A Father's Love

A Father's Love

*

Truths

*

Remus picked the little boy up again, keeping him securely in his arms. Unnoticed by the werewolf, Severus casted a light tracking charm on the Dursley pig -- he wouldn't put it past the Muggle to try to escape justice by going to hiding. Then, not letting his wand lower before they were all out of the house, he turned towards his husband and the child who seemingly was their son.

"Are you really my dad?" asked Jeremy shyly from Remus. As the werewolf nodded in confirmation, he continued, "Why didn't you take care of me, then?" With a little bit fearful voice, he added, "Didn't you want me? Was I -- was I bad?" Little tears shone in the boy's eyes.

"I wanted nothing more than you," Remus assured him, holding him tightly against his chest. "And you were not bad, Jeremy. You're the best little boy I've ever known." While talking, they all the time hurried towards Figg's house. "You were taken away from us," he continued quietly. "We thought you were dead."

"Oh." For some time, Jeremy didn't say anything. Then he asked, "Are we going to see Miss Figg?"

"Yes, Jeremy," Severus said, "we're indeed going to meet her. Then we're going to get you to Hogwarts."

"What's Hogwarts?" the little boy demanded. "Is it a nice place?"

"It is a very nice place," Remus promised him. "And when we're done visiting there, we'll take you home. No, not back to that horrible place where you were," he said as a flicker of fear again entered the child's eyes. "Your real home, where we live. You'll get your very own room there."

Now Jeremy's eyes widened. "I won't have to sleep in the cupboard?" As both Remus and Severus shook their heads determinedly, he continued, "May I take my blanket there?"

"Of course you can," Severus promised, then stopped, as they'd reached Figg's door at last. Knocking sharply on the door, he continued, "You will never again have to go to a cupboard, Jeremy. I promise."

A moment later, Figg came to open the door. Seeing the two wizards and the little child on Remus's arms, she gasped. "What happened?" she asked while ushering them inside. "Where's Harry?"

Remus sighed deep. "It seems that Harry never was Harry," he said slowly. "Or at least the boy who was living with the Dursleys was not him. This," he continued, petting his son's hair, "is our son. Jeremy Snape."

"Oh!" Figg's eyes widened. "You can Floo back from my living room," she said. "Albus has momentarily put the Floo wards down, you'll be able to get right to the school."

"Thank you, Bell," Remus said with a slight smile. Then he said to Jeremy, "Okay, Jeremy, we're going to do something that's called magic. Please don't be frightened, okay?"

"...Okay," the boy said shyly. "But magic doesn't exist... does it?"

"Of course it does," Severus said harshly. "Do not believe anything those Dursleys told you, they're just dirty liars -- the almost worst kind there is."

"Only 'almost' worst kind, eh?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows. Severus nodded in confirmation.

"They're the worst kind of child abusers, true," he said, following Figg to her living room. "But the only ones of the worst kind of liars are The Dark Lord and Albus Dumbledore."

A moment, a few grains of Floo powder, and a very bewildered Jeremy later, they appeared to the Infirmary of Hogwarts. As Poppy Pomfrey saw them and especially the tiny boy in Remus's arms, she gasped in shock. "What happened?" asked she, too. "And who is this boy?"

"We will tell you everything," Remus promised, placing his son on one of the white hospital beds. Then he added, "Meanwhile, you could run a complete health scan on him."

So, Poppy examined the little boy while Remus and Severus told all about their visit to the Dursleys. She gasped as she saw the boy's injuries, and with a grave determination she photographed each and every one of the bruises, cuts and half-healed wounds on the frail body. Even the two wizards were stunned about the true extent of the child's injuries. The big clothes had hid a lot more than just a couple of fading bruises.

In the end of their story, Poppy nodded slowly. "I truly think Albus has a lot of explaining to do," she said. "My scans showed that Jeremy's had numerous Glamouring Charms on him ever since he was born. Most probably the awakening of his own magic made those slowly disappear. And the Dursleys aren't going to get out of this easily, either," she continued harshly. "He's been neglected and abused for years -- and he's only four years old, they must have started right after he was given to their care!"

"They will be dealt with," Severus said determinedly. "Now, however, I want to talk with Albus." A cold glint in his eyes showed that the meeting would not become nice for the old wizard.

"Give him some for me, too," Poppy said determinedly. "I was there when Remus gave birth -- but I do not remember it. All I know about the result is that the baby was stillborn. At least that's what Albus told me," she added bitterly. "If I find out he's messed with me, he'll be sorry!"

"Don't worry," Remus said, gathering the frightened and shivering Jeremy into his arms once again. "Albus will get what he deserves, for everything he's done to us. And to Jeremy," he added then sharply.

"...Dad?" asked a quiet voice. As they all locked their eyes at him, the boy said uneasily, "I'm sleepy."

"That's just a result of the complete scanning charm, dear," Remus said expertly. He had, after all, been its target for not a few times himself. "Just sleep, Jeremy. I'll take care of you." Tightening his arms around the boy, he added, "I won't let anybody take you from me and your father anymore."

"Good..." With this, Jeremy yawned. Then he pressed his tear-stained face against Remus's chest, snuggled up to his carrier, and quickly fell asleep.

*

"You told me he was stillborn," said Remus quietly with a sharp, accusing voice. "You never even let me see or hold him, you just said that it was better that way, that it would be easier." Like trying to make up for that, he held the sleeping boy even more tightly against himself. The little boy mumbled quietly in his sleep, not stirring even when their voices were raised. Even in sleep he pressed his little body against Remus, however, seemingly understanding that the man who called himself his Dad was safe and secure.

"I did what I thought was the best," sighed the Headmaster. "Believe me, Remus, I was only trying to make it better for everyone. You were a single werewolf, the Ministry wouldn't have let you keep him anyway."

"I would have found a way," said the werewolf with a wavering voice. "I'd have contacted Severus, have Sirius claim the kid as his own, anything. There was no way I could have given him up. And you stole him from me."

"It wasn't just that, was it, Albus?" asked Severus then quietly. "You needed us. You needed me to be with Remus so you could be sure about my loyalty, and you needed Remus on the field instead of taking care of a child. The Potters were already in the hiding, they could care for him without ruining your carefully laid plans. How did you allow the Weasleys to keep Ron? Because they were already useless to you, having little children? Or were you just unable to take their baby to another couple?"

"I wanted only your best," Dumbledore said quietly -- hopelessly, in fact.

"Indeed." The werewolf snorted. "And what if I had killed myself like I planned to?" Seeing the Headmaster blinking, he pressed Jeremy even tighter against his chest and went on, "That's what I planned, you know. By the time you told Severus to come to see me I'd decided on killing myself. It was only he who would turn my head." Another snort was heard. Then he said, "What would have happened to your precious plans then? Or to your self-righteous explanations with which you tried to reason your doings?"

"Calm down, Remus," Severus said quietly, placing a hand on his arm. "We have Jeremy back to us now, don't we? And we're not giving him up anymore. At first we have to get him settled in, then we can deal with this manipulative bastard." With a smirk he added, "Besides, if we start yelling now, our son will wake up. And that we do not want, now do we?"

Now, Dumbledore gasped. It wasn't Severus's calm voice assuring him of the coming revenge that shocked him -- he'd known it would come, neither of these men was known to forget easily, and he knew he deserved it -- but instead it was something he'd seen when the Potions Master had turned to talk to his husband. The marks of large hands on the pale neck, to be exact. "What caused those?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, these hand prints?" Severus raised his eyebrows. "Dursley. Vernon Dursley, the same man whom you trusted to take care of a child. Poppy almost fainted when she scanned Jeremy's injuries." Of course, this did not help Dumbledore's guilt, but instead made him hang his head in shame.

"What did you do to Poppy, anyway?" asked Remus. "Or did you get her in to your plans, too?"

"No, I didn't," the Headmaster said, sighing and shaking his head. "She refused to let me do that, do not hold ill will against her, she would have never allowed it. I had to Obliviate her."

"Well, at least somebody around here has some morals," Severus snorted. "Goodbye, Albus. As much as I would want to give you everything you deserve right now, what I said to Remus earlier still stands. Jeremy is more important now." With a hard glint in his eyes, he added, "But don't think this is over."

And Dumbledore didn't. He did not think this was over, neither did he think he would get out of it easily.

He might have been the only person Lord Voldemort had ever feared. But right now these two betrayed fathers were the only people who could make him fear.