Harry packed up his Quidditch gear and shoved it in his locker. He was the last one out but he knew Professor Snape would be waiting for him. Ever since the Quidditch match, the man has insisted on supervising their practices in case anyone tried to jinx Harry’s broom again. He even went as far as escorting Harry back to his dorms after practice, also to ensure that no harm came to the boy before he was safely in the common room.

“Good evening, sir,” Harry greeted as he approached his Potions Professor.

“Mr. Potter,” he acknowledged with a nod. “Are you eager to return home tomorrow?”

The boy nodded with excitement. “I can’t wait to see my mum. The first half of the year went so fast! Christmas break will probably go too fast as well.”

The man nodded. “I presume it will.”

“What are you doing for the holidays, sir?”

“Working on my potions, of course,” he replied, with a very small smile.

“What else would you do?” Harry said with a grin. “So uh, do you have any family to see?”

“No,” Severus Snape replied. “Why do you ask?”

The boy shrugged. “Just wondering, that’s all.”

“What are you up to, Mr. Potter?” he asked suspiciously.

Harry smiled innocently. “Nothing really…” As the older man’s gaze focused on him, he gave in. “Okay, okay. My mum just thought you might be interested in joining us for Christmas dinner. I mean, if you weren’t busy or anything. Plus my grandparents would like to meet the man they’ve heard about.”

“What have you been telling them?” he asked, in order to cover his shock. He hadn’t been expecting an invitation over for Christmas.

Harry bit his lip and smiled shyly at man walking beside him. “I’ve told ‘em how you’ve been helping me and making sure I‘ve been adjusting well and all. Nothing bad, I promise.”

“I will consider the offer. I shall owl you during the break.”

Harry nodded. “Good night, sir,” he said before entering the common room.

Professor Snape sighed as the boy returned safely to his dorm. A dinner invitation?!

An excited Harry jumped into Catherine’s arms the next day. The train ride, while fun, felt as if took entirely too long. It had been months since he’d last seen his mum and he just couldn’t wait to be in her arms again.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Harry mumbled in Cathy’s shirt as he clutched her tightly.

“Me too,” she smiled. “Look who else came.”

Harry slowly detached himself from his mum and looked around. He spotted his two grandparents standing nearby, smiling happily. Harry gave each a hug before the group grabbed Harry’s belongings and headed to the car. A short drive later, they arrived home.

Harry walked in and looked around the house, the happy smile never leaving his face. His grandfather grabbed one end of the trunk and helped him carry his trunk upstairs.

After placing the trunk in the room, Nicholas studied his grandson thoughtfully. The boy appeared happy and healthy. This school must take good care of their students, which caused him some relief. It wasn’t easy allowing a young boy to go to a school which is so far away and the only means of communication are by the boy’s pet owl. The owl was quite reliable though and ensured the letters and packages were delivered but it was still hard to only communicate by paper with his grandson, who meant so much to him.

“It’s good to have you home, Harry,” Nick said, placing his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Harry grinned happily. “It’s great to be home. I’ve missed seeing you guys and sleeping in my own bed and everything. I’m going to be sad when break ends though,” he said.

“Me too. Until then, let’s enjoy the time you are here,” Nicholas stated.

“’kay,” Harry replied as he ruffled through his trunk for some casual clothes. “I’ll be down in a bit. I’m going to change out of my uniform first.”

The older man nodded. “Okay.” He headed towards the door and paused. “You do remember that you can talk to me anytime you need, right? About anything.”

Harry turned his gaze to him and nodded. “Of course.”

Nicholas smiled briefly before leaving. Harry watched him leave with a puzzled expression on his face. He wasn’t sure where that came from. He shrugged and went back to pulling out some clothes to wear.

Harry had just pulled a shirt over his head when his door opened. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said, turning to face the person who entered.

“Oh,” Harry muttered. “Um hi,” he said shortly to Connor who had entered his room. The older man hadn’t changed much since Harry had last seen him.

“Hello,” Connor replied dryly. “I just got off and Cathy sent me up here to ‘welcome you home’ so there. Now that pleasantries have been exchanged, you should hurry downstairs. Dinner will be on the table shortly.” With that said, the brown-haired man left.

Harry watched him leave and shook his head. Some things never changed and apparently Connor was one of them.

Nicholas watched his grandson and son-in-law carefully throughout dinner. Now that he was actively watching the interaction between the two, he could easily see how they avoided each other. Neither actively talked to the other unless necessary. Harry seemed to avoid looking at the man as well.

The retired military man didn’t like this at all. From the way it looked, the two didn’t get along well. Then again, this was only the first day that he’d actually started actively watching the two.

Ellie put her hand on Nick’s arm. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

The older blue-eyed man sighed and shook his head. “Nothing.”

Eleanor sighed. Nick was a stubborn man and she knew she wouldn’t get any answers from him tonight.

Nicholas turned his attention back to the dinner table. His daughter was listening as his grandson was told another story from school. He glanced at Connor again before willing himself to look away. He would be sure to keep an eye on interactions between the two but not tonight. Tonight he needed to relish in the fact his grandson was home. With that in mind, he turned his focus back to Harry and managed to enjoy the rest of his evening.

Christmas day came quickly, much to Harry’s pleasure. His family was certainly glad he was home since he felt as if he received loads of great gifts. Harry had used a catalog to order his family gifts before he left from Hogwarts and all of them received a wizarding world trinket of some sort.

“Smells great in here,” Harry said as he entered the kitchen later that Christmas evening. His mum had been cooking in here with the help of her mother and together they’d created quite the feast.

“That is does,” Ellie replied with a smile directed towards her grandson.

“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” Cathy asked. “Shoo. Get dressed before Professor Snape arrives.”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Harry replied. His Potions Professor had owled him earlier that week accepting their invitation to dinner since he didn’t have plans of his own. Harry was glad the man would be able to make it. His grandfather in particular was eager to meet the man his grandson constantly talked about.

Professor Snape had really been helpful throughout the entire term and Harry didn’t know how he could’ve survived being in Slytherin without the man. The older students would have been much more likely to go after him since he is the boy-who-lived­. As it was, he still received hostility from some of the Slytherins, such as Nott, but no one actively went after him.

The doorbell rang below and Harry rushed downstairs to answer it. He had finished changing just in time too. He pulled open the door and smiled at Professor Snape.

“Happy Christmas!” Harry greeted.

“Evening, Mr. Potter,” he greeted as he stepped inside. He removed his coat and hung it on the wall hook.

“How’s your holiday been so far?” the boy asked.

“Adequate,” the tall man replied. “Yours?”

“Great, sir! I received loads of gifts from my friends. Blaise sent me a really nice quill set along with some of my favorite sweets. The twins sent me a few jokes and said I should use them on- oh, um never mind.”

“Me, I presume?” he asked with a smirk.

“Maybe…” he said mysteriously. “I wouldn’t do that though! Anyways, I also received this wicked cloak that lets me become invisible when I put it on! Isn’t that great? Don’t know who sent it though since it just came with a note saying it was my father’s and that I should use it well. Oh, and Susan sent me something too. It was a book that I’d wanted and she must’ve heard me talking about.”

Severus raised his eyebrow at the fast, excited speech of the boy before him. The cloak must’ve come from Albus since he was the only one foolish enough to give an eleven-year-old that particular family heirloom at such a young age.

“Are you planning on introducing me to your relatives anytime soon?” the dark-haired man asked with amusement.

“Oh yeah,” Harry blushed. “They’re in the kitchen. This way.”

Professor Snape followed the young boy into the room. He entered and spotted the boy’s adoptive mother standing nearby along with the two older people who must be her parents. Connor wasn’t in the kitchen yet.

“Professor Snape, that’s my grandmum Ellie and my grandfather Nicholas, oh and you’ve already met my mum. This is my Head of House, Professor Snape.”

“Thank you for inviting me over,” Professor Snape greeted.

“If you all would like to go in the dining room, the food will be served shortly.” Cathy directed.

They entered the dining room, where Connor was waiting.

“Mr. Blair,” Severus greeted. Connor gave a nod of acknowledgement without saying anything in return.

Quiet talk was shared throughout the meal as everyone partook in the wonderfully cooked meal.

Connor was the quietest of the bunch, not asking questions about the magical world as both Ellie and Nick were doing. Nicholas was quite interested in hearing about the magical world from someone else’s perspective. Since Harry wasn’t permitted to do magic outside of school, Professor Snape was able to demonstrate a few things for them.

After the main course, plus desert, the group converged into the living room. The two older McKinney’s enjoyed talking with Professor Snape, who was patient enough to answer all of their questions.

Harry was in the kitchen getting marshmallows for his cocoa when Professor Snape joined him.

“This is for you,” the man said, holding out a small wrapped gift.

Harry smiled and tore off the green wrapping. He opened the small box and pulled out a chain with a silver rectangle shaped pendant attached to it. At first it looked like an ordinary pendant, but when he turned it over, he saw the lily engraved on the other side.

“It belonged to your mother,” the older man explained.

“Wow,” Harry exclaimed. “How’d you end up with this?” he asked curiously.

“I originally gave it to her when we were younger,” he explained. “Before Lily went into hiding, she gave it back to me and said to keep safe for her. I felt that you should have it.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” Harry said as he looked at the silver pendant in his hand. He placed the chain around his neck before reaching into the counter behind him and pulling out a small gift.

“I got you something too, but it’s sorta stupid and not nearly as nice as that.”

Severus accepted the gift and peeled off the festive wrapping slowly. Harry watched anxiously, hoping the man would like it.

Professor Snape pulled the item from the box and looked curiously at the miniature cauldron in his hand.

Harry rushed to explain. “It’s actually an inkwell. It won’t spill on you even though there’s no top cover and holds more ink that it looks like. I also had them etch that on here,” Harry pointed at the bolded date on the other side of the fist sized cauldron. “I read somewhere that you received your potions master on that day so I thought it’d be neat to add that on. I know it’s stupid and all…”

The older man held up his hand to halt the boy’s apologies. “Calm yourself, Mr. Potter.”

Harry took a deep breath and forced himself to stop stuttering excuses.

“Thank you,” the Potions Master began. “It is not a stupid gift either. I appreciate it and the fact that you took the extra time to engrave that date on there for me.”

“Really? You like it?” At the man’s nod, Harry sighed. “I really wasn’t sure what to get for you. I saw that in a catalog and it seemed to fit.”

“Now that we are done, perhaps we should rejoin your family?” Severus suggested.

Harry grabbed his cocoa and followed the man back into the living room.

The remainder of that week flew by and the New Year passed quickly as well. Harry had enjoyed being around both his grandparents, who stuck around as much as possible for the holidays as they could. Harry noticed that his grandfather had been watching him and Connor lately. It seemed to really annoy Connor, who’d recently started noticing it. A few days before the Harry returned to Hogwarts, Connor seemed to have had enough.

Harry was up in his room when Connor came in, scowl on his face.

“What have you been telling people?” Connor demanded as he closed the door behind him.

Harry stared defiantly back at the man. “Nothing.”

Connor glared. “Don’t lie to me boy!” he whispered dangerously. “Now, I want you to tell me what you’ve been saying that has everyone here watching every single bloody thing I do.”

Harry glared back. “I haven’t said anything!”

Connor closed the distance between the two so quickly it was as if the muggle had apparated. “Don’t you talk back to me boy!” he whispered perilously as he loomed over the boy. “You’ll just make things more difficult for yourself… and others.”

The threat was clear, however Harry was beyond caring right now.

“Whatever,” the boy snapped before he shoved Connor away from himself and headed for the door. Before he reached the door, he was grabbed by the wrist and pulled sharply backwards.

The strong older man had grabbed a hold on him and pulled him away from the door before he could get out. A pop was heard as Connor yanked hard enough to dislocate the arm. He quickly released the boy’s arm but Harry wasn’t able to regain his footing before his head hit the wooden desk in his room. The silence was interrupted by the sounds of quick footsteps approaching the room.

Nicholas looked up the stairs with apprehension. Harry was up in his room retrieving something but voices could be heard arguing quietly. The older man wasn’t sure why, but he felt compelled to go upstairs. With each step, his apprehension grew as he heard his grandson snapping at someone. Just as he reached the last step, he heard a loud thump and silence. He quickened his pace to a jog and rushed to Harry’s room.

He was shocked at what he saw.

His grandson, his only grandson, was on the ground unmoving but clearly breathing. The boy’s arm was lying limply and a bruise could be seen forming already on the side of his head. From hitting the desk. Or rather being thrown into the desk from what he concluded. Without doubting his conclusion, the retired military man turned his attention to the only other person in the room.

Nick clenched his fist and threw the punch straight for Connor’s face. It caught the stunned man right on his jaw. Connor’s face jerked back as he stumbled backwards.

“Wait-” he tried to get out.

The retired military man didn’t halt his movements though. He tossed another punch right at the man’s midsection this time. It caught Connor in the stomach, causing the man to gasp frantically for a breath. He was still trying to talk and stutter out some excuse but Nick wouldn’t hear any of it.

The older man swung again, this time catching Connor in the eye. He would have a shiner tomorrow, that was for sure. Nick hit him again and went to swing again but his arm was pulled back. He looked into his wife’s concerned eyes and lowered his arm. The despicable man before him had a split lip and several bruises that would appear quickly. That would have to do for now.

Nicholas forced himself to look away and turn his attention towards Harry. His daughter was kneeling beside the boy with tears running down her face. Ellie went to her daughter and pulled her back to allow Nick to pick up the eleven-year-old. Eleanor rushed downstairs to grab the keys for the car and then started it up. The four were soon on their way to the hospital, leaving a bruised Connor alone.

“How is he?” Catherine asked nervously. She had been pacing nonstop ever since the doctor’s took Harry into a room to put his arm back into place in addition to checking out his head wound.

“He is doing better. He suffered a concussion to the head, causing his current state of unconsciousness but I believe he should wake soon. His arm was also set back into proper place.” Doctor Greene said to the distraught woman.

She nodded. Her father was standing beside her and she leant into his side. He placed his arms around her conformingly.

“We also took pictures as evidence so you can file charges against your husband.” The doctor added.

“He’s not my husband anymore,” she sniffled. “Not after this.”

Doctor Greene excused herself to tend to other patients while Catherine stared at her hand.

She grabbed at the ring on her finger and tried to pull it off. She scratched at her hand when it wouldn’t budge. “Make it come off, take it off,” she cried with great frustration.

Her father’s large hand clasped around her hand and ceased her frantic movements. With a few gentle twists, he was able to free the ring from her hand. He led her to a chair and had her sit down. He pulled up a seat on one side while Ellie sat on the other.

She brought her hands up to her face and shook her head in denial of it all. It was just too much for her to handle right now.

“Why? Why didn’t I realize he hated my son? Enough to- to harm my precious boy,” she sniffled.

“It’s not your fault,” both Nick and Eleanor said at the same time.

“Yes it is! I married him! I didn’t see that they didn’t get along!”

“Hush, everything will be alright,” Nicholas reassured. “You had no way of knowing this would happen. He was good at deceiving us all into believing that he liked the boy. At the surface level, they appeared to get along. Everything will be alright,” he repeated.

“Why didn’t Harry say anything?” she whispered. “Doesn’t he trust me?”

“He does,” Eleanor stated firmly. “You’ve seen the way that child has blossomed from the scared little boy he first was. You know he loves you with all his heart. Do not ever doubt that.”

“I know,” the blue-eyed woman replied. “I’m just so confused right now.”

“We understand,” Nicholas said. “We will be here for you. Don’t forget that.”

“Come,” Ellie said, pulling her daughter to her feet. “Let’s go get you cleaned up and then grab some coffee.”

“Will you go sit with him?” Catherine asked before they left. Her father nodded and headed towards the children’s ward where Harry was currently sleeping.

Harry woke later, his head pounding painfully. He looked at his blurry surroundings and turned towards the table next to his bed and reached for his glasses. As he placed them on, he noted immediately that he was in an unfamiliar room. Judging by the white walls and beeping monitors, he figured he was in a hospital. He started to slide off the bed when his door opened. A tall aging man entered the room and spotted him.

“Harry! What are you doing out of bed?” the man asked as he approached. He grasped the boy’s arm carefully and helped him get back on the bed.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, looking over the boy carefully.

“Fine, sir,” Harry replied.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” the blue-eyed man asked. “You haven’t called me sir in ages,” he added.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a little headache,” Harry said as he lifted his hand up to massage his head.

The door opened for a second time and two more women came in.

“You’re awake!” the younger of the two women cried as she rushed over to the boy.

“Don’t squeeze him to death Cathy,” the older man remarked with a smile.

Cathy let up slightly, but still clung to Harry. “I’m so glad you are awake. I was worried when you fell unconscious.”

Harry pulled back from her and shook his head slowly. “Sorry, but who are you?”