The Deceit of Man

A Bond Unbroken

It took a couple of days before Harry was ready to sit down and have an in-depth conversation with his birth father. He wasn't sure what to expect from the man but his worry over not being acceptable to him had him pacing holes in the floor. It didn't help that neither Sirius nor Remus was providing him with any kind of insight into James' thoughts. Draco was getting frustrated with him if the sounds of huffing from the bed were any indication. Harry was sure that there was nothing to be worried about but still he was putting it off.
"Come on, Harry, what is the worst thing that could happen?"
"He could hate me when he finds out everything."
Draco blinked a couple of times before laughing, "There is no way that man hates you, Harry. Not if he is anything like Siri or Remi."
"Yes, but Siri and Remi know me and know why I took up the mantle of Dark Lord."
"Give him a chance, Harrison. Sev said one of the first things he asked about was you. If that's not proof then I don't know what is."
Harry huffed but nodded all the same. Flooding down to the Hospital Wing, Harry made his way to the back room and peeked into the room. Severus was making the rounds, checking on all of the men and making sure their guests weren't interfering with their healing. As he watched though, he noticed he and James were playing a game of sorts. Severus would glance at James out the corner of his eye then look away. James would then copy his actions. It was when they would catch each other's eye then quickly look anywhere else while blushing, that Harry got the most amusement out of their actions. Deciding he'd wasted enough time just staring, he entered the room. Every eye was on him immediately and he had to fight back a blush. Striding across the room, he watched James straighten up in his bed more the closer that he got.
"Harry, how are you today?" The smile that James gave was forced and Harry felt dread forming in his stomach already. He fiddled with the bottom of his shirt before berating himself for the action. Draco would have his head if he caught him messing up his shirt like that.
"I'm, umm, alright? What about you?" Their conversation was already stilted and all Harry wanted to do was make a break for it. He flushed as James sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. Harry struggled to find the confidence that he had gained from taking on the mantle of the Dark Lord but it was hard when faced with someone he didn't want to lose.
"This is awkward, Harry, and for that I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that you had to go through everything that you did. Moony told me about some of it, all that he knew I should say. I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you from your aunt and uncle or from Dumbledore. I want to make it up to you."
"Make it up to me? Don't start talking like that, you have always been there when I needed you. When I was feeling down during my first Christmas, I found the Mirror of Erised and spent hours looking at you and Mum. That helped me carry on that year. Then there was the photo album that Hagrid so I could see you and Mum together. Third year, my Patronus came out as a giant stag and both Moony and Padfoot say it looks like you. I never blamed you for not being there once I found out the truth about that Halloween night." Harry was fuming that the man thought he owed something to him.
"So if you aren't mad at me then why haven't you come to see me before?"
"I was afraid you would hate me because of the mantle I took up. Lady Magic asked that I take up the mantle of her Dark Lord and restore its image as well as bring magic as a whole back into balance. I didn't want to see the disgust and hatred that I thought you would hold for me at that thought."
James stared at his son with a slack jaw for a minute before he started chuckling in relief. All this time he'd thought that his son had thought he had abandoned him but it was just this. Throwing his head back into his pillows, he laughed like he hadn't been able to in years and his shoulders relaxed from their tense state. Once he was back under control, he held out a hand for Harry to take and started talking, "Harrison, there is nothing in this world that would ever make me stop loving you. You could murder the Queen of England and I would love you just the same. When Lady Magic speaks, it does no one good to ignore Her. I am proud of you for taking on such a burden and I am proud to call you my son. Now, Prongslet, if there are no other foolish ideas, come sit and tell me what you've been up to."
It was with a much lighter heart that Harrison on the edge of his father's bed and regaled the man with his exploits over the past few years. James, as it turned out, was an excellent audience for his son's stories. He reacted in all the right places, laughing when the situation called for it or crying when necessary though he denied it. He rushed to reassure Harry that it hadn't been his fault when Quirrell died and promised that he didn't think of him differently just because he could speak to snakes.
"At least, with you around, I don't have to worry about being bitten by one. You can just tell it to leave me alone." He said it so matter of factly, that Harry just stopped and looked at him for a minute.
"I don't know why I'm so surprised. You're friends with Moony and Da-Padfoot." He didn't want to hurt James feelings by calling Sirius Dad but he just pulled Harry in for a hug.
"I don't want you to ever feel ashamed for calling Sirius Dad. He is by blood your Dad now as well. Plus, I think it would hurt him really bad if you started acting like he wasn't as important as me. If it helps, you can continue calling him Dad and me Tad which is Welsh for dad. That way you're not confusing yourself and us all the time. Sound like a plan?" Harry nodded and James smiled, "Good, now continue telling me about your years at Hogwarts. You should have only two more to go right?"
"My third year is the year that Dad broke out of Azkaban. It was such big news that he even made it onto the Muggle news."

For the next hour or so, Harry finished telling James about his third and fourth years. James was impressed that Harry had managed a Patronus at only thirteen and seemed to be fighting back tears when Harry told him that it took the form of a stag. James didn't say anything, rather the man placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly, a proud smile on his face. There was a worried look on his face when Harry mentioned the dreams he'd been getting the summer before his fourth year but cheered up when Harry assured him that the matter was taken care of.
Harry was under no illusion that the other men were minding their own business, especially when Harry got around to talking about his fourth year. He saw Barty flinch when he talked about his name being entered into the Goblet of Fire. He was certain the man was expecting some kind of repercussions from his role in last year's events but Harry had long since forgiven the man. Barty had been doing as expected of him after being freed from a ten year imprisonment under the Imperius once more. Harry would have to do something to reassure the man that there were no hard feelings about what he'd done. Making a mental note to himself, he began to think of ways to get his point across to the man.
In exchange for his stories, James told Harry of his own first four years at Hogwarts, no doubt much more dramatic than the situation warranted but Harry appreciated it all the same. He frowned when his Tad explained about how he and the other Marauders treated Severus and James picked up on the fact, "I understand now that we took things too far with him and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret how things played out, especially with recent revelations."
Harry, understanding that the man meant the Patronus incident, sighed having hoped to put that particular conversation off until his Tad was better but knowing it would be better to just get it done now. Severus was waiting, after all, for the conversation to happen. He drew the curtains around the bed so that the Silencing charms on them would provide the privacy needed, "Look, Tad, firstly you need to apologize to the man for what you did at Hogwarts. Then you need to release him from the life debt he owes you. Yes, Dad told me about that incident. You don't want him with you if that's hanging over your heads. It would be hard to tell if he was with you due to the debt or because he truly cared for you." It was undoubtedly low, to twist his father's mind like this but if Harrison was going to get the two most stubborn men in his life together, he would have to manipulate them, "Only then should you approach him about anything related to the two of you getting together. Actually, maybe you should let him do the approaching so as not to scare him off."
"Why am I taking dating advice from you again?" James tried to laugh it off but Harrison knew the man was nervous. He'd been out of the dating game awhile and even then, the only other person he'd dated had been his wife. Not that it mattered as even his relationship with Lily wouldn't compare to this. Severus was his soulmate, the Patronus proved that.
"It's because, Tad or not, I will not let you hurt him again. If I even begin to suspect he is upset or you did something to hurt him intentionally you will regret it. I love you, Tad, but Severus is one of my Vassals."
"I will do my best to not hurt him, Harrison, you have my word. If I had known before your mother and I'd gotten together, things would have been different."
"Are you saying that because you don't want to upset me or are you being sincere." Harry was skeptical and James figured he had every right to be. Severus and the Marauders didn't have the best history.
"I swear on my Magic that had I known Severus Snape was my soulmate then I would have done everything in my power to court and marry him." A brief and harmless diagnostic charm later, Harry confirmed James had been telling the truth, a fact that stunned him.
"Very well, I will leave you to be tended to by the man who is no doubt pacing on the other side of the curtain. I have my own mate to go reassure after all. Well, I wish him to be my mate. It is really up to him as to approach me as such or not. I am hopeful but we shall see." Harry started to ramble, causing James to chuckle. There was no doubt that Harry was his son now. He'd done his fair share of rambling about Severus too.
"Just go, Prongslet and leave your old Tad to the tender mercies of the Potions Master." James wanted to add an eyebrow wiggle but he refrained, barely, but he did. So with a crooked grin, Harry made his way from James' bedside and back out the room. He did remember to open the curtains as he left though and fought back a smirk when Severus hurried to James' bedside to check on the man.
He hadn't been lying though, if James hurt Severus intentionally again, the man would feel Harry's wrath, father or not.