"Today, foolish children, we have another lesson which Professor Lupin is unable to teach due to...personal reasons," Snape drawled from the front of the classroom. His eyes scanned round the room and focused briefly on Potter before he looked away again. Then they all jumped as they heard a rattling coming from what seemed to be an old battered wardrobe at the front of the room.

"Everyone move your table and chair to the side of the room and then we can start this ridiculous practical lesson," Snape said sounding irritated. He had probably been hoping to spend his free lesson brewing a potion or having a nice glass of pumpkin juice not teaching some stupid third years about a new creature.

"If I was to tell you that there is something inside this wardrobe which will portray your deepest fear to you, then what would you expect to find inside here?" Snape asked with his eyes sweeping the crowd. Predictably Granger's hand shot up into the air but he ignored it and instead picked on one of his own students. "Nott I want the answer to come from you?"

He hadn't actually been expecting the boy to get it right and so was surprised when he answered, "A boggart."

"Very good, ten points to Slytherin. Now can you tell me, Nott, what the incantation to turn it into something funny is?"

"Riddikulus," Nott answered sounding bored. Snape awarded another ten points and then gave them a ten minute lecture on what facing the boggart would be like. He described how terrible the worst fear would be but how brilliant it would feel when it became something else.

Eventually it was time for the class to step up and take their turns at facing the boggart armed with only their wand. The first person that Snape made step up was Neville Longbottom who looked horrified at the idea. For a minute it looked like he was going to argue but when he spotted Snape's face he seemed to think better of it. Snape walked over to the door of the cupboard and opened it and they all watched tentatively to see what stepped out of the cupboard. To his mirth a copy of himself walked out of the Wardrobe and he smirked as he watched Neville go pale.

The Snape from the wardrobe stalked towards the cowering boy who had his eyes clamped firmly shut. Snape made an impatient noise wondering how close the boggart would get before it had to move away. Then Neville opened his eyes, wide with courage, and after a quick glance from boggart Snape to the real one shouted, "Riddikulus!"

At once Snape began to morph and changed from the Snape in plain black robes to one wearing women's clothing. Snape grabbed Neville by the shoulder as the rest of the class laughed and then beckoned the next person forwards who happened to be Pansy Parkinson. She stepped up and then everyone watched with baited breath as the boggart shifted it's shape and became... Draco Malfoy?

She was going out with Draco at that time so it was certainly unusual to say the least that her boggart of choice was him. But then the Draco boggart – which Snape noticed the real Draco was looking at with his mouth wide open – started to speak. "Pansy Parkinson you are the ugliest fattest and stupidest girl that I have ever met and I am dumping you right now!"

Pansy looked like she was about to burst into her normal loud sobs and Draco was trying to push through the crowd to get to her but then she raised her wand. "Riddikulus!" she yelled pointing her wand at Draco who at once transformed into a different blonde. Lucius Malfoy stood there wearing female clothing and even Snape had to smile at how stupid his friend looked. Draco was now laughing hard as he grabbed Pansy, placed an arm round his waist and then kissed her.

The next person called up to look at the Boggart was Hermione who seemed a lot more nervous than everyone else did. The boggart form of Lucius Malfoy had slunk back into the wardrobe in embarrassment when it had been Pansy's turn. She slowly opened the wardrobe door and at once two figures stepped out that made the whole class gasp and a few people scream. Lord Voldemort and Harry were standing there with Harry barely managing to stay upright.

No one wanted to watch the terrible thing that was going to happen next but everyone's eyes were fixated on the horrible sight. As they watched Voldemort lifted up his wand and then there was a flash of green light and the boggart Harry lay dead on the floor. Then as everyone screamed he turned towards them with his wand raised and Snape knew what he had to do. He leapt in front of Hermione and the scene changed suddenly to someone completely different to Voldemort.

Lily Potter stood in front of Severus with a look of utmost anger on her pretty face but Severus froze. He couldn't move to cast the spell and before anyone could speak the figure began speaking.

"Severus you are the reason that I am dead! You are the reason that I am not able to be with my son and husband! You are the reason my son will probably die at the hands of a crazed psychopath and I hate that! I hate you!"

"Riddikulus!" Harry Potter shouted from where he had been standing and a balloon appeared and flew round the room making a loud farting noise. As it slammed inside the wardrobe and someone shut the door on it everyone turned to look at Harry and Snape who were standing staring at each other. "I suppose you're going to tell me what that was about?" Harry said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Severus asked hoarsely. All these years and he had gotten away so well with pretending he wasn't irrevocably in love with Lily Evans. Now it seemed there was nothing more he could do to hide it and so Severus said, "Everyone take a seat if Mr. Potter doesn't mind everyone hearing."

Everyone eagerly pulled up chairs and sat down together and then Severus began to speak. "When I was eleven years old I fell in love with Lily Potter when I saw her sitting in a playground with her sister. Never did she look my way as anything more than a friend which it took me a long time to get used to. Then we shared just one kiss and she told me that she loved me but that she loved James Potter to. In the end she based her decision on what she knew her friends and family would accept better. Then when she was killed I promised her spirit I would look after you forever Harry."

Everyone was silent. Everyone looked from their teacher to Harry and back again before Harry said, "You know she wouldn't blame you for this. I was given one of her diaries by Remus, along with one of my father's, and I know she always loved you. She loved you just as much as she loved my father no matter how she acted towards you. But you broke her heart when you called her a mudblood and she could never move past that. She loved you Professor."

As the bell went signalling the end of the class, everyone filed out of the room in complete silence. Harry took a step forwards when everyone was gone and said almost inaudibly, "And the other thing is... that night you spent together may have ended up as more than just that."

"You're... my son?"

Thanks for reading this random one shot inspired by a challenge from someone who I have forgotten who it was. Thanks for the inspiration on this one and I hope that you liked it... Stephanie (WHO IS NOW SIXTEEN!)