleborn or muggle-raised first year students already! It would make things so much easier to understand!”



“You’re right, Harry. Hogwarts should have that class already. I am making it a requirement for all muggleborn or muggle-raised students this coming school year. You both may fulfill the requirement this summer.” The two nodded. “Good. That will take place on Friday morning. I will arrange it.”



Neither Harry nor Hermione realized that Wizarding Law was the only class for which he had not named the teacher. The other teachers, however, took note of it. Severus snorted very softly. The old man probably thought Harry would throw a tantrum and destroy more of Dumbledore’s inane toys if he found who was teaching that class.



“I will speak with Professor Flitwick about you, Harry, doing Charms on Friday afternoons. I would like to meet with you on Saturday mornings, to see how your lessons are going and update you on what is happening in the War. You were right that I should not keep information from you any longer. You both need and deserve to know.”



“Headmaster… Harry, if it is acceptable, I think it might be useful for me to teach you the History of Dark Lords, as it were. That might help you recognize similarities and possible weaknesses. Hermione could join if she wished.” Isoko added the last when she noticed the hungry looked in the girl’s eyes. Hermione nodded almost violently.



“Cool!” Harry’s grin widened.



“That would be most useful, Isoko. Shall we say Sunday mornings?” Dumbledore smiled and the parchment rolled up and copied itself eleven times. Three of the copies vanished. “This way Harry has free afternoons on Saturday and Sunday.” It was clear from the tone of his voice that he had nothing else, which he wished to discuss with them. The Coven rose from their seats and slowly exited the room. However, Ariadne hung back.



“Harry, I believe that Severus has something he wishes to discuss with you.” Her stormy blue gaze was trained on the spy, who flinched slightly. He glared at her, as if to say ‘I will deal with you later.’



She grinned at him and winked. When the door closed behind her, Severus let the sneer drop off his face. “Indeed I do have something I wish to discuss with you, Mr. Potter. If you would kindly accompany me to my study, I will explain.”



Harry nodded and rose. Shooting a malevolent glaze at the headmaster, Severus exited the office, Harry following close behind. Weaving through the dungeons took less time then Harry expected. They arrived in front of an odd painting. The password rolled of Severus’ tongue in a quiet hiss, to low for Harry to make out. The Gryffindor entered obediently, at the Potion’s Master’s gesture. His curious gaze swept the room once, but he was much too intrigued by what Snape might want to discuss.



“Professor, what is it you wished to talk about?” Harry seated himself on the charcoal leather coach and watched Snape as he paced restlessly.



“Several days ago, I believe it is five or six now, the headmaster came to me with a very interesting and slightly unnerving revelation. I informed him that I was to be the one to make you aware of the situation myself. I would like you to hold in mind that I was unaware of this until very recently.”



Harry looked apprehensive. He wished Hermione was by his side. Snape was acting very oddly. “Alright, sir. I’ll remember.”



Severus turned toward the fireplace, lighting it with a flick of his wand, and was silent for several moments as Harry waited. “This part of the story I have known since it occurred. Mr. Potter…Harry, I am sorry to be the one to relieve you of your notions of family and of the Marauders, but Lily Evans and James Potter did not love each other…in that way, at least.” He turned back to see the impact his words had.



Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. “Of course they did. I’m here, aren’t I? And everyone said they did anyway.”



“Yes, you are. However, that is the issue here…” He trailed off, muttering so quietly Harry had to strain to hear. “Damn it! I told Ariadne I couldn’t…”



Harry waited a few minutes for Snape to continue then asked hesitantly, “Professor, what’s wrong?”



“Harry,” How easily he had slipped into using the boy’s first name. It felt natural, almost. “Lily never loved James Potter in a romantic manner. They were best friends, but their romance was a cover, meant to mislead and distract.”



Harry’s brow furrowed. “A cover for what exactly…sir?”



“A cover for Lily’s relationship with…me.” Severus tensed, steeling himself for the teen’s reaction.



Harry’s expression twitched for a moment, but remained the same. Brow furrowed, he seem to be thinking furiously. “So that’s why Sirius hates you so much! He thinks you tried to steal Mum away from Dad. And that’s why Remus respects you and treats you…differently then most Gryffindors treat Slytherins.”



Severus’ eyes widened fractionally. “That was amazingly perceptive, Mr. Potter. You are mostly correct. Sirius Black has always hated me, but his hatred intensified for the reason you mentioned. Lily and James’ marriage, as I found out earlier this week was also a cover, however.”



“Why did you need to cover Mum and your relationship up anyway?”



“Because I am a half-blood and any Death Eater not of pureblood lineage was not allowed to form…attachments. It was an offense punishable by death, for both the follower and the other party involved. I needed to protect Lily, so we pretended. We lied.”



“But why would they need to get married to cover it up? Pretending to date Dad would be enough…unless…” Understanding was dawning in Harry’s eyes. A slow shock spread over Harry features and Severus prepared himself for the worst possible reaction. In his head, a mantra of Just what I deserve was playing over and over.



Harry felt cold wash through his body. It chilled him to the marrow, but strangely he could not attribute it to any negative emotion. He was not horrified, nor was he filled with hate or disgust. He was simply cold and slightly numb. Did this mean he was not alone? “Mum was pregnant when she and Dad got married, wasn’t she?” Snape nodded. “And they never told you because…why? Why wouldn’t Mum tell you that you had a child? Why keep something like that from a person?”



Severus was confused. Harry Potter had just found out that his hated potion’s professor was his father and he was worried about why no one had told Severus?



“Harry, I’m not sure you understand. Lily only ever had one pregnancy. The child she bore was mine. I am your father.”



Hearing that line in any other situation would have made Harry burst out laughing, but as it was, he simply smiled. Until the content of Snape’s word actually entered his head past the Star Wars reference. “Only…one…You’re my…father? You?”



“Yes. Lily never told me the child she was carrying was mine. I simply thought, for all these years, that she had betrayed me. That she had slept with James while we were still together and married him because of you. And thus, my extreme dislike of you. Not only did you look similar to James, you somehow managed to inherit his Quidditch ability, Lily and I were both complete rubbish at flying, and you always stood before me as both a painful reminder of the perceived betrayal and as a reason for it. I apologize for the manner in which I have treated you. You are now cognizant of its foundation, however erroneous.” Severus delivered the last stiffly.



Harry simply sat and stared at him for several long minutes. If he had felt cold before, he was completely numb now. His mind seemed to be working at a snails pace, because it simply was not computing that simple sentence. “James Potter is not my father?” Somehow, to Harry, that was an easy thing to accept. He had after all never met the man, except a foggy ghost out of Voldemort’s wand, and that didn’t count. That Lily Potter did not love James also seemed more sensible then the explanations he had been given of them suddenly falling in love during seventh year. But that Severus Snape was his father, that he had a living parent, was not seeping into his mind.



“Correct. James Potter is not your father. I am.” Severus looked at the boy worriedly. He didn’t seem to be responding to the information at all. He did not even seem to comprehend it. Is the idea of me being his father so repulsive to him that his brain is refusing to accept it? Does he honestly hate me that much? No more then I deserve…



“Professor, I think there is something wrong with my brain. Maybe it was the Venefici Sopor, but I am just not understanding that.”



“What is there not to understand, Mr. Potter? Lily and I…loved one another. We dated for several years. She got pregnant. Thus you were born.” He stumbled over the word love, imperceptibly, and cursed himself silently for it. He raised one eyebrow at the raven-haired teen in front of him.



“No, obviously, I understand that. It’s just…I-I have a living parent…I’m not an orphan anymore. I- Voldemort didn’t strip me of everything…”



Severus glanced up sharply. This was definitely not something he had been expecting. This odd awed shock was a blessing, but a slightly alarming one. “Perhaps I should get Madame Pomfrey. You seem a little…ill.”



“No, I’m fine, just a little cold is all…How many people know?” Harry asked earnestly. Severus quirked a brow and, with a gesture of his wand, intensified the blaze in the grate.



“Ms. Granger knows. We had to tell her and the Summer Coven in case it could help diagnose your illness. Remus knows also, because when a parent makes contact with someone undergoing a Venefici Sopor it calms the patient. And Of course, Dumbledore.” Because he knows everything, that manipulative bastard… Snape snorted softly.



Harry was nodding. “I think I may need a few minutes to absorb this.”



“Certainly. I understand how you feel. The re-working of your entire thought structure is not an uncomplicated thing. If you feel the need to speak with me or wish to request information from me, you have merely to seek me out and I shall endeavor to oblige.”



Harry stood slowly and turned to exit the room. He paused a moment, then turned back. “Are you…Are you pleased, at least? To have a son, I mean, even if it is me?”



Severus furrowed his brow. “I am naturally very pleased to have a son. And there is nothing wrong with you, Mr. Potter, no matter what I or anyone else has said in the past. Except maybe that you lack a certain amount of self-confidence.”



Harry grinned slightly at him. “Thanks, professor!”



With that, he exited the room, as if in a daze. Severus stared after him.








So sorry this took soooo long. College is crazy busy!!! And I ran out of my stock of chapters.



[*There is a lot of scheduling in the first half of this chapter. This is so everyone knows when it is in the future when Harry is in lessons. Also a few bits of info get dropped along the way, so don