Early October, I find myself in the dungeons sitting on the sofa studying in our rooms. It's another Hogsmeade weekend, but I've chosen not to go. Though, I'm not the only one in my family. Draco is here too. But I think he's just here to make sure I don't get into any trouble.

"Harry?" Angel softly asks as she sits beside me.

"Yeah, El, what is it?"

"Where's Daddy?"

"Dad has a meeting with Professor Dumbledore this morning. He should be back soon, though."

"Is Daddy in trouble with Grandpa, Harry?"

I nearly laugh when I hear her question. None of us are really sure where she has picked up this Grandpa kick from, but it is rather cute. I'll admit that it has taken us awhile to understand that she's not talking about Orin, but instead Dumbledore. It's second nature by now, though.

"No, El, Dad's not in trouble." I watch the relief flood her face, which makes me softly laugh. "He's probably just giving Dumbledore an update about Slytherin." My eyes then dart to the portrait swinging open. Sure enough, there's Dad who is right on cue as always.

"Actually, I was informing Albus about students who I believe require extra help in their studies," Dad replies with a slightly amused look. When Angel hops off the couch running towards him moments later, he quickly picks her up and carries her back towards us. "Aurora's still asleep?"

"No, no," Mum replies with a yawn as she slowly walks into the room. "I'm here."

"Hi, Mummy," Angel says smiling in Dad's arms.

"Good morning, love." Mum calmly sits on the arm of Dad's chair waiting for him.

Brushing back one of Angel's stray curls, Dad gently kisses her forehead before setting her back onto the ground. He then says something to her very quietly, which makes the young girl happily run back towards Draco and me. He chuckles when she launches herself at us moments later.

"Hey, El," I say sluggishly before sighing as she wraps her arms tightly around my neck.

"What's this, Severus?"

"It appears to be a letter from your mother," Dad replies before handing her the envelope.

"Oh, goody," Mum drawls. Quietly, she opens it and pulls out the aged parchment. Her eyes seem to skim the lines of it before she lets out an audible sigh of disapproval.

"I take it by your reaction that it isn't good?"

"No, Severus, it's good in a way. My father wants to come see the boys' match next month."

My ears perk up instantly. Orin's coming to watch Draco and me play. I don't know why, but that makes me grin. I mean, yes I know that Dad, Mum, Angel, and the Weasleys are going to be there, but I have to say that having more of my family there is going to be totally awesome.

"Ah, and with your father comes your mother," Dad says with a knowing look.

"Unfortunately," Mum replies, resting her head on Dad's shoulder.

I watch Dad whisper something into Mum's ear, but I can't catch it. However, I clearly hear Mum's reply of 'You'd better' a few seconds later. Obviously, Dad has just promised to do something for her. I can't help but wonder what it is. What could Mum possibly want from Dad?

So I don't have to hear your ridiculous theories all day, I promised to give her a massage afterwards, Harry, Dad's voice responds through our link.

Oh, um…well, that's nice, Dad, I reply, feeling horribly awkward. I so don't need to know that.

Massage is not synonymous with sex, but thank you for being so interested in our sex life.

"OH GOD!" I shout. "I SO didn't need to hear that, Dad."

"Then don't think it, Harry," Dad drawls with a smirk.

Draco then laughs before saying, "Merlin, little brother, you've got to get over this."

My cheeks redden as I glare back at the Slytherin. Sure, he's perfectly suave about talking about such matters, but I haven't had a family as long as he has. I'm not used to this…openness. When I feel a small hand rest on top of mine, I glance down at my little sister.

"Is okay, Harry," she says smiling. Leaning in, she whispers in my ear, "Daddy's gonna make another baby with Mummy soon." She then giggles softly before kissing my cheek.

My book immediately clatters to the floor. Oh god!

~SS~

On the day of the annual Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch match, my stomach does its usual ritual of back flips. Another month has passed by without any incidents. In fact, I'm still surprisingly doing rather well in all of my classes. Though, that's likely because Dad has drilled in the three hours of study for one hour of flying he set my fourth year.

Since keeping ties with our respective Houses is very important for Dad, he refuses to allow us to stay every night in the dungeons. Draco and I are, however, allowed to come every weekend, but we have to leave an hour before curfew. Well, that has been the case for quite awhile, but thanks to Mum we've recently been told we can stay every other Friday and Saturday night down here. It might sound weird, but I think we both start to miss our little sister if we don't spend some time with her. Luckily, this is one of the weekends where we can stay Friday and Saturday nights.

That's why Draco and I walk side-by-side down the corridor towards the kitchenette, where we know breakfast is waiting like always. Draco clearly looks as if he has just crawled out of bed, which I know for a fact he has since we share a room together down here. Of course, he's not the only one. I've done the same thing and chosen breakfast over dressing properly. After all, it's only going to be Mum, Dad, and possibly Angel in the kitchenette.

Draco's silvery blond hair sticks up in the back, making him look rather comical. However, his hair usually sticks up like that in the morning I've noticed. Like me, he also wears his usual loose grey sweatpants with a plain t-shirt.

"Morning, Mum," I say once I notice her sitting at the island with a cup of coffee in hand. This is the first time that I can remember her actually being dressed and looking more awake than Draco and I so early in the morning. Then again, her parents are coming.

"Well, isn't this cute? My boys are still in their sleepwear," she replies, laughing.

"Yeah, well, we're surprised whenever you make it out of bed before noon," Draco grumbles, taking a seat across from Mum. He silently grabs a spoon and starts to eat his usual bowl of oatmeal. A few seconds later, he asks, "Severus's gone again?"

"He's speaking with Horace, but he'll be back shortly," Mum answers, ignoring the level of disrespect he's showing her. Then again, Mum and I both know that he's a bit moody in the mornings.

"Figures," he mumbles, taking another bite of his oatmeal.

With a warm smile, Angel sleepily walks into the room. She then uses her pajama top sleeve to scrub the sleepers out of her eyes as she joins us at the island. She glances at Draco's bowl with big puppy dog eyes before glancing at the bowl of cereal in front of her.

"Eat up, love," Mum says with a soft smile. "You've got a big day ahead of you."

"Is it because I'm going to see 'Mione and Luna later?" she asks.

"Partly yes, but your grandparents are coming so I'm not sure when we'll eat again."

Angel glances back at Draco's bowl before looking at hers once more. She bites her bottom lip sighing heavily. She clearly isn't enjoying her Witch's Os. Watching Draco with puppy dog eyes as he takes another bite of oatmeal, she finally just huffs and reaches across the table grabbing Draco's bowl.

"Hey, that's mine!" Draco yells. "Give it back, Celes!" He then growls as she sticks her spoon in his oatmeal. "Don't you even dare—UGH—You—I'm going to—UGH!" His grey eyes are glaring daggers at her. "That was my oatmeal, you brat."

"Sorry, Draco," replies Angel, batting her eyelashes at him.

I notice that Mum and I are trying desperately not to laugh. It really isn't that funny, but it is. A snort then escapes me, gaining Draco's attention instantly, but he only growls and continues his glaring at our little sister.

"No, you're not," Draco growls. "But you will be. I'm going to tell Severus how you stole MY OATMEAL! Then I'm going to tell him how you lied. Want to bet how well that goes over, brat?"

"Draco, just grab another bowl," Mum replies with a sigh. Her attention then focuses on the young girl happily eating her brother's oatmeal. "I'd recommend you stop smirking, young lady. That was a very naughty thing you just did."

"I sorry, Mummy," Angel softly says, instantly wiping the smirk from her face. "Should I give it back to Draco then?" she quietly asks, sucking on her bottom lip.

"Yes, love, you should," Mum replies, glancing down at the opened Daily Prophet instead of her four-year-old Slytherin daughter.

The bowl of oatmeal sails through the air like a Quaffle. The contents spill in midair before splattering against the unsuspecting fifth-year. Draco instantly screeches at the top of his lungs, popping up like a ferret ready for food.

"MOTHER!" he shouts. His face suddenly falls as his words echo back to him. Paling rather quickly, he slowly swallows. He stares at Angel before glancing at me. He looks horrified by what he has said, which is odd because I've been calling her Mum for awhile now. "I mean, Aurora," he says quietly. "I apologize." Without another word, he briskly walks out with little droplets of oatmeal falling to the floor. The bedroom door quietly closes behind him a few seconds later.

"Harry, stay with your sister," Mum commands before quickly walking towards Draco's and my room. She doesn't even knock before walking in and closing the door behind her.

"See, Draco thinks of her as his mummy, too," Angel says smugly before taking another bite of Draco's oatmeal. "He just had to say it aloud."

"That was a really bad thing to do, El."

"Nuh-uh, I am helping him," she argues. "Draco needs to 'front his stuff with Mummy 'stead of pushing it aside."

"You're a lot like Dad, El," I say with a soft laugh.

"Cept I don't have Daddy's nose," she quietly says pouting.

"I think Mum would find that to be a good thing, El."

The sound of the portrait opening makes me glance towards Dad. I can tell the exact second he notices the mess by the clenching of his teeth. When he glances at me, I only smile back weakly.

"Hey, Dad, welcome home."

"Harry," he replies in a very low hiss. "Where's Aurora?"

"In talking with Draco," I answer. When Dad starts heading towards the room, I quickly jump to my feet. "I wouldn't go in there, Dad."

"And just why shouldn't I?"

"Daddy, Draco called her Mummy," Angel says with a beaming smile.

"I see," Dad replies quietly, glancing from Angel to me. He then sighs and joins us at the island. "And this spilled oatmeal mess happened how?"

"I threw his oatmeal back at him, Daddy," Angel answers honestly.

"You did what? Why on earth would you do that?"

"Cause it made Draco mad and got him to say Mummy," she responds. "You always say you should 'front the problem not 'void it. So I helped. Aren't you proud of me, Daddy?"

"Proud is not the word I'd use, my Angel."

"You're 'pointed again, aren't you?" she asks with her bottom lip protruding. "I'm sorry."

"You should leave the helping to adults, Angel. It's what we're here for."

"But, Daddy, he calls me his little sister. Doesn't that mean Mummy is his Mummy then, too?"

"Theoretically, but Draco had a mother previously."

"She didn't love him?" Angel asks. She seems unsettled by Dad's insinuation.

"Maybe once," Draco quietly says as he slowly walks towards us.

I glance at the Slytherin and notice Mum's arm around his waist in a comforting manner. I give him a soft smile before he nods back at me. Watching him retake his seat, I hear him sigh heavily.

"Angel, get down from there," Dad says, attempting to reach the four-year-old crawling across the island towards Draco. Though, he doesn't seem to be putting all that much effort in it. In fact, when Angel's arms wrap around Draco, Dad grimaces slightly. But if one looks really close, one would likely say he was smiling, though. He then gives Angel that look, which makes her slowly crawl back to him.

"Severus, two witches, one of Gryffindor and one of Ravenclaw, are requesting entrance," Salazar announces from his portrait above the mantel. "Shall I allow them in?"

"Is it Miss Granger and Miss Lovegood?"

"Yes."

"Then, obviously," drawls Snape before glancing at his sons.

"DAD!" both Draco and I squawk. Neither one of us is dressed. The portrait then starts to swing open, telling us that time has just run out.

Quickly finger brushing my hair, I attempt to get rid of the horrendous bed head that I always have. I then glance at Draco to see if he's doing the same. My mouth drops, though, as I watch him quickly pull off his shirt and toss it onto the floor.

"Draco," I hiss.

"Hey, it's better than looking like I've been puked upon," he growls back.

"Well, that's one way to get her, love," Mum says before taking another drink of her coffee.

"Mum," I hiss back. "These are my friends."

"Good morning, Professors. Hello, Harry, Draco," Hermione says with a smile. Her eyes never glance at Draco, though. "Professor Sinistra, do you mind if we stay here while we do this?"

"Not at all, ladies," Mum offers as Dad grunts softly after opening his mouth.

I immediately press my lips tightly together to keep from laughing. However, I feel eyes on me, which makes me turn back towards the entryway. Luna smiles at me before walking towards the sofa with a package of some kind. I then notice my little sister kiss Dad before he helps her down. She happily squeals as she runs towards Luna and Hermione.

"So, um . . . why are you letting them do that to her?" I quietly ask Dad, watching Hermione quickly start to paint Angel's right side of her face in Gryffindor colors.

"Because he knows if he doesn't, then he's going to have to visit his wife in Azkaban later after she's killed her mother," Mum softly quips, "thus, leaving him all alone to deal with his children."

"Are you that scared of us?"

"Not scared, slightly concerned," Dad replies. "If you'll excuse me, I do believe I'm going to go for a walk as my daughter is horribly disfigured by that crap on her face."

"Severus," Mum says warningly. However, she rolls her eyes a moment later when he kisses her cheek. "Just remember you're going to be impartial today at the game." When Dad snorts, she lightly hits his shoulder. "Don't make me hurt you, old man," she says with a look. Dad, however, leaves.

Since the girls aren't paying attention to us, I motion to Draco with my head that we should go get dressed. He nods slowly before getting up. We both notice Mum's sly smile as she takes another drink with a semi-innocent look on her face. We only roll our eyes at her, walking towards our room.

"Oh, Draco, I just remembered. Blaise and Theo wanted to talk with you earlier," Mum says towards us, raising her voice slightly.

Draco and I both turn around and just stare at her. We were trying to sneak away. Didn't she notice that? Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Hermione staring at Draco with a soft smile, though. I can't help but look away. The way she's staring at him one would think he's some sort of god or something. I then glance at Draco's stomach. Okay, so his abdominals are rather impressive, but that doesn't mean someone like me looks that bad when compared against him, right?

"Thank you," Draco responds before quietly walking away.

We still have a good five hours before we have to change into our Quidditch uniforms so we're only going to change into our usual game day attire. Shutting the door behind me, I glance towards Draco once we're alone to say something as I walk towards him. He only shakes his head before grabbing his silver and green horizontal striped sweatshirt from the dresser and a pair of pants. Without a word, he walks back out of our room. His action doesn't bother me too much, though. I know that he isn't trying to avoid me. He's probably leaving so he can have access to a mirror. Another thing I've noticed while living with the Slytherin is how obsessive he is over his appearance. I've chalked this little habit of his to be a side effect of being a Malfoy, though.

Throwing on my Gryffindor Quidditch sweatshirt and pants, I quickly dress. Thanks to the Dursleys, I'm not that self-conscious. Well, I guess my real dad has played a part in it too since I have the trademark Potter hair that sticks up everywhere and can't be tamed. Within seconds, I feel as if someone has punched me in the gut. Sighing, I sit on the edge of my bed and glance at the floor. I miss them, my real parents, and it's horrible to know that I do. I mean, I have Severus and Aurora. They're my parents now, and I can tell that they love me. It just, well, it just isn't the same I think. At the sound of the door opening again, I glance up at Draco. Sure enough, his hair is slicked down like usual.

"Potter, what are you doing in here?"

"Thinking," I quietly reply, turning my gaze back to the floor.

"Honestly," he scoffs before walking closer to me, "just because those Muggle arses abandoned you all the time, it doesn't mean then that everyone close to you will." He then pushes my chin up and forces me to look at him. "We're brothers, aren't we?"

"Yeah," I answer automatically.

"Then get it through your thick skull that brothers—family—don't abandon one another, will you?" he says before lightly hitting the side of my head. He then snorts before sitting beside me on the bed. "Merlin, we're a sad sight to see, aren't we? I've got familial issues, and you've got abandonment issues. It's a wonder that we haven't driven Severus up the wall yet."

"Yeah," I quietly reply, still staring at the floor.

"Oh, dear Merlin, just say it," Draco snaps clearly annoyed.

I then glance at him before sighing. "Why did you get so upset with calling her 'Mum'? You said before that they weren't any parents of yours, so why can't you call her 'Mum' then?"

"Because through all of Narcissa's faults, she was still my mother," he answers with a sigh. "She was the one who'd tuck me in when I was little. If she could, she'd be the one to sit with me when I was sick. Hell, she was the reason I actually came to Hogwarts. Lucius wanted me to attend Durmstrang, but Narcissa thought that I'd be too far away from her." His gray eyes then glance at me. "She might not have shown it like Weasley's mother, but I think deep down there was a part of her that did love me." He then sighs again. "I'm rather convinced if she had left Lucius once she saw his grooming of me that she'd had been a semi-decent mother. She likely wouldn't have been all touchy and feely, but she'd probably at least do the motherly duties to the best of her ability."

"So you're not calling her 'Mum' because you still think of your real mum like that?" I watch him bow his head in agreement. "Would I also be right to think you feel the same about your real dad?"

"Hell no," growls Draco. "Lucius was never my father." His voice is hard and full of hatred.

"Why can't you call Severus 'Dad' then?"

"Dammit, little brother, of course I'd love to call Severus that. He embodies every connotation of the word. I just can't, though." He fists pound into my mattress in sheer frustration. "I'm not an idiot. I know the only reason I was created was so to replenish the Death Eater ranks. I wasn't created out of love like you and Angel. I was created out of necessity. The Dark Lord needed a new generation of Death Eaters, so he informed his Inner Circle to reproduce. Thus, I was born nine months later."

"Wait," I say interrupting. "Didn't you say once that Dad was part of the Inner Circle?" My stomach sours in anticipation.

"Yeah, he was supposedly the Dark Lord's favorite," the blond answers with a sigh. "But you don't have to worry about some other kid coming in to ruin our lives. Severus clearly didn't follow those orders. Otherwise, he'd have been married long ago." Draco then glances at me when I stare at him puzzled. "I wasn't privy to all the dark secrets, but I did overhear once that the Dark Lord would bind a witch to one of his Inner Circle members for breeding the next generation." He sighs heavily a few seconds later. "Narcissa was Lucius's chosen witch."

"Oh," I reply quietly.

"Yeah, and knowing that sick bastard he likely raped her to create me. I was always told how much spirit my mother had in her. I'd see hints of it sometimes, but Lucius would always win in the end. All it'd take was a glance or him latching onto her wrist with that goddamn cane of his, and she'd cave." He then shakes his head and inhales slowly. "The only thing he ever lost was my attending Hogwarts instead of Durmstrang. I like to think, though, that Severus helped play a part in that. Either way, we should head back out there before Aurora thinks we're in here crying or something."

I nod slowly before following him towards the door. However, before we leave, I quietly say his name. He glances at me with an odd look and then sighs. I must still be rather obvious.

"I'm not good at compartmentalizing like you, Harry. I can't just call her Mother and not think about Narcissa." He then flashes a soft somber smile. "But I think after awhile I might be able to call her that without thinking I'm betraying Narcissa. Stranger things have happened you know?"

"Yeah, so I've heard," I reply with a laugh. "Let's go see what the girls did to El."

Draco and I then walk out of our room and head back towards the sitting room. We both grin widely when we see our little sister's painted face. Her right side is painted crimson with a golden lion drawn on her cheek. The right side of her lips is also golden. On the other hand, her left side is green with a silver snake painted onto her left cheek. Silver contrasts the right side of her lips.

The portrait then swings open, which makes all of us glance towards it. Instead of just Dad, though, Mum's parents walk in too. Orin's rich chocolaty eyes fall on Angel before the wizard in his early 70s softly chuckles. Syra, however, is a different story. Her scary clear blue eyes narrow into little slits on my little sister.

"What in Circe's great name have you done to my granddaughter?" she demanded.

"Honestly, Mother, they've only painted her face. It'll wash off after the game."

"She looks positively ludicrous with that crimson on her face. Wash it off her immediately."

"No. She's supporting her brothers, both of them, Mother. Now, if you have an issue with that, you can take your prissy self all the way back to Windsor. I will not have you treating my sons, either of them, like they're second rate. Is that understood, Mother?"

"Orin, talk some sense into your daughter before I return." Syra then whirls around, briskly walking out of the room. Her black cloak airily floats behind her just before the portrait swings shut.

"You shouldn't rile her up so much, Aura."

"As if that's going to kill her," Mum drawls before smiling thinly. "She's like Severus's black beetles, tougher than all hell to kill and likely going to be the last thing alive on Earth."

"Perhaps, but she is still your mother."

"Yeah, and I'm well aware that you're telling the truth." Mum then leans back against Dad. "I just want one day where she can keep her self-righteous attitude to herself and not say anything about the disappointments in her life." Shaking her head, Mum sighs. "She can say whatever the hell she wants about me and my life and how big of a disappointment I am to her, but I don't want her ever looking her nose down at either my husband or my sons for things they can't control." She inhales largely. "Now, that's out of the way. I'm going to try to salvage my time with my family before the big game."

~SS~

After the match, we all return to our rooms in the dungeons to celebrate the win. Unfortunately, it isn't my House that has won. Draco somehow has caught the snitch before I have. It's all right, though. I think I can live with a loss. I mean, Draco isn't shoving it in my face as he once has. Then again, we both know the consequences for bragging to one another about winning. We're not going to risk another lecture from Dad, especially not at a party in our rooms.

Once we arrive back, Draco and I both head into our room. Once again, Draco grabs a pair of clean clothes and heads into the lavatory to take another shower. I, however, wait in our room for the blond to finish. After all, I smell rather horrible right now. In fact, I'm pretty sure that my little sister would say something if I stayed out there with the family while waiting.

About an hour later, I rejoin everyone in the sitting room. My hair is sopping wet, but I doubt anyone cares. Glancing towards Draco, I nearly snort as I catch his tousled blond hair, white button down shirt with his tie loosely knotted, and black pants. He only wears this outfit and tousles his hair when he knows that Hermione is going to see him. Considering that Mum's throwing a bit of a celebratory party in our rooms, the chance of that is pretty good.

"That was amazing, boys," Orin says before putting his arms around Draco and me and pulling us into a one-armed hug. "Merlin, I never realized you two boys were such fancy fliers. Well, you don't need to worry for a moment. We're going to build you a Quidditch pitch for your next visit to the estates. Isn't that right, Syra?"

"They were . . . adequate." Her blue eyes fall on me. "It is a shame that you were unable to retrieve the snitch first, but then again not everything goes our way, does it?" She then calmly inclines her head before walking to the far side of the room.

For a few moments, uncomfortable silence settles onto the room as Hermione, Luna, and a few of the Weasleys sit quietly on the sofa glancing nervously at Blaise and Theo. Mum looks slightly amused by this, though, before she asks for a house elf. One pops in seconds later.

"Yes, Miss Astronomy Mistress, what can Chatzy gets for you?" he asks with a slight slur.

"Please bring butterbeers for my sons and their friends." Once the house elf snaps the drinks in, it leaves. Mum isn't finished, though. "Misters Weasley, I shall be severely disappointed in you two if you failed to bring any of your special treats with you. You were given proper notification after all."

"Yes, ma'am, but—"

"Well, we were…um…"

"Severus and I aren't professors tonight, gentlemen. And any points he snarls away, I'll give back with points added. However, neither you nor your brother needs to worry about that." Mum smiles softly at Fred and George.

"Why?"

"Because I was the one who suggested it to my wife, Mr. Weasley," Dad replies softly, rubbing the inside of his left forearm.

"Does your arm hurt, Daddy?" Angel suddenly asks as she walks towards Dad.

"No. It doesn't hurt." He then glances towards Mum when she walks towards him. "I just have some tingling, but it's all right." He waves away Mum's concern as she places her hand on his arm. "Aurora, everything is fine."

"Have you spoken with anyone about this tingling, Severus? Because I've heard of Muggle men complaining of something like this before learning they have some type of heart issue," Orin says, narrowing his eyes on Dad. "Of course Muggles are rather…peculiar, aren't they?"

"I thank you for the concern, but I'm fine as is my heart." Dad then sighs. "While the feeling is deep within the tissue, it appears to be a magical cause, not a medical one, according to Madam Pomfrey. So there is no need to concern ourselves over it. I'm fine."

"Then I am correct in my assumption that it is . . . a result of your past?"

"We're not quite certain yet, but it does appear that way, yes."

"Daddy, do you want me to kiss it to make it better?" Angel asks, biting on her bottom lip.

"No, my Angel, I shall live without a kiss. However, thank you for the offer." He kisses her forehead before motioning for her to run off towards Draco and me. Staring at us for a few moments, Dad looks as if he's about to say something to us. He, however, is cut off when Salazar interrupts and announces out of his portrait that Dumbledore is standing outside of our rooms requesting permission to enter. "Let him in," Dad says with a sigh.

The portrait then swings open, and slowly the wizard walks in. However, Dumbledore looks as if he just came from a battle. Grime paints his face, and little chunks of something are sticking in his hair. His sunshine yellow robes from earlier have large tears and little drops of crimson now.

"Albus, what happened?"

"It appears as if Cornelius was attempting to strike up a bargain with the Muggle Prime Minister earlier this afternoon when there was an attack on Downing Street. My sources state it was Death Eaters working together with an unknown force." Dumbledore then sighs heavily.

"Fudge is dead then?"

"At the time, I had thought there was a chance we could rescue Cornelius. I was wrong. Nearly an hour ago, the Order found him bound to the Ministry's fountain. There were signs of torture. The Ministry of course is now treating it as a threat and is stepping up their security."

"I take it then that you and the rest of the Order attempted to respond to the attack?"

"We did, using one of the holdouts you informed us about." Dumbledore then stands himself up to full height staring at Dad. "We found several witches and wizards inside that appear to have been held by Voldemort for purposes unknown."

"I was not aware that building was used for that," Dad replies quietly.

"And I am not claiming that you did, Severus." Dumbledore then sighs again. "Sometimes we are all too quick in assuming the worst I believe. I too am at fault for thinking that Voldemort would not ever be able to return, and yet he has."

"And what is my error, Albus?" Dad quietly asks.

"I will admit we found someone whom I believed to be dead. One I think you'd agree with me."

"Who was it?"

"Eileen Prince," Dumbledore answers, "your mother."