Up until he was eight years old, Severus Snape was a very lonely little boy. The only son of a timid, broken-down witch and a jealous, abusive muggle, he spent most of his days hiding in the streets around Spinner’s End, where he lived in Cokeworth. His father’s job prospects had unfortunately declined right along with certain areas of Cokeworth, and so Tobias spent his days drinking away his frustration, before staggering home and taking his disappointment out on his wife Eileen, whose magic was useless to him.

 

Severus had known from a very early age that he was as magical as Eileen was – and that it was a big part of why his father hated him. It made no difference to Tobias whether Severus consciously used his magic or not – he was beaten anyway. If it hadn’t been for the fact that his mother had sworn never to use her magic on or against Tobias, and was therefore helpless to stop him doing anything, Severus may well have come to the conclusion that muggles were nothing but a waste of space, inferior to wizarding kind.

 

As it was, Severus grew up only seeing the worst of both worlds. He retreated into books. Tobias didn’t hold with book-learning – having dropped out of school himself at the age of twelve – so most of the books Severus managed to get his hands on were Eileen’s old school books from Hogwarts. He spent hours poring over the books from her sixth and seventh years, dreaming of the time he’d be old enough to have his own wand and could use some of the hexes and curses on his layabout father.

 

Severus also developed a fascination with potions. They were predictable – if you added two ingredients together, knowing their properties, it was a simple matter to know what would happen. Eileen had managed to teach him the basics, but by the time he was seven, Severus had outstripped her knowledge, and wrote pages and pages on experiments he’d like to try one day.

 

For his eighth birthday – usually ignored as it was so close to Christmas – Eileen presented Severus with a book on magical theory. Severus spent the next six months devouring it, reading and rereading the book, determined to start creating his own spells.

 

He was occupied with studying the book again one day in mid-June, hidden in the middle of a prickly-thorn bush, when he realised that the playground adjacent to the scrub-land he was hidden in was no longer vacant. Startled, he raised his head too fast from the book, and his hair caught in the thorns overhead. Muttering curses under his breath and wincing as strands of hair left his scalp, Severus manoeuvred his way out of the bush and squinted at the playground, one hand coming up to shade his eyes.

 

Almost instantly, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. There were two girls playing on the swings, and the smaller was currently swinging higher than he’d ever seen anyone go before. Her voice floated over to him. “C’mon, Tuney, let’s see who can jump the furthest!”

 

“Lily, no, don’t!” the other girl screeched, her voice sounding like nails on a chalkboard. “Mum said you weren’t to do any of . . . that outside the house!”

 

“Aw, but Tuney, nobody’s here to see!” the younger girl – Lily – whined. She swung her legs harder, forcing herself higher into the air.

 

“Don’t you dare, Lily Ann, or I’m telling Mum!” Tuney threatened, dragging her swing to a stop. Lily pouted, and for a brief moment Severus thought she would do as her sister had ordered. But then a look of mulish determination appeared on the young girl’s face, and after pumping her legs three times to get the necessary height, Lily let go . . . and flew off the swing, landing feet first some four feet away from the swing set.

 

Severus gaped at her, then felt his heartbeat accelerate. She was a witch. She had to be a witch! He’d finally found somebody else magical!

 

Hugging his book to his chest, he scrambled past the thorn bushes, tearing a few more holes in his father’s old shirt as he went, and raced towards the playground, where the two girls were now currently standing nose-to-nose with each other, the older girl clearly scolding, while her younger sister shouted back at her.

 

The two looked up as Severus skidded to a halt just beside the old and rusted roundabout they were standing beside. Severus was so overjoyed and flustered, that when he opened his mouth, instead of greeting them normally, the first words out of his mouth were, “You’re a witch!”

 

“Excuse me?!” The younger girl – Lily – placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

 

“How dare you!” her sister added. She peered at Severus for a moment, then stuck her nose in the air. “You have no right to call my sister a . . . a . . . that name!”

 

“But that’s what she is,” Severus said, puzzled and slightly ashamed. He did have manners, he’d just been so excited to see someone else doing magic . . . “She’s a witch. I’m a wizard.”

 

“You’re crazy, is what you are,” the older girl sniffed. “And a poorly dressed crazy, at that. Whose shirt was that – your mummy’s?”

 

Severus flushed and looked down at the shirt.

 

“Tuney!” the other girl reprimanded. “That’s not nice!” She turned her glare onto her sister, then took a step closer to Severus. “Never mind her, she’s just turned twelve and she’s turning into the worst snob imaginable.” She held out a hand to Severus. “I’m Lily Evans.”

 

“Severus Snape,” Severus mumbled, giving her hand a brief shake and then quickly dropping it.

 

“Snape? Is Tobias Snape your father?” Lily’s sister asked. The sneer hovering around her mouth grew worse. “I’ve heard stories about him. Come on, Lily, we shouldn’t hang around with the likes of him.”

 

“Oh, get over yourself, Tuney,” Lily snapped. She turned her back to her sister. “That’s Petunia,” she said softly. “Ignore her, she talks rubbish most of the time.” Severus gave her a weak smile, just as her eyes fell on the book he was still hugging to his chest. “Ooh, do you like reading, too? What’s it about?” Her eyes, a brilliant verdant green, lit up, and right there and then, with her long auburn hair curling around her face, Severus knew he would do anything for this girl.

 

 

---

 

 

Up until she was eight years old, Bellatrix Black, despite having two sisters and two cousins always running around, was a very lonely little girl. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that her older sister Andromeda was rebelling against the Black family’s purebloodedness, her younger sister Narcissa was obsessed with looking and behaving like a perfect little pureblood, her younger cousin Regulus was a mummy’s boy and always clinging to Aunt Walburga’s skirts, and her cousin Sirius was rebelling against his mother’s rabidness regarding the Dark Arts and their pureblood status.

 

Thus it was that, on a midsummer’s day at the beginning of July, exactly seven months after her eighth birthday, Bellatrix was wandering through a section of Cokeworth she’d never been anywhere near before. Admittedly, she hadn’t actually ever been near Cokeworth at all, never mind certain sections of it, but she’d managed to escape from the nanny-elf while her family were visiting some other pureblood family who lived just outside the town, and she was determined to have some fun.

 

Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much for her to have fun with, so she settled for sulkily kicking a large pebble up and down the various streets, occasionally giving it a push with her magic to make it go further.

 

She was startled out of her thoughts as, when she reached the start of some old rusted railings, her chosen pebble shot up into the air, quivered, and then flew into a clump of bushes a few metres away.

 

“What the—” she started, and then gave an indignant cry. “My pebble!” Wriggling through the railings, she stormed over the grass towards the bushes.

 

Sitting just out of sight behind the largest bush, two children were facing each other, a large circle of stones and pebbles surrounding them . . . and hovering in mid-air.

 

“Ooh!” Bellatrix gasped, excitedly. She’d finally found people to play with!

 

Startled, the other two children looked up, and lost control of the magic. The stones dropped to the ground with a thump.

 

“Uh . . .” the red-headed girl started.

 

“It’s not what it looked like,” her dark-haired companion added.

 

“So you mean you weren’t doing magic?” Bellatrix asked, raising her eyebrows.  She rounded the bush and plonked herself on the ground beside them. “Bellatrix Black,” she said, proudly, holding out a hand to both of them.

 

“I’m Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape,” the red-head said, quickly shaking her hand and letting it go again. The boy – Had the girl said Severus? – stared at Bellatrix’s hand as though wondering whether she wanted him to shake it or kiss it. Lily nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, and he quickly shook Bellatrix’s hand and looked away, his cheeks flushing a dull red.

 

“You can do magic, too?” Lily asked.

 

Bellatrix nodded. “Of course. Obviously, I can’t do much on purpose until I get a wand,” she added, honestly.

 

“So what magic have you done, then?” Lily asked, obviously the more out-going one of the pair.

 

“I’ve done accio—” Bellatrix paused at the blank looks on Lily and Severus’ faces. “Um, I’ve summoned stuff, banished stuff, levitated someo— uh, things,” she amended quickly. “And I’ve managed to escape from our nanny-elf five times this month alone,” she finished, proudly.

 

“Nanny-elf?” queried Lily.

 

“It’s a house-elf, but specifically for looking after children,” Bellatrix explained, but it didn’t appear to clear up the confusion. Lily and Severus exchanged a look. Bellatrix frowned at them. “You don’t have house-elves?” she asked.

 

“Dad’s a muggle,” Severus said quietly. His shoulders hunched inwards, and one of his hands twitched. It reminded Bellatrix of some of her Aunt Walburga’s house-elves, the ones who never seemed to get anything right and were always being punished.

 

“What about your parents?” she asked Lily. “Or are you poor like the Weasley family?” She sneered at the thought of the red-headed purebloods. Usually they bred like vermin – according to Aunt Walburga – but so far this generation only had the one boy, a weedy sort called Arthur.

 

“I don’t know who the Weasley family are, but that sounded mean,” Lily said, frowning at Bellatrix. “And no-one else in my family has magic.”

 

Bellatrix’s mouth dropped open, and she pointed a shaking finger at Lily. “You’re a mudblood!” she screeched in horror, shooting to her feet.

 

Lily and Severus exchanged yet another glance. “What’s a mudblood?” Lily asked, hesitantly.

 

“Your parents are muggles!” Bellatrix informed Lily, as though this fact had escaped her notice. “They can’t do magic at all.”

 

“So?” Severus scowled at her, clearly taking offence on his friend’s behalf. “Her parents are good people, they don’t need magic.”

 

“You’re only a half-blood, you don’t know any better,” Bellatrix informed him loftily.

 

“Believe me, her parents are better off without magic,” Severus muttered, almost inaudibly.

 

“So if I’m a mudblood, and Severus is a half-blood, what does that make you?” Lily asked, curiously.

 

“I’m a pureblood, of course,” said Bellatrix, smugly.

 

Expecting her new companions to give gasps of awe, she was completely unprepared for Lily to suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. Lily collapsed to the ground, tears of laughter springing from her eyes. Severus looked askance at her, whilst Bellatrix gaped.

 

“Lily?” Severus prompted, when it didn’t appear as though Lily was going to calm any time soon. “Want to share the joke with us?”

 

“I’m a mudblood, you’re a half-blood, and she’s a pureblood,” Lily gasped out, her trembling finger moving from one to the other.

 

“And?” Bellatrix sniffed.

 

“We’re the Three Bloods,” said Lily, and then she fell into gales of laughter again.

 

This time, it was Severus and Bellatrix who looked at each other.

 

“Perhaps it’s time she went home now,” said Severus, dryly. “I think she’s had too much excitement today.”

 

With that, he scrambled up, and hauled Lily up to her feet. When she only collapsed against him, still hiccupping with laughter, he slung one of her arms around his neck and started to wobble away, tossing a casual “’Bye,” over his shoulder, and leaving Bellatrix staring after them.

 

 

---

 

 

It took Bellatrix several days before she managed to find Lily and Severus again, despite escaping from her nanny-elf every other day. She wasn’t entirely sure she should be looking for Lily – the girl was a mudblood after all. But she hadn’t seemed stupid, or lazy, or ugly, and she hadn’t acted as though things should be done her way – the muggle way. Bellatrix was confused. Lily didn’t match up with the way Aunt Walburga had always described mudbloods. Perhaps the change didn’t happen until they were accepted into Hogwarts? She resolved to ask Lily questions, lots and lots of questions. And if she could get Severus on his own, she could ask him, too. He’d seemed to like Lily, but maybe he was just too cowed to show any different.

 

Of course, she had to find them first. Where could they be?

 

When she did finally come across the pair – back in the playground where she’d come across them the first time – she was so frustrated that she didn’t even bother with any greeting as she stormed up to them.

 

“Where have you been?” she demanded, harshly, standing over them with her fists on her hips.

 

Lily and Severus blinked up at her. “Um . . . hi?” Lily tried, her brow creasing in confusion.

 

“You’re the girl who saw us the other week,” Severus said, softly. “Bellatrix, right?”

 

“Oh!” Lily exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in recognition. “The Three Bloods! I remember!” She gestured for Bellatrix to join them on the ground, where they were examining an old book that looked like it was three-quarters of the way to falling apart.

 

Bellatrix dropped to the ground, ignoring the dirt that would surely end up on her pale dress. The house-elves would clean it later. “I’ve been looking for you,” she said, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

 

“We weren’t hiding,” Severus denied.

 

“We were in school,” Lily agreed. It was Bellatrix’s turn to look blank. “What, you don’t go to school?” Lily asked, amazed.

 

“I don’t know. What’s school?” asked Bellatrix. Lily and Severus glanced at each other.

 

“Where you go to learn stuff?” said Lily, but it came out as more of a question than a statement.

 

Bellatrix frowned at them both. “But I thought you had to be eleven before you went to Hogwarts.”

 

“What does Hogwarts have to do with school?” Severus asked. He shook his head slightly, tossing his dark hair out of his eyes.

 

“Well, Hogwarts is a school,” said Bellatrix. She paused. “Right?” she added, uncertainly.

 

“Well, yeah, but that’s a big school,” replied Severus.

 

“There’s a little school?” Bellatrix chewed her lip. “I never heard of that.”

 

“You’ve never heard of primary school?” Lily gaped at her. “Where have you been going all this time?”

 

“I haven’t been going anywhere!” said Bellatrix, stridently. “You two are the ones that disappeared!”

 

“So if you don’t go to primary school, how do you learn to read and write?” Severus queried. “What about maths, and science, and history?”

 

The light dawned on Bellatrix. “Oh, I have tutors for that,” she said, relieved.

 

“You have tutors?” Lily echoed. She exchanged glances with Severus. Bellatrix wondered if perhaps they were envious of the obvious sign that her family was wealthy. But then Lily surprised her. “Doesn’t that get lonely?”

 

“Lonely?” Bellatrix gaped at them. “Why would it be?”

 

“Because there’s just you,” Severus replied.

 

“But it’s not just me,” Bellatrix argued. “There’s Medra and Cissy, too.”

 

“You have sisters?” Lily asked, perking up. “Are they magic, too? Sorry, witches,” she corrected herself, pulling a face at Severus, who smirked at her.

 

“Yes, my whole family has magic,” Bellatrix informed her. “Andromedra’s my eldest sister, and Narcissa’s my little sister.”

 

“I’ve got an older sister, too,” said Lily, excitedly. Then her face fell. “Her name’s Petunia, and I think she hates me now.”

 

“She’s just jealous that you have magic and she doesn’t,” Severus said, comfortingly, and placed an arm over Lily’s shoulder. He blinked as he thought of something. “Hey, if you’re the youngest sibling, and Bellatrix here is the middle sibling . . . since I don’t have any siblings at all, does that make me technically the eldest?”

 

The two girls looked at him in silence for a moment, then both burst out laughing. Severus tried to scowl at them, but couldn’t hold the expression, and within seconds was laughing along with them.

 

 

---

 

 

When they were nine, the three children, who were close enough friends to be siblings themselves by now, decided to make themselves siblings in fact, and did a blood-binding ceremony. Standing in a circle on the spot where they’d first met, they all made a cut on each palm, and then stood with their palms pressed together. Even before they said anything, they could all feel the magic begin to swirl around them, drawing in ever tighter.

 

“By blood we bind, never to part. We will always be in each other’s heart. This blood we share, we siblings three. As we will, so mote it be!”

 

They repeated the chant three times, and at the end of the third repetition, the magic, which had coalesced into a tight swirl in the circle centre, exploded soundlessly outwards. Gripping each others’ hands, they tried to stay upright, but the magical force was so powerful it pushed them all apart, and they ended up flat on their backs some distance away from each other.

 

“Whoa,” Lily murmured, blinking up at the bright sky.

 

“Ugh, head-rush,” groaned Severus, lifting a hand to his head.

 

“Merlin, I’ve never seen any spell do that before,” said Bellatrix, struggling to prop herself up. She made it up to her elbows, but couldn’t summon the energy to rise any further than that. “Rattler!”

 

Three seconds later, one of her family’s house-elves popped into view beside her. “You is calling, Miss Bellatrix?” it asked.

 

“Yes. Could we have some food, please, Rattler?” she requested. Lily had been horrified the first time she’d heard Bellatrix speak to a house-elf, and had refused to speak to the girl until she’d learnt to speak politely to them

 

“And something to drink!” added Lily from her prone position.

 

The house-elf clicked his fingers, and a large picnic basket appeared beside them. With a short bow, the house-elf popped away.

 

It took another ten minutes before Severus and Bellatrix were able to climb to their feet and stagger the few steps towards the basket. Lily didn’t even try to do so, instead crawling towards it. They made short work of the food, consuming it within a couple of minutes.

 

Barely an hour or two later, they discovered that their ritual had an unexpected side-effect. Occasionally, groups of older boys roamed the neighbourhoods around the small playground, taunting and bullying any younger children that they came across. One such group happened to come across the three magic children as they rested on the grass near the thorn bushes.

 

Despite the group being at least four years older than them, Severus had stood up, trying his best to defend the two girls, who had huddled together on the ground behind him, clutching at each other in fright. Spreading his arms, Severus had attempted to make the leader back down. Laughing, the older boy had taken a step towards them. Panicking, Lily and Bellatrix both made a grab at Severus’ arms, just as he had yelled at the bullying thug to “leave us alone, and GO AWAY!”

 

A fierce rush of magic had swept out of the three of them, pushing the rest of the older boys a good three feet back from them, and the leader had given a wild, terrified yell, and disappeared. The rest of the thugs had looked at each other, and then turned tail and fled, almost falling over each other in their haste to get away.

 

As it turned out, they discovered later, the gang leader had been discovered in a town a hundred miles away called Raketon and after a night’s stay with the local police had been brought back home a changed person. He never bullied any of the local children, and in fact went out of his way to avoid coming anywhere near any place he thought he might come across Lily, Bellatrix or Severus. Much to his mother’s disbelief, he became an upstanding member of the community.

 

Their ritual also had an unexpected side-effect for Bellatrix’s family. Much to the surprise of the entire Black family, Lily and Severus’ images had appeared beside Bellatrix’s on the Black Family Tapestry. Of course, it had been hard to disguise the fact that neither were purebloods, and Walburga Black had thrown a fit, threatening to blast Bellatrix from the Tapestry, and therefore the family, unless the “contaminations” were removed immediately.

 

Cygnus and Druella, Bellatrix’s parents, strenuously objected to this, and the resulting argument split the Black Family Tree in half. Walburga was a rabid fan of the Dark, but Cygnus and Druella were less enthused, seeing the value in keeping allies in all walks of life. They had also been increasingly worried about the amount of time Bellatrix had been spending on her own or with her cousin Regulus – and therefore her Aunt Walburga – and Sirius, who was currently fighting against every one of his mother’s rules, whether they were actually for him or not. But since becoming friends with Lily and Severus, Bellatrix’s temperament had evened out again, and her parents were loathe to see her backslide. As a result, within a week of the ritual, Bellatrix and her family had moved to a house near to their friend’s, just outside of Cokeworth, allowing the trio even more time together.

 

 

---

 

 

By the time Lily turned eleven at the end of January and received her Hogwarts letter – the last of the trio to do so – the Three Bloods, as they still called themselves, had gained a new nickname amongst their parents. Lily’s father had started it; upon seeing them approaching Lily’s house one day, he had called to her mother, “Honey, here comes Sev, Lil and Trix,” and then after a pause he had dissolved into helpless laughter. From that point on, the Evanses, the Blacks and Eileen Snape all called them ‘Sev’s Lil Trix’. The three didn’t really mind this name; in fact, they found it quite funny as well, once it had been explained to them.

 

However, they were all much more excited at the prospect of finally being able to attend Hogwarts in September.

 

“My dad’s offered to take us all to Diagon Alley next weekend,” Bellatrix said, one day in mid-February, speaking around a mouthful of Blood Pop.

 

Lily gave a mock squeal at the sight of it. “Eeeuwwwww, Trix!” she wailed. “We don’t want to see you dribbling blood!”

 

“Not unless you want to share,” Severus suggested, grinning at her. Bellatrix stuck her red-coated tongue out at both of them, then laughed and withdrew the packet from behind her, offering one to the others. They all sat in silence for a while, contentedly sucking away.

 

“So,” Bellatrix started again, eventually, “Diagon Alley next weekend? Dad said he’d help us get our school stuff.”

 

“Can one of my parents come?” Lily asked. “They need to know how to get into Diagon Alley too.”

 

“Will they be able to see it? It’s completely magical,” said Bellatrix, doubtfully.

 

“I should think so,” said Severus. “After all, the muggleborns usually have their parents go with them, don’t they?” They had all stopped using the word mudblood after Severus’ mum had overheard them laughing about it one day. None of them had been able to sit down comfortably for several hours after that, and Severus hadn’t been allowed out to play with them for a whole week. After that, they just whispered it occasionally among themselves when referring to their Three Bloods nickname.

 

“I thought the teachers at Hogwarts took them,” Bellatrix said. She frowned, confused, then turned to Lily. “That professor who came to see you when you got your letter – didn’t they say they’d be taking you in August?”

 

“Yes, he did,” answered Lily. “Mum told him he didn’t need to, ‘cause of Sev’s mum and your parents.”

 

“But the parents still go with them,” Severus pointed out, reasonably. “More than likely, it’s just the entrance muggles can’t see – they’d only need someone magical to help them get through it.”

 

“In that case, I can ask Dad if he’ll take one of your parents, too, Lil,” Bellatrix said. “What about your mum, Sev?”

 

“She won’t be coming,” said Severus, quietly. “But I doubt she’ll object to me going with you.”

 

Lily and Bellatrix patted him on the shoulders, consolingly. By now they were both well aware of Tobias Snape’s temper, and had helped Severus to keep away from him numerous times, most often by having Severus stay at their homes for awhile. They also knew that Tobias Snape liked to pretend the magical world didn’t exist – or if it did, that it didn’t concern his wife and son. There was no way that he would permit Eileen to take Severus to such a magical place, and since he was currently out of a job – again – then it wouldn’t be easy to hide the knowledge from him.

 

“So what House do you think you’ll be in?” Lily asked, to turn Severus’ thoughts to happier things.

 

“Probably Slytherin for me,” Bellatrix said. “My whole family’s always been in Slytherin, apart from the odd Ravenclaw.” She suddenly grimaced. “But I hope I don’t get stuck with my cousin Sirius. Merlin, I’d even be in Hufflepuff if it meant I could avoid him!”

 

The other two children laughed at the face she was making. Despite the split between their families, her cousin Sirius was no friend to Bellatrix. He’d seemed to take their leaving personally, and took every opportunity to belittle them. Cygnus and Druella had become very worried about him, but every invitation for him to stay with them for a while was turned down by Walburga before it ever reached him.

 

“I’ll probably be in either Slytherin or Ravenclaw,” Severus said, once he and Lily had calmed.

 

Lily shrugged. “As long as I’m with one of you, I don’t care where I go,” she said.

 

“Careful,” Severus teased, “with an attitude like that, you’ll end up in Hufflepuff!”

 

“I’d do great in Hufflepuff!” Lily exclaimed, indignantly, and pounced at Severus, who ducked and rolled away from her, laughing. “Trix, help me!” she called, also starting to laugh.

 

“Yeah, Trix, help, the little Hufflepuff can’t catch me by herself,” whooped Severus, and he shot to his feet and darted away.

 

“We’ll show him who’s a Hufflepuff!” yelled Bellatrix, and, cheering and hollering, they raced after Severus.

 

 

---

 

 

When they arrived in Diagon Alley that weekend, Mr Black suggested that since finding the right wand could take some time, they should get their school books and robes first, and therefore leave time for Mr Ollivander’s when they wouldn’t have to worry about shops closing or making a return trip another day.

 

As it turned out, this was a very good idea. When Severus, the first of the trio, still hadn’t found the right wand for him after three hours, Mr Ollivander closed his shop for the day and called his assistants to come and help.

 

With all three of them trying together, the shelves soon emptied, and the pile of rejected wands soon overflowed the counter and fell to the floor. The apprentice wand-makers were murmuring in hushed voices, and the trio exchanged worried glances. Despite receiving Hogwarts letters, were they not magical enough for a wand to choose them?

 

“This is most peculiar,” Ollivander himself said, finally, when Lily failed to produce anything with the last remaining wand on the shelves.

 

“What does it mean?” Mr Black asked. “I’ve never seen someone fail to be chosen by a wand before.”

 

“Not to worry,” Ollivander said. His eyes glittered as he stared at the trio. “It just means that no ready-made wand considers them acceptable. They will require custom-made wands.”

 

Lily bit her lip and looked nervously at her parents. “Won’t that be expensive?” she asked, tentatively.

 

“Not that much more so,” Ollivander assured her, kindly. “It will just mean that you’ll be unable to take your wand home today. Now . . .” He turned to rummage through some boxes on the floor behind him, underneath the shelves. “Where did I put those cores . . .? Aha!”

 

He straightened up, and hefted a medium-sized box onto the counter, pushing several of the useless wands out of the way. Opening the box, he beckoned the children forwards. “Place your hand over the box, and the core destined for you will call to you,” he said. He turned to look at his apprentices. “Laurel, if you would start putting these other wands back. Jamison, please fetch a selection of hollow woods.”

 

One by one, Lily, Bellatrix and Severus held their hands out over the box of wand cores. Each felt a vague pull, but seemed unable to locate the core that was calling to them. Ollivander frowned at them.

 

“How odd,” he mused. “It’s as if none of you are complete. Curious – very curious!”

 

At his words, Severus glanced at his palm, then at Bellatrix and Lily. “Perhaps if we all tried together,” he suggested to them softly. “We should make sure we’re holding on to each other, too. It might be the blood ritual.”

 

“That’s true,” Lily mused.

 

“Our accidental magic has been stronger when we’re touching,” Bellatrix agreed.

 

Nodding at each other, they moved to surround the box, Severus ducking behind the counter, to shocked gasps from the Blacks and the apprentices, who had stopped to watch. Mr Ollivander, however, just stepped back to give him room. The trio stacked their left hands over the box of cores, and then hovered their right hands over the box. With a strong tug that caused all three of them to waver towards the box – and the magical adults to raise their eyebrows at the feel of it in the air – a long string of multi-coloured plaited hair forced its way up through the cores and launched itself into the air, twisting itself around their joined hands.

 

“Well!” Mr Ollivander gasped. “How very unusual – that is plaited unicorn, thestral and hippogriff mane . . . all of it willingly given. It’s been sitting in that box for over two hundred years – I’d almost forgotten I had it!” He reached to untangle it from their wrists.

 

Just as the elderly wand-maker touched it, however, a golden shimmer ran over the entwined hair, and it dropped to the counter in three separate pieces in front of the three children, each of which very obviously had one kind of hair slightly longer than the others. Ollivander’s eyebrows were all but invisible in his hairline now, and the two apprentices were gaping. No core had ever done that before!

 

Ollivander cleared his throat nervously, and beckoned to one apprentice for the various woods he’d been sent to fetch. Spread out across a cleared space on the counter, this was the quickest part of the entire business. Within minutes, Lily was holding a springy strip of willow, Bellatrix had a stout bit of ebony, and Severus was staring at a bit of pale oak that had barely waited for him to hold out his hand before leaping into it. After being informed that their new wands would be owled to them within the week, the group finally left Ollivander’s.

 

 

---

 

 

The weirdness continued when they visited Eeylops Owl Emporium and the next-door Magical Menagerie. A calico Kneazle darted towards Lily as soon as she set foot near the shops, almost tripping up a family of four who were discussing the screech owls perched outside the Emporium. A barn owl, the same colours as the Kneazle, almost fell off its perch it was so desperate to get to Severus. And a very strange multi-coloured bat – also the same colours as the Kneazle and the owl – fell from the Menagerie rafters to land on Bellatrix’s shoulder, causing Mrs Black and Mrs Evans to scream in fright.

 

Mr Black just sighed as he looked at her daughter cuddling what was obviously her new familiar. “Well, I know Hogwarts would prefer a toad,” he said, “but I’m sure there are other bats there anyway, and I’d like to see them try and deny that one entrance.”

 

Shaking his head, Cygnus went to pay for the animals. He’d be glad to get home – this had been one very strange shopping trip, even for magical people.

By the time September 1st arrived, all the parents were quite glad to usher off their children, who had spoken of nothing else for months, and had been positively giddy with excitement for the last week. Tobias Snape was in two minds about it all – on the one hand, he was getting rid of his freaky son for most of the year, but on the other, it only emphasised just how freaky his son actually was. So as not to antagonise Tobias any further, Eileen didn’t go to King’s Cross to see Severus off to Hogwarts, instead leaving him in the capable hands of Cygnus and Druella Black and Paul and Rose Evans.

 

Once on the Hogwarts Express, they managed to snag a compartment all to themselves, and the first thing they did, even before settling themselves, was to let their familiars out of their carry-cages. Severus had only been able to persuade his owl, Archimedes, into the cage in the first place by promising faithfully that the owl would only have to stay in there while they went through King’s Cross Station and onto the Hogwarts Express, and that he could make his own way up to the castle at the other end. Archimedes had clicked his beak sulkily and sat in the cage glowering at it so fiercely that Severus half expected the bars to melt. Lily and Bellatrix found it frightfully funny, but then again it hadn’t been easy convincing Lily’s Tabernacle nor Bellatrix’s Starberry into their carriers either.

 

An hour into the journey, the trio’s peace was interrupted by the abrupt entrance of two boys, who barged into their compartment laughing uproariously.

 

“Did you see the look on that idiot’s face?” one howled, collapsing onto a seat near the door and barely missing sitting on Tabernacle, who hissed and sprang out of the way in the nick of time.

 

“Or that stuck-up blond ponce,” the other added, flopping down onto the opposite seat and rummaging in his pocket. He drew out a small packet and held it out towards his friend. “Drooble gum?”

 

At that point, both boys suddenly seemed to become aware of the original occupants of the compartment, who were all staring at the interlopers.

 

“Yes, of course you can come in and share our compartment,” Bellatrix said, glaring at the two. Her eyes widened as she got a good look at the boy who’d almost sat on Tabernacle. “Sirius?”

 

“It’s a free train, you know,” the other boy said. “’Sides, we needed to hide from that snob who also thinks he owns the train. Not related, are you?”

 

“Batty Bella,” Sirius said in amazement at the same time. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be going to Durmstrang?”

 

“Durmstrang?” The other dark-haired boy shot a sharp glance at Bellatrix, and then looked back at his friend. “Dark family, huh?”

 

Sirius snorted. “Dark as they come, mate,” he said. “That’s my cousin, Bellatrix.”

 

“Hey!” Bellatrix and Lily protested in unison, as the strange boy drew back in wary disgust.

 

“Trying to corrupt others already?” he asked, his upper lip curling up in a sneer. “Or trying to gain slaves?”

 

“My, I had no idea that your cousin had taken so well to your Aunt Walburga’s lessons, Bella,” Severus drawled, casually placing a hand on Lily’s arm to stop her from springing at the rude boy. “She must be so proud of her boys.”

 

“I am nothing like my mother!” Sirius shouted, outraged. “Who are you, anyway?”

 

“So you barge in on other people, uninvited and unwanted, proceed to act as though you own the place, make disparaging comments about a cousin you haven’t had any contact with at all in the past three years, then allow your friend to talk down at people that neither of you know at all, and you have the audacity to say that Bella is Dark?” Severus shook his head. “I think you’re looking at the wrong side of the Black Family Tree for that.”

 

Sirius’ mouth opened and closed a few times, then he scowled at the three of them and got to his feet. “Come on, Jamie,” he said, tugging on the other boy’s sleeve. “Let’s go find somewhere else. This compartment gives me the creeps.” With a last sneer for the trio, the two boys hurried out of the compartment.

 

Lily got up to slam the door closed behind them. “Merlin, I really hope I don’t end up in the same house as them!” she said, shuddering as she sat down again. Tabernacle crawled into her lap and meowed at her comfortingly.

 

“I can’t believe how much Sirius has changed,” Bellatrix said. “I swear, he didn’t used to be that bad.”

 

“Your aunt’s doing, no doubt,” Severus said. He moved to sit beside Bellatrix and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Maybe Hogwarts will deflate that head of his.”

 

Chirrups of agreement came from Archimedes and Starberry, perched on the overhead luggage racks, and the trio dissolved into giggles.

 

 

---

 

 

The first years were gathered by a man who was almost three times the height of a normal person. With a large bellow that echoed around the rapidly emptying platform, he motioned for them all to follow him down a trail that led away from the train station towards a large lake. Large wooden boats were drawn up along the lake-edge, but they had no oars.

 

“Four to a boat! Ever’body in,” the tall man called, making his way to a boat at the end of the line. Like the man himself, it was larger than all the others.

 

A short boy who still had most of his puppy fat stumbled his way into the boat the trio had picked. His face had a strange purple tinge, and the trio had noticed how he had been making sure to keep well away from Sirius Black and his friend. He sat huddled up next to Lily, shivering, but not saying a word.

 

“Hold on tight, now!” the man from Hogwarts cried, and swept an arm out in an arc away from himself. With a lurch, all the boats cast themselves off the shore, and serenely floated across the lake. Halfway across, they floated underneath a curtain of trailing ivy, and then there in front of them was Hogwarts.

 

With candlelight showing from what seemed like millions of windows, the castle showed itself to be huge, stretching for what seemed to be miles either side, and reaching up until it looked as though it touched the sky. Almost every first year in the boats caught their breath in amazement.

 

“We’re here,” Lily breathed, reaching for Bellatrix’s and Severus’ hands and squeezing tightly. “We’re really here!”

 

When they reached the dock, the stairs leading up to the castle seemed to go on for miles, and most of the children were huffing by the time they reached the top. The giant banged on the large wooden doors, and they were opened by a stern-looking witch with dark brown hair, streaked with grey, dressed in a tartan robe and wearing a green pointed hat.

 

“The firs’ years, Perfessor,” the giant said. She nodded regally at him, and he turned and lumbered away.

 

When they were led into the crowded Great Hall, it brought another round of “oooh” from the first years. The only ones who didn’t look impressed were Sirius and his friend. They were looking around with the kind of look that Bellatrix usually saw on her Aunt Walburga, and Severus habitually saw on his father, as though everything was beneath them and not worth their time.

 

“I’m surprised Aunt Walburga didn’t send him to Durmstrang,” Bellatrix whispered to Lily and Severus.

 

Once the Sorting Hat finished singing – and from the bored looks on the faces of every student from third year up, it was obviously the only song the Hat ever sang – the professor who’d met them began calling them up to be sorted.

 

Bellatrix was one of the first ones, and she sat under the Hat for a good five minutes.

 

“What’s going on?” Lily hissed at Severus, eyeing her friend nervously.

 

“Probably trying to talk it out of placing her in Gryffindor,” Severus said, smirking.

 

Whatever the problem was, it was resolved in short order, and the Hat gaped open to shout, “SLYTHERIN!” Looking relieved, Bellatrix slipped the Hat off her head, and winked at Lily and Severus before moving off to the left-most table which had a green banner with silver trim hanging above it.

 

Sirius was the very next person called, and he took just as long as Bellatrix had. Everyone in their group appeared to be holding their breath. Eventually, the Hat opened and yelled, “GRYFFINDOR!”, and amidst the shocked buzz, Sirius gleefully tossed the Hat back onto the stool and strutted towards the table just to the right of the centre, underneath a deep red banner with a golden trim.

 

“Right, well, that’s one House we definitely don’t want to end up in,” Severus said, catching a very relieved Bellatrix’s eye.

 

When Lily was called up, she too was a long time under the Hat, longer than anybody else so far. Severus could see her lips moving soundlessly, and figured she was arguing heatedly with the Hat. Was it trying to put her in Gryffindor? He exchanged a worried look with Bellatrix. Students at the tables began to shift and murmur in confusion.

 

Apparently, though, Lily was more stubborn than the Hat. “Oh, all right,” it finally said, in a very exasperated tone. “SLYTHERIN!”

 

Beaming, Lily replaced the Hat on the stool and all but skipped over to sit next to Bellatrix, who grinned at her.

 

Severus didn’t pay much attention to anyone else being sorted after that, although he heard, “Longbottom, Frank – HUFFLEPUFF”, “Lupin, Remus – GRYFFINDOR”, “Murphy, Alice – RAVENCLAW”, “Pettigrew, Peter – GRYFFINDOR”, and “Potter, James – GRYFFINDOR”, which turned out to be Sirius’ friend from the train. Frank Longbottom had turned out to be the boy who’d shared a boat with the trio, and he looked beyond relieved to have been placed in Hufflepuff – although Severus could have sworn the Hat had been about to say Gryffindor first.

 

Finally, it was his turn, and with “Snape, Severus” ringing in his ears, he stepped up and placed the Hat on his head. It seemed to be much bigger than it looked, as it slid down over his eyes so that he couldn’t see the Great Hall anymore.

 

“Well, now, where shall I put you?” a voice purred in his ear. “My, my, you’re joined to the other two!” it suddenly said, sounding very surprised. “Should I expect anyone else?”

 

“No, it’s just us three,” Severus whispered back in his mind. 

 

“Hmm.” The Hat hummed thoughtfully, and Severus felt as though something was rifling through his memories. “You are a conundrum, young Severus. Smart, brave, loyal, cunning. You embody all four Houses equally.”

 

Brave, him? Severus barely held in a snort of disbelief. He wasn’t brave. Smart and cunning, he’d give the Hat that. And he’d do anything for Lily and Bellatrix, but they were his friends, his blood-sisters. Why wouldn’t he be loyal to them? But brave . . . no, he wasn’t brave. If he was, he’d have stood up to his father years ago, protected his mother.

 

“You will see, in time,” the Hat said, discerning his thoughts anyway. “You have more courage than anybody I’ve had under my brim in years, dear boy. It will appear when you have need of it, even if you don’t see it that way. Now, where should I put you?”

 

“Please, if I’m cunning, put me in Slytherin,” Severus requested.

 

The Hat gave a snort of silent laughter. “Very well. It will be interesting to see what you three manage when you’re together. SLYTHERIN!” it shouted, and Severus realised the last word had been out loud.

 

Grinning triumphantly, he dropped the Hat gently back on the stool and raced over to join an enthusiastically cheering Lily and Bellatrix.

 

 

---

 

 

Breakfast the next morning included announcements, the arrival of their timetables with their Head of House, Professor Slughorn, and the appearance of the new Care of Magical Creatures professor, Professor Kettleburn, who had been delayed from appearing at the Welcome Feast by having to collect some of the creatures he’d be teaching about. As they wouldn’t be allowed to take CoMC until their third year, the trio largely ignored the middle-aged professor, aside from idly noting that his deep auburn hair was almost the same bright shade as Lily’s.

 

“Think you’re related?” Bellatrix asked, reaching past Severus for a platter of sausages.

 

“How could we be?” Lily replied. “There’s no Kettleburn in my family tree. Plus, he’s obviously a wizard, and my family are muggles.”

 

“You could share a Squib ancestor,” Bellatrix suggested, unwilling to give the idea up.

 

“It’s not like it will make any difference if we are related,” Lily said, huffily. Bellatrix was keeping her from eating her breakfast, and she was not a morning person.

 

Bellatrix opened her mouth to continue the argument, but Severus nudged her in the ribs with his elbow, and silently passed a platter of toast to Lily. Taking the hint, Bellatrix subsided and focused on her own food.

 

Once Lily had finished eating, and was making gestures that she was prepared to interact with the world again, they pored over their timetables. Their first class was going to be Potions. There were small letters in the corners of the larger boxes. In the Potions one, there was a tiny G in the upper right-hand corner.

 

“What does the G stand for?” Lily wondered out loud. Severus and Bellatrix only shrugged, but someone else further down the table overheard.

 

“Means you’re with the Gryffindors,” the boy said. “Bad luck for your first lesson! What class is it?” He reached out a hand, and Bellatrix, who was closest to him, handed over her timetable. The boy quickly scanned it, and then whistled in surprise. “Potions! Your first lesson is Potions? And with the Lions, no less. What on earth is Dumbledore thinking? First years are usually started on History of Magic.”

 

“What’s that about History and Potions?” one of the boy’s friends enquired, leaning over.

 

“Dumbledore’s changed things. The firsties this year have Potions first thing,” the boy explained, tilting the timetable so his friend could read it. He glanced back up at the trio. “Potions usually isn’t until later in the week. It’s supposed to give you a chance to settle in before you start blowing yourselves up.”

 

“Well, hopefully the Headmaster knows what he’s doing,” said somebody else, but the older students all looked doubtful at this.

 

Taking back her timetable, Bellatrix exchanged worried looks with Severus and Lily. This could be a disaster.

 

 

---

 

It almost was.

 

James Potter and Sirius Black had not been thrilled to discover their first class was shared with the Slytherins, and had made plans to empty the class of as many of them as possible. It was just their bad luck that the first cauldron they had attempted to throw something into happened to belong to Lily, Severus and Bellatrix.

 

As Lily had stirred their potion, and Severus had prepared the next ingredient to go in, Bellatrix had been startled by something flying past her nose. Jerking backwards, she had been just in time to see it splash into the bubbling cauldron.

 

Just as Lily had cried out in surprise, Bellatrix found herself crying, “Severus, Scarlet Tongue!”, and Severus was instantly reaching for a green plant at the edge of the table, tossing it into the cauldron which had begun to belch pink smoke.

 

Within seconds, it was all over, and the students nearby gaped at the shocked trio, who barely even understood what had happened themselves.

 

After issuing James and Sirius with the loss of 25 points each and a week’s detention, Professor Slughorn had dismissed the class, awarding the trio 10 points each for their quick thinking.

 

Of course, that did nothing to diminish the animosity growing between the Gryffindor first years and the trio, and their future Potions lessons regularly found them inundated with flying ingredients heading for their cauldron.

 

It was Lily who eventually found a way to halt the attempts. After one very strange dream, she had done a lot of research and, consulting with the Charms professor, Professor Flitwick, had come up with a transporter spell. Any ingredient heading towards their cauldron winked out of sight as soon as it reached a certain spot above them. Usually, the ingredient re-appeared above the thrower’s cauldron, and eventually James and Sirius had to give up under pressure from their own Housemates regarding the constant drain of points.

 

Not that they were stopped for long. The trio grew used to checking everywhere for pranks or traps. Other students were not so lucky. It seemed that James and Sirius didn’t care who else might get caught, as long as they found it funny.

 

As it happened, this led the trio to make another discovery about their blood-bond. One of their year-mates, Adlington Carrow, had been caught in a shower of gloopy blue mud. The trio had been nearby, and had escorted her back to their dorm to help her wash it out of her long blonde hair. Ensconced in the girls’ bathroom, the trio had thought nothing of the fact that they were all circling Adlington and one of the sinks, all scraping mud from a section of hair, until one of the Prefects had walked past, casually glanced in, then done a rapid double-take and come to a halt.

 

“What in the world are you doing in here?” the girl demanded.

 

“Helping Adlington get this stuff out of her hair?” said Lily, questioningly. Wasn’t it obvious?

 

The Prefect waved a hand through the air. “I don’t mean what are you doing, I mean what are you doing in here,” she repeated, stabbing a finger at Severus. “You’re a boy. You’re not allowed in the girls’ side.”

 

Puzzled, the trio exchanged glances. Severus had spent a great deal of time in their room, and nobody had said anything about him not being allowed before.

 

“How did you get past the wards?” the Prefect continued. When she was only met with blank stares, she gaped at them. “Boys stick to their side, girls stick to ours,” she said, eventually. “The other Houses only have wards over the girls’ dorms, but one of the previous Heads of House decided that was plain silly and put wards over the boys’ dorms, too. Boys can’t get into our side, we can’t get into theirs. So how are you in the girls’ bathroom?!” she demanded of Severus.

 

“I . . . don’t know,” Severus stammered, taken aback. “We’re always in each other’s rooms.”

 

The older girl looked even more shocked. “They can get past the wards, too?” she gasped. “But . . . but . . . that means the wards aren’t working!”

 

“Wait, are the wards those alarms we heard the other day?” Bellatrix asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. “When Evan Rosier tried to get into Michelle Trawler’s room?”

 

“Yes, that’s them,” the Prefect agreed. “So they must have stopped working in the last day or so—” She trailed off as Lily shook her head.

 

“Sev’s been in our room before then,” she said. “And we were in his just two days before Evan tried to get into Michelle’s.” She glanced down at her hand, then up at Bellatrix and Severus, who caught her drift, and nodded. “We did a blood-ritual two years ago. Apparently it was stronger than we expected, and it’s bound us pretty much into three pieces of the same person.”

 

Yet again, the Prefect was gaping at them.

 

“Our wands are all bound together,” Bellatrix added. “We can all use them with barely any difference in results.”

 

“Our familiars chose us, and respond to all three of us,” Severus put in. He glanced back down to Adlington’s hair in his hand and idly scraped away another bit of mud. “Even the Sorting Hat said we were bound together. So it sounds like the wards consider me as part of Bellatrix and Lily, and them as part of me.”

 

“Does Professor Slughorn know about this?” the Prefect asked, gulping slightly.

 

“We don’t know,” said Bellatrix. “If he does, he’s never said anything to us.”

 

“Excuse me,” Adlington said, plaintively. “As fascinating as this is, I still have mud in my hair.”

 

Jolted back into action, the trio set to work again, leaving the shocked Prefect to take her leave.

 

 

---

 

 

The rest of the year had them settling into a steady routine. Potions was the only lesson they had with the Gryffindors – apparently Dumbledore thought that was danger enough for them – so the trio only had to worry about being pranked in the corridors between classes. With their bond, they usually managed to avoid the worst of it, but this only seemed to spur on James Potter and Sirius Black, and so by the end of their first year, the two boys had gained the nickname ‘Marauders’, along with two other Gryffindor boys. It perhaps wasn’t surprising that Peter Pettigrew had become one of their followers – he was a plump, awkward boy, who giggled a lot at James and Sirius’ jokes, and enthusiastically endorsed everything they did – but the addition of Remus Lupin to the loud group had been a shock.

 

Lily in particular had spent hours looking for some clue as to how the Marauders had done it. Remus was very shy and introspective, so she believed they had to have a hold on him somehow. Although Severus and Bellatrix found it confusing, too, they were nowhere near with obsessed with it as Lily was, and so she was thwarted in her desire to “set him free”.

 

 

---

 

 

Their second year was almost the same as their first had been, except that Bellatrix’s younger sister, Narcissa, and her younger cousin and Sirius’ brother, Regulus, arrived at Hogwarts. Both were Sorted into Slytherin, much to Sirius’ obvious and vehement displeasure. Dumbledore also seemed to be trying to heighten the enmity between Slytherin and Gryffindor, rather than lessen it, as now the second years not only had Potions with the Gryffindor second years, but Charms, Transfiguration and flying as well.

 

James Potter tried out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and gained a place as Chaser. He and Sirius were more arrogant than ever after that, although Sirius sulked badly when it turned out that being on the team excused James from the flying class. The Marauders’ pranks seemed to grow more widespread every day, and Dumbledore did nothing to curb them. He just sat in his place at mealtimes, smiling down at them benevolently.

 

As the trio were the most obviously aimed-at victims, Professor Slughorn found them an area where they could practice how their magic was affected by their bond. It was a room up on the seventh floor that appeared as anything they needed it to. It was a very good area for safely practising their charms, jinxes and hexes, as their joined magic was more than the sum of its parts. It wasn’t unusual for a simple banishing charm to blow a hole in whatever unfortunate wall was behind the item they were attempting to banish.

 

 

---

 

 

Third year was electives year. After thoroughly discussing it the previous summer, Lily, Severus and Bellatrix all signed up for the same three new classes; Care of Magical Creatures for Lily, Divination for Bellatrix, and Ancient Runes for Severus.

 

Divination had seemed to be a useless subject to Severus, but when looking through the information packs about each class, Bellatrix had been drawn to the small deck of tarot cards. In fact, she had been unable to put them down for a good half an hour, and even then she kept going back to them, until finally Lily had consented to a reading.

 

“A dark-haired man will change your life,” Bellatrix said, almost dreamily, trailing her fingers along the cards Lily had chosen. “A stranger who’s not a stranger, he will give you your most precious thing in the world. Of the three and by the three, it will be loved, and its shadow will tower over the wizarding world.”

 

Blinking, Bellatrix had come back to herself to see Lily and Severus gaping at her.

 

“So . . . definitely divination, then,” Severus said, finally, and he shuffled that pack off to the side.

 

 

---

 

 

They were not pleased to discover that, yet again, they were sharing even more classes with the Gryffindors.

 

“How does Dumbledore expect to promote House unity when he never pairs us with the Ravens or the Puffs?” Lily complained, glaring at their new timetables.

 

“Because he doesn’t want House unity between all Houses, just those of the light or that he can manipulate,” Bellatrix snorted, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.

 

“Dumbledore thinks we Snakes are all lost to Riddle already,” Severus added in a low voice. His eyes flicked over to some of the seventh years, who had been overheard boasting the previous night about their new “employer”, and how they were going to help return the wizarding world to greatness.

 

“Doesn’t he realise that if he offers no choice, then of course they’ll be more eager to follow that quack?” hissed Lily.

 

“He doesn’t care,” guessed Bellatrix. “Why take the chance until we prove that we want to stand against Voldemort?”

 

“Shhh!” hissed Severus, suddenly. “McGonagall!” With the understanding they’d continue the conversation later, when they were alone, the topic changed back to the amount of lessons shared with the Gryffindors.

 

Unfortunately for the trio, they were now sharing two of their electives with James Potter and Sirius Black. The Marauders had obviously wanted classes that would gain them an easy OWL score with almost no work, such as Divination and Care of Magical Creatures.

 

But their plan backfired in a big way. For whatever reason – and Severus was convinced it was their arrogance – none of the creatures would go anywhere near either James or Sirius. Even the most mild-mannered wouldn’t stay with them, no matter what Professor Kettleburn did. It became the talk of the Slytherin common room, how for the first time in three hundred years, somebody was going to fail Care of Magical Creatures. Even the year there’d been a professor fascinated with manticores and chimeras, everyone had passed the class. Several had been killed, but they’d all passed.

 

The two Marauders were not enjoying this new facet to their notoriety. They were convinced they were jinxed or cursed, but no amount of examinations by Madam Pomfrey and the current DADA professor or threats by the Marauders themselves helped in any way.

 

“I bet you they try and drop the class next year,” Bellatrix said one night, lounging sideways in one of the overstuffed armchairs by the fire.

 

“No bet,” Severus said absently from the floor, where he was finishing his Ancient Runes homework.

 

“Fine,” Bellatrix said, huffily. “I’m sure I can find someone who’ll take it.”

 

Lily snorted from her armchair, not even taking her nose out of the Charms book she was reading. “Only the first years would be stupid enough to do that,” she said. Several of the students nearby who’d overheard laughed. Bellatrix had turned out to be very gifted at Divination. Her readings were scarily accurate, although, as with all things, when it came to the trio, it was as if she’d been there and done it already. It had even gotten to the point that she could scan the week ahead, looking for whatever pranks the Marauders were planning. Forewarned, the Slytherins avoided everything, and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff got the worst of it. This was not making the Marauders – or even Gryffindor – any new friends, and twice fights had broken out in the halls. Dumbledore was summarily ignoring everything, and leaving the discipline to Professor McGonagall. Inevitably, it wasn’t Gryffindor that were losing points or landing in detentions.

 

Bellatrix’s hand dangled off the chair, and brushed the ends of Severus’ hair as he bent over his work. “Better check that again, Sev,” she said, casually. “Otherwise your lesson tomorrow will be . . . interesting.”

 

Severus straightened up, and ran his eyes over his work, muttering to himself under his breath. “Oh, Merlin!” he breathed when he found the problem. “Thanks, Trix.” He scribbled the rune out and carefully placed another one in the sentence. “Yeah, that would have been interesting, to say the least!”

 

“What did you do?” Lily asked, curiously, peering over the top of her book at him.

 

“Instead of saying, ‘I gift you this bouquet’, I put, ‘I gift you this Brahma Elephant’,” Severus said, sheepishly.

 

There was a beat of silence as everyone imagined the chaos that would have caused in class, and then the entire group of students around the fire burst out laughing.

 

 

---

 

 

By the time the trio reached the end of their fifth year and their OWLs, the unspoken, mostly harmless rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor had become very much spoken of, and not so harmless anymore. The Marauder’s pranks had grown ever more complicated, and ever more widespread, and only Bellatrix, who had gained quite a reputation within Slytherin as a Seer, was able to help them avoid the worst of the so-called pranks – almost none of which were funny to anybody else apart from the Marauders.

 

Dumbledore’s Golden boys also had no compunction about the victim of their pranks being a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. Of course, they preferred to catch a Snake, but really, they weren’t bothered who got caught, as long as they were nearby to witness it and laugh.

 

Although many of the professors tried to help curb the two ringleaders, Potter and Black, they swiftly made back any lost points by sucking up to McGonagall or Dumbledore, and any detentions were nullified by the Headmaster as well. Professor McGonagall had always been respected as a strict but fair teacher, but when it concerned her four Lions, it was obvious that impartiality went out the window.

 

It was, therefore, unsurprising that Lord Voldemort – whose star had been rapidly rising in the ministry over the past three years – was gaining support left, right and centre, and not just from Slytherins.

 

Lucius Malfoy had joined as his political advisor, after being failed on the last important Transfiguration project of his NEWT year, all because, as Head Boy, he had caught the Marauders out of their dorm after curfew and had docked points from them. Barely scraping an Acceptable on his Transfiguration NEWT had dashed his dreams of being an architect, and he had joined Voldemort’s group after being given a promise that those with unfair biases would be removed from positions of power.

 

Sadie Nuttlewheel, a Ravenclaw, had also been marked down on her Transfiguration projects. It meant that, rather than going out and getting a good job and getting married, she’d had to remain living with her parents while she studied the two years over again, to retake the NEWT privately.

 

Mandy and Treverson Carlisle, Hufflepuff twins, had barely passed their Transfiguration OWL, even though the pair of them were considered the top students in their year. They had not been allowed to take the subject at NEWT-level, and, like Sadie, were reduced to having to hire private tutors to re-do the OWL, and subsequently take the NEWT, in their spare time, or else suffer through being held back for a year to retake the exam.

 

After several letters of this sort reached him, Orion Black did some careful digging at the Ministry. He was not pleased with what he found. Despite the fact that the OWLs and NEWTs were supposed to be proctored by neutral Ministry workers, the only students who got good grades in Transfiguration were Gryffindors. Neutral Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws never got higher than Acceptable, and the outspoken ones sometimes barely even managed that. Slytherins could only dream of getting an Acceptable, with almost all of them getting Poor, Dreadful, or Troll.

 

Despite Dumbledore’s sunny dismissal of this as just student laziness, with a high number of Os and Es among the other subjects, it was obvious to anyone who cared to look that the failing Transfiguration grades weren’t just due to poor students.

 

With findings in hand, and three-quarters of the members behind him, Orion called for a meeting of the Wizengamot and for a vote of no-confidence on Dumbledore.

 

 

---

 

 

By the time the trio started their sixth year, it was all but outright war between Gryffindor and the other Houses. Dumbledore had managed to survive the vote of no-confidence, if only barely, and the outraged Lions were up in arms over the “unfair treatment” of their beloved Headmaster.

 

Wary of any backlash, quite a few of the trio’s OWL year – and even some of those taking their NEWTs – had secretly taken their exams for a second time at the Ministry, in disguise and under pseudonyms. When it came out that the two lots of exams had been taken on the same day, with two different sets of papers, but the grades of the pseudonyms were much higher than the original OWL, there had been a deluge of Howlers for Dumbledore and McGonagall, screaming against unfair grading practises and outright cheating, and calling for their dismissal.

 

They both hung onto their positions by the skin of their teeth, but McGonagall went around the school with her lips pinched so tightly together they turned white, and Dumbledore took to giving everyone who wasn’t dressed in red and gold severely disappointed looks.

 

Orion, along with a large group of concerned parents, had arranged for private tutors to come in to teach Transfiguration fairly to anybody who wasn’t a Gryffindor. It wasn’t that McGonagall had refused to have them in her classes – although nobody was under the impression that she wouldn’t have liked to have done just that – but it was more of a precaution.

 

The trio, meanwhile, had grown into unofficial leaders of their year, and were well on the way to being considered leaders of Slytherin. They weren’t fond of Dumbledore, but yet they refused to fawn over Lord Voldemort, either, and were gaining quite the reputation as neutral players. By now, everyone in Slytherin House was well aware that together, the three of them had the power to overthrow Voldemort if they had so desired, and most people thought it was lucky that they just wanted to be left alone.

 

“Honestly, this either or nonsense is . . . well, nonsense,” Lily complained one day at lunchtime. “There’s more than just black or white in the world!”

 

“But it’s hard to see that when you are black, or white,” said Bellatrix calmly.

 

“You’re not Black at all, are you, Trix?” Severus teased. Bellatrix stuck her tongue out at him, and several people laughed.

 

“So what other options are there?” a small third year asked. “You’re either evil, or you’re not.”

 

“See, that’s the problem,” Lily said, gesturing wildly with her fork and splashing the people near her with gravy. Severus and Bellatrix – well used to her by now – had already leaned back out of her way and placed small shields between them, and remained safely food-free.

 

“Calm down, dear, and eat your lunch,” said Severus, patting her on the shoulder. “We’ll explain.” And he stuffed a piece of toast into Lily’s mouth when she opened it to argue with him, causing her to glare at him.

 

Bellatrix looked around at the students who were avidly listening. “First of all, you get someone who comes along, decides they don’t like the way things are done, and decides the normal route to change is too slow for them. They want it done their way, and they want it done now! They don’t care who has to die, or who suffers, as long as their will is done. We saw that in Grindlewald, and in Mercana before him, and Shelyan before her, and so on and so forth right back through time, because there are always people who think they could do things better and want them changed right that second.”

 

“Then there’s those who like the way things are done, or who think it should be changed the natural way,” Severus continued. “These two voices clash, things get done, or not done, and suddenly, any lesser or neutral voices are shouted down, and the only ones left are the two contenders. If you don’t agree with one, you must be for the other, and vice versa.”

 

“And if you don’t agree with either, then you must be a silent supporter of the opponent, just waiting for the right time to show your true colours,” added Lily, who had finally finished chewing the toast enough to speak clearly.

 

“The trouble is,” mused Severus, “it’s very hard to be powerfully neutral, because neutral by its very definition means you agree with parts of both, and disagree with parts of both. If you truly have enough power to remain out of the battle, then both sides want you for their cause.”

 

“But what if being neutral drew more people to you?” a fourth-year chimed in.

 

The trio glanced at each other. “Let’s put it this way,” Bellatrix said, quietly, leaning in. “If there were to be a third side, apart from Voldemort or Dumbledore, do you think either one would accept that? That there were people who frankly just didn’t care about either of their causes?”

 

The rest of the students with them also exchanged looks. They themselves were a wonderful example. They were really too young to care much about politics until their NEWT years, and by that point, Dumbledore had all but pushed them into Voldemort’s arms.

 

The bell rang before anyone could say anything else, and the students scattered. The trio gathered their bags and headed outside for Care of Magical Creatures. The class was much more peaceful, now that James Potter and Sirius Black weren’t in it.

 

“Right, folks!” Professor Kettleburn clapped his hands together, producing a dull bonking sound. He’d lost his left hand two summers ago – nobody knew how, although most people said he’d had it bitten off by a rampaging Swedish Shortsnout – and now sported a wooden replica. “Today’s lesson is going to be split into two – one part for the boys, one part for the girls. So, boys first. We’re raising a new herd here at Hogwarts. The Headmaster has requested that we not use Hippogriffs to pull the carriages anymore—” There was a snort of laughter at his words.

 

There had always been problems with the temperamental creatures pulling the carriages getting offended by students not showing them enough respect, but the problem had peaked the previous year, when all of the Hippogriffs had bolted back to the castle, rather than let James Potter or Sirius Black anywhere near them. The Welcoming Feast had been delayed for three hours as everyone had trudged their way up to the castle. Dumbledore had been furious.

 

“Therefore, hopefully by the end of this school year, but if not, definitely from next year onwards, we will be using—”

 

“Thestrals!” Lily interrupted, sighing joyfully. Her eyes were fixed on a point somewhere to the left of the professor, just inside the Forbidden Forest.

 

“What? Really? Where?” the rest of the class chorused, in varying tones.

 

“There!” Bellatrix exclaimed, although she was pointing off to the right.

 

“And there, too,” added Severus, gazing straight ahead.

 

Professor Kettleburn’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You three can see them?” he asked. Then he shook his head. “Why am I even asking you three that?” he said. “Can anybody else see them?” Everyone else in the class shook their heads. “Okay, not to worry, that’s probably a good thing. Thestrals can only be seen if you’ve seen Death.” Gasps of alarm met his words, and caused several birds to fly, shrieking, from the Forbidden Forest. “Now, now, I know the rumours about them. As I’m sure these three can attest, Thestrals aren’t evil, or nasty.”

 

As he was speaking, the professor had dropped a pile of rare meat close to himself. Ever so slowly, the Thestrals were inching out of the Forest to investigate.

 

“So who have you known who died?” Lily asked Severus, softly. A Thestral had stealthily moved towards them, and now nudged her gently in the back. Absently, all three began stroking it.

 

“As far as I know, nobody,” Severus replied, frowning. “Mum’s family disowned her when she insisted on marrying Dad, and if any of Dad’s family are still alive, he doesn’t have any contact with them either. How about you? You’re the one with the Thestral hair.”

 

“My grandparents died before I was born,” said Lily, shaking her head. The Thestral snorted and lipped at her hand. “And my parents were both only children.”

 

“Just leaves you, Trix,” said Severus. Bellatrix was frowning.

 

“There’s talk in my family,” she began, slowly, “that when my great-grandmother Belvina was dying, she called the family together, but halfway through saying her goodbyes, she died suddenly. They say that she instantly became a ghost, laid a hand on the head of every child she hadn’t said goodbye to, drew her hand across my forehead, and then turned all silver and disappeared.” She gave the other two a worried look. “But I was only a year and a half old. I don’t even remember it myself.”

 

Lily made a humming noise. “Guess you don’t need to remember seeing Death,” she mused.

 

“Or perhaps it’s Trix’s Seer blood that’s doing it,” Severus pointed out. “Sounds like your great-grandmother woke it up, Trix. Or at least brought it into being.”

 

They were interrupted by Professor Kettleburn, who was gathering the girls off to one side, well away from the boys and the Thestrals. With his arm looped over its neck, the Thestral was quite happy to follow Severus to join the rest of its herd.

 

Loud gasps of awe and the sound of cooing made the boys look up. Ranged in front of the girls was a herd of fully grown unicorns. Now they understood why they’d been split up. The adult unicorns wouldn’t allow the boys close to them.

 

Except then Severus discovered something about the bond that made him very happy as a potions-maker.

 

The unicorns had split themselves between the girls, and what looked to be the lead mare of the herd was standing beside Lily and Bellatrix. Although she was accepting their gentle caresses, she was also whinnying, tossing her head around as if looking for something. None of them, not even Professor Kettleburn, could figure out what that something was.

 

Suddenly, with a shrill squeal, the mare leapt forward . . . directly towards the group of boys who were still fumbling around the invisible-to-them Thestrals. Most of the boys scattered with cries of alarm, but Severus had been concentrating on the Thestral and hadn’t moved.

 

“Sev!” screamed Bellatrix and Lily, in unison. Severus looked up, and his mouth opened in alarm, just as the unicorn slid to a plunging halt in front of him . . . and then bowed before him.

 

 

---

 

 

Seventh year – their NEWT year – was surprisingly stress-free. The Marauders kept up their campaign of terrorising the rest of the school in the guise of ‘pranks’, and had apparently developed a map of Hogwarts that showed where everyone was. This had at first played havoc with Bellatrix’s Seer powers, since it enabled Potter and Black to quickly change their plans if necessary, but then Severus invented a spell that, to the map, showed the person going along their original route, whilst actually going a different way. Judging by their reactions, the Marauders were disgusted that their fool-proof map had failed, although it didn’t stop them from using it to avoid getting caught out of their dorm after curfew.

 

As the NEWTs neared, the trio made their plans for after Hogwarts. Severus was well on the way to becoming the youngest Potions Master in a century, Lily had plans to gain her Charms Mastery and then go into teaching, and Bellatrix had been offered a position in the Department of Mysteries as a Seer.

 

In an effort to prove that fair grades were being given for both the NEWTs and the OWLs, proctors were brought in from Europe, and the papers and grades were checked every time they were moved, ensuring that if there later turned out to be a problem, they knew where in the chain to start looking.

 

However, this didn’t prevent both Dumbledore and McGonagall from insisting that the trio not sit anywhere near each other, or even in the same room. The trio didn’t object, although they were very scathing in the Slytherin common room about the implications of the charge.

 

“Honestly, do they think we have the power of telepathy?” stormed Severus, pacing angrily.

 

“Even if we did, separating us wouldn’t make a difference,” Bellatrix added from where she was sitting, filing her nails into sharp points.

 

“They’re idiots, trying to prove that we cheat and therefore discredit us,” said Lily. Usually she was the most explosive of them – it was the red hair, everyone always said – but on this occasion, she was almost scarily calm. “They’re scared,” she added. “Scared of us individually, yes, but more terrified of what we can do together.”

 

“Good,” Severus snapped, dropping into a chair and drumming his long, elegant fingers on the arm of it.

 

“Ohhh,” Bellatrix suddenly breathed out, in awe. “Lily, that’s brilliant!”

 

“What is?” Severus asked, rolling his eyes. Sometimes, Bellatrix’s Seer abilities allowed her to see the plans others made before they’d even made them. And sometimes, she just plain forgot that not everybody could see it as she did.

 

“When I go into teaching, I won’t teach here,” Lily said. “I’ll go somewhere else to start, build connections, then start my own school.”

 

“And within a decade, Hogwarts won’t be the most prestigious school in England anymore,” Bellatrix added. She obviously wasn’t guessing. “Dumbledore and McGonagall will be shown for the prejudiced teachers they are, and no-one aside from Gryffindors will accept their letters anymore. The Sorting Hat will cry,” she said, contemplatively, after a small pause. “It will cry for the Founders’ Unity which is no more, then it will go dormant, never to speak again until a worthy descendant comes to take over.”

 

Lily and Severus glanced at each other. It sounded as though the Gryffindors – all of them, past and present – were going to get a harsh lesson on what ‘unity’ really meant.

 

 

---

 

 

The NEWTs passed with little trouble, and the seventh years started gearing up for their graduation. Immediately after the Leaving Feast, the Great Hall was transformed into a ballroom, and it wasn’t long before the alcohol was flowing freely. Silencing spells had been set up around the dorms of the younger years, since it was practically a given that things would become raucous.

 

When dawn arrived, Bellatrix was making her wobbly way back to the Slytherin common room for the last time. She thought she’d seen Lily talking to Remus Lupin, but had lost track of her. She discovered Severus lying on one of the settees in front of the fire, his eyes squeezed shut.

 

“Has the room stopped spinning, yet?” he moaned, piteously, gingerly cracking one eye open to find out.

 

“The room isn’t spinning,” Bellatrix pointed out, grinning at him. Looked like they’d all had fun. “Just how much did you drink?”

 

“Not much. One cup, if that,” Severus said. He shuddered, then winced as the movement jarred his head. “You know I don’t want to risk ending up like my old man.”

 

Bellatrix frowned. That was true. Severus almost never drank, and when he did, it was never more than one cup or glass. Lily and Bellatrix had never pushed him, knowing all too well what he feared drinking to excess would do to him. And it wasn’t possible for someone to spike the graduation punch – mainly because the alcohol had been out in the open, and there wouldn’t have been any need to hide it from the professors.

 

All of a sudden, the world shimmered and seemed to explode around them. Bellatrix cried out and stumbled against the wall next to the fireplace. Severus arched on the settee with a harsh yell, and only the wild flail of an arm prevented him from falling off it.

 

“What in Circe’s name was that?” Severus gasped, once it had stopped. He levered himself upright, looking wild-eyed.

 

“I don’t know,” Bellatrix admitted, gingerly letting go of the mantelpiece. “I wonder if Lily felt that, too?”

 

“I wonder if anyone besides us felt that,” Severus said, shaking his head as though to clear it. “Weird, I feel alright again now.”

 

“You think it was the build up to . . . whatever that was?” asked Bellatrix.

 

“Maybe. You aren’t as wobbly as you were when you came in,” Severus pointed out. He got to his feet. “We need to go check—”

 

Before he could even finish his sentence, the door to the common room opened, and Lily all but fell through it. Her dress was rumpled, and the slit up the side had torn even further, showing almost the whole of her leg. Her hair was half out of the twist she’d piled it up into, and her eyes were wide, gleaming against her pale skin.

 

“Lily!” Bellatrix and Severus chorused in alarm, and they both lunged for her.

 

“What happened?” “Are you alright?” they spoke over each other as they guided her towards a chair beside the fire.

 

“I-I-I don’t know,” Lily stammered, raising a hand to shakily brush the hair out of her eyes. Severus sat on the arm of the chair beside her, pulling her hair completely out of the twist and then tying it back in a simple ponytail. “It’s just a blur.”

 

“The last time I saw you, you were talking with Lupin,” Bellatrix said, sitting on the other arm of the chair.

 

“Lupin . . .” Lily said, slowly. “Yes, I remember that. I was speaking to Remus, then he went off to get me another drink. I . . . I asked him to get me a glass of punch. I think,” she added, hesitantly. She glanced up at first Bellatrix, then Severus. “I’m sure I wanted punch. He left to get it. It seemed to take an awfully long time. Then when he came back, he said . . . he said . . .” Lily’s brows drew together as she struggled to make sense of her memory. “He said he had something to show me, something unforgettable.”

 

Unseen above her head, Severus and Bellatrix exchanged grim looks.

 

“He led me somewhere, somewhere dim, but not dark,” Lily continued. She clasped her hands together to stop them from shaking, but Bellatrix prised them apart so she could grip one hand tightly. Severus took an equally hard grasp of the other hand. “And then everything suddenly seemed to get so bright, so loud and so . . . fast. I think I stumbled, and he propped me up against a wall, and started saying something about my dress. How nice it was, and how much better it’d look once it was off me.”

 

Lily started to shake again. Severus looked murderous, and Bellatrix reached out her free hand to stop him from moving. Once they were all connected, the warm flow of their combined power circling between them seemed to soothe Lily somewhat. She leaned her head sideways to rest against Severus’ hip.

 

“After that, it’s just . . . sensation. Something good was happening, but at the same time I knew it was bad. I-I-I couldn’t stop it, it flowed over me as though I were drowning. It built and built . . . and then it was like the whole world tilted sideways and exploded. And then I could see and hear and speak again, and suddenly it wasn’t Remus holding me up.”

 

“Potter,” Severus growled, his voice deep and dangerous. “It was Potter, wasn’t it? Under Polyjuice.”

 

Lily sniffed, hiccupped, and then started sobbing. The other two wrapped their arms tightly around her, and the three rocked together for a while.

 

“We need to contact the Aurors,” Severus said, eventually. “Not even Dumbledore and McGonagall can talk away this.”

 

“Of course they can,” Lily said, bitterly. “I was drunk, and I’m a Slytherin besides. I was teasing, leading him on, begging—”

 

“We can’t, anyway,” interrupted Bellatrix.

 

“What?! Of course we can – we have to!” Severus protested. “If they get away with it now, who knows how many more times they’ll try it again?”

 

“Sev, haven’t you been paying attention to the bond?” Bellatrix said, gently. Puzzled, Severus and Lily both closed their eyes to concentrate on the magic shared between them. A few minutes later, as one, their eyes shot open and they gasped. Bellatrix nodded. “Precisely,” she said. “A dark-haired stranger who’s not a stranger will give you your most precious thing.”

 

“Oh,” Lily said, almost soundlessly.

 

“Oh, Lily,” sighed Severus.

 

“Of the three and by the three, it will be loved,” Bellatrix added, softly.

 

  Together, all three of them placed a hand over Lily’s abdomen, and felt the incredibly tiny flutter of the new, barely-there magical life begin.

Two years later

 

“Harrison Orion Evans, you come back here, right this instant!”

 

Smiling, Severus opened his lab door, just in time to catch the feisty black-haired imp that was running straight towards it as fast as his little legs could carry him. Severus held the little boy in the air for a moment, who giggled as his legs wheeled in an attempt to keep running, then he brought the boy down to rest on his hip.

 

“Are you trying Mummy’s patience again, Imp?” he asked, pretending to tweak the boy’s nose. The 15 month old toddler giggled again, and buried his face in Severus’ neck, as though blocking out the world would make him invisible to it.

 

“Harrison! Oh, Sev,” Lily interrupted herself with a sigh as she came around the corner. “You got him.”

 

“Caught him trying to make a break for it,” Severus told her, smiling at her exasperated huff. “What did he do this time?”

 

“He was supposed to be helping me make dinner, except his help consisting of dumping all of the flour and all of the sugar out into a big pile in the middle of the kitchen floor,” Lily said, mock-scowling at her son. Harrison just giggled again, clearly delighted with his new game.

 

“Not a budding chef, huh?” Severus gently poked the little boy in the side, and Harrison squealed in glee.

 

“No, but demolition may be a good career choice,” said Lily, dryly, reaching to take Harrison from Severus. The toddler went willingly to his mother, catching a handful of red hair and beginning to chew on it. Severus laughed.

 

“Well, I’m sure Lissy will be delighted to help,” he said. “I’ve just finished brewing, so I can look after Imp while you’re doing dinner.”

 

“Oh, would you?” Lily watched as Severus turned to shut and securely ward his lab door, then handed Harrison back to him. “Shouldn’t be more than an hour, and Trix will be back soon.”

 

“Mama T’ix?” Harrison chirped, looking eagerly around. Severus shifted his hold on the boy as Harrison almost squirmed himself right out of Severus’ arms.

 

“Not yet, honey,” Lily said, brushing the black hair out of the tyke’s green eyes. “You go play with Sev for a bit.”

 

“Papa Sev!” Harrison squealed, and threw his arms around Severus’ neck as though surprised to find him there.

 

Severus rolled his eyes at Lily, who chuckled and headed back down the hall. “Thank you, Imp, I’d begun to forget who I was,” he said to Harrison.

 

“B’oom?” Harrison asked, bouncing slightly in his excitement. Severus tightened his hold again. “We play b’oom!”

 

“Yes, yes, I’ll let you play on your broom. But no trying to go faster than I say so!” he added, sternly, wagging a finger at Harrison. The last time Harrison had been allowed on his child’s broom, he’d all but broken the safety speed charm, trying to get it to move faster. Lily had been most unimpressed with her son’s spellwork, and Harrison hadn’t much liked the afternoon’s time-out he’d gotten, either.

 

“Ha’y be good!” the boy assured him, brightly, beaming at Severus. Severus smiled and shook his head. Little Imp was too charming for his own good.

 

He put Harrison down in the living room and summoned the boy’s toy broom, spelling it so it couldn’t go any faster than an adult’s walking pace. Then he held it steady for Harrison to climb on. Harrison shrieked with glee as he circled the living room, several times forcing Severus to skip out of his way or risk having his legs slammed into.

 

Fifteen minutes later, there was a sharp crack from the hallway, and then Bellatrix’s voice was calling. “I’m back! Where is everyone?”

 

“In the living room with Harrison,” Severus called back. Bellatrix poked her head around the door. Harrison gave a loud squeal as soon as he saw her, and the toy broom dropped to the floor, allowing him to race towards her.

 

“Mama T’ix!” Harrison bellowed, as he lunged at one of Bellatrix’s legs, hugging it tightly. “What you b’ing me?”

 

“What did I bring you?” Bellatrix scooped the little boy up and rubbed noses with him. “Was I supposed to bring you something?”

 

Severus laughed as the toddler stuck his bottom lip out in an adorable pout. He collected the forgotten broom from the floor and sank down onto the settee as Bellatrix settled Harrison onto her hip and danced around the room with him.

 

“How’s the experimenting going?” Bellatrix asked, as she finally dropped onto the settee next to Severus, placing Harrison down onto the floor and summoning several of his toys for him.

 

Severus watched as Harrison dived for his building blocks and began alternately banging them together and chewing on them. “Some are going quite well, some . . . not so well,” he said.

 

“How many exploded?” Bellatrix asked, stifling a laugh as Severus gave her a mock-glare.

 

“Three,” he finally admitted with a huff.

 

Bellatrix’s full blown laugh attracted Harrison’s attention again, and the little boy toddled over to them, balancing against their knees. He reached up a small hand and twanged what seemed to be the air in between Bellatrix and Severus. Both felt the bond between the two of them shiver.

 

“He’s very sensitive to it,” Bellatrix said, running her hand through the boy’s hair.

 

“But is it just the bond, or all magic?” Severus wondered. “He’s never given any indication that he can see other magic. Lily tried him with Lissy, and he couldn’t see her if she didn’t want him to.”

 

“House elf magic is different from ours,” said Bellatrix with a shrug. “But you’re right – it may just be he can see it because he’s a part of it.” She frowned slightly.

 

“What?” asked Severus. Wordlessly, he made some of Harrison’s toy figures march over, distracting the boy from their conversation.

 

“I’d rather wait—” Bellatrix started.

 

“I’m here, Trix,” Lily interrupted from the doorway. “Lissy’s finishing off dinner.” She wriggled her way in between them on the settee. “Now, what’s wrong?”

 

“A new prophecy orb appeared in the Department of Mysteries today,” Bellatrix started. Her brows pulled together in a worried frown. “Apparently, Dumbledore was holding interviews for a new Divinations professor, and a descendant of the prophetess Cassandra applied. Unfortunately, the lady’s inherited none of Cassandra’s power, and is basically a quack, but it seems that during her interview, she got lucky, and she actually gave a real prophecy.” Severus and Lily glanced at each other. “The prophecy concerns the defeat of Voldemort.”

 

“Well, that’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Lily asked. The self-styled Lord had not been content to remain in the Ministry’s ranks for long. Attacks by his so-called Death Eaters were on the rise every day. Dumbledore had his own forces opposing Voldemort, but although they saved lives – or did their best to – sometimes their ‘defence’ against Voldemort was equally as devastating to a family’s livelihood. Several prominent Pureblood families had already left for Europe or America to avoid having to choose sides.

 

Bellatrix slowly shook her head. “The prophecy doesn’t concern me – isn’t about me at all – but I can touch the prophecy orb without going mad.”

 

“But that means . . .” Lily’s voice trailed off in horror.

 

“It’s about one of us,” Severus said. “One of us here in this room.” He and Lily followed Bellatrix’s gaze.

 

“No!” Lily choked out.

 

“I’m sorry, Lily!” Bellatrix burst out. “The prophecy is about Harrison.”

 

 

---

 

 

By the time the next morning arrived, Lily had barely let Harrison out of her sight for a minute. The toddler wasn’t complaining, although whether that was because he could feel the agitation in the bond or he was just enjoying the close attention wasn’t clear.

 

“Tell me again,” Lily demanded for the tenth time, gripping the mug of tea in her hands so tightly it was a miracle it hadn’t shattered already.

 

“What difference does it make how many times Trix tells us?” Severus asked, wearily. He was slumped in a chair near to the fire, his eyes half-closed. Bellatrix was on the settee, her head resting on the back of it, her eyes closed. Lily had been maniacally pacing for the last hour.

 

“I need to know!” Lily said through gritted teeth. She placed her mug onto the nearby side table, with a solid click that told Severus she’d have much preferred to throw it at him. “There must be another interpretation. It can’t be Harrison!”

 

“Whether it is or not, Dumbledore believes it is, and so Voldemort will believe it,” Bellatrix murmured. Lily’s head whipped around.

 

“My baby is in danger because of that meddling old codger?” she asked, her voice a low growl.

 

“Lily, forget that!” Severus snapped at her. “We need to focus on protecting Harrison.”

 

“We can hide him!” Lily shot back. “The Fidelius Charm – he can be placed under that. We all can!”

 

Bellatrix’s head rolled gently from side to side in a negative motion. “Once they realise we’re gone, they’ll concentrate on where we aren’t,” she said, sleepily.

 

Lily opened her mouth to argue again, but Severus held up a hand. He was pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand, clearly thinking hard. Lily resumed pacing again, shooting constant glances at where her son was sleeping peacefully in his cot that she’d moved from the nursery.

 

“That could be very explosive, Sev,” Bellatrix said, finally opening her eyes.

 

“As long as it explodes out, that’s all we need,” Severus replied, glancing at her. “It will work, then?”

 

Bellatrix was silent for a moment, her eyes glazing over, as she checked the possible futures. “Yes,” she said, eventually. “It will.”

 

“What will?” asked Lily, sighing.

 

“We set up a mobile ward, with Harrison as the centre,” Severus explained. “A nine point ward, done three by three.”

 

“Interesting,” mused Lily. “Charm or hex?”

 

“Both,” said Bellatrix. “Curse, too. One of each.”

 

“And layered?” Lily checked. When Severus nodded, she blew out her breath. “Trix is right, that has the potential to be very explosive, Sev.”

 

“But if we do the first and the last layers facing outwards, then if the ward should be triggered, the force should go outwards,” Severus said.

 

“Alright,” Lily agreed on a sigh. “Let’s do it now, before Harrison wakes up.”

 

“No,” Bellatrix said. “He needs to be awake for it. Then we’ll all be tied into the ward as well, both for protection and as power.”

 

Severus and Lily both raised their eyebrows at her. Considering how explosive the ward had the potential to be on its own, with their own boosted bond magic added to it, the ward could turn into the magical equivalent of a nuclear bomb. Anyone trying to get to Harrison through it wouldn’t be leaving whole – if they left at all.

 

 

---

 

 

By the following morning, Bellatrix had discovered the best day and ritual for the warding. Unfortunately, it appeared that the optimum time would be on their birthdays, so they couldn’t start protecting Harrison until the beginning of December, a good six months away. Lily had been frantic, and it had taken Bellatrix and Severus a good hour to convince her that she couldn’t carry Harrison with her until that time.

 

“But what if Voldemort comes after him before then?” she insisted, staring wild-eyed at them both.

 

Severus passed her a mug of tea, without mentioning the calming draught he’d slipped into it. “He’ll be fine,” he said, soothingly. “Now drink your tea.”

 

“How can you know that?” Lily demanded, stridently, her eyes flashing sparks at him.

 

“Because Trix would have seen if he wasn’t,” Severus pointed out. He placed a hand underneath the mug and pushed it upwards. Lily took the hint and sipped at the tea. Then she released a shaky breath and looked down at her son, who was anxiously clinging to her leg.

 

“So how do we protect him until we can do the warding?” she asked, running a hand through his messy hair. Harrison let out an aggrieved squawk, batted her hand away and fruitlessly tried to smooth his hair down again. The three adults laughed as he made his escape, toddling over to his pile of toys in a corner.

 

“I’ve set up anti-Apparation wards against him,” Bellatrix explained, pulling Lily down onto the settee next to her. “Even if someone tries to sneak in and Apparate him out, they’ll go, but he won’t.”

 

“Won’t that splinch him?” asked Lily, slightly horrified.

 

Bellatrix shook her head. “He’ll just bounce back, so in essence, he won’t go anywhere. The intruder, on the other hand . . .” She trailed off, and Lily and Severus grimaced as they imagined what could happen. “I’ve also set up an anti-portkey ward around the house, and we aren’t on the floo network.”

 

“So the only other recourse would be muggle kidnapping,” Severus said, raising an eyebrow at her.

 

“Essentially,” Bellatrix agreed. “But that takes time to set up, and they won’t find out about the wards until they try them.”

 

“And one of us can keep watch over the Imp anyway,” finished Severus.

 

“We need to teach Harrison to use the bond,” Lily said, suddenly. She frowned as she saw the looks the other two were giving her. “He knows about it, he plays with it, but he needs to learn how to use it, either to protect himself until we get there, or to call one of us if he needs us.”

 

“And how do you propose we do that?” Bellatrix asked. “Harry’s not even two yet!”

 

“Simple,” said Severus. He held out a hand, and conjured a set of small action figures. “We play it out for him.”

 

 

---

 

 

Harrison was thrilled with the look-alike figures, cooing “Mama, Ha’y, Mama T’ix, Papa Sev!” again and again, touching a finger to each figure’s head in turn.

 

“That’s right, Harry,” Severus praised him. “And look . . . what’s this?” He gently prodded the bond, ensuring his little figurine did so too, and both Harrison and the toy Harry jumped. The bond between the figures was shown as a slender red string, looping them all and binding them together. Severus twanged the bond between himself and Harrison again, and this time they could see the red line between the figure Severus and Harrison jump too.

 

Harrison peered at the figures suspiciously, narrowing his green eyes. He reached out and poked one of the red lines, and this time, it was Lily and her figure who jumped.

 

“You called, baby?” she asked, leaning over from her place on the settee.

 

Harrison looked up at her, surprised. “Me call?” he repeated.

 

“Sure you did,” Bellatrix added. “Like this.” And she prodded her part of the bond.

 

Harrison’s gaze swung between her, his mother, and the figures in front of him, his clever mind clearly making connections.

 

“Hey, where’d Sev go?” Lily asked, in exaggerated surprise. Harrison looked around to discover that Severus had indeed vanished.

 

“Papa Sev?” he called out. “Papa Sev!” His lower lip wobbled, and his eyes gained a sheen of tears as he looked up at Lily. “Papa Sev no play?”

 

“Why don’t you call him and see if he comes back?” Lily suggested. She leaned over and pushed at the bond between the little figure Severus and Harrison. Harrison blinked rapidly as the little black-haired figurine Apparated from its place to beside the toy Harry. “Now you try,” urged Lily. “Call for Papa Sev.”

 

Screwing his face up in determination, Harrison reached out and firmly twanged the bond between himself and Severus. He did it so hard that even Lily and Bellatrix felt the echo of it. Within seconds, there was a loud crack! and Severus was once more beside Harrison. “You called?” he said with a grin.

 

“Papa Sev!” Harrison screamed, and launched himself into Severus’ arms, burying his face in Severus’ hair. “You no go!” they could barely hear him saying. “Papa Sev stay and play wiv me!”

 

“Of course I’m staying and playing with you, Imp,” Severus reassured the boy, hugging him tightly before putting him down and summoning Harrison’s other toys. He glanced up at Bellatrix and Lily, all of them agreeing that it was enough work for the moment.

 

 

---

 

 

They’d played with the same figures every night for the past week, encouraging Harrison to pull on the bond whenever he wanted one of the trio. They had wondered how they were supposed to tell if the toddler really understood, but had figured they wouldn’t know until it really happened.

 

Which happened a lot sooner than any of them expected.

 

Bellatrix’s sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa, had brought their children to the house the trio shared. Despite Voldemort’s views on Muggles and Muggleborns, he had conceded the point that it didn’t really matter what the trio did, as they were powerful enough together to shrug off anything he tried to do to them – and he didn’t want to risk them coming after him in a vengeful wrath if he happened to deliberately hurt someone they cared about.

 

As a result, Andromeda, who had married a Muggleborn, was allowed to visit Bellatrix as and when she pleased. So as not to aggravate Lucius Malfoy, who had married Narcissa as soon as she’d graduated and was now Voldemort’s right-hand man, any visits including Narcissa and their son were always held at the trio’s home, and nothing was ever said about them one way or the other.

 

Dumbledore, on the other hand, found it very disturbing that such powerful people were so freely consorting with those connected with the Dark Lord. He had no problems with Andromeda and her three-year-old daughter, Nymphadora (who insisted on being called Nympha, and wouldn’t answer to anything else), but he believed that Narcissa and her nine-month-old son Draco were the advance guard of the enemy, and shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near decent, Dark-fearing wizardkind.

 

He and McGonagall had also agreed between them that for Slytherins to have as much power as the trio did could only lead to tragedy, and no doubt sooner rather than later. Slytherins were just too ambitious to settle for what they had. As a result, they had their own forces – the Order of the Phoenix – keeping an eye on the trio and their visitors. The trio were obviously well aware of their watchers, but as long as the meddling Gryffindors didn’t come too close to the house, or interfere with them, they were content to ignore them.

 

On this particular visit, Nymphadora, Harry and Draco had been sent outside under Lissy’s care to play in the back garden whilst the sisters enjoyed catching up in the living room. Lily was at work, which was as a teaching assistant in a medium-sized school buried somewhere in the middle of England. Even after having to take time off to have Harrison, she was well on the way to becoming a fully-fledged teacher, and all the children adored her, whether they were in her class or not. Severus was locked away in his laboratory, experimenting with various potions. He’d gained his Potions Mastery the year before, and had become the youngest Potions Master in over a century. His potions were always in demand, and the potions community followed his work with interest.

 

The watcher on this particular day happened to be James Potter. He was leaning against the wall of the house across the street, desperately bored, but knowing that the evil Slytherins were just waiting for him to leave before setting their nefarious plans in motion.

 

Or perhaps, he thought as the crack! of apparation echoed down the street, they were just waiting for their ringleader to arrive. Potter straightened up and eased back into the shadow of the building as Lucius Malfoy appeared just outside the trio’s home. Hearing the children laughing and squealing, the blond-haired wizard headed around the side of the house.

 

Tip-toeing after him, Potter could feel his heart-rate increasing. This was it! He was about to catch one of the evillest wizards – second only to You- . . Voldemort – in the very act of doing . . . something! Now perhaps the world would see that Slytherins, even family members, could never be trusted. He had no idea what Lucius could be up to, but no doubt it was diabolical.

 

Lucius rounded the corner of the house, and spotted his son, his niece and his nephew playing among the stone planters that formed a border around the garden, inside the tall wooden fence. The planters were filled with a variety of flowers and herbs, and potion ingredients for Severus, and every second planter had a tall, equally heavy stone vase sitting on one end.

 

“Draco,” he called, waving a hand to attract his little son’s attention.

 

“Da!” “Unca Luci!” “Uncle Lucius!” the three children chorused when they saw him, and began a mad scramble to greet him.

 

Potter, having to jump around to see over the fence, saw Lucius’ arm rise, and immediately leapt to the worst conclusion.

 

“You won’t harm these children while I’m around!” he bellowed, and fired a concussion blast at Lucius to knock him away from the children.

 

Unfortunately, due to the angle he was at, and his wild leap to aim over the tall fence, his spell shot straight in front of Lucius and bounced off the wall beside him, ricocheting back down the garden and splashing against one of the stone vases.

 

The vase cracked, wobbled, and then fell from the planter, the top-half exploding in mid-air, and the rest of the vase crashing heavily to the ground.

 

Lucius whirled around, his wand aimed and a spell ready on his lips, searching frantically for his attacker. Lissy was already heading for where Potter was now trying to hurdle the fence. The three women inside had come racing out as soon as they heard the blast strike the house. The three children were huddled at the opposite side of the garden, crying.

 

Or at least, two of them were. Little Draco, unable to move as fast as his older cousins, had been directly in the path of the exploding, falling stone vase. His left leg was firmly pinned underneath the vase, while the rest of him was covered in cuts and bruises from the exploded shrapnel. A large purple bump was forming on his right temple, and the little boy was unconscious.

 

With the adults and Lissy busy trying to fend off Potter, and Nymphadora hysterically sobbing in fear, nobody else seemed to have noticed Draco’s plight. But Harrison had, and he knew he needed an adult – Draco needed an adult – right now! Mama T’ix was busy seeing off that nasty man. Mama was away wiv her other child’en.

 

So Harrison did the only other thing he knew to do. He took a deep breath, and then yanked with all his might on the bond between himself and Papa Sev.

 

 

---

 

 

Down in his lab, Severus had already felt Bellatrix’s shock, horror and determination, and had just finished casting a stasis spell over his workroom to go and help when he felt Harrison’s call. It all but pulled him off his feet, and he knew that Harrison was frightened and desperate. Without a second thought, he apparated directly to Harrison’s side and scooped him up, frantically checking to see if the boy was injured. Nymphadora crashed into his legs, now sobbing hysterically in relief that help had arrived, and Severus rested a hand on her head.

 

“Papa Sev!” Harrison squealed, clamping his arms tightly around Severus’ neck. “Bad man come!” he babbled, releasing one arm to point a little finger at the desperate battle with Potter and his newly-arrived backup going on in the opposite corner of the garden. Then his finger moved to where Draco lay motionless under the remains of the stone vase. “D’aco inju’ed,” he added.

 

Severus felt his heart freeze as he spotted Draco. “Draco!” he choked out, and dropped to his knees beside the little boy. “Nympha, take Harry!” he ordered, pushing Harrison at his older cousin. “Stay right here beside me!”

 

Suddenly, unbelievably, Lily was there beside him. “Sev, I’ve got them,” she insisted, pulling the children up into her arms. “What do you need?”

 

“My potions kit,” Severus replied, holding up a hand to catch the small bag which had come flying towards him even as he spoke. A stray flash of red light hit the fence just to the side of them, and Severus shot a glare over his shoulder. His eyes met Bellatrix’s. Lily moved in closer so that her knee was touching Severus’ shoulder, and with Severus and Bellatrix both holding their ends of the bond, the three of them shouted the spell that would activate the wards on their home.

 

A blinding flash of light lit up the entire back garden, and Potter and his cohorts were flung away from the garden fence they were trying to climb over, soaring over the nearby houses to be dumped unceremoniously several streets away.

 

Lucius, Andromeda and Narcissa all slumped for a moment, panting, then remembered the children and charged across the garden to where Severus was desperately feeding potions down Draco’s throat with one hand while waving his wand with the other hand.

 

Nymphadora burst into a new round of sobs as her mother picked her up, cuddling her tightly. Lucius and Narcissa clung to each other as Severus worked to stabilise their son. Bellatrix hugged Lily and Harrison, pressing a kiss to Harrison’s forehead.

 

“Clever boy!” she said, her voice gone hoarse from shouting spells. “You did the right thing, Harry. Just as we showed you. Well done!” Harrison smiled tiredly at her, then slipped his thumb into his mouth and rested his head on his mother’s shoulder. “How did you know?” Bellatrix asked Lily in a hushed voice.

 

“I felt Harry’s call to Sev,” Lily said, in an equally hushed tone. “Up until then, I thought you both could handle whatever it was. But his call . . . Merlin, Trix, did you feel it?”

 

“I did,” Bellatrix agreed, running her hand through Harrison’s hair. “I was busy trying to get rid of Potter and the other dunderheads he’d called in, but I felt it.”

 

“Is Draco . . . ?” they suddenly heard Narcissa ask. Severus had sat back on his heels, wiping a forearm over his face.

 

“I’ve stabilised him,” he said. “But he needs to go to St. Mungo’s now.”

 

“Thank you, Severus, Bellatrix,” said Lucius, gently lifting his son into his arms. “When we report this, may we call on you as witnesses?”

 

“Of course,” Lily answered for them. “We hope Draco will take no lasting harm from this.”

 

“I’m sorry your visit has to end this way,” Bellatrix added, crossing over to hug both of her sisters.

 

“Me, too,” Narcissa said. Then her eyes hardened. “But it wasn’t your fault. It was those Gryffindors. Dumbledore’s people.”

 

“And believe me, they’ll pay for it,” Lucius added, then Narcissa tucked a hand under his arm, and with a sharp crack! they were gone.

 

 

---

 

 

The papers the next day were full of the story, with headlines such as “Toddler injured by overzealous Auror”, “When children aren’t safe in their own back-yards”, and even “Dumbledore injures nine-month-old son of Ministry employee” splashed across their front pages.

 

“Merlin, I bet Dumbledore is furious,” Lily said over breakfast, reading the article in the Daily Prophet. “This makes it sound as though he personally came and hurt Draco.”

 

“I wonder if Potter will keep his job?” mused Severus, neatly catching the piece of toast that Harrison had just thrown at him. “No, Harry, that’s for eating, not throwing,” he scolded. Harrison blew a raspberry at him. Obviously the drama of the day before hadn’t affected him very much.

 

“He’ll be on probation if he does,” said Lily, folding the paper. “And it’s not like he can talk it away as a mistake, since Lucius was here, on our property, his sister-in-law’s property, to see his son and bring his wife something she’d left at home. Potter’s going to be vilified.”

 

“What a shame it won’t do any good,” Bellatrix added from the kitchen doorway. She shook her head at Harrison, who had just raised his spoon to bang away happily on his high-chair tray. “I wouldn’t if I were you, Harry,” she said. “You want to go see Draco this afternoon, don’t you?”

 

“D’aco!” Harrison squealed, but he gently lowered his spoon. “I’ll be good!” The three adults laughed. They’d believe that when they saw it!

 

“Lucius and Cissy have called a press conference,” Bellatrix informed the other two. “Cissy just fire-called me; they want us all there.”

 

“I can’t,” Lily started. “My job—”

 

“Lunch break,” was all Bellatrix said, and Lily gave in with a sigh.

 

“Why do they want all three of us?” Severus asked, eyeing Bellatrix suspiciously. “I know almost nothing, and Lily knows less.”

 

“A united front,” said Bellatrix, dreamily. Severus and Lily exchanged glances over Harrison’s head. “Dromeda, too. Voldemort hasn’t split our family, and Dumbledore won’t be allowed to, either. We are all family, and we stand as one. The world will see, and know, and rue.”

 

“Rue what?” whispered Lily, her eyes widening. “Trix, what will the world rue?”

 

“The phoenix will try to swallow the world. The snake will poison it, and flames will burn everything. Mother against Father. Sister against Brother. The stranger who will give less to the world than you. Trust will die, suffocated by greed and prejudice. But the hearth shall stand firm, showing tall across the land as a beacon to the family. All of one blood, and they shall be spared.”

 

“Trix?” Lily mouthed, horrified. Severus had gone white, his eyes burning like coal. They both instinctively reached out, Lily for Harrison and Severus, Severus to Lily and Bellatrix. Bellatrix had been in the middle of reaching out a hand to run through Harrison’s hair before she started Seeing, and now Harrison reached out his free hand to touch hers, too.

 

The instant his fingers brushed Bellatrix’s, a silent explosion of magical energy rocketed around and across and over their bond. Harrison burst into tears, whilst Lily and Severus cried out, and Bellatrix started laughing, high-pitched and hysterical and edging towards madness.

 

“Hold on tight, folks,” she shouted. “It’s going to be a BUMPY ride!” And she descended into a fit of giggles again.

 

It was madness. It felt like being at the middle of a hurricane in an artist’s studio, or trapped inside a painting by Salvador Dali. Random bursts of bright colours exploded and blurred around them, almost like a fireworks display. Alternating sheets of ice cold and red hot swept over them, leaving them either shivering or sweating. There was what sounded like a drum-beat, somewhere in the distance, but getting closer, and faster, until it settled into the rhythm of their own racing hearts. They drowned in scents, as though they were smelling every single thing in the entire world at the same time.

 

Some vine attached to them somewhere suddenly caught fire, withered and died, falling away screaming. Another one was roughly ripped from its mooring, left to wave limply in the air, attempting to gain another hold.

 

The light around them blazed an intense white, intensifying everything. A curtain of shimmering gold, mixed with streaks of deep green, azure blue, silver, bronze and the purest red imaginable, appeared to drop over them. Everything it touched soaked up its colours, until none of them could see where the curtain ended and they began.

 

“Harrison! My baby!” Lily tried to cry out, and the echoing, hollow sounds of it went dancing across whatever landscape they were currently occupying, bouncing and re-bouncing, building itself higher and higher until the sound was just a distorted scream, with a strangely echoing bass note underneath it.

 

   Suddenly, as though somebody had pressed a button somewhere, everything came to a halt. For an instant, they appeared frozen in time, not even daring to breathe. Then there was one last pulse, one last soundless implosion, and everyone collapsed, unconscious.

Groaning, Lily and Severus stirred first, Lily struggling to lift a hand to her forehead, and Severus blinking slowly at the kitchen ceiling.

 

“Ugh, did you see whoever was riding the hippogriff that hit me?” Lily asked.

 

“No, but perhaps they saw the elephant that sat on me,” replied Severus, his voice hoarse and rusty. He coughed. “What happened?”

 

“I have no idea,” said Lily. She was attempting to prop herself up on her elbows, but her muscles were loose and shaky, and she eventually gave up and flopped back down to lay flat on her back. “Trix told us about the fire-call from Narcissa, then she started Seeing, and then . . .”

 

Severus raised his head, then dropped it back with a thunk. “Next time, Trix can keep her weird and wacky stuff to herself.”

 

The bond suddenly twanged with an intensity that made them feel like they were levitating – which they were, they discovered as soon as it stopped and they crashed back to the ground, setting up a new round of groans.

 

“Harry,” gasped Lily, and began trying to force herself upright again. “Mummy’s coming, baby . . . oof!” Her left hand slipped, and she fell back again. “Mummy might take awhile . . .”

 

“Oh, honestly, Lil, did your brains get scrambled?” Severus asked, rolling his eyes. He knew Lily couldn’t see him doing so, just as he couldn’t see her sticking her tongue out at him. “Lissy!”

 

There was a small pop beside him. “Yes, Master Sev, sir—” There was a pause, then, “Why is Master Sev and Mistress Lily on the floor?”

 

“A magical accident, Lissy,” Severus said. “Could you bring Harry down here to Lily, please, then fetch some tea and something to eat for us all?”

 

“Yes, sir, Master Sev,” the little house elf chimed. She snapped her fingers once, twice, and a third time, with first Harrison, then a steaming pot of tea and then a plate of sandwiches appearing beside them. With a quick bow, Lissy popped away.

 

“Mama!” Harry cried, and threw himself bodily at Lily.

 

“Harry! You’re alright, you’re okay, baby,” she crooned to him, cuddling him close. “Mummy’s okay, everyone’s okay.”

 

“Speak for yourself,” groaned a voice from the other side of the kitchen table. “Oh, ouch. Merlin, I’m not doing that again.”

 

“I should hope not!” said Lily, as sharply as she could manage.

 

“You keep your weirdness away from me!” Severus added, as he rolled over and folded his arms under his head. His eyes slid closed, then flew back open as Harrison landed on his back. His breath escaped him in a shocked grunt. “Ow! Hey, Imp, careful there!”

 

“Papa Sev, Papa Sev,” the boy babbled, and then descended into a rushed gibberish that Severus couldn’t make head nor tails of. He gingerly rolled back over, and wrapped his arms tightly around Harrison.

 

“I’ll be okay, Imp,” he assured the boy, running a hand through Harrison’s messy hair. “Just Trix’s . . . uh, Seeing was a bit unexpected.” A rude noise came from where Bellatrix was still lying.

 

Lily had finally managed to sit upright, and she was now pouring tea for the three adults. A wave of her hand had Harrison’s sippy cup floating across the room to her. “Here, baby,” she said, offering it to him. Sitting on Severus’ abdomen, Harrison took the cup and began drinking from it. “Sev, here’s yours,” Lily continued, sliding a cup across the floor. “Trix, yours is . . .”

 

As Lily’s voice trailed off, Severus craned his neck to see what had caught her attention. “Lil?”

 

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Bellatrix’s voice came from higher up than it had been before. She’d managed to work herself upright and was now balancing shakily on her knees, clutching the nearest chair for support.

 

“Oh, Bellatrix, your hair!” Lily gasped, one hand going to her mouth. Startled, Bellatrix lifted a hand to pat wildly at her hair, trying to determine by touch what was wrong, whilst Severus took hold of Harrison as he forced himself upright as well. His jaw dropped when he caught sight of Bellatrix.

 

Zigzagging through her jet-black hair was a moonlight-coloured streak of white.

  

 

---

 

It annoyed Bellatrix beyond measure that nothing she did seemed able to remove or cover up the streak for long. It made her look like a badger, she complained to Lily and Severus, and when this caused them to collapse into gales of hysterical laughter, she stormed off in a fit of pique. Hair dyes just slid off it, spells seemed to go transparent over it, and when she spent a week wearing a headscarf over it, Harrison developed a liking for them and insisted on pulling the scarves off – or, when Bellatrix refused to hold him so he couldn’t reach them, Summoning them right off her head.

 

Her colleagues at the Ministry found it equally as funny, although they were equally perplexed as to how she’d gained it in the first place.

 

“Too much power ricocheting around your bond?” one suggested when she tried explaining for the twelfth time what had happened.

 

“But then why didn’t this happen to Severus and Lily, too?” Bellatrix wailed in frustration.

 

Not even the Department’s other Seers could help, although each and every one refused to touch her. “The hearth has been lit,” said one. “It burns brightly now – to touch it would burn our own power out.”

 

Bellatrix could do nothing but fume in frustration. It appeared she was stuck with her new hair style.

 

 

---

 

Dumbledore and James Potter had been having an equally frustrating time. After the debacle with Lucius Malfoy, Potter had been called before a disciplinary board, headed by the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold, and comprised of two members of the Wizengamot and two Auror trainers.

 

The charges facing him were attempted breaking and entering, and reckless behaviour, resulting in malicious endangerment of a minor. Potter’s defence consisted of the statement “He was about to hurt the children. I stopped him.”

 

“But he was at his sister-in-law’s home,” one of the Wizengamot members pointed out. “Why would he deliberately hurt his niece and nephew, not to mention his own son?”

 

“Because he’s a Slytherin,” Potter said, blithely. “That’s what they do.”

 

“Except if he was going to hurt his own child, why would he wait until the child was at his sister-in-law’s home?” one of the Auror trainers asked. “He could have injured the boy any time whilst at his own home.”

 

Potter made a dismissive sound in the back of his throat and shrugged carelessly. The stuck-up blond git was a Slytherin, what more excuse did he need?

 

The other Auror leaned forward, peering intently at Potter. He looked like something had taken a bite out of his nose, and he’d lost a lower leg at some point in his career – a wooden replacement was propped up at the side of the table. “Perhaps the question isn’t why you thought Mr Malfoy was going to hurt the children,” he said, roughly, “but why you were outside that particular house in the first place.”

 

Potter remained silent. Dumbledore had warned him that You-Kn . . . Voldemort had spies everywhere – including in the Ministry. He didn’t know how far up the rot went, but it was clear to see, Dumbledore had told him, that it wouldn’t be long before the Ministry was completely compromised. It would be best, Dumbledore had confided in him not half an hour before this hearing, if the Ministry didn’t know about the Order of the Phoenix. Otherwise, they might try and stop the Order, and then Voldemort would win, and they didn’t want that, now, did they?

 

Agreeing vehemently that no, they did not, this now left James Potter in a bit of a quandary. He could not explain why he had been watching that house unless he explained that it had been on Dumbledore’s orders. And revealing that would reveal the Order and might take Dumbledore’s attention away from the vital planning he was doing to stop the war. The Order had all heard the prophecy that Seer had given Dumbledore, and talk was rife on how it could be used to lead Voldemort into a trap. It was imperative that Dumbledore be free to manoeuvre.

 

“I received a tip-off,” he said finally, sullenly.

 

“From who?” the same Auror barked.

 

“I don’t know – it was anonymous,” Potter replied.

 

“Well, how did you receive it?” the other Auror asked.

 

Potter shrugged. “I have no idea how it arrived. It just turned up one day on my desk.”

 

After an hour of the same basic questions repeated over and over, the hearing was finally dismissed, once they realised they would get nothing further from James Potter. They decided it was best that he be suspended for three months, without pay – not that that made any difference to James, who had inherited a minor fortune from his grandparents – with a probation warning going into his file.

 

All things considered, Potter thought he’d got off rather lightly.

 

 

---

 

“Harry, no! Don’t you dare, young man!”

 

Severus aimed his best glare at the little boy, who was sitting in the bath tub, splashing merrily. Severus’ shirt was already in a sodden pile near the bathroom door, and his hair was plastered to his head. Harrison was apparently very enthusiastic about his bath this morning. Severus was not so pleased.

 

Harrison just giggled happily at his caretaker. “Waves!” he shrieked. “Duck ‘ide waves!” And he brought his hands down to smack the water again, the movement of the water causing the small bath toys to bob up and down, quacking in alarm.

 

“Harrison!” thundered Severus, as he blindly reached for the nearby towel. “Sit nicely and behave, otherwise I’m taking you out of there.”

 

Harrison blew a raspberry at him, then giggled again, reaching out to pat the nearest duck on the head with a force that sent it under the water.

 

“Having fun, Sev?” chortled a voice from the doorway. Severus sent a black scowl in that direction.

 

“Now I know why Lily was so quick to pawn him off on me,” he said, reaching for another towel. “Come on, Imp, time to get out of there.”

 

“No!” Harrison squawked, smacking the water again. “Wan’ play ducks!”

 

“I think the ducks have had enough for one day,” Severus told him dryly, and a gurgling quack from under the water agreed with him. “Come on, Harry.”

 

“No!” Harrison repeated, firmly, his brows drawing together in a scowl.

 

Severus raised an eyebrow at him. “I beg your pardon, young man? Would you care to repeat that?” he enquired, silkily. Harrison knew when he was pushing his luck, and he sulkily held his arms up so Severus could remove him from the bath.

 

Bellatrix snickered at the pair of them as Severus carried the boy down the hall towards his nursery. “You needn’t look so smug,” Severus told her. “It’s your turn to bathe him tomorrow.”

 

“It’ll be fine,” said Bellatrix, airily, waving a hand. “Harry likes it when I bathe him, don’t you, Harry?” The toddler, still sulking, didn’t answer her. Severus laughed.

 

“A ringing endorsement,” he teased, and Bellatrix stuck her tongue out at him.

 

Lily was in the nursery already, tidying away the toys Harrison had left scattered everywhere. Her smile of greeting faded when she caught sight of her scowling son. “Oh, dear,” she sighed. “I thought Harry liked his baths.”

 

“He does,” Severus assured her. “He’s just pouting because I made him get out. He was having too much fun playing drowning.”

 

“Drowning?!” Lily screeched, and before Severus could say another word, she’d whisked Harrison out of his arms, carefully examining her little boy before turning a gimlet eye on Severus. “The water shouldn’t have been that high in the bath,” she said, suspiciously.

 

Severus rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t,” he said. “It was the ducks that Harry was trying to drown. And me,” he added wryly, gesturing at his soaked hair.

 

“Oh,” was all Lily could say. She eyed Severus’ bare chest, then bit her lower lip and turned away, burying her face against Harrison’s hair.

 

“Are you laughing at me?” Severus demanded. He folded his arms across his chest and glared at Lily.

 

“No,” she replied, in a very strained voice, but then ruined the effort by bursting out into giggles anyway. Severus huffed in disgust.

 

“See if I ever give the Imp a bath again,” he said, in a mock-cross tone, and departed from the nursery with an indignant toss of his head.

 

 

---

 

By the time they all gathered for breakfast, Harrison had obviously still not forgiven Severus for depriving him of playtime. When he wasn’t blatantly ignoring Severus, he was throwing bits of his breakfast at him. After a while, Severus’ tolerance ran out, and his mock-irritation became very real.

 

“Lily, would you please get your son to stop that,” he finally snapped, exasperatedly, as the piece of buttered bread that Harrison had just thrown at him landed in his mug of tea.

 

“Harry, baby, behave,” said Lily, absently, and turned her attention back to the lesson plans she was discussing with Bellatrix.

 

The toddler blew a raspberry at Severus, unwilling to give up his grudge. He wanted to play with his ducks!

 

A faint vibration ran through the room, unnoticed by everyone. The air in the kitchen turned thick, humming as though struck by a tuning-fork. Severus closed his eyes as another bit of Harrison’s breakfast landed in his tea, and his hand clenched around the mug. The vibrations ramped themselves up until everything was imperceptibly shivering.

 

“Harry,” he warned, “stop that!” Harrison stuck his tongue out at Severus, and this time, he threw his plastic spoon at the man.

 

The air seemed to still in the room for a breathless moment, and then an explosion of magical rage tore through, as Severus’ mug hit the table hard enough to crack it into tiny pieces, and Severus himself shot to his feet. “That is ENOUGH!” he bellowed.

 

Squeals of surprise and alarm came from both Lily and Bellatrix, and Harrison stared with wide eyes at his Papa Sev, before bursting into loud, noisy tears.

 

For once, Severus ignored the boy’s distress. He stalked out of the room, and the series of slamming doors let the others follow his progress through the house to his private potions laboratory.

 

Bellatrix and Lily sat stunned for several seconds, before Lily reached out to pull a wailing Harrison into her lap. “Well,” she gasped out. “What brought that on?” She cuddled Harrison tightly, trying to soothe him. “There, there, it’s alright, Papa Sev didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

Bellatrix eyed the door that Severus had stormed through. “Perhaps he did,” she said, softly. “He did tell Harry to stop, after all. He asked you to tell Harry to stop. We can’t blame him for getting annoyed.”

 

“But there was no need to scare Harry like that,” Lily protested. “He could have just walked away. Goodness knows he’s done that often enough!”

 

“Still, maybe next time Harry won’t be so naughty,” said Bellatrix, reaching over to stroke Harrison’s hair. The boy hiccupped a little, but his sobs had mostly stopped by now. He gazed up at Bellatrix with damp green eyes. “Little Imp,” she said, fondly, smiling at him. “Mustn’t torment Papa Sev. He doesn’t like it.” At the very mention of the name, Harrison’s lower lip began wobbling again.

 

“Trix!” Lily scowled at her blood-sister, then turned back to Harrison. “There, baby, if you’re nice to him tonight, I’m sure he’ll forgive you.” A shrill chime rang out from the living room, and Lily let out a gasp. “Oh, Merlin, I’m going to be late!” she exclaimed, and swiftly handed Harrison over to Bellatrix. “Here, baby, go to Mama Trix. I’ll see you both later.” And kissing them both on the cheek, she disappeared with a sharp crack!

 

Bellatrix looked down at Harrison and sighed. “Well, Imp, looks like you’re stuck with me today,” she said. Harrison sniffled and buried his face in her shoulder. “Let’s go find Lissy, I’ll contact the Ministry, and then, my boy, we can go play.”

 

“B’oom?” Harrison asked, softly.

 

“Yes, I’ll let you ride on your broom for a bit,” Bellatrix promised as she got to her feet, propping Harrison on her hip. Carting the toddler from the room, she left that morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet on the kitchen table, ignoring the headline which read, “Dumbledore denies he gave orders to attack prominent Slytherins!”

 

 

---

 

Harrison was very subdued all that day, and there was no sign of Severus at all. He appeared to have placed a very strong silencing charm on his lab. By the time Lily got home, Bellatrix could feel faint twinges in the bond, and Harrison had taken up station outside the lab door, staring at it forlornly. Obviously he missed playing with his Papa Sev.

 

“Come on, Harry,” Bellatrix said, eventually, scooping him up. “Mummy will be home soon!” Harrison twisted in her arms to stare over her shoulder, his gaze fixing on the lab door until Bellatrix turned a corner and it was out of his sight. Then he slumped, his thumb creeping towards his mouth for comfort.

 

“Oh, dear,” said Lily as soon as she saw him. “What’s happened now?”

 

“Sev hasn’t come out of his lab all day,” Bellatrix explained. “I think Harry’s missing him.” She handed Harrison over to his mother and headed for the kitchen to make a start on dinner. “And in the future, he’ll know not to annoy poor Severus so much, won’t you?” she added to the toddler over her shoulder.

 

“Papa Sev ang’y,” Harrison agreed dolefully.

 

“Yes, he was. It’s not nice to act like that,” added Lily. She shuddered and pulled a face. “That’s the kind of thing Potter would do.” She tapped Harrison on the nose with a forefinger. “And you are going to be much better than him, young man.”

 

“That won’t be hard,” Bellatrix said with a snicker.

 

“Speaking of the devil, or his minions, did you read the paper today?” Lily asked, following Bellatrix into the kitchen and seating herself at the table whilst Bellatrix rummaged in the fridge.

 

“Not really,” came Bellatrix’s muffled voice. The fridge might have been a muggle one, but it had been charmed to stay cold, and wizard space had been added to it, making it almost a walk-in cupboard. “I saw the headline about Dumbledore, but that was about it.”

 

“Potter’s been suspended,” Lily informed her, lowering Harrison to the ground and summoning his toys over. “Go play nicely over there, Harry,” she said, running her hand through her son’s hair. Harrison weaved his way over to the special corner they’d set up for him, so that he could remain in the kitchen with them but be kept safely out of the way.

 

“Just suspended?” demanded Bellatrix, indignantly. “For how long?”

 

“Three months, according to the paper.” Unable to see the paper anywhere, Lily quickly summoned it and flicked through it. “Yes, three months unpaid suspension.”

 

“That’s not going to make much of a difference,” Bellatrix snorted, finally emerging from the depths of the fridge. “Was that all he got?”

 

“And a warning in his file, but basically, yes.” Lily shook her head and reached up to take out the hair-tie she’d been wearing. “Dumbledore must be thrilled – he’s basically been given a mild slap on the wrist and told not to do it again.”

 

“And if Dumbledore’s denied orchestrating everything, Lucius must be spitting feathers by now.” Bellatrix dumped her armful onto the counter. “Still, I’m sure it won’t help Dumbledore’s cause,” she added, beginning to rummage in the cabinets. “If anyone believes Lucius’ account, then it makes Dumbledore and his goons look paranoid, and just as eager to attack as Voldemort’s side.”

 

“Trix,” Lily said, slowly. “When you were Seeing . . . before . . .”

 

Bellatrix’s movements slowed, and then stopped as she peered over her shoulder at Lily, biting her lower lip worriedly. “I don’t know,” she said, finally, softly. “I don’t know what it means. For us, or anyone. But the war is coming, Lil. The war will swallow us all. I just don’t know who’ll survive.”

 

 

---

 

Severus had still not come out from his lab by the time Harrison was put to bed, which took a lot longer than usual, as his Papa Sev wasn’t there to read a story to him. It seemed that Lily and Bellatrix just didn’t read them right.

 

“I’m sure he’ll be back by tomorrow,” Lily said, soothingly. “And if not, then Mama Trix and I will go and turf him out for you.”

 

Harrison didn’t look like he believed his mother, but sleep was unavoidably calling him, and his eyes slid closed.

 

“What will we do if Sev is still sulking tomorrow?” Lily asked Bellatrix, once they were back in the living room.

 

“Smack him,” Bellatrix replied, cheerfully. “Hopefully knock some sense back into him.”

 

Lily giggled. “I’d suggest a time-out, like I give my class,” she said, “but I think that would just upset Harrison.”

 

“You finish there soon, don’t you?” Bellatrix waved her hand, and a bottle of elf-wine floated across the room to her, followed by two glasses.

 

“At the end of next week,” Lily confirmed, taking one of the glasses and holding it as the bottle tilted itself to pour. “I shall be glad of the rest, but I shall miss the children.”

 

“Where’s your next placement?” asked Bellatrix, curling her feet up underneath her as she snagged her own glass from the air.

 

“In France. A little town just outside of Calais.” Lily took a sip of her wine. “They’ve suggested that I board there. Should I?”

 

Bellatrix gazed into her wineglass and hummed thoughtfully for a while. “No,” she said, eventually, looking up again. “Your school – your contacts – will be here, so your foundation must be here, too. We can take holidays over there, as it will do Harrison good, but hearth is where the home is.”

 

Lily raised her eyebrows at the mangling of the phrase, but said nothing. Bellatrix said what she meant, and what she meant was what she Saw. So . . . daily long-distance portkeys it was.

 

 

---

 

Breakfast the next morning was just the three of them again. Bellatrix and Lily had both knocked repeated on the door to Severus’ lab, but either he still had up the heavy silencing charm, or he’d managed to sneak out of the house already as there was no response.

 

“Will you be alright taking Harrison again?” Lily asked, anxiously, as she got ready to leave.

 

“We’ll be fine,” Bellatrix assured her. “I was planning to visit Cissy today anyway, to see how Draco is doing, so I’ll just take Harry with me.”

 

“Okay. Be a good boy, Harry,” said Lily, pressing a kiss to her son’s forehead. He blinked after her and gave a small wave as she apparated away.

 

“Come along, Imp,” Bellatrix cooed, lifting the toddler to her hip. “Let’s go get ready to see Aunt Cissy and Draco.”

 

Unfortunately, Bellatrix’s plan to distract Harrison from Severus’ absence failed, as Draco, barely recovered from his injury, had become very clingy after his fright, and he refused to leave his mother’s side for any reason whatsoever. He screamed like a banshee whenever Narcissa tried to put him down, and not even the presence of his cousin to play with placated him.

 

Eventually, faced with two miserable little boys, the sisters decided a trip to Diagon Alley was in order. Lucius Malfoy, upon hearing of the idea, decided to join them, stating that if Bellatrix’s back garden wasn’t safe, then nowhere was, and he was determined that no more harm would come to his family.

 

And so it was that they meandered down the Alley together, Narcissa carrying Draco, who had his little arms wrapped tightly around her neck, and Bellatrix holding Harrison’s hand as he tottered at her side. Lucius prowled in front of them, occasionally circling around them like a herding sheepdog, ensuring that nobody could get close to his charges.

 

Any relaxation they gained, however, disappeared as James Potter came strutting out of a shop a little ahead of them. Casting an arrogant glance around the Alley to see who was there to see him, the suspended Auror caught sight of the group, and froze. Then his face twisted into an expression of disgusted hatred.

 

The small group also halted. Little Draco’s body tensed, and he whimpered quietly, so that only his family heard him. Harrison spotted Potter, and remembered the last time he’d seen the man.

 

“Mama T’ix, bad man!” he exclaimed, loudly, pointing insistently at Potter. Potter’s gaze dropped to the boy, and his lip curled up in a sneer.

 

“Hush, Harry,” Bellatrix said, pulling him closer to her legs.

 

“But, Mama T’ix,” Harrison protested, his voice still loud enough to carry to the passersby. “He the bad man who hurt D’aco!”

 

“Can’t you shut that brat up?” Potter growled, his hand twitching towards his wand. “I don’t even know why they let people like you in Diagon Alley. Should stick you in Knockturn where you belong!”

 

As more and more people stopped to watch, Lucius stepped in front of his wife and sister-in-law. “We have as much right as you do to be in Diagon Alley,” he said, coldly. “And my nephew only speaks the truth as he knows it. Now let us pass.”

 

“Why, planning to rob some poor shopkeeper?” Potter jeered at him, his wand suddenly springing up to point directly at Lucius’ chest. “Or perhaps you were heading to Gringotts to drop off more spoils?”

 

“Planning on attacking more children?” sneered Lucius, his hand freeing his own wand from its cane holder. “Didn’t you learn your lesson the first time?”

 

“I know you’re up to something!” Potter bellowed, his face flushing an angry red. Draco began to scream in Narcissa’s arms, high-pitched and terrified. Harrison huddled behind Bellatrix’s legs. Bellatrix anxiously tried to decide whether she should call for Severus or not. Her Sight wouldn’t let her see the result of either path.

 

“I see, only Gryffindors are allowed to be good,” Lucius was saying, his eyebrows raised haughtily. “What a very narrow – and wrong – view you have.”

 

“Slytherins can never be trusted!” roared Potter.

 

Bellatrix suddenly seemed to be moving in slow motion. She heard Draco’s scream rise, until she was fairly sure that only animals could hear it, judging by the noise so many nearby creatures were suddenly making. Harrison shuddered behind her, remembering the last time he’d seen Potter, and becoming desperately frightened. She could feel faint echoes in the bond – Harrison was beginning to call for Severus, although the call wasn’t urgent enough to penetrate Severus’ temper yet.

 

She saw Lucius’ mouth begin to move, in the beginnings of a shield spell. Narcissa was clutching Draco to her, holding his face against her shoulder, beginning to turn so that her back was to Potter, curved protectively over her son.

 

She saw Potter’s wand begin to move, and realised that he was about to send a blasting curse at them . . . in broad daylight, in the middle of the bustling Diagon Alley. If he did that, his career would be finished, and his reputation in tatters. But if he was allowed to complete the action, so many innocent bystanders would be injured or killed.

 

Concentrating on the middle of the space between Lucius and Potter, Bellatrix pressed her palms together, swung her hands up, and then brought them down again in a swift chopping motion and jerked her palms apart. “No!” she cried out, and the two men were flung away from each other.

 

Lucius merely staggered back a few steps, until Narcissa and Bellatrix caught him with a hand each on his shoulders.

 

Potter flew backwards into the window of a shop behind him, shattering the glass and landing in the window display. Time rushed forward again, and noise battered against Bellatrix’s hearing. Shouts and exclamations sounded from all sides.

 

“You all saw that! They attacked me!” Potter was bellowing, as he struggled to right himself from the broken glass. Two ladies outside and several shop assistants inside fluttered around him.

 

Once the Aurors arrived, they had to cast a Silencing spell on Potter to allow the other witnesses to be heard. All agreed – Potter had detained Lucius’ group first, and had drawn his wand first. Lucius had only been protecting the women and children. Potter was marched off between two Aurors, still shouting obscenities, even if no-one else could hear them.

 

“I think our shopping for today is done,” Narcissa said, shakily, and Bellatrix agreed. She left the Malfoys to make their own way home, and apparated herself with Harrison. Harrison was a bit shaky, but was more inclined to be fascinated with how Potter had flown without a broom.

 

“You are absolutely not going to try that,” Bellatrix was telling him, sternly, as they appeared in their kitchen. A noise startled them, and they looked over towards the doorway to see Severus lounging there, one shoulder casually propped against the doorframe and his arms folded across his chest.

 

“PAPA SEV!!!” shrieked Harrison, all but deafening Bellatrix, and squirmed out of her grip to launch himself across the room at Severus. Severus had apparently gotten over most of his temper, as he bent to scoop Harrison into his arms. Harrison flung his little arms around Severus’ neck, buried his face in Severus’ shoulder and burst into tears, babbling a litany of “I so’y, I so’y, I so’y,” in his ear. Severus said nothing, but just patted him on the back.

 

“Where have you been?” Bellatrix asked, advancing to hug the man. “We knocked on your lab door.”

 

“Silencing charm, then I went to the Leaky Cauldron,” Severus responded. “I guess Harry missed me.”

 

“Of course he did,” said Bellatrix, impatiently, smacking Severus on the arm. “Took me and Lily ages to get him to sleep last night, because we don’t read him stories the right way.” Severus chuckled, and Bellatrix stuck her tongue out at him.

 

Lily was just as glad to see Severus when she returned home that night, but she was more interested in Bellatrix’s account of Potter’s attempted attack in Diagon Alley. The Evening Prophet had held a small article – no doubt Dumbledore’s attempt to brush it off, the trio decided – mentioning that suspended Auror James Potter had had a misunderstanding in the Alley, and a shop window had been broken. Potter was given an extra month’s suspension, a month’s worth of community service, and was forced to pay a heavy fine to the shop owner.

 

“It’s ridiculous,” Lily grumbled as they sat in the living room. “You can bet anybody else who’d done something like that wouldn’t get off that lightly.”

 

“Anyone who isn’t a Gryffindor,” Severus said, idly running his fingers through Harrison’s hair. The toddler had refused to be parted from Severus, and was now drowsily curled up in his lap.

 

“Lucius and Potter didn’t have much to do with each other at school, so how is Dumbledore excusing these attacks on Lucius?” wondered Lily.

 

“He isn’t,” Bellatrix answered. As a Seer in the Department of Mysteries, she had access to a lot of the behind-the-scenes gossip. “Potter passed off the first attack as an anonymous tip-off.”

 

“And the second?” Severus asked.

 

“The old stand-by of Gryffindors everywhere,” said Bellatrix, her voice a tad bitter. “Lucius was – is – a Slytherin, and therefore can’t be trusted any further than you can throw him.”

 

“What did he think Lucius was going to do when he was accompanied by two women and two young children?” Lily demanded, incredulous. “Did Potter think he’d get the babies to spit on shop-keepers to get what he wanted?”

 

“Well, we always knew Harry didn’t get his brains from Potter,” Severus said, his mouth curling up into a smirk. The two women laughed, and Harrison muttered incoherently and buried his face more firmly into Severus’ body.

 

“No-one in the Ministry knows about Dumbledore’s group,” Bellatrix said once she’d calmed. “Apparently the all-knowing, all-wise Headmaster doesn’t trust them.”

 

“You think he wants to replace everyone in the Ministry?” queried Severus, arching a sceptical eyebrow.

 

“No,” Bellatrix said, chewing her lower lip. “I think he wants to become the Minister.”

As the month wore on, it appeared that Dumbledore was keeping a tighter rein on Potter. Any time he saw Lucius Malfoy, or any of the trio, he would sneer, his hand twitching towards his wand, before freezing, his body trembling before he’d manage to close his mouth and turn away.

 

Severus – well versed in male pride – wasn’t sure this was a good thing.

 

“It just deepens his anger and resentment,” he explained to Bellatrix and Lily one night at the beginning of July. “When Dumbledore finally lets him loose, he’ll act with a vengeance.”

 

“Wouldn’t that ruin his career, though?” Lily queried.

 

“If Dumbledore turns him loose again, it’ll be for Dumbledore’s cause,” Bellatrix said. “Potter won’t care about his career then, and neither will anyone else.”

 

The trio were sprawled out in the back garden, soaking in the last of the day’s sunshine. Harrison had been put to bed hours earlier, complaining loudly all the while that his playtime had been cut short when it was still light outside. Now Lily sat up, and hugged her knees to her chest.

 

“Can we afford to wait until your birthday to start protecting Harrison, Trix?” she asked. “It’s such a long time to wait, and goodness knows what Dumbledore will do before then.”

 

“Or Voldemort,” Severus added. “He’s been quiet enough lately, but that whole mess with Potter gained him positive publicity . . . or at least, didn’t cause him negative publicity. With Dumbledore keeping Potter’s head down, Voldemort will think he’s free to act again.”

 

“The ritual will be the strongest it could ever be if we perform it on our birthdays,” Bellatrix said, in the exasperated tone of one who has to repeat themselves numerous times.

 

“But what can we do in the meantime?” Lily demanded. “You can’t expect me to just leave Harrison unprotected for months!”

 

“Don’t you think I want him protected too?” said Bellatrix, stridently. “Talk sense, Lily!”

 

A loud whistle from Severus interrupted whatever else she might have said. “We all want Harrison protected,” he said once he had their attention. “If it’s a choice of waiting and giving him the ultimate protection we can give, or giving him a minor protection now that may fail when he needs it the most, then I say waiting isn’t that bad. It just means we need to be extra vigilant until we can do the first part of the ritual.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Lily said, after a pause. “I just can’t bear to think of anything happening to my baby.”

 

“Sev’s right,” said Bellatrix softly. “We all want the best protection for the Imp. We just have to figure out a way.”

 

“Once my new placement starts, Harry can come with me,” Lily said, nodding her head decisively. “Voldemort isn’t doing anything on the Continent at the moment.”

 

“And we can always ensure that at least two of us are around him whenever you’re home,” Severus agreed. “But I don’t think Voldemort will attack him directly, no matter what the prophecy says. He knows what we’d do to him if he ever hurt Harry.”

 

Bellatrix snorted with amusement, and even Lily had to smile. They’d never explicitly discussed it, but they all knew if Voldemort ever caused Harrison to receive even a scratch, they’d turn him into pulp.

 

“We’re family,” Bellatrix said, reaching out to touch both Severus and Lily. “We’re the Hearth, the fire that protects, and it will never go out.”

 

 

---

By the end of July, Voldemort was making small, continuous raids that seemed to dance around the country. There was such a lack of reasoning to his targets that Severus suggested one night he was choosing them by sticking a pin into a map. It was certainly keeping Dumbledore’s forces hopping, although they never arrived in time to do more than help to put out any fires. Despite that, James Potter and, to a lesser extent, his crony Sirius Black, were strutting around as if they had personally defeated Voldemort.

 

To Lily’s disgust, he had even been overheard one day in Diagon Alley, loudly proclaiming that everyone could carry on their business as usual, as he was there to protect them.

 

“As if he’d be able to single-handedly hold off thirty Death Eaters if they appeared,” she murmured to Severus as they headed towards Flourish and Blotts. 

 

“He’ll only protect them if they’re Gryffindors,” Severus muttered back under his breath. “And maybe, if he’s feeling generous, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. But Slytherins are on their own.”

 

“Look!” Lily hissed, and pointed down the street.

 

Potter had been approached by a little girl, who couldn’t have been more than six years old. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a loose plait, which was already starting to uncurl. Her blue eyes blinked up at Potter in awe, as he struck a heroic pose before crouching down in front of her.

 

“Well, hello, pretty lady,” he purred. “And what’s your name?”

 

“Sarantha de Marci,” she said, the remains of a faint lisp in her voice.

 

“De Marci?” Potter tilted his head in thought. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of a Gryffindor called de Marci. Where’s your father, sweetling?”

 

“You wouldn’t have heard of me,” a tall man interjected before the little girl could speak. He stepped up behind her and laid a firm hand on her shoulder, pulling her back to rest against his legs. His other hand hovered by his side, where Severus and Lily could see his wand holstered to his thigh. “I wasn’t a Gryffindor.”

 

“Ah, well, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw aren’t bad, either,” Potter replied, although his grin wasn’t as wide nor as friendly as it had been just seconds before. Sarantha stuck a fore-finger in her mouth and began chewing on it.

 

The man shook his head. “I didn’t attend Hogwarts at all,” he said. “Not everyone does, you know.”

 

“Oh, well, home-schooling can be just as good . . .” Potter trailed off, obviously not convinced. The man scowled down at him. “What about your mother, young lady?” Potter asked. “Was she home-schooled, too?”

 

“No, my wife attended Durmstrang,” the man replied for her.

 

Potter instantly shot to his feet, a thunderous scowl appearing on his face. “Then what are you doing here?” he demanded, his hand instantly going towards his own wand. “We don’t want your kind here!”

 

“Speak for yourself, Potter!” Severus interrupted, harshly, stepping forward. Lily hissed and tried to grab his sleeve to stop him, but missed. “Not all of us are as prejudiced as you are.” He placed himself squarely in front of de Marci and his daughter, facing Potter. “Leave them alone.”

 

Potter sneered at him. “All you Dark Arts enthusiasts stick together, huh?” he said. “Should have known . . . You-Kn – Voldemort calling in extra support, is he?”

 

“You are nothing but a narrow-minded little fool,” Lily spat, appearing suddenly beside Severus. “If Voldemort is ever defeated, it will be in spite of you, not because of you.” She beckoned behind her, half turning to face de Marci. The man nodded, lifted his daughter to his hip, and strode off in the direction of the apothecary. Lily glanced back at Severus, touching his arm. “Come on, Sev.”

 

“That’s it, run along like the dirty cowards you are,” Potter sneered as they turned away. Severus paused, and looked back over his shoulder, his lip curling up into a much darker sneer than Potter had managed.

 

“Like to attack us, would you, Potter? Attack a woman who hasn’t got her wand in or anywhere near her hands? Guess Gryffindors have to gain an advantage somehow.”

 

Potter bellowed in rage, took a step forward, and froze in place. His eyes rolled frantically as he tried to move.

 

Startled, Lily and Severus looked around, and discovered the owner of Endelburt’s Enchantments, a cosmetics shop, standing in his doorway, his wand pointed casually at Potter. They nodded at him in thanks, and at his return nod, they hurried away up the street to apparate home. Flourish and Blotts could wait for another day when Potter wasn’t around to grand-stand.

 

 

---

 

They arrived home to find Bellatrix frantically rooting through her wardrobe. A large pile of dress-robes on the floor behind her showed she’d been at the activity for some time.

 

“Trix?” Severus asked, cautiously. After living with them for so long, he was understandably wary about getting between a woman and her wardrobe. “What are you doing?”

 

“The stupid Department of sodding Multi-Culture decided that tonight would be a wonderful time to throw a party for the visiting Ministers from India . . . except they only decided an hour ago that it might be fun to have a few of us Seers and other Unspeakables there, too,” Bellatrix’s voice echoed out of the wardrobe. “So now I have to spend the night with people I don’t know, and who likely speak terrible English, and I have nothing to wear!” she finished on a wail, flinging herself back to sit on her heels and throwing down the dress-robes she held in her hand.

 

“Now, Trix, I’m sure someone will be able to cast a decent Translation Charm—” Severus began, but at the glares both Lily and Bellatrix gave him, he flung his hands up and did what any sensible male would do.

 

He retreated to the living room to have a drink.

 

“Don’t worry, Trix, we’ll find you something that will knock everyone’s socks off,” Lily said, soothingly. She stepped forward to examine what was left in Bellatrix’s wardrobe. “Hey, Trix, what’s in that bag?” she asked.

 

Bellatrix looked up and frowned at the robes covered in plastic. “I think it’s a set of robes that my great-grandmother had made for me,” she said.

 

“And they survived to get to you?” Lily asked, her eyebrows arching in surprise.

 

“I think Great-Grandmother hexed them to make sure of it.” Bellatrix suddenly snorted. “Apparently my great-aunt Dorea thought she could make good use of them ‘until I came of age to wear them’, and spent a week sporting multi-coloured polka dots that danced all over her. Nobody else touched them after that.”

 

“Have you ever worn them?” Lily reached in and pulled the plastic bag out of the wardrobe.

 

“I’d forgotten all about them,” Bellatrix admitted. “What are they like?”

 

“Oooh!” gasped Lily, as she pulled the robes out of the protective covering. “They’re velvet, Trix, with a silk lining. And have you ever seen such an intense shade of green?”

 

It was perhaps unsurprising that the deep green robes – that were about three shades darker than the colour of Lily’s eyes – fitted Bellatrix as though they’d been tailor-made for her that very day. A form-fitting bodice hugged her from her shoulders to her waist, and then it dropped out to a loose floor-length that swayed with her every movement. The sleeves ran to a narrow point that rested on the back of her hand, and an in-built cape swung from her shoulders, just brushing the back of her knees.

 

“With a few loose curls, and those boots with the stock heel, you’ll knock ‘em dead, Trix,” Lily said, eventually, stepping back to admire the effect.

 

“Great-Grandmother had excellent taste,” Bellatrix said. Her eyes met Lily’s in the mirror, and they both laughed.

 

 

---

The ball was just as noisy and chaotic as Bellatrix had feared it would be. She could hear several languages amongst the babble, all of which were overlaid with the dull monotones of Translation Charms. Holding a glass of champagne firmly in front of her as a shield, she meandered her way around the room, trying to avoid all the stuck-up Ministry workers who had all but tripped over themselves to get her attention when she’d first arrived.

 

Ducking into an alcove draped in shadows, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

 

“Ah, I see madam does not care for this kind of event either,” a smooth voice said from the deeper darkness at the rear of the alcove. Bellatrix startled, and almost dropped the glass. A hand shot out and steadied it before it could do more than dangerously tilt. “My apologies, I did not mean to scare you so,” the voice said, and the person it belonged to stepped closer.

 

The man cut a dashing figure, although since he was entirely a milky-brown colour, from his hair to his skin to his clothes, then he rather looked as though he’d been carved out of wood.

 

“My name is Soreen Virtu,” he said, and reached for her empty hand. Taking it in a firm grip, he brought it to his lips. “Namaste, madam.”

 

The instant his lips brushed the back of her hand, Bellatrix was lost. It was as though she could see the entire expanded world, and yet could see nothing but this man in front of her. His eyes met hers, and if she didn’t know better she would have sworn that he was reading her very soul at the moment. Something very deep down inside of her seemed to let out a breath of relief and realisation: Ohhhhh, it’s YOU! You’re here at last!

 

When he lowered her hand what could have been seconds, or hours, or weeks later, it felt as though she’d been dashed with cold water. Blinking rapidly, she stared back at him, and then realised he was waiting for her to tell him her name.

 

“Oh, uh, Bellatrix Black,” she said, and all but stammered over her own name as though she didn’t know it herself. Shaking her head slightly to try and clear it, she hastily took a sip of the champagne she still held. She was quite surprised that she hadn’t just dropped it altogether.

 

This would very definitely be something to tell Lily and Severus.

 

 

---

    

It turned out she didn’t have to tell them – they already knew. Or had made several good guesses, at the very least.

 

Bellatrix stumbled blearily into the kitchen the following morning to discover Lily and Severus already seated at the kitchen table, with Harrison playing with his ‘family figures’ in the corner. Bellatrix paused at the smirks on the others’ faces.

 

“What?” she asked, suspiciously.

 

Lily’s smile broadened. “Have a good time last night, Trix?” she asked, casually.

 

“As much as you can at a Ministry function,” Bellatrix responded, slowly reaching for a chair. She narrowed her eyes at the pair. “What are you two up to?”

 

Before either of them could respond, Harrison toddled over to her, and held up one of his dolls for her to look at. “Look, Mama T’ix!” he crowed, delightedly. “New toy!” Bellatrix went pale as she stared at the nut-brown figure. No, surely that couldn’t mean . . .

 

“Something you want to tell us, Trix?” asked Severus, his smirk widening too.

 

Bellatrix shot them a wide-eyed look. “Where did that come from?” she gasped out. Looking back at Harrison, she winced as he waved the doll around through the air as though flying, and then stuck its head in his mouth. She really hoped that those figures weren’t too attached to their real-life counterparts; otherwise Mr Virtu would be developing one heck of a headache right about now.

 

Lily smothered a chuckle as she pulled the boy to her side and rescued the doll. “It just appeared late last night,” she said. “Strangely, it appears to be mostly connected to you, Trix. I wonder why!”

 

“I, uh . . .” Bellatrix stammered, then blushed a fiery red. Severus and Lily burst out laughing, while Harrison gazed up at her in confusion. Lily pointed her son back in the direction of his other toys, and he toddled off, quite happy to leave the mysteries of the grown-ups behind.

 

“So, spill it,” Lily said. “What happened? What’s he like? What’s his name?”

 

“When do we meet him?” Severus chimed in. “Got to make sure he’s good enough,” he teased, and ducked away as Bellatrix swatted at him.

 

“His name is Soreen Virtu,” she told Lily, “and I have no idea if I’ll meet him again. He was part of the Indian Ministry’s delegation, so I doubt he’ll be here for long.”

 

“Means you’ll have to work fast,” said Lily, grinning.

 

Unable to come up with a response to that, Bellatrix stuck her tongue out at Lily, and then hastily changed the subject. “Did Dromeda decide where she’s having Nymph’s party?” Nymphadora’s birthday was in the middle of August, and the soon-to-be-four-year-old had been begging for a party. Her mother, Andromeda, was understandably concerned about Dumbledore’s group attacking them again, and the debate had been raging for weeks on the best place to hold the event.

 

“They’ve decided to hold it at their house,” Severus responded, shaking his head at Bellatrix’s almost Gryffindor attempt at diverting them. “But Andromeda asked if we’d ward it for them, just to be on the safe side.”

 

“Sev and I already said we would,” Lily added. “After all, Potter and his cronies have a bad habit of popping up like bad Knuts.”

 

“Goo—oh!” Bellatrix breathed, suddenly, her eyes going wide. Then she began to giggle.

 

“What?” “Trix, what is it?” Lily and Severus asked over each other.

 

“Nymph is going to get a special present this year,” said Bellatrix, still chortling. She glanced up at her blood-siblings, and smiled. “Dromeda’s going to be announcing a new arrival.”

 

“A new . . . ?” Severus’ voice trailed off, and then his eyebrows rose. Lily looked from one to the other, then gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

 

“Oh, Trix, how lovely!” she exclaimed. “Boy or girl?”

 

Bellatrix descended into giggles again. “Both, although she doesn’t know that yet,” she crowed. “It’s twins!”

 

 

---

“Sev, I’m leaving for the Ministry now,” Lily called into the basement laboratory. There was the sound of a muffled explosion – and a not-so-muffled curse – and Lily cringed. “Sorry, Sev!”

 

Harrison, perched on her hip, chortled. “Papa Sev BOOM!” he crowded, delightedly, and waved his arms in the air to simulate the blast.

 

“Papa Sev’s lab went boom,” Lily corrected her son. “I don’t think you’d like it if Papa Sev himself went boom.” She peered at the lab door, where tendrils of smoke were beginning to escape from under it. “Uh, Sev, we’ll be back later this afternoon,” she informed him, loudly, and then scurried for the front door, where her handbag was sitting on the hall table. Why the silly man hadn’t put up a Silencing charm if he was at a delicate stage, she’d never know.

 

Tucking the bag securely under her arm, and adding a Sticking charm for good measure, Lily tightened her grip on Harrison. “Hold tight, baby,” she instructed. “We’re going to be apparating.” Harrison obediently wound his arms around his mother’s neck, and buried his face into her shoulder. Placing a protective hand on his head, Lily spun on one foot and disappeared.

 

They reappeared outside the official entrance to the Ministry. Really, she should have been using the visitor’s entrance, or the common worker’s entrance, but certain people in the Department of Mysteries – Bellatrix being one of them – were allowed to use the ‘special’ entrance, and so of course Lily and Severus were able to use it, too. It was extremely useful whenever she had to bring Harrison along, as she had no doubt that having to use the more common employee entrance – flushing themselves in – would have had a detrimental effect on their own plumbing at home.

 

Once inside, they made their way to the Department of Licenses. Harrison was busy trying his best to see everything at once; his head was spinning this way and that so much that Lily was vaguely surprised it didn’t just pop right off.

 

A fireplace flared with green flames as someone Floo’ed in. Lily didn’t pay much attention, since the fireplaces were constantly busy, but Harrison, peering over her shoulder, suddenly let out a squawk. “Mama, toy!” he proclaimed, loudly, bouncing in delight.

 

“What?” Lily paused to adjust her grip on the toddler. “What toy?” She glanced around, wondering if one had somehow fallen out of her bag, or whether Harrison had seen something he would like as a toy.

 

“Mama!” Harrison scowled at her obtuseness. “New toy, Mama!” He pointed emphatically over her shoulder. “New toy going that way!”

 

Puzzled, Lily turned just in time to see someone disappearing around a corner. She glanced back down at Harrison. “I have no idea what in Merlin’s name you’re on about, young man, but we’re going this way,” she said, striding forward again.

 

Harrison slumped and folded his arms, sulkily, frowning at his mother. Honestly, how hard was it to understand that the big figure of his new toy had been heading in the opposite direction to them? He considered yanking on the bond to get New Toy to come to him, but the little figure had only been connected to his Mama T’ix. Really, that would have to change. What good was New Toy if he wouldn’t come when Harrison wanted him?

 

It took Lily an hour to find the department she needed, and – with typical bureaucracy – by the time she had the forms necessary both for setting up a semi-permanent, long-range portkey and to allow her the right to teach in France, a further three-quarters of an hour had passed, and Harrison was getting bored.

 

 Huffing with her own exasperation, Lily moved to a corner off the office, and barricaded it with several of the chairs placed there for those who had longer waits than they were anticipating. Rummaging in her bag, she removed several toys, then placed Harrison in the temporary playpen and warded him in. “There,” she said, straightening up and looking around for another chair for herself. “Just stay there, baby. Mama has to fill these forms in, then we’ll go see if Papa Sev is able to play.”

 

Harrison folded his arms, and dropped to sit on his bottom on the floor, glaring at the chairs holding him in. When this did not cause the chairs to burst into apologetic flames, he snatched up one of his toys from beside him and angrily smacked it on the floor. It bounced, and ricocheted off a chair to land on the floor some distance away.

 

Gearing himself up for a full-blown sulk, Harrison dropped onto his front on the floor, ready to throw a major tantrum. It was then, however, that he discovered something marvellous.

 

Lily, in her frustration and her rush, had not done her normal thorough job of warding his little corner. Instead of warding Harrison, she had warded the chair backs, meaning that if Harrison tried shoving a chair out of his way, it wouldn’t budge and she would be alerted.

 

What she hadn’t considered, though, was that the gaps between the chair legs were quite wide enough for Harrison to squirm his way through.

 

Especially with a little bit of accidental wish magic greasing his way.

 

Carefully wriggling his way across the room on his stomach like a snake, Harrison jerkily got to his feet once he’d reached the open office door, and gleefully toddled through it. Now he could find New Toy!

 

 

---

With a great deal of satisfaction, Lily finally scrawled her signature across the last page of the last form, and added it to the tall pile of papers with an enthusiastic thwap! She hoped that her permits would come through before she was due to start teaching on the 2nd September. Knowing the Ministry, she wouldn’t be surprised if they took three months minimum to arrive, but Bellatrix had assured her that yes, all her permits would arrive before she had to depart for France . . . even if only by ten minutes.

 

Shaking out her hand to get rid of the cramp it had developed, Lily rummaged in her bag for the Galleons to pay the license fees, then lifted the stack of papers. “Come on, Harry,” she chirped, turning with her hand already raised to un-ward the corner. “Mummy’s almost done . . .” Her voice trailed off as she registered the lack of a little boy behind the chairs. “Harry?” Puzzled, Lily tilted her head. “Are you being invisible again?” The trio had had a minor panic two months before when Harrison – annoyed at being told it was bedtime when he didn’t want to go – had accidentally turned himself invisible. It had taken a major dusting of flour and the help of Lissy before they’d managed to find him and turn him back.

 

Becoming more puzzled, and slightly cross, at not hearing any response from Harrison, Lily clambered over one of the chairs and gingerly felt around the area, not wanting to accidentally poke Harrison in the eye if he was playing a game with her. But no little boy met her questing hands.

 

The puzzlement beginning to turn into concern, Lily raised her head to look over at the Ministry desk. “Excuse me,” she called across the room. “Have you seen a little boy? Black hair, green eyes? He was in this corner . . .”

 

“Nope,” the bored-looking official replied. He didn’t even lift his gaze from the desk.

 

Lily hopped back over the chairs and swept her glance around the room. Surely Harrison had to be in there somewhere. Her gaze froze on the open doorway. “Oh, no!” she murmured, then spun back to the desk. “How long has that door been open?” she demanded, frantically.

 

“Hmm?” The official finally deigned to raise his head. “Oh, it doesn’t close until five,” he said, before losing interest again.

 

“No, not the office, how long has that door been open?” Lily countered, slapping her hands on the desk in front of him. The official jumped, and finally looked at her properly. Whatever he was about to say died as he met her wild eyes.

 

“The door is open as long as the office is,” he said. He shrank back in his chair as Lily first went pale, then flushed an alarming shade of red that almost matched her hair.

 

“And you don’t make provisions for anyone who brings their children?” she screeched. “Nothing to prevent their child just walking out?!”

 

“Uh . . .” Nervously, the official ran a finger along the neckline of his shirt. That was answer enough for Lily, and with a noise somewhere between a growl and a scream, she headed for the door to go and find her lost child.

 

Except that was easier said than done.

 

The Department of Licenses office was at the end of a long hallway, with closed doors spread out along both sides. At the end of the corridor, it split into three, all of which branched off again and again. Once she’d ensured that Harrison hadn’t managed to gain entrance to one of the other offices, there was no telling which way he would have gone.

 

Beginning to feel frantic now, Lily shoved the feeling through the bond to Bellatrix. Bellatrix was somewhere in the Ministry, and could hopefully See where Harrison had got to. Less than two minutes later, Bellatrix’s patronus, a stately Hippogriff, had bounded around the corner and come to a skipping halt in front of Lily.

 

“I Saw,” it said with Bellatrix’s voice. “But I can’t See Harry. Cast for a trace of his magical signature and see if you can follow that. I’ll try from my end and work my way towards you.” With a bow, the silvery Hippogriff faded away.

 

Her hands trembling so much that she almost dropped her wand, it took Lily four tries to cast the spell that allowed her to see Harrison’s magical signature. The thread of it was weak, barely visible in the bright, artificial glow of the office hallway. Surprisingly, considering how young Harrison was, it moved in an incredibly straight line. Almost as though Harrison hadn’t just gone exploring, but had gone after something specific.

 

Lily carefully followed her son’s trail. The few office workers she passed ignored her, while the casual visitors gave her inquisitive looks but carried on past her. Not once did she see any sign of any security personnel. Where were they all?

 

She finally found Bellatrix when she was almost back to where they’d Floo’ed in. Bellatrix shook her head as soon as she saw Lily, and ran a hand through her hair, worriedly.

 

“This was where we came in earlier,” Lily told her, her voice shaking. “Trix, what if Harry’s gone through the Floo with someone? He could be anywhere!”

 

“I don’t think so,” Bellatrix said, as calmly as she was able to. “I think it’s something here in the Ministry that’s blocking me, so if Harry left, then I should have Seen him.” She wrapped an arm around Lily’s shoulders. “Don’t fret so, Lil. We’ll find him. Should we call in Sev, too?”

 

“No, he was busy brewing – and exploding – when we left,” said Lily. She cast the spell to see Harrison’s magical signature again, and let out a breath of relief as it went straight past the public Floos. “Look, Harry went that way!” She pointed to where the thin trail had disappeared around a corner. “What’s down there, Trix?”

 

“Space for visiting dignitaries,” Bellatrix replied, frowning. “What on earth would draw Harry down there?”

 

Shaking her head, Lily plunged into the crowd, elbowing her way through to keep her son’s trace in sight. With a sigh, Bellatrix followed. She wouldn’t like to be in Harrison’s shoes once they caught up with him.

 

Two corridors later, the trace petered out. Lily spun in frantic circles, casting every spell she could think of. “Where is he, Trix?” she wailed. “Where’s my baby?!”

 

A soft cough from further down the hall caused them both to spin. Bellatrix’s breath caught in her throat. “Excuse me, madam,” said the soft voice of Soreen Virtu, “but I believe this belongs to you?” Harrison was perched snugly on the man’s hip, one hand fisted firmly in his hair, his head contentedly on the man’s shoulder. He was beaming proudly.

 

“Look, Mama,” he chirped. “New Toy!” Then his eyes fell on Bellatrix. “Hi, Mama T’ix!” He waved madly at her.

 

“HARRISON ORION EVANS!!” Lily said, very loudly and forcefully. Harrison’s expression fell and he cringed back against his rescuer. “Just what did you think you were doing, running off like that!” She swooped over and plucked her son from Virtu’s arms. “Just wait until I get you home, young man! Don’t you ever dare do that again!” Lily was scolding, in between frantically kissing Harrison’s face.

 

Virtu stood to the side, watching with an air of calm bemusement.

 

“Thank you, Mr Virtu,” Bellatrix said, softly, sidling towards him. “As you can see, Lily was very worried. We both were.”

 

“It was my pleasure,” he said, with a short bow. “Alas, I’m afraid boys do tend to always find themselves in trouble. I’m sure you’ve seen this already in your son.”

 

Bellatrix snorted. “Oh, I have that. But Harry isn’t my son. He’s Lily’s.”

 

“Surely parental feelings are not incumbent upon carrying the child,” Virtu said, stiffly. “He calls you both ‘Mama’, after all.”

 

“Oh!” Bellatrix breathed, suddenly realising the conclusion Virtu had come to. She laughed. “No, Lily and I are siblings. We did a blood ceremony when we were kids, and it bound us almost into one person. That’s why he calls me Mama. His father is . . . well, someone who attended the same school we did.” Really, that was about the nicest thing she could say about James Potter.

 

“Oh. My apologies,” Virtu said, a dull flush highlighting his cheekbones. He made a deep bow.

 

Bellatrix smiled at him as he straightened up. “It’s alright; you couldn’t know,” she said.

 

“Thank you,” Lily said suddenly from beside them. She frowned down at the sulking, tearful toddler in her arms. “I think it’ll be a very long while before someone comes back to the Ministry.” Harrison just sniffled. She looked back up at Virtu, and her eyes widened very slightly. She’d obviously recognised Harrison’s ‘new toy’. Bellatrix bit back a groan as Lily flicked her gaze over to Bellatrix, then smiled warmly at Virtu. “Lily Evans, and this little rapscallion is Harrison.”

 

“Soreen Virtu.” Virtu gave her a small, dignified bow.

 

“Perhaps you’d like to come to dinner tonight, at our house, so we can thank you properly,” Lily said, and ignored the frantic, wide-eyed look Bellatrix shot her.

 

“Honestly, madam, there is no need—” Virtu started, sounding slightly uncomfortable, but Lily steamrollered over him.

 

“Nonsense,” she said, briskly. “Trix can give you the apparition coordinates. We’ll see you at seven, yes?” She barely waited for the cautious nod that Virtu gave her. “Right, then. I have to take this Imp home for a very well deserved time out. I’ll see you later, Trix.” And she scurried back down the corridors in the direction of the Floo chamber.

 

Bellatrix met Virtu’s gaze and barely stopped herself from groaning again.

 

She was going to kill Lily!

By the time Bellatrix arrived home at six o’clock, her desire to kill – or at least maim – Lily had not abated.

 

“Lily Ann Evans!” she shouted as soon as she appeared in the foyer. “I have a bone to pick with you!” Unsurprisingly, Lily did not appear. “LILY!!”

 

A chuckle reached her ears from the doorway to the living room, where Severus was standing with a subdued Harrison perched securely on his hip. “Problem, Trix?” he asked, smirking at her.

 

“Where is she?” Bellatrix demanded, advancing on him. Harrison gazed up at her with wide eyes as she came to a halt and poked Severus in the chest with a forefinger. “I know she told you what happened, so where is she!”

 

“She had to go out shopping . . . for dinner,” he replied, unsuccessfully smothering another chuckle as Bellatrix whirled away with a short scream of frustration. “Relax, Trix, it’ll be fine.”

 

“No, it won’t!” Bellatrix reached up and tugged at her hair. “I have no idea what Lily was thinking. She must have gone insane, or caught a curse, or something . . .” The diatribe that had been gaining speed lost it all as Severus finally gave up trying to hide his mirth and burst out laughing. She huffed at him. “It’s not funny!” she pouted, coming perilously close to a whine.

 

“Oh, Trix,” Severus sighed, the remnants of his laughter still in his voice. “Of course it’s funny. It’s hilarious. And whenever Lily finds someone – or I do – you’ll find it equally as funny when we get into a flap over them.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. “That’s what siblings do. You should know that better than I do,” he teased, “or have you forgotten you have two actual sisters?”

 

“I . . . oh, no!” Bellatrix moaned, burying her face in Severus’ shoulder. “I’ll have to go through this all over again, won’t I?”

 

“Yep,” said Severus, cheerfully. He dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head, then pushed her away towards the stairs. “Better go get ready, Trix. You’ve got less than an hour.”

 

“Less than— Oh, Merlin! What will I wear?!” Bellatrix suddenly panicked. She dashed for the stairs, calling for Lissy as she went.

 

“Maybe one day you’ll have a sister you can tease like that,” Severus said to Harrison, who merely stuck his thumb in his mouth and put his head down onto Severus’ shoulder. “Failing that, you always have your cousin Nymphadora.” And, roaring with laughter again, he carried Harrison back into the living room.

 

 

 

---

 

By the time seven o’clock arrived, Bellatrix had – by judicious use of a calming draught – gone from outright panic to merely nervous. She was standing in the doorway to the living room, anxiously twisting her fingers together. Severus was sitting calmly on the settee, watching over Harrison, a smirk still playing around his mouth. Lily was helping Lissy to put the finishing touches to the dinner.

 

When the faint crack! sounded outside, Bellatrix almost shrieked. “He’s here!” she managed to get out, in barely a whisper.

 

“So go let him in then,” Lily suggested, biting her lip to hide a smile. She’d never seen Bellatrix go so much to pieces before, and definitely never over a man.

 

“Let him in,” Bellatrix repeated, sounding almost dazed. The knock on the door seemed to snap her back to her senses. “Oh, right!” Lily and Severus exchanged smirks as she hurried towards the front door. She opened it with perhaps a little more haste than was seemly, and then just stood there as a flash of heat went through her like a lightning bolt.

 

What was it about this man? she vaguely wondered.

 

Virtu raised his eyebrows, and Bellatrix realised that he was waiting for her to invite him inside. Flushing, she carefully didn’t look in Severus and Lily’s direction as she moved aside. “He-hello,” she said, all-too-breathlessly, and with an embarrassing stutter. She made herself take a deep breath, and then smiled properly at him. “Welcome to our home. Please, come in.”

 

“Thank you.” He carefully stepped inside, and swept his gaze around the entrance hall.

 

“Mr Virtu.” Lily stepped forward with a warm smile, hand extended. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

 

“Miss Evans.” Virtu took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he kissed it instead.

 

Lily’s eyes flicked to Bellatrix at the old-fashioned gesture, and her smile widened to a grin momentarily. Oh, Merlin, Bellatrix thought. I shall definitely be hearing about that!

 

“My brother, Severus Snape,” was all that Lily said, gesturing at Severus. Virtu’s eyebrows drew together very slightly, obviously confused over the surnames. “He’s my brother the same way that Trix is my sister,” Lily explained.

 

Now Virtu’s eyebrows rose, but he stepped forward politely enough to shake Severus’ hand.

 

At that moment, Lissy emerged from the kitchen, a toddling Harrison clutching tightly at her hand. They stopped beside Severus, and Harrison clutched firmly at the leg of Severus’ trousers. He looked up at Severus and beamed brightly. “Hi, Papa Sev!” he chirped. Severus smiled, and rested a hand on Harrison’s head, subtly helping to steady the boy, but before he could reply, Harrison had shifted his gaze to Virtu, and his grin got wider. “New Toy!” he squealed, delightedly.

 

“Harry!” said Lily, sharply, and Harrison cringed back behind Severus’ leg. “What did I tell you?”

 

“I so’y,” Harrison whispered, and peeked back up at Virtu. “Mi-Mis . . . uh, Miste’ . . . um—”

 

“It’s all right,” Virtu said, although Bellatrix couldn’t tell if he was speaking to Harrison or Lily. He knelt down in front of the toddler. “If it’s easier for you, you may call me Soreen.”

 

Harrison glanced quickly at his mother, obviously asking permission. Lily gave a small nod, and Harrison turned back to smile at Virtu. “So’een,” he agreed.

 

“I believe Lissy was coming to tell us that dinner is ready,” Lily interjected. She glanced apologetically at Virtu. “I’m afraid we didn’t bother putting in a formal dining area. We don’t tend to host many proper gathers.”

 

“That is all right,” Virtu repeated. He smiled wryly. “I don’t tend to get invited to many, as you say, ‘proper’ gatherings, either.”

 

As they all settled around the kitchen table, the talk steadily flowed, about Virtu’s job with the Ministry and his life in India, Lily’s teaching career and her upcoming school year in France, Severus’ potions and his experiment of the week, and gossip that Bellatrix had picked up around the Ministry. For once, Harrison behaved himself, and didn’t play with or throw a single bit of his dinner.

 

Bellatrix idly wondered just what Lily had threatened him with if he misbehaved.

 

 

 

---

 

Two weeks later

 

“You called, my Lord?” Lucius Malfoy put his head round the door to the study at Riddle Manor. He hoped this wouldn’t take too long – he’d promised Narcissa that he’d accompany her to little Nymphadora’s birthday party.

 

Voldemort looked up from the map he was studying and beckoned his second-in-command further into the room. “Lucius,” was the only greeting he made. “Come and take a look.”

 

Curious now, Lucius moved quickly to the desk and looked down at the map. It was of Great Britain. Four large red dots were placed on it; two in the south, and two much further north in Scotland. He cast a quizzical glance at Voldemort. “My Lord?” he queried.

 

“Those dots, Lucius,” the leader of the Dark explained, “are the current largest wizarding establishments in the country.” A long, slender finger came to rest on the southern most pair of dots. “Diagon and Knockturn Allies, and the Ministry of Magic itself, both in London.” The finger moved to the other dots. “And Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, both in Scotland.” Voldemort then tapped a finger on the vast expanse of dot-free land in between. “And then there is nothing.”

 

“Surely there must be something, my Lord?” Lucius ventured, his brows drawing together.

 

“Nothing that is centralised as those four areas are,” Voldemort informed him. “Most families such as yourself live in isolated spots, or have even left the country by now.”

 

“You have a plan, my Lord?” Lucius looked up, although he couldn’t meet Voldemort’s gaze. The hints of red that were appearing ever more frequently in the older wizard’s eyes unnerved him.

 

“Yes, I do.” Voldemort sat back in his chair, his fingertips pressed together over his chest. “At the moment, Dumbledore spends most of his time at either Hogwarts or in the Ministry. However, with them being at opposite ends of the country, he spends a great deal of time bouncing back and forth, and any force he can mobilise takes time – precisely because usually they are miles away from where they’re desperately needed.

 

“However,” Voldemort sat forward and tapped a finger on the middle of the map again. “If we can set up headquarters here, in this region, then we will be able to do much more than we currently can. Quite a few plans have had to be scrapped because we have the same problem as the old fool does.”

 

“If our reach was large enough, we could also cut him off from one of his bases,” Lucius said, slowly. His fingers tapped idly against his thigh as he thought. “If we wanted access to Hogwarts, for instance, all we’d have to do is feint at the Ministry, the old fool would go running, and our forces could spread out to block his route back, thereby leaving the school accessible to us.”

 

“Or vice versa,” agreed Voldemort, smiling approvingly at his lieutenant. “But to get our people in place, we need a distraction.” He waved a hand over the map, and several sections separated themselves and enlarged. Voldemort rested the fingers of one hand over the red dots that signified Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. “Dumbledore is currently at the school, preparing for the new term to start in two weeks. It’s best if he stays there, so two teams should feint at both the school and the village. That will keep his attention centred where we want it.”

 

The Dark Lord shuffled that particular map section to the side and indicated one that had come from further south. “The most  . . . enthusiastic member of the old fool’s Order is that braggart Potter,” he continued. “Currently, he and his friend, the oldest Black son, are living in Godric’s Hollow. Two teams should stage various attacks around that village. Draw Potter and Black out, engage where necessary, but mainly keep them chasing their tails.”

 

“What if they call for the old fool, or he calls for their aid?” Lucius asked, studying the map.

 

“Potter wouldn’t call for help if he was on fire and surrounded by thirty of our Death Eaters,” said Voldemort, snorting contemptuously. “He has a far too inflated sense of his own worth.”

 

“He may, but Black isn’t quite as bad,” Lucius pointed out. “Or,” he amended, “he wasn’t the last time I saw him.” It hadn’t escaped his notice that his cousin-in-law had been keeping well away from the Malfoy family.

 

“No, but Potter will automatically assume command, and he won’t think it worth bothering Dumbledore until the ‘battle’ is over,” Voldemort assured him. “As for the old fool contacting him . . . well, easy enough to block communications around Godric’s Hollow for the duration.”

 

Lucius nodded, and resisted the urge to cast a quick Tempus. Narcissa would have his hide if he were late. He didn’t really want to attend the party, but Narcissa could be very . . . persuasive, when she set her mind to things.

 

“I know some of our people are being watched by the Order,” Voldemort carried on, apparently oblivious to his lieutenant’s rising unease, “but that just means we can draw their attention elsewhere, too.” He looked up, his gaze meeting Lucius’. He looked vaguely amused. “Am I keeping you from something, Lucius?”

 

“Ah . . .” Lucius sighed. “No, my Lord.”

 

Looked like Narcissa was going to be disappointed after all.

 

 

 

---

 

The noise level was beyond belief. If Severus hadn’t been looking at the half dozen children playing in the garden in front of him, he would have sincerely believed that two dozen or more had been invited to Nymphadora’s party.

 

“Hard to believe that so much noise can come out of such little people, isn’t it?” a voice said behind him.

 

Severus turned and grinned at Ted Tonks. “And it’s mostly Nympha and her friends, too,” he said. “Whatever happened to quiet, ladylike decorum?”

 

Ted threw back his head and roared with laughter. “It went the way of the dodo,” he replied once he’d mostly calmed down.

 

“Well, perhaps it’ll turn into a diricrawl and come back,” Severus teased, and Ted laughed again. Both growing up with muggles – Ted as a muggleborn, and Severus as a half-blood and through his connection to Lily’s family – both had been amused to discover during their Care of Magical Creatures class that the infamous Dodo bird didn’t actually exist, but was actually a magical bird that had the same ability to teleport that phoenixes had, with the added benefit of being able to become invisible.

 

Loud shrieks of delight came from the other end of the garden, and both men winced. “Perhaps it’s just because there’s so many of them?” Severus suggested. Nymphadora and four of her friends, who were all tutored together, were playing some game of their own devising. They had been playing hide and seek with Harrison and Draco, but apparently the bunch of four-year-olds had gotten tired of playing with “the babies”.

 

“No, Nympha can make just as much noise, if not more, on her own,” Ted disagreed, shaking his head. Severus looked at him doubtfully. “I kid you not,” Ted assured him.

 

“Well, I’m a Potions Master,” Severus said, thoughtfully. “I’m sure I can come up with something that would guarantee only boys during pregnancy.”

 

At Ted’s roar of laughter, all the women gathered at the other end of the garden looked over, smiling in puzzled amusement.

 

“I wonder what Sev said,” Andromeda wondered out loud.

 

“Probably better not to know,” Bellatrix informed her older sister. She exchanged glances with Lily, and they both laughed.

 

“Speaking of better not to know,” one of the other ladies said, “where’s your husband, Narcissa?”

 

“Yeah, I thought you were going to convince him to come with you,” Bellatrix added.

 

Narcissa scowled down into the glass of sparkling apple juice she was holding. “I did. He must have been held up by . . . at work,” she complained. The other women made commiserating noises.

 

“Perhaps you should do what Mum did once, and go drag him here by his ear,” Andromeda said, smiling wickedly.

 

“What?” “No way!” “When was this?” “What happened?” the ladies chorused at her.

 

Bellatrix laughed. “It was Dromeda’s eleventh birthday, and Mum had this big party planned, to coincide with the arrival of her Hogwarts letter. Except Dad got delayed at the Ministry. After an hour, Mum got really cross and went to fetch him herself. They Floo’ed back together, with his ear in her death-grip.”

 

“He always claimed that it was misshapen after that,” Andromeda said, with a wistful sigh. Cygnus Black had been killed in a carriage accident, along with his cousin Orion – Sirius and Regulus’ father – the year after the trio had left Hogwarts, just two months after Harrison’s birth. It had been a devastating blow for all of them, and they still missed him.

 

Girlish whoops distracted them, and they looked up just in time to see the girls descending on Ted and Severus. Both men put up an argument about whatever the girls were demanding they do, but in the end, gave in, and it wasn’t long before the girls were taking turns being swung around by the hands.

 

“Think the girls will get bored before they get dizzy?” one of the ladies asked, wickedly.

 

The group looked at each other for a moment, then, “Nah!” they all chorused, and collapsed into giggles.

 

 

 

---

 

The party was over by the time Lucius finally arrived. Nymphadora’s friends and their mothers had all departed, leaving the family to unwind in the finally peaceful garden. Lucius gave a slight bow to Andromeda and Ted, and a warm hug and kiss to the birthday girl – after all, even with having a Mudblood for a father, the very fact that she was a metamorphmagus proved that she was very magical. There were only something like 100 metamorphamaguses in the world.

 

“Busy day?” Narcissa asked, icily.

 

“Yes,” Lucius replied, frankly, conjuring a chair beside hers. “We received news that the current Minister of Magic is going to retire at the end of this month. He can’t cope with all the attacks, especially now the Dementors have . . . strayed from Azkaban.” The corner of his mouth quirked up. Of course, the Dementors had more than strayed – which made them sound like lost crup puppies – but even so, it was better not to state such things out loud. Never knew when there’d be an annoying Gryffindor around to overhear.

 

“The Minister’s retiring?” Andromeda repeated, surprised.

 

Bellatrix frowned at her brother-in-law. “I haven’t heard anything like that around the Ministry,” she said. “Are you sure?”

 

“It was apparently just decided today,” Lucius confirmed, nodding. “The Wizengamot is calling a special election to be held at the end of October.”

 

“Hmm.” Bellatrix’s eyes glazed over briefly, before she shook her head. “The timing will be atrocious, barely two months into the new school year, but Dumbledore will see his chance and run anyway.”

 

“Dumbledore?!” Lucius and Narcissa chorused, horrified. Narcissa tightened her grip on her son, who was currently dozing in her lap.

 

“He won’t win,” said Bellatrix, comfortingly. “Not this time.”

 

“You mean he might win another time?” asked Lily.

 

Bellatrix shrugged. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “There are too many things in flux around that, and I can’t See.”

 

“As long as the new Minister isn’t Potter, either, then I think we’re safe for a while,” Severus interjected, dryly. The thought of James Potter as Minister of Magic was just too horrifying to contemplate, and the entire group shuddered.

 

“Anyway,” Andromeda said, brightly, deliberately changing the topic. “Now that the whole family’s here, Ted and I have an announcement to make. Nympha!” she called, then spotted the beam on Bellatrix’s face. “No spoiling!” she said, sharply.

 

“Spoilsport,” Bellatrix murmured, but she subsided, ignoring the elbow in her side from Lily and the grin from Severus.

 

“Mama?” Nymphadora was hugging her mother’s leg.

 

“I have one more thing for you, sweetie,” Andromeda told her. “In about six months, just after the New Year, you’re going to be getting two new siblings.”

 

The garden was filled with the sound of squeals of amazement – even from Bellatrix and Lily who’d already known – and delighted congratulations.

 

“Siblings?” Nymphadora’s hair flushed a mottled pink and blue, showing her confusion. “Does that mean I’m getting brothers?” Her hair flushed to a light blue. “Or sisters?” This time it flashed pale pink.

 

“We don’t know yet, darling,” her father answered.

 

“We want to be surprised,” Andromeda emphasised, her gaze directly on Bellatrix. The other adults laughed as she squirmed.

 

“But . . . I . . . oh . . . ugh!” she finally got out, and slumped back in her seat, folding her arms sulkily. “Fine!” she agreed.

 

“Maybe we should cast the Fidelius charm over it, with one of us as the Secret Keeper,” Lily hissed in an aside to Severus. “Because you know Trix will never keep it!”

 

Severus chortled, as Bellatrix glanced over at them suspiciously. “We can always obliviate her if necessary,” he joked. “Or a Silencio will do just as well.”

 

“You’re plotting something,” Bellatrix said, leaning forward to glare at them both. “What are you two up to?”

 

“Nothing!” they chorused, and only laughed when she aimed her best glare at them.

 

 

 

---

 

By the time the trio arrived home an hour later, Harrison was almost asleep in Lily’s arms, although he woke up briefly when she declared he needed a bath before bed.

 

“Did you have fun at Nympha’s party, baby?” Lily asked, once he was in the tub. For once, the toddler wasn’t trying to create tidal waves, but was content to gently pat the water every once in a while.

 

“Uh-huh.” Harrison nodded, then yawned, widely. Lily had to pause whilst washing his hair to swallow a yawn of her own. “Mama? Nympha get sibling?” he asked.

 

“Yes, sweetheart,” she replied, absently. “In the New Year.”

 

“Oh.” Harrison fell silent for a moment, and Lily thought he’d gone back to his almost-sleep. But then he peered up at her through his eyelashes. “Me get sibling?” he asked.

 

Lily froze. Oh, Merlin! Now what was she supposed to say? “Uh . . . maybe one day in the future, baby,” she finally got out.

 

“Me get sibling tomo’ow?” Harrison perked up.

 

“Definitely not!” said Lily, emphatically. She reached for a nearby towel. “Come on, Harry, bedtime,” she declared. Hopefully his sudden fascination for siblings would have disappeared by the morning.

 

Entering the living room after putting Harrison in bed, she saw that Bellatrix was giggling quietly into the glass of wine she was pretending to drink, and Severus was smirking. “You heard?” she asked, smiling in resigned amusement.

 

“Yup. Harry wants a sibling . . . tomorrow!” Bellatrix got out, before descending into another fit of giggles.

 

Lily snorted and appropriated the wine glass for herself. “You’ve got more chance of achieving that than I have,” she pointed out, poking Bellatrix in the side. “When will you be seeing Mr Virtu again?”

 

“Not for a long while, if ever,” Bellatrix said, sobering quickly. “His delegation went back to India a few days ago.”

 

“Well, Harry’s ‘new toy’ hasn’t disappeared, so no doubt he’ll be back, Trix,” Severus said, comfortingly.

 

“And are you ever going to tell him why Harry keeps slipping up and calling him New Toy?” Lily asked. Both she and Severus laughed at the look of mortification that swept over Bellatrix’s face.

 

“Not in this lifetime,” she said hurriedly, and snatched her wine glass back from Lily. Suddenly she stiffened, and her eyes glazed over. She was silent for almost a minute, as Severus and Lily watched, then she began twitching, as though trying to run. “No . . . no!” she gasped out. “They’re just children.”

 

And then, startling the other two, she screamed, a high-pitched wail of agony that rose until it was almost soundless. Alarmed, the hair on the backs of their necks rising, Lily and Severus lurched forward towards their blood sister.

 

“No!” Bellatrix wailed. “No, Mum! Mum, don’t! No! Mama!”

 

And then she slumped in her seat, unconscious.

Auror’s report, 15th August 1980, 9:25am

 

On the evening of 14th August 1980, at around five-thirty pm, a call came through about a disturbance in and around the village of Godric’s Hollow, set in the West Country.

 

Myself and my team apparated to the village, and discovered a group of what appeared to be Death Eaters (the individuals were wearing long black cloaks and smooth white masks over their faces) battling with suspended Auror James Potter and junior Auror Sirius Black.

 

Witness reports (gathered via house-to-house enquiries after the altercation was over at around seven-thirty pm) indicate that the apparent Death Eaters arrived in the village at roughly four o’clock; however, they did nothing more than “create a lot of loud bangs and bright lights” (Mr V Thompson, 47 The Green, Godric’s Hollow). Junior Auror Sirius Black arrived after approximately ten minutes, only for the individuals to apparate away.

 

According to other witnesses, the group appears to have done nothing but appear at various points around the village, wait for either junior Auror Sirius Black or suspended Auror James Potter to arrive, whilst causing a minor nuisance, and then apparate away again to another spot in the village.

 

After over an hour of this, it seems that suspended Auror James Potter became very frustrated, and began taunting them, “using the sort of language that, if I’d been his mother, I’d have washed his mouth out with soap for – and then an after-serving of bleach, just for good measure!” (Miss A Rottergarn, 15 Midcairn Way, Godric’s Hollow).

 

At around five-fifteen pm, the group appeared en-mass in the village centre and began firing spells, although nothing more serious than jinxes and hexes. After collecting a rough tally, the spells most often used were the Impediment Jinx, the Jelly-Legs Jinx, the Stinging Hex, the Bedazzling Hex, and the Trip Jinx.

 

When junior Auror Sirius Black and suspended Auror James Potter arrived, they immediately took cover in one of the village shops and began returning fire, primarily using the Body-Bind Curse, the Blasting Curse and the Disarming Spell.

 

One of the individuals used a Protego, which reflected suspended Auror James Potter’s Blasting Curse back at himself and junior Auror Sirius Black, and caused damage to the shop they were taking cover in. At this point, we received the call about the disturbance.

 

My team and I began exchanging fire with the individuals, although we, too, were subjected to nothing more harmful than the previously mentioned hexes and jinxes.

 

At some point, suspended Auror James Potter cast a Flagrante Curse. Unfortunately, the previously mentioned Protego was still up, and so the Curse was deflected yet again back into the shop, causing more damage to the interior.

 

Seeing several of the individuals apparate away – presumably with their task, whatever it may have been, completed – suspended Auror James Potter completely lost his temper, and began casting Entrail-Expelling Curses and Fiendfyre.

 

One of the individuals cast a Backfiring Jinx upon suspended Auror James Potter, at which point he became beyond furious and attempted to cast a Crucio (Cruciatus Curse) at the individual. He was only interrupted by the shop where he had moved to bursting into flames from the Fiendfyre.

 

By around six-thirty pm, all of the apparent Death Eaters had apparated away to location(s) unknown. Myself and my team would have attempted to follow, but as the Fiendfyre looked to run rampant throughout the village, we stayed put and began to help corral the Fiendfyre.

 

Suspended Auror James Potter was apparently very frustrated at losing the individuals, and began randomly aiming Blasting Curses at anything that could be construed as cover. Unfortunately, several children had been in and around the village square (being still on holiday from school), and had been hiding as best they could.

 

When it appeared that suspended Auror James Potter was about to cast another Blasting Curse at a clump of bushes where three young girls (Clara Haggerty [6], Gretchen deLancy [9] and Maria Turloim [5]) were hiding, a middle-aged woman (later revealed to be Mrs Druella Black, nee Rosier [50]) ran from her hiding place to either stop suspended Auror James Potter or to attempt to shield the children.

 

It is unclear as to whether suspended Auror James Potter could not stop his spell-casting in time, or if he just didn’t care that his spell was not aimed at an inanimate object.

 

At around seven o’clock, Mrs Druella Black, nee Rosier, was unfortunately hit by a Blasting Curse, cast by suspended Auror James Potter. Although emergency healers from St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries were summoned immediately, they were unable to help the victim, and pronounced her dead at the scene.

 

 

---

 

 

Ted, Lucius, Lily and Severus were all gathered with the children at one end of the Tonks’ living room, whilst a storm of weeping and threats came from the three women huddled at the other end. The threats mostly came from Bellatrix – although Narcissa was throwing in suggestions, too – and were all against James Potter.

 

In fact, Bellatrix was starting to scare Lily and Severus. Much as they both loathed James Potter, they really hoped that he wouldn’t cross Bellatrix’s path any time soon. He wouldn’t much like it if he did . . . and the two of them would rather not have to explain to Harrison why they were having to go visit Mama Trix in Azkaban Prison.

 

“Perhaps some Calming Draught might not go amiss?” Lucius suggested in an undertone, as the wailing went up a notch again.

 

“We tried that before we left our house, once Trix came to,” Lily said, softly.

 

“She almost blew our heads off – literally,” Severus added. He rested a hand over the second wand that was tucked into a pocket. “That’s why I’ve got her wand.”

 

“Dromeda should take some,” Ted said, worriedly. “All this can’t be good for the babies, surely.”

 

“She’s past the first trimester, isn’t she?” Lucius asked. “That’s usually the most dangerous time.”

 

“I should think any kind of shock or trauma is dangerous enough at any point,” Lily said. She glanced round at the other men. “The question is, who wants to get close enough to give it to Andromeda?”

 

There was a deafening silence.

 

Finally, after several moments of glancing at each other, Lucius shook his head. He held his hand out, imperiously. “Calming Draught,” he declared, wriggling his fingers. Severus rummaged in another pocket and pulled out a small vial. He examined it briefly before dropping it into Lucius’ hand.

 

With a smirk at them all, Lucius crouched down in front of his niece. “Nymph, go and give this to your mother,” he instructed, softly. When the little girl looked doubtfully at where the three women were still sobbing, Lucius gently touched her cheek. “It’s okay,” he soothed. “Mummy will stop crying once you give her this.” He patted her on the shoulder and stood up, adding under his breath, “And if Trix takes it too, so much the better for us all!”

 

With varying degrees of admiration, the others watched Nymphadora clutch the vial tightly to her chest and careen at a near run to her mother. Andromeda grabbed her daughter into a tight hug, before noticing what she held in her hands. With a few sniffles, and a tearfully grateful look at where the others were standing, Andromeda downed the potion, and within seconds, her tears slowed.

 

“One down, two to go,” Severus muttered to Lily.

 

“It would have been easier if we’d managed to dose Trix first,” she murmured back.

 

Severus rummaged through his pocket again and produced another vial, then bent down to Draco’s level, where the boy was clinging tightly to his leg. “Here, Draco,” he said, softly, aware that the storm of weeping from his mother had scared the boy. “Take this to Mummy.”

 

“Ma?” Draco looked at the vial, then over at Narcissa, and his lower lip trembled. “Ma!”

 

“Yes, Ma,” Severus agreed, and pressed the potion vial into the little hand. “Keep hold of this.”

 

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!” Bellatrix stomped her way over to them, and prised the Calming Draught from her nephew’s hand and gulping it down in one go. She scowled at the small group. “There! Happy now?” And then she sighed, as the Draught worked its magic, and her temper cooled.

 

“Maybe not happy, but less afraid of getting hexed,” Lily teased, gently, wrapping her arm around Bellatrix’s shoulders and steering her back to where her sisters were still sitting. The men – and children – reluctantly followed.

 

“What are we going to do now?” Andromeda asked, gripping one of Ted’s hands tightly as he sat beside her.

 

“There’ll be an enquiry,” Lucius said, heavily, sitting on the arm of Narcissa’s chair and running a hand down her hair. “Potter won’t get away with just being suspended this time.”

 

“I hope he rots in Azkaban!” said Bellatrix through gritted teeth.

 

“At least Dumbledore won’t be able to clear him,” said Severus. “Not if he wants to hang on to any chance with the election. People won’t even consider a Minister who flagrantly pardons his own people, especially for something like murder.” He immediately winced at his choice of words.

 

“A bit . . . blunt,” Lucius decided, “but, yes, in essence, that’s true. Whether the old fool will take that into consideration, though—”

 

“What, you think he’d believe he’s so loved by everyone that he could get away with anything?” Narcissa demanded, sitting up straight and staring at her husband.

 

“It’s a fair point, actually,” Lily mused. “Sort of like his behaviour, and McGonagall’s, when we sat our OWLs and NEWTs. The way they trashed all the grades but acted like it was our fault.”

 

“Whether he thinks that way or not, it won’t happen again,” Bellatrix vowed, her hands clenching into fists as she sat forward, her eyes hard and shining. “Because we won’t let it.”

 

“No,” Andromeda and Narcissa agreed as one. “We won’t.”

 

 

---

 

 

“It’s ridiculous! Outrageous!” James Potter kicked the leg of the heavy wooden desk in a surge of temper. “I should be out there hunting down those treacherous Slytherins. Who cares if there’s one less in the world?”

 

Albus Dumbledore hummed a note of agreement, but didn’t look up from the paperwork he was perusing.

 

“It’s not fair!” James exploded, turning to kick at his chair and sending it skidding across the room until it hit the far wall. “How dare they kick me out of the Aurors!”

 

“It’s not a permanent expulsion, James,” Albus said, absently, shuffling aside another paper.

 

“Just until I attend an anger management course. Bah!” James spat, looking for something else he could kick. “As if I need anger management! My anger is fine – I know exactly who it’s supposed to be aimed at!” He turned and looked at Albus. “Can’t you do something? What good am I to the Order if I have to sit on the sidelines?”

 

“Hmm?” Albus peered over the top of his spectacles at James. “Oh. No, I’m sorry, dear boy, but until my position as Minister is secure, I dare not interfere over much with the Auror Corp. Patience, my boy; all will be righted eventually.”

 

“And just how much will those dirty snakes get away with?” James hissed. “We know Lucius Malfoy is up to something! Those Death Eaters weren’t in Godric’s Hollow for nothing.”

 

“Of course they weren’t,” confirmed Albus. “Not when a group of them appeared outside Hogwarts at the same time. No, they were only a cover, meant to distract us while Voldemort was elsewhere.”

 

“And I can’t do anything!” growled James, and he kicked the desk again, this time hard enough to make it move the tiniest bit.

 

Albus looked up at him and folded his hands together over the papers. “My dear James,” he said, patiently, “just because you are not an Auror right now, why in Merlin’s name should that mean you can’t do anything?”

 

 

---

 

 

“Ish, ish no’ righ’,” James repeated, drunkenly, to his friends Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Sirius nodded enthusiastically, even though James had repeated this sentiment over a dozen times now. Remus had his head propped up by his hand and his eyes had glazed over. Whether that was from the drink or James’ words was impossible to say.

 

Sirius suddenly perked up. “Bub, bub,” he started, fully as sloshed as James was, “means ya don’ hav ta follow any rules and reggu – rebug – relap . . . don’ hav no rules,” he finally managed.

 

James instantly straightened, his eyes going wide with delight. “Thash righ’!” he exclaimed. “Don’t have no rules anymo’e!” His chuckle descended into an outright cackle. “Can give dem slimy traitors wha’for,” he slurred, and then suddenly fell off his chair to land on the floor, where he began snoring loudly.

 

“Wha’ ya doin’ down dere, Jamie?” Sirius asked, glancing down with a puzzled frown, but then his head slowly lowered until it reached the table, and he, too, began snoring loudly, smacking his lips every so often.

 

 

---

 

 

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

 

“Harry, I am not blowing up my laboratory for your amusement,” Severus said, as sternly as he could through the amusement.

 

Harrison pouted at him as Severus swung the boy up onto his hip. “Boom, boom!” he protested, smacking his hands together in emphasis.

 

“Not today,” Severus assured him. “We’re going to the park today, remember?”

 

“Pa’k?” Harrison asked, his expression smoothing out as he thought about it. “Pa’k go boom?”

 

“I’d be very worried if it did,” said Severus. Harrison stuck out his lower lip and dropped his head to Severus’ shoulder, prepared to start sulking.

 

Severus had no idea why Harrison was so enamoured of explosions this morning, but the boy was out of luck – with Lily away in France for her first day teaching there, and Bellatrix busy dealing with solicitors regarding her mother’s estate, then Severus was the Imp’s caretaker for the day, and he’d decided a walk in the park was just what they needed. Hopefully with nothing blowing up.

 

“Hold tight,” he warned Harrison, and the boy threw his arms tightly around Severus’ neck as he apparated them both.

 

They appeared at the edge of a fairly large park and Severus began making his way round to a wooded patch, where it would be easier to set up Notice-Me-Not and Muggle Repelling Charms. Harrison was too young to have much control over his magic yet.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

The unfamiliar voice pulled Severus’ head round. A young lady was standing three feet to his left, giving him an exasperatedly polite smile. Her accent – a hard American one – as well as the well-worn paper clutched in her left hand told him why.

 

“I’m looking for—” she double-checked the paper she held “—Delonie Street?”

 

“Delonie Street? I’m afraid I don’t—” Severus ran her words through his mind and tried to remove her accent. “Oh, I think you mean Delaney Street,” he realised. Shifting Harrison more securely to one side, he freed his other hand to point with. “Follow that street over there, second street on the left, then first on the right straight after.”

 

“I knew I should have checked the route out before my appointment,” the girl said. She smiled at both Severus and Harrison and then turned to head for the street Severus had pointed out. “Thanks!”

 

“P’etty lady,” Harrison murmured as she disappeared around the corner.

 

Severus looked down at the toddler and laughed. “Going to be a ladies’ man, huh?” he asked, as they continued onwards towards the edge of the woods. Once they’d reached a spot that was relatively out of the way, Severus charmed an area, almost like a playpen, for Harrison, large enough for the boy to run around to his heart’s content, but not so large that Severus risked losing sight of him.

 

“Kitty!” Harrison exclaimed as Severus was rummaging through the bag he’d brought for Harrison’s toys.

 

Severus raised his head, and followed Harrison’s line of sight to the nearby trees. Perched in the shadows of the upper branches was something that appeared to shimmer gently as the dappled sunlight sparkled off it. Puzzled, Severus moved to pull out his wand, just as Harrison lifted his hands up towards whatever it was that was crouching in the shelter of the tree’s trunk.

 

“Kitty!” Harrison called again, louder and more firmly this time.

 

Before Severus could call out – a warning, or a stern refusal – there was a loud yowl from the tree, and the sound of the branches being heavily clawed. The animal did not want to come down, but it appeared that it was coming, whether it liked it or not.

 

A large ball of fur landed in Harrison’s outstretched arms, pushing the boy over. He landed on his bottom with an, “Oof!” but didn’t seem to be harmed at all.

 

Of course, Severus reflected, that might change once his ‘kitty’ recovered from the abrupt accio Harrison had just subjected it to.

 

With a quick wave of his wand, the animal was asleep, and Severus could examine it more closely.

 

“Harry, what have we told you about just taking things?” he scolded as he crouched down and pried the fuzzy ball from the toddler’s arms. “What if you’d hurt the poor thing?”

 

“Kitty!” Harrison protested, large tears welling in his eyes. “My Kitty!”

 

“It is not your kitty,” Severus informed him, firmly. “It could belong to somebody else. Taking things – and that includes pets, Harrison – without asking is rude.”

 

“My Kitty,” Harrison repeated, dolefully. “Kitty called to me!”

 

Severus raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. “It called to you?” he repeated. Harrison nodded enthusiastically. “Hmm,” he hummed, doubtfully. “Still, it’s not nice to just grab things like that, Harry.” He glanced down at the furball in front of him. It was a shimmery golden colour, with white stripes running down its back and flanks, almost like reversed tiger stripes, all done in miniature. The tail, which ended in a large sandy-brown tuft, was twitching towards Harrison. “It’s a kneazle,” said Severus, in some surprise, sitting back on his heels.

 

“Kcnee-zel,” Harrison attempted, never having tried the word before. He did not see much of Lily’s Tabernacle, who preferred to roam the neighbourhood.

 

“Close enough.” Severus gave a soft chuckle, then sobered to look sternly at Harrison. “You were very lucky this wasn’t an ordinary muggle cat, Harry. If it had been, you might have hurt it – or it might have hurt you,” he pointed out.

 

“Kitty called!” the boy protested again.

 

“And how many times have we told you not to talk to strangers?” asked Severus, raising an eyebrow again. Harrison’s face fell. “That includes strange animals, too.”

 

“I punished?” Harrison asked, softly.

 

“No dessert tonight,” Severus decided. It was a mild enough punishment, since they’d only really covered danger from strange humans, not animals, but no doubt Harrison would object enough that he’d be more careful next time.

 

Harrison’s face fell even further with dismay. Then he brightened again as he leaned forward to pat the kneazle. “My Kitty?” he asked, hopefully.

 

“Hmm.” Severus ran his wand over the kneazle. They tended to take on the magical signature of whatever witch or wizard – or other magical creature – they belonged to. This one surprisingly, considering it wasn’t a kitten, hadn’t bonded with anyone yet. “Maybe,” he said to Harrison. “But only if it wants to be yours,” he admonished, just as Harrison opened his mouth to squeal with delight. The boy’s mouth snapped shut again. “Which means no magic to keep it with you.”

 

“Kitty!” Harrison cooed, and pounced enthusiastically on the still-sleeping kneazle in a way that was sure to end badly if he tried it when the feline was awake.

 

The sound of someone apparating nearby brought Severus’ head up again. Bellatrix was standing on the spot where Harrison and Severus had arrived. She cast a brief look around the park before striding across to them.

 

“It went as well as can be expected,” she said, before Severus could even open his mouth to ask. “Bequests to all three of us, small gifts to you and Lily, too – don’t even think it, Sev,” she continued, holding up a hand to stop a protest that Severus hadn’t made yet. “You and Lil are – were – like her own children; of course she’d acknowledge that. The house has gone to Andromeda, but she and Ted prefer the house they have now, and they don’t want to move whilst she’s pregnant, nor while dealing with newborn twins, so they’re going to hold it in trust for one of the children, or grandchildren possibly.”

 

“Look!” Harrison chirped as soon as Bellatrix paused for breath. “My Kitty!” He held up the slumbering kneazle as well as he was able, which meant that most of it was left on the ground.

 

Bellatrix gaped at it, then raised her eyebrows at Severus. “Wha—?” she started, then shook her head. “Lily won’t be happy with you, Sev! What in Merlin’s name possessed you to get him a kneazle?”

 

“I got him nothing,” retorted Severus, indignantly, scowling at her. “Harrison summoned it down from a tree over there.” He gestured with his head. “Says it called to him.”

 

“Kitty call,” the toddler agreed, beaming at Bellatrix and hugging the kneazle so tightly she thought it might suffocate. Then, with an even bigger grin, Harrison abruptly dropped the kneazle back to the ground. “B’oom!” he demanded of Severus, reaching for his toy bag himself. “Play b’oom!”

 

Severus sighed, and reached out to adjust the feline’s position so it didn’t wake up any grumpier than Harrison’s antics might have already made it. “There’s no point looking in there, Harry. I didn’t bring your broom.”

 

“No b’oom?” Harrison’s lower lip trembled as he looked up at Severus with wide eyes. “Wanna play b’oom!” he protested.

 

“Uh-oh,” Bellatrix murmured to Severus. “Now you’ve done it, Sev.”

 

“Harry, you know perfectly well that you’re not allowed your broom out in public places like this where muggles could see you,” Severus said, sternly, fixing Harrison with a mild glare. Harrison instantly deflated, and sat down with a thump to rummage through the bag.

 

“T’ains!” he exclaimed, triumphantly, a few moments later, and eagerly scattered them on the ground. Within minutes, half a dozen trains had come off their ‘rails’ and were lying about in the aftermath of what was apparently a devastating smash.

 

“Hmm,” said Bellatrix, amusedly, watching him. “I still say he’ll go into demolition of some kind when he grows up.”

 

“He certainly has the knack for it,” Severus agreed, wincing as two more trains collided head-on.

 

Bellatrix opened her mouth to say something else, but what it was, Severus never found out, for at that precise moment, screams erupted on the far side of the park. Both adults shot to their feet, wands instantly drawn and ready, straining to see what had caused the ruckus.

 

“Merlin’s beard!” Severus gasped as he finally saw what was going on.

 

Two wizards were flat out duelling in the middle of the park. Muggles were screaming and yelling and diving for cover. One of them had obviously tried to intervene prior to the noise starting, as a body was lying prone between them. Severus couldn’t tell from this distance whether the muggle had just been knocked out, or hit with something worse.

 

One wizard was hampered by the fact he was trying to protect a woman and two children. His spells were obviously strong, but heavily defensive. His opponent obviously had no such worries, and was dancing around, firing off spells with barely a pause in between.

 

“Sev, is that . . . is that James Potter?!” Bellatrix gasped, clutching at Severus’ non-wand arm.

 

“Oh, fuck!” Severus swore, as he, too, recognised the rapidly-moving wizard. He winced and automatically pointed a finger in Harrison’s direction. “Don’t you dare repeat that, Harrison Orion! Ever! Especially not to your mother – Lily will kill me!” he added to himself. His situation, however, warranted a bit of swearing, he thought. On the one hand, it didn’t look as though Potter was going to bring his duel over to where they were. On the other, he had a Bellatrix who was rapidly gearing up for an explosion, and he couldn’t stop her because he figured it would take two hands at least to remove her, and he had Harrison and their things to consider.

 

It was unfortunate, he reflected, ruefully, that they’d discovered their bond didn’t allow them to cast spells considered remotely offensive on each other, otherwise he could have just petrified Bellatrix.

 

With an internal sigh, Severus realised his only other course of action. “Trix, look after the Imp!” he ordered, and ran towards the duelling pair before she could say or do anything to stop him. He heard her frustrated shriek as he went, but didn’t dare stop to look back.

 

As Severus got closer, he realised he vaguely knew the wizard that was on the defensive. He’d been a Hufflepuff, Severus thought, a few years ahead of the trio. And his wife, Severus belatedly realised, had been a Slytherin two years ahead of them. He suddenly had a pretty good idea of why James Potter had attacked this family.

 

The father had been reduced to constantly casting protego, but compared to the blasting, flagrante and redactor curses Potter was sending at it, it wasn’t going to hold up for much longer.

 

“Honestly, Potter, aren’t you in enough trouble already?” Severus called out as he got closer. Potter whirled in surprise, allowing his opponent to shepherd his family further away from the hot-head. “Quite surprised you’re not in Azkaban, but I suppose it’s only a matter of time,” Severus continued, coming to a halt.

 

Potter’s face twisted into a grimace of hatred. “Oh, look,” he sneered, idly moving his wand. Recognising that for the feint it was, Severus kept his attention on Potter’s torso, knowing his move would be telegraphed that way. “More slimy snakes. Never have just one, do you? Cowards, the lot of you!”

 

“And which of us is the one attacking a family – with children,” said Severus, pointedly. “Much better attacking the young and the old, isn’t it. That way your victory figures look so much better.”

 

“You dirty, rotten snakes aren’t helpless – don’t make out as if you are!” Potter bellowed, his face turning a dull brick-red with rage. “Traitors, all of you! Need to be exterminated like the vermin you are!”

 

“Hmm, did Dumbledore think of that for you?” Severus taunted. “Since we all know Gryffindors never think things through for themselves.”

 

“You – how dare – lousy – you just watch – slimy – you’ll see—” Potter spluttered, apparently too enraged to even get a complete sentence out.

 

“Would that be before or after Dumbledore sets up his dictatorship?” Severus enquired, sweetly. Luckily, he was prepared for the blasting curse that Potter immediately cast at him, and dived out of the way. “Temper, temper,” he laughed, derisively. “You’ll never get back into the Aurors that way.”

 

“I don’t need the Aurors anymore!” Potter shouted in return, sending a barrage of heavy-damage curses at Severus. “I’ve got something much better now!”

 

“Slipped the leash, have we?” Severus sent a non-verbal spell at Potter, that caused him to flip head over heels and land flat on his back. “Tut, tut. Bad Potter!” He swiftly cast expelliarmus, followed by an incarcerous.

 

Leaving Potter there yelling curses – and casting an absent-minded silencio over him for good measure – Severus straightened up and surveyed the scene around him. The Hufflepuff had moved his family a great distance away, and they were all huddled together, seemingly unharmed. Some other muggles had managed to collect the one who’d been injured in the duel, and were performing first aid on him. Someone was running towards a row of houses that bordered the park, obviously going for a phone to call for either an ambulance or the authorities.

 

Checking over his shoulder, Severus could see that Bellatrix had at least stayed put. The bag, with all the toys presumably in it again, had been slung over her shoulder. Harrison was perched on one hip, his wide green eyes avidly taking everything in, although the thumb stuck in his mouth suggested he hadn’t been too happy about something. The kneazle was curled up between Bellatrix and Harrison, although Severus couldn’t tell if it was awake yet or not.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

Severus looked round, and discovered the Hufflepuff wizard standing behind him.

 

“Nathan Abbott,” the wizard said, sticking out a hand.

 

“Severus Snape,” Severus replied, and reached out his own hand to shake Abbott’s.

 

“I just wanted to say thanks,” Abbott started, glancing over at the prone Potter, who was squirming to try and wriggle out of his bonds. “Merlin only knows what that idiot would have done to my children . . .”

 

“Don’t mention it,” Severus waved it off. “It was my sincere pleasure to take him down. Are your wife and children injured at all?”

 

“Not a scratch,” Abbott said, sighing with relief. His shoulders slumped. “I have no idea what happened. We were just sitting there, when he comes up to us out of nowhere, yelling . . . something, and suddenly spells are flying everywhere.”

 

“He’s mentally unstable,” Severus lied, smoothly. “Hopefully the Aurors will lock him away before he does someone real harm—” His voice trailed off as he remembered Druella. “Mmm, well, too late for that, maybe,” he added, sotto voce. He blinked and refocused on Abbott. “Just ensure your family is safe and well,” he finished.

 

“Oh, I will, believe me,” Abbott said. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “We’re expecting another daughter at the beginning of next year, otherwise my wife would have showed that maniac a thing or two!”

 

“A pity she couldn’t,” agreed Severus. He glanced over his own shoulder again to where Bellatrix was pacing anxiously. He looked back at Abbott. “My sister,” he explained. “She’s got an explosive temper of her own.”

 

“Always fun to watch that sort go off, as long as it’s on someone else,” observed Abbott, and chortled. His wife called his name, and he waved an acknowledgement at her. “She wants to take the kids and leave,” he said. He stuck out his hand again, and pumped Severus’ briskly. “Thank you, once again.”

 

The Aurors arrived just as he strode away, closely followed by a team of Obliviators from the Ministry. Severus sighed and shook his head as he went to speak to the Head Auror. Looked like the Obliviators were going to be exceedingly busy for the next little while.

Dumbledore was highly annoyed.

 

“How is James expected to help me when he’s under house arrest?” he ranted to McGonagall, pacing back and forth in his office at Hogwarts. “If only he’d been discreet about going after that Slytherin family . . .” He trailed off, and a growling noise rose from his throat. “Now who will be my bodyguard when I’m Minister?”

 

“Once you become Minister, you can pardon the dear boy,” McGonagall soothed, folding her hands neatly around the delicate tea cup she held. “And perhaps a holiday would be good for the boy. He can relax, plan, make a list of those who can be called on to support our side.”

 

“Yes,” Dumbledore said, slowly, folding his arms across his chest and one hand rising to tap a finger thoughtfully against his bearded chin. “Yes, you’re quite right, dear. And with James under house arrest, then no-one would ever think he could do . . . certain things for us.” Retreating to sit behind his desk, Dumbledore smiled at his second-in-command and folded his hands together in front of him. “Perhaps James has helped us more than I realised.”

 

At that moment, a little silver instrument placed just to the left of Dumbledore’s desk let out a shrill squeal and a puff of bright orange smoke. Dumbledore glanced at it and sighed.

 

“The students are arriving,” he informed McGonagall and rose to his feet.

 

“Ah.” McGonagall drained the last of her tea and sighed with regret. “Although we obviously must show people the right way, I shall miss the peace and quiet in the castle.”

 

“Never mind, my dear,” said Dumbledore, patting her gently on the shoulder as she, too, stood up. “Once I become Minister, then you shall become Headmistress, and may lock yourself away in this office whenever you desire. But for now . . . I bet ten Galleons that fully a third of the incoming first years will be Sorted into Gryffindor.”

 

“My, my, very confident, aren’t we?” McGonagall chuckled as she preceded him down the winding staircase. “Ten on just over a quarter – we still have Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, too, you know.”

 

“Of course; why else would a third be Gryffindors?” And with a gleeful wink, Dumbledore departed to take his seat in the Great Hall, ready to be visible for the flood of returning students.

 

 

---

Lord Voldemort sat back in his chair and studied the newest, and youngest, member of his Inner Circle. It perhaps wasn’t a surprise that Regulus Black had joined up – indeed, his mother had all but dragged him in front of Voldemort herself – but considering his older brother was one of Dumbledore’s pets, then it was very interesting. He would have to watch for any signs of conflicting loyalties in the boy.

 

But in the meantime . . . his Inner Circle were starting to shift and murmur, eager to get the meeting started.

 

“Roman,” he said, and the rest of the room fell silent. “What news have you had from your brother?”

 

A striking-looking man, with blond hair and deep brown eyes, sitting halfway down the table to Voldemort’s left got to his feet and made a half bow in Voldemort’s direction. “My broz’er arrived at ze castle yesterday,” he began, his accent proclaiming his French background. “Dumbledore ‘ad been going to assign ‘im ze position of Defence Against ze Dark Arts, but Benjamin perzuaded ‘im to give ‘im the Potions position instead.” A faint frown drew the man’s brows together. “In fact, Benjamin said it was not as ‘ard as ‘e ‘ad expected. ‘E ‘ad been prepared to ‘ave to wait until ‘e ‘ad proved ‘imself.”

 

“How interesting,” Voldemort mused. “I wonder what changed the old fool’s mind?”

 

“Excuse me, my Lord,” Augustus Rookwood began from near the other end of the table, “but it is well known at the Ministry that Dumbledore has been having trouble keeping his DADA professors for more than a year at a time. Considering Vanderhorne’s talents, perhaps he didn’t want to risk losing him.”

 

Voldemort smiled wickedly. That curse had been a particularly inspired one, if he did say so himself. How dare Dumbledore say he wasn’t suited for teaching? He hoped the old fool was enjoying the long parade of idiots that he did think were suitable.

 

“Well, no matter,” he continued, waving a hand airily. “As long as our spy is in position, it little matters what he is a professor of.” He nodded regally to Roman, and the man gracefully sat back down.

 

It had been a risk sending a man to Dumbledore with such an obvious Dark-sounding name. The Vanderhornes had originated in Romania, where they’d been der Hornes, migrating to Bulgaria as their ties to Durmstrang had grown – it was impossible to say precisely where the school was located, but everyone knew it was in that region somewhere – and then migrating over into France and changing their name at the start of Grindelwald’s reign. It was rumoured that they had intended to escape Grindelwald altogether by moving to Britain, and then possibly travelling overseas to America, but the British Ministry of Magic had rejected their claim for asylum, stating that they had no wish for any Dark wizards to help Grindelwald gain a foothold on British soil. So France had been as far as the Vanderhornes could get.

 

Thankfully, however, Benjamin’s so-obvious French accent and attitude had obviously swayed Dumbledore into thinking he wasn’t a threat.

 

Well, Dumbledore would eventually learn otherwise, Voldemort mused. He tapped a forefinger on the arm of his chair, and once again everyone looked at him. “How is our candidate’s Ministerial campaign coming along?” he asked Lucius, who was sitting at his right-hand side, as usual.

 

“Quite well, my Lord,” Lucius began, and Voldemort settled back to listen to his lieutenant’s report.

 

 

---

Lily stood in the living room doorway, her hands on her hips, as she watched the new addition to their household back away, hissing and spitting something that was undoubtedly rude, as her son gleefully toddled after it.

 

“A kneazle, Sev?” she asked, casting a baleful glance in his direction.

 

“It’s not like I had a choice there, Lil,” he responded, sounding exasperated. Considering this was the seventh time in an hour he’d said it, perhaps that wasn’t surprising. “If you want to blame someone, blame Harrison. He’s the one who accio’d the thing – from thirty feet away, I might add!”

 

“And that’s another thing,” she snapped, turning now into the kitchen where Severus was helping Lissy prepare dinner. “What if a muggle had seen him do magic?”

 

“Lily.” With exaggerated patience, Severus sat down the knife he’d been using before he turned to face her. “Not only did I check that there were no muggles nearby, but I put up a Notice-Me-Not. Aside from all that, though, if you can stop Harrison from doing magic – whether accidental or not – then, please, be my guest.”

 

“He’s only seventeen months old, Severus!” Lily exclaimed. “How hard could it be to tell him no?”

 

“Well, then, you’re his mother; you go tell him he can’t keep the kneazle,” Severus retorted, and turned back to his preparations, the tautness of his back and shoulders telling Lily that he was not prepared to argue with her anymore.

 

With a huff and a toss of her head, Lily returned to the living room, where Harrison was making a grab for the kneazle. There was a hiss, a bright light, and the kneazle was suddenly at the other end of the room.

 

“Kitty!” Harrison squealed, delighted with what he saw as a new game, and twisted himself around to go toddling after his new pet again. Unfortunately for him, the kneazle was now opposite the door to the living room, and within seconds, it was running past Lily and heading for the stairs.

 

“No, you don’t, young man,” Lily said, scooping up her son as he tried to shoulder past her legs. “Harry, we have to talk about this kneazle.”

 

“Mama, Kitty!” Harrison protested, pointing towards the stairs in case she missed his point. “Ha’y play wiv Kitty!”

 

“No, now listen to me,” she started, seating herself on the settee with Harrison on her knee. “You can’t keep that kneazle, Harry—”

 

“No!” Harrison folded his arms and scowled at his mother. “Kitty called to Ha’y! Ha’y play wiv Kitty!” And he began to wiggle in an attempt to get down.

 

Lily caught him just as he slipped off her knee, and placed him back in her lap, making sure to hold him tightly. “Harrison,” she began again.

 

“NO!” Harrison bellowed, and in a flash of bright light, he was suddenly gone. Gleeful shrieks and feline curses came floating down from upstairs.

 

“Not so hard to tell him no, huh?” Severus’ voice, filled with restrained laughter, brought Lily out of her shock. Blowing a raspberry at Severus’ back, she went to collect her errant son for another attempt at discussion.

 

 

---

Dinner that night was rather . . . tense, Bellatrix thought, as she looked from where Severus was smirking, to where Lily was frowning, to where Harrison was squealing and reaching, and to the cause of all the commotion, who was sitting on one of the kitchen counters, casually washing itself.

 

“So,” she began, slowly, “I guess we have a new member of the family?”

 

Lily growled. “The novelty will wear off in a few days,” she said, through gritted teeth. “Then the kneazle can go back where it came from.”

 

“Um-hmm,” Bellatrix hummed. With Lily obviously sulking, Bellatrix rather thought this wouldn’t be a good time to admit that the kneazle was apparently there to stay. “How’re your projects going?” she asked instead, turning to Severus.

 

Severus’ smirk morphed into a frown of his own. “Not well,” he admitted. “I think I’ve got most of the vaccine formula for the Dragon Pox cure, but St Mungo’s won’t let me see the actual Pox make-up. The head physician keeps saying that the Ministry won’t allow them.”

 

“Perhaps they just don’t want the Pox getting out?” Lily suggested, diverted from her brooding.

 

“I don’t see how it would,” argued Severus, putting down his knife and fork. “The healers at St Mungo’s know very well how to handle the thing, and it’s not like I want to see the actual virus. I just want to see their notes on the Pox’s make-up so I can tailor my formula to combat it. At the moment, I have a very generic vaccine, that won’t protect against anything serious!”

 

“I’ll check around the Mysteries tomorrow, see if I can pick up anything,” Bellatrix promised.

 

Severus nodded at her and picked up his cutlery again. “So how’s your job going?” he asked.

 

“As ever,” Bellatrix shrugged. “No-one’s disappeared in a week. We’re heading towards a new record.”

 

“Do people disappear . . . often?” asked Lily, faintly.

 

Bellatrix laughed. “Only when they touch something they shouldn’t,” she said. “As it happens, the last person to disappear was the Indian Ministry Ambassador. We think he got transported back to his home, but the trace was bouncing here, there and everywhere, so a replacement ambassador is arriving from India next week.”

 

“Any news about the election?” asked Severus.

 

“Not really, but Dumbledore is spending a lot of time on his campaign.” Bellatrix frowned. “He’s spending so much time on it that either he’s totally neglecting his work as Headmaster, or he’s using a Time-Turner.”

 

Lily snorted. “Probably both,” she scoffed.

 

“Is his campaign working?” Severus asked, frowning in concern.

 

Bellatrix shook her head. “I suppose that depends on your definition of ‘working’,” she replied. “If you mean is he gaining support from all the ex-Gryffindors, then yes, it’s working. If you mean is he gaining support – or even looking for it – from everyone else? Then no.”

 

“So he’s not likely to win,” said Lily, with a small sigh of relief.

 

“No,” Bellatrix agreed. “Not if he carries on like that . . . which he will.”

 

Severus leaned back in his chair, neatly managing to avoid a spoonful of mush accidentally flung by Harrison. “What about the other candidates?” he asked.

 

Tapping her fingernails on the table, Bellatrix made a small humming sound in her throat. “It’s tricky,” she said, finally. “Voldemort’s candidate is Cornelius Fudge—”

 

“That pompous Hufflepuff windbag?” Lily exclaimed, scandalised. “Oh, surely not!”

 

“He never does anything without thinking about how it’ll reflect on him,” added Severus. “Why did Voldemort choose him?”

 

“Because he’s easily swayed by those with money,” Bellatrix explained, giving a snort of disgust.

 

“So who’s the neutral candidate?” Severus wondered.

 

“Millicent Bagnold,” Bellatrix told him. “She’s been a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for a while now, and is hoping to improve it if she’s elected.”

 

A screech and an ear-splitting scraping noise interrupted them. As one, their heads shot round to see the kneazle frantically clawing at the counter in a desperate attempt to resist the accio Harrison had apparently just cast on it.

 

“Harrison Orion!” “Harry!” the three all shouted, in various tones of voice. The toddler, who had been reaching for his new pet with squeals of gleeful triumph, dropped his arms and turned an inquisitive, slightly guilty look on them.

 

“What did I tell you about grabbing for things?” Severus managed to say first, sternly.

 

“And what did I tell you about being gentle with that kneazle?” Lily added, frowning at her son.

 

Harrison’s face fell, and he stuck his lower lip out in a trembling pout. “Wanna play wiv Kitty,” he sniffed, although all three adults could see there was no shine of tears in his eyes.

 

“I think Kitty’s played enough for today,” said Lily, and got to her feet, reaching for Harrison. The little boy wriggled and twisted, ducking and squirming, trying to avoid his mother’s hands. “Harrison, if you don’t stop that right this instant,” Lily warned, placing her hands on her hips to scowl down at him, “then you won’t even see Kitty for a week, never mind play with him.”

 

Harrison stilled at once, his eyes wide and his lower lip trembling, while behind Lily, Severus and Bellatrix smirked at each other.

 

Lily shook her head as she hoisted Harrison up onto her hip. “I knew that kneazle was a bad idea,” she muttered, as she carted the boy off, obviously intending to put him to bed.

 

“Not my idea!” Severus yelled after her.

 

Bellatrix giggled. “Poor Harrison,” she managed, snorting softly.

 

“Poor Lily,” Severus corrected, but he was smiling, too. “Ah well. Even if Lil doesn’t manage to make Harrison behave, I’m sure Kitty will.”

 

There was a brief pause, and then the two burst out into laughter.

 

 

---

Mid-morning two days later found Severus and Harrison on their way to the park again. A play-date had been arranged with the Abbotts, for Harrison and their youngest daughter, who was six months older.

 

“My wife’s going a bit stir-crazy,” the former Hufflepuff had admitted to Severus, after carefully checking that neither Bellatrix nor Lily were in the vicinity. “Hormones, you know,” he stated, with an emphatic nod.

 

“Say no more!” Severus had instantly said. He well remembered just how bad Lily had gotten whilst expecting Harrison. Just the mere thought of it was still enough to make him shudder in horror, even now. Narcissa, too, had been . . . unpredictable when pregnant with Draco. He hadn’t been around Andromeda that much when she’d been carrying Nymphadora, but Severus hadn’t yet gained the courage to visit her, now that she had the grief of losing her mother added to hormones that were just gathering steam – especially since there was twice the amount, with twins.

 

Mrs Abbott was already at the park, her oldest child running around gleefully shrieking, whilst her youngest sat with a child-sized cauldron in front of her, stirring it with the greatest concentration. Severus smiled at the sight as he lowered Harrison to the ground beside her.

 

“A budding potions mistress?” he joked.

 

“Or a chef – she hasn’t quite decided yet,” Mrs Abbott responded, smiling in greeting. “I haven’t put any Notice-Me-Not spells up yet.” A faint blush rose in her cheeks. “I’m afraid my magic hasn’t been very reliable, lately.”

 

“Ah, the joys of harbouring a developing magical core,” said Severus, dryly. Lily’s magic, too, had gained some . . . interesting side-effects. Most notably on one occasion when she had cast a charm to repel any and all wildlife near her, and her magic had backfired and had the opposite effect – every single bird, creature and insect within what looked like a ten mile radius had swarmed her.

 

Standing up and drawing his wand, Severus was about to start casting the protection spells, when a loud squeal of brakes nearby drew his attention. It appeared a young woman had stepped off the kerb without looking properly, and the car that had just rounded the corner was going far too fast to stop in time, although the driver was making a valiant effort from the sounds of it.

 

Bellowing a warning, Severus began to run, subtly casting wards against the car as he went. The woman was making no move to help herself, but was rather standing still in the middle of the road, gaping at the approaching danger.

 

“Move, woman!” Severus yelled in frustration. The car was slowing, but not appreciably, and was still likely to hit the woman. Not wanting to see an accident if he could help it, Severus drew on all of his power that he could muster, and dived at the woman. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he toppled them both towards the safety of the pavement, his magic giving an extra push, so that the car slid by them, missing the soles of their feet by a mere quarter-inch.

 

They landed on the pavement with a solid thump that drove the air from Severus’ lungs, not helped by the woman falling on top of him. Instantly, a crowd surrounded them, all exclaiming and questioning, until Severus couldn’t have picked out one to answer, even if he’d been able to. The woman lay still on top of him, although since she was trembling, he thought that was shock, rather than unconsciousness.

 

Finally, with a great whoosh, Severus’ chest inflated again, and he coughed as air rushed in. This caused the woman he’d rescued to raise her head from his neck. Staring into her face so close, she seemed awfully familiar to Severus, but he couldn’t immediately place her.

 

“Are you all right?” he asked, at the same time as she did. They both stopped, blinked at each other, and then she gave a breathless laugh that seemed to trail fingertips down Severus’ spine.

 

“I’m just peachy,” she said, “thanks to you.” She began struggling against his arms to sit up. Once she’d propped herself up, though, she paused, staring down at him with a bemused frown and her head tilted to one side. “You look familiar,” she said, thoughtfully. “Do I know you?”

 

It was her accent that caused Severus to remember her. “You were looking for Delaney Street, several days ago,” he said.

 

“You were the person I asked for directions,” the young lady realised. She smiled at him, and Severus felt his lungs seize up again. “Thanks for that. And for this,” she added, looking around at the crowd of people.

 

“No problem,” Severus wheezed, and coughed again, rather forcefully. “Glad I was nearby.”

 

“Me, too,” the woman agreed, and shifted her weight so that she was resting on her hip beside Severus. Several of the passersby were casually touching her, yelling instructions or calling questions, but both she and Severus ignored them all. “I’m new to the area, so I was concentrating on the map I’d been given, and I’m afraid I’m not yet used to looking right when stepping off the sidewalk.”

 

“You’re American?” Severus asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Half of the crowd around them was starting to drift away, since there was no bloodshed for them to gawp at.

 

“Yeah. I came to visit my cousins, and got a job interview,” the lady explained. She suddenly looked embarrassed. “And here I’ve not even told you my name,” she tutted at herself, rolling her eyes. She held out a hand towards Severus. “I’m Madison. Madison Arwell.”

 

“Severus Snape,” Severus murmured, shifting enough to grip her hand briefly.

 

Madison looked around at the crowd, and then her gaze fixated on something over her shoulder. “Oh, dear,” she murmured, before turning to look back at Severus. Strangely, there was something that looked an awful lot like disappointment in her eyes. “I hope your wife won’t be too angry with you,” she continued.

 

“My what?” Severus gaped at her, then looked past her and across the road to see Mrs Abbott holding a struggling and obviously crying Harrison, her two children pressing against her. “Oh, no, that’s not . . . I’m not married,” he managed to get out. “That’s someone I met on the same day I first saw you. We arranged a play-date between her children and my . . . uh, nephew.”

 

“Oh!” For some reason, this seemed to cheer Madison right up, and she beamed down at him.

 

“Er, perhaps we should . . .” Severus began, unaccountably flustered, and started to struggle upright.

 

“Just take it easy, mate,” someone in the crowd around them said. “No blood, but best to let the ambulance people take a look at you.”

 

“Ambulance?” repeated Severus, slightly alarmed. “But we’re not—”

 

“Could be in shock,” an old woman on the other side of him agreed, nodding her head, sagely. “Internal injuries, and never feel ‘em.” She looked quite hopeful at the thought of one of them suddenly keeling over.

 

“Ah—” Severus tried again, but whatever else he was going to say was drowned out in the whooping wail of a siren. Severus groaned. The muggle ambulance had arrived.

 

 

---

“Severus! Oh, Sev, are you all right? What happened?” The feminine voices overlapped, as Severus was all but pounced on by Lily and Bellatrix.

 

“I’m fine,” he croaked, patting them both on the back in the desperate hope they’d let go. “Perfectly fine, not injured at all.” As the two women stepped back, he realised someone was missing. “Where’s the Imp?”

 

“Jane Abbott still has him,” Lily answered, sniffing as she perched on the bed beside Severus. “We would have brought him with us, but we thought it best not to at the moment.”

 

“Just in case I was bleeding?” Severus asked, the corners of his mouth twitching.

 

“Just in case he blurted out something he shouldn’t,” corrected Bellatrix, gripping one of his hands tightly. “He’ll be glad to see you, though,” she added. “He’s probably giving Jane fits; he wouldn’t stop calling for his Papa Sev. I’m quite surprised you haven’t felt it through the bond, actually.” Bellatrix peered closely at him, as though she’d be able to see his end of the bond inside him if she stared hard enough.

 

“I have been,” Severus told her. “But since Harry’s not in danger, I’ve been able to ignore it.”

 

“Speaking of not in danger,” Lily said, resting her hand on Severus’ knee, “are you all right?”

 

“Told you, not a scratch,” Severus assured her, reaching out to her with his other hand. “They wanted to keep me in for observation overnight, but I’ve convinced them that if there’s no sign of any bleeding at all in the next hour, they’ll allow me to leave.”

 

Bellatrix reached out to grip Lily’s hand, too, and all three of them sighed in relief as their power washed through all of them in gentle waves.

 

“So what did happen?” asked Bellatrix, finally.

 

Severus grimaced. “I was just about to . . . uh, prepare the area,” he said, lowering his voice with a quick glance round at the nearby muggles, “when I heard brakes squealing. A woman stepped off the kerb without looking properly – she’s an American, and looked the wrong way – just as a car shot round the corner. It was going much too fast to stop, and she was frozen, so I went running for her. I tried to stop the car,” he added in a near whisper that Lily and Bellatrix had to lean in closer to hear, “but when that didn’t work, I just lunged at her and knocked her out of the way.”

 

“Is she all right?” asked Lily, raising her eyebrows at him.

 

“Just fine and dandy,” a voice drawled from the bottom of the bed. The trio jumped, and Lily spun around so fast she almost fell off the bed. “Sorry,” Madison continued, grinning at them. “Didn’t mean to scare ya.” She glanced at where the three were still clasping hands, and raised her eyebrows.

 

“My sisters,” Severus hastened to tell her. “Lily and Bellatrix.”

 

“Madison Arwell,” Madison said, nodding at the other women. “Pleased to meet you.”

 

“And you,” said Bellatrix. Her eyes glazed over briefly, and then she grinned wickedly at Severus, who stifled a groan. “Very pleased, in fact.”

 

Lily rolled her eyes and smiled at Madison. “I’m glad to hear that you weren’t injured, either,” she said, letting go of Bellatrix’s hand.

 

“Me, too. Teach me to pay more attention,” Madison agreed. “I still haven’t quite got the hang of looking the wrong way before crossing,” she admitted in a stage-whisper, rolling her eyes at herself.

 

“Well, at least Severus was there to rescue you,” Bellatrix said. She tilted her head to one side, eyeing Madison.

 

“Yeah, I’m still amazed at that,” said Madison. “I mean, I know it all happened so fast anyway, but man, you seemed to get there so fast,” she added to Severus. “It was like . . . magic!”

 

Severus felt a cold tingle go down his spine, and he laughed, uneasily. “Like magic, huh?” he managed.

 

Madison laughed as well. “I know, I know,” she chortled, waving a hand dismissively. “Sounds corny as all get out, but it’s either that, or call you Superman.”

 

“Well, that at least starts with the same letter as Severus,” Lily teased, laughing when Severus gave her a nudge with his leg under the bedcovers.

 

“Uh-oh. I think the doctor discovered my escape. How long are they keeping you in for?” the American asked.

 

“If there’s no bleeding in an hour, then they’re letting me go home,” Severus told her.

 

“Really?” asked Madison, surprised. “Wow, what spell did you cast to get them to agree to that?” And she laughed out loud at her own joke.

 

“Heh. No spell,” said Severus, weakly. “Just persuasion.”

 

“Man, wish I could be that persuasive,” Madison said, mournfully. “They’re keeping me overnight. Oh, well.” She sighed, and shrugged her shoulders as though dismissing the problem. “Thanks again, Severus. Hopefully if I see you again, it’ll be during something less dangerous.” And with a wave, she was heading out through the double doors.

 

Severus instantly turned to Bellatrix. “What did you see?” he asked, urgently.

 

“It’s a good thing Harry likes the park,” she said, obliquely. Severus groaned and covered his face with his hands, as Lily looked from one to the other. It appeared that this wasn’t the last he’d seen of the American woman, and from Bellatrix’s expression, he was obviously going to see a lot more of her. If only there wasn’t one small, tiny problem.

 

Madison Arwell . . . was a muggle.

“Papa Sev! Papa Sev!”

The squeal reached their ears as soon as they arrived home, and Severus braced himself as Harrison flung himself at the man.

“Whoa, Imp!” Severus warned, laughing, as Harrison gripped him so tightly around the knees he almost fell over. “I’m here; I’m okay.” He swung the boy up to sit on his hip, and Harrison immediately flung his little arms around Severus’ neck, squeezing as tightly as he was able.

“Papa Sev inju’ed!” he said, emphatically, as though Severus might have somehow missed it.

“Not really,” Severus assured him. “See? I’m perfectly fine.”

Harrison did not look convinced, but instead of arguing, he just sighed and laid his head down on Severus’ shoulder. Smiling, Severus patted him gently on the back and moved into the living room, where Lily and Bellatrix were already sitting down.

“So,” Lily began as Severus seated himself. Harrison clung to him like a limpet when he tried to move the boy, so he settled for twisting Harrison around to sit in his lap. “An American in the family. That should be . . . interesting.”

Severus pulled a face at her as she giggled. “How in Merlin’s name am I supposed to explain about magic to a muggle?” he complained.

“You’ll find a way, Sev,” Bellatrix assured him, smiling wickedly. “Obviously.”

“Don’t suppose you’ve seen how?” he asked.

She smiled and shook her head at him. “Nope!” she said, cheerfully. Severus grumbled under his breath, knowing full well she had seen, but preferred to laugh at him as he stumbled his own way through it.

Anything else he might have said out loud was interrupted by the whoosh of their fireplace, as the flames turned green.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” said the head in the Floo, “but you’re needed here, Bella. The Indian Ambassador has arrived.”

“Already?” Bellatrix asked, even as she was getting to her feet. “I thought he wasn’t arriving until next Monday.”

“He’s apparently very eager to get started,” the young witch said, and her head moved in a way that suggested she had shrugged.

“Fine, tell Unspeakable Alcott I’ll be right there,” sighed Bellatrix, and the young witch nodded once before the flames winked out. “Goodness knows why I need to be there,” Bellatrix complained, looking at Lily and Severus. “Not like we have much to do with the Ambassadors.”

“Perhaps they want your winning personality, Trix,” Lily managed to say, before she burst into giggles.

“Oi!” Bellatrix stuck her tongue out, as Severus laughed at them both. Stepping forward, Bellatrix ruffled Harrison’s hair, earning a sleepy glower from the youngster. “Don’t wait up for me,” she suggested, and disappeared with a short crack!

 

---

When Bellatrix emerged from the Department of Mysteries, where she’d apparated to, she found the corridor in chaos. Clerks were running here, there and everywhere, and so many patronuses were milling around that they cast an eerie silver glow over everything. Apparently the Indian delegation had really not been expected.

“Bella! That office, there,” one of the clerks told her, pointing at the Ambassador’s office.

Still confused as to why they’d need her there, Bellatrix stepped into the office, and was almost bowled over by two clerks rushing out. Hastily sidestepping, she leant her back against the wall beside the door and scanned the room – which was just as chaotic as the corridor outside – and tried to figure out who she should be reporting to.

“Ah, Madam Black,” a voice purred to her left, and Bellatrix’s head turned that way so sharply her neck gave an audible crack. “Namaste.”

“S-Soreen,” she gasped, feeling her mouth go dry. No wonder I didn’t See . . . “I-I mean, Mr Virtu,” she corrected herself.

“Please, Soreen is fine,” the new Indian Ambassador said, smiling at Bellatrix. “After all, if I have my way, we shall be working closely together.” He reached for her hand and lifted it to his mouth.

“We . . . we will?” Bellatrix squeaked. She tried not to think too hard about what they would be working together on, even as her heart began to beat just that little bit faster. Bellatrix silently cursed the fair Black skin – she could feel the blush forming already.

Soreen smiled at her. “Yes, we will,” he said, and then indicated his desk with a wave of his hand. “So many applications from my countrymen have built up while there has been no Ambassador here,” he continued, as he strolled towards the desk, piled high with paperwork. Feeling unaccountably foolish – and also somewhat disappointed – Bellatrix followed him. The people rushing around the office naturally gave them a wide berth. “These,” Soreen said, placing a hand on top of the tallest stack of files, “should cause no problem. These, on the other hand . . .” He gently touched a fingertip to a smaller pile.

“Are from people you suspect may be supporters of Voldemort,” Bellatrix finished.

“Precisely,” Soreen agreed. “I asked for the most powerful Seer, to help me see which ones can be accepted, and which ones should be thrown from the borders.”

“Most powerful one not available then?” Bellatrix quipped, then immediately flushed bright red. “Sorry,” she murmured.

“It is fine,” said Soreen. He glanced over as an airplane memo came winging towards him. “I will leave you to your work. If you will excuse me?”

“Of course,” murmured Bellatrix, and hastened to seat herself behind the desk. She reached for the first of the questionable files, closing her eyes to concentrate better on the visions playing out in her head.

She therefore missed the tiny smile that Soreen Virtu wore as he exited the office.

 

---

“Goodness, this is ridiculous,” Lily complained to Severus two days later. They were attempting to wander down Diagon Alley to reach the Leaky Cauldron, but the Alley was unusually busy with Cornelius Fudge’s election campaign. Every few feet they saw yet another animated image of Cornelius, either smiling or looking pompous or waving regally.

“At this rate, Fudge will win on sheer visibility alone,” Severus commented. A young girl skipped across their path, a ‘Fudge for Minister’ balloon bobbing along behind her. Lily giggled as a stray gust of wind caused the balloon to smack Severus in the face. Harrison – perched on Lily’s hip to avoid the crush of the crowd – giggled as well as Severus gave a mock-growl and batted it away.

“Think that’s funny, do you?” Severus demanded of Harrison. “You just wait; I’ll buy a balloon and then laugh at you when it smacks you in the face.” He darted his fingers towards the toddler’s sides and began tickling him mercilessly. Harrison shrieked with glee.

“Hey,” Lily protested, laughing, tightening her grip on the boy as he squirmed. “If I end up dropping Harrison, we’ll be taking a trip to St Mungo’s, rather than the toy shop.”

With an alarmed sound, Harrison fell as still as he was able, his body twitching periodically as his system calmed. Severus laughed at the sight, but kept his hands to himself this time. “Looks like nothing beats the lure of the toy shop,” he said to Lily.

“To be fair, I can’t blame him,” she said as they approached Sherlott’s Toys. Stepping inside garnered an assault on the senses. Things bleeped, pinged, rang, hummed, shrilled and banged, while lights were flashing in various colours and at various speeds all around. Harrison let out a squeal of pure delight, and the only reason he didn’t lunge from his mother’s arms was that Lily had anticipated him, and was already lowering him towards the floor. She barely had time to place a tag charm on him before the toddler was running as fast as he could go towards the brightest flashing light.

The two adults retreated to a relatively calmer area of the shop, just to the side of the large front window, where several other parents, with the glazed over eyes of those bombarded into sensory overload, were mingling.

“Lily?” A woman with short blonde hair blinked at them. “Lily Evans?”

“Uh—” Lily began, startled, but it was Severus who recognised the woman first.

“Alice Murphy!” he exclaimed. He smiled at the witch. They hadn’t been the greatest of friends at school, but he’d taken her into Hogsmeade a time or two, and they’d had enough fun together to not come to blows. “What are you doing here?”

The pretty Ravenclaw beamed at him. “Severus! Actually, it’s Alice Longbottom now,” she admitted. “I married Frank last year. He’s somewhere over there—” she waved a vague hand indicating somewhere deeper in the shop “—with our son, buying toys for his nephews.”

“You have a son?” Lily asked. “Me, too! What’s his name? How old is he?”

“His name is Neville, and he’s just coming up to six months,” Alice said.

At that point, Severus found himself tuning their conversation out. Much as he loved his pseudo-son and family, he had no interest in any other children. Or at least, he thought, remembering Madison, not yet, anyway.

Both thoughts and conversations were abruptly interrupted, as there came a flash of bright light from further inside the shop and a joyful shriek, and then a deep roar that was loud enough to rattle the windows. It was swiftly followed by terrified shrieks and the stampede of small feet. The area around the shop doorway became utter pandemonium, as children tried to get to their parents or outside, and the parents and other caretakers frantically sought their charges.

With a sinking feeling, Lily and Severus exchanged glances, and then turned to face the interior of the shop, where loud, gleeful calls of “KITTY!!” were drifting towards them.

“Harrison!” they bellowed as one.

 

---

Lily apparated into their front hallway with a sharp crack, and stalked through into the living room as Severus arrived as well. With a sharp gesture, the little stool that Harrison sometimes used slid quickly towards her, and within seconds it – and Harrison, too – were placed firmly in the corner.

“You will stay right there, young man!” she told her son, sternly. “And if you so much as twitch a toe off of that stool, I will stick you to it for the rest of the afternoon! Do I make myself clear?”

Sulkily, Harrison folded his arms and stuck his lower lip out into a pout. He’d been having such fun playing with his new Kitty – although he couldn’t understand why nobody else had appeared to want to play with it – until his Mama and Papa Sev had come and scolded him harshly and taken the Kitty away.

They were mean! Spoiling his game like that, and then sticking him here in this horrible, boring corner. Harrison kicked his heels backwards into one of the stool legs. The Kitty in the shop had looked a little like his Kitty, and he’d wished it was, and then the Kitty in the shop had suddenly stretched, and purred at him, and then roared! Harrison laughed to himself at the memory, but then his face fell again. Now he couldn’t even play with his Kitty until Mama decided to let him off of this stool.

Glaring hatefully at the plain wall in front of him, Harrison aimed his next kick at it. To his surprised glee, the stool suddenly wobbled slightly into the air and shot backwards across the room – with him still attached to it. Harrison gave a squeal of joy. He was out of that corner, and he hadn’t even moved from his stool!

Stretching his arms out, the toddler pretended he was swooping around on his broom. Obligingly, the little stool darted this way and that.

Harrison had moved on to imagining he was a bird and was in the middle of a dive for food when he was interrupted by a shocked, and stern, voice.

“Harrison Orion Evans!”

Oops. Unnoticed, his Mama had entered the living room, and was now scowling fiercely at him, her hands placed on her hips. Under her glare, the stool slowly floated back down to the ground, landing with a slight wobble at her feet. Guiltily, Harrison bit his lip and peeked up at his mother from under his eyelashes.

“What did I tell you about moving from where I put you?” Lily demanded, folding her arms.

“I didn’ move!” Harrison protested. He pointed an emphatic finger downwards at the stool underneath him. “See! I’s still sittin’ on da stool!”

“But is the stool still where I put it?” asked Lily, knowingly. Biting his lip again, Harrison cast glances to either side of him, before sighing and hanging his head in defeat. In no way, shape or form could the stool be counted as still sitting in the corner. “Just for that, young man,” Lily said, sternly, “you’re getting a time-out for the rest of the day. You’re not allowed to have your broom for the next week, and no playing with Kitty for two days.”

Too shocked and horrified to even cry in protest, Harrison was silent as she plucked him from the stool and carted him off to his bedroom.

 

---

Bellatrix arrived home looking tired and frustrated.

“Dumbledore was poking around at the Ministry,” she said once the three of them were sat down to dinner.

“What was he doing there?” Lily asked, curiously. “Shouldn’t he have been at Hogwarts?”

Bellatrix poured herself a very large glass of wine. “He should have been,” she agreed. “And presumably, if he’s using a Time-Turner like we think, he was. And what he was doing was fishing for information.”

“On what?” asked Severus.

“His campaign rivals.” Bellatrix shook her head. “He obviously thinks he’ll win the election by a landslide, but he also wants to know what sort of problems Bagnold or Fudge could cause him if the unthinkable – for him – happens, and one of them becomes Minister instead.”

Severus chewed for a moment, thinking of what he knew of both candidates. “Bagnold will cause him no end of problems,” he finally said, cheerfully. “She’ll fight to adjust some of the Wizengamot laws that he so loves to be fair to those who aren’t Gryffindors.”

“No, he won’t have an easy time of it if Bagnold gets elected,” Bellatrix said, then tapped the end of her fork against the table, absent-mindedly. “Fudge, on the other hand . . .” She trailed off, and shook her head again.

“Fudge is led by money,” Lily observed. “Power, yes, but money is more likely to sway him than power alone. Dumbledore doesn’t have the amount that some of the more fanatical purebloods do.”

“But Fudge can also be swayed and intimidated,” said Bellatrix. “Things would never get done because he would keep yo-yo-ing between factions.”

“Do you know who will win, yet?” Severus asked, curiously.

Bellatrix shook her head. “I know that Dumbledore won’t be Minister,” she replied, “but the others are just too close at the moment. It could be either of them.”

At that moment, there was an almighty bang from upstairs that caused all of them to jump. Startled, they leapt to their feet, wands instantly drawn.

“What was that?” Lily demanded. “Is someone attacking?”

Another bang sounded. “Mama!” Harrison’s strident tones followed it down the stairs. “Mama! Wanna come out now!” The three let out sighs of relief and sank down into their chairs again. “MAMA!!” bellowed Harrison.

Lily frowned upwards. “I think someone needs a reminder on what the words time and out mean,” she said. “Excuse me a moment.” And she rose to her feet again and stalked in the direction of the stairs.

 

---

Three days later, Severus was getting Harrison ready for a trip to Diagon Alley, hopefully a much calmer one than their previous. The toddler was sulking fiercely over Severus’ refusal to contravene Lily’s punishment and let Harrison have his broom. He was sitting on the settee in the living room, watching Kitty the kneazle casually wash his face. Surprisingly, despite never seeming very fond of actually playing with Harrison, the kneazle now wouldn’t answer to anything other than Kitty.

“Come on, Imp,” Severus called once he was ready. He knelt in the living room doorway, holding out his arms, expecting Harrison to run pell-mell towards him as the boy usually did, but this time, the toddler just folded his arms and looked away from Severus, scowling. With a heartfelt sigh, Severus shook his head and stood up again. “Harry, we’re leaving now,” he said, firmly. Harrison just stuck his lower lip out further.

Groaning, Severus wondered if they’d finally reached the terrible twos. Admittedly, they were about six months early, but Lily had come back several times from her prenatal classes with horror stories from other mothers, whose children had put them through the terrible twos straight through the ages one to six.

“Harrison,” he said, with forced patience, “do you want me to tell your mother that you were naughty again?”

Harrison’s eyes widened in alarm, and, frantically shaking his head, he scooted himself off the settee and ran towards Severus, clutching at Severus’ leg for balance when he arrived there.

“I thought not,” chuckled Severus, as he reached down to swing the boy up into his arms. “Now then,” he continued, settling Harrison securely on his hip and using a hand to ensure the boy was looking at him. “No bringing big kitties to life this time, okay?”

“Okay,” Harrison agreed after a moment of thought.

Severus eyed the toddler warily. “Perhaps we should change that to no bringing big kitties to life ever,” he said. Harrison didn’t say anything this time, just sighed and rested his head in the crook of Severus’ neck. Sometimes Severus thought it was a good thing that Harrison wouldn’t be attending Hogwarts when he was old enough – the Sorting Hat would likely have conniptions trying to Sort him.

He tightened his grip on Harrison. “Hold on,” he started to say, then let out a pained yelp. Looking down, he glared at Kitty, who was firmly attached to his lower leg.

Harrison peered downwards, too, then giggled delightedly. “Kitty come too!” he shouted, enthusiastically.

Sighing, Severus mentally debated the pros and cons of trying to force Kitty to let go of him and stay behind. Then he debated the pros and cons of trying to apparate both himself and Harrison with Kitty firmly attached to his leg.

Finally, with a groan, he gave in. “Fine. But Kitty needs to be up here – and don’t you dare climb up me, kneazle!” he added, hastily and forcefully. He didn’t want Kitty digging sharp claws into sensitive parts of his anatomy, especially whilst he was holding Harrison.

With a rolling meow that almost sounded like laughter, Kitty retracted his claws and dropped to the ground. He glanced upwards, crouched down, wriggled his hind end, and then sprang up as though his legs contained springs, rather than bone. Severus hastily turned so that he neatly caught Kitty on the arm that Harrison wasn’t already perched on. Kitty gave him a small purr, then bounced up onto his shoulder, curling behind Severus’ neck so he could peek out at Harrison from under Severus’ hair.

“If we’re finally ready?” said Severus. He felt Kitty dig his claws into his shoulder. “Hold on tight,” he told Harrison, and then turned and apparated.

 

---

He landed in a dark and grungy alleyway just around the corner from the Leaky Cauldron. Puzzled – as that hadn’t been where he’d been aiming for – Severus hefted the toddler higher on his hip and ensured his wand was in easy reach. Muggle-repelling wards only stretched so far around the Leaky Cauldron, and he was fairly sure that unsavoury types wouldn’t be hustled that far away from their ‘patch’.

The inside of the pub was as crowded as outside was empty. Luckily, Harrison didn’t show any signs of wanting to get down and walk by himself. In fact, he appeared intimidated by the crowd, and buried his face into Severus’ shoulder. Kitty hissed at anybody who pressed too close, but there was only so far they could move away.

Severus planned to work his way to the bar and ask Old Tom what was going on, but there were so many people rushing through the pub that he was swept away with them, and found himself in Diagon Alley before he knew it. With a lot of elbow usage, and a few swipes from Kitty’s claws – plus a well-aimed poke in the eye to an overly enthusiastic witch, courtesy of Harrison – he finally tumbled out of the stream of people and into the relative safety of a shop’s doorway.

“Well,” he said to Harrison. “I wonder what’s going on?” Harrison made no response, but stared wide-eyed at the bustling crowd. Severus suddenly didn’t think this trip was a good idea. Bad enough with Harrison, but he also had to make sure Kitty didn’t get lost or injured. Granted, Lily probably wouldn’t be too heartbroken if Kitty didn’t return home, but Harrison would – and he’d make sure they all knew it.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that anti-apparation wards had apparently been put up, Severus would have taken them all home then and there. Unfortunately, to get out from under the wards, or even to use the public Floo in the Leaky Cauldron, would involve navigating the floods of excited people – in the opposite direction.

He was just about to enter the shop to see if someone there could help – or at least explain – when he caught sight of a large poster covering a quarter of the window. The picture in the middle of it was waving idly at passersby; then it saw Severus, and scowled. Ministerial candidate, Albus Dumbledore! the poster proclaimed above the image. Here to answer all of your needs! TODAY!!

“Oh, for—” Severus began, then remembered he was holding an impressionable eighteen month old toddler. Dumbledore here in Diagon Alley; that was all he needed. Although trust Dumbledore to make no bones about the fact that he was in possession of a Time-Turner – the man was all but throwing himself a parade when he should have been busy with the start of term at Hogwarts.

It also made this trip a really bad idea. Dumbledore might not have James Potter – still under house arrest for his public attack on the Abbott family – but no doubt other Gryffindors would have flocked to Dumbledore’s banner, and some of them might be just as dismissive of anyone who wasn’t one of their precious Gryffindors but less hot-headed about it than Potter.

Ordinarily, Severus would have risked it, as he desperately needed the ingredients for a potion he was brewing, but it wasn’t just his life at stake. No matter what that stupid prophecy said, or what Dumbledore thought about it, he would not put Harrison in harm’s way.

Almost as soon as the thought passed through his mind, Kitty stirred on his shoulder, gave a pleased chirrup, and then leapt towards the ground in front of them.

“Kitty!” Severus hissed as soon as the kneazle’s weight left him. “Get back up here!”

“Kitty,” Harrison crooned, looking down at his pet. The kneazle glanced upwards, meowed briefly, and then suddenly began to grow.

Severus’ jaw dropped. Apparently, the reverse tiger striped colouring Kitty had wasn’t just a quirk of genetics, as the almost fully-grown tiger sat on its haunches in front of them and gave a pleased growl at their expressions, neatly curling its tail around its forepaws. Surprisingly, aside from a few shrieks from the people right next to Kitty when he’d changed, nobody in the crowd seemed to notice the sudden appearance of a large predator.

“Hmm.” Severus eyed Kitty, then Harrison. “Did you know Kitty could do that?” he asked the boy. Harrison just gave a pleased gurgle – which could have meant anything – and tried to stretch an arm down to touch Kitty. “Your mother is not going to be pleased,” Severus said with a sigh. He gestured with his head for Kitty to move. “Lead the way, then, if you please. To Mawry’s Rock.”

The tiger bounced to its feet, spun around, and roared.

The stream of people disintegrated, as witches and wizards panicked and began shoving in all directions trying to escape from what appeared to be an out of control, hungry animal. They all seemed to forget that they had magic, although Severus was rather relieved, even as he shook his head in disbelief and followed Kitty down the now-empty street.

Mawry’s Rock was a small, privately owned apothecary tucked away in a niche just before the entrance to Knockturn Alley. It didn’t offer much, but the ingredients it did offer were always of a better quality than the products Slug and Jiggers carried, and often at a cheaper price, too. Severus had learnt of the place from the Potions Master he’d studied his own mastery under, and had seen no reason not to continue patronising the shop once he’d gained it.

“Master Severus,” the owner greeted him with a small bow as he pushed into the shop. “It’s good to see you again. Uh, although we don’t accept tigers . . .” he added, as he caught sight of Kitty behind Severus.

Kitty let out a disgusting hacking noise, and then began to shrink back to his normal size. Once done, he leapt up onto the nearest counter and sat on his haunches, looking pleased with himself.

Severus rolled his eyes at the kneazle. “Master Jolone. This is Harrison’s new . . . pet,” he said. “He was helping us with crowd control.”

“I see,” Master Jolone said, although his raised eyebrows suggested he didn’t see anything. “It is a pleasure to see you, too, Mister Harry. Unfortunately, the local shopkeepers were ignored when we suggested measures would be necessary for Dumbledore’s meeting today. Apparently people trying to get anywhere other than to his meeting do not count.” The apothecary owner waved a hand as he moved behind the main counter. “But we could be here all day if I get started on that, so let us talk of more pleasant things, shall we?”

 

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Wizarding Wireless Network broadcast, 8th September 1980, 10:30am

“—and the amount of people who have turned out to see the great Albus Dumbledore is just phenomenal! I haven’t seen this many witches and wizards together since the 1978 Quidditch World Cup that was held on what the muggles now call Easter Island just off of Chile. A fabulous game, between the Toyohashi Tengu from Japan and the Moose Jaw Meteorites from Canada, although they nearly didn’t make the final, as one too many muggles complained of seeing people on brooms that were on fire passing overhead—”

The bouncy, enthusiastic voice is drowned out by an ear-splitting metallic squeal, as someone obviously grabs the microphone away from the presenter.

“Ah-HEM!” A throat is cleared, before a calmer, more sophisticated voice starts to speak. “As my . . . dear colleague was saying, this is a rare turnout. Of course, Albus Dumbledore has always been a popular speaker in the Wizengamot, so it’s unsurprising that so many witches and wizards have turned out today to hear what his plans are when he becomes Minister for Magic, once the election is held. Just as a gentle reminder to our dear listeners, the election will be held on the 25th October, so make sure you cast your votes.”

“Considering he’s been involved in politics since he was made Chief Mugwump of the Wizengamot in his sixties, after his grandiose defeat of Grindelwald in 1945, then I don’t think he’ll find the duties of Minister for Magic too taxing,” the enthusiastic voice chimes in again. “It’s a position that’s been offered to Albus before, of course, but up until now, he’s been too humble to accept the adoration the wizarding public is trying to bestow on him. But now that there’s a new pretender to Grindelwald’s throne in sight, then he’s obviously decided now is the time for him to step up and help us all. He—”

“Oh, it looks as though Dumbledore is approaching the podium,” the sophisticated voice interrupts, as the sound of wild cheering echoes through the wireless set. The speaker has to raise his voice to be heard over it. “Hopefully all those here to support him today will be supporting him in the polls on the 25th October; that’s the 25th October this year, folks, just to remind you . . .”

“Ladies and gentlemen—” a third voice, obviously that of Albus Dumbledore, booms out of the wireless, but it barely makes a dent over the noise of the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you please—”

Abruptly, there is a loud bang, which causes several people in the crowd – and the wireless – to scream.

Dumbledore clears his throat. “Ah, thank you, Auror Black,” he says. “Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, let me thank you for attending me here today. It’s good to know that so many of you are against the forces of evil that threaten our way of life and, indeed, our very lives. That is not to say, of course, that my . . .” a pause just long enough to imply all sorts of things that he couldn’t possibly say out loud, of course, “colleagues in this election are with the forces of evil . . .” another pause, to let it sink in that Cornelius Fudge is on his own side, and if one side happens to offer him more money, then, who knows, “but after defeating Grindelwald in 1945, then I feel it is my duty, no, my indubitable right, no, my obligation to root out evil wherever its tendrils may spread.

“Of course,” Dumbledore’s voice drops, turning deep and smooth, but with a vibrating undertone to it that his exuberant fans do not hear, “the tendrils may be small, oh so small, to start off with, and people may look at them and say, ‘Why, they’re so small! What possible harm could they do?’ I shall tell you!” A loud bang echoes through the wireless, as Dumbledore pounds a fist on the podium. “They can do a lot of harm! Those of you who are keen gardeners and Herbologists know exactly what I’m speaking of – at the slightest hint of weeds, the garden must be pruned, and tended ever more carefully, and watched ever more closely, to ensure that the insidious things do not return.

“Therefore, we must watch closely, and if the smallest seed of evil is detected, then TEAR IT OUT!” The wireless leaps as Dumbledore’s voice bellows out. “Cast it out, for we are good, and pure, and we will not let another dark lord gain a foothold on this Isle!”

Cheers erupt from the crowd.

“Once I am Minister,” Dumbledore continues, once the crowd has marginally quieted, “I intend to increase Auror numbers, and also instigate a review into types of spells. Currently, we only have three Unforgivables. Yet are there not spells that do worse damage than the Imperius, longer-lasting damage than the Killing Curse? Equally, there are times when we see someone suffering, when a life needs to be ended for the greater good, and yet a quick, merciful death leads to a long, not-so-merciful imprisonment. I believe our entire spell lexicon is due for an overhaul, and perhaps this will enable our Aurors, who serve and protect, to better serve and protect us against the filthy evil that is attempting to spread.”

Amongst the renewed cheers are vaguely heard shouts of protest. Slowly, the dissenters can be heard getting louder as they come closer to the podium.  

“Why would we want you?” someone shouts, apparently very close to the WWN microphone. “You, all smug and thinking you’re better than anyone else, just because of the House you were in at school . . . over fifty years ago! You’re stuck in the past, old man! Time to let the new blood take over, and run the wizarding world as it should be, rather than giving in to—” a squawk from the wireless blots out his word “—and muggles!”

Even louder, but more indistinct, shouts can now be heard in the background. Several people are shouting commands, but it appears nobody is listening. Dumbledore can be heard pounding on the podium again, demanding order.

“Muggle-lover!” someone shouts, and there is a thick, wet splat, as if something has been thrown. “Go live with them if you care about them so much! Filthy—” The end of the sentence is cut off by another squawk from the wireless.

Several more wet splats follow in short order, and the shouts and demands for order increase. All are summarily ignored.

“—become of all our traditions?!” a strident voice can be heard demanding, although it is rather breathless. “There’s a reason we keep the muggles away from us. We should not be inviting them closer!”

Abruptly, the wireless gives several sharp squeals, and then descends into a monotone whine that grates on the ears.

“We apologise,” a calm, female voice says. “This broadcast has been temporarily interrupted, due to unexpected technical difficulties. Please stay tuned.”