Invenio Veritas

Chapter 7: Questions Arise

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Dumbledore looked up from the parchment. His eyes rested on Harry who was still not responding to his two best friends. He had stopped shaking, but his now dull green eyes were glazed and non-blinking. The lost look in his eyes made Dumbledore's heart sink. Setting the parchment on his desk, he waked over to Harry and knelt before him.

"Professor," said Hermione, looking at Dumbledore with eyes full of question and worry. "What's wrong? What's wrong with Harry?"

"Ms. Granger, that will be explained to you at a later time," said Dumbledore. "I need you and Mr. Weasley to take Harry to Madam Pomfrey. Tell her to give him a dreamless sleep potion. If she has any objections, tell her to bring them up with me. You may stay with him as long as Poppy allows, but don't stay past curfew."

Without any more questions, Hermione and Ron put Harry's arms around their necks and walked out of the office. Dumbledore grabbed the piece of parchment with Harry's lineage on it and the ring. He left his office in search of answers.

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Severus laid the book he was reading on his chest as he reached down and grabbed a wine glass off the floor. His long, thin frame was currently resting on a huge, overstuffed leather sofa in front of a roaring fire. He usually avoided lighting fires in his private chambers, for fear of unwanted visitors surprising him, but it was unusually cold for the beginning of September, even colder than Severus' liking. After taking a sip of wine, he set the glass back on the stone floor and resumed his reading.

But his peace was not to last. A knock on his door brought him out of his concentration and comfort. He continued to lie on the couch, in hopes that the unwanted visitor would leave. Unfortunately, just the opposite happened and the visitor entered the chamber without waiting for permission. Severus was about to jump up and curse the intruder into oblivion but stopped when he realized it was Dumbledore.

"Ah, Albus, what a pleasant surprise," said Severus as he sat up and turned to face the headmaster. Dumbledore sat in an armchair to the right of him. "May I ask what the reason is for your presence in my private chambers? The key word being 'private.'"

"I am sorry to have intruded, Severus, but something urgent has been brought to my attention," Dumbledore looked very serious and Severus wasn't sure he wanted to hear this urgent message. "First, I must ask you a question. And please, be honest. Your honesty will clear up many things. Did you continue seeing Lily after she and James were together?"

Severus was taken back. This was not a question he was expecting. "Of course I didn't. I stopped seeing her the day we discussed my spying duties."

"Are you sure, Severus?"

"Yes. Albus, I told her right after the meeting. Why are bringing this up? That was one of the hardest days of my life! Do you know what it's like telling the person you love you can never see them again? I couldn't even tell her the real reason," Severus closed his eyes and leaned his head onto the back of the couch.

"I am sorry to bring this up Severus. I really am."

"Why are you bringing it up then? This was sixteen years ago, and it still hurts like it was yesterday."

"I know Severus. Let me ask a different question then. Do you know who this ring belongs to?" Dumbledore took the ring he had given Harry out of his pocket and handed it to Severus. Severus took the ring and looked at it. He stared at it, unblinking and then closed his eyes. After a few moments, Severus felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at the older wizard sitting next to him. He took a deep breath to steady his voice and began.

"This ring belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to my mother before she died, and my mother gave it to me. I gave it to Lily as a promise ring for Christmas during our seventh year here. I always thought the stones looked just like her eyes," Severus paused and curled the hand that was holding the ring into a fist. Looking up at Dumbledore, he continued. "How did you get this?"

"James came to me before the Fidelus Charm was performed. He left a few possessions with me for safekeeping. That ring was one of them. I always thought James gave it to Lily. It does explain a lot, though."

"Explains what?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath before continuing.

"Severus, what I am about to tell you is going to come as a complete and utter shock to you. I am asking you to please hear me out," Dumbledore looked at Severus, who nodded. "Are you familiar with the charm 'Familia Progenies'?"

Severus nodded again.

"Well, Mr. Potter was curious about his lineage. I don't blame him. He doesn't know much about his family. Anyway, he came to me and asked if I had an heirloom from his parents. I gave him that ring."

Severus became puzzled. "That doesn't make sense, Albus. You have to be related by blood to use that charm."

"I know Severus," continued Dumbledore. "I gave him that ring, thinking it belonged to Lily or James. He performed Familia Progenies using the ring and. . . Well, this will explain . . . ."

Dumbledore pulled the parchment with Harry's lineage on it out of his pocket and handed it to Severus. Severus took the parchment and began to scan it. Almost immediately, he realized what had brought Dumbledore to his private chambers, why the subject of Lily was brought up. He blinked and looked at the parchment again.

"What are you playing at?" said Severus as his eyes shot up and met Dumbledore's gaze. "First, you barge in on me in my private chambers. Then you take a painful moment in my life and then rub it in my face by giving me this. Is this some kind of cruel joke?"

Dumbledore continued to look at Severus. The look said it all and Severus realized that he was serious.

"Please Albus. Please tell me you are joking! Harry Potter cannot be my son!"

Dumbledore stayed silent. He walked over to the couch Severus was sitting on and sat next to him. He put his arms around Severus and pulled him into a fatherly embrace. Severus had worked hard on putting an emotional wall around his heart and feelings for fourteen years. In that moment, he let the walls fall and allowed himself to cry.

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After what seemed like hours, Severus regained his composure and pulled out of the old man's arms. Severus was exhausted but had too many questions to sleep.

"Albus, how can this be?" said Severus, as he got off the couch and started to pace around the room. "I never slept with Lily - ever."

"That's a question I would also like an answer to myself," said Dumbledore as he eyed Severus suspiciously.

Severus noticed the look Dumbledore had given him. "I assure you Albus! I never did anything like that with Lily! I will even submit myself to questioning under veritaserum! Besides, the last time I saw Lily was a few days before she got married. I was surprised she even talked to me. I wished her luck with her life and then we turned and went our separate ways."

"Were you involved with anyone at that time?"

"Yes. When you told me to break it off with Lily, I knew she wouldn't give in so easily. So I started seeing another girl. Her name was Jaydolyn Summers. She was American. It did the trick, though. Word got around that I was seeing her and that's when Lily turned to James. They got married a few months later."

Severus stopped walking and sat in one of his armchairs. He started to massage his temples.

"You know, Severus," began Dumbledore. "You're not alone in this." Severus looked up at the headmaster. He realized that he had not stopped and thought about Potter's, no, Harry's reaction to all this.

"Albus, where is Harry?"

"Harry is in the hospital wing, sleeping," said Dumbledore. "I'm afraid the discovery was quite unexpected and quite a shock for him."

"I would say so!" shouted Severus, not realizing his raised tone. "Could you imagine thinking you know who your father is for you whole life and then being told it was all a lie? Having your whole life ripped from you? And better yet, your father ends up being the one person who had made your life a living hell for the last four years? Albus, I don't even know how I ended up being his father! What am I going to do?"

"Talk to him, let him know how you feel. I believe I will talk to him in the morning. I should let him know what is going on. Then, after he has everything explained to him, you can sit down with him and talk. He's going to have a lot to deal with, as are you, but be patient with him Severus. He is just a child."

"It's so unfair," began Severus. "He's just a child. A fifteen-year-old child. Why does everything happen to him?"

"I don't have an answer to that Severus," said Dumbledore. "But now his your child, Severus. You have to help him through this."

"Be serious, Albus," said Severus with a nervous sneer. "Do you really think he is going to accept me? As his father, no less. He thinks I hate him. I'm sure he has mutual feelings for me."

"Do you hate him Severus?" asked Dumbledore.

"I don't know my real feeling for him, but I never hated him. I guess I never really looked through my hatred for James to really see Harry."

"Well, Severus. If you had, you would have seen many of Lily's characteristics in him."

"I didn't look past James for a reason, Albus," said Severus, who once again got up to pace the room. "I had to make all those deatheater children believe I hated the 'famous boy-who-lived.' Seeing so much of James in him made it easier to do. By the way, Albus, if Harry is in fact my son, why does he look so much like James?"

"I believe I have that question answered. Do you know what Lily's best subject was?"

Severus thought about it for a moment and then said, "Charms."

"Precisely. She changed Harry's appearance when he was born. That means she knew he was your child, Severus. Anyway, with Harry's appearance changed to make him look like James, no one would suspect otherwise."

"Which would explain Harry's sudden change in appearance," said Severus, stopping his pacing to think. "The charm must be wearing off. I always wondered why I could never see any traces of Lily in him, besides his eyes. He could have been passed off as James' twin brother almost."

"That's what I was also thinking," said Dumbledore as he stood up. "Severus, I am going to my office to sort through some of these matters. I'll talk to Harry in the morning. In the mean time, try to sleep. I will cancel your classes tomorrow so you can have some time to think. Are you going to be alright?"

Severus nodded and Dumbledore smiled at him.

"Hopefully this will all turn out for the best . . . for both of you," Dumbledore turned and walked out of the room, leaving Severus alone with nothing but his thoughts.

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