Harry Potter woke up a few minutes before midnight of July 31st... It was his own tradition to wake right before 12am on his birthday. Until he had started Hogwarts he was the only one who acknowledged his birthday as the Dursley's certainly didn't. Unless they were yelling at him or making him do the entire house and yard work they didn't acknowledge him at all. He preferred it that way, honestly. Even if it meant being locked in his room sharing a can of soup with Hedwig, though he wished desperately that he had sent her to the burrow for the summer. It was bad enough he had to be locked up, he couldn't bear that she suffered too.
He was also feeling sad that he couldn't send any letters to Ron and Hermione, especially since that weird house elf Dobby had been blocking their letters to him. Dobby was also the reason he was currently locked in his room as he had caused Aunt Petunia's dessert platter to drop on the head of one of the Dursley's dinner guests. Of course they had not believed him when he had told them that he was innocent. He wished he knew what Dobby had meant when he said bad things were going to happen at the school but there was no one he could ask about it. Except for making the Dursley's meals and doing chores, he was to remain locked in his room and a lock had been put on Hedwig's cage.
Harry glanced at the clock which was now showing 12:00am. He was officially twelve years old. Almost a teenager! "It's my birthday Hedwig." He informed his snowy owl. She hooted in response. He smiled and then made a mark on the calendar he had made that counted off the days until he could go back to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was more of a home to him than the Dursley's and he missed it terribly. Even with all that had happened with Quirrell and Voldemort he had never felt as happy as he had been there with Ron and Hermione. He even didn't mind putting up with snobby Draco Malfoy and cruel Professor Snape if it meant he was at Hogwarts where he had friends and people that actually cared about him. Knowing he had people who cared was still a new experience for him. He wondered, not for the first time, how different his life would have been if his parents hadn't been killed by Voldemort.
Suddenly his window opened. Which had to be impossible since it was locked and bars were on his window. Harry got up and stared, wishing he had access to his wand. Hedwig gave a startled hoot as a package flew in and landed on Harry's bed. Then before he could process what had happened, the window shut and locked, bars in place as if they had never been moved. Harry gaped at the window for a moment and then his emerald green eyes moved to the box that was sitting on his bed. Was it safe to touch? He slowly moved toward it, noticing the note on top with his first name on it.
He looked at Hedwig. "What do you think? Is it safe?" Hedwig regarded him thoughtfully and then gave a hoot of approval. Chuckling softly, Harry picked up the letter and opened it.
My Dear Harry,
I sit here writing this to you hoping that it is not necessary. My hope is that Albus Dumbledore's plan worked and that you are with your father and I right now. However I know that there are many risks to the plan your father and I agreed to and that this letter may be the only way to put things right. When you were two years old, Albus invoked a special memory charm affecting our memoires. I myself made my own enhancements to the charm. Your father was to become a spy for Albus by joining Voldemort as a death eater. Albus believed that we were close to destroying that mad man but needed some inside information. It would have been too dangerous to risk exposing that your father had married a muggleborn and had a son. Your father is an expert occlumens which means he can hide his thoughts and present fake ones so that Voldemort does not get suspicious. However, Albus thought we should take extra precautions just in case. The memory charm made me and everyone else think James Potter was my husband and your father. James was a friend and had agreed to the plan. James, though he ended up being a good man, was not the man I loved or married. Your father's name is Severus Snape and the three of us were very happy. Severus and I had been friends since we were nine years old and though it took me awhile I began to see him as more than a friend as we got older. We began dating our seventh year of Hogwarts and married the summer after. I have never been happier or felt as loved as I have being married to Severus. I think he had a hard time accepting that I loved him as his father was horrible to him and made him feel unworthy of love. Our lives became even more complete when you were born Harry. I still remember how Severus looked as he held you for the first time; he was in awe and such a proud father. If our plan did not work and this letter has been delivered to you then the charm that made you look like James is already fading. Enclosed in the package is a photo album that I have put together for you. I hope with everything I have that Severus is still alive and I have sent him a similar letter as well as a pensive that will return his memories. I have sent myself a letter as well which I am hopefully reading right now but if something has happened to me then the letter will be sent to Severus. He will find you if you are not already together. I know all this is a shock and you must have so many questions but all you need to do is find Severus. He was completely devoted to you and will take care of you. Please understand that everything we did was to help make the world safer for you. I love you my Harry Bear (I called you that when you were a baby).
Always,
Your mother, Lily Snape
The letter fell from Harry's hands in shock. It couldn't be. This had to be a prank. Malfoy? The Weasley twins? No, they wouldn't be that cruel. The bat of the dungeons himself? Wait. A charm that affected his appearance? He jumped up and stared at himself in the small mirror on his wall. Even as he watched his hair was changing from dark brown to black, his skin slightly paler. His features had already transformed though his nose and eyes stayed the same. Suddenly he realized his eyesight was fuzzy. He took off his glasses and was shocked that he could see perfectly. He gazed at his reflection. He truly looked like Snape's son. He didn't look bad, just different. His hair actually laid flat and felt softer as opposed to the messy hair he was used to that he could never seem to tame.
Harry shook his head to try and clear it and then looked at his reflection again. Yup, the change was still there. How could this be true? Snape hated him! And everyone hated Snape, how could his mother have loved him? His dad was supposed to be the respected auror James Potter! He was not supposed to be the unfair potions professor who took points from Gryffindors because they dared to breathe!
Harry sighed and picked up his letter. He couldn't explain it but he felt like his mum was close. It was as if he could feel her magic through this letter. That had to mean it was real right? He opened the package and took out a scrapbook similar to the one Hagrid had given him. Only if this letter was true, that album was basically a fake and this one would be true. Harry opened the book to the first page and immediately smiled at the picture of two kids who looked around the same age as himself smiling at the camera, the little redheaded girl waving. The black haired boy next to her wasn't smiling exactly although his dark eyes looked bright, as if amused by the little girls' antics. He flipped the page and saw Snape dressed in nice robes standing with his mother who wore a white dress and they both were smiling and looked happy and content. It was their wedding day. One of the pictures had his mother and Snape looking into each other's eyes as if they were the only two people in the world. Even Harry could see the love between them. In the photo album with James they had looked happy with him but none of the pictures had them looking at each other like that or even any pictures of just them. He had never realized it before.
Harry almost gasped as he looked at the next picture of his Mum in a hospital bed smiling up at Snape as he held his son. Snape looked amazed and proud. Harry couldn't believe it. How was it that the man who had tried to make his life miserable all last year had once loved him? That he had once looked happy and even smiled? Hmm, the memory charm. Harry frowned. What a stupid idea that had been. Dumbledore, he thought resignedly. He liked and respected Dumbledore but after the ordeal with the sorcerer's stone he had gotten the feeling that Dumbledore had known more than he let on. It was almost like he was happy Harry had gone through what he did. It was not that Harry thought Dumbledore was malicious about it or anything, he believed Dumbledore cared about him. He just wondered how much he could really trust him. Honestly the only people he really trusted were Ron and Hermione. He wished he could talk to them right now.
Harry thumbed through the photos, smiling in spite of himself as he saw his mum rocking him in a chair, Snape feeding him, his mum laughing as Harry rolled a ball at Snape obviously wanting him to roll it back. Snape looked slightly exasperated as he did although his eyes were lit in amusement. The last photo was of Harry snuggled into Snape's arms with Snape kissing the top of his head. Harry flopped onto his bed, holding the photo album tightly. Talk about a birthday surprise! Did Snape know yet? Would he still care? Would-would Snape even want to be his father again? Harry wondered. Did he even want Snape to? Harry closed his eyes in exhaustion, thoughts and questions swirling around in his head.
