'Hello, Harry.' Luna smiled. 'Did you know that your eyebrows have a bit of blue in them?'

'Er, yeah. Hermione, you left your stuff...' Harry offered her books and wished there was more he could do as her hastily-wiped eyes were rather obvious.

'Oh, yes.' She said and clutched her to belongings. 'Thank you, Harry.' Hermione didn't say much else as she turned and hurried off immediately afterwards.

'She's a bit upset.' Luna commented and obviously intended to say more but was cut off by Harry's distracted expression, as he eyed his own reflection again on the floor where more puddles had formed from the water that had seeped through the gap at the bottom of the bathroom door.

'Are you alright, Harry?' Luna asked him. 'You seem a bit...different.'

He hadn't expected that to be the word she'd use. 'Er, different?' Harry frowned. 'How?'

'Oh it's nothing really, just that you look like Professor Snape when he's thinking about something really silly.' She smiled.

Harry didn't want to know how she could assume to know what Snape was ever thinking, let alone comprehend that the man could possibly muse upon anything silly.

'Right, well um...' Unable to think of a response, he instead asked her something that he had been planning to anyway. 'We're supposed to be bring a guests to Slughorn's party tonight,' Harry said. 'And I was wondering if you'd like to come with me, as friends?'

'I'd love to go with you as friends!' Luna grinned happily in a rather unfamiliar way. 'Nobody's ever asked me to a party before, as a friend!'

As Luna continued to talk about the seemingly strange occurrence as well as assume it to be the reasoning behind his coloured eyebrows, Harry glanced a peek at his reflection once again and frowned deeply to see if he could mimic Snape's glare. He was quite dismayed to realize that he pulled it off easily enough, although he doubted anyone could be quite as intimidating as Snape with a single stare.

'So, I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall at eight o'clock, then?' Harry checked once Luna was done talking and had been set straight about the facts revolving around his coloured eyebrows.

'Yes.' Luna nodded with a smile. 'And what about your secret?' She uttered in a lower tone although they were apparently alone in the corridor still. 'I expect you'll be staying at Hogwarts during Christmas as well, to keep what is most precious to you safe?'

'AHA!' Peeves screamed as he emerged from the wall beside them and caused each teenager to jump. They hadn't been alone at all and his presence had been completely unnoticed until now as the poltergeist floated upside-down and chuckled maliciously at them.

'Potty asked Loony to go to the party!' Peeves declared. 'Potty lurves Looney!'

'Sod off, Peeves!' Harry scowled, which did nothing other than make himself a bigger target to the poltergeist's taunting.

'Christmas is coming, all seems well
Potter's got a big secret, he can't tell
Merry times are upon us, Potter has to stay
Cuz he's scared someone will find out, and take it all away!'

Peeves shrieked and cackled as loudly as he could while singing his newest song; one that he seemed quite adamant to repeat over and over all throughout the school for the entire day. Perhaps even longer.

Panicking, Harry desperately turned to Luna for help. 'What am I going to do now? If this gets out all over the school, we're done for!'

'I always heard that the Bloody Baron was useful for things like this.' Luna said as she watched Peeves float through a wall, still shouting his lyrics somewhat out of tune. Harry didn't like her suggestion as he hadn't heard of anyone who could just approached the daunting Slytherin ghost with something as simple as a favor. Yet Harry felt he had little choice and looked around frantically as though he had expected the Baron to just appear out of thin air.

'I think the dungeons would be a common place to check.' Luna added.

'Right. Thanks, Luna!' Harry dashed off towards the dungeons and felt very nervous as the sounds of Peeve's song continued to be heard even as he reached lower floors.

Gasping as he burst into the corridor leading to the Slytherin common room's entrance, Harry stared wide-eyed ahead and could not believe his fortune as the ghost seemed to be lurking at the end of the corridor.

'Hey!' Harry called out to him before the ghost could disappear behind the stone wall at the far side of the corridor.

The Baron frowned as he heard a teenager so disrespectfully shouting at him and yet as he turned to snarl at the boy for such lack of manners, he paused and smirked instead. He listened to Harry explain what Peeves was up to and splutter many half-brained reasons as to why he should help, such as the sound would be annoying to endure all day and so forth. Yet the Baron commented on nothing until Harry was breathlessly finished talking and pleading.

'I shall assist you this one time, Harry Potter.' The ghost told him and turned to float through the wall.

The Baron knew all about every single one of this Slytherins as he naturally had many ways in which to keep an eye on them so that he could report their misgivings to their protector, Severus Snape. And in his short meeting with Harry Potter, the ghost knew instantly that the Gryffindor boy was meant to be one of his snakes. Over the many years he had been the Slytherin ghost, the Baron had seen snakes of all types and ambitions. Although when it mattered most, he could also see things that many others were so bluntly blind to. With a confident smirk on his face, the Baron felt continuously intrigued by the fact that he could recognized a Snape boy anywhere.

And Harry Potter was without a doubt, exactly that.

'You can't stay mad at Ron forever.' Harry said to Toby the teenager stood in front of the mirror and assessed his appearance while the smaller boy sat on the bed with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl set on his young face.

'Yes, I can!' Toby huffed. 'He said mean things to Miss Hermione and made her cry. And I'm gonna be mad at him until he saids he's sorry and Miss Hermione forgives him.'

'I admire your determination.' Harry sighed and straightened his collar before he turned to face Toby.

'How do I look?'

'How are you supposed to look?' Toby wondered as he stared intently at Harry's entire outfit, which was a pair of black and white dress robes similar to the ones he'd worn to the Yule ball two years ago.

'Not bad.' Harry hoped.

'You look a bit silly,' Toby said cheekily. 'But not bad.'

'You're lucky I haven't got time to tickle some sense into you right now.' Harry glared at Toby although he was clearly amused by the reply he'd been given. The boy's response was only to laugh at him until Harry made a move to leave.

'Wait!' Toby flung himself off the bed and hurried towards Harry. 'Do you have to go now?'

Naturally, the boy wanted to go to the party as well even, though he knew he couldn't. Not even with mentioning of the invisibility spell or cloak had he been able to convince Harry otherwise as the teenager had only reminded him that he had to be invited, also. In his attempts to prevent an outburst from the boy who really wanted to come along, Harry had gone as far as to imply that there were probably spells in which to keep uninvited people out; this had silenced the boy's arguments instantly.

'I have to.' Harry sighed and placed a hand on Toby's head. 'The others will be up soon, so you won't be bored for long, okay?' Harry smiled sympathetically at the boy and than turned to exit the dormitory to go and meet Luna as it as nearly eight o'clock.

'But...I'll miss you.' Toby whispered and lowered his gaze to the floor sadly.

--

Along the way to where the party was being held, Harry paused by a window near a brightly lit torch and stared at his appearance again. He had been doing this a lot more lately and he wasn't sure why as his looks had never really bothered him much before. Perhaps it was his similarity to Snape that affected him as well as the fact that truthfully, it was beginning to bother him less each time he saw the image.

Sighing, he guessed it wasn't really that noticeable since it had been gradual and his friends hadn't commented on it or given him odd looks, yet since he had noticed it, Harry felt it to be almost painfully obvious and he could not help but glace at his interesting reflection at least once a day. But now was not the time, he reminded himself and continued onwards with the party and his Ravenclaw friend on his mind.

Harry had met up with Luna and accompanied her to Slughorn's office, which had been decorated and possibly enlarged for the event.

'Ah, Harry m'boy!' Slughorn spotted him instantly. He automatically started to introduce the teenager to several witches and wizards who, by the end of the night, Harry felt he would have likely already forgotten. Harry also made sure to drag Luna along with him by the hand, not wanting to awkwardly face those strangers alone.

Luckily, having spotted Hermione, Harry and Luna had the perfect excuse to avoid further introductions and forced discussions; although, he hardly considered his polite few words to be considered as keeping up his end of the conversations.

Despite his slight sympathy for his friend (although, Hermione had brought this misery on herself by asking date Cormac McLaggen to be her date for the party), his interest strayed when he spotted Draco amongst the crowd. The blonde seemed to have received an invite himself since a Slytherin girl Harry had seem a few times during the Slug Club meetings had latched herself to his left arm. Draco didn't seem to notice as he conversed casually with Blaise.

'Excuse me.' Harry said to Hermione and Luna. He inhaled sharply as he increased his strides and bravely approached the small group of Slytherins, who instantly went quiet and stared at him cautiously. Two others even glanced at each other as though to receive confirmation that Harry Potter had indeed just walked up to them without an ounce of contempt.

'May I have a word with you?' Harry asked Draco.

'Er...' Draco seemed to have lost the ability to speak for a moment. 'I can hardly think of anything we would have to discuss.' He frowned but sighed dramatically and nodded to his friends, who turned and walked away to talk (or in the girl's case, gossip), about what was likely to be spoken of between the two supposed rivals.

'What are you playing at?' Draco hissed at him. 'Can't you see how this looks? I knew I should have just left you in that bloody corridor.'

'And you never told me why you helped me.' Harry replied with a scowl of his own.

'Helped?' Draco scoffed. 'I did nothing of the sort. I happen to be a prefect, it's my duty to alert a teacher the moment I find you in such a sorry state.'

'Oh, really?' Harry tried to keep his voice low as he was all too aware of the crowd around them; Draco appeared to be doing the same.

'Since when do you care about that? I'd have thought you'd be helping your buddies with those punches, anyway.' Harry sighed. 'Look, I don't know why you did what you did, but I just wanted to thank you. I guess it was a bloody mistake, since you clearly regret it.' Harry growled and turned to leave.

'I don't.' Draco's low voice stopped him and Harry thought he was hearing things.

'What?' Harry turned back to stare at the Slytherin. 'You don't, what?'

'I don't regret it!' Draco snapped. 'And I don't care for your bleeding gratitude either, Potter. The last thing I need is for you to thank me.'

'But...you don't regret it.' Harry said slowly.

'No, I don't.' Draco sighed and turned to rejoin his friends, leaving Harry standing there in a state of confusion far beyond what he'd already felt regarding his classmate.

'Ah, there you are, Harry, m'boy!' Slughorn had spotted him again. Harry knew it would be far too rude to just shrug him off again as the professor bragged about him to another wizard. Or at least until that man left to refresh his drink, not doubt trying to avoid Slughorn just as much as Harry was.

'But it's true.' Slughorn beamed at him. 'I Don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions! Instinctive, you know – like his mother!' He nodded.

'My mother?' Harry whispered and turned to glance at an area of the room dedicated to photo frames. Hermione had told him that she'd heard how his mother had been in the Slug Club, although Harry had forgotten about it over the fact that he'd reacted with annoyance when Hermione had also shared with him that Snape had been in the club as well.

'I've only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, I can tell you that.' Slughorn continued. 'Why, even Severus-'

Harry quickly turned back around and frowned towards the professor when Slughorn reached over and apparently scooped Snape out of nothing but air, and pulled him into the conversation.

'Stop sulking and come and join us, Severus!' Said Slughorn happily while Harry tried desperately not to laugh. 'I was just talking about Harry's exceptional Potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!'

Severus was trapped as Slughorn's arm around his shoulders did not budge and therefore he had no choice as he looked down at the teenager and narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He had already been over this matter with Slughorn and couldn't see why he had to stand through this a second time, with the addition of Potter standing right there.

Of course, Severus was yet to recall why he'd actually agreed to attend this blasted party anyway. Glancing briefly towards the photo frames that had caught Harry's attention a moment earlier, he cast away that thread of thought once again.

'Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all.' Severus responded and forced himself not to roll his eyes at Slughorn's bragging of the boy's natural ability.

It was an opportunity to be standing before the boy however, as he hadn't seen much of Potter over the past few weeks. In class the brat was actually paying attention and therefore was either bent over his scrawled notes or focusing so much on his spells that Severus hadn't even been able to find any reason to deduct numerous points, let along stare at the boy.

And now that he could, Severus noticed that the change in the teenager was beginning to reflect externally as well, with the slightly paled and yet darker undertone to the Gryffindor's face, the length of his hair that could probably do with a wash, and the obvious lack of contempt on his face as he stared back at him with Lily's eyes. Severus even believed the teenager had grown a full inch at least, which was not at all surprising, yet the brat seemed less skinnier as well.

'Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?' Slughorn asked.

'Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration...'

'All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror.' Severus mentioned with a slight sneer, thinking of the occupation that James Potter and Sirius Black had also acquired after leaving school. And what little use all their training had been to them in the end.

'And is that what you wish to be, Harry?' Slughorn asked with a hint of anticipated glee. 'An Auror, like your father?'

'I-I don't know.' Harry answered honestly.

Yes, that had been his ambition since he'd know what the occupation was and yet lately all he could think about was that it would be too dangerous of a job if Toby were around.

'Or maybe, a Healer.' He added and said the next possible thing that came to mind in which he wouldn't mind having as a career.

'You like to help people, eh? With your skill in Potions, I doubt you'll have much trouble passing the entry exam!' Slughorn nodded and than grinned, if possible, even wider when he spotted yet another person to pull into their little group; although, he still kept a mild grip on Snape's arm should the man try to escape.

Harry was amused to realize that Snape looked like he wanted to do exactly that.

'Remus, so nice of you to join us!' Slughorn said to none other than Remus Lupin. 'I had thought I couldn't convince you to join us.'

'You were a member of the Slug Club too?' Harry asked with surprise, completely forgetting about Snape for a moment.

'Not really.' Remus confessed and looked a little embarrassed to be there. Harry also notice that the man's robes were actually rather nice and far less tattered than usual. Although the rose spelled stuck to his collar indicated that perhaps he hadn't been the one to choose it and no doubt Tonks was around somewhere as well, on duty like many of the other Aurors present at the party.

'No, Remus was always too busy studying.' Slughorn “tsk tsk”ed. 'No matter, you're here now. How are you keeping?'

'Oh, fine.' Remus nodded convincingly. 'The usual. Severus, might I have a word with you?' He asked the moment he spotted Snape and also seemed amused by the way the man looked rather trapped beside Slughorn.

'I apologize, Horace but it simply cannot wait.' Remus added more seriously.

'Well, if you must.' Slughorn sighed. 'But I expect each of you back afterwards!' He nodded.

Watching Remus and Snape head for the exit (for a moment he could have sworn Snape had wanted to say “do I have to?”, judging by the look on his face), Harry instantly began to worry.

'Sorry, excuse me, sir. I need to er...bathroom.' Harry hurriedly explained to Slughorn and Luna – who had just joined them again – before he moved through the crowd and headed to the door of the office.

His heart felt to be in his throat as it pounded anxiously when he paused to gasp for air. Remus knew about Toby and had often expressed his reluctance to keep it a secret, and Harry now feared that the only adult he dared to trust was about to reveal something to his worst enemy. The only person Harry really didn't want to know about the younger boy he kept hidden in the Gryffindor tower.

Luckily, he had brought his invisibility cloak with him in case he had to make a quick exit, should Dobby alert him to anything that required his attention. Harry pulled it out of his pocket and draped the cloak over himself in the deserted corridor. The musical and chattering sounds from the party silenced his footsteps as he proceeded along the corridor once he'd spotted the faded shadows of the adults.

Holding his breath, Harry picked up his speed and paused just outside a partially ajar doorway leading into an empty classroom where he heard voices from inside. Leaning closer to the gap of the doorway from the wall beside it, Harry fought to hear everything that was said, although it was difficult with the noise still close by in the background.

'I don't expect you to understand, Lupin, as to why I refuse to--what that deranged mutt had implied following one too many bottles of fire whiskey.' Snape was saying.

'You won't even consider the possibility!' Remus hissed angrily. 'Severus, you know as well as I do that this is not a mere suggestion. Sirius had said it once before, without any amount of fire whiskey to influence--at all.'

'Enough!' Snape snarled. 'There is no evidence to suggest that she would even--And what of James potter? Surely he would not have--'

Have what? Harry thought to himself. What were they talking about and what did it have to do with his father?

'Look,' Remus sounded tired and at his wits end with the discussion already. 'Severus, we don't know what happened. But Sirius wouldn't--He had told us very clearly that should anything happen to him--Harry...' He sniffed the air for a moment and than sighed before he continued with a less agitated tone.

'Doesn't Lily's son deserve to know that there might be someone else out there other than the Dursleys?'

'No.' Snape answered venomously. 'Only with--evidence should Potter be informed of anything involving such idiocy.' He said. 'There is no--otherwise, we owe--as much.'

'And if you're the one, Severus?' Remus asled softly.

Instead of a verbal response, Harry heard the swish of Snape's cloak and quickly retreated from the door. He held his breath and pressed his back against the wall as Snape burst from the room and headed in the direction of the party.

Remus stepped out a moment later and stared at the wall opposite the door before he glanced to his right and shook his head.

'My sense of smell is above that of an average wizard, Harry.' He said. 'And you'd think I would be used to seeing your father disappear under that cloak so many times that I could almost see it myself by now.'

Harry frowned at his discovery and pulled the cloak off himself.

'What was all that about?'

'How much did you hear?' Remus wondered, seeming almost anxious about the situation as he questioned the teenager.

'Bits of it. Something about Sirius and my dad.' Harry glared at Remus. 'Something you didn't tell me before. And what's it got to do with Snape? Who is “she”, and do I really have someone other than the Dursleys? Why didn't anyone tell me? Who are they?' He suddenly felt rather betrayed and forced his gaze away from Remus' as he stared at where Snape had disappeared to.

Harry breathed heavily from his rushed questions in which he had a sinking feeling that he was not about to receive any real answers to.

Remus had an expression of regret and concern on his face at Harry's excitement and than the obvious betrayal.

'Harry, this discussion tonight was not meant for your ears, not because it should be kept from you but because it is not wise to build false hope.'

'Tell me what Sirius said.' Harry stared at Remus.

'Harry...' Remus shook his head.

'Tell me, please!' Harry pleaded. 'He's my godfather and it was something about me, right? Or my dad? I want to know...whatever it is, I can handle it.'

'No, I don't think you can, not yet at least.' Remus said a tad more firmly. 'What Sirius told myself and a few select others a few weeks before...that incident at the Ministry, is not something in which I should even be talking about. If you want to know, I'm sorry, but you'll have to confront Severus with it.'

'Not bloody likely.' Harry scowled. 'He'll just take points and give me a detention for listening in and then throw me from his office with a bunch of insults. As if Snape would bother to tell me a damn thing!'

'Tell Severus I said there is something you should talk to him about, I doubt he would react quite as you expect.'

'Why can't you just tell me?' Harry crossed his arms. 'If it's about my dad, I have the right to know.'

'I agree, but it's not my right to say.' Remus stressed. 'Harry, talk to Severus.'

'I'm not talking to Snape!' Harry snapped. He was angry that Remus wouldn't tell him something this important and was instead giving him useless advice to speak with the one person he could never approach with anything, unless he longed for a detention. Which to this day, had never happened and was highly unlikely to ever occur.

'Than you'll never know.' Remus said sadly as he turned and - rather quickly – walked back to Slughorn's office.

Irritated and not in the mood to talk to anyone else, much less Slughorn, Harry was tempted to just leave and sulk in his dormitory for a few hours. But than there was Toby, and he could not let the boy see him in such a state or the six-year-old would surely worry unnecessarily. That would only make the situation worst.

Stuffing his cloak back into his pocket, Harry stormed off towards the office once again but spent the rest of the night avoiding the two adults he had overheard talking about him, the best he could.

He would just have to figure out a way to make Remus tell him because there was no way was Harry going to talk to Snape about it. He'd rather battle eight dragons than even consider such a fruitless task. The man was impossible on a good day, so why should the mentioning of a personal matter change that?

No, Harry was convinced that if he wanted his answers...it could only come from Remus.