“So what’s your plan for the day?” Ginny asked, knowing the man who was spooning behind her was not as asleep as he pretended to be.

“Uhm…” Harry groaned, indicating he was either deep in thought or trying to figure out what she just said. “I have to take care of Dumbledore’s things today.”

“You’re going to go speak to the both of them?” She felt him nod behind her.

“What about you?” He mumbled into her back.

“I have to run Quidditch tryouts today.” Ginny groaned. She really didn’t feel up to it today but, being the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, she had no choice. “But just for a few hours—in the morning.”

“Mmm…” Her boyfriend grunted in reply. Harry really wasn’t a morning person. “So…are you going to take Severus with you or shall I?” He mumbled, his speech slightly slurred, almost like a drunk.

“I think…” Ginny gave it a moment of thought. She really didn’t like leaving Severus with a babysitter, regardless of whether or not that babysitter was Dora and Remus. Now that the summer was over, she and Harry spent too much time away from the infant as it was. These were his formative months. His first year was arguably the most critical of all! She wanted him to spend as much time with the both of them as humanly possible! But with the pair of them wanting to keep their private lives private, and with Severus’ existence being a closely-guarded secret, so many things worked against them when it came to spending time together as a family. She also felt that Severus spent too much time inside the castle as it was. If it wasn’t for her mother inviting them to the Burrow every few days or so, Severus wouldn’t get any sunshine at all. “Well…Remus and Dora want to come watch the try-outs. Sirius does too. And I think the lot of them are going to be sitting up in the towers where the faculty sits—away from any students.”

“So you’re going to take him with you?” Her boyfriend murmured.

“Yeah, he can sit with them until try-outs are over. Then the lot of us can go visit Hagrid.” Ginny shrugged.

“Okay…” Harry slurred, leaning into the back of her neck. Ginny had the feeling he was drifting off back to sleep. “I’ll probably be done with the Dumbledores by then. We can meet up for a late lunch and then head off to Godric’s Hollow tonight.” She felt his arm around her waist tighten slightly.

“Mmm…” Now it was Ginny’s turn to groan for she was falling back to sleep as well. “That sounds good.” She slurred. “I just have a quick meeting with McGonagall around…after noon.”

“Why? Is she keeping track of your marks?”

“Yeah, I meet with her every Saturday and she scrutinizes my work and my marks—practically her only condition for the excessive amount of freedom I have, considering I’m still a student in her house.” Her shoulder shook slightly as Harry silently chuckled into her back. “Well she’s not lying!” Ginny playfully smacked Harry on the leg. “I get to sleep here from Wednesday night to Saturday night, I get to go to Godric’s Hollow with you on the weekends, my two Defense teachers are my boyfriend and his best friend, and I’m practically a student mother.”

“You know what I think? I think she admires you, Ginny.”

“I think she’s actually trying to help me, really.” The teen replied, as if the insight just came to her a moment before. “She’s making sure that I get fair marks that judge my abilities against decent standards. It’ll help me on my NEWTS! She’s making sure that I’m keeping up with my work. Did you know she actually told me that she was willing to babysit Severus if I felt like I needed extra time to study or whatnot? And you weren’t here, and Remus and Dora weren’t available, and blah, blah, blah.”

Harry snorted. “I think she just wants to babysit Severus.” The teen surmised, “She’s just using you as an excuse. She’s quite taken by him.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Ginny smiled.

“You should invite her to dinner tonight—at the Den.” Harry suggested.

“Maybe I will.” Ginny shrugged. She liked the idea. After all, Harry and Sev both called McGonagall ‘Nana’. It wasn’t a bad idea to start treating her like one. “Yeah! I think I will.”

“Remind me to set an extra place.” Harry mumbled.

“Harry!” KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! “Ginny! Harry!”

WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

“Knock it off, Sirius! It’s a real emergency this time!” Hermione’s distinct shrill was muffled by the door.

Harry propped himself up on an elbow. “Does it have something to do with the Daily Prophet?!” Harry screamed in reply.

“Yes, but—”

“Then it’s NOT an emergency!” And with that, Harry dove back into his pillow and tightened his arm around his girlfriend’s waist.

“Infamous Spy Against the Death Eaters, Severus Snape, Reported Missing!” Hermione read them the headline through the door.

Ginny gasped and shot up immediately, turning to Harry with a look of shock on her face. “Did they just write something about Severus?”

Harry was out of bed and throwing the door open before Hermione could even start reading the subheading. The other teen passed him the paper immediately, pointing to the article in question. Seconds later, both Sirius and Ginny crowded in next to them.  

A source inside Hogwarts claims that the infamous Death Eater, Severus Snape, revealed last May by Harry Potter to have actually been a longtime spy for the Resistance, has gone missing! The source explains that during the Battle of Hogwarts, Snape was attacked by You-Know-Who’s snake, Nagini, and survived the encounter but ended up in a coma. With the start of the new school year, many of his former Slytherin students, who have supported him throughout the war,—

“Blood hell! They’re making all the Death Eater spawn sound like they’ve been rooting for the Resistance all along!” Sirius spat in disgust.

“What do you expect?” Hermione scoffed, “For some of them, the only thing they know is how to suck up. This is probably how they presented themselves.”

--tried visiting their former Head-of-House-turned-Headmaster in the school infirmary, where they knew he had been admitted. “He was not there.” The source, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Prophet. “My mates and I asked the school matron what had happened to him. She said he woke up, got well, and was discharged.”

The students tried visiting his former quarters, located just beyond the Slytherin Common Room, where they figured he would be recuperating, but he was not there either. “The entire place was cleaned out! Top to bottom!”

“How, in Merlin’s name, did they get to the inside of Snape’s quarters?!” Harry cried with a frown. “You need a password to get in!”

“Harry, these are very angry people.” Sirius replied gravely, “Do you really think a simple password is going to stop them from getting what they want?”

Wanting to convey their thanks and praise to Mr. Snape, the students informed their parents of his discharge and implored them to find him so that they may thank him in person.

“Kill him in person is more like it.” Ginny sneered.

“Son of a bitch!” Harry stuffed the paper in Sirius’ hands and turned back to the bedroom, grabbing a pair of jeans from the foot of the bed and hopping into them. “They’re hunting him down, the bastards!”

“Pup, I think you should take a minute to calm down—”

“I’m too worked up to calm down, Sirius!” The teenager screamed in reply.

All of a sudden, the baby across the room began to cry. “Ahhhhhhhh!”

“Oh, honey…” Ginny tsked under her breath and went to pick him up and rock him. Harry, meanwhile, tore open a drawer and grabbed the first shirt inside, throwing it on.

“What does the rest of the article say?” He snapped at his godfather, a fierce scowl upon his face.

“Er…” Sirius straightened up the paper and began speed reading.

“The parents went to his house in Spinner’s End and searched that place top to bottom as well.” Hermione filled in.

“I bet you they cleaned it out while they were there.” Sirius muttered, squinting at something on the page.

“Actually, I think Dumbledore did that.” Hermione interjected.

“How do you figure?” Sirius raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well, you know Dumbledore. He probably saw all of this coming.” The girl shrugged.

“Which is why I’m going to talk to him right now.” Harry growled. Grabbing his wand, he stuffed it in his sleeve and pushed past them on his way to the floo.

“Harry—”

“You were right, Hermione. There is a leak inside the castle!” He exclaimed over his shoulder.

“Harry, it’s not really a leak.” Sirius handed Hermione the paper and went to chase his godson before he disappeared into the flames. “HARRY!” Still no response. “Come on.” The animagus grumbled under his breath. 

“HENRY JAMES POTTER!!!” He boomed.

Harry froze in his tracks.

Sirius cringed. It was very rare that he actually had to raise his voice to his godson, much more use his full name, but he knew for a fact that Harry knew better than to ignore that tone of voice—especially if it came from his godfather. 

The entire room was plunged into silence. Even Severus had stopped crying the moment he heard Sirius’ scream, and was now pushing up against Ginny’s chest, trying to get a better view of the proceedings.

“Pup, you NEED to calm down.” Sirius continued in a much calmer voice.

Harry whirled around and fixed his godfather with a cold, hard glare. “Why?” He growled through gritted teeth.

“Because this anger is not going to solve anything!” The animagus argued.

“It’ll get me answers—”

“To what?!” Sirius interjected, trying to be his godson’s voice of reason. “What answers do you need? The Death Eaters are looking for Severus because they want to kill him. There’s no new information there.”

“How about WHICH ones?” Harry retorted. “Which Death Eaters are after him?”

“What good will knowing that do?”

“So I can target their kids—”

“Alright, STOP!” Sirius demanded, not wanting to hear any more of that particular answer from his godson. “You see? This is precisely why you need to calm down. You’re not thinking straight!”

“Yes, I am!” The teen forced through gritted teeth, sending his godfather a death glare.

“No you’re not!” The animagus argued. “You never think straight when you’re angry.”

“He’s right, Harry.” Ginny added from behind Sirius, “This will solve nothing.”

“Pup, you need to calm down. Take a breath, take a walk—whatever! Come up with a plan of action that doesn’t involve violence, because violence is not your style!”

Harry tore his gaze away from his godfather at that point and scowled fiercely at the floor. “Says who?” He growled under his breath.

“Says ME!” Sirius replied, his eyes flashing and his nose flaring uncharacteristically. “I know Remus and I taught you better than that!” Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Sirius held up a stern finger and fixed his godson with a rare, equally firm look. “Don’t say anything you know you’re going to regret.” He warned.

And with that, Sirius spun around, turning away from his fuming godson and fixing his gaze upon Ginny. Wordlessly, he held his arms out and nodded towards Severus, signaling for the teenager to hand him the baby and to go calm Harry down.

Ginny bit her lip and peered down at the infant in her arms. Severus was sucking his thumb and watching Harry warily from the corner of his eye. The dark anger radiating off the normally calm young man was beginning to scare him. Thus, despite the fact that, under normal circumstances, Ginny wasn’t quite willing to trust Severus to Sirius, the alternative—bringing Severus close to a fuming Harry while she fought to calm him down—was not an option she wanted to consider. Nodding, Ginny wordlessly passed him over to the animagus while she went to pacify her boyfriend.

Severus went without a fight, wrapping his free arm around Sirius’ neck and leaning against his chest. He never once took his eyes off Harry, though.

“Come on, scamp, let’s give them a few minutes.” Sirius then turned his back to the couple and began making his way towards the kitchen.

Severus, not one to give up so easily, used the arm wrapped around the back of Sirius’ neck to boost himself up so that he could peer over the animagus’ shoulder. Kicking slightly to get more leverage, Severus was able to peer past Hermione’s bushy hair to spy the couple in the middle of the living room. Harry and Ginny were whispering furiously to one another, giving Severus the impression that they were having a sort of silent argument.

“They’re talking about the newspaper article that came out about you this morning.” Hermione informed him, flashing the front page of the newspaper in his face and effectively blocking his view of Harry and Ginny.

As soon as the infant read the headline, he scowled at the newspaper and blew raspberries at it. Stupid gossip rags! The voice at the back grumbled.

“Don’t put them down too much.” Sirius interjected, setting Severus down in his high chair so that he could get breakfast ready. “The article did warn us that some Death Eaters are looking for you.”

Yeah, what else is new? Severus rolled his eyes.

“What do you want for breakfast?”

Nothing you make. Severus ignored the animagus in favor of shifting around so that he could catch a glimpse of Harry and Ginny.

“Severus, if you don’t name something in ten seconds, I’m feeding you flavorless, dry, instant oatmeal.” Sirius threatened dully.

The infant shot back around, fixing his gaze on the animagus and narrowing his eyes in challenge. “Ooo mo daweh!” He spat.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the infant. “Oh, really? 10…” He began walking towards the cabinet he knew Harry and Ginny kept the oatmeal. “…9…” Severus turned away and refused to give in. “…8…” Sirius took out the horrid oatmeal. “…7…” Severus peered back at him through the corner of his eye. “…6…” Sirius took out Sev’s baby bowl and spoon. “…5…” Severus’ attention was now solely focused on him. “…4…” Sirius filled a glass of water and warmed it with a wave of his wand. “…3…” Severus gaped at the animagus incredulously. Water?! “…2…”

“WISDING OH!” The infant squealed, pointing to the top cabinet where he knew his Wizard Cheerios were located. Sirius peered back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Wisding oh, peas.” Sev repeated, his shoulders sagging.

Sirius instantly dumped the water over his shoulder—literally—managing, by some miracle, to shoot it all in the sink. A wave of his wand ensured that the horrible, flavorless, dry, instant oatmeal ended up back in the cabinet from which it came. He then took Severus’ baby bowl over to the other cabinet and poured a handful of cereal into it.

“Want anything, Hermione?” Sirius asked as he placed Severus’ bowl on the baby’s tray table.

“Just toast, please.” The girl behind the newspaper replied.

“Coming right up.”

“We’re hoping Dumbledore had the foresight to empty out your house at Spinner’s End before the Death Eaters got there.” Hermione told the munching infant.

Knowing that meddlesome old coot, he probably did. Severus rolled his eyes and shrugged. He didn’t particularly care about his old things anymore. His new toys were by far more exciting! And he hated that old house anyway. So there was really nothing to cry about!

All of a sudden, Harry and Ginny appeared at the table and Severus squealed in delight. “Goo goo goo!”

“Good Morning!” Harry gave him a kind smile.

“Mowming!”

As Ginny got a kiss from baby, Harry turned to Sirius, who was flipping pancakes on the stove. “Thanks for stopping me.”

“Don’t mention it.” Sirius gave him a cocky half-smile. “What would you have done, anyway?”

Harry shrugged. “Stormed his office, frothed at the mouth, something like that.” Godfather and godson exchanged a laugh.

“And now that you’ve calmed down, what are you going to do now?”

Harry shrugged yet again. “I was going there to discuss his old possessions that Aberforth wanted me to get rid of. I’ll be giving it back to him.” The teen picked up the paper and gave the front page article a once-over, “And while I’m there, we might as well discuss this and some plans for his safety.” He nodded at the infant. “What we’ll do if all of this comes out, if he’s exposed—”

“I already told you—”

“Padfoot,” Harry stopped him before he could get any further, “It’s not that simple.” 

“Oh, but it is, Harry.” Sirius replied, turning from the stove to fully face his godson. “And the only reason you’re not going through with it is because either he’s unwilling or you’re unwilling.”

“I am willing!” Harry responded, indignant. “I’m very willing! It’s just that…I mean…It’s still a bit weird coming from you—”

“I have a bad feeling, pup.” Sirius said, coming clean about the strange things he had been sensing for the past few months. “I have a bad feeling, okay?” At seeing Harry’s raised eyebrow, Sirius blushed and turned back to his cooking, wanting to give his fidgety hands something to do. “It’s the same feeling that I got…that I got before…”

Harry frowned, “Before what?”

“Before your parents went into hiding. I…” With a sigh, Sirius shrugged. Harry was beginning to sense that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

Rising from the table, Harry approached his godfather with concern. “What, Padfoot?” After a while, when Sirius still refused to answer, Harry posed another question. “Do you have The Gift?”

“Forget it, Harry.” The animagus shrugged, trying to pretend that he hadn’t just said what he did. “It’s not important—”

Harry could tell from the way his godfather’s voice shuddered slightly and his aura fluctuated that Sirius wanted to say what was on his mind but he feared Harry’s reaction. In particular, he feared his godson would think him crazy. “Please?” The teen pleaded, gripping his godfather’s forearm in order to get his attention. “Please?”

The animagus froze. Glancing over, Sirius caught of glimpse of Harry’s desperate face and sighed. Shutting off the stove, he spooned the cooked breakfast into separate plates before turning to face his godson completely. “I…I just feel that you should adopt him.” He said, casting a fleeting look over Harry’s shoulder to the eight-month-old at the kitchen table.

“Why?” The teen asked, fighting to keep his voice neutral.

“I don’t know!” The animagus whispered in return. “I don’t know. It’s just this feeling that I have. It’s the same one that I felt when your parents chose me as their secret keeper…and I told them to make me decoy and to give that job to Peter.”

Harry looked confused. “What’d your feelings tell you then?”

“That it should’ve been Remus.” The animagus grimaced. “I ignored my feelings back then…but they were right! That’s why…that’s why…” Sirius sighed and shrugged, “…that’s why I’m…doing this right now.”

As soon as the words were past his lips, he turned away from Harry and picked up all the plates with breakfast on them. “OKAY! Breakfast is served!” Pushing past his confused godson, he made his way to the dining room table amid playful cheers from Ginny and Severus.

Harry was frozen in place by the stove, staring blankly out the kitchen window while a million thoughts ran through his head. Perhaps he should adopt Severus. Because what if Sirius’ feelings/visions/whatever were right? What if someone tried to take his boy away from him? What if someone found a loophole in the guardianship papers? Or worse, found out about his past and used it against him? And besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t thought about adoption before. Sirius’ constant suggestions had it running through his mind regularly. Yet they all always stopped at the thought of Severus. What if Severus didn’t want Harry to adopt him? What if everything was fine with the guardianship and so what was the point of adoption then? What if Severus didn’t want Harry and Ginny to take that extra step?

Harry shook his head. “I have a bad feeling, pup.” Sirius’ warning—and Harry did take it as a warning—ran through his mind. This required some heavy thought.

---

“Ah! Harry, my boy! Come on in!” Dumbledore’s face lit up as soon as he spied Harry at his door.

Harry gave him a tight smile as he walked into the room.

“And how is Severus this morning?” The old man asked, flicking his wand at a chair across the table. The seat immediately swept itself out for Harry.

“He’s, um…He’s fine.” Harry struggled to find a spot to lay his boxes down as he took a seat. As per usual, every inch of Dumbledore’s table was covered in junk. The teen decided to lay them on the floor by his feet.

“And Miss Weasley?”

“Doing great.” Harry answered distractedly, digging through the top box for a specific shrunken package. “She’s running the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts this morning.”

“Naturally. And Mr. Black?” The Headmaster smiled, “I have it on good authority that he moved in with the three of you?”

Harry looked up from his digging and raised an eyebrow at the old man. Did he even want to know how the old coot knew that? “Er…He practically did, yes.”

“Is everything going well? With Severus and Sirius living under the same roof, I mean?” Dumbledore asked with a knowing smile.

Harry sat back in his seat with a sigh and gave the old man a strange look. “There are…moments that the both of them have.” The teen nodded. “Ginny said to me one night that she feels she’s either raising two children, living with a brother-in-law, or living with a father-in-law.”

Dumbledore chuckled. “As per Sirius’ usual style, of course.”

“The man has more mood swings than a teenage girl.” Harry rolled his eyes. “You never know how he’s going to act next.”

“But he’s got it where it counts.” The Headmaster added with a smile.

Harry couldn’t disagree with him there. “He’s got it where it counts in spades.” The teen nodded with a smile. “Which reminds me…If you don’t mind—” Harry reached over Dumbledore’s desk to dig out the day’s Daily Prophet from under the ton of half-finished machines on top of it. He then snapped the paper open and held up the ginormous headline for the Headmaster to see. Wordlessly, he raised a questioning eyebrow at the old man.

“Ah, yes!” Dumbledore threw the invention he had been working on aside and folded his hands in front of him. “That!”

“This.” Harry nodded.

“Would it surprise you if I told you I cleaned out his house before the Death Eaters ever got there?”

“His house was not the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw it.”

“Of course not. However, it may interest you to know that his house is practically your house now that he’s your legal ward.”

Harry rolled his eyes and threw the newspaper over his shoulder. “Professor Dumbledore,” he forced through gritted teeth, leaning forward in his chair to frown at the man in front of him, “I don’t give a damn about the house!”

The old man looked away and sighed, “Of course not.” He repeated, more to himself than to Harry. “My boy…don’t worry too much—”    

“Don’t worry too much?” Harry repeated incredulously. “So I’m not to worry if the most dangerous people in the world are looking for my child?!” He exclaimed.

“I didn’t mean that. Harry, please calm down.” Dumbledore gave him an imploring look.

Harry’s lips thinned into a tight line and he looked away, forcing himself to take a deep breath like his godfather advised him.

“Look…” The Headmaster began again, “Harry, Severus has the best disguise he can possibly have at the moment.” Harry merely scowled at Fawkes’ empty perch. “But I’m guessing Ginny already convinced you of that since he’s sitting outside with the Lupins and Sirius watching the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts.”

Harry stood up so quickly his chair tipped over, “And what happens when his cover is blown?! What happens when his disguise fails?!”

Dumbledore calmly stared back at the agitated teen above him. “You’re so sure it’ll fail.”

Harry blinked. He could feel his anger draining away as quickly as it appeared. Pushing away from Dumbledore’s desk, Harry righted his chair with the wave of a hand and collapsed into it. “Everything fails eventually.” He croaked, closing his eyes and rubbing the wrinkles from his forehead. “Everything…comes to light.”

“That’s true.” Dumbledore agreed, studying Harry with a critical eye. “But knowing you? You already know what to do once the truth comes to light. You’re just trying to convince yourself that it’s the right thing to do.” The boy’s eyes suddenly fixed on him and narrowed in suspicion. Dumbledore gave Harry and innocent smile and shrugged. “Arguments inside the Burrow are not quite secret, just so you know.”

“I put silencing charms on the door.”

“There are walls.”

“And the walls!”

“Oh!” The old coot smiled slyly down at his desk, picking up a small object and picking at it with his fingers. “Did you?”

“I even included your little toy there!” Harry added, frowning at the meddlesome Headmaster.

“Oh?” All of a sudden, Dumbledore acted all interested, “Which one?” He asked with an innocent smile.

With a roll of his eyes, Harry sighed and collapsed back into his chair, resuming his massage of his forehead. “Forget it.” He croaked. Seeing as how Dumbledore now knew everything (big surprise there), Harry figured he might as well ask for his advice. “I…I just don’t know. Do you think he’s going to go for it?”

“Harry,” Dumbledore threw his toy down and folded his hands up once again, completely serious now, “That child sees you as his father—unquestionably!”

“I don’t hear him calling me ‘dad’.” The teen retorted.

“He will.”

“You’re so sure!” The young wizard rolled his eyes.

“Someday soon.” The Headmaster replied, not missing a beat.

Harry shut his eyes and shook his head. No.

“Haweh!”

“There’s my boy!” Hopping out of the fireplace, he threw his duffle bag across the room and dropped down to one knee, opening his arms out for a big bear hug. And then came the highlight of his week—Severus walked to him. Heck, Severus ran to him! His baby boy ran into his arms for a big hug from—

“No!” Harry banged his fist against the edge of Dumbledore’s desk and looked away. “No.” He continued shaking his head with a sigh. “No.”

“So the reluctance is on your part—”

“Don’t you dare accuse me of that!” Harry snapped, his eyes flashing.

“You’re reluctant—”

“I just don’t want to get his hopes up—”

“Why would they be shot down?” Dumbledore interjected, raising an eyebrow at the teenager, hoping to push him into revealing the secret everyone knew he and Ginny were hiding.

Harry shook his head. “No.” He set his jaw and fixed the old man with a firm look. “No. I didn’t come here for the armchair psychology. I came to talk to you.”

“Ah! And now the tables are turned.” Dumbledore muttered to himself, a tight smile on his face.

“Most of your old possessions are in these boxes.” He gestured downwards to the boxes at his feet before bending down to retrieve a particular parcel inside the top box. “They’re all going back to you with the exception of…” With a wave of his hand, Harry enlarged the parcel, removed its cover, and threw it onto a fairly flat part of the overcrowded table, “…these.” 

Harry watched as Dumbledore swallowed and fidgeted around with his glasses and his hands before even reaching for the box in question. Of course, the teenager already knew what was in it—a silver chain necklace, a ring, a cup, a journal, and a pair of glasses—but the old man didn’t. Yet, judging from his behavior, from the nervous ticks that gave him away, Harry realized Dumbledore knew exactly what was going to be in that box.

“Only these?” Dumbledore gave him a funny smile—one that Harry knew was supposed to mislead him. “I’m surprised. I thought you would find more objects—”

“I did.” Harry answered without missing a beat. “Their auras were too dark to keep. I obliterated them.” Folding his hands in front of him, Harry waited for the old man’s reaction.

The elder wizard’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second and he shot Harry a quick panicked sort of look. Yet those emotions were quickly dampened the moment the Headmaster returned his gaze to the contents of the box. By then, a ghost of an emotion flitted just behind his eyes. It came in and out in passes and it didn’t take a legilimens to figure out what it was. The Headmaster’s emotions were fluctuating around the vicinity of grief. “Oh.” He murmured, trying to look and sound interested, but Harry could tell his heart wasn’t in it.  

The teenager stroked his upper lip in thought. That was interesting! He tried to figure out what it meant.

He watched as Dumbledore picked up the necklace—a man’s, by the looks of it—and held it up to the light. The old man’s fingers passed over each of the chain links, his eyes focused on a memory a lifetime away. After a while, he dropped the necklace and turned his focus on the pair of round-rimmed glasses lying flat and open at the bottom of the box. Harry watched as he ran a finger over the old, silver rim before fiddling with the earpiece, a ghost of a smile passing through his lips. The cup he picked up and cradled in his hands, running his thumb over the faded picture that one day used to be but was no more.

The old man took a deep breath and turned back to Harry, a smile on his lips but not his eyes. “This is all?”

“Those are in things in question.” Harry corrected gently. “They have a dark gray aura—not quite black, but close.” He paused, mentally debating on whether or not he wanted to reveal the next bit of information. The look in Dumbledore’s eyes, however, decided for him. “Those were, in fact, the darkest objects in the house.”

The Headmaster looked up in surprise, “But I thought—”

“I lied.” Harry replied with a shrug, raising an eyebrow at the old man, challenging him to say anything further on the issue. “People do that. I wanted to see your reaction.”

Dumbledore looked lost, “My reaction?”

“You know who those things belonged to.” Harry replied. It was a statement, not a question.

“Of course!” Dumbledore turned away and picked up the silver chain once again, fingering it softly. “This was my father’s.”

Harry shook his head, regardless of the fact that the old coot was turned away. “It was Grindelwald’s.” He countered. Again, a statement and not a question.

The Headmaster looked up at him in surprise, the silver chain slowly slipping through his fingers. “How did you—”

“Professor, you are not the only one in this room who is capable of deductive reasoning.” The teenager replied dully. He hated how the old wizard always seemed to assume that he was the only one in the world that was proficient enough in the skill.

Dumbledore closed his eyes and, for the first time since he caught a glimpse of the box, gave Harry a genuine smile. “Of course.” He nodded. “So when did you figure it out?”

“About a minute ago.” The teenager replied, “That’s what I needed your reaction for.”

The Headmaster gave him a confused look. “Right.” He replied shakily.

“You know, it’s quite funny,” Harry smirked, “Those five objects, save for one, very much resemble Voldemort’s non-organic horcruxes, save for one.”

“Oh! But, no, no, no!” Dumbledore’s eyes widened at Harry and he shook his head frantically, “No, no, Gallert, er…Grindelwald, he—”

Harry held up a hand and shook his head to stop the Headmaster in his tracks, “It’s alright. I know he didn’t make any horcruxes. He’s dead.” He stated bluntly.

Dumbledore’s reaction was immediate. What light had reappeared in his eyes quickly dissipated again; the smile that was beginning to form quickly died; and the gaze that had slowly been climbing up to meet Harry’s fell back into the box once more.

Harry leaned back in his seat and stroked his chin. Very, very interesting!

“He—he’s dead?” Once again, the old man worked to sound interested. Once again, it failed.

“Killed by Voldemort, a couple months back—in his jail cell.” The teen informed him, his voice devoid of any emotion. Harry might as well have been talking about the weather.

Dumbledore swallowed hard. Picking up the necklace, he studied it and held it, rubbing his fingers over the chain’s links as a Catholic would’ve rubbed the beads of the rosary during prayer. Harry noticed his hands were trembling.

“Really?” And his voice as well. “I didn’t know that.” This time, the teen was able to pick up the slight crack at the end of his statement.  

Harry couldn’t hold on to his stoic façade any longer. The sympathy was beginning to creep into his eyes and the waves of sadness coming off the old man were beginning to affect his mood as well. There was now not a doubt in his mind what Grindelwald and his things meant to the old Headmaster.

“I’m sorry for your loss, sir.” Harry said, letting his emotions bleed through his voice and his eyes.

Once again, Dumbledore’s head shot up in surprise. “I…He…Yes, he was a very good friend…” His gaze returned to the chain in his hand and his voice dropped to a murmur, “…while it lasted…”

“Of course.” The teen replied dubiously, meeting Dumbledore’s shaken gaze with a knowing look of his own.

Dumbledore shut his eyes and swallowed. This time, it was his turn to rub the wrinkles off his forehead. “Harry—”

“It’s none of my business.” The teen stopped him before he could get any further. “Who a person chooses to…care very much for…is none of my business.” The old man sighed and nodded, opening his eyes but only managing to raise them to Harry’s chest. There was no meeting his gaze. “But to know that you…cared very much for…him…” Harry waited until the old man met his gaze, if only out of pure curiosity, “…I am very, very sorry about your loss…” Harry leaned forward in his chair and dropped his voice to a whisper, “…all your loss.”

Silence filled the room then. Although Dumbledore met his eyes, Harry knew the old man was merely looking through him; seeing things that might have been, but weren’t; picturing scenes that could have happened, but didn’t; hearing words that should have been said, but have never been heard. Harry knew Dumbledore knew what he meant by ‘all’ his loss—those ‘could’ve’, ‘would’ve’, ‘should’ve’ moments that will now never be, those missed opportunities, missed moments, missed life that he will never get back, those opportunities for true happiness that are now gone forever.

“Well…” The old man swallowed and gave him a wry smile. “What can you do, eh? When you’re this old and still alone…” he shrugged, “…you get used to it, I guess.”

“You’re not alone.” Harry countered, shaking his head as he did so.

“Yes, I am—”

“You have us, you have a brother.”

“Aberforth doesn’t—”

“Let me talk to Aberforth.” Harry waved it off. “The man can be unreasonable at the best of times. He’s not very different from you.” The teen then gestured to the box in the Headmaster’s hands, “You can keep Grindelwald’s things IF...” Harry held up a finger, ensuring the old man knew how important this condition was, “…you make me an Unbreakable Vow.”

“Done!” The Headmaster replied, willing to do whatever it took to keep the precious objects, and not even giving a second thought as to the conditions of the Unbreakable Vow. Just the very notion of being allowed to keep those pieces of ‘junk’ brought the smile back to his face. 

That, in turn, brought the smile back to Harry’s face. “Excellent!” Pushing against the table, he stood up and made to leave. “I’ll have Professor McGonagall—or even better, Aberforth—be our bonder tonight when you come over to dinner.”

“Dinner?” The old man raised an eyebrow at him.

“At the Den.” The teen answered, adjusting his robes and pulling a sack of floo powder out of his pocket, “Professor McGonagall is coming as well; Aberforth too, if he ever wants the house back—which he does.” Harry raised an eyebrow at the Headmaster, “Shall I expect you at seven?”

The Headmaster gave the boy a half-smile, half-grimace, glancing at the box in his arms before looking at Harry once again, “Is one of the conditions of the Unbreakable Vow that I make up with my brother?”

Harry smirked, “If it’s not one of your conditions, it’ll be one of his.”

“One of his?” Dumbledore’s eyebrows shot to his hairline.

“Hey, he wants the house back.” Harry shrugged and made his way to the fireplace, “If he wants his house as badly as you wanted your things, I’ll be fine.”

Dumbledore smiled and genuinely began laughing at the teen, “You know, Harry…you would’ve done well in Slytherin.”

The young wizard grinned at him from inside the hearth, “I know.” And in a flash, he was gone.

---

SLAM!

“Goddamn it, Potter!”

“Abe, if you don’t want to agree to this, you obviously don’t want the house badly enough!”

“I DO TOO!”

“Alright then—”

The tall man pointed an intimidating finger in his face, “Don’t you ‘alright then’ me!”

Harry threw the finger aside and got in the man’s face, “LOOK, Abe…I know the two of you have a bad history with—”

“HA!” Abe threw his cup across the room.

CRASH!  

“That’s the understatement of the century!”

“And it is exactly that!” Harry cried at the top of his lungs, “A CENTURY old!”

“It’s more than a century old!”

“There, you see—”

“And I—DON’T—GIVE A DAMN!”’

Harry sighed and downed another shot of firewhiskey. This was starting to wear on his nerves. “You give a damn about your goats!” The teen replied, deciding to change the conversation up a little.

“What the hell do my goats have to do with anything?!”

“They’re starting to overrun your field.” Harry pointed out the window, “You’ll need more room for them.”

“It’s not worth making up with my BROTHER!” The older wizard spat the word out as if it was a curse.

“WHY THE HELL NOT?!?!?!”

“He killed our sister!”

“You don’t fucking know that!”

“Whatever! He was involved—that’s all I need to know!”

Harry growled and grumbled under his breath before throwing his shot glass at the window, breaking it.

CRASH!

“You are a stubborn son of a bitch!”

“Yeah, what else is new?”

“Well, I’m more stubborn than you!”

“You’re drunk! You’re not thinking straight!”

“You’re sober! Neither are you!”

With a growl, Aberforth lobbed an empty butterbeer bottle at the far wall. Hearing the glass shatter into a million tiny pieces brought a satisfied smile to his face. Reaching under the bar, he pulled out a brand new bottle of firewhiskey, two glasses and a box of cigars, shoving one of the cigars into Harry’s hand. “Let’s go talk about this in my office.”

The two of them made their way onto the back porch and sat in the two rocking chairs on opposite sides of the door. Using his wand, Aberforth lit his cigar and then Harry’s. He then poured the firewhiskey into the glasses and handed one to his friend. For over half an hour, the two of them just sat there in silence—smoking their cigars and sipping their whiskey as they watched the goats graze.

“Over a century, huh?” Aberforth croaked, taking a long sip of his whiskey.

“Yup.” The teen replied.

“Reckon it’s been something like 130 years.”

“Yup.”

“Long time.”

“Yup.

More silence. More smoking, more drinking, more goats.

“Reckon you’ve been mad at him long enough?” Harry raised an eyebrow, peering at the other wizard from the corner of his eye.

“Guess so.” Abe shrugged, taking another sip of whiskey.

“We done being mad?”

“Most likely.”

“How ‘bout that Vow?”

“Whatever.”

“’Whatever’ mean ‘yes’?”

“Whatever.”

“Excellent!” Harry downed the rest of his glass of whiskey and stood up to leave. “You know…” He started, brushing the ashes off his robes, “…you’re not really sober, which means you’re thinking straight.”

“You’re not really drunk, which means you are too.”

Harry smiled and offered the bartender his hand, “Life’s a bitch, huh?”

Aberforth grinned and took it, “I love our real talks.”

“You know that’s right.” Harry pulled the bag of floo powder out of his pocket and headed for the fireplace.

“Harry?” Abe’s earnest voice made the teenager turn to face him out of sheer surprise.

“Yeah?”

“He lonely too?”

Harry studied the elder wizard’s face for a fraction of a second before nodding, “Yeah.”  

The bartender acknowledged his answer with a nod before turning back to watch his goats once again. “That’s an even bigger bitch.” He heard Abe mutter under his breath.

As Harry climbed into the hearth and prepared to go home, he couldn’t help but agree. “You know that’s right.”

---

“Hey, Remus, what’s going on in there?” Sirius asked, nodding his head towards the swinging door that lead into the dining room.

The animagus was lying flat on the living room floor between Severus and Teddy, who were using his chest as a table for their letter puzzle. From his vantage point, he could see Ginny leaning against the door, holding it open as she watched whatever was happening in the dining room. Curious, Tonks and Remus glanced over their shoulders to see what piqued the canine’s curiosity.

Jumping off her husband’s lap, Tonks peeked inside the door and quickly gasped, covering her mouth lest she involuntarily made a sound. Ginny met her gaze then and Sirius watched as she tapped her lips with her finger and then fully stepped into the dining room, closing the door behind her. Now all the occupants in the living room were curious as to what was going on and graced Tonks with expectant looks.

“They’re making an Unbreakable Vow.” The metamorphamagus whispered, pointing to the door behind her.

“Who?!” Molly asked, her knitting forgotten for the time being.

“Albus with Harry and Aberforth with Harry. Professor McGonagall is their bonder.” She replied.

“Do you know what it’s about?” Arthur asked, intrigued.

“Let’s find out, shall we?” George interjected, pulling an Extendable Ear from his pocket.

“George!” Molly chided, reaching for the Ear, “Oh, no you don’t!”

“Fred!” The twin threw it to his brother, drawing their mother to him.

“Padfoot!” The animagus stood up as quickly as he could, immediately drawn into the game.

“Throw me the stringless Ear, mate!”

“Give me that!” As Molly nabbed the Ear from Fred, George threw Sirius their newest, stringless Extendable Ear model.

“Here you go!”

“Sirius!”

Catching the stringless Ear, Sirius hopped over the infants and made a mad dash for the dining room door.

“GINNY!”

The door cracked open just as Sirius got to it and, out of impulse, the animagus reached over and threw the Ear into the room with all the subtlety of a soldier flinging a grenade.

All the Weasley children, including Hermione, Remus, Dora, and the two infants burst into laughter as the usually suave animagus botched their entire scheme in a moment of sheer panic. Then, just as the room began to calm down, the innocent smile on Sirius’ face stirred up giggles once more. He was smiling at someone just inside the dining room door, most likely Ginny, and within seconds he began backing into the bookcase against the wall, retreating from whoever was advancing against him. Sure enough, Ginny appeared a second later, advancing on Sirius with a scowl. As soon as she was satisfied with how far she made him retreat, she raised a hand and threw the Extendable Ear back against his chest. The entire room then burst into another round of laughter at Sirius’ expense as Ginny turned on her heel and reentered the dining room, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Real smooth, Padfoot!” Remus teased, wrapping his arms around his wife’s waist.

“Shut up!” Sirius threw the ear back at a laughing George, who immediately pocketed it before dodging a swipe to the head from his mother.

“You’re such a child, Sirius!” Molly rebuked the animagus, frowning at the devil-may-care air about him.

“I’m not a child all the time!” Sirius retorted.

SQUEAK!

All of a sudden, all heads in the room turned towards Severus, who was sitting on the floor with a bright red-orange ball in his hands, studying it with a look of intense curiosity on his face. Then, he squeezed it again.

SQUEAK!

Before anyone could blink, Sirius grinned, leapt to the side, and big black dog immediately landed in his stead.

WOOF!

The dog crouched down on his front legs and focused his playful eyes on the infant with the ball. His tail wagged energetically and his tongue hung out of his mouth in anticipation. Woof! He then touched his wet nose to the ball in Severus’ hand and waved his head to the side suggestively.

Severus, for his part, was confused by the little display. His eyes traveled from the ball in his hand to the big black dog and back. He didn’t know what the mutt wanted him to do. Deciding to try a few different things in order to test the dog’s reaction, Severus settled for squeezing the ball yet again.

SQUEAK!

WOOF!

Padfoot leapt from side to side excitedly, barking and watching Severus with an excited look in his eyes.

Severus exchanged a look with Teddy next to him and within seconds, both infants were collapsed on the floor amidst a laughing fit.

Remus and Dora grinned. “Keep it up, Padfoot, I think they like it.”

SQUEAK!

WOOF!

Sirius repeated the excited leaping, which met with the same results. Sev and Teddy laughed so hard they turned red in the face.

“I wish I was as easily amused as them.” Hermione commented wistfully. “I don’t think people our age could ever understand the humor in a squeaking ball and an excited dog.”

“Speak for yourself.” Ron replied, elbowing her in the arm before pointing to the laughing twins next to him. Both Fred and George collapsed into a fit of giggles every time Sev squeezed the ball and Padfoot reacted. Hermione rolled her eyes. “You just have to see it from the eyes of a child, I guess.”

After several rounds of squeezing the ball, Padfoot decided to nudge the ball in Sev’s hand hard enough to toss it out. The child gasped in surprise once the ball flew out, but as he watched Padfoot retrieve it and bring it back, it became the newest funniest-thing-ever.

“Ah!” Teddy nudged him on the shoulder.

“Uh?” Sev peered back at his friend curiously.

“Ah!” Teddy pointed to the ball. “Ah!” And then pointed to an empty part of the room.

With a grin, Severus picked up the ball. Padfoot immediately crouched in excitement. My, this is entertaining! The voice at the back of his mind drawled. The mutt acting like a mutt.

No! His little voice answered. Acting like my mutt!

Severus threw the ball and Padfoot quickly leapt to retrieve it, dropping it about a foot out of Severus’ reach. But that was okay. After calming down from his laughing fit, Sev simply climbed to his knees and crawled after it. Teddy rolled after him, much to the amusement of everyone else in the living room. Another throw and retrieval later, Padfoot dropped the ball two feet out of his reach. This time, despite Teddy’s hysterical laughter next to him, Severus didn’t quite laugh as hard or as long.

Bring it here! Sev whined in his head, pointing to Padfoot and then pointing to the ball. Much to his disappointment, the mutt merely shook his head and lay down next to the ball.

“Ah!” Teddy exclaimed, pointing excitedly at the ball on the floor.

Grumbling under his breath, Severus crawled towards the ball and Teddy rolled after him. Another throw and retrieval after that, Padfoot dropped the ball three feet out of his reach. This time, despite Teddy’s continued hysterics, Severus laughed no more.

“Hew!” He cried, pointing to the carpet directly in front of him.

Padfoot shook his head stubbornly.

“HEW!” He squeaked louder.

The mutt merely shook his head yet again.

Severus bit his lip. He wanted to keep playing! He didn’t want to keep crawling after the ball, though!

“Ah!” Teddy poked him in the arm and he glanced over. The other infant pointed to the loose ball.

“He mo wamp bing!” Sev whined, complaining to his best friend about the stupid mutt’s behavior.

WOOF!

Ever so slowly, Padfoot crept over on his belly, bypassing the ball and heading straight for the older infant. Woof! He barked softly, nudging Severus with his wet nose.

“What does he want him to do, Moony?” He heard Tonks whisper behind him.

“I don’t know.”

Well if they didn’t know, how was Severus supposed to know?! He wasn’t psychic! He didn’t speak Mutt! Scowling at the stupid, disobedient dog, he decided to ask him. “Wha wamp?!” He demanded.

Woof! Padfoot butt his head against the infant’s shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to nudge. He then turned around and laid down in front of the infant, waiting for something.

Severus frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean? “Wha dat?” He snapped, annoyed at not being to understand Padfoot’s signals.

Woof! The dog began tilting his head towards the ceiling, repeating the gesture continuously.

“Oh!” Fred leapt up excitedly. “I get it!”

“It’s charades.” George grinned.

“He wants you to walk to the ball!” The twin exclaimed.

“Yes, I do believe that is correct, Fred.”

“Why, thank you, George!”

“He wants to help you walk to the ball, kiddo. Right, Paddy?”

WOOF! The dog barked at them excitedly.

Well why didn’t the stupid mutt just say that?! Severus rolled his eyes. Grabbing onto fistfuls of the mutt’s fur, Sev pulled on them to help himself climb to his knees and then to his feet.

Woof! Padfoot too slowly raised himself from the lying down position to the crouched position.

“Baw!” Sev ordered, pointing to the fallen toy on the floor.

Woof! Using Padfoot for support, Severus walked to the ball at the same time the dog crept towards it and then squatted down to pick it up. Once again, he used Padfoot to help him climb to his feet before throwing the ball to the far side of the room.

“Go get!” He ordered, pointing to the ball and scowling at the unmoving dog.

“Sweetheart, if he moves, you might fall down.” Molly informed him kindly.

Sev’s eyes widened. That’s true. The infant bit his lip. He wanted Padfoot to go get the ball, though! How was Padfoot supposed to fetch the ball and support him at the same time? All of a sudden, a thought came to him. Patting Padfoot on the head, he told him, “Go get baw wi me!” And soon enough, Severus began walking towards the fallen ball, Padfoot crouching around right next to him, ready to support him should he need the help.

Before the infant could pick up the ball, however, Padfoot batted it away with his nose, throwing it across the room. Without missing a beat, Severus gave chase to it, stepping around Remus, Teddy, and Dora’s chair to catch the loose ball. Once again, Padfoot managed to beat him to it (without once leaving his side). Instead of batting it away again, however, the dog picked it up with his mouth and continued on his way. Severus squealed in delight and began to walk faster; trying to catch up to the creeping dog’s head. Several times he had to stop to find his balance, and each time, the mutt stopped as well, standing still and being the safety net for the infant. Only when Severus was able to walk on his own two feet again did Padfoot restart the chase, much to the infant’s delight.

“He’s such a child, huh, mum?” Fred gave his mother a smug look.

“Oh, hush!” Molly waved him off, her attention focused solely on Severus.

“Bloody hell! He tricked Snape into learning how to walk!” Ron exclaimed.

“Severus already knew how to walk, Ronald!” Hermione retorted, “You remember. You were there when he took his first steps!”

“He knew how to take a few steps, not how to walk!” Her boyfriend argued. “That’s not taking a few steps. That’s walking!”

“And it’s so BEAUTIFUL, isn’t it?!” Molly exclaimed, tears in her eyes.

All of a sudden, Padfoot threw the ball to the side and barked loudly, announcing himself and Severus, before running headlong into the dining room door.

The entire family swiftly shot to their feet then, gathering at the open doorway in order to catch Harry and Ginny’s reaction.

“HAWEH!” Sev squeaked as he burst into the room beside Padfoot. “IMMY!”

WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

Severus looked up just in time to see both Ginny’s and Harry’s eyes widen in surprise before they began to stutter.

“You’re—”
GASP!
“Oh m—”
“Oh, darl—!”
“He’s walk—”
“He’s u—”

“YOU’RE WALKING!!!” They both exclaimed simultaneously, shock and joy evident on their faces.

WOOF!

“Did you help in this?” Harry asked the dog.

WOOF!

“Look at you, my darling!” Ginny knelt down and opened her arms for a big hug. Severus squealed and ran right into them. “Oh, you’re walking!”

“You’re walking, cub!” Harry exclaimed, helping his girlfriend stand before enveloping her and the baby in a hug. “And not just a few steps—you’re actually walking!!!”

“Oh, we are so proud of you, darling!” Both Harry and Ginny planted a kiss atop his head at the same time. “Good job!”

“Congratulations, cub!” A familiar voice exclaimed behind Harry.

The teen turned around and grinned at his godfather, offering the man his hand. “Thank you, Sirius.”

The animagus smiled and took his godson’s hand, pulling him into a hug instead. “No, Harry,” He murmured into the teen’s ear, “Thank you!”

The teenager raised an eyebrow and pulled away, giving his godfather a concerned look. “For what, Padfoot?”

The animagus gave him a mysterious smile. Harry then watched as his godfather’s eyes slowly traveled about the room; from a hugging Ginny and Severus, to Albus and Aberforth, who were standing in one corner (actually talking to one another), to Minerva and Andromeda, who were standing in another corner, clapping, to Molly and Arthur, who were snapping pictures by the door, to a smirking Ron who had his arm over a laughing Hermione, to an amused Fred and George, who were teasing their doting mother, to a grinning Tonks who was nuzzling Teddy’s ear as the infant laughed into Remus’ chest, until finally they landed back on Harry.

“Everything, pup.” Sirius replied, his voice cracking slightly at the end. The animagus cleared his throat in order to get rid of it. “Just…everything.”

And as Harry studied his godfather eyes, and watched them travel the same path as before, the teenager quickly realized what his godfather was talking about. Sirius was thanking him for giving him everything. He was thanking his godson for giving him the chance to be a part of this (huge) family. He was thanking his godson for helping him rebuild his life and for not shutting him away. He was thanking his godson for giving him the chance to prove that there was more to him than the teenager he used to be.

Most especially, however, he was thanking his godson for saving him from loneliness.

Harry smiled. He could understand that—wholly and completely. No one was meant to be lonely; not Albus, not Aberforth, and certainly not Sirius. Offering his godfather his hand once again, it was his turn to pull the older man in for a hug. “You’re welcome, old boy.” He murmured in his ear, “And the feeling is mutual.”

“Haweh!” And just like that, the godfather-godson moment was broken in favor of a different kind of moment.

“Go ahead, pup.” Sirius gave the teen a half-smile and a small shove in Sev and Ginny’s direction. “This is his moment. We’ll talk later.”

It was then that Harry recalled his earlier conversation with Dumbledore and his assessment of his godfather. Oh yeah! He’s got it where it counts in spades!

---

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

Severus tried his best to stay as still as possible.

“It’s been a month, love.”

“I know.”

He tried to take deep, slow breaths too—the kind people who were asleep or pretending to be asleep were supposed to take.

“And…?”

Sev couldn’t help himself. He held his breath.

“I am SO close, love—so ridiculously close!”

“But not there.” Ginny’s voice sounded sad and disappointed.

“I am one ingredient away, Gin—just one! Severus and Slughorn have been helping me improve this by leaps and bounds!”

“Harry, you promised—”

“And I’m keeping it!” Sev felt the bed shift beneath him and sensed Harry’s hand reach over him to touch Ginny’s face. “I’m keeping it, love! One ingredient! There is one tiny piece of the aura that’s still wrong. If I can just find it and correct it, if I can make the whole thing feel right…”

And then there was silence. Severus released his breath in favor of holding another one. He didn’t dare move a muscle. What? What was Harry going to say? What? What?! What?!

“I overestimated when I said ‘a month’ last time. Three weeks, tops! It’ll take three weeks to brew.”

“Harry, do you have—”

“We make our own miracles.” Harry stopped her before she could get any further. “Remember? We make our own miracles?” His voice then dropped to a whisper. “You promised me, Gin. You promised me you wouldn’t think like that.”

“Harry, I don’t want—”

“Shhh!” Sev’s eyebrows furrowed. “You’re not going to do this alone because I am right here and I am staying right here—no ifs, ands, or buts.”

Ginny sounded like she was trying to get a hold of herself.

Finally, after a minute or two, Sev heard her swallow before she replied with the full strength of her will behind her voice, “Right…Right! Harry?”

“Yes?”

“I want you done by tomorrow.” She practically ordered her boyfriend. “You start steeping/brewing/whatever your potion by tomorrow. I am only putting up with this crap for another three weeks!”

Sev felt the mattress beneath him begin to vibrate from Harry’s silent laughter. “That’s my girl!”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

The two exchanged goodnights and Sev felt them lean over him to share a quick kiss.

“I love you, Ginny.”

“I love you, Harry.”

And Severus loved them too.