Harry opened his eyes. The potion had worn off and the strange tired and fuzzy feelings that had been in his head had disappeared. He stretched his arms up, yawning. Going back to sleep sounded like a good idea. But his stomach had other ideas, it rumbled loudly.

After fishing a clean robe from his wardrobe, Harry made his way into the sitting room. He threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire and fire-called the kitchens to order breakfast.

“Pumpkin Juice, toast, and butter.” He told the over enthusiastic house elf before looking into the dining room and sitting down at the table as the food popped into place in front of him.

Harry ate quickly. The food and drink slid down his throat happily. I must have been much hungrier than I'd thought. 

He finished off the last bits of crust and floo'd the dished back to the kitchen before tidying up his appearance in the wash room. Once his hair and teeth were brushed he felt much better.

“Good Morning.” Severus was waiting for him in the hallway when he came out of the wash room.

“Morning Da.” Harry looked carefully at his father. He didn't look angry, more sad and calculating as if he was trying to figure out what Harry was thinking.

“I think it's time to talk about your book.” He walked back toward the sitting room.

Harry followed his father anxiously. The book had been interesting, but he hadn't anticipated his father's reactions to it at all. They seemed a little over the top. The man had drugged him and put him to sleep! It was just a book!

Severus took a seat on the sofa next to his wife and motioned for Harry to take the armchair across from them. On a small table between them sat the Human Magic book. It's cover was still bright and new looking.

“Harry, do you know what Human Magic is?” Severus started with a question he found simple. The definition was personal and differed from person to person.

Harry bit his as he struggled to think back to his reading. “Human Magic is using spells in ways no one would think of. Like using Reparo to seal someone's eyes closed. Or a heating charm to boil someone's blood. Um. . .I think it also is part of all magic.” He chewed on his lip. “Like there will always be Human Magic, just like there will always be Animal Magic and Plant Magic.”

“Have you heard of Old Magic?” Bellatrix asked. As a child that had been the name her mother had used to teach her the secrets she needed to fight blood traitors and mudblood and to put muggles in their place, at the feet of wizard kind.

“No.” Harry was confused. “Is that another name for Human Magic? The book said that it was known as many names.”

Severus and Bellatrix exchanged looks again. Neither of them had any idea of how to tell their son that he was actually reading a book on dark magic.

“Harry, do you remember when we talked about evil? And the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters?” Severus asked. They'd had to teach Harry about such things at a very young age to explain their positions in the war.

“Yes. They studied Dark Magic and used it to. . .hurt people.” Harry's eyes widened as he figured out what it all meant. He was quite good at deductive reasoning when he thought hard. “Human Magic is Dark Magic?” He asked quietly.

Bellatrix nodded and pulled him onto the sofa between Severus and herself. She began to rub his back gently.

“Yes Harry. I'm afraid you're not allowed to read that book any more. If you really want to study Human Magic I have a book that is more appropriate for you to read.” Severus told his son. I'll give you hundreds of Defence textbooks before I even dream of letting you touch the most junior dark art book.

“Uh. . .I don't think so.” Harry refused the offer. He had enough on his mind, he was starting Hogwarts in less than a month. “What do I have to call you in class?” He asked, they'd been over it before but it could get very funny at times.

Bellatrix exchanged looks with Severus again.

“I won't be teaching you this year. Professor Quirrel is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts.” Bellatrix told him, scowling at the fireplace since it came out in Dumbledore's office and he was the one that had assigned her to her new teaching position.

“Then what are you teaching?” Harry asked. “Won't you still be my professor? And didn't Professor Quirrel teach Muggle Studies?”

Bellatrix sighed. “I'm teaching the first three years of Arithmancy. Third, fourth and fifth years. Professor Vector is working on a project and she needs more to time to work on it.”

“You don't even have a N.E.W.T. In Arithmancy.” Severus said. “You only took it to O.W.L. level. I cannot imagine why Dumbledore is having you teach it. I can't see what he hopes to accomplish.”

“Quirrel used to teach Muggle classes. He took a year sabbatical to go to Albania and study vampires. Now he's going to teach Defence.” Severus growled. “I will teach you on my own time, you'll probably need it. After a year with Quirrel.”

“Great.” Harry groaned. Extra classes with Da would be interesting. But he'd give me too much homework and work me much harder then I'd enjoy.

“Harry, there is a skill that you must learn before school starts.” Severus said when his son moved to get up.

“Magic?” Harry perked up excitedly.

“No. Occlumency.” Bellatrix answered his question. She and Severus had discussed the threat of Dumbledore earlier that morning.

“Why? What is it?” Harry asked. This certainly was a morning for confusing questions and even more confusing answers.

“A mental discipline. You must learn it because the Headmaster is starting to wonder where Harry Potter is.” Severus stood up and Harry stood behind him. “Follow me.” He led Harry into a newly created room.

I love wizardspace.  Severus thought as he conjured a low bed and chair. “Lay down Harry.”

“I just woke up!” Harry protested. “I don't want to go back to bed now!”

I'm trying to help him survive and all he can do is complain. “Lay down.” Severus said, with more force this time.

Harry grumbled, but he lay down on the bed next to his father. “What do I do?”

“Relax and roll over.” Severus began to gently rub his son's back. “You're still magically exhausted from all the magic you did yesterday and the time you spent in Malfoy Manor. You'll be able to go back to sleep.”

Harry was close to slipping into sleep, he managed to make a soft noise. But he body was relaxed and his mind was slipping into a dreaming state. He was in the perfect place, between waking and dreaming to influence.

“Look into my eyes.” Severus gripped his wand tightly and entered his son's mind as gently as he could. Because he was so relaxed and his mind so open it was very easy for Severus to slip in.

The child's mind wasn't as messy as he'd expected. It actually did have the beginnings of an organizational system in it. Severus's mind slowly began to meld with Harry's and he built barriers within his mind. The shields weren't his, but they defiantly had his touch and Dumbledore would be able to tell that they were his shields.

Severus blinked and slowly pulled his mind out. Harry was lying rather stiffly and his eyes were open, the way his body was in reminded Severus of death. But his heart was still beating and there was no brain damage. When melding with someone deeply enough to build them shields it was easy to see if there was any brain damage.

“Are you all right?” He gently touched the boy's hand to give him something to focus on. “Come on, wake up.”

Harry blinked. Slowly at first, but he built up speed and soon his eyelids were flickering like crazy. He sat up suddenly, screaming and clawing at his forehead in the place where his scar use to be.

“No!” Severus feed more power in the shields surrounding his son's mind, if that didn't work he was prepared to remove them entirely.

“Hurts.” Harry cried as he continued to try and pull his hidden scar off his forehead. “Da! It hurt!”

Bellatrix stuck in head in the door. “Do you need something?” She was looking at her son and stepped into the room before summoning a jar filled with a olive green paste. “Here Harry.” She waited until Severus's had pulled his hands away from his face to carefully rub the salve into his forehead.

“Let's get you distracted.” Severus helped Harry get to his feet and spell his clothes neat and tidy. “Why don't we do some reading? I think some of the staff had plans to stop by later today.” He told the other two.

The family set themselves up comfortably in the sitting room, ready to receive their guests. A bottle of wine and a few plates of snacking food sat on the low tables and the three of them were relaxing with their books on the couch.

“Why is Quirrel teaching Defence this year?” Harry asked. His mother had taught defence for as long as he could remember.

“I need a break.” Bellatrix exchanged a look with Severus. They had discussed the curse on the position a great deal, but they'd never decided what to tell Harry. “Quirrel took many of my classes three years ago when I was ill and he enjoyed teaching defence much more than muggle studies.”

Not to mention that the spells and potions that keep the curse at bay are difficult to make and cast and wreak havoc with my body. I am really looking forward to this year off. Bellatrix was studying Arithmancy again. She'd borrowed the textbooks from Professor Vector and had been reading and drafting a new curriculum for the entire summer. She'd been expecting the change for awhile now, it was almost nice to finally have it there.

“It should defiantly be a interesting year.” Severus said, gifting Bellatrix with a happy smirk. And much easier since we're not going to protect Quirrel from the curse. Part of protecting Bellatrix is tied to her dark mark and I doubt that Quirrel has one.

“Can I study Arithmancy?” Harry asked, growing bored with the topic of Quirrel. His parents talked about Arithmancy a lot now and it did sound very interesting. It was too bad that it hadn't been covered in his primary school.

Bellatrix laughed. “I certainly can't teach you. It's a third year subject. I don't even now if you've got enough magic to pull it off.” She said kindly.

Harry frowned. “I thought that you said I had powerful magic.”

“Yes Harry you do. Your magical core is closed right now. It slowly opens as you age. When you turned eleven your core was open enough to start training you. You've got to be older before you can perform anything from Arithmancy.” Severus told him. He summoned a book. “Read this if you've got some spare time. It's a very good resource.”

“Thanks.” Harry accepted the book and flipped it open. “Looks interesting.”

Before Snape could comment on his judging a book by its cover, and in this case its table of contents, the doorbell rang and the noise startled everyone.

Bellatrix marked her book and set it down next to her wine glass. “I'll get the door.” She opened the wards and unlocked the spells holding the door closed. “Minerva, come in.”

The older woman opened the door a little wider and slipped in, her closed it and changed quickly to her cat form and back. “I thought there was a tracking spell on me.” She said, to answer their confused looks.

“What is it?” Severus stood up from his armchair. Everyone had realized that this wasn't simply a social call.

“Nothing.” Minerva waved her wand. But then she pulled out her wand and used it to write in the air. Are you sure this room is safe from spying and eavesdropping spells?

Severus and Bellatrix both cast several spells and then layered wards and silencing charms over everything. Finally they nodded and cast detection spells over the entire room. It was clean.

“Why all the secrecy?” Severus asked. After all it wasn't everyday that your closet colleague came to visit you and insisted on complete privacy first.

“Oh, I knew you wouldn't understand!” Minerva rounded on Bellatrix. “Did you pay attention at the staff meeting or were you too angry that you'd had to come to pay attention.”

Bellatrix had the self-control to not become angry. “I was merely displeased at the new muggle-born acts that the Headmaster is planning on introducing.” She motioned to Severus. “I wasn't so tired that I felt the need to fall asleep.”

“But you didn't realize what he was planning?” Minerva sounded almost hysterical