Deligo Sanguis

Chapter Two

Confrontations

ONE

The Dursleys had all but forgotten about Harry's presence in their home after Arêthüsa's visit. He didn't mind their silence. He preferred the Dursley's this way, silent and out of the way. He wrote to the Order every three days to ensure them of his safety, but received no other contact from the wizarding world. He had, of course, received the results for his O.W.L.s and was pleased to learn of his O in Potions.

"Well, Hedwig," he said to his owl as he packed his trunk up. "We're off to school tomorrow. One more year after this, Hedwig, and then we'll be free."

Hedwig hooted her agreement, clicking her beak impatiently. Clearly Harry wasn't the only one anxious to be away from the Dursley's.

"Potter!" Uncle Vernon yelled up the stairs.

Harry emerged from his room and looked over the banner at his massive Uncle. "Yes, Uncle Vernon?" he asked, tilting his head with curiosity.

"Are your things packed, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry replied.

"Good. We're leaving for the station early. You'd better be ready when I come to get you in the morning. I don't want to dawdle."

"I'll be ready, sir," Harry replied. He wondered briefly what 'early' meant.

"Be sure that you are," Uncle Vernon snarled.

Harry shrugged and went back into his room, intent on getting to bed early.

"Better turn in, Hedwig," he said. "It looks like we're going to have an early day tomorrow." He set his alarm for five o'clock just in case and went to bed.

TWO

Harry stared out at Platform 9 3/4 through the window of his compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Uncle Vernon had dropped Harry off at the station at seven o'clock that morning. The barrier to the platform hadn't been opened yet, so Harry was made to wait in the eerily quiet train station. The barrier had opened at 8:30 and Harry had been sitting on the train since.

He watched as the platform crowded with students, all bustling about, meeting friends and saying heartfelt goodbyes before boarding the train. His heart clenched painfully with the thought that he'd never gotten to say goodbye to Sirius. He would never again see his smile, or his bright eyes upon greeting Harry. Harry could clearly recall the moment one year ago, when Sirius, disguised in his dog form 'Snuffles', had jumped up and tried to hug Harry. Harry closed his eyes and placed his head against the cool glass of the window, choking back the sob that wanted to escape from his chest.

"There you are!" a voice sounded behind him. "He's in here, Ron!"

Harry turned as Hermione entered his compartment, followed closely by Ron. They were Harry's two best friends in the world, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to feel happy to see them.

"Hiya, Harry!" Ron said cheerily, sitting next to his friend, after hauling his and Hermione's trunks into the overhead compartment.

"Hi guys," Harry said quietly, turning to look back out of the window.

"You all right there, Harry?" Ron asked, opening Pig's cage and allowing the tiny owl to zoom around the compartment excitedly.

"I'm fine, thanks," Harry replied mechanically. He watched as the train lurched and the platform slowly passed from view, revealing the bustling, late morning city of London.

Ron opened his mouth, but Hermione shook her head sharply.

"So, how was your summer?" she asked with false cheer.

"Fine, thanks," Harry replied. "Yours?" He didn't turn away from the window, but he could see Hermione's worried expression reflected in the clean glass.

"Oh, it could have been better," Hermione replied, maintaining her cheerful tone. "It would have been much better if you were there, of course, but Dumbledore wouldn't even let us write! Can you believe the nerve of that man?"

Harry shrugged noncommittally, not turning away from the window. He couldn't help but think that, were it he, he would have at least tried to sneak one past Dumbledore.

"I tried to get Pig out," Ron said, as if reading Harry's mind. "Dumbledore had put up some kind of spell to keep him in."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, fixing a glare on the redhead.

"What?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes. "I had to try! Harry probably thought we forgot about him!"

Harry finally turned away from the window to look at his friend. "Did Dumbledore say why he didn't want you to write?" he asked.

"Some posh about your protection," Ron grumbled. "It's not like we were going to go blathering all of his secrets in our letters. By the way, your birthday present is in my trunk. I'll give it to you after the feast."

"Thanks," Harry said, feeling considerably warmer toward Ron. He turned back to the window, ignoring Hermione's huffy expression at the thought of Ron disobeying Dumbledore's orders. She was behaving just like the little pawn that Dumbledore wanted her to be.

As the train traveled steadily northward, it began to rain. Harry watched as the drops pelted the window.

"The first years will have a nice trip across the lake in that ," Hermione said, also looking out of the window.

"Yeah," Harry replied absently, his thoughts on the stack of legal documents in his trunk. Snape's reaction to Harry's news would be proof of whether he'd ever been with Harry's mum. He was oblivious to the concerned looks he was drawing from his friends. He barely spoke for the whole train ride, not even when Malfoy and his cohorts showed up an hour into the trip.

When the train arrived at Hogsmeade station, Harry disembarked without really paying attention to what he was doing. He felt a strong pang of regret and guilt when he saw the Thestrals waiting patiently to pull the students up to the school. Harry swallowed hard and boarded the carriage, trying not to look at the Thestrals.

"Are you sure that you're all right, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied, looking at his feet as though they were the most interesting things in the world. 'If we had never learned about the Thestrals, I wouldn't have been able to get to the Ministry. Sirius wouldn't have died because of his stupid, impulsive godson. If only I had tried harder with my Occlumency. If only I had listened! I'm so stupid!'

"Harry," Hermione said, touching Harry's arm lightly.

Harry jumped in surprise and turned to look at her. "Huh?" he asked.

"We've arrived," Hermione said. "Come on." She gave Harry one last concerned glance before getting out of the carriage.

Harry got out and walked into the castle, not noticing the sympathetic looks he was receiving from the other students. He sat heavily at the Gryffindor table, staring at his hands silently.

"It looks like we've got a lot of new students this year," Hermione said. "I saw them following Hagrid back at the station."

"Hm," Harry said absently, not looking up.

"Ginny made prefect," Ron announced.

"Oh?" Harry asked, looking down the table. Ginny was seated just a few seats away. "Congratulations, Ginny," Harry called.

Ginny went crimson. "Oh, thanks," she mumbled before glaring at Ron, who grinned cheekily at her.

"Mum was so proud, I thought she might collapse," Ron said.

Harry grinned slightly at the thought of Mrs. Weasley. "How is she?" he asked.

"She's Mum," Ron replied. "She's really worried about you though. She disagreed with Dumbledore! Can you believe it? She said it wouldn't be a good idea to leave you without any contact. She was overridden, obviously, but she really tried to make him change his mind."

"I'll have to write to her," Harry said. The doors to the Hall opened and McGonagall entered with the first years. There were, indeed, a great deal of new first years streaming in behind McGonagall, all of them looking around the Great Hall nervously. Harry groaned.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"The Sorting is gonna take all night," Harry muttered, wanting nothing more than to leave the suffocating Hall and go to his dorm room.

"I know," Ron agreed. "I'm starving!"

Harry refrained from rolling his eyes and smiled weakly at Ron. "Yeah," he said. Harry was surprised to see that he recognized one of the first years. There was a small blonde boy near the middle of the line who looked like a boy from Harry's neighborhood named Mark Evans. He was wet and shivering, like the rest of the first years, and he was staring around the Hall with wide eyes. He jumped with surprise when his eyes landed on Harry. Harry smiled at him and received a tentative smile in return.

"Who are you looking at?" Hermione asked.

Harry cursed her attentiveness. "Mark Evans," he said. "He lives in Little Whinging, a few streets away from the Dursleys."

"Oh," Hermione said with interest, turning her eyes back to the first years. The Sorting took nearly forty-five minutes, and each house got a fair number of new students. Mark Evans went to Ravenclaw, and after the feast, he approached Harry.

"Hey, you're Harry Potter, right?" he asked.

'Not actually,' Harry thought. "Yeah, that's me."

"Mum told me that you went to St. Brutus'!" Mark exclaimed.

"I know," Harry replied. "The Statute for Secrecy and all that, you know? We couldn't tell her where I really went to school."

"Oh."

"Come on, Harry," Hermione said behind him. "You don't want to get a detention the first night back."

"I'm coming," Harry said over his shoulder. "You'd better follow your classmates or you'll get lost."

"Yeah, see you," Mark said and ran down the stairs after the rest of the Ravenclaws. Harry turned and began a slow ascent to Gryffindor Tower, feeling tired and bogged down. He entered the common room behind Hermione and immediately retreated to the dorm.

Ron entered a few minutes later and eyed Harry curiously. Harry was in bed already, but his curtains weren't drawn.

"You've been really quiet today," Ron said sitting on his bed and removing his shoes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm always quiet, Ron," Harry replied. "I'm fine, I've told you."

"Okay, Harry," Ron said, holding his hands up defensively.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, Ron. I'm just tired." He didn't want to alienate the only friend he had who had made an attempt to contact him, even if it was a failed attempt.

"That's all right, Harry," Ron said, getting under his blankets. "You'll feel better in the morning."

Harry pulled his curtains closed and fell asleep shortly after. His rest was short-lived because he had unpleasant dreams. He dreamt of Sirius falling through the veil and Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant face as it happened. He dreamt of Voldemort trying to take over his body and the extreme pain that had accompanied that event. He dreamt of Dumbledore, telling half-truths and hiding facts, causing people Harry loved to die.

THREE

He woke with a start near dawn after dreaming that Snape had poisoned his lunch for spreading vicious lies. His breathing was erratic until he calmed down enough to get out of bed. He gathered fresh robes and took a long hot shower, losing himself under the spray. He washed his hair, scrubbing the shampoo into his scalp, paranoid about his hair becoming greasy like Snape's. He massaged the soap into his body, trying to work out the tension that had been building for more than a year. After he finished washing, he stood under the spray for another fifteen minutes.

Harry sat in the common room after his shower going over the legal documents Arêthüsa Bennet had given him, looking for any flaws that might indicate that they were false.

'Is it really so impossible?' he wondered as he looked at his birth certificate. 'The Sorting Hat wanted me in Slytherin. Maybe it's because the Hat knew that Snape was my father. Is it really such a stretch?' As the gray light of the rising sun brightened the common room windows, Harry put the papers into his school bag and left Gryffindor Tower to have an early breakfast. He was surprised to see Snape already sitting at the High Table. Snape glared at Harry before getting back to his meal.

"Bloody git," Harry muttered. He piled food on his plate and began eating mechanically. His depression had sunk so far that eating was just something he did because he had to. He didn't often feel hungry, but he didn't want to get sick and make more people worry about him. While Harry ate, McGonagall passed him and placed his timetable next to him. Potions first. "Damn it," Harry whispered. Shaking his head, he moved to the door and descended to the dungeons.

He sat down on the floor next to the closed door of Snape's class and pulled out the documents that stripped away Snape's parental rights. He'd been taking notes on the papers Arêthüsa had given him, determined to find inconsistencies that would prove them false. After a long time he sighed in defeat.

"It all adds up," he said, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. "God, I hate that man."

"Talking to yourself, Potter?" a sneering voice asked. Harry looked up at the pale face of Draco Malfoy without comment. "I always knew you were totally barmy," Malfoy went on. "The Prophet wasn't too far off the mark after all."

"Why do you care, Malfoy?" Harry asked in an almost bored tone. "If I went barmy, that makes me that much easier to kill."

"Touché, Potter, but I disagree," Malfoy replied. "Crazy men are the most dangerous. Maybe someone should do you in now, while you're sitting."

"Is that a threat, Malfoy?" Harry asked calmly.

"What do you think?" Malfoy replied. "Oh, I forgot. You can't think."

Harry raised his eyebrow and began packing his things away. Malfoy was wearing a triumphant smirk when Harry walked up to him. "You know, for someone who thinks so much, you seem very content to throw your life away for Voldemort."

Malfoy blanched slightly, but recovered quickly. His eyes flicked to Harry's right before settling on Harry's face again. "You should watch yourself around here, Potter," he spat. "Not everyone in this school worships you like your little Mudblood."

Harry glanced in the direction Malfoy's eyes had gone a moment ago and saw Hermione standing at his shoulder. "Hermione doesn't worship anyone , let alone me. She's more intelligent and independent than you'll ever be."

Malfoy's cheeks turned pink in anger, but just as he opened his mouth to reply, the door opened and Snape ushered them inside.

"Whoever you sit next to will be your partner for the rest of the year," Snape said as he swept to the front of the class. Harry and Hermione sat at the back. Malfoy sat with Pansy Parkinson at the very front. Harry noticed how small the class was and wondered if there was another sixth year Potions class.

"As this is an N.E.W.T. level class, and we will be covering dangerous and potent potions, I expect nothing but the best from all of you," Snape went on, turning with a wave of flourishing black robes. "All summer assignments will be passed forward now." There was a commotion as all the students produced their summer homework and passed it to the front of the room. Harry wondered if Snape practiced in front of a mirror to make his robes billow the way they did as said professor moved forward to collect the homework.

The class passed slowly as they carefully cut and measured ingredients and brought their cauldrons to a boil for the Dreamless Sleep Potion they were learning today. Harry let the depression keep him calm and helped Hermione create a perfect potion with minimal help. Hermione was beaming at him by the end of the class. The expression made Harry feel sick.

Snape dismissed the class with a sneer and a wave of his hand after all the vials were bottled and on his desk.

"You go on, Hermione," Harry told his bushy haired friend. "I have to talk to Snape."

"Are you sure, Harry?" Hermione asked, glancing apprehensively at the sour professor.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "Tell McGonagall that I'm coming."

"Okay, Harry," Hermione said, giving Harry a hug and dashing out of the room.

Harry put down his bag and removed the stack of legal documents, and then he tentatively walked to Snape's desk. "Sir?" he asked.

"What do you want, Potter?" Snape asked disdainfully. "I should think that you would have left as quickly as possible."

Harry cleared his throat and gathered his courage. "A friend of yours came to see me over the summer."

Snape's head snapped up from the lesson plan he was reviewing and he glared suspiciously at Harry. "I don't have friends, Potter."

"I think you do," Harry countered, unperturbed. "She gave me these papers. I think that you should read them."

"I am not going to waste my time with your silly indulgences," Snape spat, turning his attention back to his lesson plan.

"I think that you'll find them rather interesting," Harry commented. "I'll just leave them here." He placed the stack on Snape's desk, picked up his bag and left the room. The third years waiting outside of Snape's door watched him curiously as he passed.

FOUR

Severus was in his office, grading the summer assignments and doing his best to ignore his curiosity about the stack of papers on the corner of his desk. He kept telling himself that anything Potter found interesting had to be detrimental to his own health, but it did nothing to quell his curiosity. When the temptation grew to be too much, he cursed softly and put down his quill. He looked at the papers for a moment and then pulled the first folder from the top of the pile toward him. When he opened it and saw the first page, his stomach clenched uncomfortably at what he saw.

Child's Name: Harry James Evans

Father's Name: Severus Austerus Snape

"It cannot be," he whispered. He was staring at the birth certificate, transfixed, when there was a loud knock at his door. He jumped in surprise and cursed under his breath. "Who is it?" he said angrily, putting the birth certificate back into its folder.

"Airy," a woman's voice replied.

Severus smiled and moved across the small office to open the door, behind which stood a tall, pale redhead with large expressive eyes. "Airy, it's been ages," he said, standing aside to allow the woman entrance. "Does Albus know you're here?"

"Albus doesn't need to know," Airy replied shortly. Severus always felt entranced by her accent. "That old fool isn't all important, Severus."

"You know I respect him, Airy," Severus said gently. "I'll thank you to keep a civil tongue about him."

Airy waved her hand dismissively. "I see Harry's spoken to ya," she said, pointing at the stack of folders. "I honestly didn't expect him to."

" You're the friend he was talking about?" Severus asked incredulously. "What is this rubbish you gave him?"

"You haven't read it then?" Airy asked.

"I've read enough to know that it's a cruel joke!"

Airy watched him quietly, no emotion showing on her face. "You know I wouldn't joke about this, Severus. I know how important Lily was to you."

"I don't want to hear about Lily!" Severus snapped. "I never should have trusted her! She was a liar and a Mudblood and she didn't deserve the attention of a pureblooded wizard!"

"You don't mean that, Severus," Airy said softly. "She wasn't a liar. She was heartbroken when you left her."

"Oh yes. That's why she married Potter two weeks later. How long were they screwing around behind my back?"

"They never did, Severus, not even after they married."

"Oh, so I suppose the mini-Potter was a creation of magic then?"

"Did you read any of that?" Airy asked angrily, waving at Severus' desk. "He's your son, Severus! She only married James to protect her name! He never touched her!"

"Impossible," Severus scoffed. He sat down heavily and folded his arms on the top of the desk. "No man could have lived with Lily and not touched her. She was far too beautiful for that."

"Bless your heart, Severus," Airy said fondly. "James was never interested in Lily, or any other girl, for that matter."

Severus stared at her. "He was fey?"

"So he was," Airy replied. "Only you were too dense to notice."

"I am not dense," Severus said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "So who was his lover, then?"

Airy smiled warmly and said, "Sirius."

For a moment Severus thought he'd heard wrong. "You're making fun of me," he said. Airy shook her head and held his gaze. "How is it possible? Potter looks just like his father!"

Airy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back on the shelves behind her. "Just how far into the papers did you get?"

"I've only seen the birth certificate."

"Well, the answers to all of your questions are in that stack, so they are. This isn't the reason I came here at any rate."

"Oh?" Severus asked, a small smile appearing on his face.

FIVE

Harry was determined to speak to Snape before curfew and make sure that he looked over the documents. Harry may not have believed that he was related to Snape, but he wanted the man's point of view on the situation. Snape had said that he didn't have friends, which made either Snape or Arêthüsa Bennet a liar.

As he approached Snape's office, he heard raised voices and slowed his footsteps. He got close to the door and paused to listen. A soft voice that Harry recognized was speaking.

"Just how far into the papers did you get?"

"I've only seen the birth certificate," Snape replied.

"Well, the answers to all of your questions are in that stack, so they are. This isn't the reason I've come here at any rate."

"Oh?" Snape asked, sounding slightly amused. Harry was surprised to hear that tone coming from Snape.

"Don't get fresh with me, Severus Snape," the first voice said. "I want to know why Harry believes that you hate him."

"What makes you think that is what he believes?" Snape asked in a pinched tone that was much more Snapeish.

"He told me that you hate him," the first voice said, and Harry realized with a jolt that it was Arêthüsa. "What's more, I think he hates you right back, so I do."

"I have no doubt," Snape said sardonically.

"You need to fix this, Severus," Arêthüsa said. "Even if he never accepts who he is, you should have some kind of civil relationship with your son. I know how you are, and I know you've been taking out your anger and frustration at Lily on that poor boy."

"Stop this!" Snape yelled. "Why are you doing this? Do you know how many years I've spent trying to forget Lily?"

"My guess would be seventeen," Arêthüsa replied calmly. "Look, I know that bringing up the past hurts, but you have to face facts. Harry is your son, and you have a responsibility to be kind to him. I wasn't going to tell you because I promised Harry that I'd let him do it. Since he's already told you, then I'm sure you can see the importance of your relationship with him."

"Do not lecture me , Arêthüsa Bennet," Snape growled. "You have no idea what I went through because of Lily's perceived betrayal! How can you just expect me to be nice to her spawn when he should bloody well have been mine ?!"

"But he is yours, Severus," Arêthüsa said gently.

"THAT'S NOT THE BLOODY POINT!" Snape exploded.

Harry decided to interrupt before this argument got out of hand. He knocked loudly and waited.

The room fell into silence for a moment, and then Harry heard fast steps and the door flew open to reveal a very angry Snape.

"What do you want, Potter?" he spat.

Harry swallowed. "I thought we might discuss the papers that I gave you," he said.

"I do not have the time nor the bloody patience to deal with you right now, Potter," Snape sneered.

"That is enough!" Arêthüsa exclaimed, appearing at Snape's shoulder. "You're angry with me! You don't have to take it out on him!"

Snape turned and glared at her while Harry watched in fascination.

"I will not let you abuse him in my presence, so I won't!" She turned to Harry. "Come along, Harry." She swept past him and began moving down the hall.

Harry cast one last glance at Snape before catching up to Arêthüsa.

"That man makes me so angry sometimes!" she exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I just had to speak to your da, Harry. It didn't go well, as you could see."

"Talk to him about what?" Harry asked, not wanting her to know that he'd been listening.

"Oh, just this and that," she replied. "A visit with an old friend, 'tis all."

"Ms, Bennet, may I ask what you are doing on school grounds?" a voice asked to Harry's left. He turned and saw Dumbledore looking distinctly displeased.

Arêthüsa emitted a frightening sound like a growl. "Keep your boots on Dumbledore," she spat. "I was just leaving."

"You are not supposed to be here to start with," Dumbledore said.

"I wasn't here to threaten your precious school! I had to speak to Severus. I'll see you, Harry." Her tone softened at the last and then she was gone.

"Hey, where did she go?" Harry asked, looking around. He looked toward the front doors and saw them just swinging closed. "How'd she do that?"

"Come with me, Harry," Dumbledore said and led Harry to his office. When they were both seated, Dumbledore rested his arms on the desk in front of him. "I must ask you not to be alone with Arêthüsa Bennet."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"She's a dangerous woman, Harry," Dumbledore replied.

"Yeah, she's so dangerous that when she came to my house this summer, I was perfectly healthy when she left."

"Harry—“

"No, I'm not going to let you dictate my life. I've done fine on my own until now, and I think I can tell who to make friends with."

Dumbledore sighed and nodded. "If I cannot make you stay away from her, could you promise to be on your guard when she's around? I am only thinking of your safety."

"Fine," Harry said, and left the office. He went straight to his dorm and dropped on his bed fully dressed, but sleep was a long time in coming.