My Father's Shadow

Chapter Two

When First We Practice to Deceive

Harry awoke the next morning from a harsh shake from his best friend. Immediately, Harry recoiled. Ron looked concerned for a moment before his face returned to the furious expression he had on before.

“Why did you run away from us last night?” Ron asked angrily. Harry sighed as all the discoveries of last night came rushing back to him.

“I wasn’t feeling well...” he mumbled unconvincingly.

Ron’s gaze lightened slightly. “Oh, okay then mate, hey are you going to get up? First class is in ten minutes.”

Harry looked away. “I don’t think I’m going to class today Ron, I still don’t feel very well.”

Ron laughed, “You can’t avoid Potions forever.”

Harry tried to chuckle...... “I can try.”

“Good luck mate, when Hermione hears about this she’s going to have your head.”

* * * * *

When Ron and Hermione walked into their final class of the day, Potions, they were surprised to find Professor Snape approach them with an angry glare on his face. “Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, where is Mr Potter?”

Ron smirked, “Not here.”

“Five points from Gryffindor Mr Weasley, I can see that.”

He smirked at them for a second before carrying on with his original question.

“Now then, has Mr Potter bothered to go to any of his classes today?”

This time it was Hermione who answered, somewhat nervously. “No sir, he said he wasn’t feeling well.”

If anything Snape looked even more pissed at that, and as class progressed, the students found their professor to be even worse than usual condition in terms of his demeanor. By the end of the day the Gryffindors found themselves down fifty points, and the Slytherins had managed to elicit a loss of two, which was an amazing feat when it concerned Snape and his house. The students found themselves leaving the class with a mixture of shock and amazement.

* * * * *

During the extent of the day Harry had realized his foolishness in not going to classes. It left him with something to dwell on. All he had ever wanted was a family. He had entertained fantasies about life with Lily and James Potter ever since he was eleven, and he had dreams of a real family even before then. The Dursley’s would make poor excuses for monkeys, let alone parents.

Now, to find out that he had one, he had a mixture of emotions swirling around in his mind. Shock. Fear. He was afraid, afraid of rejection, afraid that what he had just discovered could make his father hate him even more. And anger. He was furious that his whole life had been a lie, that even his name was a lie. Potter. He wasn’t a Potter, he was a Snape.

And, contemplating that, Harry went to the bathroom and took off the glamours he had been wearing on his body since his sixteenth birthday. Ever since then he had been wondering about the new changes that he had been experiencing in his physical appearance. At least now he had an explanation.

Harry gazed at the reflection that had once held James Potter’s son’s face. Now, all of the Potter family features were gone. His once wild and unmanageable hair now fell in soft waves to his shoulder, his hair much lighter. Instead of the striking black, it was now a dark brown, streaked with hints of red and auburn. Harry was glad that he hadn’t inherited Snape’s hook nose, but his features had become more pointed, more rigid. His sense of smell especially had sharpened, and his eyesight had slowly improved over the weeks. It was so that the glasses he wore in his “Harry Potter” form were now only for appearances. He was taller than he had been, though he would never truly be tall, not with the malnourishment he had suffered.

He was amused how some of his features had somehow escaped the glamours he had put up, like his height, and his hair. But his amusement ended as he examined his body, rubbing salve into the lacerations that cut across his stomach, his thighs, his legs. He winced as he touched his ribs. Two of them were undoubtedly broken, and two more of them were unknowns. He knew he would have to get someone to treat them soon. Maybe Hermione.

Looking at his arms he noted with scorn the cuts that were across him. They were scars of three people...his uncle, his cousin....and himself. Harry rubbed the rope burns on his wrists and was suddenly tossed into the memory of how he had gotten them.

* * * * *

Harry noted with trepidation the sound of the motor outside his relatives house, the signal that his uncle was home and that his chores had best be done. Luckily, today his chores were finished and Harry was on his way to his room in an attempt to not be noticed when his uncle barged in the door.

Harry dared a glance up to find his uncle’s eyes filled with a raging fire. Noticing his nephew, Vernon dropped his briefcase and charged up the stairs, grabbing Harry by the collar.

“Guess what boy?” he snarled. “I lost a deal with a client today.”

That was all he said, but Harry felt the fear trickle in as Vernon tied his hands together and strung the rope up towards the ceiling fan, which didn’t break due to Harry weighed around eighty pounds (at the time), leaving Harry about two inches off the floor.

Harry felt the tears prickle at his eyes, but didn’t open the floodgates. At least not until Vernon tore his pants and underwear off and brought the horse whip down upon his naked form. That was when he let the river flow.

* * * * *

Harry shook himself out of the memory just in time to hear someone calling his name from the common room. Casting the glamour spells in a panic, Harry hurried downstairs to be met by a very angry Potions master.

As soon as Harry saw Snape he turned around and tried to go up the stairs again. That is before an hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him around. Panicked at the touch, Harry flinched and tore away, consequently falling down the stairs and rolling into a ball in the corner, where he stayed with his arms raised above him, shuddering.

* * * * *

Snape was in a very grouchy mood as he accessed Gryffindor Tower, fully prepared to scream at his son at the top of his lungs. He was not expecting such a reaction from the boy on sight however. Severus had only rarely seen Harry with his defenses down, some examples being right after the death of his godfather, and after the incident with the Third Task.

He was not prepared for the wreckage of boy in front of him, cowering in a mixture of fear and expectancy. There was only one thing to do.

“What exactly do you think you are doing Potter?” he asked in his usual snide voice.

The boy looked at him nervously, carefully taking his arms down and unrolling himself. Then, with obviously false bravado he stood up and placed a goofy grin on his face. “Nothing Professor, I was just practicing some of my seeker moves, testing my agility, you know?”

“Potter, you were huddled up in a ball shivering,” Severus replied suspiciously.

“Distracting tactics,” replied Harry, sitting on one of the wooden chairs they kept near the chess table.

“I see.”

“Anyways Professor, what did you need to see me about.”

Snape’s face went from curious to furious in a flash. “Your absence from classes Potter! What is that about?” Snape said this in a dangerously soft voice that made Harry shiver and flinch involuntarily.

“I’m sorry sir, it won’t happen again,” he whispered subserviently, knowing that the best way to avoid punishment is to just tell the person what they want to hear.

Unfortunately, Severus Snape was not appeased by the boy’s submissive answer. In fact, he was infuriated by it. Marching towards the boy he wrapped a hand around his arm, immediately releasing him when the boy recoiled and brought his arms up once again. Finally confirmed in his suspicions, Severus spoke once again.

“Who’s been abusing you Potter?” he asked quickly, to the point. Harry blinked at his question. Then an automatic grin appeared on his face and he talked in a cheerful tone.

“No one Professor, why would you think that?”

Snape raised his hand an inch from Harry’s face, Harry toppled off the chair and rolled into a ball.

“Does that answer your question Potter?”

* * * * *

Review Responses:

Thanks To:

JE aka Yessina

Wynjara

Lillinfields

Starangel2106

Nation El Diablo

Kateri1

SarahSnape3

DarkWitch16: Thanks for your tips about the anonymous reviewer thing, I took it off. I’m glad you enjoy the story so far. I’m in love with a whole bunch of the Severitus fics too.

Melissa Jooty: One of my main reasons for writing this fic was so that I could portray how the world is not just a fluffy place where everyone gets along right away. I wanted to show how emotions and feelings towards people do not change simply because of one discovery, even one like this. I want to show how it takes time to get to know someone, and after a long time, and after a lot of trials and tribulations then you can begin to love someone. I’m glad you like the flashback, I hope you liked this one as well.

Dalamar Nightson: Thank you for reading my story. Who’s your friend? Whoever they are, I’d like to thank them for insisting you read this, that makes me very proud. Glad you didn’t find to many grammatical errors, and I truly hope that continues. Please realize though that I don’t have a beta so that’s kind of hard to do.