Blazing heat struck Harry's face as he approached the burning house. For a minute he remembered flying through the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, chased by Fiendfyre demons, but this was no time for dwelling on his memories and Harry pushed those thoughts away.

He angled the Firebolt close to the window and shouted above the crackling flames, "Can you get on?"

The man nodded and took Harry's arm as he awkwardly climbed out of the window and settled himself on the broomstick behind Harry.

Harry guided them back to the ground a safe distance away. For an instant the two of them regarded one another. The man was tall and lean, probably in his late fifties or early sixties, with thick silver hair and blue eyes. He wore a dark red jumper, khaki trousers, and black shoes. He opened his mouth to speak but just then several fire engines spun around the corner with their sirens blaring and firefighters already leaping off, ready to battle the inferno.

One of the firefighters looked around, and seeing Harry and the man standing there, hurried over.

"Anyone inside?" He shouted.

The man shook his head. "No, I live there alone. No pets either."

"Good. Are you injured?"

The man shook his head again. "No, this young man got me out in time."

The firefighter glanced at Harry. "Good work, son." He strode back to the fire engines and joined his comrades in putting out the blaze.

The man turned to Harry. "Simply saying ‘thank you' seems a bit inadequate, but thank you."

Harry was always embarrassed whenever anyone expressed gratitude. He mumbled "You're welcome," and wondered if he could sneak off before the man happened to remember exactly how Harry had saved him.

It occurred to Harry that he was going to have to explain to Severus that he had flown his broom in front of a Muggle, and that they would likely have to notify the Ministry of Magic to come out and modify the man's memory, unless Severus could take care of that himself. Oh, it was going to be such a headache.

But what choice had there been, really? He couldn't have left the man inside the burning house, and any other way of saving him would have been risky and might have taken too long.

These thoughts flitted through his mind in seconds. He was trying to think of a way he could quickly leave and get back home when the man gestured at the broomstick and remarked casually, "So you're a wizard, huh?"

Harry gaped at him, shocked. "You know...?"

The man nodded. "Yes, I was married to a witch once. My son was a wizard too. But that was a long time ago."

"Oh," Harry wasn't sure exactly what to say in response. But if the man already knew about the wizarding world, then maybe the Ministry wouldn't have to be involved.

He relaxed a little and smiled at the man. "Well, would you mind not telling anyone about the broom and flying and all?'

The man raised an eyebrow. "Ah, the statute of secrecy." He nodded. "It's the least I can do."

"Thanks." Harry looked back at the house, where firefighters where using great hoses of water and foam to battle the blaze. "I'm sorry about your house."

The man sighed. "Well, it's not really mine. My old house is occupied right now so I've been renting this one. It's been one problem after another from the first day, too. First the plumbing, then the heating system went out. I told the owner that the whole place needed an overhaul." He shrugged. "Too late now, I suppose."

"What will you do now?" Harry asked in concern. He considered inviting the man to stay with Severus and himself, at least for a few days until he could figure something else out. But this man was a complete stranger and Harry thought that he should probably talk with Severus about it first.

On the other hand, he couldn't just abandon the man with no place to go.

Harry was trying to figure out what he should do, when the man solved the problem for him.

"Oh, I've still got a few friends in Spinner's End. I can stay with some of them for a time." The man looked back at him and seemed to forget about the fire. Harry thought there was an eager look in his eyes, quickly hidden, when he asked. "So what's your name, young man?"

Harry hesitated, but he couldn't really see any harm in telling him. "Harry," he said, but decided at the last minute to leave off his last name.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Harry, though I wish the circumstances had been better. So you're living at the old Snape house with your father?"

Harry frowned, suddenly feeling a little suspicious. "How did you know that?"

"Spinner's End is a small town. Most folks around here know one another, and I've seen you once or twice while I was out walking," the man replied easily.

Harry supposed that could be true, but he'd had enough people targeting him in the past that it made him uneasy. He slipped his hand into his pocket and fingered his wand.

"I need to be going," he announced. "Good luck."

The man seemed surprisingly dismayed. "No, wait. I'd like to do something to thank you for saving my life."

Harry shook his head while moving away. "Thank you, but that isn't necessary. I was happy to help."

"But I'd really like to..." the man reached for his arm and Harry made an instant decision. If the firefighters or any other Muggles saw him Apparate...well, that was just too bad. He wasn't going to risk letting some escaped Death Eater capture him.

He spun on the spot and disappeared; re-appearing a second later in the living room of his own home. "Severus!"

The Potions Master hurried up from the cellar just as Harry was racing to meet him. They almost collided at the top of the stairs. Severus caught Harry's arms and pulled him back into the living room.

"Harry, what is it?"

"Somebody knows who we are, and where we live, and I don't know who he is, but he tried to grab at me, and he might be one of the Death Eaters and..." Harry's words tumbled on top of one another in his haste to explain everything at once.

Severus gave him a gentle shake. "Have you had a Babbling Beverage? Calm down and tell me what's happened."

So Harry took a deep breath and explained it all more slowly. When he was finished, Severus looked grim.

"So this man said he had been married to a witch and had a son who was a wizard?"

Harry nodded.

Severus considered. "And from the things he said, it seems that he is familiar with Spinner's End."

Harry nodded again. "Yes, I suppose so," he said slowly.

"Well, I don't know for certain, but I don't believe you encountered a Death Eater." Severus scowled.

"I believe that man is my father."