It was nighttime and the chambers were silent as Harry potter sat with his friends in front of the fire. They were enjoying each other's company and the silence was just too good to break. His eyes flittered over to ron and Hermione as they snuggle together on a stuffed chair, then to Draco and Luna who sat on the floor, he then looked to Ginny who held is hand and he loved the soft warm felling  it gave him. He then was forced to look at Severus Snape and Emry vontaze nee Snape as he snaked an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close when he thought no one noticed. Harry smiled at them as he averted his eyes to the mantle where dozen of pictures stood. 

There were pictures of Harry and his friends laughing by the black lake as If there were no tomorrow, Sirius and Remus at the Christmas party singing off key, lily and James dancing in the rain complements of Harry's photo album. Harry's eyes trailed photo after photo each capturing a moment in his life or his parents-both biological and foster- till he stopped on one he always seemed fascinated with. It was the day when Severus Snape proposed to Emry. She had come to the door with Sirius and Remus flanking her when Severus got down on his knees and presented a ring to her. The picture showed a happy and crying blonde leaping into his arms and kissing him.

It was exactly a month after she finally came back to the wizarding world and voldemort was killed and two months prior to the marauders-the real marauders-getting their memories back and starting their search for her.

"Hey professor?" Harry asked timidly to the older man.

The said man turned and looked at him through his bangs that hung over his eyes since he let them grow out to ravish his old look or so he said. The young women next to him smiled at her unofficial adopted son, she'd love to claim him as her own, but until Dumbledore got the Durselys to sigh paperwork he was only figutivlary theirs.

"What is it Harry?" Severus Snape asked him.

"I was wondering how- you know what forget it," he said changing his mind and felt, his cheeks go hot. There wasn't a reason to ask anyway besides the past was something that one kept quite anyway.

"No, not you know what forget it. Tell me what you want to know," Emry's soft voice spoke to him as she got off Severus and went over to crouch in front of Harry. She wondered not for the first time when Harry would learn that asking things was okay. Her mother like affection caused the other 7th years to turn their eyes on them causing Harry to take a breath.

"I just...want to know the past. I mean the real past. I think i am old enough to find out what caused and lead up to all this."

Severus looked into Harry's emerald eyes and decided he was telling the truth and he laughed. Crossing his arms, he closed his eyes as if remembering something. He found himself doing this all the time now days it seemed. His mind threw up ghostly images that weren’t as out of focus as they once were.

"You know I think that's a great idea don't you think sev? Sometimes I need a reminder myself," she mumbled as she went over to the bookshelf packed full of books from modern day to old age. She took out a thick black photo album that none of the teenagers had seen before. Her graceful nature found her sitting on the floor as she gazed lovingly at the words inscribed in front.

To forget is a sin to remember is a blessing.

Harry found himself shivering at the motto and wrapped his arms around Ginny who snuggled closer as they saw a girl pale as glass smiling up at them. With her on the front steps of an old house was a boy with long black hair.

"Harry I am going to tell you a story that's probably long over due,"
Emry whispered to the room as she began her tale.

It was a crisped September evening and I was taking a walk. With a book in hand, I decided to visit this old playground I saw a block away. There seemed to be no other kids on my street only a girl named lily evens who was a year older then me by one year I was 10 and she was 11. All though she seemed nice, she seemed to disappear on September 12th. Letting my old shoes kick up dust I walked over to the swing and looked around. I could see smog from the city a mile away traveling through the air and the cluster of buildings that seemed taller then the world in the horizon. Sighing I opened my book and began to read.

It seemed an hour latter when I heard a twig crack and I left Sir Duncan battling an ogre on top of a hill when I looked up. Nothing was amiss 'cept the leaves swirling in the air so figuring it was a squirrel I went back to reading.

Crack- pat- pat.

"Who's there?" I asked in a small voice as I snaked a hand up around the swing's chain. Pulling myself up of the swing and tetterd on my feet it was growing dark and I hated the dark. It had a way of making things eerie like and strange. Clutching my book to my chest, I jumped when I heard feet on the ground coming near me so I ran.

I never ran so fast in my life the breath was blearing out of my chest and my sides hurt like hell as I rounded the merry-go-round and stumbled causing me to land flat on my back. I tried catching the air as I went down giving a sharp scream as I did.

" ahah no!"

Connecting with the concrete I moaned as my left arm burned and snapped I yelped trying to pull myself up. Falling again on my hands I could make out a shadow in the darkness that just set. Crunching myself into a ball I only hoped that it was not a creature of myth; a night terror sent by the devil to kidnap children.

Throwing my book, I saw it hit the ground missing the being by a millimeter. "Stay away from me! I know how to fight!" I yelled gaining courage from the lie.

The figure stopped and I saw not claws or talons but arms, short arms connected to skinny body. They spoke I noticed the voice belonged to a boy, "You know I never heard a girl admit they could fight before amusing really, seeing how the concrete took most of the hits. So what's your name?"

I blinked was he talking to me? Of course, my mind said there is no one else around, so I opened my mouth and answered him, "Emry Vontaze."

"And I can to fight!" I said as a after though as the boy stepped through under a broken street lamp.  He wore a red jumper and a faded pair of jeans that seemed to go just right with his long black hair that stuck to his neck. His face was long and skinny with a pair of deep black eyes that was fierce. Though he bent down and he smiled despite his looks, though it look like he has not smiled in a long time as he helped me up. I remember smelling what smelt like herbs and forest and he pulled me almost a hair away from him as I regained my balance.

"I'm sure you can. Now what's a girl doing out here in the night don't 'cha now that this is a rough neighbor hood? He asked me as I cradled my arm.

I shook my head no wondering how to get back home as I had run the length of the playground and ended up on the other end. I did not reginized the road to take me home. I looked at him and some how I could tell he knew his way around.

He sighed as if he had more things to do but he gently reached out his hand and beckoned me to follow. I watched him look around and took off to the swings I was on and I realized it was him that was hidden behind the bush.

"What were you doing behind the bush?" I asked curious as he looked up and down the road.

"watchin."

I scrunched up my nose as I followed him as he stooped by the swings, "watching? Watching what?"

He crossed his arms and huffed, "nothing really just a girl who was on my swing reading a book."

"Hey, it's not your swing you don't own it besides it's rude to watch people!" I shot back to him as he turned and smirked.

"It's only rude to watch if the person  knows your watching them and you didn't know till I stepped on that damm twig. I only wanted to talk really. There's not too many around here my age and those that are, are not…sociable."   

He leaned against the pole of the swing set and looked at my arm under a gaze as if he was making up his mind. He looks up and meets my eyes and I held his gaze. I don't know why I did not run away from him I usually was not comfortable around anyone but he was different, but perhaps I wonder if it would've made the future any different then the one I had fallen into if I had. "Your arms is broken my mother's a healer she can look at it if you want."

I looked at my arm I could barely move it and it burnt my mother nor father could take care of it seeing as they did not know how, and we did not have time to go to the hospital that was an hour away seeing as they were busy with two jobs. I looked at him and nodded.

We set off again and I walked by him the lights of the town and noise echoing on the cobble stone streets. "Where do you live?" I asked him.

"263 cokesworth," he said to me.

"That's the house corned from mine I thought it to be empty as I only ever see an old man!"

It was true in the week I have been here no one has been in or out of the house except a man in his 3oths who would stalk to his car and slam the door before driving away.

He scrawled, "That man is my father."

Why did he speak of his father in that way, I thought as we passed up a block and I heard a loud boom. I squeaked and latched onto the boy's hand and he raised his eyebrows. I saw a flash of light and another boom. Looking up I saw rain falling in a steady beat. He held onto my hand as he ran pulling me along. We arrived under a thatched porch roof as it began hailing. The ice made hallow sounds on the cars and window frames.

He opened the door and led me inside it was a pretty house. The long halls way reached down till in hit a set of stairs and along the wall branched of into rooms. The walls were a warm brown making it seem homey with the cluttered furniture and books.

A woman came out of the nearest room wearing an apron. Her black hair tied up and she had patches of flour on her face as she smiled at her son. She noticed me as Severus retracted his hand.

"who's this dear?"  She asked her voice soft as she undid her apron.

My names Emry miss," I said smiling at her.

She smiled at me and laughed, "No need for formalities Emry. My name is Eileen. You did not tell me you made a friend." She spoke the last part to her son.

He sighed as he kicked of his shoes, "She hurt her arm, ma." 

Eileen clicked her tongue and left through the other room on my left saying she would be back in a minute. I smiled as the boy led me to the kitchen and I sat on an old wooden chair the air smelled of turkey. He took a piece of bread of the table and paused looking at me. I laughed because he was inches of way from his mouth with it open and his hair was sticking up on top while water glazed his skin and I realized I probably didn't look much better.

He cocked his head sideways at me, "what?"

I stopped laughing at his demanding voice and smiled, "You looked funny. Thank you for bringing me here. You see my parents are not home so I would've been by myself for a while with this storm and this arm. Probably wouldn't be able to eat when I get home either."

He looked to the bread in his hands and passed it to me. He knocked his hand on the table and looked down, "It's fine. If you had not been clumsy in the first place though….you can stay and eat I'm sure ma wouldn't mind, my da is not going to be home."

I reached out, took the piece of bread, and loved the fluffiness of it. Something told me that he and I had more in common then being the same age. He was just as shy and sarcastic as I was and I liked that because he actually was still here and talking to me.

"Ok…" I didn't know his name.

"Severus," he said as if reading my thoughts.

"Okay…sev," I said, as he looked up at me fast.

I smiled because I knew even then I had found my best friend.

So that's how you two met," said Harry with a smile as he looked over the pictures.

"Yes, kind of how you're mother and I were suppose to meet. That playground is a work of wonders Harry," Severus said in a low voice from the couch.  Harry nodded it was weird still having the truth be told when half of you're life you grew up on nothing but lies fabricated for a reason.

"Did you meet Sirius and Remus at spinners end to?" asked the blonde from where he lay.

"No that's somewhere else. In fact I often wonder if the past repeats itself for a reason," Emry said as she turned the page. It was of Hogwarts only this time Emry sat by herself and in the distance were three boys and they looked to be arguing.

"Why do you say that?" asked her husband who couldn't remember anything that would link their past to the teenagers in front of him besides the dead lily and James who they meet when they were shown to their class on the first day of school.

"Because we all meet on the Hogwarts express."