Wiping the sleepers from his eyes, the now thirteen-year-old rolled to his side with a groan and cast aside his bed sheet before he pushed himself up off his bed to stand. It felt as if his parents, grandparents, and he had lived in the small cottage in Cokeworth forever now. Well, actually, his grandparents didn't live with them anymore. They had moved out a few weeks back to their house on Spinner's End, claiming that his parents and he needed their space. Whatever that meant.

Stretching to the ceiling, he turned a moment later and smiled towards his snowy owl.

"Morning, Hedwig." He grabbed one of her treats from the nightstand and held it out to her to eat before he moved towards the door. Plucking his discarded t-shirt from the floor, he threw it on and then headed out of his room. The sunlight was just peeking through the heavy curtains.

He heard soft sounds of someone speaking from the master bedroom, which gave him pause for half a moment, before he continued on. His parents were up. Good.

Entering the kitchen, the young boy quickly picked up a frying pan and set off to cooking their breakfast. He knew his father would likely comment on it later, but cooking them breakfast was the least he could do. After all, he had cooked breakfast for his aunt and uncle for years, ever since he could walk in fact. At least, that was how long it felt to the young boy.

He cracked the first egg into the pan, and then the second. Thirteen years old and he had already mastered the art of cooking. A laugh quietly fell from his lips at that thought. Who would have thought living with the horrid Dursleys would have had some positive benefits?

As he flipped the cooked bacon in another pan a few minutes later, he heard the master bedroom door creak open. He glanced into one of the reflective pans and saw his father approaching slowly.

"Morning, Dad," the young boy murmured, making his father a plate.

"Harry," his father started to say before he sighed quietly. "You don't need to keep making breakfast. I can cook. I am a Potions master after all."

Harry laughed and held the plate out to his father. "I know. You just were busy, Dad." His eyes then darted to the master bedroom. "Should I make a plate for Mum, too?" The teenager caught his father's sudden pained look instantly, which resulted in his own. He knew his dad's look wasn't because she wasn't really Harry's biological mother. No, it clearly referred to what kind of day she was having.

"No. Not right now," his father replied, leaning against a nearby wall while he ate. The tall, dark-haired man kept the master bedroom door in his sight and one ear towards it at all times, Harry noticed. The teenager wasn't certain if that was the teacher in his dad or the fierce protector coming out, though. "This is excellent, Harry. Thank you," his father declared after taking a few bites.

Harry only nodded, though. When he saw his father's attention once again return to the master bedroom door at the far end of the hallway, he closed his eyes. He wasn't naïve. He understood things known would be different now. He had even told his father that at the beginning of the summer. But he hadn't known then just how different everything would be now.

The three of them were broken. Shattered into jagged little pieces of hurt now, thanks to last year's events. Once they were happy, a family even. Harry knew they still were underneath it all, but the pain and fear had taken them prisoner and locked them up in their own individual cells.

"Harry?"

The young boy inhaled sharply the moment he heard his father's voice. Wiping at the stray tears that he hadn't known had fallen, he glanced at his dad.

Without another word spoken, his father pulled the young boy into his arms and hugged him. Harry couldn't keep his emotions in check any longer. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be better now. Happier at least. It wasn't fair. Hadn't they suffered enough?

"Listen to me, son. It'll get better. Trust me. It will," his father quietly spoke.

"When?" Harry cried softly.

"I don't know. But it will, Harry. You taught me that. You and Aurora. It will get better. We just have to be patient." His father then sighed heavily before he hugged Harry even tighter for a moment. "I've been so lost in me that I've lost sight of you this past summer. I-I'm sorry, Harry. I—"

"It's okay. Really. It is," the thirteen-year-old replied, sniffling. "I understand."

"But you shouldn't have to. That's the point. You're a child, Harry. My son."

Harry felt his stomach start to roll nervously. There was something off in his dad's tone. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on, but he knew whatever it was wasn't going to be good.

"You shouldn't have been subjected to this pain, to this hurt . . ." His dad sighed heavily again.

The young boy's eyes narrowed in confusion. What was his dad trying to say exactly? That they should have abandoned his mum? Given up on her? That couldn't be it, could it? "But we love her, Dad," Harry stated fiercely, pulling back from his father with a hurt look on his face. "We can't just abandon her. Not when she didn't abandon us."

"I'm not suggesting we do," his father argued, sighing again. "You deserve to be in a nurturing environment, one that allows you to play, to have fun, to be a boy, Harry. All this summer, though, you've been the opposite. You've been trying to keep me together . . . to keep all of us together. That's not your responsibility, though. Do you understand? That's mine, Harry. I am responsible for you, and I've been failing spectacularly at it this summer." He then scoffed, shaking his head. "We didn't even celebrate your birthday properly this year for Merlin's sake."

Harry shrugged, though. "So? I had cake with you, Mum, Grandmum, and Grandpa, Dad. That was good enough for me. It was. So, you know, don't be so hard on yourself." He forced a pained smile to his face. "Mum wouldn't like that. Not one bit, and you know it."

His dad started to sigh again before loud piercing screams erupted from the master bedroom and stopped him. Harry and his dad took off instantly, sprinting down the hallway and into the room. Harry had reached the bedroom first, but his dad quickly pulled him back before he stepped protectively in front of the teenager.

"Aurora! Aurora, it's okay," his dad shouted with his hands up as he approached the screaming woman who was trying desperately to free herself from the bedsheets that had tangled around her tightly. "You're safe. You're safe, Aurora," he repeated, his voice firm and direct.

"Wrong. All wrong," she shouted, finally breaking free of her temporary prison before bringing her legs up to her chest and rocking back and forth holding her head in her hands. "It's all WRONG!" she shouted, her fists slamming hard against the mattress a moment later.

Having seen her on bad days before, Harry kept his distance and looked on helplessly. Once more, the young boy found himself wishing there was a spell that could make everything right again. As her shouts soon turned into uncontrollable sobs, he tensed and closed his eyes. He didn't need to see his father to know he was holding her. Harry had seen his dad do that many times this past summer.

As her sobs started to quiet, Harry drew in a slow, shuddering breath. It may not have been the right thing to do, having Harry be around while his mum struggled with her pain, but there was no way Harry would leave her. Not after all she had done for them. She deserved better. He walked over to where his parents were and joined them a few moments afterwards, his arms quickly wrapping around her midsection.

The teenager felt her start to relax slightly the moment he did this, knowing that another episode had finished. He kept holding her, though, as the tears once more streaked his cheeks. Even though he knew it wasn't his fault in the slightest what had happened to her, he felt so guilty inside.

A couple hours after the cottage became calm once more, Severus found himself sitting in an armchair with his hands covering his face. He could hear Aurora in a nearby room calmly answering Madam Pomfrey's questions as the matron examined her for any changes from the last visit. As he continued to wait, he found himself quickly becoming torn between barging in to ask Pomfrey what the hell was going on with Aurora and sitting there as he was currently doing. Post-traumatic stress disorder was one thing. But this, whatever this was, was something entirely different. There was more to Aurora's current state of mind than just PTSD affecting her. There had to be.

It was the only explanation he could come up with to explain her recent behavior. More times than he would care to admit in fact, he had found Aurora mumbling to herself in a corner, speaking as if someone else was there in the room with her. Not to mention the days when she seemed completely out of it, staring off into space for hours on end. The days where she was alert were becoming rather rare these days, which he had promptly informed Pomfrey of after realizing it.

Frowning, he let his hands drop to his side once more. There was no indication in the matron's tone that she was concerned with Aurora's progress at all. In fact, their conversation seemed rather normal to him.

There was the first question of if Aurora had noticed any changes, which she had answered with a no. Severus would set the matron straight later and give her the list of everything he had noticed. Next was the obligatory question if Aurora had been practicing since they had last spoken. Which she had, he'd admit. Then was her proving that she had by showing her progress to Pomfrey.

He leaned forward slightly and glanced towards the slightly cracked open door. He could just make out Aurora as she moved about the room, leaning heavily on the assisting bar she was to use. Her walking had improved somewhat. But she was still shaky as a newborn calf.

He closed his eyes when he heard Aurora's huff of frustration at something filter out a moment later. Pomfrey had quickly waved off her frustration, though, telling her it was good effort and better luck next time. Severus didn't even need to use his mental link with Aurora to know that Pomfrey's words had stung. Effort meant nothing if it didn't lead to her getting her life back to what it was before she was kidnapped. How many times had he heard her yell that at him anyway? More times than necessary, clearly.

"Well, it seems you're healing quite nicely, Aurora," Pomfrey stated louder than necessary. "A little shaky still with the walking, but that'll come with time again."

Severus leaned back into his armchair with a silent sigh. The formal physiotherapy would be coming to an end now. A part of him was glad to hear that, but another part was far from it. Something was wrong with Aurora. Something he couldn't put his finger on, but he knew it deep down. The kidnapping had changed her. More than just mentally and physically. There was something else. He had hoped that Pomfrey would see it as well during her sessions with Aurora.

"I don't suppose you've had a chance to decide which healer you want to continue with."

"Not really," he heard Aurora reply.

"I see."

"I get it, Poppy. I do. I'm messed up now. I just . . . what good is some git messing around in my head going to do me? I mean, isn't the whole point of this therapy thing to make it so I learn how to cope properly?"

"Yes. Part of it. The bigger part is to remove the power behind the memories. To give you more control, Aurora."

He heard the loud scoff Aurora had returned and let his head fall back against the armchair, closing his eyes. Here it came.

"A simple Obliviate would give me more control, too. But, of course, all of you are against that," Aurora replied nastily.

"It would do more harm than good, Aurora."

"Says you."

"Yes, says me!" Pomfrey snapped back, her patience having suddenly grown thin.

As the silence settled once more onto the cottage, Severus found himself looking out another window. Seeing Harry out in the front yard, he watched the young boy, laughing and looking genuinely happy, playing with a scruffy dog. For a brief moment, Severus wondered whose dog that was before he shrugged it off, assuming it belonged to Mrs. Andrews, the neighbor lady. She always took in stray dogs for some reason.

"Severus?"

He jumped slightly at the unexpected interruption. He glanced upwards and noticed Pomfrey looking down at him with a concerned frown. When had she moved?

"Yes?" he replied.

"There was something you wanted to talk to me about earlier?" she reminded.

His eyes darted to where Pomfrey had been examining Aurora and found that Aurora had left as well. He sighed and shook his head. It wouldn't do any good anyway.

"Well, if you remember what it was, don't hesitate to owl me. All right?" Pomfrey gave him a warm smile before she gently rested a hand on his shoulder. "By the way, I heard you've decided to return to teaching this term. That's good, Severus. Getting down a pattern will help. Not to mention, the benefits it'll have for young Harry as well."

He nodded slowly. He hadn't thought of that truthfully. In fact, the only reason he had decided to return was because his dad had helped him realize he would need a paycheck. Things didn't come for free after all.

"You'll continue her treatment at Hogwarts, then?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head, though. "No. I finally managed to get her choose another healer. Which, I assure you, is like pulling teeth." She smiled faintly. "There is only so much I can do for her, though, Severus, and we've reached that limit unfortunately. What she needs now is someone more specialized in these cases. And the healer she chose, well, he's the best of the best. His methods are a bit—shall we say—unorthodox, but they work."

"You know this healer then?"

"Only by reputation, I'm afraid," she answered. "But he's good, Severus."

They needed good. Actually, they needed better than good, but he knew Pomfrey's so-called good was very high praise for this healer. The unorthodox bit gave him a bit of a pause, though. It could go so badly, undoing all of Aurora's progress in one shot. But he supposed this healer knew what he was doing and would make sure that didn't happen. Hopefully.

"I'll send him an owl once I return to Hogwarts. If he does what he usually does, then you should receive a response from him later today."

Severus nodded again. He'd look for the owl later then. He stood as she started head for the Floo. As he watched her get closer to the fireplace, he found himself struggling to remain quiet. It wouldn't do any good, he knew, but he needed to know.

"Madam?" He watched her pause and glance at him. Sighing inwardly, he lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "In your opinion, all of the symptoms she's exhibiting currently . . . do you still believe it is PTSD?" He noticed Pomfrey's lips press tighter together briefly before she answered.

"Severus," she started to say before she glanced down. "She went through unspeakable trauma. I'd be more worried actually if it hadn't affected her mentally. Just give it time."

Time. That was becoming to be his old friend. He watched Pomfrey leave then, the green flames taking her away from the cottage not long after. With a sigh, he shook his head. She hadn't answered his question at all. Like a politician, she had skirted around it. Perhaps Mister Unorthodox Healer would tell him the truth, though. He could only hope after all.

As his dad read the message that had showed up by owl late afternoon, Harry sat on the sofa next to his mum watching the television. The young boy still found it funny that his dad had such a thing. Who would have thought it after all? Though, knowing his dad better than anyone else did, he guessed he shouldn't have been surprised. The man was after all a huge nerd. A closet one, but still his dad was a nerd. Harry glanced towards his dad's room, biting his bottom lip. He wondered if his dad would mind if he read one of his dad's old comic books. Probably not.

Reaching to his left, the young boy grabbed the Daily Prophet from beside him and glanced at the front page. A sudden surge of hatred bubbled up inside him the moment he saw the former Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge's face. He skimmed the paper, knowing full well that it had upset his father earlier in the day when his dad had read it. As he read the article, Harry quickly understood why now. Fudge was getting away with murder. Well, not quite getting away with all of it. But he wasn't being put to death like he deserved. Instead, Fudge was getting a cell in Azkaban. All the good that did. Though, Harry quickly remembered his father telling himself that it did have some good, as it made it so Aurora wouldn't have to testify now. But that didn't seem good enough to Harry. Fudge deserved more. An eye for an eye and all that.

"This just in!" a voice suddenly announced from the television. Loud chimes then erupted as a breaking news banner suddenly appeared on the screen. The reporter appeared frazzled and panicked for some reason before he continued, his voice squeaking slightly. "The authorities are asking for the public to be on the lookout for an escaped convict named Sirius Black, pictured here on the screen. Black is considered armed and extremely dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him. Instead, contact the authorities immediately at the number listed below. Once again, be on the lookout for—"

Harry heard a clunk from where his father was standing and glanced at him, noticing his dad's shock. However, before he could ask his father how he knew the crazy-looking man, his mum spoke after hours of silence.

"Sirius . . ." she whispered, her eyes glued to the television.

"Wait. You guys know this guy?" Harry asked, looking from his mum to his dad. He then frowned slightly as the name echoed in his mind. Sirius? That sounded strangely familiar to him as well.

"Unfortunately," his dad replied, his jaw clenched and his eyes in slits focused on the screen. "He was a classmate of mine at Hogwarts."

Harry then blinked before his frown deepened. Why was this guy so familiar to him? He could almost . . . it was right there on the tip of his tongue. He knew this crazy guy as well. At least he had heard the name Sirius before. Somewhere. But where?

Noticing Harry's obvious confusion, his dad continued. "James had made him your godfather at one point, but your mother had removed his guardianship as soon as she could to give it to her sister. You read this in her letter to me. That's why the name is familiar. Because Lily mentioned him."

"I don't hate her," his mum stated out of the blue, clearly carrying on a conversation with someone only she saw. Both of them stared at her in confusion. "I just don't care for her."

"Mum?" Harry softly said, glancing nervously at his dad who looked on in obvious concern. Usually when she was talking to herself, not other people. This was new . . . and scary. "Who are you talking to?" When he caught the sudden shift in her mood and saw the look of intense hatred on her face, the young boy tensed, as if expecting a slap.

"Absolutely not!" she snarled, looking angrier than Harry had ever seen her before. "I will never forgive her, Black!"

Harry caught his father's flinch at the mentioning of Sirius Black and reached towards her to shake her out of her hallucination. His dad, however, grabbed his hands before he could do this.

"No, Harry," his dad stated with a shake of his head.

"But she's imagining things!" The thirteen-year-old was at a loss. Why wasn't his dad letting him help? He could. He, after all, had shook his cousin Dudley awake once after he caught Dudley almost sleepwalking himself right out the window. He may have not liked Dudley, but that didn't mean he wanted his cousin dead either.

"I couldn't give a damn about that!" she snapped.

"No, son. I don't think it's that," his dad argued, his frown deepening as he observed.

"What she did . . ." Her jaw clenched tightly before she quickly turned away. "It's unforgivable." She then turned her head slightly. The anger from before vanished and was replaced with worry. Her hand moved to reach for something, as if she was grabbing someone's arm to stop them. "No." Her nervousness and worry then increased. "Is something wrong with the baby? Is it okay? I . . ." As her head fell back, so did her eyes before she started to shake uncontrollably.

Harry gasped instantly. What was happening? He watched his father leap into action, shoving the table in front of the sofa to the side so she didn't fall into it as she slowly fell to the floor. His dad grabbed a pillow then from the sofa, putting it under his mum's head.

"Should I get Pomfrey?" Harry could hear the panic in his voice as his heart raced. What was going on? Why was she shaking like that? She seemed almost . . . possessed. "Dad, should I get Pomfrey?" he repeated, his voice breaking as his emotions got the better of him.

"Yes," his father finally answered, an edge to his voice as well.

Harry sprinted to the mantel and grabbed a handful of Floo powder soon after, tossing it in and calling out for Pomfrey's office. The moment he saw the matron's face, he knew that she knew why he had Firecalled. He hadn't even need to say a word.

"Move away, Mr. Potter. I'm coming through," Madam Pomfrey announced briskly. Sure enough, as soon as the young boy moved to the side, the matron stepped through and quickly strode over to where his dad was knelling beside his mum.

Harry's arms wrapped tightly around himself protectively. It seemed as if his mum had stopped shaking. Thank Merlin and everyone above.

"Let's move her onto her side slowly," suggested the matron, moving his mum's arm to make it look as if she was just taking a nap now on the ground. As soon as they had moved her into position, Pomfrey glanced at his father. "Has she had multiple seizures?"

"No. It was just that one."

The matron nodded slowly, turning and reaching into her bag for something. When she pulled out a potion a moment later, she pulled the cork out and motioned for Severus to lift her head up. She slowly poured the thick purple liquid into Aurora's mouth, massaging her throat to force the younger woman to swallow it.

"Then let's hope it's her last," Pomfrey mumbled, vanishing the empty bottle a moment later. They watched Aurora rest for a few moments in silence. Harry kept chewing on his bottom lip as they waited for something. "She's going to be disoriented when she wakes up."

"She was before, though," Harry revealed, catching his dad's sharp look.

"I'm sorry?" Madam Pomfrey's eyes narrowed on him. "What do you mean, Mr. Potter?"

"Uh, well, it's just before she started shaking, she was, um . . ." He scratched the back of his neck, glancing down at the floor guiltily.

"She seemed to be recalling a memory of hers," his father finished saying for him. "As if she was reliving it all over again."

"I see." The matron sighed softly. "Do you know which memory it was, Severus?"

"She mentioned something about a baby," Harry piped up, his eyes quickly darting back to the floor when his father glared at him.

"It was triggered, I believe, after seeing the news report on Black," his father said shortly after. "She mentioned his name at one point in fact."

"Then it was the second pregnancy," Pomfrey said quietly.

"Huh?" Harry blinked, unable to stop himself from speaking. "Mum's been pregnant before?"

"Harry," his father rebuked, frowning at him.

The young boy, however, brushed off his father. "So, she was pregnant when she was taken."

"Harry!"

"No, Mr. Potter. She was not," replied Madam Pomfrey with a sigh. "I found no evidence to suggest otherwise." She then turned back to Harry's dad, avoiding his eyes as she spoke. "Her mind could be reverting back—"

"That's not it," his father argued, his eyes narrowing on the matron for a moment. "You knew this was going to happen." She opened her mouth to argue, but he pushed on. "Perhaps not a seizure, but you knew something was going to happen," he declared, his eyes darkening slightly as a look of betrayal crossed his face. "You've been lying to us this whole time."

"No, Severus. I have not been lying. She is healing." She sighed. "Just, well, I found some odd readings the other day when I examined her, but I didn't have all the pieces to tell you my suspicions."

"And now?" His dad folded his arms threateningly.

Pomfrey closed her eyes. "The seizure plus the reliving her memory with the readings I found earlier confirmed my fear."

"Which is?"

"We were wrong, Severus." Pomfrey held his gaze. "It wasn't just the Horcrux affecting her as Syra and I had believed. The sickness must have become dormant for a bit for some reason, but as she's getting stronger, I'm finding more and more evidence of her illness of last year returning."

"But Dad did the whole bonding thing with her, though," Harry cut in.

"I'm aware of that, Mr. Potter. And if it wasn't for that, she'd be even sicker. Whatever this disease, illness, thing is, it is affecting every part of her. I had hoped I was wrong. That all of her symptoms could be explained away as remnants of her severe trauma. But last year she had a seizure in the summer that was exactly like this one today, Severus. Her father reported her reliving a memory, just as you had, prior to that seizure. Thankfully, she's still responding to potions, so we can relieve some of her symptoms. But, Severus, I've never seen anything like this before. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but it's mutated by my estimates. I can't make sense of it now. Nor can Syra."

Harry grabbed his mum's hand and rubbed it tenderly. They wouldn't lose her. Not again. Whatever it was, they'd beat it. They would be a family, his family. They'd get their happy ending.

Having already packed all of his stuff for Hogwarts the night before, Harry found himself standing in the doorway to the master bedroom, looking in, unable to step inside. Before last year, he'd have entered the room with no problem, but now—not so much. Not when he knew it could upset his mum, something he hated seeing with a passion.

Like usual now, she was sitting in one of the comfy chairs closest to the window, just staring outside at nothing in particular. At least nothing Harry could see. She had her back to him, hugging her legs against her chest. He couldn't see her face, but he knew the look she wore all too well nowadays. Sadness. Deep, deep sadness. He'd give her all the hugs in the world if it'd help. But so far his hugs hadn't helped in the slightest. So much for love healing all wounds.

"Mum?" murmured the thirteen-year-old as he continued to hover by the door. When he caught her head move ever so slightly towards his voice, he pressed on. "Can I come in?" Her legs dropped to the floor with a thump before she slowly turned towards him.

"Harry." She blinked rapidly to clear her mind before a sad smile of recognition came over face. "Of course you can, love." She held out an arm, giving a quiet laugh when he rushed to her and hugged her fiercely. "Hey, now. I'm not dying. So, there's no need for such strong hugs," she teased, the smile not quite reaching her face.

He pulled back from her somewhat and met her eyes. From what the matron had been saying earlier to them, he wasn't sure just how long he would still have to give her such hugs. When he felt her fingers tenderly brush back his raven locks, he closed his eyes, turning instinctively into her hand. It wasn't fair. She was such a great mother for him, even if she wasn't biologically speaking.

"The potions are working. You heard Madam Pomfrey." She gently wiped away a few of his tears. "So, stop this nonsense, Harry. I'm fine for the time being."

"I don't want to lose you," he admitted somberly.

"Oh, hush." She rolled her eyes before she kissed his forehead. "Weren't you the one telling me just the other day that you and Severus would never let me be alone ever again?"

Harry laughed through more tears and nodded. He had said that. He just hadn't known she had heard that, though, as she had seemed lost in her own little world when he said it.

"So, how on earth then are you going to lose me?"

His lip trembled. He knew he was being a big old cry baby, but it'd be just his luck to lose the one mother who truly did love him and him alone. As he felt her head rest gently atop of his, he sniffled and hugged her even tighter.

"You're a really good mum . . . and I don't want to lose you . . .because I feel loved for the first time . . . please . . . please fight, Mum," the thirteen-year-old begged, knowing deep down he was acting irrational. "Please. We need you. Dad and I need you."

"Oh, my sweet Harry," she whispered back, shaking her head lightly. "It's okay. Really. It is. Loads of people have terrible illnesses, and they don't necessarily die. So, please stop being sad and worrying about what's to come. I do enough of that for the both of us, okay?" She then sighed quietly, her fingers running through his hair tenderly once more as the silence settled around them. "You excited to go back to Hogwarts this year?"

Harry shook his head, though. How could he be excited when his mum needed him and his dad?

"No? Why ever not?" She gave a short laugh. "You finally get to learn all about the great art of Divination and meet Professor Trelawney. And trust me. If it weren't for her, Divination would not be nearly as interesting. What with her talk about her Inner Eye and frequent Grim-watching." She then lowered her voice. "Between you and me, I swear she makes a sport out of it, scaring all of you with such nonsense."

As he listened to her, he found himself regaining his composure once again. It was plain to see that she didn't hold much stock in Divination at all. It was a distraction, he knew, but one they needed.

"You don't like her, do you?" Harry asked quietly.

"Who? Sybill?" Aurora shrugged. "It's not that, love. I just tire of the frequent 'Oh my, you have the Grim' predictions she does. Just once I wish she wouldn't say it to me. I mean, there's only so many times you can hear that silly thing before you become annoyed." She frowned. "Actually, I'm surprised she hasn't bombarded you with them yet. Though, Severus would likely throw her arse off her tower if she did. Probably even sprinkle her empty bottles of sherry around her for good measure too."

Harry's eyes narrowed before he glanced upwards at her. "What?"

"Nothing," Aurora said with a laugh. "I'm just rambling again."

Frowning slightly, Harry decided after a moment it was best to leave it alone and move on. He didn't want to ruin any more time they had left together on stupid things like that. After all, he could always ask his dad what she meant if he was that curious.

"Mum?"

"Hmm?" she murmured a few moments later.

"When are you and Dad getting married?"

Deep belly laughs erupted from her instantly. "Oh, Harry, my sweet boy." She kissed his forehead, shaking her head with a wide smile.

"What?" He didn't get why that was funny to her. He was being entirely serious. "You and Dad have been dating for almost a year now. That's, like, forever. So, why not? I mean, I may be young, but I'm not stupid. That is how these things go, Mum."

She laughed quietly and rolled her eyes. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. You see it all the time in books and movies and such."

"No, love. You see it all the time in fiction, not real life. Plus, your father is a cautious man. He wants to be certain he's made the right choice before he decides which path he'll take. He's not one to rush into things, Harry."

The young boy felt his stomach plummet instantly. "But he has to!" he blurted out before quickly covering his mouth and starting at her horrified.

"He has to?" Aurora repeated softly with a blink of confusion. "Why?" Her eyes then narrowed on the young boy who kept his eyes trained on the blanket in front of him. "Because I'm sick again?" She sighed, shaking her head when Harry nodded hesitantly. "Oh, love. I don't want your father to marry me out of pity or obligation. That's no way to start a marriage. He should ask me to marry him because he wants to, not because of that." She scoffed and glanced away in astonishment. "That's something a Gryffindor would do, Harry. Throw himself down on a sword, sacrificing his happiness for mine. Oh, no. I don't want that. And neither would your father. He'd be utterly miserable."

Biting his cheek, Harry kept himself from saying his father would be miserable without her as well. He knew full well how disappointed his dad would be in him if he had said that to her. That knowledge was supposed to be between father and son only.

"Listen to me, Harry. My relationship with your dad . . ." She paused with a sigh, chewing the bottom of her lip as she seemed to think on something for a moment. "Adult relationships of this kind—well, they need a solid foundation, and quite frankly your father and I haven't got that yet. Not after . . ." Her voice broke suddenly, causing Harry to glance up at her again. She had a haunted look in her eyes before she inhaled sharply and continued, as if everything was fine again. "Rushing it like that would do more harm than good. So, we're taking it slow." Her left hand tremored slightly.

"Mum, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

Even Harry could tell that answer was rehearsed. However, before he could call her on it, he heard a knock in the distance. Someone was at the front door. When he heard his father's voice a moment later, he closed his eyes. His father's footfalls then came closer as he approached.

"Let me guess," Harry heard his mum quip, "it's torture time again?"

That had been her long-standing remark whenever Pomfrey came around to check on her, much to his dad's dislike. With a sigh, his dad shook his head and took several steps towards her.

"Aurora."

"What? If you were forced to—"

"They're trying to help you," Harry's dad argued.

She scoffed. "That's debatable."

Harry's eyes darted to his father instantly and saw his dad's jaw clench slightly. Madam Pomfrey had told them that his mum would test them sometimes. As he watched his father's nostrils flare slightly, Harry felt his stomach clench. He hated when they argued.

"Ah. There you are," a voice suddenly cut in from the doorway. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything." When they turned towards the intruder, a dark-haired man in his mid-thirties wearing a black button down shirt and black slacks flashed a charming smile at them. "But we're wasting valuable time." He politely held his hand out towards Aurora. "Hello, Professor. I'm the man in charge of torturing you today. You may call me 'Arsehole,' 'Git' or, hell, even 'Bastard.' I'll answer to any one of them."

Harry's mouth dropped.

Lowering his hand, the man asked casually, "So, what do you say? Cruciatus first? Or are you wanting something less painful today?" He reached into his pocket, likely to grab his wand.

"Excuse me?" Aurora barked, looking torn between outraged and shocked.

"Well, you find this to be torture, so I thought maybe you needed a reminder of what torture really feels like, my dear."

Aurora flew to her feet and pointed her finger at him. "I know what real torture feels like, damn it. Probably better than you do, you incompetent little weasel," she snarled, glaring at the healer. "I was locked up and experimented on for eight months. Eight goddamn months! So, don't tell me I don't know what real torture is!"

Harry glanced back at the healer and frowned when he saw the man's faint smile. Why was the guy smiling? She hadn't said anything remotely amusing.

"Who are you?" the healer asked suddenly.

"What?" She blinked and shook her head, a hand quickly reaching back for the chair to steady herself as she remained standing.

"Who are you?" the healer repeated, his tone conveyed patience and understanding.

"Aurora Sinistra," she answered, staring back at the healer in confusion.

Even Harry wasn't certain what was going on. And judging by the look on his dad's face, neither did his dad. What did her name have to do with anything?

"What are you, Aurora?" he then asked calmly.

"A very irate witch right now contemplating which curse to use on you, imbecile," she snapped.

The healer laughed quietly and nodded. "I'm sure, but, no, Aurora, that's not what you are. Would you like to know the answer?"

"Not really, but I have a feeling you'll tell me anyway," she snidely replied.

"A survivor." The healer smiled wistfully towards her. "What you went through during those eight months is incomprehensible. And after reading your charts—I don't blame you for disliking me. Not one bit."

"All right . . ."

"I don't even blame you for not trusting me. If I had gone through what you had, I wouldn't trust me either. But in order for me to help you move past your trauma, I'm afraid we're going to have to find some way to work together to deal with this deep distrust of healers you have."

Harry watched his mum for a moment as she considered the man's words for a moment.

"From what I've read in Poppy's reports, family is very important to you," the healer continued. "So, if it's acceptable with you and your family, I would like us to sit together three times a week, at least at first, and discuss whatever any of you feel like discussing. Whether that be Quidditch," the healer glanced at Harry, "or a new potion," the healer looked towards Severus, "or even just a new constellation you found." His eyes finally rested on Aurora. "The topic of the session is up to you. I'm just here to listen. That's all."

Aurora scoffed instantly and shook her head. "Just to listen? What a bunch of bull."

"I'll contribute to the conversation if I have anything to add. Otherwise, I'm just listening."

"And just how exactly is that going to fix me?"

"Fix you?" It was the healer's turn to blink at her this time. "Is something wrong with you?"

Her eyes narrowed on the healer. "Don't give me that crap you healers spew. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You find something there in my mind, some word I used, that you have to exploit and dissect until you eventually grow tired of me and let me go as you move onto your next victim to terrorize."

"Is that how you see healers?" He shrugged. "Explains a lot."

"See? Right there. You're doing it right there. I give you just a little nibble and you run wild with it. Well, it's not going to work. I'm smarter this time."

"And you weren't last time?"

"Of course not. I was nineteen," she replied before her mouth snapped shut as she realized her mistake. Her eyes narrowed into slits once more as she glared at the amused healer.

"Which brings me to my next point." The healer's faint smile faded slightly as seriousness took over. "If at any time you feel more comfortable discussing something with just me, please let me know."

"Like what, my sex life?" Aurora drawled while Harry and Severus both cringed.

"Well, I would think that particular conversation would best be served if Severus was here with you, considering he is your romantic partner."

She gave a short laugh. "So, not only are you a mind healer, you're a relationship expert, too."

"I dabble from time to time," the healer admitted with a shrug. "I mean, after two centuries of being in the medical field, it was only natural that I'd expand into relationships."

Two centuries? Harry's eyes darted back to the healer.

"Yes, Harry," the healer replied, turning towards the young boy. "You heard correct. I said two centuries." He flashed a wide smile towards him, showing off the long pointy canines. "I'm a vampire." He then turned back to Aurora. "Which is why Poppy thought I would be the perfect person for you. Not much you can hide from a vampire, as you well know."

"Wonderful." Harry was pretty certain judging by the way she had said it, that his mum was being extremely sarcastic.

"Now, I'm certain you're drained from standing so long, so I'll leave you to rest. I just wanted to introduce myself to you today. We'll talk more in depth after all of you return to the castle. Let's say, Wednesday at seven? That way all of you have a chance to get settled in beforehand."

"Or at least some of us can," Aurora mumbled bitterly.

"Oh?" the healer said. "Then you won't be sitting beside Severus at the Welcoming Feast?"

"I'm not teaching this year."

"So? I mean, perhaps I'm wrong, but I wasn't aware that Hogwarts had a stipulation that stated professors who were on temporary medical leave were not allowed to sit beside her coworkers. If so, then perhaps someone should write the board outlining the positive benefits of you being there would have on the staff and students."

"Positive benefits?" she repeated with a laugh of disbelief.

"You would be returning to a routine, Aurora, which is something that is vital for victims of traumatic events. You would also be showing the whole school your strength."

"But . . ."

"Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it will be easy for you, because it won't. If I had to guess, I'd say this past summer you locked yourself up here in this cottage with Severus and Harry. And you three shut out the rest of the world. So, returning to real life, namely the Great Hall, would mean you would be around more people than you are used to. It'll be easy for Harry to return to normal life, as he's young. However, for you two, it'll require more effort to adjust to the changes. But Severus is patient and very perceptive, so I have no fear he will do what is necessary if something occurs."

As he listened to the healer, Harry found himself thinking for a few moments. Was that what they had been doing? Shutting out the entire world? A frown made its way across his face. Was that why his grandparents had left? But that didn't make sense. His grandparents had said they were moving out because Harry, Severus, and Aurora needed their space.

Biting his bottom lip, the young boy contemplated sending Hedwig to his grandparents later asking them if that was why they had left. However, he eventually decided against sending them a message. He truthfully didn't want to know the answer. Not when there was a chance his grandparents had left because of them.

"Come on," his dad said quietly after the healer had left. "Let's sit down and rest again."

Harry glanced up the moment he heard his father's voice. His stomach twisted the moment he saw how pale Aurora had become. His eyes fell to the floor in disappointment. Life wasn't fair.

Knocking on his son's half-opened door several hours later, Severus waited until he heard the muffled 'Come in' before he entered.

"You were quiet at dinner tonight," Severus stated softly, closing the door behind him before he leaned against the wall. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. Just had nothing to say." The green eyes darted back into the textbook instantly.

"Seems like a lot of that is going around lately," Severus drawled, crossing his arms. "What is it, Harry? What's bothering you?"

"No. You'll just get upset. It's fine."

"I won't. Now, tell me. What is it? What's wrong?" Severus sighed silently. Harry and Aurora were a lot more alike than they knew.

Hesitantly, his son's green eyes met his black eyes.

"You, um, well, you don't think Grandmum and Grandpa left because of us, do you?" the young boy softly whispered with a trembling bottom lip.

"Of course not." Severus walked towards his son slowly before he knelt down beside the thirteen-year-old. Gently resting a hand on the boy's shoulder, he continued. "Harry, they left because there isn't a whole lot of extra space here for all of us, and they knew it. So, they moved back to their row house. If you want, though, I can Firecall them and you can hear it from them yourself?"

Harry shook his head, though. "No. That's okay, Dad." He gave him a faint smile before his eyes darted down to his book again.

"What else is bothering you?" Severus gently tilted his son's head up so Harry would be looking at him again. "I can't help if you don't tell me."

"It's stupid" was the quiet reply.

"I'll be the judge of that. Now, what is it?"

He watched his son wrestle with himself for several minutes. The boy clearly didn't want to tell him whatsoever. However, once his eyes met the beautiful green again, he knew Harry had decided.

"I can still come down whenever I want and see you and Mum, right?"

"Of course you can. We're not going anywhere."

"Yeah, I know that, but, I mean, after I'm dropped off tomorrow with the Weasleys, I can still come see you guys, though."

"Yes, Harry. You can still come visit us whenever you need to in the dungeons." Severus's eyes then narrowed as his son's words echoed in his mind. "Wait. Why do you think I'm dropping you off with the Weasleys tomorrow?"

"Aren't you?"

"I hadn't planned on it," Severus answered honestly.

"Oh." The little boy's face fell again.

"Did you want me to drop you off with the Weasleys?" He had thought Harry still wanted to ride the train back to Hogwarts. But if the boy had changed his mind now . . .

"No."

"Then, forgive me, son, but why are you disappointed?"

"I'm not." The young boy shrugged, clearly lying.

"Harry," Severus said quietly, giving him a stern look.

"It's just I thought maybe you were saying you were going to drop me off at King's Cross this year like all the other kids. But I'm fine Flooing back to Hogwarts too."

Severus couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face. "I planned on dropping you off at King's Cross this year, Harry. Your grandparents are even planning to be there." He ruffled his son's hair affectionately when the boy's face lit up. "Don't always assume the worst, child. Leave that to me."

"What about Mum? Is she going to be there, too?"

Forcing his face to remain neutral, Severus shook his head slowly. "I don't know, son. It's going to have to depend on how well she's feeling tomorrow." He watched Harry's face fall slightly before the young boy quickly recovered. He wished he could tell the boy 'yes,' but he didn't want to lie to him. "Now, go on, brat. Get into bed. You can finish reading about elixirs tomorrow."

"You're still going to tuck me in?" Harry asked as he hopped off his chair.

"Unless you don't want me to?" Severus replied, stopping in midstride. He hadn't even considered that the boy wouldn't want him to tuck him in anymore. It had been a routine they had developed over their years together. One that Severus enjoyed as it made him feel as if he hadn't truly missed all of the boy's life as he had.

Harry smiled back at him, though, sliding into bed. "No. It's good, Dad. I like it when you tuck me in." His eyes then fell to his blanket as his voice lowered. "Which I know is a baby thing."

"Hardly." Severus returned a faint smile to his son before he motioned for the boy to move over a bit. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. "Do not tell anyone this ever, young man. But your grandmum still on occasion tucks me in nowadays, and I'm older than dirt." He rolled his eyes when the little brat started giggling. "Yes, laugh all you want, Mister Potter, but keep in mind that I know some pretty damaging stuff about you. Like how you enjoy being hugged by me."

"So? You're my dad," Harry said with a laugh. "Of course I like your hugs."

"But I'm the Head of Slytherin."

"So?" Harry rolled his eyes. "And Mum is your assistant or whatever down there. That doesn't matter any. You're my parents. All kids enjoy their parents' hugs, Dad."

"Fine. Then I'll tell everyone how you rolled around in troll boogers once."

"Ew! Dad!" Harry shrieked, covering his ears before he started laughing again. "Okay. You win. I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

"Good. Because otherwise I'll broadcast it to the whole school . . . Harry Potter and the Troll Boogers. Sounds like a pretty good story, doesn't it? I bet the Prophet would pay me a year's salary for it." He chuckled when Harry lightly pushed him. "Good night, brat."

"Good night, Dad."

He kissed his son's forehead and ruffled Harry's hair one last time before he headed towards the door. Flicking his wand, all the lights in the room went out suddenly. Tomorrow, they would be back at Hogwarts. He hoped just once the year would be quiet, but he knew it wouldn't. Life was rarely fair.

He almost had it. Just a little bit more. He stretched his arm out as far as it could go towards the elusive shimmering silver pendant that hung near him. However, every time he almost had it, the pendant would poof into thick smoke before it would reappear elsewhere near him. For months now, he had tried to reach it in his dreams to no success.

"Come on," the young boy mumbled, stretching even farther than before. "Come on! Stop it! Mum needs you." He jerked his body forward and felt his fingertips brush briefly against the silver chain of the necklace. A gentle tinkling sound surrounded him soon after. He had almost had it that time. If he had just stretched a little bit farther . . .

Forcing the air deep within his lungs, Harry decided to try one last time. He'd get it this time. He was certain of it. He looked around, searching for anything that would assist him. But as always he found nothing. He needed to get the pendant. He didn't know why, but he just knew he had to.

It was right there. Just on the edge. If he had a stick, it'd have been so much easier to reach.

"Harry," his father's voice echoed around in the mist.

There wasn't time. He had to get that pendant. It was the key to everything. He just knew it. Inhaling deeply once more, Harry took a flying leap towards the pendant. As his fingers closed around it and his face lit up, a bright green light erupted from the emerald that was surrounded by the snakes on the pendant.

"HARRY!" he heard his mum scream, fear in her voice.

As he felt himself falling through the mist, his hand clenched even tighter around the pendant. He had it. His mum would be all right now. He had the pendant.

"HARRY!" his mum screamed again.

This time his head jerked up to look towards where he heard Aurora screaming his name. His eyes widened when he saw her floating in the mist, bound by vines and struggling against them. When his eyes met hers, he felt an intense sadness come over him.

"Tell Severus! Harry, tell SEVERUS!" A loud whoosh, and everything vanished.

"Son, it's time to get up," his father announced, sounding closer to him now than before.

Waking slowly, the young boy groaned quietly and rolled over in his bed. He rubbed at his eyes and blinked several times. Was his dad still part of the dream or was he real?

"Or you're going to miss the train." A hand then gently patted Harry's shoulder.

With a start, Harry sat up as everything came rushing back to him. He grabbed his father's arm and stared at the older man with wide green eyes.

"Dad! I saw her! I saw Mum!" the thirteen-year-old shouted.

"What? Harry, you're not making sense." His dad frowned, grabbing his arm as well. "What do you mean, you saw her?"

"She was in my dream. She wanted me to tell you that. And something about her pendant, maybe, I don't know. She just told me to tell you."

His dad blinked, staring at him for several moments. It was clear his father had no idea how to reply to that. So, Harry continued, hoping more information would help.

"I was trying to get her pendant back, and then she screamed for me once I got it. There was this bright green light. And when I looked at her, she was covered in vines and stuff, floating in the air. Dad, I saw her, though. I saw Mum, and she wanted me to tell you."

His dad kept staring back at him, though, saying nothing.

"Dad, she wanted me to tell you."

"All right." His father scratched his head for a moment before he glanced towards the door.

"What does it mean? Is she, like, trapped inside her own body or something? Did the Horcrux thing do something? What is it? What do you think, Dad?"

"Honestly? I have no idea." His dad shook his head, frowning. "She was covered in vines in your dream? And you only saw her after you caught her pendant?"

"Yeah. And there was this bright green light that came out of the emerald after I caught it."

"I see."

Harry waited for his dad to elaborate, but when he didn't the young boy frowned. "You believe me, don't you?"

"Yes, but, son, sometimes a dream is just a dream."

"But she wanted me to tell you!"

"I understand that. I do. I-I don't know what this means, Harry. But thank you." His dad then sighed again. "Aurora's here, though. Fully awake even. I just came from seeing her actually. So, I don't understand why you would be dreaming that she's covered in vines telling you to tell me you saw her."

The little boy's eyes darted towards the door briefly before he lowered his voice. "What if that's not Mum, though?"

"What?"

"What if it's not Mum, Dad? Quirrell had—"

"The Dark Lord is contained, Harry," his father interrupted before Harry could finish.

"So we think," the young boy pointed out. "We don't know that for sure, though."

"Harry—"

"It's possible, and you know it, Dad!"

"Is it possible? Yes, but, Harry, no one is possessing Aurora, though."

"How do you know? It could be some sort of alien or something fooling us. Just like Quirrell and the bad guy who took Mum last year."

"Harry—"

The young boy pushed on, though. "Isn't it worth checking out? Just to make sure?" He watched his father cover his eyes and sigh then. "If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. But, Dad, I have to be dreaming about this for a reason. And Grandpa always says there's no such thing as a coincidence."

"Fine. I'll contact Pomfrey," his father groaned, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

Harry nodded purposefully in response. They would find out the truth now. One way or the other. He glanced towards the door before he leaned towards his father.

"When you tell Mum," the young boy whispered so only his father heard him, "be sure to take your wand with you. You know, in case she attacks you or something."

"In case she attacks me or something?" his father repeated with a scoff. "I doubt my wand will do any good when she'll likely punch me in the face instead."

Harry then shrugged. "Okay, well, then cover your face with your other hand when she tries to take a swing at you. I don't know. Just defend yourself, Dad. Because whoever is inside Mum, they're going to try to kill you probably for discovering the truth so no one else figures it out."

His father stared at him for several moments before he finally sighed. "You clearly watch too many shows, son."

"What? It's classic—"

Without a word spoken, his father headed for the door. The moment Harry saw his dad's wand slide into his father's hand, he felt himself relax. However, the feeling didn't last long. As soon as his dad had left and was out of his sight, the young boy found himself start to panic. What if whatever was possessing his mum did try to kill his dad?

"Even Batman had Robin," Harry mumbled under his breath, quickly grabbing his own wand from the nightstand and heading to follow after his father. He would not let his dad go in there alone.

"Is Harry almost ready?" the young boy heard his mum ask from the direction of the sofa in the sitting area. He couldn't see her, though, since his dad was in front of him.

"Almost," his dad replied, his wand perfectly hidden in his hand from her view.

"Good." His mum then paused for a moment. When she spoken again, deep concern was heard in her voice. "Severus, is everything all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm concerned about all of this." His father's voice was low and gentle. "Walking around here is one thing, Aurora. However, King's Cross . . . there will be more obstacles for you there. It'll be harder, too. I . . ."

"I'm fine. You saw me earlier. I can do this. Plus, I'll be using those stupid crutches anyway, and you'll be right at my side in case something happens. I can do this, Severus. I can see Harry off."

"Aurora . . ."

Harry had to give his father credit. His dad was a really good actor. Even he believed that his dad was worried about something happening to her at the station today.

"No. Stop." She sighed heavily. "They're wrong. It's not too much for me. I mean, I think I know my own strength a little bit better than two healers who are playing it extra careful just to get a little bit more amusement out of this. I am not some stupid China doll who is going to break, Severus. I can do this. And if I'm wrong, well, then I've got you. Someone who is a hell of a lot better and easier to work with than either of them."

"Humor me. Please?"

"All right. Where do you want me to walk to?"

"No, Aurora. I don't want you to walk right now."

"Then what? How can I prove to you that I'm fine? That I can do this, so you'll quit worrying?"

"Let me get Poppy to examine you."

If Harry wasn't trying to be stealthy, he may have applauded his father for his smoothness. His dad had guided the conversation beautifully. Then again, did Harry truly expect anything else from the Head of Slytherin?

"Dear Circe, tell me you're joking!" his mum replied, clearly outraged. "You want to bring that horrible woman back here to poke and prod me again? Severus, if I didn't love you as much as I do, I'd hex you for that. Right there in the arse, too, so it hurt!"

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing. That was almost something his mum would say.

"Fine," his mum declared a moment later. "Bring in the damn witch. But you owe me for this. I mean it. Because I am fine, Severus. Slightly irate with you right now, but I'm fine. The potions are working. I actually feel more like my old self today, but go ahead. Tell the stupid healer she can come and poke and prod me like a pin cushion yet again for her own sick amusement. If it makes you feel better, do it. I'll just sit here on the sofa, thinking up how you can repay me for this later."

With his eyes locked on his father's hidden wand, he watched the thin black object slide back up into his father's sleeve. Harry, however, didn't follow suit and put away his own wand. He wasn't so easily convinced. It may have sounded like her, but that didn't mean it was her.

After Pomfrey had arrived and examined Aurora closely a few minutes later, Harry joined them in the sitting area. The imposter certainly wouldn't try anything when it was three against one. He glanced towards his father as he took a seat across from his mum.

"Interesting," Madam Pomfrey said suddenly as a group of translucent images floated above Aurora. All three glanced at her with wide eyes. Did that mean Pomfrey had found something?

"What does that mean, Interesting?" his mum demanded, her eyes narrowing on the healer.

"It means that I found something, dear."

"Yes, Poppy. I figured that out for myself, thank you," she snidely replied. "What exactly did you find, dear matron of Hogwarts?" The sarcasm that was coming out of his mum's lips nowadays rivaled that of Severus's sometimes.

Pomfrey's eyes darted up towards Aurora before she sighed. "Do you truly want me to say?" Her eyes then flickered over to Harry and Severus. "With them present?"

"What are you talking about? What did you find?" she asked, as the anger rapidly dissipated and was replaced with confusion.

"You've been internalizing your magic, Aurora."

"Well, yes, Madam Pomfrey, I have, because murdering you would earn me a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, and I rather enjoy being here with Harry and Severus much more," Aurora drawled, rolling her eyes before she scoffed in annoyance.

Brushing off the younger woman's sarcasm, Pomfrey asked, "Are you aware of the effects that has on your body?" She waited for a response, but received none. "No? Well, let me inform you. When you internalize your magic, you do damage to your body. That energy has to go somewhere, though, so what occurs is your organs absorb it, something they are not supposed to do." The matron's eyes then narrowed as she crossed her arms and looked down at Aurora. "In other words, you are quite lucky you're not dead!"

"Now, who is being a drama queen?" his mum remarked. "I'm fine, Poppy."

"Which is a miracle in itself, I assure you!" She shook her head. "Look at this." She then motioned towards one of the floating images. "If it weren't for your mother's serum in your blood helping you heal . . ."

Harry caught the instant flash of anger in his mum's eyes and tensed immediately. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe she was actually Aurora.

"You think that serum is a blessing, Poppy? It's not! I promise you that!" She rose to her feet and shoved her crutches under her arms. "You have no idea what they did to me because of it! NONE!"

She had a downright scary look on her face, causing Harry to glance towards his father.

"If I had my way, I would have bled myself dry just to get it out of me!" his mum cried through tears, as she shook with anger. "But go ahead, Poppy! Tell me how brilliant it is. How wonderful that damn stuff is! Because I know the truth. I know what it did, what it cost me! I know it better than anyone of you."

Harry watched his dad reach for her. However, she moved back from him instantly.

"No! Just leave me alone. All of you! Leave me the hell alone!" And just like that, his mum used her crutches to propel herself towards the master bedroom before the door slammed shut behind her.

"Damn it," his father murmured with a pained look on his face. He then moved to stand before he went after her, leaving Harry alone with Madam Pomfrey.

When his father slipped inside the master bedroom, Harry sighed quietly and hung his head. This was all his fault. His mum had been having such a good day before he had ruined it.

"If it matters anymore, Mister Potter, I found no evidence to suggest possession or another entity inside her. I'm afraid the changes in her are entirely from the trauma she endured."

"But then why am I dreaming about her? About her pendant?"

Pomfrey shrugged as she pocketed her wand. "My best guess? It's because you care so deeply for her, and you're worried about her. When our loved ones are hurting, our mind frequently turns to dreaming about them." She gently rested a hand on his shoulder. "Aurora will be fine, though. She has you and Severus to rely on. Not to mention, your grandparents and Minerva and a hell of a lot more of us at Hogwarts. In time, she will heal. Right now, though, we must be patient, I'm afraid."

Once he had shut the door to the master bedroom behind him, Severus found himself uneasy. There in front of him was Aurora, curled around a pillow on their bed crying. He still hadn't figured out a way to deal properly with her crying yet. There was only so much a book could teach one after all.

"I realize you—" He ducked immediately when she threw the pillow she had been holding at him. The pillow slammed into the door with a loud thump before falling onto the floor. There was no use getting angry with her for that. Not when the healer had informed her that she would likely behave like an unruly teenager at times now. Something he had already figured out for himself long ago. "I deserved that."

"You deserved a whole hell of a lot more than that," she remarked, glaring at him. "I said I wanted to be left alone."

"I know."

"Then why aren't you?" she demanded.

"Because that's the wrong thing for me to do when you're upset, Aurora."

"Oh, wonderful," she remarked, throwing her hands up into the air. "I wasn't aware you were a mind healer too, Severus?"

"I'm not." He bent down and picked up the pillow. "I just know from experience that being alone tends to make things worse." He held the pillow out to her and watched her snatch it from him soon after. "I'm sorry, Aurora."

"Well, sorry isn't going to cut it, Severus. I mean, hell, you know how I feel about them. How I can't stand them at all." She twisted the pillow violently in her hands as she spoke. "And do you see why? Did you hear her lecture me about internalizing my magic like I'm some first-year?" She scoffed. "I'm not trying to hurt myself for Circe's sake. I'm not that screwed up! I'm trying to use my magic. But it just won't work." Her breaths came in loud pants. "No matter what I try, it just won't work anymore."

Slowly, he leaned in and rested a hand atop of hers. He squeezed and waited until she looked up.

"It won't work anymore, Severus," she said shakily, uncertainty in her eyes.

"You've always told me your magic didn't matter much to you, because it didn't define who you are as a person," he replied quietly. "That your magic didn't make you a better astronomer. A better horseback rider." He then gave her a soft smile. "A better girlfriend."

"It doesn't."

"Then why is this upsetting you so much?"

"Because without it, I can't fix this, fix me," she answered, drawing in a shaky breath. The tears fell a moment later, streaking down her cheeks. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to be living our happily ever after, not living a never-ending nightmare."

He brushed back one of her dark curls lovingly and felt her kiss his palm.

"I want us to be happy again. All three of us." He wiped away a few of her tears and stared deeply into her eyes, wishing he could take away her pain. "I want what was taken from me back, Severus. Is that so wrong of me?"

"No, not at all." He slowly moved closer to her, pulling her into his arms and holding her. "I want that as well. But your magic isn't required for that to be possible, though, Aurora."

"Why won't my magic return?"

"I don't know." He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes. "The only one who knows that answer is Leonidas, and it appears he's not willing to share just yet. We will figure this out."

"I don't like that healer. Poppy's one thing, a pest you can't escape but he's different."

"He is." Severus felt her finally start to relax. "But maybe different is what we need in order for us to all heal properly." He glanced down at her when she didn't reply. He could see she was still thinking on his words. "I won't let anyone hurt you again, Aurora. If he oversteps his bounds with you, if he hurts you, I will protect you and make him suffer. I give you my word."

"He's a vampire, though."

"He is, but I can cast a wicked spell that produces a brighter light than the sun even. He would be no match to it." He felt her silent laugh and smiled faintly. "Now, rest, my love. We have an hour before the train leaves for Hogwarts." As she curled around him, he breathed in deeply and sighed contently.

As they approached the train, Harry found himself hanging his head even lower. He should've been wearing a big dorky smile, happier than he had ever been before. He finally was normal. Just like any other kid there at King's Cross with his family. But he wasn't happy at all.

A hand gently clapped down onto his shoulder, causing Harry's mood to plummet even more.

"What's wrong?" his father asked quietly, so only Harry could hear.

"Nothing." He kicked at a rock grumpy and watched it skip into a nearby wall.

"Harry," his father said, stopping and turning the young boy towards him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The young boy shrugged. As he heard the tapping of his mum's crutches against the concrete become louder as she approached, he glanced through his shaggy raven hair towards her. He had messed everything up. Again. No wonder he hadn't had a real family. All he ever did was mess things up. "I'm sorry," Harry quietly said to his mum.

"You're sorry?" She gave him a puzzled look, pausing in her approach. Her warm brown eyes briefly flickered towards his dad before returning back to Harry. "Why on earth would you be sorry, love? You've done nothing wrong."

"But I have," the boy argued, stepping closer. "I asked Dad to get Pomfrey in the first place."

"You were? Why? I'm fine, Harry."

"I know that now, but, well, it's stupid but I dreamt about you screaming at me to tell Dad something and you sound scared. And I guess it was just a dream, but it seemed so real, though."

"You dreamt about me?"

"Yeah." Harry hung his head. It was so stupid now.

"That's rather sweet of you, Harry." When he glanced at her, she went on. "To care enough to dream about me. But I'm fine. Really. But the moment I'm not, you will be the first to know, okay?"

"I thought You-Know-Who was possessing you," he whispered softly, holding her gaze. He noticed her flinch instantly and closed his eyes, hanging his head again.

"Wouldn't that be nice, though?" she replied after a moment. When both Harry and Severus glanced at her in alarm, she gave a soft laugh of amusement. "I mean, wouldn't it have been nice to blame him for my actions rather than myself, guys." She then looked behind Harry at something before her smile widened. "Tobias! Don't you look all handsome today."

"Hear that, lad? She thinks I look handsome," Tobias drawled, playfully popping up his blue shirt collar with a wide cheeky grin. "It's the color, ya know, Severus? Does wonders for the ladies. Ya might want to give it a try. Just sayin'."

"Oh, dear God, now he'll never shut up," Eileen groaned, sighing dramatically. "Thank you very much, my dear daughter-in-law. I so needed that today."

Harry giggled quietly. There was just something about his grandparents that made him smile and forget about everything. He had missed them, truth be told. Letters just weren't enough.

"How are you, Princess?" Tobias asked as he gently hugged Aurora, kissing her cheek briefly.

"Alive," Harry heard his mum reply. "But let's not talk about that. Not when it's Harry's day."

Harry's day? The young boy glanced at her and narrowed his eyes. However, when the train's whistle blew to sound the five-minute warning, he forgot all about that. He was enveloped in a strong hug by his grandmother instantly.

"Now, you be good this year, young man. No wild parties in the Forbidden Forest. No romps in the common room like last year. Straight and narrow, understand?" She winked towards him, breaking her serious look. "But most of all, have fun and be safe." His grandmum gave him a quick kiss a top of his head. "I love you, my little pretzel." The moment she had released him, Harry found himself in his grandfather's arms next.

"No givin' yer teachers a hard time either, ya hear?" Tobias said, the amusement clearly in his voice. "Now go on, ya rascal. Get outta here before yer dad turns into a blubberin' mess." Both of his grandparents moved away from him with wide grins.

"We love you, son," his dad said, pulling Harry in for a hug as well.

"And we'll see you soon," Aurora finished, resting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

The smile that erupted from Harry's face was brighter than the sun. Now, this was a send-off.

"Perhaps staring at the ring even longer will cause it to change its colors and do all other sorts of fun tricks, too," drawled Salazar Slytherin from his portrait above the fireplace.

Severus frowned and glared at the portrait of the Slytherin founder. Stupid portrait.

Salazar only yawned, though, as if he hadn't noticed Severus's dark look. "Oh, by the way," the Slytherin founder announced with little to no care in the world, "your son is outside lurking about the corridor. Shall I allow him inside, or do I tell him you're waiting for the ring to change colors on its own?"

That got a response. Severus blinked instantly. Harry? He glanced at the clock and narrowed his eyes. What was Harry still doing up at this hour? The boy should have gone to bed hours ago.

"Yes." He moved to pocket the ring once more as the portrait swung open to allow Harry inside.

"Is that—"

"Yes," Severus interrupted with a frown. Of course the boy would notice the moment he entered the ring of all things. "But that's a discussion for another night." He stood and looked the young boy over. Harry didn't seem hurt, but that didn't mean he wasn't. As he continued visually examining his son, he found himself wondering if perhaps the Dementor that had attacked his son on the train earlier had done more damage than first thought. There was only so much chocolate could do after all.

"I couldn't sleep," Harry quietly admitted as the silence went on. He lowered his head instantly afterwards as if he was ashamed of something.

"Because of what occurred on the train earlier?"

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "Maybe." He kicked at the floor and sighed. "I heard someone scream, Dad. A woman, I think."

Severus's eyes narrowed on his son. He'd imagine quite a bit of people were screaming when they first saw the Dementor. But there had to be more than just that, so he waited for his son to continue.

"It wasn't Mum this time. Someone else."

"Did you recognize the voice?"

"No." Harry sighed loudly before he glanced up at his dad. "No one else heard it. Just me."

"I see."

"I'm not crazy, Dad," the third-year declared fiercely.

"I didn't say you were."

"Good." The young boy nodded once before he started to pick at his jeans. "Because I'm not."

"That's good to know." Severus gave his son a weak smile when the boy glared at him.

"That's not funny," Harry grumbled. His vivid green eyes then darted towards the far end of the hallway towards the master bedroom door. "Is Mum asleep?"

"She is." His eyes moved towards the door as well.

"Oh. She didn't, like, have any problems after I left, did she? I mean, she looked fine during the Sorting. A little reserved, but good."

Severus felt a little twinge of guilt rise up inside as he said, "No." He and Aurora had both noticed the pair of green eyes trained on them during the ceremony, as Harry watched their every move. He wasn't exactly lying to the boy. She had been fine during his time on the train to Hogsmeade, the ceremony . . . and most of the couple's private dinner, too. That was until Lupin showed up and ruined the moment, but Severus wasn't about to get into that fiasco with his son at this late of an hour.

"You think I can stay here tonight?" Harry asked quietly, biting his bottom lip nervously.

"Of course." He returned Harry's hug before the young boy then headed towards his room. As he followed after his son, he couldn't help but smile somewhat. They were home and safe. All three of them. Very hushed and under his breath, he whispered, "One day down, nine more months to go."

Since Harry had woken up late and as a result missed breakfast in the Great Hall, the young boy walked alone to his first class the next morning. Though, he wasn't complaining about that. Not at all. He actually was quite relieved he wouldn't be around everyone else and hear the teasing from the other students again. It was much, much quieter this way.

For a few minutes, however, it had been a little dicey since Harry didn't know where or what his classes were this year. Thankfully, he had his dad, though. A house elf later, and Harry was on his way. Up to the North tower that was.

He had never been to this side of the castle before strangely enough. His dad seemed to avoid it like the plague. As he continued up to where this entrance supposedly was for the Divination classroom, he found his mind wandering back to last night at the Welcoming Feast. He knew he was being overprotective, but he had just gotten a family. He didn't want to lose either of them. Ever. Was that so wrong? He didn't think so.

As the minutes stretched on, the young boy found himself wondering if he had made a wrong turn somewhere. He paused for half a moment and looked around. Except for a few birds perched on a broken windowsill, there was no one around.

He was certain the house elf had said turn right at the giraffe, which is what he did. So why wasn't he seeing any of his housemates or even the trapdoor? Frowning slightly, Harry pulled his cloak tighter around himself protectively. This area of the castle was downright spooky.

"I'm never going to find this stupid Divination classroom," he mumbled to himself, turning back to return the way he had come. However, he paused at a hinge squeaking open followed by a soft thump. Swallowing, he slowly turned around, finding a ladder that led up through an opened trapdoor. Where had that come from? He glanced around, his heart racing. He saw no one in any direction and heard nothing either. Biting his bottom lip, he drew in another shaky breath. It looked like the trapdoor his father had described, but his dad never said anything about a ladder. What if it was a trap? He dismissed it shortly afterwards. It couldn't be. This was Hogwarts after all—the safest place in all of England.

Climbing the ladder, Harry found himself entering the strangest classroom he'd ever seen. There were curtains and scarves everywhere, from the lamps to the walls to the ceiling. Was this Hogwarts' attic or had he actually made it to the Divination classroom, he found himself wondering. However, when he noticed his classmates all huddled around small cramped tables, he realized his answer.

"Sorry I'm late, Professor," he called out as he quickly took a seat next to Ron and Hermione.

"No worries, dear," smiled the middle-aged witch wearing obnoxiously thick glasses. "I knew you would be late, as my crystal ball had shown me it earlier."

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. The way his mum had always gone on about the professor, she had made the woman out to be some sort of fraud. But if Trelawney had predicted his being late when even Harry hadn't known it . . . maybe his mum was wrong.

The Divination professor smiled politely to the rest of the class. "I am Professor Trelawney," she announced, speaking very emphatically. "You may not have seen me before."

Harry had to think real long before he finally recalled an instance where he had seen her. And unfortunately he seemed to recall her being kooky as always even then. He then frowned. From what he had noticed, not a lot of the other staff members really paid much attention to her for some reason. Though, he figured her flair for the dramatics had something to do with that.

"I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner eye," Trelawney proclaimed, bumping into a nearby table.

"Or it's the stuff she's burning up here," Ron mumbled under his breath, causing Harry to snort.

"So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts."

Divination was harder than Potions? Than Astronomy? Harry groaned inwardly. He was going to be so screwed this year. He glanced towards Ron and glared at his friend. Why had he chosen his classes based on which ones Ron was taking anyway? That was so stupid in hindsight.

"I must warn you at the outset—"

"Excuse me, Professor," Hermione interrupted, holding her hand up. "I have a question."

Trelawney smiled thinly. "I thought you might, dear. What is it?"

"How can Divination be the most difficult of all magical arts?"

Harry heard the gasps all around and glanced at Hermione with his mouth hanging open slightly. That was new. She hardly ever interrupted professors during their introductions.

"Because books can only take you so far, I'm afraid," Trelawney replied before she turned back towards the rest of the class to continue her performance. "I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you."

Harry watched Hermione's hand shoot up and glanced at Ron who stared at her in disbelief. This clearly was not the Hermione Granger they had known all these years.

"But aren't you supposed to teach us anyway, Professor, instead of dismiss those who do not possess the Sight? That's what all the other professors do after all in their subjects when someone isn't good at a particular subject."

Harry glanced at Trelawney and caught his professor's nostrils flare slightly. Hermione was clearly getting under her skin.

"Aurora put you up to this, didn't she?" Trelawney stated, pointing at Hermione. "Or was it Minerva? Answer me, Miss Granger." Hermione didn't answer, though. "It's always the same. They always play these pranks as if they think I do not know it's them." She then shook her head. "Do you know why they asked you to test me, dear? It is because they are jealous."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but closed it once he felt Hermione's hard kick to his shin.

"They do not have the Gift of Sight as I do. It is a rare gift, after all." Trelawney raised her head proudly. "And as such, they are not able to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future. In fact, you may tell Aurora that because of her little stunt here today, I will not reveal my latest prophecy to her now."

Somehow, Harry didn't think his mum was going to be choked up over that at all.

"Tell Professor McGonagall that as well," Trelawney stated with a somber sigh. "Oh, it is just like those two to mess with my aura today." She shook her head. "They both think their subjects are so important, but, tell me, what is more important than knowing the future?" When no one answered, she smiled. "That's what I thought," Trelawney replied. "Now, at the beginning of this term, we will learn the basics of Divination, namely proper tea leaf reading." She then motioned to the teacups neatly placed in front of each student. "As you can see, I was aware of Miss Granger's interruption and have already filled your cups. So, please break into pairs and drink your cup until only the dregs remain."

Harry glanced at Hermione and noticed his friend's frown. She didn't seem to believe a word Professor Trelawney was saying, which Harry found odd. Usually professors were held in high esteem by Hermione and treated as such. But not Professor Trelawney. He watched his friend as he followed the Divination professor's instructions. He'd give Trelawney this at the very least. She made good tea.

"Here, Harry. I'll interpret yours," Hermione said a moment later, holding her hand out to him.

Almost immediately, Harry heard Ron start to choke on his tea.

"Uh, okay . . ." Harry hesitantly handed her his cup, catching a flash of something in Ron's eyes instantly. He was missing something, clearly.

"Let's see here." Hermione turned Harry's teacup once after following Trelawney's directions and nodded as she stared at the design left in his teacup. "Right." She then adopted her best knowledge-seeking voice as her eyes fell to her opened Unfogging the Future book. "Here we go." She turned back to Harry. "Holly, meaning something important will happen in the winter."

Harry's eyes glanced towards Trelawney the moment he heard her harsh cough next to him. She clearly did not agree with Hermione's conclusion.

"You'll have to forgive me for saying so, my dear," Trelawney tutted at Hermione, "but that's incorrect. Not that you can help being wrong, though. I perceive very little aura around you." She then scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Very little receptivity to the resonances of the future."

Harry didn't even need to look at Hermione to know Trelawney's words were like a slap to the face for his friend. He watched Hermione fly to her feet then before she stormed out of the classroom, her textbook left behind still opened. The young boy glanced at Ron.

"What'd I tell you? Bloody mental, she is," Ron muttered, turning back to look into his teacup.

Harry frowned, though, and glanced at his own cup. The dregs did sort of look like holly. He then glanced back at Hermione's opened book. There were so many strange things that had just happened he wasn't certain what to make of it. Since when did Hermione question professors openly to their faces? Or storm out and leave behind her books?

"Hey, Harry. Do you think this looks like a skull?" Ron asked, holding his cup out towards him.

Harry shrugged, not bothering to look at his friend's cup. Something wasn't right. Gathering his things soon after and picking up Hermione's book as well, Harry headed for the exit. He caught Trelawney's look of shock, but ignored it and left. He knew his dad was going to be upset with him later for doing this, but he couldn't just let Hermione leave without knowing what was wrong.

"Friar, have you seen Hermione?" Harry asked the moment he ran across the Hufflepuff ghost. The Friar gave a faint smile and pointed down the hallway. "Thanks." He then continued down the long corridor. Several minutes had passed before he finally saw her walking in front of him. "Hermione!"

She whirled around instantly and gasped. "Harry! What are you doing here?"

"You forgot your book," he said quietly, suddenly realizing that it sounded rather mad. He caught her a shy smile before she grabbed her book from him.

"Thank you." She added it to her bag. "You didn't have to leave class to give this to me, Harry."

"I know, but I thought, well." He dragged his foot against the floor. "I thought you'd like to talk or something." When she put a hand on his arm, he glanced back at her. "It's stupid. I know, but . . ."

"No. It's sweet." She gave a soft laugh. "You must think me mad just now for that."

"Not really. More confused than anything." He then stared at her. "Is everything all right?"

"It's fine. I just . . . books won't help? Divination is the most important subject? Really?" She shook her head. "Professors McGonagall and Sinistra had warned me about taking Divination, but I thought they were wrong. That Professor Trelawney actually did have the Sight, but you saw her. She's lucky she's able to speak or stand with the amount of liquor she's had. And Divination, it's nothing more than parlor tricks and guesses." Harry could hear the disappointment in his friend's voice. "I want to be challenged. Learn valuable skills. Not be like Ron and just skate by in life."

"Me too," Harry replied, laughing when he heard his answer. "Let's go talk to McGonagall and be challenged then." Hermione smiled widely at him before they headed off to find their Head of House.

"Harry?" Aurora called out from the sofa unexpectedly.

The young boy glanced towards her at once. "Yeah?"

"Have things gotten better with Ron lately?"

His eyes narrowed briefly in confusion before he set his quill down. Out of all the things for her to start a conversation with, that was not one he had been expecting.

"I don't know. I suppose a little." Harry shrugged, temporarily forgetting all about his essay. "He's more upset with Hermione now about her cat supposedly eating his rat."

"She has a cat now?"

Harry had heard the smile in his mum's voice before he saw it. He couldn't help but smile too. "Yeah. A Kneazle or something. I don't know. It looks like a small lion to me."

Aurora laughed quietly, the life slowly returning to her eyes once more.

"Kneazles are known to be fierce protectors of their owners. In fact, they're considered to be rather good guardians." She had paused for a moment before she continued. "Highly regarded in the Wizarding World like Crups are."

"Crups?"

She nodded slowly. "It looks like a small dog with a forked tail." She pulled her legs under her and made herself more comfortable. "Story goes some witch or wizard used magic on a barking neighbor's pregnant dog to quiet it, and when that dog later gave birth, all the pups had forked tails. Well, you know how Muggles are. The moment they saw the forked-tailed pups, they all became scared half to death, convinced the pups were vicious killers. So some witches and wizards decided to breed and train them to be ferocious around Muggles as a way of lending some truth to the Muggle stereotype. At least that's the story my father tells." She gave a small, sad smile. "You know it's funny. I always wanted a dog when I was a child."

"You did?" Harry hopped off his chair and headed towards her. "But didn't you grow up with horses and stuff?"

"I did, but you can't cuddle with a horse, Harry. At least not comfortably. And dogs are the perfect cuddler. They're so in tune with their owners that they can pick up just the slightest shift in mood and react to it. Unlike your father sometimes."

Harry laughed. He supposed he could understand the appeal.

"My cousin had a dog once," he revealed quietly, sitting down on the sofa across from her. "Aunt Marge gave it to him as a Christmas present."

"Oh?"

"I can't recall what the dog's name was, but it barked and barked and barked. Drove Aunt Petunia mad." He then frowned as he recalled a later memory. "Two days after Aunt Marge had given it to Dudley, though, it just vanished. I came out of my, uh," he paused with a nervous laugh, "room, and the dog was just gone. Dudley, of course, blamed me for it, claiming I had killed the dog somehow in the middle of the night. But I couldn't have. Not after being locked in my c—room." He had nearly slipped there and revealed that he had lived in a cupboard. Hesitantly, he glanced at her.

"Oh, love, I'm sorry." And he could tell that she genuinely was. "That's horrible."

Realizing then that she hadn't noticed his earlier near slip-up, Harry shrugged. Truthfully, he hadn't thought about that in years. "Knowing Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, though, I wouldn't have been surprised if they gave the dog back. Whenever they could blame me for something, they considered it to be a good day for them, you know?" His eyes fell to the floor as the familiar feeling seeped into his old wounds once more.

"Oh, sweet boy," she murmured, leaning forward towards him before she gently squeezed his forearm. "They were idiots, Harry, idiots and cowards and a load more adjectives than I can describe currently." She scoffed, shaking her head in disgust. "They were too stupid to see what an amazing young man you are. Well, to hell with them, I say," she proclaimed, waving her hand emphatically. "Their loss is your father's and my gain. And, I assure you, my sweet boy, we will always cherish you. No matter what. Do you know why?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak and found that he had to swallow past the lump in his throat first. "Because you love me," he replied shakily, feeling the immense emotions swirl inside him.

She returned a soft smile, her eyes alight with love. "You're damn right we do."

Without thinking and acting purely on instinct, the young man wrapped his arms around her as if he was drowning and she was his life preserver. He never wanted to feel alone again. Never wanted to feel that darkness that had been his only friend for so long.

"Easy, love," she whispered, carding her fingers lovingly through his hair. "I'm not quite ready for such strong hugs yet."

Horrified by his actions, the young man pulled back from her. What had he done? How could he forget that she was still healing? "Did I hurt you? Are you okay?" With each second that passed with her not answering, his fears grew. Glancing towards the fireplace, he quickly made the motion towards it. "I'll get Madam—"

"No!"

The raw emotion in her voice snapped him back into place instantly. Not out of fear. He knew she wouldn't ever willingly hurt him. But he knew from firsthand experience not to push someone when he or she sounded like a wounded animal.

"No, Harry. It's not necessary." She spoke much softer now, gentler than just a few second earlier. "I'm all right." The intensity she had spoken with just that one word was gone. "Truly, I am. So, there's no need to involve her and her needless flair for the dramatics."

He nodded slowly, unable to think of anything to respond. After all, it wasn't like he could necessarily argue with her. Or . . . maybe he could? Silence settled around them. Inside Harry, a war slowly brewed. All of the possible scenarios their conversations could go in flashed before his eyes as he waited for her to make the next move. But she said nothing, so there they sat. Dreadful silence.

Glancing up at the empty portrait of the Slytherin founder, Harry found his mind wandering to where Salazar had gone this time. Had Salazar known this would happen and left beforehand? It was possible. Judging by how Harry's father was, Slytherins had a tendency to think four moves ahead of others. The young man's mind then wandered even more.

So many secrets were in these walls. Secrets and lies. He used to think that only the Dursley residence had so many of both, but the castle surpassed everything he could ever dream of. The whole Wizarding world itself was based on a lie.

"Harry?"

He blinked at the sound of his name.

Born from a lie that had passed effortlessly through the good Lily Evans' scarlet lips. Kept a secret from all that could help him heal from the terrible loss of losing one's parents. Son of a master of deception, he was. So, was it any wonder then why his only friend was the darkness, having been cloaked in it his entire life?

"I never had a chance," he murmured aloud.

"What?"

His eyes moved to Aurora. "I never had a chance, Mum. But you do." He could tell she was confused and continued. "I can reveal all of my secrets to you and Dad, but it won't do any good. We both know that."

"Harry, what are you talking about?"

"I can't get rid of the darkness in me."

"Love, there's no darkness in you," she argued.

The young man held up a hand, though. "There is. I was born from a lie. We know this. And after Lily's death, another lie was told. And another and another. My whole life has been nothing but lies after lies. But not yours. You can let go of the darkness, Mum. You can fight it."

"Harry . . ."

But he cut in. "Your mother saved you with that serum. Not because she knew you would be something special in this world, a savior like me, but because she loved you and didn't want to lose you. My mother didn't do that with me; she saved me because she knew I'd be special for some reason. Look where that got us. Ten years without a loving family. Without you and Dad."

"And how does that make you feel?" unexpectedly joined in another voice, deeper and clearly masculine.

"Angry," Harry declared. "Angry and sad. I could have had a family that loved me for years instead of living with the Dursleys who treated me as if I was nothing but a house elf. I deserved more than that. You've shown me that, Mum. Shown me that I matter. That I'm loved. So this is me showing you that you're loved. That you matter."

"But I know all that, love. I know that you and Severus care for me."

"Not care—love—we love you." Harry shook his head then. She didn't get it. Then again, how could she, though? "Last year nearly killed us," the young lion revealed. "It forced us to confront all our fears head on. For me, that was the fear of losing someone who actually considered me her child and asked nothing in return. Dad—well, I think that was losing another woman he loved before he could experience true happiness. I get that you're healing. I do. But, Mum, you can't just lock everything up inside. Trust me. Dad and I tried that when you were gone. It wasn't pretty."

"Now, this is an excellent session. Wouldn't you agree, Severus?" burst in a voice that Harry quickly recognized as belonging to Karl McCoy, Aurora's healer. "It'd certainly make things easier."

"Glad to help," Aurora huffed, rolling her eyes at her healer before she turned back to Harry. Her eyes very briefly fell on Severus, who stood in front of the now closed door. "There are things at play here that you don't understand, Harry."

The young man couldn't explain it, but that little sentence ruffled his feathers instantly. "What's to understand? Your mum injected herself with a dangerous drug to save her unborn daughter's life. It worked brilliantly. So brilliantly, in fact, that it drew the attention of bad guys who were wanting to change it so they could hurt more people. So, when the truth came out, you were taken and . . . you know, bad stuff happened to you."

"Sweetheart," Aurora replied with a sigh.

"None of that matters, Mum. None of it. Because the only thing that matters to me is that you're alive and here with us. And you are. So all that stuff inside that's making you sad and worried, let it go. It's not helping you anyway. It's only holding you back. Let it go, and see the good that's around us. Once you see the good, it won't look so dark anymore. I promise."

"I wish I could share your optimism, but it won't help. It can't."

"Why not?" Harry challenged, refusing to believe her words. "If I can change my thinking and focus more on what I want than what others expect of me, then you can let go and move on."

"It won't work."

"Try."

"Harry . . ."

"Try!"

"I have!" Aurora snapped back. "I have been trying, Harry, but it's not as simple as you changing courses. We're talking about stains, deep dark stains to one's soul."

He blinked in pure confusion. What was she talking about?

"They don't just come off because you confess your sins to the world. And making excuses, well, that doesn't work either. It takes time. And I'm trying. Dear Circe, I'm trying. I know how badly you want it to be like before. I want that just as badly as you. But we can't go back to the way it was before because we've changed. I've changed." Her eyes darted back towards Severus. "I'm not the witch you thought you knew. Not anymore. He took that from me. He . . . I committed terrible deeds—I fought as hard as I could, Severus, but . . . it wasn't enough. I wasn't strong enough."

"Aurora . . ."

"No, let her continue," Healer McCoy murmured, waving Severus off.

Harry glanced with apparent confusion at the two wizards.

"He knew about the serum from Leonidas. At first, he wanted it for himself. To make himself stronger and more powerful than before. He thought it'd break Lily's sacrifice so he could hurt Harry. But as Leonidas slowly dawned on my mother's actions, he realized how he could hurt both of you. His traitor and his only survivor. As soon as he had gained enough power, he tried. Circe he tried to break me, but he failed. He neglected to see the flaw in my mother's serum. All because he was missing one final piece." Her eyes then darted to Harry before she glanced away again.

Harry felt a chill run down his spine when their eyes met. Her eyes were dull once more as if all the life in her had been ripped out.

"Harry knew that final piece he was missing. He's been dreaming it for months."

And just like that, the young man realized what she was talking about.

"Your necklace."

"She had infused her magic in it to protect me all these years from the darkness, but I broke it when I saved Harry. Do you understand now? Her serum that once saved me is now killing me. All he did was speed up the process. Let the darkness seep further into me. It's why he sits in his cell waiting. Because he's won, and he knows it."

"How do you know this, Aurora?" Severus asked quietly, his eyes narrowing on her.

Harry leaned closer to hear her answer. Everything he knew was wrong. Again.

"Because he showed me. Once he recognized the Horcrux that had been in Harry was in me, he knew. He knew he had a way in and used it like the good Slytherin he is. He showed me everything. All the murders he had committed. All the blood he had spilled. It was as if he was bragging. When you entered the chamber I was being held in, he revealed the rest of his darkness. How he'd toy with you to make you suffer. He was pleased when you showed him mercy. It was the last thing I felt from him." Her eyes closed momentarily. "My mind is broken. Shattered little pieces of reflections of my soul are all that are left. I see his memories, and then I see yours, Severus. I can't . . . it's too much." Her body then slumped to the side, causing Severus to hold her upright in his arms.

"Congratulations, Mr. Potter," remarked Healer McCoy. "You forced her into letting go finally." He had smirked before he motioned towards the fireplace. "Let's get her to Poppy, though. She'll need her strength in the coming days."

Harry couldn't help it. He was nervous. More nervous, in fact, than he ever was in his first Quidditch match. Biting his bottom lip, he glanced down at yet another incomplete essay in his hands. It was beginning to become an awful habit for him.

"Your essay, Mr. Potter?" a kind voice spoke above him.

Sighing quietly, Harry reluctantly handed the parchment to the man. "I'm sorry, Professor," he mumbled before looking down at his desk. His father was not going to be pleased. He could feel the professor's eyes linger on him for a moment or two before the man moved on to the next student.

It wasn't long after that class was dismissed. Harry was one of the first ones to stand and turn to leave. However, a voice to his left quickly stopped him.

"Must be nice to be the greasy bat's son and get away with murder." Ron.

Harry's fist clenched at his sides. Of course that prat would start this up again.

"But, then again, I forgot you're too good for the rest of us anymore."

"Ronald!" sharply hissed Hermione, strangely sounding very much like Ron's mother.

"Oh, come off it," Ron scoffed. "Come to think of it. You're no better than he is either."

Instinctively, Harry took a threatening step towards his ex-best friend with every intention to knock the git flat on his backside.

"Is there a problem here, gentleman?" cut in their professor suddenly, his knowing green eyes darting between the both of them. He forced his smile when neither answered. "Excellent. Then you best be on your way, hmm?"

"Yes, Professor." The boys dutifully turned to leave in opposite directions.

"Mr. Potter, a moment, please?" spoke up the professor once more.

Harry caught the pained look Hermione had given him before she continued on to her next class. His head hung as he heard the shuffling of feet from the others as they left him alone with the professor.

"Professor Lupin, I—" Harry's mouth closed the moment he saw the man's raised hand. His professor was right. Apologies wouldn't do any good here.

"I take it the reason you didn't complete your essay is that you've been spending all your time in the hospital wing, yes?"

Harry nodded and glanced at the floor again.

"Aurora is lucky to have you care so deeply for her."

A tiny smile graced the young man's lips at his professor's words.

"However," Lupin continued, "I'm certain she would not be pleased to see your grades suffering because of her either."

The smile fell once more. "Yes, sir."

"Nor would your father for that matter."

Harry winced inwardly and said nothing.

"If I were to ask your other teachers about your latest schoolwork, would they tell me you haven't been completing their work either?"

Forcing his eyes to meet his professor's, Harry replied quietly, "All but my father, yes."

"I see."

The young man swallowed the lump that had grown in his throat.

"Perhaps I should speak to your father—"

"NO!" Harry cried out, latching onto Lupin's forearms. "Please, please, Professor, I'll do better. I promise. Please. Don't tell him. I'll do better. I will."

Lupin's eyes narrowed on him even more before he finally inclined his head. "As you wish."

Harry sighed in relief.

"But you must answer something for me first."

"What?" Harry blinked at the older man.

"Answer a question, and I will not speak with your father about this. Do we have a deal?"

Staring at the older man, Harry tried to think of all the possible questions and consequences it could have for him. If Lupin asked about the Dursleys—but how would the professor know about them anyway—so that was likely not going to be asked. Maybe he'd ask about how it was possible that he wasn't James Potter's son—but why would Lupin care about that?

"I promise it's not a difficult question to answer, Harry," Lupin replied with a thin smile.

"All right," Harry replied as he stuffed his hand into his pocket, his fingers curling around his wand. If this were a trick, he'd be ready for it.

"Are you happy?"

"Am I happy?" Harry repeated, feeling very confused by the question.

"Yes. Are you happy living with your father?"

And just like that, the lightbulb switched on. No matter what his father did to rid himself of his past, there would always be people like Lupin and Ron out there bringing it right back up.

"Why? Because he's the greasy bat of the dungeons?" Harry snapped back, his temper flaring. "I'm sick and tired of people like you and Ron calling him that. He's ten times the man you'll ever be, Professor. More than that, in fact." He shook his head in disgust. Why couldn't they all get it through their thick skulls that things were not always what they appeared to be? "You know nothing about him, so how dare you—"

"Severus, what a surprise," Lupin interrupted with an amused smile on his lips.

Harry's mouth snapped shut before his eyes darted to the doorway. There was his father holding a smoking goblet.

"Why are you not in class?" his father asked, ignoring Lupin for the moment.

"I'm afraid that's my doing. I asked Harry to remain behind so that I could speak with him privately about his essay."

"Oh?" His father's eyes narrowed even more on Harry.

Unable to endure his father's scrutiny any longer, the truth burst from the young man's lips.

"I didn't finish it. I didn't finish any of my essays last night. I-I'm sorry, Dad. I-I know. I know that doesn't help. I should have finished them. I should've done better. I'm sorry." He felt the pit grow in his stomach once more. This was it. His father would leave him. He had broken the rules. He would be given back to the Dursleys now. He had ruined everything. Again.

"Breathe, brat," his father grumbled next to him as strong arms quickly wrapped around the panicking child. "You've ruined nothing."

"But I-I-I have," Harry spit out through shaky breaths. "One thing you asked of—of me, and I didn't do it. I'm sorry."

"Enough," his dad cut in, grabbing Harry's face with his hand and forcing him to look up. "You are my son, Harry. While I'm extremely disappointed with your actions, that hardly warrants you being returned to those idiots. Do you understand me, child?"

The words 'You are my son' echoed in Harry's mind, though. His son. He was Severus Snape's son. Who would have thought that'd be something he'd be so happy to hear? That he had a father? One who loved him beyond all measures. Loved.

"Do you understand me, Harry?"

The young boy blinked once as he slowly regained control of himself again. "Yes."

"Good." His father then released him and stood straight again. "I would appreciate it, Lupin, if you would take your potion without me having to remind you all the time."

"Of course. My apologies," replied the professor quietly before he downed the last little bit of his smoking potion. "You have enough to worry about without me adding to it."

"Indeed." Severus then grabbed the empty goblet from Lupin.

"How is Aurora today anyway?" Lupin asked cheerfully. "I thought about visiting her later."

With no warning whatsoever, Harry found himself watching his father slam Lupin back against the wall with his wand pressed deep into the other man's neck.

"Stay away from her, Lupin," his father snarled with bared teeth. "I will not warn you again. Or do you want more reminders of what happens when you cross me?"

Harry watched the blood vanish from his professor's face instantly. They clearly had more history than either of them had ever admitted. The young man made a note to ask his mum later. She'd know what that was all about. He'd just leave out the fact his dad had threatened Lupin over her.

"Go to class," his father ordered, leaving no room for argument. Harry did as he was told.

She hated the hospital wing. Absolutely hated it. She hated the stone walls. Even though, the walls were the same as the ones throughout the entire castle, including Severus's rooms. She hated the gorgeous windows on either side of the room that always gave off the appearance the hospital wing was a good, cheery place. She hated all of it. In her mind, it was worse than Azkaban.

"Scowling at the walls won't make time go any faster for you, dear," Madam Pomfrey cheerfully chided from across the room with her back to Aurora. The matron was tending to a first-year, it seemed, who had broken her arm. "So, do us a favor and rest."

Aurora's scowl deepened. As if she was ever going to comply with that request. She was not some second year convinced the matron would spell her asleep if she didn't do as she was told.

Pomfrey sighed in return. "Why must you always be so difficult, Aurora?" She shook her head as she continued healing the injured first year.

"Because I'm a Slytherin, Madam, and we live to annoy the hell out of people like you."

"Oh, Merlin above," the matron groaned with another shake of her head. Before either witch could say another word, though, the door to the hospital wing swung open. "Wonderful. Perhaps you can talk some sense into her today, Mister Potter."

The young Gryffindor gave a soft laugh as he quickly walked across the room towards Aurora's bedside with a new bunch of flowers in his hands.

"Fat chance of that, seeing as how he's more likely here to help break me out from this horrid place," Aurora replied half-jokingly.

"Shh, Mum," Harry playfully said. "You're not supposed to give away our plans."

"Oh, why do I even bother?" Pomfrey huffed, throwing her hands up in the air. "You're free to go, Miss Nottingham."

Aurora watched the young first year happily run off a moment later. Lucky girl. She turned back to Harry then.

"You're early today." By quite some hours actually, if she recalled correctly. But then again, the passage of time whenever one was in the hospital wing was always so screwed up.

Harry shrugged in response, turning from her slightly to add the fresh flowers he had with him to her vase. "Professor Sprout cancelled class today."

Aurora's eyes narrowed instantly. Pomona cancelling class? It wasn't necessarily unheard of, but it was a very rare occurrence.

"So, I thought I'd come early today," Harry explained with another shrug before he hesitantly met her eyes.

There was so much of Severus in the boy's eyes. Everyone else saw Lily, but not Aurora. She could see the hidden hurt and pain both Severus and Harry hid from the rest of the world. It was there if only people opened up their damn eyes and saw it.

Pushing herself up somewhat to sit up further against her pillows, she sighed softly before she crossed her arms once more. "Ron's being a prat again, isn't he?" She didn't need Harry to answer to know that she was right. Harry loved more fiercely than Severus did, it seemed. "Well, screw him then, I say. You don't need his kind of negativity in your life." The moment the words left her mouth she saw the intense look of pain flash behind the boy's eyes again. "I know, love. He was your first friend here, your best friend, but best friends don't hurt each other like that."

"He doesn't mean it, though," Harry argued weakly as if deep down he knew she was right.

"Words said out of anger is one thing, but it seems to me that Ron's doing all this now to deliberately provoke you, to hurt you, Harry."

"But Dad called Lily a—"

Aurora's hand shot up instantly to cut him off. "You're referring to one moment said out of extreme emotional distress, Harry. One moment that your father deeply regrets. Do you honestly believe Ron regrets anything he's done to you so far? Based on his actions towards you lately?"

She could see the young boy trying to convince himself that she was wrong but couldn't do it. Eventually, he sighed, his head hanging sadly.

"He's a prat," Harry mumbled.

"You won't get any arguments from me, love."

He glanced at her with a frown. "Then I should knock him flat on his arse?"

"Well, not exactly like that, as I can't condone violence being a professor here, but defend yourself, certainly, Harry." And if he did manage to knock the redhead on his backside, she'd admit that she and Severus would likely reward the boy later behind closed doors. Not that Ron was a bad kid necessarily, just . . . he was hurting their boy, dammit.

"Thanks, Mum."

She nodded slightly before she gave Harry a quick look over. There was something besides Ron that was bothering him. He seemed almost nervous, as if there was something he wanted to ask but couldn't for some reason. After the silence droned on for a few more minutes, she finally gave up.

"All right, love. Go ahead and ask your question." She caught Harry's arm jerk minutely as he seemed genuinely surprised. "Sorry, love, but you haven't managed to mask your emotions quite as well as your father has. Now, ask away."

Harry sighed heavily before he sat in the chair across from her.

"Sweetheart, what is it?"

"Do you know why Dad doesn't like Professor Lupin?"

"Remus?" she repeated, blinking.

"Yeah, I guess that's his name." Harry shrugged, clearly not having cared that much about the man. "I mean, is it because of the whole 'He's the new Defense professor' thing?"

Aurora had snorted before she caught Harry's eyes narrowing on her. "I'm sorry, love. That just makes your father sound jealous." Jealous of Remus Lupin of all things . . .

"Well, if it's not that, then what is it?"

She shrugged, thinking of the most diplomatic way of putting it. "You remember your father telling you that he and James never got along?"

"Yeah, because Lily."

"Well, James was friends with Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and—um—I don't remember what the other boy's name was actually." In fact, she couldn't even remember what that boy looked like. "Either way, James and Sirius were practically inseparable. Remus, however, was what I consider to be their conscience sometimes. He'd get them to stop when he'd think they went too far."

"So, what, he wouldn't stop them when they were attacking Dad?"

Aurora winced slightly. "I wouldn't say that. Remus tried. He just didn't do as much as he should have because they were his friends."

"Then, Dad hates him because he reminds him of all the times James used to attack him?"

A memory that she knew wasn't hers then flashed behind her eyes of a darkened room with terrible noises filling the air around her in the corridor. She moaned softly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She could feel the waves of fear flood her body. Severus had been scared for some reason. However, just as she was about to see into the room and see what was making such a terrible noise, something yanked her back to the real world.

"Mum? Are you all right?"

Harry was staring at her strangely. She forced a faint smile to her lips, though.

"I'm fine. Just tired. That's all," she replied, hoping he'd believe her. There were so many memories now in her mind that weren't her own. It was confusing to say the least.

"I should let you rest. I'm sorry."

"No, love. It's all right." She gently rested a hand against his forearm and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm glad you came." She waited patiently for him to accept her words before she removed her hand. She wanted nothing more than to hold her poor boy and take away all of his pain and hurt he had over the years. But she knew she couldn't fix the deep wounds left behind. She barely could fix her own.

He nodded somewhat a moment later before he gave her a brief hug.

"I love you, Mum."

Aurora closed her eyes at the twinge of guilt deep inside those words invoked in her.

"I love you, Harry," she murmured before she pulled back. "Now, go. Before Poppy decides to imprison you in here with me." She smiled when she heard his quiet laugh prior to his leaving.

Every night had been the same since she ended up in the hospital wing. Harry would visit followed by Severus. She knew the pattern wouldn't deviate. Not after a week of it. However, she'd admit that throughout the last hour of visiting hours, she was starting to get a little worried that Severus wouldn't show up at all tonight.

"All right, dear. You know the rules," Pomfrey drawled as she stood at the foot of Aurora's cot.

Rules. As if Aurora was a first-year and needed someone to babysit her all the time.

"Professor, I am not above using my wand on you," Pomfrey warned when Aurora kept staring at the doors expectantly.

Where was he tonight? Severus had never missed seeing her.

"Miss Sinistra, do not make me repeat myself again. Go to sleep. Now."

Aurora's dark eyes darted towards the waiting matron. Days like this made her question why she had chosen to be a light witch.

"You can glare at me all you want, dear. You still won't see him. Not tonight at least."

"Why?" She knew she was being a petulant child for asking such a thing, but, damn it, where was he tonight?

"Visiting hours are over, and he knows this. So, rest. Time will go so much faster for you if you do." Pomfrey tapped her wand once against her hand in a semi-threating manner when Aurora started to refuse to comply.

Grudgingly, Aurora huffed before she flopped back down onto her cot. If only she had her magic back, then Pomfrey wouldn't be so bold with her. Or rather she likely would.

"Good night, Aurora."

With a flick of Pomfrey's wrist, the flames in the various lit candles around the room went out and plunged the room into the sudden black. A moment later, Pomfrey walked away to her office, the tip of her wand still lit. Aurora sighed silently and stared into the darkness. He hadn't come.

Closing her eyes, she ceased fighting and surrendered.

Several hours had passed before she felt the familiar presence nearby. He was out there in the darkness somewhere. She inhaled deeply, the rich earthly scent filling her nostrils. She couldn't keep the grin from crossing her lips.

"I apologize for my tardiness," Severus whispered as he stepped out of the shadows and into a little sliver of moonlight.

Forcing her grin back, she crossed her arms. "You better have a damn good excuse." She caught his usual hesitation instantly and felt a twinge of regret at her words. "Well?"

"It took longer to find a broom than I had anticipated," he replied awkwardly, holding onto the long broom with one hand. He seemed so nervous as he stood there waiting.

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" She needed to hear him say it aloud because it was utterly ridiculous to even believe that he would even suggest it. Him, Mister Rules himself, breaking them for her.

"I thought you would enjoy a walk in Hogsmeade, enjoy a Butterbeer perhaps?"

Letting go of the charade, she slowly tossed off the covers and moved to stand in front of him. She could feel his nervous energy electrify the air around them.

"What about the Dementors?"

With no hesitation and a sudden strength in his words, he simply replied, "I will protect you."

And she knew deep in her heart that he would die trying to if it came to it.

"Pomfrey would know."

His eyes narrowed on her for a second before he stood a bit straighter. "In the words of a certain brat we both know, 'So what?"

The laugh burst from her instantly.

He held his free hand out to her then. "Will you accompany me to Hogsmeade to partake in the sickening ritual of drinks and a leisurely stroll under your godforsaken stars? Or are you too scared of Madam Pomfrey?"

"Who are you and what have you done with Professor Snape?"

The corner of his lip twitched ever so slightly. "Call me Severus, please. Now, woman, will you accompany me or not?"

"I will," she answered, closing her hand around his hand a moment later.

"Excellent." He then turned away from her and pulled his hand back.

"How are we going to get out of here, though?" With a soft click from a nearby window, she realized his plans. "Of course, what better way to start a date but to jump out of a window?"

He gave a soft snort with his back still turned from her. "One would think you don't trust me."

"You, I trust. That broom, not so much." Or brooms in general really.

He finally turned back to her, his eyes glittering slightly. In one swift motion, he swept her into his arms, mounting the broom with her. "You should really work on those trust issues, Sinistra," he drawled before they zoomed off into the night.

Neither one of them noticed the two healers who had been looking on in silence from across the room partially obscured by a half-closed curtain, and neither one of them heard the soft, "Good to know he really does listen in our sessions" followed by Pomfrey's "Oh, shut it, McCoy."

After enjoying a quick meal at the Three Broomsticks and the horrid (or rather horrid in Severus's mind) leisurely stroll through Hogsmeade, they snuck back into the hospital wing in the early morning hours. While it was debatable if it was quietly, they did manage to do it without Madam Pomfrey gracing them with her presence.

"Sleep well, Aurora," Severus murmured softly before he kissed her goodnight.

When he moved to pull back, she grabbed his arm. "Stay. Please?"

"I can't."

"Are we really that scared of Pomfrey?"

He gave a soft laugh and shook his head. "It's not her that I'm concerned about, Aurora."

Her eyes narrowed. If it wasn't Pomfrey, then whom? A face then flashed in her mind, giving her the answer. "Minerva? You're afraid of her?" She then caught his pained look and felt her smile dim. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean . . ."

"It's fine," he replied instantly, his eyes meeting hers.

"No. It's really not. You're used to all this privacy, and now I . . . I'm sorry. I'm trying to control—" His hand gently laid atop of hers.

"You do not need to control anything. I knew this would occur when I finished the link. I chose this, Aurora."

"No one would choose this, Severus. To share such intimate details—"

"Isn't that what love is?" he asked suddenly. "To share feelings, memories with no one but the person you truly care for, you trust with your life, your heart?" He waited for her to say something but she didn't. "I trust you with my secrets, Aurora, with my heart—what little of it there is."

"You don't understand. If you knew . . . I . . ."

"When you are ready, you will tell me," he stated firmly.

"But it'll be too late by then, Severus." She felt his confusion followed by intrigue. She needed to tell him. Before it was too late. Before he gave too much of himself to her.

"Why?"

"Because if I wait any longer, I'll hurt you worse than Lily ever had."

His eyes narrowed slightly on her. "Did you sleep with James Potter as well?"

"No. Circe no!"

"Did you use my feelings to create a child you believed would be special?"

"No."

"Did you turn back on me when I needed you the most? Did you give up on me, Aurora?" He sighed quietly when she didn't answer. "You didn't ever give up on me, and we both know this. So, whatever it is that you believe will hurt me will not hurt me as much as you think."

"Sirius . . ." she said shakily, feeling the guilt tighten inside her.

"What about Black?"

He needed to know. She knew it. She should've told him long ago.

"Did you share a bed with him?"

She could hear the disgust in his voice.

"No," she mouthed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders but she knew it wasn't her relief she was feeling.

"Did you love him?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then what? What is so horrible that you think I would stop loving you because of?"

She stared at him through tears. He needed to know. He shared his darkness with her. She might as well share her own in return. And yet fear kept her in a vice of inaction.

"Aurora, answer me. What happened with Black?"

Her lips moved by no words were heard. He'd leave. It was a betrayal. Just as Lily had. Worse. James at least had grown up somewhat. But not Sirius.

"Aurora."

"She can't answer you, Severus," a third voice spoke before it was clear who it belonged to.

"Lupin," he snarled, his hand wrapping dangerously around his wand.

"No. No it's not yours to tell, Remus," Aurora snapped as she regained a little emotional control.

"It's not. You're right, but you haven't told him yet. He needs to know."

Severus had glanced between them both before his eyes fell on her once more. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Sirius—there's no reason for him to come after Harry, Severus."

"Because Lily changed godparents, I'm aware."

"He's not coming for Harry, Snape. If he comes here at all, it will be for Aurora."

"What?" He looked as if he had just swallowed a lemon drop. "Why on earth would Black be after Aurora?"

"Because he thinks I know what happened to Regulus."

"His brother?" Severus frowned.

"You remember that Aurora and Regulus were in the same year, correct?"

"Yes, Lupin. I'm not an idiot," he drawled with a scoff of disgust. "But why would he think you know what happened to Regulus? You weren't a Death Eater."

"No, but I was the last person to see Regulus before he disappeared."

"I see." Severus's frown deepened. "And why would this affect us?"

"Sirius will not stop until he finds out what happened to his brother. He believes that Aurora has those answers, Severus. There's no telling—"

"I would like to hear it from Aurora, Lupin," he growled, glaring at the other man.

"He's been in Azkaban for twelve years. With the others close by filling his head with lies. Lies the Dark Lord had them tell," she spoke softly. "I . . . last year I . . . he showed me what the others had told Sirius. But . . . he had misunderstood something that Leonidas had seen in my records."

"Severus, you have to understand—"

"Lupin, if you speak one more time without me speaking to you, I will rip out your vocal chords," Snape snarled, his eyes holding Aurora's. "What did he misunderstand?"

"He believes I was pregnant with Reg's child." She closed her eyes. "It hadn't clicked that night when he was there at St. Mungo's. Not until all the pieces fit." She sighed. "I had told Reg that I was pregnant that night he disappeared. Not because it was his, mind you, but because I didn't want to be alone and he was my friend. He knew—that is—how I came to be in, um, that way. He was angry, and he told me that he'd fix it so I wouldn't ever have to worry again. I didn't know what he was going to do. And he left."

"Black thinks you were pregnant with his brother's child, and that you had something to do with his disappearance?"

"Yes."

"You're ridiculous, Sinistra."

"Severus," Remus exclaimed.

He glared at the other man for half a moment before he turned his attention back onto Aurora. "You did not tell him that you were pregnant with his brother's child, nor did you have anything to do with Regulus's disappearance. The fact that Black believes any of this further proves what I've been saying all along about him and Potter."

"You don't understand."

"I understand a great deal more than you think I do," he replied bitterly. "If Black thinks that he can waltz in here and try to take you from me, then he is sorely mistaken."

"He doesn't want to hurt her, Severus."

Aurora felt the intense surge of anger flood her instantly. The moment Severus moved closer to Lupin, she placed a hand on his chest to stop him. So much anger and hatred were inside him, and all of it was directed onto Remus. It was suffocating.

"Enough," she said, forcing the air into her lungs. The air was stifling, though. No matter how hard she was trying to breathe, the air just refused to come. "Enou—" Her eyes closed, and she felt the surge of raw power return.

'Punish him,' a voice in her mind hissed. 'Show the wizard your strength. Make him never question you again.'

"Stop," she begged softly. The voice was getting stronger again. She had thought for certain that she had finally defeated it. She hadn't heard it since the day she had wound back in the hospital wing.

'Embrace your gifts. Do not allow them to hold you back any longer. Show them the true meaning of power.'

"Stop it. Please . . ."

'Surrender as you did before. Embrace who you are. You have fought so long. Let go.'

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head!" A scream then tore from her lips.

'Not even your wizard can save you from the gift your mother left for you. For our blood is one, my sweet Azrial. You will see.'

She grabbed Severus's arms, her terror-filled eyes meeting his.

"What did she do to me?"

"You can't honestly be considering this, Severus," Lupin repeated for what seemed to be the hundredth time as they continued to walk towards the front gates of Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry," he replied mockingly as he turned towards the other man, refusing to stop. "When exactly did we become such close friends that you can speak to me as such?" When Lupin said nothing, Severus scoffed. "That's right. We're not. Nor will we ever be friends."

"If you do this—"

Severus's eyes flashed dangerously, stopping in mid-step to glare. "Is that a threat?"

"No, but you need to think rationally—"

"I am thinking rationally, Lupin," he replied through grit teeth before he continued walking.

"Going to see—"

A harsh crack, however, stopped the words on Lupin's lips. Severus had Disapparated as soon as he had reached the other side of the gates, ending all conversation between the two instantly.

Meanwhile, Harry sat in the chair next to Aurora's bedside once more. He should've been in bed, but he just couldn't with her lying here like this again. He would not lose her again. So, with his dad away, Harry decided to keep watch and protect her.

"It's not fair," the young man mumbled as he leaned forward to hold her hand. "You don't deserve this, Mum. Any of it. You've loved me more than Lily ever did, and now that we've gotten closer—it's not fair."

At the sound of a nearby door opening, Harry glanced towards it and saw Healer McCoy walk into the hospital wing. For half a second, the young man contemplated returning to the Gryffindor common room, but ultimately decided against it. So what if McCoy told his dad? Someone needed to stand guard over her.

"Good evening, Mister Potter," the healer said softly as he approached.

Harry nodded at him before he turned back to his mum.

"Your father's not here tonight?"

Shrugging, Harry shook his head. "He's probably brewing or something."

"Ah." McCoy then glanced at Aurora. "Has she regained consciousness?"

"No. Pomfrey said it might be a bit, though." Harry frowned as he thought for a moment. Shouldn't McCoy have known that? He looked back at the healer.

"All right, lad. You caught me," McCoy said with a quiet laugh. "I'm checking up on you."

"On me? Why? I'm fine."

"Oh?" McCoy crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Then you're not worried about her?"

"Well, yeah, but . . ." His voice trailed off. Wasn't it normal to be worried in these situations?

"But?"

"You're my mum's healer."

"Primarily, yes, but you and Severus are in my care as well, Harry."

"We are?" Harry's eyes narrowed. "Why? We're fine. I mean, we're worried, sure, but that's normal. We nearly lost her last year."

"Exactly. You nearly lost her, a woman whom—and forgive me for making assumptions here—you consider your mother. Severus nearly lost another woman he cared for to the same man he lost his first to. Forgive me, but that does usually bring about some emotional trauma that one should deal with."

"We are, though," Harry argued. "We talk about things."

"You discuss then how afraid you were to lose her. That you feel now as if you can't let her out of your sight for even a moment, lest someone takes her from you both again?"

"Well, no."

"You've spoken with your father about how you've discovered that you can't concentrate on your schoolwork recently?"

Harry shrugged slightly. "Sort of. I mean, I told him that I didn't finish some essays."

McCoy nodded in return. "And how did your father take that news?"

"He was disappointed, I guess."

"That's it? Just disappointed?"

"Yeah." Harr was starting to get tired of the man's questions.

"And that didn't seem at all odd to you? Your father's behavior, I mean?"

"Well, I was sort of having a panic attack, sir, so it's not like I really stopped to think about it," Harry snottily revealed.

"I see." McCoy paused and stroked his chin for a moment. "Do you typically have a panic attack after your father expresses any sort of disappointment in you?"

Harry pulled back his hand that had been holding his mum's instantly and pointed a finger at the healer. "Wait. That's not—You're twisting my words. That's not what I said."

"Perhaps not with words, but I assure you that you're saying it, young man."

"What does that matter anyway?"

"It matters because it shows that we have bigger issues than just Aurora we need to discuss." McCoy then sighed quietly. "Frankly, it's my fault. I've let all three of you get off easy in our sessions. There's a plethora of issues to discuss, and yet you three always manage to avoid all of them. Though, I should have anticipated that in hindsight."

"Mum's right. All you lot do is twist words to make it all about you."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. It is. You come waltzing in here and automatically think there's something wrong with us because we're not acting normally in your mind. Well, maybe it's you who isn't acting right. You ever think of that, Healer?"

"Many times," McCoy replied unexpectedly, catching Harry off guard. "However, even you have to admit, Harry, that I've not pushed any of the issues with you three as much as I should have."

"Well, why do you have to push things anyway?"

"If I don't, then you'll never move on from your trauma. All three of you will be stuck in your pain, treading as you've been doing for practically all your lives."

"We don't need you. I don't need you," he emphasized. "All I need is Mum to get better, and then everything is going to go back to normal."

"Is that what you truly believe, Harry?"

"Yes."

"I see."

Harry clenched his teeth and glared. It was getting extremely annoying the number of times people would say 'I see' when they truly didn't have a clue.

"May I be perfectly blunt with you, Mister Potter?"

"No, but you'll do it anyway so what does it matter?"

McCoy inclined his head before he spoke. "Even if Aurora was perfectly healthy again, not experiencing any of the symptoms she has been, everything would still not be the happily ever after you're wanting. Your fears of losing your loved ones will still be there, Harry, just underneath the surface. They don't just disappear overnight. They adapt instead and wait."

"Voldemort can't hurt them anymore. Hurt anyone I love anymore. He lost. Just like whatever is affecting Mum will."

"But don't you see? There will always be something out there, Harry. Something trying to ruin your happiness. Now, you can keep ignoring it like you've been doing so far, but that only will work so long. After a while, you'll run into something where you can't ignore it, brush it aside and dismiss it."

"You don't know that."

"Forgive me, Mister Potter, but I am a vampire. Experience is our strong suit."

"Well, you're wrong," Harry replied stubbornly.

"Take your father for example then, if you don't believe me."

"What about him?"

"He brushed off the pain he felt after your biological mother's death. Ignored and let it fester inside him for twelve years."

"So? He's fine now because of Mum."

"Is he?" McCoy challenged.

"Of course he is. As long as she's with him, he's fine."

"And therein lies my point. As long as she's with him." McCoy sighed. "Don't you find it odd that for twelve years your father never became close with anyone else?"

"No." Harry wasn't liking where the healer was taking this line of questions.

"No? Not even the fact that he kept everyone he knew at a considerable distance? Cold to others, one might say?"

"He only did that because he felt guilty for Lily's death and didn't want to hurt anyone else," Harry blurt out. His hand instantly clasped around his mouth in horror the moment he heard his words.

"Guilt, exactly, Harry. Guilt has been by your father's side for decades. Guilt he's never dealt with because something else always came along to distract him from it. But I would imagine deep down on restless nights he would feel it suffocate him in the darkness."

"You think you have us all figured out, don't you?"

"It's not as simple as you think I'm saying it is."

"Yes, it is. Dad's guilt. I'm abandonment. Mum's . . ." Harry stopped, finding that he didn't know what hers was.

"We'll go with stubbornness for now," McCoy offered with a slight smile.

"But we're not just labels, though."

"You're not. I agree. Like an onion, your layers must be peeled back carefully. However, we haven't even started to peel back any of your onions."

"Mum's been opening up more."

"She has, but you and Severus have not. Our sessions are not solely for Aurora, Harry. I'm here for all three of you. And as I've said before, you're a family, and families heal best together." McCoy then shrugged. "Just give it some thought, will you? Please?" When Harry inclined his head a moment later, McCoy gave him a faint smile and left once more.

Flicking his wand around the area to test it, he cast nearly all the spells he knew in order to reveal the home's location. It took several minutes before he finally saw the ripple in a shield nearby. He had to give the man credit for casting such a strong invisibility shield around his home. Though, Severus would expect no less from an Auror as skilled as the man was.

As the ripples spread out further and revealed more of the home, Severus approached the front door, sliding his wand back up into his sleeve again. It was a quaint little cottage complete with a feel of fairies and the like. He brought his hand up to the smooth wooden door and knocked once.

It wasn't long after that the door opened to reveal a tall black man dressed in elegant periwinkle-and-silver robes.

"Professor Snape," the man murmured with apparent confusion.

"Auror Shacklebolt." The moment he said the man's name, he recalled the memory of their rescuing Aurora months back from where she had been held.

"Kingsley, please," the Auror replied with a nervous laugh. He then stepped aside, inviting Severus inside his home.

"I apologize for coming here on such short notice, but I require a moment of your time."

"Of course. Would you like a cup of tea?"

Severus shook his head, though. "I won't be here long." A few moments if Kingsley acted the way Severus expected him to.

"All right. What can I help you with, Professor?"

Now that the moment was there, Severus had to admit that he was starting to think it was a rather bad idea. He dreaded to think how Lupin might have been right earlier.

"You've heard about Aurora's condition I take it?" He saw the pain briefly flicker across the Auror's face before Kingsley nodded. If this were to work, though, he needed to use the man's past.

"I have." Shacklebolt then sighed heavily. "I had meant to visit her, but I assumed she didn't want any of us to make a big production out of it. You know how she is."

Severus forced the thin smile to his lips. The irrational side of him wanted to punch Kingsley in the face for that comment. Luckily, he was in control at the moment.

"Indeed."

"Is that why you're here, Professor?" Shacklebolt then became straight as a board. "Has her condition worsened?"

Ignoring the little twinge of guilt inside at his actions, Severus sighed quietly. He truly was a bastard some days. "The Healers do not understand what is happening to her. No one, it seems, does."

"What do you need, Severus?"

He had blinked before he glanced at Kingsley. This was easier than he thought it would be.

"Need?" he repeated staring at the Auror.

"Yes, whatever you need, just say the word, and I'll do it."

"Anything?" Severus murmured, the memory of Dumbledore asking the same of him years prior flashing in his mind. When he saw no hesitation in the Auror, he knew he had succeeded.

"Anything, Professor."

Like the perfect Slytherin he was, Severus struck. "In that case, I require immediate access to the Dark Lord."

"Professor—"

"Auror Shacklebolt, you are a man of your word, and I respect you tremendously for that," Severus cut in. "So when you said anything, I expected you to fulfill your word as you've done countless times before and grant me my request. You are a smart enough man to know that this isn't so I may rejoin his side. I require access because he knows exactly what is going on with her. Will you honestly deny me the chance to save her?"

"It's not a matter of—"

"Then what is it a matter of, Auror?" Severus replied harshly. He was growing tired of this game.

"I am a member of the Ministry."

"The same Ministry that kidnapped Aurora and countless other women just last year, yes, I am aware." He watched Shacklebolt blanch at that.

"What you are asking of me is nothing short of treason."

"No, Kingsley. What I am asking of you is to put yourself in my shoes and think what you would do to save her if given the chance. Would you allow someone to take the woman you love from you again without a fight? Or would you do everything in your power to save her?" Severus watched the battle rage on in the man's eyes for half a moment. He needed to push the man off the ledge. "There was a time not so long ago that you cared for her just as I do now. We both know this. Just as we both know how much she has been looking forward to being with me. Would you be the—"

"Damn you, Snape!" Shacklebolt growled, his hand clenching into a fist at his side. "Fine. I'll take you there."

Severus's lips curled upwards instantly.

"But on one condition."

Oh, but of course the Auror would have a condition. They always did.

"What is it?" he drawled.

"I'm there with you while you're interviewing him."

Severus forced his face to remain neutral. Inside, though, he felt rather childish for wanting to laugh at how cute it was that the Auror thought he was going to 'interview' the Dark Lord. As if they were all going to sit around a table and have tea.

"If you insist," he replied quietly, having already decided that the first moment he had after learning where the Dark Lord was that he would Stupefy the Auror.

"I do." Shacklebolt then sighed and shook his head. "Let's get this over with."

"My pleasure." Grabbing onto the Auror's arm a moment later, they vanished soon after.

"What do you know? The bookworms are at it again," a familiar voice mocked nearby, resulting in a few snickers from the onlookers. "What are you reading about this time, Potter? Unforgivables?"

Harry frowned in response, but kept his eyes focused solely on his book. He would be the bigger man and ignore the idiot that used to be his best friend.

"Snape could teach you all about those. Actually, you know, I'm curious. How many innocent people did your dad kill anyway when he was a Death Eater?"

Harry felt his nails dig into his palms. He would give anything to punch that prat in the face.

"Ronald Weasley," Hermione hissed dangerously, her book slamming shut.

"Of course you'd come to his defense," Ron scoffed. "Anything to remain teacher's pet."

Harry's eyes briefly flickered towards Hermione to see her reaction. He was relieved to see that she looked murderous and not hurt instead.

Ron's face then turned real ugly for a moment before he sneered, "It's Levi-O-Sa, not Levio-Sar!' And you wonder why no one likes you."

Shooting up from his chair like a rocket, Harry moved to punch his ex-friend in the nose. However, before he could, a deep violet jet of light struck Ron in the chest and sent him flying back into a bookcase. Harry whirled around instantly.

"Don't look at me," Hermione said flabbergasted. "I didn't do that."

Harry's eyes darted behind her before he saw the hint of black robes retreating back into the darkness. Draco, he realized, had been the culprit. As Harry noticed Madam Pince rushing towards them, he sprinted off after the blond. In the whole thick of things of this year, he had forgotten all about Malfoy and last year.

As he went deeper into the library and found the light dimming, Harry wondered for a moment if he was walking into a trap. After all, when he and Ron had left Hogwarts last year, they were still friendly with one another. However, this year was the complete opposite for some reason.

"Malfoy, come on. Knock it off. We both know it was you. I just want to talk to you for a second," Harry said through heavy pants as he attempted to catch his breath. He turned another corner and quickly skidded to a halt at the sight in front of him. Mum? There in front of him was his mum, leafing through a heavy tome. He was about to say something to her when another voice spoke up from across the way from him.

"You should be resting, Aurora," Professor Lupin said as he and Professor McGonagall approached her from behind.

"You need your strength after all," Professor McGonagall said softly.

"My strength?" Aurora scoffed, rolling her eyes. From where Harry was hiding, he knew she couldn't see him, but he could definitely see her. "And what exactly strength would that be? I mean, let's be honest here. None of you really expect me to live past a few months now."

"Aurora," McGonagall rebuked instantly.

"What? I'm being honest. I mean, you heard her. My body is slowly shutting down. No reason. It just is." She tossed the book back up onto the shelf. "So, what good is fighting when I'm going to lose?"

"You don't know that."

"No? Then tell me, Minerva. Why do you think Severus left?"

"Aurora," Lupin cut in sadly.

"No, I asked Minerva, Remus, not you," Harry's Mum replied coldly.

"He's trying to save you," argued Lupin.

"Save me?" Aurora scoffed loudly, shaking her head. "And just how is his leaving going to save me exactly? Can he undo everything my mother did to me—whatever that is?"

"He went to see Voldemort."

Harry instantly tensed. His dad did what?

"He did WHAT?"

"He believes that Voldemort is the key. And while I don't agree with his action, I can certainly understand it. He does not want to lose you, Aurora."

"He's an idiot. A bloody stupid idiot," she snarled. "What makes him think that the Dark Lord would even give him the answer he seeks? Voldemort wants to torture him for pity's sake. He's—oh dear Circe—He's wearing his goddamn heart on his freaking sleeve for Merlin's sake! Has he gone completely mad?"

Harry was wondering the same thing actually.

"He loves you, Aurora," Lupin reiterated.

"That doesn't give him the right to be a bloody Gryffindor! I'd expect it from Harry or Sirius, but . . . What the hell was he thinking?"

"Love makes us do funny things," McGonagall said softly.

"So, what then, you two let him go off alone to see a master manipulator who has already used him once before?"

Harry bit his lip to keep from laughing. It wasn't funny at all really, but the way she said it . . .

"He's not alone. Kingsley is accompanying him."

"Oh bloody brilliant! Two emotionally charged wizards with their hearts on their sleeves. Bravo! Really. This couldn't get much worse if you tried."

"Aurora . . ."

"You sent my ex-boyfriend and my current boyfriend to visit a sociopath, and neither one of you seems to understand how stupid that was." She shook her head. "Thank Circe neither of you have found Black yet, as you'd likely throw him into the mix as well."

"Your sarcasm—"

"Is the only thing stopping me from punching either of you, I assure you," Aurora grumbled. "I can't believe you two."

"He'll be fine, dear," McGonagall reassured.

"Of course he will," Aurora drawled sarcastically. "A healthy dose of emotional pain brought on by the man who murdered your first love is always a good thing."

"And here I thought Severus was the master of sarcasm," replied Lupin dryly.

"I may feel like crap, Remus, but I can still kick your arse. So do not tempt me," she warned before she glanced at McGonagall. "Do either of you know what you've done? Who is going to pick up the pieces after Voldemort gets done ripping him apart again? Me? Because I can barely keep myself together to be honest."

"We know, but if this works—"

"If this works, then you better stay the hell out of my sight once I'm healed. Because this is beyond all levels of idiocy." She then gasped suddenly, grabbing her chest.

Harry couldn't help but step out from his hiding spot and yelling, "Mum!" He caught the quick flinches from the others, but ignored them and moved towards her. "Mum, are you all right?" She grabbed his forearms a moment later, gasping.

"Harry?" she said with a confused look.

"I'm here, Mum," he replied, his heart beating wild.

"A—az—Azrial," she stuttered through gasps.

"Azrial?" the young man repeated puzzled. His eyes widened when she yanked her necklace off, thrusting it into his hand. "I don't understand. Mum, what's that?"

"Her strength's giving out," McGonagall called out as she and Lupin grabbed Aurora.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, looking at them helplessly. He could see they didn't know either. "Mum, what's Azrial?" She pushed his hand holding her necklace into his chest instantly.

"Severus, Harry . . . Severus . . ."

"I—Mum, I don't understand." He glanced at his hand and then back to her. Did she want him to give her necklace to his dad for some reason? And what was this Azrial? "Give me something more. Please? Mum? MUM!" When he saw the blood starting to fall from her lips, he felt his stomach drop.

"Hospital Wing. NOW!" McGonagall yelled before it faded to black for Harry.

"But Professor Dumbledore—" a new young Auror started to say.

"I'm aware of the orders," Kingsley replied quietly, "but the prisoner has vital information that the Headmaster needs. Information that Severus here can extract."

Severus frowned inwardly when he saw the young Auror's eyes narrow on him suspiciously. This was taking too long.

"All right," finally relented the new Auror, standing aside for them to pass. "You can go in. It's the last cell to the right."

"Thank you," Kingsley mumbled as they walked past.

Severus strode down the long corridor instantly towards the cell. Finally, he would get the answers he sought.

Another minute passed before he saw the balding man with red eyes who had haunted his dreams the past few months. Bars were between them, safety nets he supposed.

"If it isn't my protégé that betrayed me," purred the man with an amused grin on his face. "Tell me, Severus. How is our dear Aurora today?"

Not rising to the bait, Severus drew in a slow, steady breath.

"You have answers I seek," he declared evenly.

"I told you that there would be another, one who was worthier of you, didn't I?" Leonidas/Dark Lord continued, ignoring Severus's previous statement altogether. "I don't like to brag, but I was correct, wasn't I, my little traitor?"

"If you do not comply—"

"I admit, Severus, at first I didn't see why she appealed to you, she seemed all wrong for you, but I understand it now."

"I shall make you comply, and I assure you that I will enjoy every moment of it," Severus said coldly, doing his best to ignore the Dark Lord's words.

"There's a darkness in her. Darker than even me. And power, so much power. Have you seen it? I have, and it's beautiful."

Severus drew in another breath. It was unsettling to hear the Dark Lord speak so fondly of her. But he knew all it was were lies and misdirection.

"I can't take all the credit, of course," Leonidas/the Dark Lord chuckled. "Leonidas helped her along with a little prodding at first."

"Severus," Kingsley said under his breath warningly.

Frowning, he glanced back at the Auror and noticed how much the Dark Lord's words were affecting the other man. One failed date was all Kingsley had with Aurora, and look at him. Though, deep down, Severus wasn't doing much better if he were honest with himself.

"My only regret was that I didn't give her to you instead all those years back, my son. She'd have made a wonderful Death Eater and partner for you. A bit like Lucius and Narcissa, I believe."

"Only problem is Aurora would never join you," Kingsley growled, taking a step forward.

Severus watched Leonidas/the Dark Lord's smile deepen.

"She would if I had given her to Severus. A weakness on her part, but one I could overlook."

"You will answer me."

"The answer is yes," Leonidas/the Dark Lord simply replied.

"Yes?" Severus's eyes narrowed on him.

"It was quite a sight to see, my favorite. Her soaked in all that Muggle blood last year."

His stomach lurched.

"Once I realized you were her weakness, it was only too easy then," Leonidas/The Dark Lord explained proudly. "Show her images of you being attacked by them, convince her that it was happening, and she was oh so glad to kill the pathetic worms. Of course a few Cruciatus curses loosened her mind right up for me." He chuckled quietly. "She's a fighter; I'll give her that. She held out longer than even Bellatrix could in enduring the Cruciatus. Longer than you even, Severus."

A memory from last year flashed in his mind instantly. 'I'm broken now.' He inhaled slowly before he stepped towards the bars.

"I wonder if she's even there now, your sweet Aurora, or if all that remains is the darkness her mother injected into her. You learned of that, didn't you?" Leonidas/the Dark Lord smirked nastily. "The protections her mother placed on her have broken, Severus, giving way to the darkness to grow rapidly inside her. It won't be long now before it overtakes her completely."

"Unfortunately, my Lord, once again, you underestimate the power of love."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

Severus scoffed, shaking his head, though, and turned to walk away. He could see the confusion in Kingsley's face but ignored it. He had gotten his answer. Perhaps not clearly, but he had discovered a clue that he should have recognized all along. Syra clearly knew more than she had ever let on.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Kingsley grabbed his arm and asked, "What was that all about, Professor?"

Obviously, Kingsley hadn't been listening. "The darkness he referred to was the serum her mother injected into her while she was still in her mother's womb."

"I understood that part."

"Taking into account that she was still developing, the serum likely had altered her genetic makeup. Her mother must have placed certain protections on her as a result."

"Which broke when she saved Harry a few years back."

"And broke even more last year with Leonidas and the Dark Lord torturing her nonstop." He shook his head, recalling an old X-Men comic that he had once read.

"All right, but how does this help us?"

"We need to learn the ingredients of that serum. It's acting as if it's a poison in her system currently." It was the only thing that seemingly was making sense to him. "Find out the ingredients, and we should be able to develop an antidote."

"But—"

Not wasting any more time, Severus Disapparated from the secret location with a small pop. He needed to speak with Syra at once.

The moment he reappeared in front of Windsor, the salty air of the sea assaulted his lungs. As he strode down the pathway towards the front door, he heard the waves crash violently against the nearby cliffs. The wind blew around his face, whipping his hair against his cheeks like little switches.

Crack!

The terrible thunder rolled across the landscape soon after before the rain broke free and poured from the heavens onto him. He wasn't certain if it was he who had caused the storm, or if it had already been storming prior to his arrival.

As he continued, he felt his robes become heavier as the downpour became even stronger. He would look like a drowned rat when she opened the door. That much was certain. But he didn't care.

Raising his hand up to knock against the door, he paused when he heard the frightened animals behind him. He turned to glance at them, seeing the horses running for cover in the opposite direction.

"Eh, they'll be all right," a kind voice spoke suddenly.

Severus whirled back, just barely stopping himself from hexing the man who stood in front of him now in the now opened doorway.

"Can I help you, son?" the man asked politely.

"Orin," Severus said mostly to himself. He had never met Aurora's father before, only her mother. He couldn't describe it but he just knew this man was her father.

"That's right. And you are?"

"Severus," he answered. He saw the flicker of recognition in the other man's face at once.

"Aura?" the father breathed with terror clearly evident on his face.

"Alive, but I must speak with Syra at once." Orin's shoulders slackened instantly. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Come in." Orin stepped aside and nodded towards a house elf who had appeared.

A few seconds later, Syra appeared at the top of the landing. Her cold blue eyes fell on him instantly. "What has she done now?"

Severus opened his mouth to respond, but Orin beat him to it.

"What has she done?" Orin snarled back coldly. "What the hell have you done, Syra!"

Severus winced inwardly, half expecting to watch the parents to fight in front of him.

"You did this to our daughter. She would have—"

"Died if it hadn't been for me, thank you very much," Syra coldly replied, her eyes flashing. "Or did you want to bury another of our children, Orin?"

"Enough!" Severus cut in. They didn't have time for this. "What did you give her?" He ignored Syra's eye rolling.

"To what time are you referring to exactly?" she drawled, sounding rather bored with his query.

"The serum. What were the ingredients?"

"Excuse me?"

"Syra, I grow tired of having to repeat myself to idiots, so please do not be one. What were the ingredients?"

"Dragon's blood, Valerian root, elder berries, fermented spider eyes, a bit of willow, a drop of unicorn blood, and a dash of Moon dust. Hardly anything of note."

He thought for half a moment before he shook his head. "No. There was something else you added. That couldn't have been all there was. What else did you add?"

"Nothing! That's all there was."

A squeak, however, caused everyone's eyes to fall on the elderly house elf.

"Lola?" Orin said gently as if speaking to a small child.

"Yes, Master?" the small little house elf replied trembling.

"Do you have something to add?"

The elf's large pink tennis ball eyes glanced hesitantly towards Syra before she glanced down. "I . . . I can'ts say, Master."

"What do you mean, you can't say? Why not?"

"They's forbade me, Master," she said through sniffles.

"Who?"

"They's wanted to repay you, Master. You and the Missus's for being so kind to them. Offering them a place to stay and work . . . and food . . . They . . ."

Severus noticed Orin and Syra's eyes widened in horror.

"They's created Azrial," Lola the house elf continued with a trembling voice. "Missus was worried about the dragon blood, but she didn't know about the . . . the . . . they's blood."

"What is she talking about?" Severus asked puzzled. "Whose blood?"

"Our blood," spoke up another voice as someone emerged from the shadows.

Severus's eyes darted to the new person and found himself even more confused. Why hadn't he noticed someone there earlier?

"You didn't notice me, Wizard, because I didn't want you to notice me," the young man replied with a faint smile. His eyes then fell on Orin and Syra. "I apologize, my Lady and Lord." He inclined his head towards them. "Adolphus had left us instructions not to reveal it to you until it was time."

"You . . . you poisoned my daughter?" Orin accused with an outraged look.

"Poisoned is such a strong word. We enhanced her, my Lord. Gave her the strength she needed to survive once she was out of her mother's womb. Just as we did with Lady Syra when she fell ill."

Severus blinked and tried not to think too much on that particular revelation concerning his future mother-in-law. Though, that did explain the coldness, he supposed.

"So, she's becoming sicker because of the blood you gave her?"

"Sick?" The man frowned. "She's not becoming sick, Wizard. She's becoming better." He stared at Severus for half a moment before he shook his head. "Azrial, meaning 'Of two worlds."

"You had no right to add that to the serum," Syra suddenly cut in.

The man hung his head. "I apologize, my Lady. Adolphus had wanted to pay you and Lord Orin back for your family's kindness to us over the years. He had seen how badly you had wanted a child and believed this was the best way to repay you."

"This is the reason those people came after us a few hours after she was born, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"All these years I believed I had to train her to fight because of the serum, and it was because of you instead," Syra declared. "How am I to protect my child from your kind?"

"My Lady—"

"It was one thing when you gave me the choice to become like you in order to live. It is an entirely different thing to force that upon my daughter when she wasn't even born yet."

The man glanced towards Severus before he sighed. "Yes, My Lady."

"You've cursed her, practically damned her to a life of—"

"My Lady, I assure you, that all will be well. Your daughter is a strong woman. She fights to this day against it, as she has done all her life."

"And it's killing her as a result," Orin stated harshly.

"Witch or vampire, you cannot be both," Syra declared.

Unless one was half-vampire, Severus mused. He frowned when the man looked at him.

"Is there any way to undo it? Control those parts of her again and stop this before it's too late?"

Syra sighed, shaking her head. "Perhaps if she was younger then, yes, we could do that, Severus, but too many years have passed. I couldn't alter her DNA enough now, and my protections I placed on her wouldn't be strong enough unfortunately."

"Why do you believe it is yours to decide and not hers?" asked the man suddenly.

"You're saying she has a choice in this matter?" Severus questioned. That went against everything he knew about vampires, though.

"She does. That is the whole point of being Azrial. She can either embrace our gifts or remain with yours. There is always a choice, Wizard. I would have thought you'd have recognized that."

She had a choice.

He glanced towards his future in-laws and Disapparated away again. She had a choice . . .

"Dad!" he shouted, brushing off Madam Pomfrey's immediate glare. He shoved his hand into his pocket before he pulled out his mum's necklace. "Mum wanted me to give this to you and kept saying 'Azrial' or something." His dad glanced at the necklace briefly but made no move to grab it.

"How is she, Madam?"

The matron sighed softly and shrugged. "She was well enough earlier to sneak out to visit the library of all places, but there's been no change since she's arrived back here, Severus."

"The library?"

Harry could see the wheels turning in his father's mind. Maybe he had a clue that would help his father. It was worth a shot after all.

"Yeah," Harry cut in. "She was looking at some old book when Professors McGonagall and Lupin found her."

"Interesting." His father then took a seat beside Aurora's bedside, gently reaching for her hand.

"Did you learn anything on your trip?" Pomfrey asked, glancing at him.

"A great deal," Severus replied with a frown.

"And . . .?" Madam Pomfrey's hands went to her hips. "Well, come on now, Severus. Don't keep me waiting with something like this. What did you learn? Can we make an antidote?"

He shook his head, though. "No. It's up to her, Madam."

"Mum?" Harry said feeling rather confused. How was it up to her now?

"You were there the night she was born, were you not?" asked his dad to Pomfrey.

"I was. Albus had recommended me to them for some reason. Why?"

"Do you recall that night? Who was with them, I mean?"

"I don't follow."

"Obviously Aurora's parents were there, but were there others?"

Harry saw the recognition dawn on the matron's face.

"Now that you mention it, yes, there were three others: an older man, younger man, and a young woman. The younger ones were asked to remain outside by the older man."

"And you didn't find that the least bit strange?" Severus asked with a brow raised.

"Well, yes, but the older man stayed out of my way with his back to us looking out the window. And neither Syra nor Orin seemed to mind his presence." She then paused. "Actually, Orin was nearly late. I suppose I just brushed it off as a friend of theirs. Why do you ask, Severus?"

"Did you happen to notice, Madam, if they were vampires?"

Harry's mouth dropped.

"Vampires? Are you mad?" Pomfrey huffed in clear outrage. "As if I'd ever let vampires near a pregnant woman about to give birth. I'm well aware of the blood lust those creatures have."

Harry caught his father's lip twitch slightly.

"Why on earth are you asking these ridiculous questions? What does any of that have to do with what's happening to her now?"

"She grew up around vampires at Windsor, did she not?"

"Well, yes, I believe so." Pomfrey then huffed again. "Severus, answer me. What does any of this have to do with her now?"

Harry seemed to recall Aurora telling him a story about her childhood friend who was a vampire once. He couldn't remember the name, though. Just that she had fancied him until she had met Severus. He glanced at his dad, wondering if he knew that.

"It would seem the vampires at Windsor decided to repay Syra and Orin back for their kindness in allowing them shelter by adding their blood to the serum," Severus revealed quietly.

"What?" Madam Pomfrey looked horrified at hearing this.

"Wait, what? Are you—is Mum a vampire then?" Harry glanced over at Aurora, feeling slightly uneasy for some reason. Maybe that feeling was because of Pomfrey's horror. He didn't know. He supposed he could see Aurora as a vampire on second thought. She did always complain she was cold, and she was definitely a night owl. And weren't vampires nocturnal? At least the movie vampires always seemed to be. He shook his head, though. He had seen Aurora eat loads of salads, and she hardly ever ate meat. If she did, it was usually some form of chicken or bird of some kind. This didn't make sense. He had heard her heartbeat whenever she had held him on particularly bad nights. Vampires don't have beating hearts, though. "So, what is she then?"

"This is preposterous! Aurora is no more vampire than you or me, Severus," Pomfrey declared.

"Scan her, Madam. Look for the enzyme."

"You've been spending too much time in your dungeons and breathing in the fumes, young man," Pomfrey replied briskly. "She is not a vampire!"

"Scan her," Severus repeated calmly.

"Fine. I will!" Pomfrey drew her wand a moment later and ran it over Aurora's body. "See? There's no—oh."

Harry's head whipped around and glanced at the matron. Oh? What was 'Oh?' He didn't like the sound of 'Oh.'

"That's impossible. She's never shown any symptoms or signs for that matter," Pomfrey said with a puzzled look as she stared at her readings.

"Were you checking?"

"Of course I was checking!" Pomfrey snapped, glaring at him. "She always had me scan her right after she returned from Windsor to make certain there weren't any accidental exposures." She shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense. She had no symptoms when she returned."

"And yet there is the enzyme," his dad drawled.

"It's barely registering, but yes, it's there," Pomfrey said dejectedly. "I should've caught it earlier. We could have—"

"You can cure vampirism?" Harry interjected, looking down the moment his father glanced at him. What? He was just curious. There was so much about the Wizarding World he knew nothing about. He wouldn't put it past them. They had cured the common cold after all.

"No, Mister Potter. There is no cure unfortunately," Madam Pomfrey answered with a sigh. "I only meant that had I known earlier, I could have slowed the progression."

"But if she's not a vampire yet, then maybe you can—"

"Vampirism does not work like that, Mister Potter."

"That's not what this is, Madam," Severus interjected. He frowned in response to her glare. "As you recall, Syra's work was to alter the genetic makeup of someone. To make them stronger."

"Yes, Severus, I'm aware of that, seeing as how I worked with her last year to save you both," Pomfrey interrupted brusquely.

"So when the vampire blood was added, unbeknownst to her, it altered the serum. A hybrid, if you will. Syra's protections, that necklace in Harry's hands, was only supposed to keep Aurora's strength hidden, I would imagine. A sort of dampener if you will."

"But she was without it last year."

"She was, and each session with Leonidas likely activated the serum bit by bit." Severus glanced back at Aurora and sighed. "She's fighting against it, and that's what's causing her to get weaker."

"So, then, what? Are we supposed to let her fight?"

"Yes. The vampire who revealed this stated that Aurora has a choice in this matter. That the ability to choose is what this whole 'Azrial' nonsense is about."

"You know?" Harry asked quietly. So then he didn't need to relay the information Aurora had so desperately wanted him to know?

"Yes, Harry, I know." Severus then sighed again before he brushed aside a stray strand of Aurora's hair tenderly. "And I believe she knew as well deep down."

"But what's she deciding?" the young man asked, glancing at her. "I don't understand, Dad."

"She's been in a tremendous amount of pain, son," his dad replied quietly. "Some emotional and some physical. If she chooses to stop fighting and becomes a full-fledged vampire as a result of the enzyme, then she won't feel it anymore. Feel anything in fact. But if she continues to fight as she's being doing, then the pain and feeling will remain with her."

Harry's eyes narrowed for a moment as he thought on this. It seemed strange to think that someone would choose to become a vampire. To be forced to rely on hurting others by drinking their blood. Not to feel any emotions such as love from hugging one's child. Not to mention all the looks she'd get from others who would only see her as a monster then. He frowned then.

Would she be a monster, though? Or would she be the same person as before just a little less emotional? He supposed it was a bit like people who were bitten by werewolves. They weren't bad people. They just were people bad things happened to. Underneath it all, they were still the same people. Weren't they? Though, his dad did seem to hate werewolves the most. He seemed pretty all right with vampires, even though they were considered by society as being just as dark as werewolves.

"Dad, what if she chooses the vampire option, you know, to stop the pain?"

"Then I'll remain by her side as she's done with me, Harry," his dad replied.

Harry nodded hesitantly. Would he do the same, he wondered. He then looked back at her and bit his lower lip. What if she attacked his dad and made him like her? At least he wouldn't lose his dad then, he supposed. But would he be all right knowing that they were vampires? Walking in on feeding time? He grimaced and shook his head to get that image out of his mind quickly.

"I shudder to think what you'll do when we marry, brat," his father said with a sigh.

"What?" Harry replied with a horrified look on his face. "No! You can't marry her now!" he screeched. "Not if she chooses to become a soul-sucking vampire! She'll kill you. She'll kill me!"

His dad scoffed and shook his head. "She's not becoming a werewolf, Harry."

"No, but I've read about vampires."

"Clearly not enough," his dad mumbled.

"They drink blood! Human blood! We're humans, Dad! Not to mention, this is a castle full of humans. It'll be like last year all over again. Dead chickens everywhere."

"I'm with Mister Potter," Madam Pomfrey piped up. "We need to stop this, Severus."

"It's her choice, Madam," Severus replied.

"Perhaps, but I am her healer, and I say, no. We're stopping this madness once and for all." Pomfrey then flicked her wand at Aurora. However, instead of whatever was supposed to have happened happening, the jet of light from her spell bounced off Aurora and flew back before it shattered a nearby window. "What in the nine hells?" exclaimed the healer before she moved to flick her wand once more.

"NO!" Severus yelled, moving to shield Aurora's body with his own.

The moment the spell hit Aurora, a strong wave of magic slammed hard against all of them, sending Harry and Pomfrey crashing to the floor. Harry was the first to stumble to his knees and glance back at his parents. He gasped and covered his mouth.

"What did you do?!" snarled Severus as he frantically moved to Aurora's side again.

Pomfrey seemed at a loss of words as she watched Aurora seizing violently. She then quickly went into action, summoning a vial from across the room.

"She shouldn't be reacting this way! All I did was try to cast a shield around her." Pomfrey took a quick scan and shook her head. "All of her vitals are off the charts. This doesn't make sense."

"You used magic on her, Pomfrey! How did you think she'd react, you idiot?"

"We need to get her temperature down!" Pomfrey called out.

"If she dies, Madam—"

Harry shivered at the pure anger he heard in his father's voice.

"Yes, I know, you'll kill me. Just help me get her temperature down! You can kill me later."

Harry helplessly watched them flutter about trying to stabilize Aurora. Did all this madness before him mean that she was turning before his very eyes? He didn't know. He had never seen someone turn into a vampire before. But if that was what this was, he never wanted to see it again.

"I'm sorry," he mouthed, finding that he had no voice to cry. He wanted it to stop. He just wanted his family back. That's all. He just wanted a normal family for once. And he had been so close last year to having that. "Please, Mum. Please."

A few more moments passed before the terrible seizing stopped completely. Aurora was drenched from sweat, Harry could tell. Her cheeks were flushed, and her was sticking to her face.

"She's stabilized," Madam Pomfrey declared.

"For now," Severus said with a dark glare at the matron. The longest three hours of Severus and Harry's lives then started as they waited to see what was Aurora's choice.

"I . . . where am I?" she asked weakly, as she slowly rolled onto her side to push herself up. There was a figure across the room, but she couldn't quite make out who it was. "What... Who are you?"

"Honestly, Sin," the figure chuckled as he moved towards her. Crouching down a moment later, he held a hand out to help her up. "Get into one of Severus's hallucinogenic potions again, did we?"

She blinked for a moment, staring at the young man across from her. It couldn't be . . . could it? "Reg?" she whispered, barely breathing as she stared at the ghost of her past in front of her.

"Ten points to Slytherin," the shaggy dark-haired young man said with a laugh before pulling them both to their feet. "So, why are you here?" he asked, gesturing at the empty room around them.

She gave a small laugh. "Hell if I know." She pulled back a hand to run through her hair as she glanced around. The room seemed distorted to her, as if it was twisting and turning at odd intervals. "Something in a past life, I suppose." She glanced back at her hand and sighed. Something was missing. Or was it? She wasn't certain of anything anymore.

"You do know what 'here' is, yeah?" he asked, watching her closely.

Something in between two somethings, she supposed. She then paused for a moment before it hit her. Oh. She glanced back at her old friend and drew in a stifled breath. "It's time, isn't it, Reg?"

He sighed in response. Of all the people he was waiting for, she was the last person he thought would come through before his brother or even Severus. "Unfortunately."

Her eyes searched his dark ones. "No... No, I'm not ready yet, Reg. I... I can't leave them, Regulus!" She grabbed his forearms and drew in shaky breaths. She needed him to understand. "They've been through so much already. I can't-it'll break him again. Worse this time."

His heart bled for her. He missed his life, his friends, even his arse of a brother, but there was nothing he could do to change his fate. He gave her a sad, lopsided smile as he moved his hands to cup her face. "Is anyone ever ready, Sin? You think I was ready when I went into that cave? I paced, waiting for someone to come through, thinking of ways I could've done it all differently."

She closed her eyes. She could feel the eerie calm surround her. It'd be just like falling asleep. No more pain. No more loss. No more nightmares. Just... peace. And, yet, she knew in her heart that feeling was wrong. Since when had she ever given up? So what if it was harder now than before?

"No, Reg. I refuse," she stated boldly, opening her eyes to look at him.

He arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Sin, it doesn't work like that." He laughed sadly. "Trust me. I tried. A lot in the beginning."

"No," she reiterated. "I will not give up on my boys. I will not give up on Severus. I never have before, and I will not now. There's another way. There's always another way. I'm not done. Do you under that? I've not gone through the hell I have last year for nothing. Understand?" her eyes flashed. "So, you go and tell whoever the hell is controlling you, showing you before me now, that they can kindly go fuck themselves! Because I am not going to just lay down and give up. Not when I can finally prove to Severus that he is loved, that he will always be loved... and that he's not alone. That he and Harry are both so loved and so... Do you hear me, Reg?"

"Now there's the Aurora we all know and love," Reg smiled wickedly. "I thought I was going to have to resort to hexing you to get rid of that pansy-arsed Gryffindor witch who first arrived here, all ready to give up."

She couldn't help but give him a small smile. "I've been feeling sorry for myself for way too damn long that I've forgotten how to fight. Playing this stupid damsel in distress... Since when was I ever one of those types? I'm not Evans for Circe's sake!"

"That's why I wish I had the choice to go back." When her head whipped around, he added, "I'd have kicked your arse for acting like a Hufflepuff. Then I'd kick Severus's for allowing you to act like one."

"That's what this is, isn't it? I can choose."

"Ten more points to Slytherin. Keep this up, and we'll win the House Cup for certain." Reg smirked. "I was gonna say something earlier, I admit, but it's too easy and, let's be honest, extremely fun to get you all worked up, Sin."

She had a choice. "Then, the only choice that matters is Severus and Harry, and how I'm going to get back to them so we can be a family."

He wouldn't admit to her that he was jealous of her and his old friend Severus, but this wasn't about him now. It was about her. "I think you know what that choice is."

She inclined her head slowly. She did. They had told her when she was very little about the Azrial nonsense that had surrounded her all her life. She hadn't ever made sense of it over the years, because it honestly hadn't mattered much to her. She was a witch in love with a lonely and usually grumpy dark-haired wizard who had eyes only for a certain little green-eyed redhead. That was all that had mattered to her for the majority of her life.

Raising her chin up slightly, she drew in a deep breath. "Then you can tell whomever is listening that they were mistaken in thinking I was this 'Azrial' of theirs." Her smile then deepened. "In fact, why don't you tell them how stupid they are to believe such utter crap spewed by people who call themselves Seers when they really are only frauds? I mean, let's be honest here, shall we, Reg? Vampires who were hoodwinked by witches and wizards? Not very smart, are they?"

"As bright as a Snidget in a Kneazle den." He laughed.

"Exactly. So, why in the hell would I choose to become that? No. No, I choose to feel the ecstasy of love. To wrap my arms around Harry and tell him that everything is going to be all right. That he doesn't have to worry about losing his family again. I choose love."

He smiled before cupping her face in his hands again. "Wise choice." He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before lowering his hands. With a snap of his fingers, a part of the swirling nothingness solidified, becoming darker than the rest. "Go. Tell them that you chose them, that you love them enough to fight even death for them." He smirked. "And tell Severus if I see you or him here before it is time, I will make eternity a living hell."

Realizing what was to come next, she felt the tears start to slip down her cheeks. In her heart, she knew it would be the last time she'd see her old friend. "I'm sorry, Reg."

"Don't be. I knew my fate the day I set off against The Dark Lord." He gave her a watery smile as his own tears started to fall. "Now look what you've done. You got me acting like a bloody Hufflepuff with you."

"It's my strong suite," she joked, inhaling shakily. "Just ask Severus."

He laughed. "Like the git would admit that."

She sniffled and nodded hesitantly, glancing behind him. "What happens now?"

He followed her gaze to the gap in the nothingness. "Before you step through, make sure your choice is clear in your mind. When you return to yourself, it will only seem like mere seconds have passed."

"Simple enough," she said with a nervous laugh. "I don't suppose I could beg you to come back with me? Make certain I don't screw it up?"

He snorted. "Hufflepuff." He looked at the door longingly, though. " I wasn't given a choice, Sin."

She glanced down at her hands guiltily before she glanced back at him. "Yes, you were, Regulus. You chose honor."

"I guess I did," he said a moment later with a smile. "Make sure you tell Sirius that for me next time he goes off about his family being evil, yeah? "

She gave a quiet laugh. Black wouldn't believe her if she tried. "Goodbye, Regulus."

"Goodbye, Sin."

She turned towards the gap. She couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving him behind in the void all alone again. She turned back towards Regulus.

He shook his head at the look on her face. "Aurora, it's fine. I have all the time I want to come up with epic pranks to pull on Sirius when I see him again" He shrugged. "It's not like I'll die here if you leave me."

"That's not helping, Regulus," she replied glaring at him.

"I swear if you make me push you through, I will find a way to become a ghost and I'll tell everyone how you bribed the Sorting hat not to put you in Hufflepuff"

She placed her hands on her hips. "It wouldn't work. Severus already knows that, and he still loves me!"

"Does Harry? Or the rest of the students and staff?" He smiled wickedly, "Imagine what I can convince Peeves to sing up and down the halls"

"I hate you."

He snorted. "I love you too, my little Hufflepuff."

"Just don't let Severus hear you say that," she quipped before she turned back towards the gap. "He gets a little jealous, you know?"

"Indeed I do. He's even better to get riled up than you are."

With a smile on her face, she then walked through the gap.

With a deep, gasping breath, she woke. The cold air stung her lungs instantly, but she pushed through that inconvenience to sit up. It was dark, nighttime again, she realized by the night sky above her. She turned her head to look to her left and closed her eyes in relief when she saw Harry curled up on a nearby cot fast asleep. Her sweet boy.

Biting back a groan at her body's protest of movement, she slowly pushed herself up to stand. She grabbed the edge of the blanket on his cot and brought it up to lay it atop of him. Gently, she then carded his messy locks before she turned away, her eyes falling on her other lost boy.

Severus looked utterly exhausted as he lay on the cot on her other side. She could see the deep worry lines etched into his face. Slowly, she walked away from Harry towards him, half-expecting Severus to wake up as she did. He didn't, though. Not until she kissed his cheek, did he wake up.

"Aurora?" Severus lifted his head up slightly, his voice rough from disuse and groggy.

"Move over, will you?" she replied softly. As soon as he scooted back for her, she quickly laid down beside him, moving his arms to wrap around her. When he finally understood what she was doing, he happily complied and held her.

"Pomfrey will have our heads for this, you're aware?"

"Let her. I'm not afraid of the big bad matron. Are you?" She felt his silent snort against her back. "I saw Reg," she admitted quietly. He stiffened slightly before he relaxed somewhat.

"Figures you'd see him," Severus mumbled.

"It's not like that."

"I wasn't insinuating it was," he replied softly. "Knowing my luck, I'd see Potter—James that is." He sighed heavily a moment later.

"Well, would you rather it had been Evans?"

He clearly hesitated before he said, "No."

"I don't know if it was in my head or not, but it felt real. Like I was really talking with him."

"I see."

"We were just friends, Severus."

"I wasn't saying you weren't," he replied quietly.

"No, but you were thinking it."

He gave a soft laugh. "Been practicing Legilimency, have you?"

"I don't need to. You go stiff as a board whenever I bring him up."

"Perhaps I go stiff because my arm is going numb, Aurora," he muttered.

"You're a terrible liar."

"Perhaps."

"No, it's the truth." She then huffed, crossing her arms stubbornly. "And here I was going to admit what I chose."

"Oh?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to tell you now."

He snorted and then chuckled for half a moment. "Yes, because I quite clearly can't see what you chose at all." He brushed back a bit of her hair and sighed softly. "You chose love. Because you're an emotional little Hufflepuff who wears her heart on her sleeve when it comes to me."

"Someone's thinking pretty highly of himself today," she muttered sulkily.

"You worry constantly about the day when you would hurt either of us, and you know deep down that if you had chosen their option the likelihood would have been greater. Not to mention, you likely weighed how much it would affect your ability to feel. So you chose love."

"That's not it. There was more than just that."

He slowly turned her in his arms so she would be looking up at him as he looked down at her.

"No, you're right. This also was a factor." He leaned his head down to hers and kissed her deeply as if he was giving all his life to her. "And all that comes with it," he added a moment later.

"There was more . . ."

"I'm certain there was," he said with a smirk. "But I think my point's been made. You chose love, Aurora, because that's who you are. You've consistently made it clear to anyone who pays attention to you that you don't give a damn about power. Something they were offering you. You don't give a damn about immortality either, because in your mind what would the point be when it'd mean you'd lose everyone you loved? In other words, I know you and I know your heart."

"You weren't worried then?"

"About your choice? No. About Pomfrey killing you . . . yes."

"What? What do you mean, Pomfrey killing me?"

"She believed magic would alter your choice quicker," he explained. "She's learned her lesson, however, I believe."

"How?"

"Ah, well, the how isn't important," he said evasively. "Just that she won't be doing that again."

"Why? What did you do to her?"

A sleepy voice from their side answered, though. "Dad hexed her. He's sort of on probation or something now because of it. But Professor McGonagall thought the hex was warranted, though, so he's only getting a week instead of three months."

"Goodnight, brat," Severus called out to Harry as Aurora stared up at him.

"So, that's all there is, I guess," Harry finished after recounting a memory of the Dursleys.

"Do you ever think about them?" McCoy finally asked. "Your Muggle relatives, I mean?"

The young man frowned in confusion. "No. Why would I? They didn't care about me. Not like Dad and Mum do."

"Yes, well, it's clear Severus and Aurora love you. But I'm wondering if—"

"The Dursleys hated me, sir. I was the one thing that wasn't perfect in their life, so I'm pretty certain they were glad when Dad regained custody of me."

"Now, I'm sure that's not—"

Harry's eyes narrowed on the healer. He was getting rather annoyed with the doubts. "True?" the young man spat out. "Yeah, it is. They had me live in a cupboard until Hagrid came and got me, sir. They hated me with every ounce of their body."

McCoy allowed that subject to drop with a slow incline of his head and turned to Aurora.

"If this session is to show we have messed up families, I think we know that," she said with a shrug before she glanced back at her left hand. "We've come out better for it, though."

"Have you?"

She glanced back at him and shrugged again. "Certainly. Unlike my mother did to me, I show Harry almost every day how much I love him and how glad I am to be a part of his life."

"You don't believe Syra was glad to be a part of yours?"

"I was a disappointment to her. She frequently set out to remind me of that as well, because I wasn't the perfect daughter she wanted. I was weak in her mind because I cared about others."

"Why do you think that, Aurora?"

"Because it's true," she said with a shrug. "And that's fine. She showed me everything a mother shouldn't do to her child."

"She saved you last year, did she not?"

"Only because Severus and Minerva won't take no for an answer."

"Is that you think?"

"No. It's what I know," she replied.

McCoy then glanced at each of them before he shook his head with a sigh.

"What? It's true."

"I don't doubt it," quipped the healer. "Each of you has undergone so much trauma in your lives." He glanced at Aurora first. "You suffered unimaginable pain and suffering in your youth. And you did it all in silence, it seems, judging by Madam Pomfrey's case notes on your Hogwarts years."

Harry's eyes darted towards his mum instantly. What was the healer talking about?

"However, when you could no longer hide what had—"

"Hide?" Aurora gave a soft dark laugh. "I was left in front of the gates like a piece of trash when it was done. Filch was the one who found me. Difficult to hide when that happens, you know?"

McCoy closed his eyes briefly before he began again. "I apologize. I was unclear of my meaning. You hid your resulting pregnancy from others until you had miscarried."

"I was fifteen. Not exactly the age known for good judgment."

Harry's eyes widened. She was fifteen when she was pregnant the first time? All questions vanished from his mind, however, the moment he saw his father's stern look directed at him.

"You refused her suggestion for professional treatment of your emotional wounds."

"I thought I knew better," Aurora answered with another shrug. "I didn't a few years later, or haven't you seen that part of my file yet?"

"I've read it," McCoy replied. "But we both know that you were forced to undergo that treatment, so it does not count."

"I've dealt with all that pain long ago. It's taken time, but I've let go of all of my anger, my grief, and my heartache."

"How?"

"Dueling Death Eaters over the years helped tremendously," she said with a sad laugh. "But mostly just realizing that it wouldn't help to keep being so angry about what happened to me. Placing the blame where it was so rightly deserved helped. Speaking to others, and just letting go."

McCoy nodded slowly before he pinched his lips together and glanced at Severus. "Would you say the same about your experience? That you've let go of all the trauma you witnessed, either in your childhood or in your Death Eater days?"

"No," Severus replied honestly. "I'm still working through it. However, speaking to someone such as yourself—forgive me for saying this—but it's different sharing such darkness with someone you are mere acquaintances and someone you wish to spend the rest of your life with."

"So you've been sharing battle stories, as it were?"

"Slowly," Aurora said with a nod, glancing at Severus. "We all have as a family because Severus and I experienced very different childhoods than what Harry did."

Harry glanced at them for half a moment before his eyes fell back to the ground. From what he had heard from his dad over the years, he had a similar childhood to him.

"And does that help you? To hear what their childhoods were like?"

"I guess," the young man said with a shrug. "I mean, well, it shows me that I'm not the only one who had a crummy childhood."

"I see."

Harry's lip curled slightly. He hated that phrase.

"Are you happy, Harry?" McCoy asked quietly, causing Harry to look back up at him.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Because it's a valid question, one that shows your overall wellbeing."

"Well, it's a stupid question."

McCoy smiled thinly. "That may be, but it is one I need you to answer for me."

"Of course, I'm happy," Harry replied. "I have two parents who love me. Not because I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, but because I'm Harry. My dad was the first person here who didn't treat me with kid gloves or fall all over himself because the 'Savior' was in his class. And Mum . . ." He glanced at Aurora. "Two years ago, I nearly died after being attacked in the Forbidden Forest. She didn't really know me at that time. I was just some kid in her Astronomy class who didn't pay attention like all the rest. But she still, you know, wrapped her arms around me and sacrificed herself to save me. My mother, Lily that is, everyone goes on about how she sacrificed herself for me, but they don't know the whole story. They don't know that Lily did it because she thought I'd be someone special. She didn't do it out of love. Not like Aurora did."

"You think your mother didn't love you?"

"She didn't. I was just some sort of way she could be remembered."

"Harry," Severus murmured.

"No, Dad. It's the truth. You read her letter just like I did. She only wanted to have a kid with you because she believed that your child would be powerful or something. It wasn't love." Harry sighed. "Aurora—she loves me, loves us both. That's why it was terrifying to think that whatever was inside her would, you know, take her away from us, take that happiness from us. I just started getting used to feeling loved. I mean, Mrs. Weasley hugs me like that too sometimes, but with Aurora I don't have to share her with anyone. Well, other than you, Dad."

"What if you get a brother or a sister down the road?"

Harry couldn't keep the grin off his face. "That'd be wicked. I could teach him or her about Quidditch and spells and stuff. Intimidate all the boys when they'd try to snog her . . . Or, you know, make sure that she's the right girl for my brother. I've never been a brother before."

McCoy smiled as well. "Unfortunately, it's not always that easy."

"I know. And when things would be tough, like if she got in a fight with her best friend, I'd take her out for ice cream or something to cheer her up. Or, you know, play a pickup game of Quidditch and let him use my broom. I don't know. I'd be there for him or her, you know?"

"You have this all figured out, it seems."

Harry shrugged. "I haven't really had a family as long as everyone else has."

McCoy nodded slightly. "So it seems." He then glanced down at his notepad before he shook his head. "I suppose we can end our session there today. We at least touched on several of the issues."

"Touched on them?" Aurora repeated. "I think we bloody well covered them to death."

"We still haven't discussed Severus's losing of Lily, Harry's near-death, or your latest choice."

"I chose love. What's left to discuss?"

"Plenty," he replied, flipping his notepad closed.

"I didn't want to hurt either of them. They had already lost Lily, and while Harry may not remember her or understand her, she was his biological mother. I'm just the wicked stepmother."

"And as for my near death . . ." the young man said, picking up where she had left off. "It was scary, sure, but it gave way to something amazing. Them. I'm not alone anymore. Whenever I feel down or scared, I know I can go to either one of them."

McCoy had raised an eyebrow before he turned towards Severus. "Am I correct to assume you have something to add as well?"

"I do."

"Then, by all means, please enlighten me."

"I lost Lily, yes, but I've spent enough years grieving for her. For feeling guilty about her and Potter's deaths. She made her choice, and I made mine. I'm embracing my future, a future I never knew a few years ago was possible. So, we could discuss that further if you believe it's necessary, but I think it's a moot point, don't you?"

McCoy chuckled and shook his head. "I've never seen people more averse to therapy than you three. Fine. I'll cut my losses and admit defeat. However, that does not mean that I want our sessions to end for good. We'll compromise, and I'll cut it back to every two months. Is that agreeable?"

Harry glanced at his dad who glanced at Aurora.

"Deal," she replied standing up. "See you in two months, Healer." She then glanced at Severus and Harry, holding her hands out to them. "I believe we have a picnic to get to, hmm, boys?"

Clearly deep in thought, Harry nibbled on his sandwich as his parents talked quietly among themselves. He couldn't get McCoy's words out of his head.

"Harry?"

He blinked and glanced at his mum. "Yeah?"

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, everything's good." He kept his eyes down as he answered her.

"Harry," she said softly, leaning towards him before she gently tilted his chin up so he'd be looking at her. "It's us, not McCoy. So, out with it."

"I . . ." He had closed his eyes before he winced. "I just have been thinking."

"Clearly," his dad quipped.

"But it's okay," Harry said with a shrug. "I don't need to know."

"Know what?"

Harry's eyes darted to the safety of the floor. Why had he even been thinking about that? That was between his dad and mum, not him.

"Harry, answer me. What don't you need to know about?"

"I can't. It's not . . . I don't need to know." He heard her heavy sigh instantly.

"I take it this is about the whole brother/sister thing?"

"No," Harry answered quickly. He caught their surprise and glanced back down. "It's, well, you were pregnant twice."

"I was."

He swallowed his fear and slowly looked at her. He could feel his dad's eyes burning holes into him. "I—I mean, you don't have to . . . I don't even know why I'm asking . . . I just . . ."

"They weren't planned pregnancies if that's what you're asking."

"You do not need to answer, Aurora. I'm certain Harry would understand." His dad gave him a pointed look. However, before Harry could reply, Aurora spoke again.

"No it's fine. He's heard a little bit about your past. Might as well hear a bit about mine. Plus, it's not like I've told you even. Better to get it out than to keep it in, and all that." She inhaled slowly. "The Headmaster needed Slytherins in the first War. He wouldn't actively recruit them, of course, because who in their right mind would join when everyone else in their House was joining Voldemort instead? But I was tired of seeing my housemates dying because of a madman's hatred, so I joined. Or rather demanded he accept me into his Order of the Phoenix, the group devoted to kick Death Eater arse. Only a few people in the Order knew about me. Your mother, for example."

"You fought with my mother?"

"I did. Once." Aurora ran a hand through her hair again and sighed. "We were only supposed to follow, but somehow attention was drawn to us and so we dueled two Death Eaters together."

"I bet you were brilliant," Harry said with a smile.

"Oh, I was certainly something," she replied with a soft self-deprecating laugh. "Long story short, I . . ." Her voice faltered slightly, causing Harry's eyes to narrow on her. "Your mother hadn't noticed the Death Eater that had arrived to help his buddies. She was grabbed from behind, and he moved to take her back to the others to torture her and likely kill her."

"Did they take her?"

"No." Aurora shook her head. "I clipped the man with a cutting curse, and he released her. However, that action left me vulnerable, and I was brought back to the others."

"Oh." Harry closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mum. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's fine, Harry. You didn't know." She shrugged. "I had already been 'marked' as they called it." She slowly pushed her sleeve up and revealed the thin white carved Dark Mark to him. "So, I knew that I'd be released . . . eventually. And I was." She forced a thin smile. "Dumbledore decided after that your mother and I weren't to work together again. Mostly because he knew I'd hex her to hell and back if I saw her anywhere near me."

Harry nodded numbly. Why had he asked such a stupid question?

"It wasn't until another mission that I learned about my condition. I knew Minerva would go all motherly on me again, and I didn't want the looks of pity that came with it. So I did what I always do and kept it a secret. I truly thought if I ignored it, it'd go away. That was until your birthday."

His eyes darted back to her. "What?"

"Your mother was already at St. Mungo's, preparing to give birth to you. I didn't know that, of course. Not until I showed up in the lobby and Sirius was there."

"Were you two close?" Harry innocently asked. "I've heard you mention him before."

"No. Not really. I was friends with his brother, Regulus. But, I suppose, you could say that he was protective of me because of that connection with Reg. I'd imagine it's out of guilt or something."

"Oh."

"Either way, he stayed with me that night. Claiming it wasn't right to leave me alone when he wasn't doing anything productive."

"Did he know what had happened with my mother?"

"No, but I'm sure he knew it wasn't anything good. He knew how much I hated Death Eaters and how much I was hated by them. Not to mention, he and James were on loads more missions than I was."

Harry nodded slowly.

"I was hysterical after the healers told me about . . . Why should Lily haven't gotten her happy ending when it was because of her that I was in that situation? At least that was what was going through my mind nonstop at that moment."

Harry watched his dad slip his hand into Aurora's.

"I was so angry and so heartbroken. I told him how Reg had said he'd fix everything before he left. And I gave him the most potent weapon he could have used against me, against Severus. I told him that I loved Severus and that I would do anything to save him."

"You told him?"

"I wasn't thinking clearly, obviously. He only sat there, though, until I fell asleep. When I woke, he was gone. I only saw him once after that." She sighed heavily. "The night he killed that boy that followed them around all the time."

"Pettigrew," Severus said.

"Yeah, him."

"Is that why he was in jail?"

"Azkaban," his dad corrected. "Yes. He killed Pettigrew and twelve Muggles."

"Allegedly," Aurora mumbled.

Harry caught his dad's head whipping around instantly.

"What?"

"I said, 'Allegedly," she repeated, glancing at his dad. "Black may have been a royal bastard and loads of other adjectives, but he wasn't a murderer of Muggles."

"They got in the way of his killing Pettigrew," Severus offered. "Had it not been for the Aurors, Lupin would have been next."

"And, yet, Remus is fine. Other than always looking so sick lately."

"Perhaps Black is waiting for the right time. There are Dementors out there after all."

"Why would he have betrayed James, Severus? A man he considered his brother even more than Regulus? Or how about Pettigrew? Why him?" She raised an eyebrow when he couldn't come up with a reason. "Exactly. It doesn't make sense."

"It's Black. Who knows what was going through his mind at the time? We may never know."

"Before he left my flat, he was asking about Regulus. How I knew Reg had taken the Mark."

"So?"

"Someone betrayed Lily and James to break the Fidelius Charm. That's a fact we can agree upon, yes?"

"Yes," Severus agreed.

Harry felt slightly confused but sat there listening nonetheless.

"What if we had it wrong, and it wasn't Sirius? It wouldn't be the first time Albus left an innocent man—at least regarding his killing Muggles—in Azkaban. Now, would it?"

"It was Black," his dad declared. Harry could see the doubt, though. "It's always Black."

The minute his eyes read 'Asphodel makes people fall in love with you,' his head hit his desk with a loud thump.

"Why, oh why, did I decide to come back this year?" he asked aloud with a loud groan.

"Um . . ." a soft familiar voice interrupted soon after. "Do you want me to come back?"

Severus sighed heavily before he slowly lifted his head and glanced at his son. "Help restore my faith, will you, brat, and define asphodel?" He caught Harry's smirk instantly. "Please?"

"Asphodel is a member of the lily family and found all over Europe," the young man began, sounding strangely enough like his father. "It's known for being used in the Draught of Living Death."

"Thank you," Severus replied in relief, lifting his head up all the way now.

Harry shrugged. "Anytime." He headed over to his father's desk and glanced down at the small pile of essays Severus still had to mark. "Are they really that bad?"

"Worse." He pushed them aside happily and gave his son his full attention. "What brings you down here today? I thought you were going to be studying with Miss Granger in the library again."

"Yeah, well, Malfoy beat me to her today."

"Ah." Draco was clearly taking after his father already, it seemed. He'd have to remember to speak with Lucius later and make sure young Draco knew all the consequences before things got too far.

"They're going for a walk around the lake. Course, Ron was his usual self when he saw them together, but Hermione took care of that."

"Oh?" Severus sat a bit straighter.

"Yeah, she punched him."

Severus's brow raised, but he said nothing. Secretly, he decided he'd award her points later.

"But it was when she drew her wand, that he really got the message. I've never seen him run that fast before."

Biting the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling, Severus nodded silently. Granger would get at least 500 points now.

"Is that what my life is going to be like now? Watching Ron and Malfoy fight over her all the time?" Harry asked suddenly. "I mean, was that what it was like with you and James?"

Severus paused and thought for a minute. Instinctively, he wanted to tell the boy it wasn't, as it was much worse, but . . .

"It was more complicated than that, but yes. Once that phase starts, it brings about very turbulent years. Decades even." Or longer, he added in his head.

"Great," Harry said sarcastically. "Everyone's going to go bonkers around me."

"As will you, brat," Severus quietly declared. "Adolescents, by their very nature, are hormonal monsters. It's not something you can truly control, as your body is trying to figure itself out. At times you'll find yourself at an extreme for no apparent reason other than the day of the week is Tuesday."

"So you're saying that someday I'll get upset just because it's Tuesday?"

"Yes." Severus shrugged slightly. "It's my experience, though, that young ladies tend to have it worse, though. Males only get possessive and angry, whereas females tend to sob, laugh hysterically, punch things randomly, you name it. Every emotion known to man has the chance to be exhibited by a young lady during these years. Sometimes you won't even know why they're mad at you. They just are. And then you spend the next two days trying to figure out what you did, when it wasn't anything you actually did."

"Then the reason Ron is acting like such a git is because he's upset with Malfoy being so close to Hermione now?"

"Ah, well, I couldn't tell you for certain if that's the case, but I'm certain it's part of it." Or it was just Weasley was a git.

"So, if you know we're all hormonal monsters, why do you teach?"

"A question I've been asking myself for the better half of the past hour, I assure you," Severus drawled, rubbing the back of his neck. He supposed he could tell Harry a little bit about himself. Aurora certainly had revealed quite a bit about herself to the boy a few weeks ago. "The Dark Lord required someone to keep him updated on all of Albus's movements. So, I offered my services, as I had already at this point decided to change my allegiance from the Dark Lord to the Headmaster." Harry nodded as he listened. "I was given the available Potions position and made Head of Slytherin. I . . ." He sighed quietly. "I suppose you could say that as time passed, I became more comfortable here than I had been anywhere else. I had access to a fully stocked Potions lab whenever I wanted with the understanding that I could use all of the resources available to procure numerous ingredients that otherwise would have been unavailable to me. I was not in Azkaban. Always a plus. And I had power over others, something I rarely ever felt."

"And now?"

"And now I, well, I suppose I can't see myself being anywhere else. Hogwarts is my home."

"Yeah."

"I'm glad I've stayed here as long as I have, though. I'd have missed meeting you and Aurora."

"You're going to get all lovesick again, aren't you?" Harry asked with a grimace. "Because, really, I see enough of that with Malfoy that I don't need to see you doing it too."

"I do not get 'lovesick,' brat."

"Yeah, you sort of do, Dad. Like, take last night for example. It was sort of obvious that you were hanging off Mum's every word when she was telling us about her wanting a dog."

"I just happened to enjoy—"

"Face it, Dad. You love her. Like, really, really love her. To the point where you should, you know, ask her something."

Severus raised a brow. "If I'm lovesick, then what are you, brat? Desperate to be a brother?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't lie to myself and say I'm not."

"There are a great many reasons why I cannot ask Aurora to marry me right now."

"Yeah? Name one." Harry crossed his arms defiantly.

"We've only had one date, and that was promptly ruined by men trying to kidnap her last year," Severus drawled, kicking himself internally for answering the brat.

"So? Ask her out on another one then."

"It's not that simple."

"Dad, if you're worried about me, it's okay. I don't need a babysitter. I can handle having a night alone while you two are out together. I am thirteen now."

"Where would I even take her?"

"I don't know. A walk under the stars?"

Severus glanced out one of the windows and noticed the little beads of rain droplets streaking down the glass. No doubt, the Dementors were out there as well. Date was out. Unless they did it inside.

"Reason two, weddings do not prove love," he said a moment later.

"No, you acting like an idiot proves that."

"Excuse me?"

"I guess it's time. I should've told you this awhile back, but, well, sometimes when you think no one's paying attention, I see you running into things when you're staring at Mum. Or all the times you brush a bit of her hair back. Or, well, let's not forget the infamous towel incident."

Severus stared at his son blankly. Had he truly done all those things?

"You love her, Dad. I get it."

His head fell once more against his desk. Since when had he become one of those smitten lovesick boyfriends? He used to be the bastard of the dungeons!

"Ask her out on another date. Focus on you . . . as a couple."

He glanced sideways at Harry and caught the cheeky grin.

"You know you want to." Oh, Merlin did he ever want to. "So, go ask her already. Unless you're scared?" Harry's grin widened.

"Your attempts to goad me into acting like a foolish Gryffindor—"

"Yep, I knew it. You're scared." Harry then shrugged and turned to head for the door.

"Where do you think you're going, brat?"

"The library. Because that appears to be where all the smart people who aren't love-struck go," Harry quipped before he walked out of the room. "Ask her," he called over his shoulder before he disappeared completely.

Severus slowly picked up his head and glanced at the remaining pile of essays on his desk. Marking abysmal essays or ask Aurora out on a date? He grimaced as he stared at the pile. Essays or Aurora? Essays—full of utter crap—or Aurora—whom he'd look like an idiot in front of? Essays or . . .

"Ah, fuck it," he declared, pushing the essays far from him. He'd choose to look like an idiot in front of Aurora every time.

Now, if he only knew where she was. She had left earlier to go for a walk, but that had been hours ago. He sighed as he walked out of his office and into the corridor. Normally, he'd check his rooms first, but the empty portrait told him she wasn't there. So, he started towards McGonagall's office. She'd likely speak with her mentor, or had spoken with her at some point on this ungodly long walk. Not that he was worried. He trusted her.

"Baron!" he called out a few steps later. He waited for the Slytherin ghost to reappear. "Where is Aurora currently?" he asked as soon as the silvery apparition appeared.

"With Professor Lupin in the Defense classroom, sir," the Baron calmly replied.

"She's where?" His heart started pounding furiously in his chest.

"With Professor Lupin, sir, in the Defense classroom," the ghost repeated.

"Damn it, Aurora," Severus growled before he took off running. Didn't she know what Lupin was? On second thought, she likely didn't. As he sprinted towards the classroom, in the back of his mind he counted the days until the last full moon. His heart sank as he realized that it'd be tomorrow night. From one near death to another . . . it had to stop at some point, right?

Barreling full speed against the Defense classroom door several minutes later, he burst in, wand drawn and at the ready. "Get away from my witch, Wolf!"

 He didn't care that the wolf was across the desk from Aurora and clearly far enough back that he wouldn't be able to grab her. He also didn't care that she was now glaring murderously at him. He was protecting her. She'd see it his way eventually. After she realized she had been alone in a room with a dangerous monster who would have ripped her limb from limb in ten seconds flat had he not intervened.

"Are you barking mad, Severus?"

"No." He was perfectly sane. Aurora, on the other hand—no, she didn't know about Lupin's furry problem thanks to Dumbledore.

"Then lower your damn wand," she ordered, shaking her head before she turned back towards Lupin. "I apologize for him. He gets a little jealous and overprotective sometimes. As I was saying—"

Severus's fingers tightened around his wand briefly in response to her words. She didn't understand. Not like he did. She had never come face to face before with a werewolf, seen its teeth and claws. He'd forgive her for her innocence. She just didn't know the truth.

"Aurora, come here," Severus said as calmly as he could muster, never lowering his wand from Lupin. When he caught her glare, he added, "Please?" She'd understand the seriousness now. He rarely ever used the word 'Please' in that tone.

She paused for half a moment before she sighed heavily and took a step towards him and away from Lupin. It wasn't far enough in Severus's mind, but it was a start.

"What in the hell is going on?" she asked, clearly baffled by his behavior.

"It's my fault, I'm afraid," Lupin answered softly, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Why? We're just talking." She then turned back to Severus, her eyes hardening. "Or are you that cave man-like that I can't even talk with another male?"

Cave man? He was nothing like a cave man. If he were, he'd have beat Lupin already with the largest and spikiest club known to man. Actually, he thought he was being rather calm about this thing, considering she was standing near a man eater.

"He believes I may hurt you, Aurora."

"Hurt me?" she repeated. She then placed her hands on her hips. "Why on earth would you hurt me, Remus?" When he said nothing, she looked at Severus. "Why do you think he'd hurt me?"

"Because that's his nature, Aurora," Severus replied honestly.

"His nature?" She threw her hands up in the air then. "I give up." She then sighed heavily. "One of you better tell me what the hell is going on or else I'm hexing both of you."

Severus was wise enough not to point out that her magic hadn't returned to her yet.

"You didn't tell her?" Lupin asked surprised.

"I told no one, as I was sworn to secrecy," Severus replied, brushing off the murderous glare in his direction.

"Ah." Lupin then sighed, knitting his fingers together. "I'm a werewolf, Aurora."

"And I'm a vampire," she drawled, clearly not believing Lupin for an instant.

"Unfortunately, I'm serious, Aurora. I am a werewolf. Have been ever since I was very little."

"What?" She took half a step back. The fear Severus had felt eased a little bit more. She was almost within his arm length now. "You can't be." She then stepped back towards Lupin, causing Severus's fingers to curl even tighter around his wand. What on earth was she doing?

"Aurora," he warned quietly.

"It's fine, Severus," she replied dismissively.

Severus's heart thundered in his ears now as he watched in horror at her taking yet another step towards Lupin. She was going to get herself killed. It was then he noticed Lupin take a large step back from her. A part of him was grateful to the wolf for this action. Another part waited for Lupin to attack.

"No. He's right, Aurora. It's too dangerous to be around me. The full moon is just tomorrow."

"So? I mean, do you feel homicidal right now? Wanting to eat me or anything?"

Severus glanced at her and briefly considered if he had made a mistake in choosing her as his lover. How in the world could she be so trusting, so kind, so . . . Lily, he realized with a start. Lily, too, had been kind to Lupin, treating him as if he wasn't a murderous furry monster.

"No," Lupin said with a quiet laugh, the lines around his eyes smoothing just a bit. "But I think for Severus's sake you should stay back from me."

She turned to glance at Severus, her eyes narrowing on him briefly. "Are you afraid of him because he's a werewolf or because he's Remus Lupin?"

Severus blinked at her. Had she truly just asked that? He didn't even know how to respond to that. While Lupin had revealed now to her that he was a werewolf, that didn't necessarily mean that Dumbledore's swearing him to secrecy was over.

"He saw me once after I had transformed into the werewolf," Lupin somberly explained. "Sirius had tricked him into heading down the long passage that led to the Shrieking Shack."

Her mouth dropped as she stared at Severus. "That's why I'm seeing that. It's your memory."

He didn't reply. Instead, he found himself thinking of possible reasons why she would be recalling that memory of his. While he'd admit that he had been recalling that memory numerously the past few months, he hadn't thought he had transferred it to her.

She then stepped all the way back to stand beside Severus before she glanced back at Lupin.

"You couldn't control it, Remus. No one can. We all know the old 'A werewolf would kill his best friend if given the chance' line. I'm certain Severus doesn't blame you deep down."

Well, wasn't that presumptive of her? He kept his mouth firmly shut, though, lowering his wand. After all, she'd likely punch him if he told her that she was wrong and that he did too blame Lupin. No. He'd remain quiet and be grateful that she had stood beside him finally.

"Not when the blame rests solely on Black," she stated a moment later.

Severus found himself somewhat stunned to hear that admission from her. Everyone had always doted on Black and Potter. Lily certainly had. He groaned inwardly and closed his eyes. Why was he thinking about her again?

"He should have been placed in Azkaban solely for that. Conspiracy to commit murder and a slew of other crimes on top of that. Hell, you were there, Remus. The crap James and he pulled—they'd have been expelled long ago if it had happened nowadays."

"I fear you'd be right, Aurora," Lupin said softly, glancing towards Severus apologetically.

"Which brings us back to why I'm here to speak with you in the first place," Aurora said with a sigh. "Did you see Black that night, Remus? The night Pettigrew was murdered?"

"No, but I wouldn't have," Lupin replied with a shrug. "Professor Dumbledore had me doing some business up in the north for him."

She turned towards Severus with a faint smile. "See? It doesn't make sense. A whole day goes by after James and Lily were killed, and Sirius only goes after Pettigrew, not Remus?"

"As I said earlier, who knows what was going through his mind at the point?" Severus then sighed quietly. "Not to mention, Lupin just admitted he was away on business. Perhaps Black couldn't find him."

"Or perhaps Black went after Pettigrew for a different reason entirely. I mean, let's be honest, shall we? Black and James were inseparable, brothers practically. Why would you want to aid in the killing of a man you considered to be your brother?"

"He's a Black, Aurora."

"I'm well aware of that, thank you, considering I have some of that blood in my family as well," she replied rather annoyed. "But it doesn't make sense. Why Pettigrew? What was it about him? Unless there's more to the story."

"What are you saying?" Lupin inquired with a frown.

"What if he killed Pettigrew because Pettigrew was the one who betrayed James and Lily, not Sirius? I mean, for years, we all have believed it was the other way around, because Sirius was the obvious choice for Secret Keeper. What if they chose Pettigrew instead? Lily, after all, changed Harry's godparents from Sirius to the Dursleys."

Severus stared at her for a few moments, his mind reeling with her scenario. What if she was right? Not that it mattered of course. Black was still a wretched waste of space in his mind. But what if she was right? Then all these years he had thought he'd had his revenge were for nothing.

"A question I've asked myself many nights as well, Aurora, but we may never know why. At least not until he resurfaces again."

An hour later, Severus and Aurora were back in their rooms. She had been extremely quiet since they had returned, he noticed. However, every time he had pointed it out, she stated nothing was wrong, but it was obvious that something was.

"Are you feeling ill?" he finally asked with a frown when the silence had become too much.

"What?"

"Are you feeling ill? Do you need me to brew a potion for you perhaps?"

"No."

"Then why are you so quiet?"

"Everything's fine, Severus."

"Forgive me, but that's a load of Thestral crap," he replied gruffly, crossing his arms at her. "Are you still trying to figure out Black's motives?"

"I was," she admitted with a shrug, "but I've moved on to if we should get a dog or not."

"What?"

"A dog, Severus. I think it'd be good for Harry."

"And just who is supposed to take care of said dog exactly?"

"Well, Harry can when he's down here, and I can take care of it at night."

"You want a dog?" he repeated, staring at her in confusion.

"No. I don't want a dog. I just think we should get one. You know, as a family. Unless you don't think we've reached that step?"

He frowned. Getting a dog together was a step? Lucius had never said anything about that.

"Why a dog?"

"Because none of us have had one before."

He opened his mouth to correct her before he promptly closed it once more. He actually had quite a few dogs growing up. Strays, of course, but he had considered them his own for a bit.

"Then, we'll get a dog."

"Excellent." She clapped her hands together and grinned. "Because I have the perfect one picked out already."

"You do?" He tried to keep the horror from reaching his face.

"I do. Hagrid is with him now actually."

Hagrid? Oh Merlin. He could only imagine what this so-called dog was.

"We're going to give him a bath, though."

"Hagrid?" he choked out.

"No," she laughed. "The dog, silly."

"Ah." He forced his smile even more. This had disaster all over it. But she seemed so happy now that he didn't have the heart to tell her no. "And where did you find this dog?" He caught her uneasiness at once, feeling his dread increase. "Aurora, where did you find the dog?"

"Actually, you know, it's a funny story."

"Aurora." He wasn't laughing.

"The Forbidden Forest."

His eyes widened. "The Forbidden Forest? What on earth were you doing anywhere near there?"

"I went for a walk," she shrugged.

"You went for a walk?" he repeated, staring at her horrified. "Do you have any idea what sorts of dangers there are in the bloody damn forest, witch? You could have been killed!"

"By what, a centaur?"

He glared at her. He wasn't certain if it'd be Harry or her that'd drive him to the grave sooner. Absolute zero regard for their safety. Naïve to the point of stupidity both of them. Was he the only one who thought of the bloody damn consequences? Of what could happen to idiots like them gallivanting about the forest with no care in the world?

"You worry too much."

"And you don't worry enough, woman," he grumbled.

"The dog was right there beside me the entire time. I was fine."

"Yes, because dogs are well known for fighting off a fully-grown werewolf."

"This one seemed to be," she said with a shrug.

"Aurora," he growled, glaring at her. "I nearly lost you twice now. Do you understand that, witch? So, for my sake, please, I beg of you, knock it off and start thinking. I won't always be there to save you." He watched her face morph into pure fury.

"Excuse me?"

Perhaps on second thought he shouldn't have said that.

"Save me?" she snarled back. "I'm not some pathetic little witch who needs a man to save her. I can protect myself. I was fine out there in the forest. I watched for movement. I had my wand with me."

"And what good would that do when you can't—" The words died on his lips instantly as he caught the jet of light hurled near him. He stood corrected. He felt the castle shake the moment her hex hit the glass window behind him.

"When I can't do magic? Is that what you were about to say?" she snapped, glaring at him.

"I apologize," he offered with a grimace before he turned back to glance at the now cracked window. For now, the shield around Hogwarts was holding back Black Lake. "I was not aware that your magic had returned." Or that it had become stronger either for that matter.

"Yeah, well, apology not accepted, Severus," she shouted back. "I'm not Lily for Circe's sake! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself. I've done it all my life."

"I wasn't comparing you to her." At least not in that instance.

"Then why did you say, 'I won't always be there to save you,' Severus?" She shook her head and scoffed. "You know what? Never mind. I don't want to hear it. Because nothing you could say right now would make me believe you after the way you acted. I'm not Lily. I'm not going to discard you like yesterday's trash for Black or, hell, Lupin. And I sure as hell don't need you swooping in and saving me like her either. I can protect myself. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that. So, don't insult me and treat me like you'd treat her." She then flicked her wrist towards the window, the cracks quickly sealing as a result. "I'm not her, Severus. I won't ever be her. I thought you understood that." She then left.

"Just apologize to her already, Dad," Harry said loudly, rolling his eyes as he worked on his Charms essay. It had been his mantra for the past two days as well.

Severus didn't have the heart to tell his son that he had made it as far as the portrait outside of Aurora's rooms before he turned and left earlier. He wanted to apologize. He honestly did. But he couldn't find the courage to do so. What if she told him that she wouldn't ever forgive him as Lily had?

His fist slammed down onto the table suddenly. No! That was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place. Aurora was not Lily. How could he even compare the two?

"Sorry," Harry mumbled from the island in the kitchenette.

Frowning, Severus glanced at his son. No doubt the boy had taken his outburst as a sign of anger at him. "No, Harry. Do not apologize. You've done nothing wrong." He then sighed, brushing back his long hair. "I have."

"So, apologize. It's not that hard."

"For you, perhaps, but . . ."

"Slytherins can be brave, too, Dad. You and Mum taught me that," Harry pointed out.

"Yes, and they can also be extremely emotional as well."

"Um, Dad, probably best if don't mention that to Mum."

Severus pressed his lips together even tighter. The boy was right. It would be best if he just sucked it up and apologized to her. He had clearly hurt her. But wasn't the proper thing to do was give her time to cool off? Though, even he knew two days was too long. Relationships were messy and confusing. Much like adolescents, he decided, pushing himself up from his chair.

"You going to go apologize?" Harry asked cheerfully.

"No."

"Oh." The young man sighed heavily then, flipping the page of his book.

"I'm going to get that blasted dog she wanted and then apologize."

"Really?" Harry's eyes lit up. "It's still down with Hagrid. Mum never went to get him. Hagrid doesn't mind, though." He then bit his lip nervously. "Could I come with? To see the dog again?"

"No." Severus then jerked his head towards Harry's opened book. "You have a Charms essay due tomorrow."

"But I can—"

"Your studies come first, Harry. I may not have done my due diligence before and kept on you about your schoolwork this year, but I am now. Finish your essay."

"Fine," the young man groaned. "I'll just sit here and do my stupid Charms essay."

"Excuse me?" Severus said, raising an eyebrow at his son.

"I'll do my Charms essay," Harry repeated, adopting a more respectful tone this time.

"Good. I'll return shortly." He paused as he came to stand behind his son for a moment. Gently, he rested a hand on the boy's shoulder and sighed. There were moments when things would come naturally to him, and then there were times like this where Severus second guessed himself. He then turned and left.

The walk down to Hagrid's hut was quick and silent. He passed Weasley with his rat and resisted the urge just barely from taking points from the boy for just breathing. Damn Weasley for turning his back on Harry. A part of him wondered if anyone would know it was him if he flicked his wand and caused the boy to roll down the hill. Maybe the boy would hit a rock and knock some sense into him. Though, it wasn't likely. The boy never did have any sense. With a shake of his head, Severus brushed aside his anger.

As he neared the circular structure a few moments later, he heard shouting followed by rabid barking inside. He found taking each step suddenly became harder, as the shouting and barking became louder. He raised a hand a moment later to knock, but quickly jumped aside when the door was suddenly thrown open.

A scruffy brown mutt sprinted out of the hut before it stopped and noticed him. The dog quickly bared its teeth at him, giving off the impression that Severus's mere appearance had pissed it off.

"Perfessor!" Hagrid shouted a moment later, stepping outside. He then turned back to the mutt. "Now you knock it off. This here's yer master."

That only seemed to piss the dog off even more, Severus noted.

"Perhaps I should come back later," he offered with a grimace. Clearly, he had done something to offend the dog in the five seconds they had met.

"No. It's fine, Perfessor," Hagrid stated, grabbing the mutt by the scruff of the neck. "He's likely missin' Perfessor Sinistra."

At the mentioning of Aurora, the dog suddenly became docile, relaxed. Severus's eyes narrowed as a result. While he understood she had that effect sometimes, this was different.

"I'm actually on my way to meet her," Severus quietly said, noticing the dog's ears perk up. He watched Hagrid release the mutt soon after.

"Goin' to apologize then?" Hagrid asked with a kind smile.

Severus sighed audibly. "Glad to know that our relationship has become fodder for gossip."

Hagrid shrugged. "Nah. We're just wantin' ya both to be happy." He then chuckled when the dog lifted its leg up and promptly peed on Severus. "He's warmin' up to you."

Severus glared at the dog in response. Stupid mutt. He waved his hand and vanished the mess. He'd need to collar the dog clearly and maybe transfigure a leash for it. Maybe even teach it not to piss on people either. And a bath, the mutt definitely need a bath.

"Thank you, Rubeus," he said quietly. He then addressed the dog. "Come on then. I'll take you to Aurora." He found himself getting rather annoyed with the dog's happiness whenever her name was mentioned. It wasn't that he was jealous of the dog. His jealous wasn't that bad. It just was strange.

A moment later, Severus was walking with a dirty, horribly matted mutt at his side. They walked through the castle together, a few people pointing at them as they did. He ignored them, though, as did the dog for that matter.

As they neared the portrait that guarded Aurora's room, Severus felt his nervousness reappear. What if she still didn't want to see him? No, he mustn't think that way.

"Ophiuchus," Severus announced, providing the last password of hers he knew. He caught Circe's brow raise but she said nothing as she swung open and permitted them inside. Following behind the mutt, Severus stepped inside, hearing the portrait close behind him soon after. "Aurora?" His eyes narrowed when he didn't see her in any of the downstairs rooms. The sound of glass shattering upstairs a moment later sent him and the dog sprinting up the staircase. He recalled the last time he had been in her rooms and heard that sound.

However, as he entered her bedroom, he quickly realized that she wasn't in any danger. In fact, she seemed to be controlling danger. Her mirror had been shattered. The jagged glass was suspended in the air in front of Aurora who had her hand cupped in front of her. He watched her fingers slowly curl to close her hand into a fist. The glass in response tightened in its formation.

"Aurora?" he said softly, hoping he didn't scare her.

Her eyes briefly met his before she turned her wrist and turned the glass to fine sand. "I have nothing to say to you, Severus," she replied, slowly bending down to scratch behind the mutt's ears.

"Good, because I have plenty to say to you," he stated lightly. He caught her soft snort and decided to dive right in. "I should never have compared you to her. But, Aurora, I'm not with you because I want to reclaim that time with her. She chose Potter."

"Except where her son's concerned," Aurora pointed out quietly.

He pinched his lips together before he inclined his head. She had a point there. "She, however, is my reference point. I," his voice faltered as his eyes dropped to the floor. "She is the only other witch I've been with. I don't have the experience—"

"Great. Now I'm a whore in your eyes too," Aurora bitterly said with a shake of her head.

"No. I didn't say that." His jaw clenched. This was all coming out very wrong. "Aurora, I don't want to lose you."

"Like you lost Lily, yeah, I got that."

"Woman, listen to me for once in your life," he growled, his patience wearing thin. Why did she have to make this so infuriating? He was trying to apologize. Didn't she get that? "You are not Lily. I know that! I wouldn't want you to be her."

"Because I can never compare to her, yes, Severus, I know that. Thank you for once again rubbing it in my face."

He covered his face and yelled into his hands soon after. No. No. No! That was not at all what he was saying. Inhaling deeply, he let his arms fall to his side again. Perhaps if he showed her? He took a step towards her, noticing the mutt's immediate defensive posture towards him.

"Shh, sweetheart," she murmured, petting the dog's back. "It's okay. I can handle him." The dog seemed to relax somewhat.

"I love you, Aurora. Do you understand that? I. Love. You. Not Lily. Not any other witch. You! Hell, I tied my soul with you. My magic. I would not share them with anyone else. What must I do to make you understand that it's you I want to spend my life with? To shout it from your tower? The Great Hall at dinner? Tell me. I'll do it."

She opened her mouth to say something but promptly closed it again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry that I made you feel like you had to measure up to her. I'm sorry, Aurora. Truly I am." He wasn't above begging, he decided as he waited for her to accept his apology. As the seconds turned into minutes and she still hadn't said anything, he felt his heart start to sink. He had done it again. "I went to see the Dark Lord with Shacklebolt of all people at my side just to make certain that I would be with you. I punched the goddamn Minister of Magic last year to make him pay for what he did to you. I, I went down to Hagrid's to get the mutt for you. I . . . I made love to you, Aurora. I poured my soul into you, my love, my everything."

Once more her mouth opened, but no words came out.

"Those months you were missing last year, I was lost. I wasn't thinking clearly. I broke into Pomfrey's medical files on you just to get some part of you back. I would hold smell your pillow or some article of clothing of yours just so I wouldn't forget your smell."

"I'm not weak."

"I never said you were," he replied, shaking his head. "You're one of the strongest witches I know. You sacrificed yourself for my son just so I would get a chance to know him. You resisted the Dark Lord entering your mind, not once but twice. Not many can say that. You suffered considerable heartbreak, and yet you remain kind and loving to those you shouldn't. You never wavered in your belief in me. No one's done that for me. You didn't give up on me, Aurora. Not once. I gave you so much reason to, but you didn't."

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the dog's head cocked to the side. He brushed it off, though, and continued.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Tell me how I can make this up to you. I'll do anything."

"You can't."

He shook his head, though. "No. I refuse to believe that. You've shown me that anything is possible if you at least try. I'm trying, Aurora."

"I know you are. That's not . . ." She then sighed, shaking her head. "You can't make it up to me, because you did nothing wrong, Severus. I got upset over nothing."

"No, don't do that. Don't make excuses for my behavior."

"I'm not. That's what happened. You knew about Remus, and I'm certain that finding out that I was alone in a room with him . . . I felt your fear, Severus. Of that night, I mean. I get it. And then we were talking later and I just misconstrued what you were saying."

"Aurora . . ." His eyes narrowed. This wasn't like her.

"For two days now I've been sitting up here trying to figure out why I got so upset. I know that you weren't comparing me to Lily. You chose me. You've continuously chosen me, Severus, as of late. I thought about coming to apologize to you, but I couldn't. How do I explain that I lost my temper with you for no reason?"

"You're human."

"No. That's not it. Trelawney, um, Sybill said something to me the other day."

"What?" His eyes narrowed even more at the sudden topic change. What in the world did Sybill have to do with this?

"She didn't seem to recognize me at first. She just stared at me with this . . . this look I've never seen before. At first I thought it was because of the whole Azrial mess. It wasn't, though. I had made my choice, and I chose to return to you and Harry."

"Aurora, I don't follow. What did she say?"

"It doesn't matter what she said, Severus. It matters that you came here with the dog at your side to apologize." She then held a hand up. An empty vial flew through the air before it landed in her hand. "Harry told me about the time you both brewed this potion."

His eyes flickered to the vial before he saw the last drop, recognizing the potion instantly. Why would she take that?

"He said it'd reveal whatever your soul desired. For him, it was to speak with Lily."

"And for me, it was you," he revealed quietly.

"Exactly." She drew in a slow breath. "I took it to get some sort of peace Do you know what I saw?" He shook his head. "You and Harry and the dog." She forced another laugh. "It was exactly as Sybill described it."

"Aurora, I don't follow."

"She described Harry going on about siblings and you apologizing with our messy dog."

He nodded slowly. There had to be more to that, though.

"Where there was chaos, there is now order," she said softly, holding his eyes. "Where there was pain, now love. Where there was a dog . . ." She waved her hand towards the scruffy dog. With a shimmer of light that rippled over the dog, the messy, badly matted animal quickly transformed into a man kneeling on all fours. "Hello, Sirius," she said neutrally.

"Rora," the man replied laughing awkwardly.

Severus's eyes widened before he whipped his wand out and leveled it on the wizard.

"Black?" he hissed. How did he miss it? An Animagus, of course! It was so perfect.

"Snivellus," Sirius replied before he yelled out in obvious pain, his back arching slightly.

"Apologize," Aurora coldly commanded, her hand in a tight fist as she stared at him.

"I . . . sorry," the man said through grit teeth. Once he was released, he hit the floor, panting loudly. "Bloody hell, Rora. Stronger than you look."

Inhaling slowly, she stepped forward before she kicked Sirius hard in the ribs. "That's for all the shit you pulled on Severus over the years."

He quietly coughed, groaning as he grabbed his chest. With a ghost of a smile, he glanced at Severus. "For old time's sake, Snape? You know you want to."

Severus held his wand steady, though. Aurora's kick was punishment enough for now.

When Sirius realized he wasn't going to rise to the bait, he turned towards Aurora. "When did you figure it out?"

"Last night."

Sirius nodded. He then glanced at Severus. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"What are you going on about, Black?"

"Pettigrew. He's alive."

"Impossible. You blasted him to bits on the street." He contemplated sending for the Aurors.

"A finger. That's all they found, right? Come on. Think. If I'm an Animagus, who else is?"

"What are you saying?"

"Pettigrew. I saw him earlier when I was with Hagrid. At least his rat form. Some redhead was holding him, calling him Scabies or something."

Severus's eyes widened. "Weasley," he stated before he glanced at Aurora.

"Go. I have this under control," she replied calmly.

He glanced back at Black and sighed. He didn't want to leave her alone with him, but if it was true, then Harry could be in danger. He felt his fear subside when she flicked her wand at Sirius a moment later and his childhood bully collapsed. "Stupefy?" he inquired with a raised brow.

"No. Stunner to his family jewels," she drawled. "Now, go." He left soon after.

 For two minutes, Harry acted on his best behavior and remained at the island working on his essay. However, shortly after his father left, he soon found it difficult to concentrate. He wanted to know what was happening. Was that so wrong? He didn't think so.

So, exactly five minutes after his father left, Harry slammed his book shut. Maybe he'd just sneak a quick peek. What was the harm? He was in Hogwarts after all, not out in the Forbidden forest. He'd stay in the castle. He promised. Maybe.

Pushing himself up, he stood and headed for the door, grabbing his robes to throw them as he walked past them. It was just a quick little peek. His dad wouldn't even know he had left their rooms. Well, unless his dad asked Salazar, but he figured his dad would be too happy to think to ask the portrait anything. That was if Aurora forgave his dad.

What was he thinking? Of course she'd forgive his dad. She loved him. Love ruled the world. More so than power or hate ever did, that was.

The young man walked down the cool damp corridor in silence. He briefly wondered where all the Slytherins were, but he brushed that thought aside not long after. What did it matter where they were? He had his own house to worry about. Actually, if he were honest, he'd admit he rarely was even around other Gryffindors anymore. Except Hermione that was. He wondered what Healer McCoy would say about that. He headed up the stairs towards the entrance hall then. The healer would probably say it was an effect of the severe emotional abuse the Dursleys inflicted upon him, no doubt.

"Potter, wait up," a voice called out behind him suddenly.

Harry frowned but did slow down.

"I don't know where Hermione is, Malfoy," Harry said as soon as he caught the blond walking in step with him.

"What?" Malfoy then shook his head. "No, I was hoping to speak with you actually."

Harry's eyes narrowed. Malfoy wanted to speak with him? Why?

"It's occurred to me that I never thanked you, you know, for being all right with us. Hermione and me, that is."

"You guys are just friends. So what?" Harry replied with a shrug. Why was Malfoy making such a big deal out of this? Unlike Ron, Harry was fine with Hermione having other friends besides him.

"Yeah. We are, but, well, it stands. Thank you, Potter." Draco held his hand out to him.

Harry glanced at the outstretched hand for a moment before he sighed and shook Draco's hand. Maybe now things could go back to normal.

"You finish your Charms essay yet?" Malfoy asked, tugging on his sleeve slightly.

Glaring at the blonde, Harry shook his head. "No. But I will later. I have two more hours."

"Aren't you cutting it close, though, Potter?" The blond then cleared his throat. "I could give you some help if you want?"

Harry stopped instantly and whirled on the other boy. "What do you want, Malfoy? I already accepted your thanks and thanked you last year for saving my life two years ago. So, what do you want now? Just spit it out already."

"Me? I don't want anything, Potter. I was just offering assistance."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, 'Why?"

"What are you trying to accomplish? What's your angle, Malfoy? There has to be something in it for you besides keeping Hermione happy."

"That's not . . . Potter, honestly, I was only asking if you wanted some help. That's it."

"For the whole term now, you've ignored me except when I'm around Hermione. Can't we just go back to that?"

"If that's what you want . . . I was trying to be friendly, though."

"Why? I mean, have you honestly forgotten our history together because of Hermione?"

"No."

"Then knock it off, Malfoy. Because I still remember you trying to get me in trouble, you being a conceited git to me and Ron. You might be better now, but don't expect me to forgive you so easily."

"I should go," Malfoy said quietly, taking a step back.

"You should." Harry then huffed and headed for the front doors. Malfoy had probably taken long enough to make it so he wouldn't be able to see his dad with Scruffy.

He had just reached them when the doors suddenly swung open wide. Harry tried to jump out of the way, but wasn't fast enough clearly. One of the heavy oak doors slammed hard into his face. He stumbled back, his hands flying up.

"Potter!" Malfoy yelled behind him followed by heavy footfalls.

"Scabbers! Come back here!" Ron's voice swirled around a moment later. "Scabbers!"

"Get your rat out of here, Weasley!"

"The only rat here is you, Malfoy!" Ron growled back.

Harry yelped when he felt something crawl up inside his leg. When a moment later, he felt a sharp bite to his knee, he screamed and ran as fast as he could away. If that was Ron's stupid rat, he was going to kill his ex-best friend.

"Scabbers, stop!" Ron ordered.

"Potter! Wait!" Malfoy yelled after him.

Like hell, he was going to wait! That bloody rat was eating him alive! He didn't know where he was running, as he had his head tilted back to keep the blood from spurting out his nose. But he knew he needed to get the hell out of there.

Just once he'd like a plan to go his way. That wasn't too much to ask for he thought.

Blindly feeling the wall, he found the difference in texture a moment later. A door. Finally! Kicking it open, he heard the door burst open followed by a loud squeal from the flying rat that had propelled itself out of his pant leg. When Harry heard the soft clunk a moment later, he knew exactly where he was. He gulped. A few seconds later, there was a cascading sound of glass shattering onto the floor. His eyes closed, and he felt his stomach drop. Not his dad's potions store . . .

"Scabbers!" Ron yelled, brushing past Harry.

"Merlin's saggy balls," Draco gasped as he came to stand beside Harry a moment later.

The door then slammed shut behind them. Harry bit his bottom lip. His dad was so going to kill him now. He slowly opened an eye to see what sort of damage he had done. Two of his father's shelves had been knocked over with broken vials littering the floor.

"Ah, crap," he groaned. He'd be grounded for certain now.

"Scab—AH!" Ron suddenly screamed, rushing back towards them.

"What are you going on about, Weasley? There's nothing . . ." Malfoy's voice then faltered.

What? What did they see? Was it his dad ready to throttle him? He slowly lowered his head and followed with his eyes where they were looking. His eyes widened at the portly man slowly climbing out of one of his dad's cauldrons.

"W—who are you?" Harry asked, his eyes widening.

The man's head turned to the side, staring at him before a smile slowly crossed his face. He took a step towards Harry, but stopped as soon as Ron and Draco both drew their wands and held it on the wizard. His eye twitched in response.

"Harry, sweet Harry, I was one of your father's friends. James's friend," the wizard declared nervously. "I can see your mother in you. So much of Lily. Help me out, hmm?" He glanced pointedly towards the boys holding their wands trained on him.

"You're Pettigrew, right?" He seemed to recall Aurora and his dad talking about the man not long ago. "But you died . . ."

"No. No, I faked my death. I had to. You see, Sirius Black, you've heard of him, yes? He betrayed Lily and James, Harry. Not me. I, he's one of them. Black. His whole family was, you know? His brother especially," Pettigrew explained, taking a hesitant step towards Harry. "You're in grave danger, Harry. Grave. The Dark Lord . . ."

"Is locked up somewhere," Malfoy interrupted coldly. "Without his magic."

Harry caught Pettigrew's surprise and frowned. Something wasn't right about that wizard.

"Locked up?" Pettigrew then laughed nervously. "Good. Good. But his followers surely . . ."

"Are locked up as well or have renounced him," Weasley answered.

"E-even Severus?" Pettigrew drew in a quick breath as if he was terrified. "And Lucius?"

"Renounced him," Malfoy replied neutrally. "The old ways have been abandoned decades ago."

"Good. Good." He reached forward to grab Harry before he squeaked and reared back.

"You shall do no more harm in this school, Peter Pettigrew," a voice growled behind the boys. Glancing sideways, Harry caught Sir Nicholas floating in with the Fat Friar at his side. He then saw the Baron and the Gray Lady enter the room together. He had never seen them so united before.

"Is this understood?" the Baron gruffly asked, glaring at the terrified wizard.

"Please . . . please I wouldn't hurt Harry," Pettigrew whimpered. "Honest. I just wanted to . . ."

"Your heart is as black as night, Peter," the Gray Lady declared with a scornful look.

"So your lies have no effect on us," the Friar stated with a frown.

"I . . ." His eyes darted to Harry. "Please, Harry. I was your dad's friend."

"No. You weren't my dad's friend," Harry said. "You were James's friend, but I'm not his son."

"Yes, yes, I know. You're Severus's." Peter nodded fervently. "Lily was so happy when she learned she was pregnant with you."

Harry's frown deepened.

"She had tried with James, but . . . it wasn't to be unfortunately." Peter gave another nervous laugh. "Do you know why she knew you would be special, Harry? No?" He twitched again when Harry didn't answer. "Because you would have Severus's power, a bit of his magic inside you."

"In other words, my mother was a power hungry witch," Harry coldly replied. He bit back the words 'Already knew that.'

"No, Harry. It wasn't power she sought. It was fulfilling the prophecy." He gave a soft laugh, twisting his hands nervously. "You see, I may have told her something I overheard once. I heard loads of things over the years as you can imagine. Lots of secrets and lies." His eyes glistened. "Like Aurora and Black for example. Your father would be quite interested to hear about that, don't you think?"

Harry stared at the man, though. What about Aurora and Black? She had said they were just friends. Had she lied to his dad?

"He was there the night you were born, Harry. With her."

"So what?" Harry returned. He had heard that before. She had lost her baby that night.

"He stayed with her the entire night as she cried after she lost her bastard child. Wept against his shoulder. As if he had never bullied her dear Severus." His smile darkened. "And what of that mark on her forearm? Does she still tell people that the Dark Lord carved that Dark Mark into her, hmm? As if she was so special. Lily, Aurora, it made no difference really. Both witches were fools."

"How so?" Harry demanded, glaring at the wizard.

"That prophecy I told Lily she was to fulfil? The prophecy that led to your conception?" Pettigrew chuckled. "It didn't refer to her at all. How could it when she was a filthy little Mudblood?" he sneered. "Oh, how she believed it, though. Believed that you would be the child to end the war."

"If it didn't refer to her, then . . ."

"I twisted it, you see, Harry. Told her that it had said a follower of darkness would be the child's father. She took that to mean a Death Eater, of course, and the only one she could bear was Severus. She knew he cared for her, so it would be easy for her. A means to an end."

"Who did the prophecy refer to then?" Harry demanded, glaring at the wizard.

"Eileen Prince," Pettigrew stated with a smirk. "It was your father who was to end the war. The Dark Lord learned of this decades ago and set him on the path. A little shove from Black and James furthered it more than he could have ever anticipated." He then chuckled some more. "And then the other prophecy came, the Savior of the Wizarding World, your Prophecy. The one your father overheard Trelawney prophesized in the Hog's Head. Oh, how he ran back to the Dark Lord with it, having only heard a line or two. 'The one to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches," he recited, his eyes glittering darkly. "As if anyone could truly vanquish the Dark Lord! Let alone a spoiled little brat like you!"

"Confringo!" a strong pair of voices suddenly boomed behind all of them.

Harry's eyes widened as he watched Pettigrew fly backwards into another of his father's shelves. He whirled around and felt a sudden surge of some emotion he couldn't quite describe burst from him at the sight of his dad. Love, it was love, he realized after he leapt towards his father, wrapping his arms around the man's middle without thinking.

"Are you all right?" his father asked a moment later, glancing down and inspecting his injury.

Harry nodded and glanced back at the unconscious man. His nose barely hurt anymore.

"Peter," Professor Lupin said softly a moment later, shaking his head in disbelief. "If I didn't see him with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. He's alive."

"Indeed."

Harry glanced up his father hesitantly. He had broken the rules again. His father's eyes darted to him for half a second before the man inhaled slowly, clearly working on controlling his anger.

"Thank you for assistance," his father said quietly, glancing at the ghosts.

"No gratitude needed, Professor," Sir Nicholas replied. "We are always here to help."

"Do you want us to inform the Headmaster, sir?" the Baron asked.

"Yes." He then turned towards Lupin.

Lupin held up a hand, though. "I have this, Severus. Go."

"And in regards to the students, the Friar and I will escort them back to their common rooms," the Gray Lady stated kindly. "You need not worry. We have this."

"Excellent." His dad then sighed heavily. "Fifty points to both Slytherin and Gryffindor."

Harry caught Ron's surprise instantly.

"For protecting a fellow student," his father declared before he headed to the door.

Harry didn't need to be told to know he was expected to follow. He flashed a quick smile at both Draco and Ron before he ran to catch up to his dad. That could have gone sideways in so many ways. Yet, it didn't. He was safe again. They all were. Another dark wizard had been taken down. Harry gave a soft laugh before he caught his father's disapproval. Maybe on second thought it wasn't funny. As they continued walking, a thought occurred to the young man. "Hey, Dad? Where's Mum's dog?"

"Hopefully, dead at her feet," his father mumbled.

Harry, however, had missed the word 'dead' and happily nodded. He couldn't wait to play with their new pet.

"Skilled witches and wizards are able to shift into the Animagus form with or without their wands. This is especially vital when fleeing attackers," Professor McGonagall announced, her voice lightly filtering into Harry's ears.

Harry stared at his Head of House for half a moment. She was a cat. Or rather her Animagus form was a cat. He chewed on his bottom lip as he thought on this for a moment.

"Professor?" he asked, catching her surprise instantly. Though, he guessed he could understand that. He had interrupted her lecture.

"Yes, Mister Potter?" she replied, raising a brow at him.

"These forms they take, are they all cats? Or . . ."

She stared back at him.

"I mean, you're a cat. Are there other cats out there like you?" He then glanced towards Hermione's cat. "Could her cat be an Animagus and we don't know it?"

She continued to stare at him, not saying anything.

"Actually, I guess, what I'm asking is, is the form always a small animal? That guy who betrayed my parents was a rat, after all."

"An unregistered one, yes."

"So, is it always small animals or could it be, like, a dog?"

Her arms crossed instantly. "Mister Potter, is this about your dog again?"

He frowned in response. He thought it was a perfectly valid question.

She then shook her head before she turned back to the rest of the class. "As I was saying, to become an Animagi, it takes extremely hard work and discipline in order to learn."

"Professor?" he interrupted again, raising his hand. "You never answered my question." He heard several badly covered snickers and a few groans. What? He was wanting to know.

"Yes, Potter. Some wizards or witches have dog forms when they transform. But there are hundreds of forms a witch or wizard could become. Professor Sinistra, for example, is a jaguar."

Harry's eyes widened. What? "She's an Animagus?"

"She is. I trained her myself." Professor McGonagall smiled proudly before she turned back to the rest of the class. "If you decide to become one, you have to be committed to it."

"What about my dad?" Harry blurted out.

His Head of House sighed before she glanced at him. "What about him, Mister Potter?"

"Is he an Animagus too?"

"Not to my knowledge, but then again I wasn't aware that we had three unregistered Animagi in your father's year either," she replied. "Now, may I continue with my lecture, Mister Potter?"

Harry saw the others glancing at him. A few looked gleeful, while most were looking at him like he had grown a third head.

"So you're saying that my dad could be one, but that he's just unregistered, right?"

He heard her loud groan and frowned. What? It was just a question.

"Yes, Harry. It's entirely possible that your father is an Animagus as well. However, where he would have learned the skill to become one—"

"Books," Draco offered. "Professor Snape does read a lot. He could have read about it."

McGonagall stared at both boys before she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"One cannot become an Animagus solely by reading about it. Otherwise, Merlin help us, the halls would be filled with animals roaming about."

"Well, then how did Peter Pettigrew become one if not through reading?" Ron asked. "Because, I'm sorry, but he didn't seem to be all there, Professor, to think someone taught him it."

"Babbling buffoons, I'm dealing with today," she mumbled, looking up at the ceiling. "I do not know how Pettigrew managed it. Or how the others did as well. I only know what was reported in the Prophet. That it was discovered that he, Black, and James Potter became Animagi in their Hogwarts' years and that was how both Black and Pettigrew managed to escape. Now, the next person to speak out of turn," at this she directed her gaze onto Harry "will lose House points. Is that understood?"

Harry sighed but nodded.

"Thank you." She then shook her head and continued her lecture uninterrupted.

Severus had just finished adding the last bit of chopped parsley to his potion when the door to his lab burst open. He glared at the wall opposite but waited to see who it was bothering him. It wouldn't take long he knew. It never did.

"Do you know what your son did today?"

Ah, Minerva. He should have known. Frowning, Severus thought for a moment on her question. It was Thursday, so Harry had been to classes for the majority of his day. And the boy seemed all right during Potions earlier. He had successfully brewed his Draught of Euphoria at least.

"You're going to have to be more specific, I'm afraid," Severus drawled a moment later.

"Your son Harry," she started.

Unable to resist his urge to annoy her, he replied, "Ah, yes that son. Of course. Thought you were talking about my other son for a minute there. What did young Harry do this time?"

"He interrupted my lecture on Animagi. You know I live and breathe for that subject."

Did she ever? Severus forced a polite smile to his face, though. He didn't feel like being hexed today. "I see. And what was this outburst about?"

"It started to be about if Animagi could only become cats, because he still wants to know what happened to his 'dog." She gave him a pointed look, which caused him to wince.

What did they all expect him to say? 'Sorry, Harry, but your dog is actually Sirius Black, the formerly accused murderer of Pettigrew and twelve Muggles?' And it wasn't like he could say the dog was gone either, because the boy would automatically assume the dog was dead and want to see its body to give it a proper burial and all that. So, honestly, what else was he supposed to say to the boy? He couldn't tell Harry the truth, and he couldn't lie either. So, instead, he brushed off the boy's question whenever it was brought up.

"And then it quickly turned into if you were an Animagus followed by how you learned it."

Severus blinked before he then burst out laughing.

"It's not funny, Severus," she said brusquely, which only caused him to laugh harder. She huffed loudly before she turned on her heel and headed for the door.

He tried to regain his composure at her leaving, knowing full well that she would find a way to pay him back at some point for laughing at her like this.

"Minerva, wait," he choked out, biting back another laugh. "I apologize. You're right. It's no laughing matter." Actually, it was, but he wasn't going to say that to her face. "What did you tell him?"

"That you're not."

Severus nodded.

"However, several of the boys believe that you are, and I just don't know it."

"Oh?"

"Well, now that the Prophet has revealed that there were three unregistered Animagi, everyone believes there may have been more. Mister Malfoy, for example, believes that all you need to do in order to become one is read about it."

Severus wisely remained silent.

"There is quite a bit more to it than that. Yet, all these kids believe that if three students their age could do it, they could as well. I was trying to educate them on the dangers of trying to learn without the proper training, but you know how they are. They don't listen."

"They're adolescents, Minerva. They know better than we do," he drawled with a faint smile. He caught her eye roll before she shook her head.

"I should leave you to your potion," she commented with another sigh.

He inclined his head towards her before he turned back to the bubbling cauldron.

"There is one thing, though, Severus."

There was always 'one' thing with her. It usually meant that she was about to drop some metaphorical thing on him before she left. He glanced back at her and waited.

"I've always wondered why Aurora's Patronus was a panther." Her green eyes narrowed on him. "Considering her form is a jaguar after all, it's a bit strange, hmm?"

He held her gaze and shrugged. "I've never given it much thought actually."

"In fact, I've always found it peculiar that it didn't take a similar form to your Patronus actually, Severus. Her feelings for you have always been so strong. It'd make sense if it had."

He shrugged again. "Perhaps it was because her feelings for me were not as strong as her dislike was for Lily," he offered, forcing himself not to react to her words.

"Or perhaps the panther is in regards to something else entirely," McGonagall replied, crossing her arms and staring him down.

"Yes, like, maybe she just loves panthers." Even he knew how weak of an argument that was.

"Or maybe . . ." Her wand was in her hand before he could even react.

The spell hit him unexpectedly, and he felt his magic respond. He found himself falling to his knees and shrinking as her spell rippled through him. Closing his eyes, he felt his long fingers shrink and curl until they became paws. Damn it! She knew now.

"I cannot believe it! Another one! Right under my nose!" she growled, stomping her foot angrily as she glared at the panther that was where Severus had been. "I should take you the Ministry myself and register you right now, Severus Snape!"

He morphed back into his human self, tugging on his sleeves. "There's no need, Minerva."

"No need? No need!" she shouted back. "Are you forgetting, young man, that all Animagi are to report him- or herself to the Ministry or face serious—"

"There's no need, because Professor Dumbledore has me registered."

That seemed to take the wind right out of her sails. "What? Explain yourself now!"

"When I became a spy for him, he thought that it would be prudent if I learned how to blend in during dangerous situations, so that if something went horribly wrong, I would be able to escape undetected." He could see her anger growing but pressed on. "He taught me, Minerva, just as you taught Aurora how to become one. He registered me with Ministry, but added a Glamor to my name so no one who knew me would be able to recognize my name."

Her jaw suddenly clenched, and her eyes flashed. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!" she snarled before she whirled around and stormed out, slamming her door as she left.

For a moment, Severus considered warning the old man that he had a very irate witch headed his way, but he ultimately decided against it. He added one more ingredient to the cauldron and waved his wand over it to erect a stasis charm over his potion. Once he was satisfied that he wasn't going to blow up Hogwarts, he headed towards the secret entrance to his rooms.

He walked straight through the sitting room, turned right, and continued forward before he finally reached the room at the end of the hallway. At the sight before him, he felt the corners of his lips tug upwards. Aurora looked absolutely beautiful as she slept undisturbed in their bed. It seemed as if she had moved only once since he had left her earlier, and that was just to roll over onto his side of the bed and bury her face into his pillow. He stood there for a moment longer, thankful that he had her in his life and was no longer alone. She had helped him so much over the years; many years, in fact, when he hadn't even noticed her. She had given him back his family, the happy one he had longed to have for himself for so long. And it all started with her wrapping her arms around his son, holding him as if he were her own and offering to exchange her life for Harry's. He could never repay her for that.

Resting a hand against her bare shoulder, he smiled down when she sleepily glanced up at him.

"Severus?" she murmured, stretching with a yawn. "What time is it?"

He snorted before he answered, "A little after three."

"In the afternoon?" she replied with wide eyes. While sleeping in late was the usual norm for her on nights she taught, she hadn't taught in almost a year now. So, he could understand her surprise.

"Indeed." She shook her head in disbelief. "You were clearly more tired than you had believed."

"Yeah, I guess so." She then pushed herself up before another yawn overtook her. "Ugh. Sorry. I don't know why I'm so tired lately."

"If you want, I could ask Madam Pomfrey to—" His words ceased the moment he saw her look.

"No. I'm not that tired, Severus." She then glanced towards the open door before she looked back at him. "Where's Harry?"

"If you believe Minerva and the others, he's out roaming the halls for his dog," Severus drawled.

"You know, you could fix this whole mess and just tell him the truth."

"You're suggesting I break the boy's heart?" He stared at her. "And people call me heartless," he quipped a moment later.

"It's not heartless. We can get him another dog."

"But it's not the same dog, Aurora," Severus replied flatly. "He wanted that one."

"Yes, well, so did I, if you'll recall, until I found out who that dog really was."

Severus suppressed his grin immediately. She didn't want Black. He then paused when he caught what he had just thought. Was he truly that concerned to think she would?

"If you want, I can tell him," she offered kindly.

"No. I'm his father, Aurora." He then watched the pain flicker across her face and winced inwardly. Nothing like pointing out to her that she wasn't Harry's real mum. He could have kicked himself at that. "What I mean to say is—"

"It's fine, Severus. You're right. You're his parent. I'm just your girlfriend."

Just his girlfriend? He stared at her, unable to say anything. Just his girlfriend? A girlfriend was so childish, so frivolous of a word to him. A girlfriend. As if they had only held hands, not snogged or, hell, made love for hours on end as was the case last night. No, no she was much more than that. She was . . . He didn't know how to describe it. Just more than a girlfriend, obviously, and more than a lover. He needed her to know that he considered her to be much more than either of those words. She was his partner, his other half, his . . .

Holding her gaze, the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could even register the thought, "Marry me." He watched her eyes widen and heard her gasp.

"What?" She gave a soft laugh of utter disbelief. "Severus, we don't know each other."

"Your favorite flower is daffodils wrapped with aster," he recited, his voice barely above a whisper. He needed her to understand that he was dead serious, even if he was frankly terrified to death right then. "You're a hopeless romantic, always looking for the good in people. You're fiercely loyal and loving. You'd adopt a Thestral right alongside Harry if given the opportunity. Your father taught you Astronomy. Showed you that there were more to the stars than just little balls of light in the sky. You saw the beauty when others only see the darkness. You never gave up on me. Not once." He licked his lip and swallowed, feeling his insides tremble slightly. "Marry me."

"You're mad," she replied, staring at him in utter shock.

"No, well, maybe. I don't know. Just marry me, witch." She looked torn between laughing and crying, which he didn't know if either was a good thing or not. "Aurora, marry me."

"You're bloody mad," she repeated, opening and shutting her mouth several times.

He frowned, rather confused by her reaction. "Is that a 'Yes' then?"

"No! No it's not a yes!" she huffed, clearly outraged for some reason he didn't know. "Severus, I'm not going to marry you just because I got my feelings hurt." She shook her head. "Honestly. That's a very stupid thing to do. Ask someone to marry you to make them feel better." She then poked him in his chest. "And while we're on that subject, you shouldn't even have to try to make me feel better, because it's true. I'm not Harry's mother. Lily is. I will never be his mother no matter what I do. Even if we did marry, I'd still be just—"

He couldn't take it anymore. He needed to shut her up. So he did it in the way he knew would work the best. He slammed his lips against hers and snogged the hell out of her. When she hit him hard in the shoulder, he pulled back and stared at her. "When we marry, and yes it will be a when, witch," he stated, "I want the whole world to know that you are my wife, that I chose you, witch! That you are the mother to my son, our son, Aurora. Harry doesn't even consider Lily his mother. He considers you. So, let's make it official and you marry me. It's as simple as that."

"It is so not as simple as that. There's loads to be done before one can be properly married. I mean, let's be honest here, Severus. Your mother would have your head if you married me."

"What?" He blinked staring at her.

"She gets you back in her life after decades of not knowing if you were alive or dead, only to lose you again when you marry me."

"I don't follow." Was she asking him to choose between his mother and her? Because while he loved his mother, he could do without Eileen in his life for a bit. He was, after all, doing just fine not having her dropping in all the time asking when her next grandchild was going to arrive or telling embarrassing stories about him to Harry and Aurora.

"You can't marry me, Severus."

"I can, and I will," he stated firmly. Why was she making this so difficult? They both knew she had dreamed of marrying him for years now. So, why wasn't she just agreeing?

"We've had two dates!" she announced with a sigh of disbelief. "That's the textbook example of moving too fast."

"Fine. You want another date?" He shrugged. While he found them to be uncomfortable and nerve-wracking, he'd be willing to submit himself to another. He'll he'd give her a month's worth of dates if it meant she'd say yes. "Tonight. Seven o'clock."

"No, you're missing the point. It's not how many—"

"No, Aurora, you're the one missing the point," he interrupted, grabbing her hand in his. "I love you. I want to marry you and tie our lives together forever. I want to tell people like Lupin or Black or whomever the hell else there is to stay the hell away from my wife. I want you to realize how much you mean to me now. You're not just my girlfriend, Aurora. Good God, woman. You're so much more than that." He sighed, shaking his head. "So, I'll ask you again tonight. Properly. And I'll ask you every single goddamn night after that until you say 'Yes' because I'm not going to take 'No' as an answer, woman. Not when we both know this is right. That I belong with you, and you belong with me." He then kissed her hand gently before he got up off the bed. "Seven o'clock," he stated before he swept out of the room.

"You asked her to marry you, Dad?" Harry shouted, bounding into the room happily.

Severus sighed heavily and glanced at his son, as he sat at his desk marking a fifth-year's exam. "I see she told you." He had thought she'd have kept it quiet until she actually said 'Yes' but he supposed her telling people was a good sign actually. At least for him, that was.

"No, actually Salazar and Phineas are telling everyone. And whoever they can't reach, the Baron and Sir Nicholas are."

Severus's head hit his desk with a loud thump. He was doomed.

"Dad?" Harry then moved closer before he hesitantly shook his father. "Are you okay?"

Okay? Was he okay? No. Not in the slightest. Everyone and their dog knew that he had asked and been promptly denied now.

"Do you want me to go?" Harry asked quietly.

"No," Severus replied, his voice muffled by his desk.

"Okay. Well, is there anything I can do to help then?"

Help? He slowly lifted his head up and glanced at his son. Just how was Harry going to help get Aurora to say 'Yes' this time? The boy was thirteen. What did he know about women? Severus frowned when the annoying voice in his head replied that Harry likely knew more than he did. He then briefly considered asking Lucius for advice. That thought was swiftly abandoned, though. It'd be the equivalent of asking his—

At the loud whoosh behind him from the vicinity of his fireplace, Severus realized that his night was going to get a whole lot worse. He watched his son's eyes light up and felt his own stomach drop as a result. His head fell back down onto his desk a moment later with a loud thump. He could die now.

"Hey, kiddo!" a guff voice spoke behind Severus before a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hi, Grandpa," Harry replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"Think ya can give yer dad and me some time alone for a bit?"

Snape closed his eyes in response, wishing he was anywhere but there. Why on earth had his father come? And who in the hell taught his father to use the Floo anyway?

"Sure, but don't expect him to be in a talking mood."

"Oh, I know, lad. Had the same flair for dramatics when he was just a few days old, too, accordin' to El," Tobias joked with a quiet chuckle.

Severus sighed a moment later when he noticed Harry moving towards the door. This night could not get any worse now. It honestly couldn't. The door then closed behind Harry, leaving father and son alone in the cold office.

"So, I hear ya asked Princess to marry ya earlier."

Lifting his head up, Severus willed himself not to react to his father's words. As if his father had any idea what was going on. The man lived in Cokeworth for goodness sake.

"And you're here to offer pointers, I take it?" Severus stated with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Not exactly," his father replied with a shrug.

"Then why are you here, Dad?"

"To see if ya need anything, son."

Severus couldn't help but scoff. "If I need anything?" he repeated before shaking his head. "What I need is everyone to leave me the hell alone so I can think. What I need is—"

"Her to say 'Yes.' I know, son. I get it. I been there myself before."

The words started freely flowing from his lips soon after. If his father wasn't going to shy away from the messiness that his relationship always traveled down, then he'd make the man regret coming. "She wants this. She's always wanted this. So, why the hell does she keep saying 'No' to me, Dad?"

Tobias shrugged, walking around his desk before sitting across from him. "Hell if I know. Did she say anythin' to ya? Or was it just a straight 'No?"

"I don't know. She stated something about us not knowing one another. But I know her. I know her favorite flowers. Her motivations. How she's always been there for me. It doesn't make sense."

His father nodded silently for a moment, scratching his chin.

"What?" he asked his father. He didn't like the look on the man's face.

"Uh, well, it's just ya said that 'ya know her.' That don't mean, son, that she knows you, though," Tobias answered with another shrug.

"Of course she knows me. She's been obsessing about me for decades."

"No, son. It really doesn't mean that. She knows all the details that her mind's likely filled in, but she doesn't really know ya if ya don't tell her about yerself."

Severus frowned, staring at his father in disbelief. Of course she knew him. "She knows me, Dad. This—that's absurd to say she doesn't."

"Well, I could be wrong, but I'd imagine all she knows is that ya made a few too many dark choices when ya were younger and have always been tryin' to make up for it as a result. She knows that yer a bit reserved, maybe even a little awkward when it comes to dating because yer inexperienced." He shrugged. "Which ain't a bad thing, son."

His eyes narrowed on his dad. Of course that wasn't a bad thing.

"But that doesn't show who ya are in terms of potential husband, father of her children."

"What are you saying? That our shared link with one another isn't proof enough that we should be together?"

"Nah, I ain't sayin' that, Severus. I'm just, well, ya know, there's more to it than just that. Dating is all about getting to know one another. Becoming comfortable with each other. Seeing if ya can make a future work. You and Princess have done yer best to skip over those steps, though."

"Forgive me for not wanting to waste any more of our time with foolish frivolities."

"You're scared, son."

"Of course I'm scared. I've nearly lost her not once but several times since we moved to the dating step."

"It was easier when she was a just a friend, wasn't it?"

"It was," Severus admitted with a sigh.

"That's love, though, lad. It screws ya up inside, plays with yer fears, makes ya question yerself constantly." Tobias then shook his head. "If ya think yer scared, think about her for a minute, yeah? She had just started datin' ya when she was taken, tortured, and a whole load more shit done to her than that. And, now, she's got that whole business startin' to be put behind . . . when ya ask her to marry ya."

"Are you suggesting that my asking her is the equivalent to her being tortured?" He was mad!

"Hell no, son. I'm just sayin' that she's got to be wonderin' when the shoe drops, you know? When some other baddie comes along and tries to fuck it all to hell for ya two."

"We can't live our lives in fear, though."

"Yer right. Ya can't."

"So, then, what?" He searched his father's eyes for the answers, seeing none. "I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"I ain't arguin' against that, Severus."

"Then what are you saying, old man?" he said, glaring at his father.

"I'm sayin, son, listen to her. Hear what she's tellin' ya."

"But . . ."

"She says she doesn't know ya."

"But she does. She's spent half her life . . . that doesn't make sense."

"She's spent half her life, son, on the outside lookin' in when it came to ya, the way I understand it. That don't mean she knows ya, though. She knows what her mind's created for her. That might not be who ya are, though."

"So, what are you saying? That I step back from her?"

"I'm sayin, Severus, listen to her. Hear what she's tellin' ya. Focus on that. Not on yer fear of losing her. Focus on her words, her fears, and help her get past it." Tobias then sighed. "Shit, son, after yer mum and I left ya three, it wasn't roses for us either. El and I had to relearn about one another. Spend time listenin' and really understand each other. We've got different experiences, but it boils down to the same thing with ya and Aurora. She was taken from ya. That fear's rooted in ya now, rooted deep in her as well." He ran a hand through his hair. "There were many nights when I wondered if I'd ever see ya and yer mum again. If ya two were even alive. If I had failed her by breakin' our promises to one another, to always be there. We've taken the time, though, relearned about one another, leaned on each other, bared out souls, Severus." He then stared deep into his son's eyes. "Has she told ya what she went through yet? Have ya told her how scared ya were? Have ya said anythin' about that time?"

"A little," Severus replied with a shrug. "I don't want to push her, though."

"Ya two are, like, rubber bands, son. Eventually, one of ya is gonna snap." He sighed. "That healer ya were seein', did ya open up to him at all?"

"Are you suggesting that we blew him off?"

"Did ya?" his father replied, holding his son's outraged look.

Severus opened his mouth to shout back that his father could kindly go to hell for even suggesting that, but his mouth promptly closed a moment later. Maybe they hadn't tried as hard as they could have with McCoy.

"Yer mum and I didn't want to do it either, Severus. To let some kook in our heads, analyzin' us like some lab rats. But it's helped. Honest, it has. And all the awkwardness and uncomfortableness is gone now with that healer of yers. He does good work."

"I want to marry her, Dad," he repeated, staring at his father.

"I didn't say not to, son. I'm just sayin' listen to her. Cause I promise, Severus, she's screaming inside. Ya both are."

Severus thought for a moment on his father's words. Was he screaming inside? He was terrified, yes, but that was normal. Wasn't it? He had been doing much better than he had last year when she was missing. And it wasn't as if he needed to be by her side constantly. But he had found himself touching her whenever he could, just little touches . . . as if to convince himself that she was really there and not an illusion. Which, he realized, in itself was rather frightening to think.

"Don't go to her tonight with the whole 'convincin' her to marry you' speech. She ain't doubtin' ya love her. Just go to her and show her yer listenin', that she ain't alone in bein' scared shitless, son." Tobias shrugged, standing once again. "It's worked so far for yer mum and me." Severus sighed, closing his eyes when his father gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "You got this, son."

The moment the portrait started to swing open, he stepped inside. His eyes darted about Aurora's sitting room for a moment. He could see discarded books left open all around the room. His eyes narrowed when he noticed that one of the books nearest him was a book on Occlumency. Why on earth would she be reading that?

"I'll be down in a second," she called out from upstairs.

"Take your time," he replied back, noticing Salazar in his portrait about the fireplace glaring at him. He merely raised a brow towards the Slytherin Founder and shook his head when the man left his portrait soon after. Everyone was acting as if he had done something so horrible. He hadn't, though. At least he didn't think he had.

Tugging on his sleeve nervously, he glanced up towards the entryway to her bedroom. His mind replayed his earlier conversation with his father. Listen to her, his father had said. Listen. All he could hear, though, was his heart beating wildly in his chest. It sounded as if it'd burst out at any moment now.

"There's a bottle of wine in the kitchen if you want a glass," she offered from upstairs.

His eyes briefly glanced at the said bottle. Elf-wine, he noticed with a faint smile. "Perhaps later," he replied, rooting himself to the floor as he waited. It'd be only too easy to start to pace, he knew. Once he started, he had little hope that he'd be able to stop before she noticed.

Another few minutes passed. She still had yet to greet him. He could hear rustling from upstairs and frowned. Maybe she was as nervous as he was? Or maybe . . ..

"Aurora?" he called out.

"I know. I'm coming," she yelled back.

His eyes narrowed in response to her tone. It wasn't light as usual. In fact, she sounded rather stressed if he were honest. He took two hesitant steps towards the stairs that led upstairs before he threw all caution to the wind and bound up the spiral staircase. He had waited long enough.

"Aurora," he started to say before all words died on his lips. He blinked as he saw the various dresses littered about the room. There were some on the floor, some on the bed, some thrown onto her vanity. He then glanced at her and saw her look of shame. He hadn't meant for her to worry like this.

"I couldn't decide what to wear," she quietly admitted.

His eyes then swept over her, taking in the exquisite gown she was wearing. The majority of the floor-length gown was a light tan with white intricate designs woven in that reminded him of shooting stars. Her long white sleeves were airy, giving her a bit of a heavenly look. She looked stunning.

"The one you're wearing is perfect," he remarked, slowly striding across the room to her. He gently brushed back a few of her stray dark curls when he reached her. "I promise."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "You'd say that even if I was wearing a bag, Severus."

"Perhaps," he replied with a shrug. He then waited as she looked him over, watching as her face fell again. What was going through her mind, he wondered. He knew if he gave her enough time she'd reveal it, and sure enough he was right.

"I'm severely overdressed. Great." Clearly dejected now, she sighed and turned away from him.

He glanced down at himself and shook his head. He was in a pair of jeans and a black button-down shirt. It wasn't as if he was in a pair of sweatpants. There was no reason for her to be so upset. Well, there was, he guessed, since he had placed such emphasis on asking her to marry him repeatedly. No, no he needed to get back on track here.

"Will you cease in your ridiculousness, witch?" he lightly said. "You don't need to dress up for me. I know you're beautiful."

She sighed, shaking her head. "You said it was a date. I thought . . . never mind. It's stupid."

"You thought I was going to take you out, parade you for other man to slobber over?" His smile grew when he caught her quiet laugh of disbelief. "I had considered it, I admit, but then I'd have to hex them to oblivion for even so much as looking at you, and that just didn't seem appealing then. So, here I am, being selfish and wanting you all to myself tonight."

"Oh? Is that so?" She laughed again before rolling her eyes. "And what if I wanted to see you hex them, Severus?"

He raised a brow before he leaned in to her ear and whispered, "I knew you only wanted me for my wand."

She burst out laughing instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Well, love, it's not the size of the wand that matters, but rather what you do with it," she drawled before kissing his cheek.

"Duly noted," he replied as his arms snaked around her back to hold her. These were the moments they needed. The moments that had been stolen from them. Every now and then, they'd recapture them, but it'd only be fleeting moments before the moment would vanish again. "I've missed this," he quietly admitted, hoping it'd keep the conversation they needed to have going.

"What?" She glanced up at him with a confused look. "You held me last night."

"Let me rephrase that then. I've missed all of this. These little fleeting moments of ours. It would seem every now and then I can manage to get this right and not act like a total buffoon with you."

"Buffoon?" she repeated with another laugh.

"Well, how else would you describe my behavior at times, Aurora?"

"Sweet," she said with a shrug, "with moments bordering on adorable?"

He raised a brow at her. "I am not adorable."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but you kind of are, Severus," she said before she giggled, the light returning to her dark eyes once more.

"Name one time I was," he grimaced as if he had swallowed a lemon "adorable."

"Our first dance. You were so terrified you were going to step on my feet."

"That's not adorable. That's considerate."

"Okay, well, then what about a little while after that when we were sneaking out of the bathroom to get away from those goons and you went to grab for my shoes when I was holding my hand out for you? Was that you being considerate as well?"

He frowned. "A simple misunderstanding."

"And our first kiss?"

"We had people wanting to kill us, Aurora. I could hardly be blamed for not understanding that you were passing over a knife to me during that kiss."

"Okay, fine. How about all the times you've gotten jealous?"

"I'm a jealous man," he simply replied with a shrug. "You knew that before we ever entered this relationship."

"What about all the times you've become speechless? That's definitely adorable."

His eyes narrowed on her. "What? You've never rendered me speechless, woman." He then stood corrected when a moment later she kissed down his jawline before finally reaching his lips. She tasted like elf-wine, intoxicatingly sweet. He inhaled deeply, her scent whirling around him.

"Or how about the times when you lose control of your magic because of me?" she stated mischievously.

He sharply inhaled when he felt her fingernails rake against his chest suddenly. He hadn't even noticed that she had slid her hand underneath his shirt. He opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them, and stared deep into hers. He didn't need to use Legilimency to know that she was trying to distract him. He could feel her fingers brush against his left wrist near where his wand was hidden.

"If you think handling my wand is going to cause me to lose control of magic, witch," he drawled, his lip curling upwards in curiosity.

"It's not, but this is," she said with a smirk before she pressed one hand against his chest and the other atop of his wrist and wand.

He inhaled once more as he felt the first wave of magic flood his body. He recognized it immediately as hers and not his. It was too light to be his. Warmth, such delicious warmth, he felt deep within himself. He had felt her magic before, but this . . . this was different from then. As soon as it had come, it had vanished once more, leaving behind a flicker of warmth.

"No, that wasn't supposed to happen," she mumbled quietly as she shook her head, pulling back from him. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

He turned his wrist slowly and grabbed her hand, though. "What was supposed to happen?" he asked quietly, holding her gaze.

"The book said—"

"What book?" he interrupted, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"The one on Legilimency . . . or maybe it was Occlumency, I don't remember. I didn't mean for you to feel my magic. I was trying to—it said you could pass along certain emotions. In this case, I was trying to pass along how much I love you."

He snorted. "I don't need you to pass it along to me to know that, Aurora. To feel your love. Because you've already done that."

"Snogging and making love doesn't—"

"I'm not referring to that," he cut in, shaking his head. "Two years ago, you made a decision to sacrifice yourself for my son. Now, we could lie to ourselves and say you did that because you didn't want a child to die, but we both know you did it for me. It's why it worked, Aurora. Because you selflessly offered your life for his with no expectation to ever be rewarded for it. To ever have this. That action speaks more to your love for me than anything else ever could."

"But it's not enough."

"Foolish, woman, it is. That action helped me open my eyes to see the woman I was meant to be with, you." He sighed quietly, hooking a strand of her hair behind her ear tenderly. "For too many years, I chased after a witch who wasn't mine while foolishly missing the one that was always right in front of me. I was blind. There's no other way to put it."

"Severus . . ."

"No. Let me finish please." He then breathed out before he continued. "After Quirrell attacked you down in the chamber, I started to feel differently about you. I brushed it aside, though, and tried to convince myself that you were a just fleeting distraction. The lies started to get harder to tell myself. Frankly, I wasn't believing them anymore. How could I when I knew there was a woman out there that could love me? Who could accept me without any need to change? Who could give as good as I could? But I still told myself those lies, that Lily was the only witch I'd ever love. I did it, I think, because I was scared, Aurora. Scared that one day you'd wake up, as she had, and see the darkness inside me. But you didn't, so I just assumed it was stubbornness on your part and dismissed it."

He could see the sadness in her eyes but pushed forward. He needed to get this off his chest.

"Harry and I brew that potion together, the Soul-Need. I was so convinced that I'd see Lily that it rattled me when I saw you instead. It had always been her. No matter what she did, if that'd be laugh at one of James's jokes as he was hexing me for everyone to see or if it'd be turning her back on me and saying I wasn't worth her time, I forgave her. She was my first friend, my first love. And she treated me like absolute garbage. It's taken decades to realize that. It wasn't until Harry started pushing the issue that I understood it finally."

He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"After I saw what I did because of that potion, I couldn't bear to be near you because I felt as if it was betrayal to her. But that's stupid now when I look back on it. I didn't betray her at all." He drew in a slow, steady breath. "I grew up in an abusive home. The man I thought to be my father would beat me and Mother. Some night just for the hell of it."

"Severus," she murmured, grabbing his hand.

"I enjoyed it whenever I was alone, knowing that I was safe then. Lily made me feel safe." He dragged his teeth over his bottom lip before he licked it. "It wasn't her at all, Aurora. It was the feeling of being safe that I loved, of actually having someone be kind to me, not her. She told me once that as long as I enjoyed the Dark Arts, we could never be friends." He held her eyes. "Do you know she never once asked me why I enjoyed them? The only person who ever actually asked that was Harry." She squeezed his hand gently. "It's not causing pain that I enjoy. It's not even the darkness. It's that they're ever changing, complex, a mystery. It's the fact they haven't been explored as too many consider it too dangerous to risk. Understandable, but we need to know the dangers, learn ways to protect ourselves." He then sighed again. "When I cast something dark, I feel as if I gain a little bit more control inside, power over myself. And I gain a bit more knowledge about it. Knowledge I can use to save people."

"I know," she replied quietly.

"When Harry and I were taken by Rowan, she forced me to see that my brushing you aside was only going to make things worse for me. I fought against it, Aurora. If Kettleburn hadn't come when he had, I think I might have realized that sooner than I did."

"Would that have made a difference to know what you do now?" she asked.

"Honestly? I haven't a clue, but at least we'd have had more time together before last year. We'd have had the foundation down for our relationship. But, you're right. It might have made things so much worse as well. It felt like my heart had been ripped out after you were taken. I wanted desperately to find you. I clung to you, Aurora, just as I had to Lily. Worse even, though, because you love me. I thought I was going to lose all that, and I didn't know what to do. Pomfrey scolded me numerous times whenever I went to find you, to use our link with one another. She told me that I was killing myself each time I did it, but that didn't matter. It should've, but it didn't. All that mattered was finding you. To be whole again." He swallowed and closed his eyes.

"And then we did find you, and we brought you home. I didn't want to leave your side, remember? They told me to give you space, and I did. As much as I could bear to give at least. Then we thought you were getting sick again. Then we learned it was all because you had to make a choice. Harry was worried, and I as well if I'm honest, that you'd chose to embrace the vampire side. I knew I'd still love you. I love for life as you know. But I was worried about how this would affect us. Would you still feel or not? When you chose us, I couldn't be more thrilled. It was over. We could be together finally. So night after night, I thought about asking you to marry me. To make it official. But I was terrified you'd say no, so I remained quiet until this morning. I didn't ask you, though, because I wanted to make you feel better. It's a part of it, yes, but you are so much more to me than a girlfriend."

She smiled faintly towards him.

"I've focused so much on us, trying to recapture what was taken from us, that I've forgotten to listen to you. My father reminded me of that earlier this evening. If I thought I was terrified and needing you, I can't even imagine what you had to have been feeling all these months."

He didn't expect her to answer. In fact, he fully expected the silence to settle around them again. So, when she spoke a moment later, he didn't know what to think.

"Confused," she admitted softly. "That's the major one."

She felt confused? He supposed he could understand that. Since her rescue, they had gone from one crisis to another with hardly any breathing room between the incidents. He could hardly process all of it some days.

"It's like everyone else has moved on," she continued quietly, "but I can't, Severus. And I know. That's why I was supposed to talk with McCoy, but he doesn't get it."

She had repeated that phrase off and on for months now, he realized. Each time she gave him a piece of the puzzle, but he had never quite put them together. What did they not get? What she went through? She hadn't told anyone that. At least he hadn't heard all of the details yet.

"For months, all I felt was pain and fear . . . and after a bit I started, um . . ." She drew in a shaky breath. "I didn't know if I was going to die there alone. He'd bring me to the brink . . . and then at last moment he'd bring me back. He did it over and over and over again. And when that lost its fun, he . . . he went inside me head. Even now, I can't be certain if it's my thoughts I'm hearing or his . . ." She glanced up at him with a haunted look before saying, "Or yours. There's just too many people in there. It's why I couldn't talk to McCoy. I already have three voices inside my head. I don't need a fourth."

Severus held her closer and felt her tremble against him. He wanted to make her feel safe again. Clearly, she hadn't felt safe even after returning.

"I wanted to die, Severus," she stated before gasping as her words fell around them. It was shocking to hear her say that. "I-I wanted it to end." Her voice shook slightly. "But . . . but it wouldn't. You keep saying now I didn't give up on you, but I did, Severus. I did after a while." She held him tightly as if she expected him to vanish at any moment. "I tried . . . I tried not to. But I couldn't. I just wanted it to end." Her breathing hitched as the words tumbled faster out of her mouth. "That's why, why I said no when you asked earlier. Why I can't marry you. I was, I was so angry . . . so furious that you didn't let me go. That you kept holding onto me. Begging me to fight when . . . when I couldn't do it anymore. I was so tired. I just wanted it to end. Didn't you understand? Didn't you, didn't you see how much in pain I was, Severus?"

He felt the sting of his own tears as he heard her voice break and felt her grief.

"I tried afterwards to act like nothing happened. I tried to just ignore it, brush it all aside and convince myself it had happened to someone else, someone other than me. But . . ." She shook her head, forcing the air into her lungs. "I had you and Harry. I should've been happy. I had both of you, and we were together. But I wasn't."

He kissed the top of her head but remained silent.

"I couldn't sleep. I'd check on him . . . on you . . . just to make certain you were both still here with me. I was so convinced that all this—all of it—was just another one of his mind games. His tricks." She grabbed his arms once more, clinging to him. "If I say 'Yes' and you go again, I . . . I can't. I can't say 'Yes,' Severus. I can't. I'm too tired. I'm so tired, Severus." Her eyes showed the despair and terrible grief that she had tried hiding for so long. The walls she had built were crashing down finally. "I don't want to wake up," she whispered, her whole body trembling against his. "I don't want to find myself back there again. To realize all this is his stupid, sick game. That it was all just in my head. That nothing, not you or Harry, are real. That's it all just illusions. Smoke and mirrors and the like." Her tear-filled eyes stared into his black depths.

His mind instantly considered possible ways to convince her that this was real, that he was really there. But nothing seemed foolproof. How did one convince someone after such trauma that what she saw was real and not an illusion?

"Even now, I, I can't decide. I try to act, act like I'm good, that I'm all right. Because I'm supposed to. Because that's how one acts after she survives. Mother taught me that. Taught me that you brush yourself off, and you don't let others see you weak. If they see you weak, you're over."

His eyes narrowed briefly as he considered her words. On one hand, she seemed terrified that all of it was an illusion, that he and Harry weren't really there, that she was still with Voldemort being tortured. The fear made her want to give up, she was admitting to him. On the other hand, she also was saying that she was still fighting, though, that she hadn't given up, just was putting on her brave mask and playing the role she thought she had to play in order to survive. Her mind was at odds with itself and had been for quite some time. Suddenly, the Occlumency book was making a whole lot more sense now.

"So before with me, you were playing along because you believe that's what you're supposed to do with me?" he asked quietly. "Our back-and-forth, I mean."

"I honestly, I don't know anymore. Every now and then, it seems real, like I'm really back with you and that everything's going to be fine. Like it happened to someone else, a story I just heard in passing and that it hadn't happened to me. Other times . . ." Her voice trailed off.

"Other times it's harder to distinguish what's real and what's not?" he offered, forcing his voice to remain neutral. He didn't want to scare her.

"Yeah." She nodded with a sigh before raising her hands up and running them down her face. "And then there's times when I just want to hex something. To destroy it. To get rid of all the anger inside me now."

"Your mirror," he stated, recalling the other day when he had walked in on her controlling the jagged shards of glass.

"The mirror. A tree. Your sitting room window." She shrugged before looking up at him with a sad faint smile. "Sirius."

"You need to let some of that anger out, though, Aurora. While I'm certain everyone else would rather you released it by talking, sometimes a good hex goes a long way I know." He watched her roll her eyes at him. "Bottling your emotions up never works, though. It only increases the tension inside before you finally explode. In my case, I kept hexing James to the point where he was so bloodied and bruised that he was almost unrecognizable. It helped. For a bit, but after a while it wasn't enough."

"It's why you learned Occlumency then, right? So the pain dulled a bit?"

"No." He shook his head, realizing his father was becoming more right by the minute. She didn't know him as well as he had thought she had. Nor did he know her it seemed. She only had what her mind had created for those missing details. "I learned Occlumency so that when I would duel someone, I could hide my next actions from them in order to gain the upper hand and defeat them."

"Oh."

"You're right, though. Occlumency did help dull the pain I felt after her death. However, it came at a price. I closed myself off to others, pushing anyone away who got too close. I became cold inside, lifeless, Aurora." He needed her to understand that Occlumency would not be the answer she sought.

"But it stopped the pain you felt," she argued.

"Yes, but knowing what I do now, I would rather have taken the pain and heartbreak than to become the man I was again." He could see her confusion and continued to explain. "When I first received custody of Harry after his attack, I didn't know how to be close to him, how to love, Aurora. I had shut off that part of myself for so long that I simply forgot how to. Even now, I hesitate to hug him out of fear that I'm doing the wrong thing. Sometimes even with you, I wonder if I should just pull back from you and let you find someone else who isn't so," he paused as he thought of the right word "so awkward, I suppose. Someone who knows how to make you feel appreciated and loved, who knows the right words to say."

"I don't need the right words, though. I've had those types of men before. They couldn't be honest to save their life. At least with you I know you are."

"But I say things wrong sometimes. I hurt you," he stated firmly.

"Not intentionally. I may be messed up inside, but I'm not that bad, Severus." She then sighed. "And, well, I just think about how someday we'll be looking back on it and laughing. At least I hope we'll be laughing."

"About what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Telling our grandchildren about the time you burst into the room telling Lupin to get away from your witch?" She gave him a somber smile. "I don't know. There's moments when I can almost believe this is real, you know? And then something happens, and it just comes rushing back to me again."

He nodded as he considered her words for a moment. "So, what you're saying is that my asking you to marry me made you stop and think that this wasn't real?" He watched her head hang and sighed inwardly. He hadn't even considered that.

"It's too good to be true, you know? You asking me that, saying those particular words." She wiped at a few of the tears that had streaked her cheeks. "I want to marry you. I do, Severus. I just . . ."

"Can't marry me now. I understand. Honest I do. I can wait until you're ready." He then gave a quiet chuckle. "Not patiently, but I can wait. You've waited decades for me. I can do the same for you."

"But that's stupid, though, isn't it?" she stated a moment later. "Us waiting any longer? I mean, we can't stop living just because I'm stuck in my head right now."

"Why not?" he challenged gently. Perhaps it wasn't McCoy she needed to talk to, but him. She admitted herself that she didn't want anyone else inside her mind. Severus was already there, though, thanks to their link. It wasn't someone new to her. In fact, it was someone she trusted.

"What do you mean?"

"Why can't we pause and take a moment until we're both ready?"

"Because nothing's certain," she answered, staring at him as if he had grown another head. "An asteroid could come crashing down and wipe out the planet tomorrow for all we know."

"It could." He waited and watched her, seeing just a sliver of her past self showing again. She seemed to be gaining a bit of a foothold again. How long it lasted was anyone's guess at this point. His eyes narrowed when she placed a hand directly over where his heart was. "What are you doing?"

"Feeling for a heartbeat," she replied weakly.

"Oh? And is there one?" He watched disbelief morph into an 'Are you serious right now' look.

"I don't know. I'm still feeling for one," she quipped before she moved her hand and paused. "I can feel you, Severus. I can touch you." He nodded slowly, holding back the urge to tell her not to stop. "You react like you should."

"Good to know."

"So, I really shouldn't be doubting this. You're breathing. You're warm." She leaned up and captured his lips before pulling back and touching her own lips with her fingers, staring at him

"And?"

"Cast your Patronus for me," she asked. "I know it's random, but please?"

He gave a curt nod before he took a step back and drew his wand. She was testing to see how far the illusion went. It made sense. He flicked his wand lightly, the wispy ethereal animal leaping out of the tip before landing on its feet in front of them. It still was strange to see the panther standing where the doe should have been, but it was a sign that he had moved on so he'd not complain too loudly.

"The panther," she murmured, staring at his Patronus quietly. Her eyes closed briefly. "Not the doe. It's the panther."

"Yes." He waited for a few minutes as she clearly was in deep thought about this. She had known that his Patronus had changed. In fact, he could still recall their conversation about it, and how she had expressed regret and guilt over its alternation. Not that she should have ever felt either of those.

When she reopened her eyes, she found his. There was a sense of calm in them again. A sort of rocky calm, he knew, but still a calm. "Ask me again, Severus."

"Ask what?" he replied quietly, knowing full well what she was wanting.

"Ask me again," she repeated, her voice growing just a bit stronger. "Properly this time. Like you promised you would."

"Not if you're only agreeing to—"

"Severus Snape, do not make me resort to hexing your bony little arse for being a complete git and denying me this. Now, ask me." There was the fire in her that he was used to seeing.

His lip curled upwards. Hex his bony little arse? Just who did she think she was exactly?

"I'm willing to wait, Aurora," he replied politely. He needed to make certain before he did. He didn't want this to turn into another regret of theirs. She had to be ready for it.

"But I'm not. You said it yourself earlier. I've waited half of my life for this moment."

"What if it turns out this is all in your head?" He hated himself for asking it, but it remained. He had to test her just as she had tested him.

"Then I fight that much harder, Severus, so that one day I can wrap my hands around his neck and snap it." He raised a brow at her. He didn't doubt her for an instant. "Ask me."

He paused as he thought of the right words to say. However, his pausing seemed to only upset her further, he soon realized.

"What do you need to hear from me? That all is well? It's not," she admitted with a shrug. "I've been better, though, these past few months. Ever since I chose you and Harry and put all that other nonsense behind me." Her eyes searched his before she frowned. "I can either just keep moving on, letting time heal my wounds as I've recently chosen to do, or I can return to wallowing in self-pity and shame and slowly fade away. Now, could this all be in my head? Yes. It could. Could after I say 'Yes,' all of this disappear and I find myself back in that chamber again, screaming and trying to escape? Yes again. Saying 'No,' though, doesn't change anything really. It just leaves everything at a standstill. And I'm tired of being at a standstill. I'm tired of him taking even more from me. From us. I've let him control me for so long, Severus, and there's a chance he's not even here but locked up still."

"There is," he said with a nod.

"You told me once that your mother told you that relationships were messy. Ours is going to be the messiest one yet, I think."

"But?"

"But all things worth doing come with risk. Don't they?"

"They do," he agreed, watching her for any signs of doubt or fear. He could still see hints of it, but her stubbornness was winning out currently. If she could only hold onto that for longer . . .

"If you're okay marrying a witch who has some serious mental issues she has to work through, and you know, pushing aside her dislike of healers, Severus, then yes. My answer is yes."

"But I didn't ask you anything," he retorted, chuckling silently when she punched him in the upper arm. Rubber bands, his father had called them earlier. They were much more like yo-yos actually. Happy, sad, angry, hurt, grief, fear, they had felt it all lately. Some form of balance was needed. "Do you still feel as if you don't know me?"

"Yeah, a bit," she admitted, "but I think that's what's going to keep our marriage interesting. Learning new things about one another still. Though, we are going about this backwards."

"Something my father said to me as well," he said with a smile. "But to me it comes down to not wanting to wait any longer for something that I know in my heart is right. I know I want to marry you. I can't for the life of me explain why I feel as if I want to marry you now—it could be fear or something else entirely, but I know it, Aurora."

"Yeah, my reasoning is so not as elegant as that," she laughed.

"Oh?"

"I want to marry you because I want to wake up every day next to you for the rest of our lives. I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want. Leave lipstick on your cheek that leaves you grumbling as you try to remove it. I want to be a part of yours and Harry's lives. A part where we're a family. Where Harry has the two parents who love him and will always be there for him. But above all else, I want to be your wife, the witch who tamed the bastard of the dungeons."

He snorted at her use of her colorful moniker she had given him long ago.

"I'm tired of fighting my battles alone, Severus," she said quietly, reaching for his hand.

"As am I," he replied just as quiet as she had.

"Then ask me."

He nodded slowly, hearing activity near them. He knew if he looked around, he'd see at least four people watching them. Two downstairs, and two in portraits behind them.

"Dear Merlin, man!" the nasally voice of Phineas Nigellus called out. "Ask her already."

"Indeed. We're dying over here. Quite literally in fact," Salazar drawled behind them as well.

Severus watched her laugh, feeling his nervousness slowly dissipate with hers. He slowly reached into his pocket, his fingers wrapping around the small ring he had chosen. He had listened to her. He had done half of what his father had asked. Lowering himself to one knee and ignoring the shooting pain that caused him (he really was too old for this sort of thing), he kept his eyes trained on her, watching her every move.

"Aurora, will you do me the honor and marry me?" He held out the simple silver ring to her and waited. Her arms wrapped around his neck within seconds.

"Yes," she declared, her momentum causing them to fall back onto the floor soon after. "Yes, I'll marry you, Severus." She stared down at him before kissing him deeply.

"YES!" Harry shouted with glee from downstairs.

"Hush, Mister Potter!" McGonagall scolded seconds later followed by something shattering onto the stone floor.

"Oops," the young man said then.

Severus raised an eyebrow and stared at Aurora, who was smiling.

"Don't worry. I'll fix the vase, Mum!" Harry yelled up a moment later.

"He better," Aurora muttered lightheartedly before she rested her head against Severus's chest. She watched as Severus slowly slid the finger up her ring finger. "It's beautiful."

"It is," Severus replied quietly, his arms wrapping around her. "And other than a broken vase, nothing bad has happened." That comment earned him a quick glare followed the sounds of some other vase or fragile item shattering.

"I'll fix that one too!" Harry yelled once more.

"Oh goodness gracious, Potter, are you part bull? Honestly," McGonagall said before raising her voice even louder. "Congratulations to you both," she called out. "Now, come along, Mister Potter. It's time for bed."

"But . . ." He then said with a groan of disappointment, "Oh, all right. I'm coming, Professor."

They heard the sound of the portrait closing a moment later.

"Now, where were we?" Aurora stated with a wicked grin.

"I believe, my dear, he was about to kiss you," declared Phineas from the portrait he and Salazar were no doubt currently sharing.

"Yes, you're quite right, Nigellus. That's exactly where they were," Salazar drawled.

Severus and Aurora both flicked their wrists towards the sounds of the portraits' voices, resulting in a series of yelps from Salazar and Phineas before both men vanished from the portrait.

Tucked in the corner of the darkest part of the library, Harry sat by himself with his Defense book open but untouched before him. His eyes kept darting around the large room towards the other students. He couldn't help but feel pangs of jealousy as he watched them.

"I've often wondered that too," a soft voice spoke to his left suddenly.

He jumped the second he heard the unexpected intruder. Tearing his eyes from an unknown student, he glanced towards the dishwater blond by his side.

"Excuse me?" He knew he had seen her before, but he couldn't place where.

The young girl smiled shyly before she motioned with her head towards the others. "If they knew how easy their lives were," she went on to explain.

Harry frowned for a moment before he shrugged. "What makes you think their lives are easy?" When her silvery eyes met his, he felt as if all the air had been ripped from his lungs.

"Look at them," she replied, her eyes falling on a young Hufflepuff who was joking with his friend across the way from them. "They're laughing, having fun, as if the darkness wasn't all around us. Almost as if they were immune, don't you think?" Her eyes then returned to his. "Unlike us."

"Us?" What did that mean? Unlike us? "I don't know who you are, but it's over now. Voldemort lost, and we won."

"Is it, Harry?" she asked with a kind smile. "Or is this just the calm before the storm?" She then shrugged. "Time will tell, I suppose." She then quickly turned and started to head away from him.

He blinked as he watched her skip away happily. What had just happened? Who was that girl? Had he seen her before? He stared after her before she disappeared behind the next bookcase.

"All right there, Harry?" Neville asked him a moment later as he walked up to Harry's table with a large stack of Herbology books.

"Yeah. Fine." Harry's frown deepened, though, before he turned back to glance at the other boy. "Neville, do you know who that was?"

"Who?" Neville glanced around.

"That girl I was just talking to. The blond in Ravenclaw."

"Oh! Yeah." Neville then nodded slowly before he sat across from him. "That's Luna."

"Luna?" Harry repeated.

"Yeah. Luna Lovegood. Your dad doesn't really like her, I think."

Harry snorted instantly. "Dad doesn't like loads of people, Neville."

"Yeah, but there's something about her in particular, though. Doesn't seem to stop her any." Neville then pointed at Harry's book. "That spell's tough, isn't it?"

Harry glanced down at the opened page and saw the Patronus spell that he was supposed to be reading about. "Yeah." Tough didn't do it any justice. It was downright impossible.

"Bet you'll be able to cast it, though," Neville stated with a laugh.

"Huh?" His eyes then narrowed on the other boy. "Why?" After all, he wasn't that skilled.

"Because you're wicked at Defense . . . unlike me." He shrugged. "You saw how I was the other day. The Professor had to stand in front of me so I didn't pass out with that Boggart of your dad."

"Yeah, but Dad is rather terrifying sometimes. Any of us would have had the same reaction."

"Not you," the young man pointed out.

"He's my dad, so, yeah. I've gotten over it a bit, but I was just as scared as you were." Neville clearly wasn't convinced. "It's the truth. Honest."

Bang!

"No running!" the shrill voice of Madam Pince screamed. "Twenty points from—STOP!"

Harry's eyes narrowed as he stared in the direction he had heard her. It wasn't long before he caught Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott rushing around a bookcase with Madam Pince close on their heels.

"It's happened again!" Blaise yelled.

"In Dufftown this time!" Theo exclaimed, slamming the Daily Prophet down onto the table.

"Dufftown? That's not far from here."

Glancing down, Harry read the headline, "Bloodbath in Dufftown."

"That's the third town this week, isn't it?" someone asked nearby.

"You don't think they'll cancel Hogsmeade this weekend, do you?" another asked fearfully.

Unable to stomach hearing them anymore, Harry pushed himself up and gathered his books before he left. A whole town had been massacred again, but all they cared about was their stupid Hogsmeade weekend. Harry headed for the dungeons soon after.

Voldemort had been defeated. His dad had told him so. That was true. So, what was this then, he had found himself wondering lately. Had someone more sinister stepped into place, ready and bent on destroying the world? There always was another head to cut off, his father liked to say.

Several minutes later, he walked through the now opened portrait into his father's rooms. The crackling fire made him feel a bit better, he supposed, as he slowly headed for the sofa in front of the fireplace. He just wanted to wrap himself up in a blanket and never leave his dad's rooms. His eyes narrowed a moment later when he saw Aurora walk around the corner wrapped in a blanket herself.

"Mum?"

"Harry?" she replied before she laughed nervously. "I see we had the same thought."

He nodded as he grabbed a blanket for himself. It wasn't as if the dungeons were horribly cold currently, but it was just the feeling of safety, he supposed, he needed.

"Where's Dad?" He saw her minute wince and felt his stomach drop instantly. Oh no.

"He had to leave earlier. The Headmaster, insufferable pain in the arse he is, asked him to go on a mission for him, I guess. No idea why, but he'll be back on Monday."

"Monday?" Harry's eyes widened. That was four days from then.

"Yeah. I'm not particularly thrilled about that either," she said with a shrug. "But he's planning on checking in with us whenever he can while he's gone."

"Do you know where he went?" Inside Harry's mind, the young boy kept repeating, 'Not Dufftown. Not Dufftown.'

"No. He didn't say."

"Well, is this because of the stuff in the Prophet?" When he caught her confusion, he added, "You know, about whole towns being massacred lately, I mean?"

"I don't know. Frankly, your guess is as good as mine at this point."

"Do they have any leads?"

"I don't know, Harry. I've been in here all day."

The young man sighed but nodded. He should've known that. She didn't like to leave his dad's rooms anymore. Not that he was blaming her. He wouldn't want to either.

"But if you're asking what's attacking these people, then I can give you another of my best guesses and say that it's, unfortunately, humanoid in nature."

"So, then Voldemort's back?"

"No, Harry. It's not magic that's causing this much death."

"Then what?"

"Take your pick, Mister Potter," Salazar piped up from his portrait. "Werewolves. Vampires. Dark wizards. Dementors even. It makes no difference really. They're all the same."

"But why now?"

"I don't know, Harry," Aurora replied.

"Isn't it obvious?" Salazar commented from his portrait.

"Isn't what obvious?"

"Their reasoning, dear. Do try to keep up, hmm?" Phineas Nigellus said to her in his usual arrogant way as he appeared in Salazar's portrait. "They want to fill the void left after Voldemort's demise. Everyone does. When one head is cut off, four more take its place."

"So, then what is this?"

"An assertion of dominance, really," Salazar replied with a listless shrug. "Winner take all."

"Exactly. Makes me rather glad I'm stuck in a portrait actually," said Phineas. "Can't die twice."

Harry frowned as he glanced at the two painted wizards. It couldn't be that simple. Could it? His fingers then brushed against the crumpled-up note still in his pocket. Who would have guessed he'd be glad he had forgotten to ask his dad to sign his permission slip for Hogsmeade this weekend? He never would have. Maybe Luna was right after all. Maybe this was just the calm before the storm.

Pulling his robes tighter around himself, Severus sat inside a small cave, watching the rain pour outside. He was tired of sitting around and doing nothing. But that was where Dumbledore wanted him for some reason, so there he sat, alone and hungry and utterly miserable.

For the last hour, he had pondered why he even had complied with the old man's wishes. With the Dark Lord out of the way now, there was no need for him to remain being a spy. Hell, he didn't even have to teach if he didn't want to anymore. Yet, he did enjoy brewing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted with whatever ingredients he could ever imagine. And having a job. Money was nice after all.

Though, money wasn't the underlying reasoning with this mission. So, why had he complied? He could have told the old man to piss off and spent the rest of the week with Harry and Aurora. Yet he didn't. So why?

Through the heavy downpour, he then saw a familiar shadowy figure and sighed.

"If you're done brooding already," coldly stated his companion as she removed her soaked outer robes and set them beside the crackling fire near him.

"I am not brooding," he shot back, unable to resist her trap. His frown deepened when he caught her steel blue eyes on him.

"Whatever you say, my dear son-in-law," she drawled as she sat across from him.

He hated her sarcasm. It was so bitter and sharp like a hundred knives sometimes. But it wasn't just that. It was the cold that surrounded her always that got him the most. He supposed most of that was the natural aura of the vampire in her, but if he were a betting man he'd state that she had likely been worse when she was a witch.

"Did you find anything out there?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"A few tracks, but nothing of value," she replied with a shrug.

"Perfect," he scoffed, shaking his head.

"You have somewhere better to be, Severus?"

The words fell from his lips before he couldn't even stop them. "Yes, with your daughter and my son, Syra, not here in the godforsaken forest with you."

"Then, by all means, Severus, leave," she stated icily. "It's what you do best, I'd imagine."

"Excuse me?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, play coy. Act as if you haven't abandoned others before."

"I've never abandoned anyone," he growled, glaring at her. How dare she say that.

"No? Not even your son, hmm?" She smiled thinly when the color drained from his face. "If it weren't for my daughter, your son never would have known you were his father. Time and time again, she's had to step up when you couldn't or wouldn't."

"You don't know me, Syra."

"No, but I know your kind, Snape!" she snarled back, glaring at him. "How you'll slither in bed with anyone who will give you just a taste of power. How you'll court the darkness like a lover. How you'll destroy everyone around you just because you can."

"Is that how you see me?" he replied neutrally.

"You're a Death Eater second and a coward first. You can't wash those spots off no matter how hard you scrub. What my daughter sees in you, I will never know."

"Perhaps you should ask her instead of judge."

"And hear her romanticize your actions?" Syra scoffed harshly before she said mockingly, "Oh the poor lost boy, neglected by his parents. Strayed too far as a result of no one loving him and ended up making such a horrible mistake of his youth, one he'll regret to his dying day. The lost, sweet Prince who only needed someone to love him."

Severus stared at her for half a moment before deep chuckles burst from him. Laughing was much easier than hexing her across the cave, he decided. "Yeah, she does tend to romanticize me, doesn't she?" He noticed Syra's eyes narrow on him. "I love your daughter, Syra. You may disagree with her choice in me, but somehow I don't think your opinion really matters to her. In fact, if we are totally honest with one another, I wonder if one day you'll realize that by insulting me every chance you get, you're only alienating your daughter and pushing her away even more. So, maybe one day you'll notice the cold person standing all alone is you, not me, hmm, dear mother-in-law?"

When he watched her suddenly leap to her feet, he briefly considered Apparating away. Perhaps on second thought that had been a little harsh. As she rushed towards him, his hand tightened around his wand that was hidden under the folds of his robes. However, she brushed past him a second later, causing him to frown in confusion. He turned his head and followed her with his eyes. The moment he saw the glittering eyes in the darkness, he knew what it was that she had seen.

"Well, well, isn't this just a meal to die for?" purred a ghostly white young woman as she approached. Her tongue slowly ran over her teeth, showing her alabaster fangs.

"Move along, sweetheart," Syra replied, staring the four intruders down. "This one is mine."

"Is he?" murmured another, a tan man this time. His copper eyes moved over Severus slowly before he drew in a deep breath. "So fresh . . ."

"Mmm, yes," the young woman replied, staring at Severus longingly. "So intoxicating as well." Her eyes then darted to Syra. "Just a taste please? We're so hungry."

Severus didn't like the way they were looking at him, but for now he'd trust Syra.

"No. He's too bitter for you, children," Syra stated in return, reaching back and grabbing his arm before yanking him closer. "In fact, he's a bit of an acquired taste really. You deserve something better, something stronger to celebrate."

He watched the four younger vampires glance at one another as they considered this. He waited until he saw the leader of the group nod.

"Yes, we do. It won't be long now, my sister," the young woman purred. "For they are returning to teach us the way. The way we lost long ago, thanks to wizards and witches."

"The Elders?" Syra asked with her nails digging slightly more into Severus's arm.

"No. The Elders have abandoned us. The Azrial is coming."

Severus flinched instantly and felt Syra's nails draw blood the second they heard it. Aurora had chosen him and Harry. It didn't make sense what they were saying.

"Then you've not heard, I take it?" Syra asked a few seconds later, her voice somehow steady. "The one they call Azrial chose her wizard instead."

Deep, low chuckles echoed behind the four younger vampires instantly.

"You mean the wizard you're holding, Syra Ophelia?" a voice spoke from the shadows.

Severus noticed the four instantly step aside before an older vampire emerged from the darkness. They seemed to almost cower behind this man. Even Syra seemed to recognize this man.

"You betrayed your gifts, and here I thought you had so much potential." The man's deep red eyes then flickered over to Severus before returning to Syra. "Your daughter belongs to us. Not them. Had you guided her a bit more, we'd not be in this situation. No matter, though, it's easily corrected." The man's hand then rose up suddenly, and Severus felt a tight vice wrap around him as a result.

He struggled as he felt the invisible vice tighten around him. It was worse than Devil's Snare.

"Let him go!" Syra yelled.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head, my sweet Syra," the man said silkily. "We're not here for him. He hasn't harmed the Azrial like you have."

"I did what I had to do to protect my—"

When she went silent suddenly, Severus turned his head towards her.

"You forget that we were there, Syra. With you at Windsor. We saw all that you did in the name of protection. How it really was only pain and heartbreak." The man then pushed her head up with his finger so they'd be staring eye to eye with one another. "She may have chosen her wizard, but did you honestly believe we wouldn't have anticipated that? Because we did, Syra." The older man chuckled. "You three may have broken her, but he's made her stronger. Stronger than we could ever imagine. Stronger than even you, Syra." He then shrugged. "Shame you won't see it."

Severus inhaled sharply when he saw the four younger vampires attack her suddenly. Her screams pierced the air until the terrible silence came. He dropped to the ground a moment later, doing his best to ignore the fear that had gripped him inside. Vampires and werewolves, he wasn't certain which were worse at this point.

"She may have chosen you, Severus, but it's my blood that flows in her veins. Remember this."

The next day, with his back against the wall, Harry sat on top of his bed in his dad's rooms. He could tell that Aurora was just as worried as he had been when his dad hadn't checked in last night. However, she was trying (and failing horribly) not to let on. Where was his dad? Why hadn't he checked in like he had promised he would? Was he hurt? Or worse?

No. Harry couldn't think like that. His dad was fine. He just forgot to check in. The man who never forgot anything in his life. Harry bit his bottom lip, drawing his legs up against his chest. His dad would contact them today. He would.

Flicking his wand lightly, Harry murmured, "Tempus." It was almost midnight now according to his spell, and there still hadn't been a word. Two days now with no contact. Something was wrong.

At the flicker of light under the gap in his closed door a moment later, he narrowed his eyes on it before letting his feet fall back to the floor. He then heard Aurora's voice.

"Where is he?" she asked.

"Now, dear, there is no need—"

"Can it, Salazar," she snapped back. "You know as well as I do that something is not right."

"Everything is fine, Aurora," Phineas Nigellus replied gently. "Headmaster Dumbledore would have alerted you if something was wrong. Severus likely just is busy at the moment with whatever he's doing for the Headmaster. He'll contact you as soon as he can and apologize profusely."

"No. No something's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong, dear."

Harry frowned, though. He didn't believe either of the portraits. Something was wrong.

"I'm going to see Albus," Aurora stated, her heels clicking against the stone floor soon after.

"He's not here, though."

"What?" Even Harry stood up at that answer. What did they mean, Dumbledore wasn't there? "Where the hell is he then?" Aurora snapped, clearly losing her patience.

"Away. Now, please, sit down. Everything is fine."

"Bullshit!"

Harry nodded as he heard her response. Exactly. He then heard both Phineas and Salazar shout, "No, wait!" before there was a loud whoosh. Unable to stop himself, Harry flew towards the door and ran out into the sitting room, but he was too late. Aurora had Flooed elsewhere.

"Where'd she go?" he asked the two painted wizards.

"Headmaster's office," Salazar said with a sigh.

"But no one's there. Professor Dumbledore left yesterday and hasn't been back since."

Harry's eyes narrowed on them. "So my dad and Dumbledore are missing?"

"They're not missing. Nor is Professor Lupin. They're precisely where they should be."

"Which is?"

"Not here," both painted wizards replied with shrugs.

Harry watched them for a few moments. They clearly knew more than they were letting on. He opened his mouth to speak before he saw the flash of green from the fireplace signaling someone was Flooing in. He stepped back and waited. When Aurora stepped out of the green flames a moment later, he brushed aside his disappointment that it wasn't his dad.

"Anything?" he asked her.

"No." She had shaken her head before she turned towards the two wizards. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves," she scolded.

"Now, young lady, you listen—"

But Aurora was clearly having none of that because she took a step towards them. "No, you listen here. I don't know what Albus instructed you to do, but you will tell me where Severus is now. Or I'll make some new additions to your painting. Understand?"

"Threats will not work on us," Salazar replied while he crossed his arms.

Sure enough, Aurora grabbed the fireplace poker beside her and slashed a bit of the portrait. Both painted wizards were utterly shocked at her violent behavior.

"Now, I will ask you again, where is Severus?" Neither answered so she slashed more before both wizards vanished from the canvas.

"Mum, I'm not sure that was the greatest idea," Harry murmured.

"No, it wasn't, but it got my point across." She tossed down the poker and sighed before she glanced at him. "Go get your traveling cloak and anything else you may need. We're leaving."

"Leaving?" he repeated. Why were they leaving?

"Hogwarts isn't safe anymore, Harry. If it ever was." She then shook her head. "I need to get you out of here just in case something happens."

"You think this is just the beginning?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, running a hand through her hair. "I just don't like the idea of us being here any longer like sitting ducks."

Harry nodded. He wondered if leaving, though, was a good idea, but he wasn't going to argue with her. She seemed to have an idea in mind.

"I'm ready," he said, having not moved from where he had been standing.

"Are you certain? I'm not sure when we'll be back here."

"Yeah. Let's go." He could leave everything behind because all he really needed was his family. Last year taught him that. He grabbed her arm and followed her as she tossed in the powder and led them into the Floo. He didn't even care where they were going, just that he wasn't alone this time.

"Professor Sinistra?" an unfamiliar female voice spoke as soon as they appeared in a pub.

Harry then gasped when he saw his mum flick her wand at the unsuspecting barmaid. He felt a bit better when he saw Aurora rush towards the now unconscious woman and slowly lowered her so she didn't injure herself as she fell towards the floor. But, still, he had never seen her attack someone like that. At least not an innocent who had only just asked a question.

"Rosmerta's fine, Harry," Aurora stated when she saw his look. "Just asleep. We need to make certain we're not followed." She smiled softly when Harry nodded. She then stepped back towards him before she grabbed his arm gently. At the tug behind his navel, he knew she had Disapparated them away from the small pub. Where would they end up this time, he wondered.

Glaring murderously at the man in front of him, Severus considered which hex to use. Two days! Two days he was stuck in that godforsaken rat hole. Two days away from his family! And for what? Because Dumbledore, stupid meddling Dumbledore, deemed him unable to return home.

"You may glare all you wish, Severus, but this is for your own good," the old man said softly.

"My own good? My own GOOD?" Severus spat out. "How in the hell is any of this for my own good? You're holding me prisoner here!"

"Yes. Just until we are certain that—"

"Fuck you," Severus hissed, his nostrils flaring as he glared at Dumbledore. "Fuck you and all your meddling, your games, your sacrificing others for the Greater Good! Wake up, Albus! There is no Fucking greater good when it comes to you. Only lies and pain!"

"Now, Severus, I understand your anger—"

"You understand my anger?" he repeated before roaring with dark laughter. "No, old man. You most certainly do not understand it at all. Release me this instant!"

"I am doing this—"

"If you so much as utter another 'Greater Good,' I will strangle you with my bare hands," Severus snarled. "Release me."

"You were nearly attacked, killed even," Dumbledore said, though, brushing off Severus's anger. "You witnessed your fiancé's mother's death. I cannot fathom—"

"Lupin!" he yelled, turning away from the old man and onto the younger wizard who was looking on in nervousness. "You know as well as I that this is wrong. That what he is doing is wrong! So, for once in your pathetic little life, Wolf, stand up and lead!"

The shabby looking wizard twisted his hands painfully as he stared back. "Severus, if there's even the slightest truth to—"

"To what? That Aurora is in danger? Brilliant, Lupin! Just bloody damn brilliant. You lock up the one person who might be able to protect her all because of some stupid vampire! GREAT!"

"I'm actually with Snape there," another voice joined in.

Severus's eyes narrowed briefly as he watched the other wizard walk in. Black!

"Locking him up just because of something some vampire says is all sorts of ridiculousness. Something bad is going to happen with or without him being there. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the guy said that just so you'd keep him away from her."

"Sirius, if we—" Lupin started to say before Black interrupted.

"If we're wrong, then at least Borealis has a fighting chance against this whatever this is. She's stronger knowing he's with her than not knowing where the hell he is."

Severus stared at Black in utter shock. It was a sad day when Black was the voice of reason.

"Oh, quit looking at me like that, Remus. You know I'm right," Sirius said with a shake of his head before he glanced at Severus. "We only know what the vampire told us, right? Now, that could mean any number of things. It does not mean, however, that we need to act like scared little first-years, locking him up on the off chance that it might prevent something from happening. I mean, honestly, how do you even get that from that? Not to mention, Harry is currently with her. Harry, remember him? Little boy with green eyes? Don't see him around here, do you? In fact, I only see Snape."

"Harry's just a boy."

"No, Albus. He's not. That kid's gone through more than most of us," Sirius stated. "So, far be it from me to ask this, but is the only reason we have Snape locked up here because, well, Snape was a Death Eater in his younger years? Because I don't know about you, but none of us are our teenage selves anymore. We've grown up. Some of us, myself included, are still doing that." Sirius frowned when everyone just stared at him. "What? I was in Azkaban for twelve years. It's not like there's all that much entertainment there, you know? So, you just tend to look in on yourself and realize things." He then sighed quietly. "So, end your spell, Albus, and let Severus go. Because whatever's happening, locking him away isn't going to fix a damn thing. It's only going to make things worse."

When Severus felt the barrier vanish soon after, he inclined his head in gratitude to Black. When their eyes met a moment later, Severus turned on his heel and Disapparated far from there.

The minute they passed through the door to an old rundown house in Cokeworth, he knew why Aurora had brought them there.

"All right there, lad?" Tobias Snape asked with a brow raised as he stared back at Harry.

Harry couldn't help but smile, though. She had brought them to his grandparents' house. "Yeah. I'm good, Grandpa." He then noticed his grandmother standing in the doorway a little behind Tobias. She looked better than she had the last time he had seen her. "Hi, Grandmum."

Eileen snorted before she crossed her arms and directed her full attention onto Aurora.

"How long?" Eileen simply asked.

"Two days," Harry heard his mum reply. "And before you start anything, it was Severus who told me to wait two days. So take it up with him, all right?"

"Oh, forgive me. Here I thought my future daughter-in-law wasn't the damsel in distress anymore," Eileen drawled before rolling her eyes and turning away. "Want some tea, Harry?"

The young man nodded, trying to ignore the uneasiness that was settling onto the room. He was with his grandparents now. Everything would be okay. His dad would walk through that door any moment, and they would all live happily ever after.

"All right there, Princess?" Harry's grandpa asked quietly, causing Harry to stop and turn back. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that his grandmum had paused as well.

"Yeah. Fine. Just worried. That's all. I just keep thinking about the last time we were in this situation . . ." his mum's voice trailed off before she sighed. "And it's stupid, really, because we're not even certain if anyone's really after us this time."

"Of course someone's after you. The whole world knows now that you have the serum in your blood. Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken this long before someone tried something again. After all, you do seem to be a bad luck charm to our family."

"Eileen," Tobias warned.

"What? It's the truth. If she can't handle that, then perhaps—"

"You're right, Eileen," Aurora cut in, though. "I have brought bad luck to you and your family."

"No she ain't, Princess." Tobias frowned at his wife. "If it weren't for you, Severus never would have known his boy. Hell, he'd not know about me or El either. So, ignore my wife, all right? She's just got her knickers in a twist 'cause her baby boy ain't here and she ain't got a clue where he is either."

"But she's right, Tobias. All I've done lately is cause pain and—"

"Now you just stop right there, young lady," Tobias interrupted, pointing a finger at her. "It ain't true. None of it. You can't be blamed for the vampires and werewolves and other such scary shit going mad lately. The world don't revolve around you, ya know? So, you just let those thoughts die right there once and for all. You haven't done anything but bring us all together."

Harry saw her soft smile before she walked over to a window and looked out. His eyes narrowed when he saw a flash of light in the window. A clap of thunder then rippled around them. Was it storming now? It hadn't been earlier. He then saw Aurora whirl around, her wand quickly sliding into her hand.

"We've got company," she declared before she headed for the door.

Harry noticed his grandmother quickly followed, her own wand in hand now. He then felt his grandfather wrap an arm around him and pull him back. He glanced up at Tobias with wide eyes.

"Come on, lad. Let's get you to safety."

"But—"

"I think the lasses got this one."

He turned back, though, as Tobias continued to pull him into another room. He didn't know how to describe the power both his grandmother and his mum were giving off right then. But 'Whoa' didn't even come close. They were not messing around with these guys. When the door burst open, he watched them in perfect sync with one another raise their wands before they both slashed violently towards the shadowy figures who were now trying to enter. He gasped and felt his mouth drop when he saw one of the attackers fly back into a nearby wall.

"Left," Eileen yelled, her wand slashing the air once more like a blade. This time a jet of red light streaked from her wand to another attacker who tried (and failed) to get out of the way.

Harry winced when he saw the red light envelop the figure and send him to his knees screaming. He then watched his mum throw her elbow back when one of the men grabbed her arm. A loud crack reverberated around the room followed by the man's yell.

"Avada—" yelled another of the black shadowy figures.

His grandmum was faster, though. She slashed her wand once more, and the man crumpled to the ground instantly as a bloodied lump.

"If anyone else would like a go, please do step right up," Eileen snarled. "I've got plenty more where that came from."

Looking on eagerly, Harry craned his head to see the others' reactions. He laughed when he saw the figures turn on their heels a moment later and vanish. Yeah, he'd run too if he was facing down either his grandmum or his mum like that.

"Severus?" he heard his grandmum say a moment later. What? Where? He turned his head every which way to see around the various things impeding his view. He then felt his grandpa release him and scrambled towards the door. Sure enough, a moment later, he saw his dad heading towards them.

"Glad to see you followed directions," his dad remarked before shaking his head. He looked all right from what Harry could see. Well, except for a black eye. When Severus reached Harry and Aurora, he inclined his head to them before he met Eileen's gaze. "We need to leave before they return."

"Yes, son, we have been in these types of situations before," Eileen quipped with an eye roll. She then turned to Tobias. "You've got him?"

Harry's eyes narrowed. Got who?

"Yeah," Tobias replied gruffly. "Meet you on the other side, El."

"Huh?" Harry said, glancing up at his grandpa when he felt the man's arms around him again.

"Just remember, Tobias; destination, determination, and—"

"Yes, woman. I got it," his grandfather muttered before Harry suddenly felt another tug behind his navel. His mouth opened, and he screamed. No. Not Disapparation! He hated Disapparation! But it was too late. They were already gone.

Run, run, run. That was all they were doing anymore, it seemed. Run this way. Run that way. Run every which way. Run until you couldn't run any longer. Run for your life, your families' lives. Run. Just run.

Sighing silently, Severus slowly sat down on the edge of the bed a few hours after they had arrived. He had just come from checking on Harry, so he knew the boy was asleep finally. And based on the loud snoring from the other room, he knew his parents were asleep as well. Which only left him and Aurora awake in the small four room cottage on the edge of the forest.

"Are you going to tell me now?" she asked softly, her eyes searching his. "Or must I continue guessing what all this is about?"

He shook his head. "I don't know if I truly know everything, Aurora."

"Well, you certainly know more than I do, seeing as how I was at Hogwarts while you were out gallivanting the countryside for Dumbledore."

"Gallivanting?" he repeated, frowning.

"How else am I to put it? He tells you to jump, and you say how high every freaking time."

"You must understand—"

"No. No I must not understand anything. You have done more than enough for him, Severus. More than a hundred people, in fact. You owe him nothing anymore."

"Except my freedom, my job, my son—"

Once more, she cut in sharply. "Albus Dumbledore didn't do a goddamn thing for Harry except leave the poor boy on the doorstep of abusive Muggles not even a day after his parents were murdered. Even you have to know that was wrong."

"He was doing exactly what Lily had wanted him to do; leave Harry with her sister to raise."

"Fine. Then let's discuss your freedom since you believe you owe him something for that as well. Did you kill anyone while you were in the service of Voldemort?"

"Aurora . . ."

"Answer the question, Severus. Did you kill anyone?"

"Yes."

"Did you kill them for pleasure, though?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. He knew exactly what point she was trying to get across, but it wasn't as simple as she was making it out to be.

"Did you enjoy watching others suffer at your hand?" She gently cupped his face and turned his head towards her. "Did you, Severus?"

"You know I didn't."

"Then, the point is moot. You did what you had to in order to survive."

"I casted Unforgivables."

"So did loads of Aurors. Hell, Moody himself casted a few, and look at him now. Considered to be the most respected Auror. You don't owe him anything."

"You're going to argue until you're blue in the face about this, aren't you?"

"You're damn right I will because I'm right. You don't owe him, Severus."

Once more, a sigh escaped his lips. Why was he even arguing with her about this? Just a few hours ago he had been wanting to kill Albus, and now he was defending the man yet again. Deep down, he knew she was right. He had more than paid off his debt to the man over the years. And, yet, he couldn't not stand up for Albus. The man had good intentions . . . usually. Just his methods were wrong.

"A few hours ago, I'd have agreed with you wholeheartedly," he admitted to her quietly. "But that was my anger and temper talking, not my head. Am I saying, though, that I believe that he does no wrong? No. Of course not. He's just as human as the rest of us are. But everything he does, he does because he believes that it will be for the greater good."

"What good is that if the greater good is dead because he's sacrificed the wrong person?"

Severus shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But whatever actions he does, whatever consequences come of his choices, that's up to him and his maker, Aurora, not us to decide."

"So you're defending him yet again?"

"I am." He sighed. "And that's after he kept me from you and Harry for two days."

"Can't you see how twisted that is? How he has you so far manipulated that you can't even see how wrong that is?"

"It's not that I don't see it. I do."

"Then what? You just choose to ignore it?"

"No. It's not even that. I-I don't know how to explain it, Aurora, but it comes down to a single question. Do I trust Albus Dumbledore? And, so far, the answer is yes. I do trust him. He's given me a second chance."

"He didn't give you anything. You gave yourself that second chance, Severus."

They were getting nowhere, and they never would at this point. "We're going in circles."

"Who's fault is that I wonder?" she quipped, shaking her head. "For two days Harry and I had no idea where you were. If you were alive even. And why didn't we know? Because Albus Dumbledore once again decided that the Greater Good could do without someone, without you this time."

"He believes that—"

"I don't give a damn what he believes. What excuses he gives this time. None of it. He held you prisoner, Severus. Kept you away from your family for two days. Two! Now, he may not have tortured you, as . . ." Her voice trailed off before she inhaled sharply and continued with her voice a bit steadier than before. "As Voldemort did with me last year, but the fact remains that he kept you as his prisoner for two days. Two, Severus!"

"I'm aware of how long it was, Aurora."

"Are you?" she challenged, crossing her arms as she stared back at him. "All I had to go off was a 'Severus has been called away on business for Dumbledore' message. That's it. No, 'The Headmaster believes that there's a correlation between the attacks and the void after Voldemort's downfall so he has Severus out checking on it.' Hell, there wasn't even a goodbye from you."

"There wasn't time."

"Bullshit," she replied coldly. "If I had done that to you, that little vein on your temple would be throbbing to the point where everyone would think it was going to burst, Severus!"

"He needed me to go to the forests in Albania before—"

"He needed you? What about us, Severus? About Harry? Our son has gone through one major crisis after another lately. He needs stability in his life. He needs to know that everything is going to be all right. He needs his father!"

"I'm here now."

"Yeah, until the next time Dumbledore asks you to do something for him. And who knows how long you'll be gone then? Two days? Two weeks? Two months? Hell, two years even? Or better yet, two decades later?"

Severus's eyes narrowed on her, hearing the slight panic in her voice.

"I can't be away from you again. I realize that makes me seem clingy, but . . . damn it, Severus, I'm just starting to—what are you doing?" He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "A hug is not going to fix this."

"I'm sorry," he murmured above her.

"That's not going to cut it either," she said with a scoff as her body relaxed slightly.

"He asked me to go to Albania for him, because he thought that Voldemort had hid one of his Horcruxes there, considering there had been an uptick in violence near there."

"And? Was there?"

He briefly considered how much he should tell her. She needed to know about her mother, he knew, but was he really the person to tell her something like that?

"No. We found a small band of vampires, though. Or rather they found us."

"And?" Her eyes narrowed on him when he didn't reply. "What aren't you telling me, Severus?"

"One of them, a man, told me that while you chose me instead of them, you still share his blood ultimately." He could see her trying to work out what he was saying. "Your mother, Aurora . . ."

"I know what she did, Severus."

"No. It's not that." His voice then lowered. "Your mother died." He watched her eyes narrow in confusion. "They killed her. I couldn't—"

"My mother's dead?" she asked, her mouth hanging open slightly.

He sighed inwardly before he nodded. He felt horrible for telling her, but she needed to know the truth. "I'm sorry, Aurora."

"They killed her? These vampires you ran into?"

"Yes."

"Why?" She seemed at a loss of words, he could tell.

"I can't be certain if it's true or not, but he stated it was punishment for her harming you."

"So? That doesn't give someone the right to kill another. I . . . that's absurd."

"After I informed Albus of what had transpired, he moved your father to safety."

"And my sister?" she asked, glancing up at him with wide eyes.

"Sister?" Had he known she had a sister? He couldn't recall. "I believe she's fine, yes. Your father would have seen to that, I'm sure." She had a sister. One that it seemed he couldn't recall.

"Is that why Albus kept you from me? Because he was trying to protect you from me?"

"What?" He blinked. That made no sense. Why would his being away from her protect him?

"You and Harry . . . no actually . . . it would be better if I left, not you. It's not any of you they're after. Is it?" She shook her head, trying to pull back from him. "Let me go. I . . . it's me they want, Severus, not you."

"You're mistaken," he replied, holding her steady. "They're not after you either, Aurora. They seem actually to want to protect you."

"Protect me? Protect me from what exactly?"

"I'm not certain." He shrugged. "The man, um, I believe he called himself Adolphus—"

"What?" she whispered, barely breathing.

His eyes narrowed on her instantly. "Do you know him?"

"I know of him," she answered quietly, looking as if she had seen a ghost. "He, that doesn't—he died the day of my birth, Severus. That doesn't make sense. Are you sure he called himself Adolphus?"

"I am."

"Declan always said that Adolphus had died, though."

"Declan?" Severus repeated, thinking 'Who the hell was Declan?'

"He was a vampire at Windsor I was close friends with," she said offhandedly, her mind clearly preoccupied with the mystery that was unraveling before them. "According to Declan, Adolphus had rarely left my mother's side throughout her pregnancy with me, so he was nearby when someone broke into the room my mother and I were staying in a few hours after I was born. They fought, and somehow Adolphus was killed. Declan always said that he had died protecting us."

"Did this Declan ever state who it was that had tried to attack you and your mother?"

"No, but he said after that my mother made up her mind that she would make sure that I was always safe. I . . . it's stupid, but I . . . It doesn't make sense. Declan wouldn't have lied to me. Not about that at least. He looked up to Adolphus like a father. At least that was always the impression I got."

Severus frowned as he considered what she had said. "Perhaps we could speak to this Declan? Maybe he has some sort of insight on this?"

"If only that were an option," she said quietly before she sighed.

"I take it he's no longer with us either?"

"He was released, as he liked to call death, a few years back. After he lost his wife."

"Ah."

"You said my mother was killed by them? Did she say his name? Or say anything to him?"

"She seemed to recognize him, yes, but no she didn't call him by name. Why?"

"She'd have said his name. I mean, my baby book has hundreds of photos of Dad and Mother with Adolphus always lurking nearby. It doesn't make sense. Unless it wasn't really Adolphus you met but someone pretending to be him. But why someone would do that is beyond me. He was what they liked to call an Elder, sure, but . . ."

"An Elder?" He watched her eyes narrow on him.

"Yeah. It's a title bestowed to any vampire from the original clan. I think there were thirteen or so of them. I don't know. It's been so long since Declan taught me about that."

"Your mother seemed concerned when one of the younger ones insinuated someone was returning to teach them about the old ways. She mentioned the Elders."

"Well, just like there are bad wizards, there are bad vampires, too, Severus. The Elders certainly had their few. One, in fact, enjoyed bathing in her victim's blood. And wizards made her a trading card for the chocolate frogs because of it ironically."

Lady Carmella Sanguia was whom she was referring to, he realized. He had found one of her cards discarded in an old textbook when he was a teenager. He remembered reading about that fact, but nothing else about her. He then frowned as it dawned on him that he was sorely lacking in knowledge about vampires. He knew the highlights as that was what was taught in Defense classes, but other than that he didn't know much more.

"Are the Elders still around?" he asked quietly.

"I'd imagine so. Why?"

"Perhaps one of them is impersonating him then."

"But why? Any vampire from Windsor would know that the person was an imposter. And most of the vampires actually left Windsor after Declan's death."

"I don't know." He then sighed, deciding to explain more. "Lupin was tasked with finding out what the werewolves were up to as well, and he stated that they were nervous about something."

"About what?"

"They wouldn't say. Just that something was coming, and they needed to be prepared for it. One, in fact, admitted to Lupin that their pack was killing just to put the fear back into the Wizarding World. To prove that they were not as weak as some might think."

"I don't suppose anyone's asked our resident Dark Lord about this?"

"Albus spoke with him," he stated, "but it was primarily a one-sided conversation I've been told. The only thing that seemed clear, though, was that the Dark Lord was spooked by something."

"What?" she said in pure astonishment. "What could spook him?"

"I don't know. Albus had thought maybe it was the fact that we were finding some of the Horcruxes and were destroying them, but he thinks there's something else too. Something that we haven't anticipated." He then sighed. "And don't ask me to speculate on what that could be because I honestly haven't the slightest idea."

"Then how are we going to prepare for it?"

"We do as we always do, Aurora. We adapt and survive." He watched her for a moment and noted her somberness. "I know it's not the answer you're wanting, but—"

"Just once I'd like a year where we don't have to worry about anything. I mean, let's be honest. All this year was supposed to be about was healing and moving on from last year. And look where we are. Scared out of our minds, running yet again. What's the point?"

"Life isn't fair."

"I'm not wanting life to be fair, Severus. I'm just wanting all this to end. To reach the point where we don't have to be worried anymore. To be a family. To . . . don't you?"

"Of course I want our lives to be perfect. To give Harry the family he should have had growing up. But we can't just ignore real life, the dangers that surround us."

"Because of me," she scoffed glumly.

"And Harry and me," he added firmly. "Harry has the whole 'Savior of the Wizarding World' nonsense hanging over his head. You had the Azrial Prophecy. I, as I've recently learned, have a prophecy of my own hanging over my head."

"What?"

He couldn't help but smirk at the look on her face. "It would seem you two aren't the only ones with prophecies in this family. There was one made about my birth according to Pettigrew."

"You mean, the notorious liar, the man who faked his own death? That's whom you heard this from? Pettigrew?"

"I've had it confirmed, Aurora." He could understand her skepticism. If he hadn't heard it himself not long ago, he would have thought the same thing. "There's a record of it in the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries, though. My mother's name is attached to it, but it concerned my birth as I was the firstborn child. Actually, I'm her only child."

"I don't understand."

"Nor do I really, but there is a prophecy out there about me."

"What sort of one? Do you know what it said?"

He sighed softly. He hated prophecies actually. Ever since he had relayed the one he had overheard in the Hog's Head that cold, damp night. It had burned him severely.

"Severus?"

"I would be the one to end the war."

"What war?"

He shrugged. "No clue. Considering, though, that the Dark Lord diverted me onto his path, though, it would be difficult to tell for certain. All we could do is guess at this point."

"Yeah."

He didn't know why he thought he had to go on, but he did. "That prophecy was later told to Lily and led to Harry's conception."

"What?" Her eyes narrowed on him.

"Pettigrew told Lily that it would be her child that would be the one to end the war. Why he would tell her this is beyond me. The Dark Lord wouldn't have wanted me to be with her considering that she was Muggleborn."

"She took that prophecy to mean James at first, though."

It was his turn now to stare at her in confusion.

"What? I was unfortunately near her a few times during that time period. I'd see how they'd be with one another, hanging off each other. And then when she got the speech about how she and James possibly couldn't have kids . . ."

"How do you know this?"

"She told me. I didn't know at the time that Harry wasn't James's. I thought he was. But she told me her boy would be special and thanked me for, you know, taking her place so to speak when our mission went so wrong." She ran a hand through her curls. "After I lost the baby, I was staring at the newborns. I didn't pay attention to names. I just stood there looking in the window at them, seeing their sweet little faces. She was coming to feed Harry when she saw me. We talked. She was angry at first, but, you know how she was . . . Once she heard I lost the baby, she was all 'Oh, I'm so sorry. I couldn't imagine what you're feeling." Aurora shook her head. "She couldn't. Her son was right there, fourth from the back. Healthy and squirming and crying every now and then." She sighed. "She apologized to me a few times, and then thought if I knew the hardship she and James had gone through to get their sweet little boy . . . that good things happened to those who wait . . . and all that crap, I'd feel better."

"I see." She glanced up at him.

"I left after that. Returned to Italy to complete my studies and just was done with her."

"It's understandable."

"I just want to be done with it all, you know? To not have to worry anymore about the next crisis our family is going to have to endure? To not run all the time? To just . . . you know?"

He nodded slowly.

"All we've done, all we've ever done, is run. I'm just so sick of running." A loud clap of thunder then suddenly rippled through the cottage the moment she had made her declaration.

Severus felt her tense in response and narrowed his eyes. Strange. He then crossed the room and went to the window. Pulling back a blind, he glanced out onto the grounds.

"What do you see?" she asked, a trace of fear etched into her voice.

Another flash of light streaked the air, lighting up the area suddenly. He saw the lush trees moving gently in the breeze in sync with the wildflowers just outside their window. He saw no other movement, though. He then heard Aurora's loud gasp behind him and whirled around.

"Easy, wizard," a gentle, kind voice spoke from beside Aurora. "We mean you both no harm."

He stared at the familiar auburn-haired woman. "Rowan . . ." he murmured. His eyes then darted to her companions, noticing that the vampire that had ordered Syra's death was also there. "I don't . . ." He then saw the two others, his mind reeling in pure confusion. What the hell was going on?

"If you give us a moment, Severus, we'll explain everything," squeaked Filius Flitwick who was now standing there with the other three.

"How did you get in here? The wards . . . Filius?" They shouldn't have been there. And yet they were. Rowan, Filius, the vampire that had ordered Syra's death, and a centaur. He then watched the four intruders slowly pull pendants out from underneath their robes and shirt collars. "Time turners?"

"Modified time turners, yes," the centaur replied with a wide smile.

"They allow us to shift through time, which in this case allowed us through your wards, wizard," the vampire explained. His crimson eyes then darted to Aurora before he returned looking at Severus.

"Why are you here?" Severus directed his attention onto Filius. What was going on?

"You-Know-Who—"

"Oh, honestly, wizard," the vampire scoffed. "Call the coward by his true name, Tom Riddle."

The small Charms professor squeaked in fear but nodded. "He led people astray when they were not meant to leave their paths."

"He believed he was above the Fates," Rowan stated.

"But no one is above the Fates," replied the vampire.

"Furthermore, he changed his own destiny and sent the universe into a cataclysmic time," explained the centaur. "The stars have been screaming lately. Begging someone to fix the wrongs."

"And that's, what, you four?" Aurora asked, moving to stand beside Severus.

"They no longer scream, Azrial," the vampire calmly said to her. "For they've aligned finally."

"He has been a parasite feeding off the world's strength for far too long," Rowan said softly.

"The last of his Horcruxes have been found tonight, Severus."

"And destroyed," stated the centaur.

"So the slate will be wiped clean, and time will be rewritten."

All four then raised their hands up in the air and said, "Tempus edax rerum."

A blinding light then overtook them before it retreated once more.

"Severus?" a voice said before them before their rooms settled back into view around them. "What do you think about Harry's decision to take new classes, ones that he finds challenging?"

"What?" Severus turned to Aurora, noticing that she seemed just as lost as he was. They were no longer in the cottage with his parents. In fact, they were back at Hogwarts with Healer McCoy in front of them in what seemed to be one of their therapy sessions.

"Harry just shared with us his reasoning for changing his classes to ones that are more challenging than ones that he chose solely because his friend had. What do you think about this?"

He glanced at his son, seeing that Harry too seemed at a loss.

"Did you—" Harry cut him off, though.

"See the white light? Yeah, I saw it, Dad. What was that?"

The trio then blatantly ignored Healer McCoy and carried on their conversation.

"Did they rewrite time then? I mean, we seem to be back at Hogwarts, but—"

McCoy then cleared his throat before he gave them all a small smile. "Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

"I sincerely doubt that, sir," Harry replied before he turned back to his dad.

"Why? Because I didn't see Four Fates as you did?" McCoy stated with a shrug.

"Fates?" The three stared at him.

"Well, I'd hate to be the one to point this out to you, but it is rather obvious that something occurred with all three of you in the span of a matter of minutes for me. The only explanation, therefore, is that the Fates intervened. I mean, since you brought up time being rewritten after all?"

"Wait. So, then did Dufftown get attacked?"

"No." McCoy shrugged. "Dufftown is perfectly safe last I heard. No attacks."

"And the Dark Lord?" Severus asked.

"Dead as a doornail." McCoy gave a quiet laugh. "Once the Horcruxes were found and destroyed about a month or two ago, there was no need to keep him around."

"How do you know this?" Aurora questioned.

"The Daily Prophet of course." His eyes then narrowed on them. "Or do you mean, how do I know that you aren't all suffering from a shared delusion currently?" He shrugged again when they nodded. "Vampires are very keyed in with nature, so we recognize when spatial anomalies take place. Now, shall we continue or do you three need a moment?"

"What about my mother?" Aurora asked.

"Unfortunately, dead as well, I'm afraid. As is Albus Dumbledore."

"What?" Dumbledore was dead?

"He died destroying the last Horcrux. Buried in white marble actually out on one of the island in the middle of Black Lake."

"And what of Sirius Black?"

"What of him, Severus?" McCoy replied.

"What happened to him?"

"His sentence was overturned once it was learned that Peter Pettigrew had staged it all, and he's a free man currently. I believe, he and Remus Lupin are planning a trip to Amsterdam soon actually."

"And us?"

"Us?" McCoy repeated. "What about you?"

"What about us?"

"Since your return, Aurora, you three have been slowly healing, attending sessions with me occasionally. Though, you still do like to keep your issues close to your hearts."

"We're not in danger anymore?"

"Danger?" McCoy laughed. "Good heavens, no, Harry. The danger's gone. The storm clouds that were once there have now vanished for good, leaving behind rainbows and sun."

"So, it's over?"

"Dark Lords trying to rip your family apart? Vampires trying to kill you? Hell, even werewolves? Yes. It's over. All you have now is each other and the future to decide."

Severus frowned inwardly. No more Dark Lord. No more Dumbledore. No more evil. Where did that leave them exactly? Who would they become? Would they be stronger now? Or something else?

"Only time will tell," McCoy drawled before he rose. "I'll end our session there for today. It's clear you three need time to process everything. You know where I am." He then inclined his head before he left the room.

"It's over."

Finally.

Standing in front of the white marble tomb, Severus stared at the etched in name 'Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.' It seemed so bizarre to think that he was standing in front of Dumbledore's tomb, but there he was. So many questions swirled about now.

When he heard a moment later the sounds of leaves crunching underneath someone's feet, Severus adopted a more defensive form out of habit. However, when he saw that it was just Filius, he relaxed slightly. The Charms professor would have the answers he sought. Wouldn't he?

"Good afternoon, Severus," Flitwick said politely.

He inclined his head in return. "Filius." His eyes then returned to Dumbledore's tomb.

"I had wondered if you would come here," the small Charms professor admitted with a sigh.

Severus slowly turned to him. "I don't understand, Filius. This didn't happen in—"

"You're right. It didn't." Flitwick glanced down somberly before he shook his head. "But it's what needed to happen. The Headmaster knew that."

"What?" Albus had to die? Why?

Filius met his look. "You-Know-Who bent the rules, twisted them to change fate, his fate. He created not just one Horcrux, but seven. Seven times he split his soul, and somehow he found a way to remain as close to his true self as he could. That went against nature, against his destiny, his fate."

Severus had figured that much out for himself, but he listened as Flitwick continued.

"Of course, you know this, or rather know of his transgressions. The Headmaster, however . . ." Flitwick hung his head, looking at the floor somberly. "A brilliant man, truly he was, but he meddled not only with people's lives, but with time itself when the occasion warranted it. He was the one, in fact, instrumental in getting Miss Granger permission to use a time turner this year. A thirteen-year-old with a time turner, brilliant as she may be, is beyond reckless. It's downright dangerous."

"So you changed his fate because of that?"

"No." The small Charms professor shook his head. "No. We changed his fate back to what it should have been, Severus." Flitwick sighed quietly. "He was not supposed to live before You-Know-Who was defeated. However, with all the interferences, that didn't happen."

"Albus knew he would die?"

"He did."

"And he was all right with this?"

Flitwick gave a quiet laugh. "He was the one who approached me over the summer, in fact, about righting the wrongs in the first place." Severus's eyes narrowed on him. "You see, I hadn't noticed it at the time, but he recognized my pendant when I interviewed for the available Charms position all those years ago. He always claimed it wasn't why he hired me, but I'm certain it was a contributing factor. He asked me this past summer after Aurora was returned if ever there was a way to rewrite time, to fix it to the correct timeline again, he asked me to see if I could do that."

"Which occurred when the Horcruxes were destroyed, correct?"

"Exactly. With the Horcruxes gone, there was nothing tethering him any longer."

Severus nodded in understanding. He supposed that made sense. "And what of her mother?"

"Ah." Flitwick winced before he glanced down again. "When Syra became ill many years ago, she was not supposed to live. In other words, she cheated her fate just as You-Know-Who had. Instead of using a Horcrux, though, she chose to become a vampire. She was not supposed to do that."

"But without her insight into her serum—"

"That event did not change. She provided Madam Pomfrey with all her knowledge on the serum. What changed, however, was that she sacrificed herself for Aurora."

"Sacrificed herself?"

"You both were very weak when you tied your souls together. Aurora was losing a tremendous amount of blood, and Madam Pomfrey was finding it difficult to heal her properly."

"I had a hold of her. I remember this." He could still recall the Inferi trying to drag them down.

"You did, but her physical injuries needed more attention. Her mother performed the Martyr's Gift on her then and sacrificed herself for Aurora." Flitwick sighed. "I had always wondered if Aurora told you what she saw after she performed the Martyr's Gift with Harry. If she told you she saw me and the others. I assumed with how you acted that she hadn't. I see now I was correct in that assumption."

"She saw you?"

"She did. When one performs the Martyr's Gift, they call onto us to judge if their sacrifice is worth going against the threads of time. With Aurora and Harry, they both were needed still, so we sent them both back. However, by doing that, we drew attention to the fact that rules could be rewritten. You-Know-Who took note of this and attempted to change things in his favor. He tested his limits more. We tried to rewrite it, fix our mistake, but it only led to his sharing his consciousness with Leonidas."

He then understood. "You knew? You knew where she was all that time and you didn't—"

"I cannot interfere, Severus. None of us can."

"She was—"

"I know," Filius squeaked back with a pained look. "We could not interfere, though, with a fixed point. You found her eventually, and you've both been healing from those wounds ever since."

"It could have been—"

"No, Severus. It could not have been. You-Know-Who had to be contained. The darkness that followed, what you experienced, was short-lived and solely remnants from the Horcruxes. Once all Horcruxes were gone, we had to strike. We had to restore the balance. Their deaths have done that."

"But at what cost?"

"None." At hearing Severus's scoff, Filius went on to explain further. "You-Know-Who will no longer corrupt and spread his darkness on this land. Syra gave her daughter the ultimate gift in response to all the years she had caused Aurora pain instead, and the Headmaster recognized that his purpose was over and stepped aside. There is no cost. It's over."

"Until some Death Eater decides years down the road to avenge their master," Severus replied.

"Perhaps that'll be the case, but there will be no more deaths at Hogwarts. Not this time."

"What are we supposed to do now?"

Filius shrugged. "Live your life. It's all you can do, Severus." He turned a moment later and left.

Live his life. It seemed that's all anyone ever told them anymore. Live their lives.

Harry sat on the edge of the bench in the abandoned courtyard looking out onto Black Lake. It didn't seem real anymore. First, they were running, and now it was suddenly over? For how long this time, he found himself wondering glumly. A week or two? Frowning, he kicked one of the loose rocks at his feet and propelled it through the air before it tumbled back to the ground.

"What did the rock do to you?" a soft voice asked to his left.

He glanced up slowly and smiled faintly at the dishwater blonde girl. "Luna, right?"

She smiled in return and nodded. "That's right, Harry." She then motioned towards the empty spot on the bench beside him. "May I?"

"Sure." He scooted over a bit and turned his attention back to the lake as she sat down. "It's peaceful out here, isn't it?"

She nodded silently before she laughed. "Well, it was until the Thestrals showed up."

"The what?" He turned towards her, narrowing his eyes. There was no one out there besides them and a few birds.

"Thestrals." She then pointed towards the shoreline. "You don't see them?"

Squinting, he followed her arm to where she was pointing. He didn't see anything, though. Nothing but sand and every now and then the giant squid out in the middle of the lake.

"They pull the carriages up to the school," she explained. "Most people find them to be unpleasant, but it's only because they're misunderstood. Like us," she said with a smile.

He felt horrible, but he needed to tell her the truth. "I'm sorry, Luna. I, well, I don't see them," he admitted quietly. He had always wondered what pulled the carriages truth be told, and invisible creatures certainly made sense. At least as much sense as anything at Hogwarts could.

"Don't apologize," she replied, her gray eyes hovering on him for half a moment. "Not seeing them means you haven't seen death. That's a good thing, Harry." She then turned back, folding her hands in her lap silently.

Biting his lower lip, Harry thought on what she said. Only those who had seen death could see these Thestrals. That would explain the dark omen she was talking about with them. His eyes then narrowed on her. "Wait a moment. You saw someone die?" He kicked himself when he saw her look of pain instantly. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question. You don't have to answer that if you don't want to." She smiled softly, though.

"It was my mother," she answered with a faint smile. "She was very talented, but liked to experiment unfortunately. I was very young when she died."

"I'm sorry."

She cocked her head to the side and stared at him. "For what?"

"That you lost your mother."

She shrugged gently. "You lost both of your parents at an early age as well." She then leaned towards him. "You do still consider James your father, right? He may not have been your biological father I know, but he did help raise you for a short time."

Harry nodded in response. "I do. I mean, I consider myself lucky in that I have another set of parents now, my dad and Aurora." He then winced. "That came out wrong. What I meant to say—"

"It's all right. I understood what you meant," she said with a quiet laugh.

"Good. I'm glad." Harry then rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Why was it so hard to talk to her? It was never this hard with Hermione.

"Do you think they know how easy they have it?" Luna suddenly asked. When he glanced at her, she pointed towards a young couple, a pair of sixth-years he decided, walking along the shoreline.

The feeling of déjà vu hit him hard the second he heard her. She had said that to him just a few weeks ago, or had she? He was so confused now. He could see why his Grandmother Eileen hated spatial distortions and things that messed with time. It was so strange and mind boggling.

"No," he replied with a shrug. "How could they? They've never had to worry about anything other than when they were going to snog one another again. Or, you know, when their next Potions exam was," he added. When she laughed, he smiled. It was slowly getting easier to talk with her. She then stood up a second later. "Is something wrong?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Then why are you standing?"

Without turning from Harry, her smile widened and she said, "Good afternoon, Professor."

Harry's eyes widened instantly before he noticed his mum approach Luna from behind. How did Luna know it was his mum? He hadn't even noticed her. How had she?

"Good afternoon, Miss Lovegood," Aurora replied kindly.

"I'll see you later, Harry," Luna said before she finally turned away and left. Harry's eyes remained on her, though, watching her head towards the castle.

"So . . ." his mum teased, crossing her arms.

"What? We're just friends." At least he thought they were just friends. Then again, that was what Hermione and Draco always said too, and it was clear that wasn't true.

"Uh huh. Sure you are."

"We are. Honest, Mum. We're just friends. I don't even, you know . . . I'm not even thinking like that. We're just friends." He thought.

She nodded, though, deciding to let that sleeping bear rest. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Fine, I guess. How are you, though?" After all, she was the one who came back to find out that her mother had died twice now.

"Still confused, but you know."

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. There was certainly a lot to be confused over. "Do you think we're safe now? Like, it really is over for good? No more Voldemort? Vampires trying to kill us all? It's just over with for good?"

"I don't know. I certainly hope so, though. I'm ready to move on. To see what the future has in store for us. To be a family for once."

Harry nodded. He hoped for the same thing. A thought then occurred to him. "Mum?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you and Dad still engaged? Or did that even happen here?" He caught her soft laugh instantly and saw her smile.

"Considering that I am still wearing the ring your father gave me, I think that's a yes," she said, holding up her ring finger where the simple ring was.

"Good. Because we can't just end there, you know? Without you two getting married."

"Oh?"

"Well, I mean we could, but—"

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "But Minerva would kill us as would Septima. Not to mention, Pomona would throw a fit."

"What?" He then noticed her biting her lower lip nervously. "Mum, why would they be upset?"

"Well, Minerva would be upset on the whole principle of the matter. Septima would be because she'd be convinced that I wouldn't go through with it. And Pomona, well, she wants to catch the bouquet, I think, and drag poor Filius to the alter screaming."

"What?" Harry's mouth dropped. "You mean it's true? They're really, you know, together?"

"Yes, but you didn't hear that from me." Her face then scrunched up for half a moment. "Didn't I tell you that before?"

"If you did, I don't remember it," Harry replied with a shrug.

"Ah. Well, yeah, they're together. It's probably the worst kept secret at Hogwarts."

Harry snorted. "You mean, besides you and Dad?"

"Hey, your dad took a little persuading before he saw it my way."

The young man rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure he did. "So, what now, Mum?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I truly don't. We've gone from crisis to crisis for so long that I don't know what comes next, Harry."

"But whatever comes next, we're together, right? You, Dad, and me?"

"Of course." She smiled at him kindly. "You're stuck with us now." She then sighed, running a hand through her curls. "Just like I'm going to be stuck with Eileen. Who knows, though? Maybe I've grown on her." At Harry's look of disbelief, she nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Probably not."

Hovering near the door, Severus contemplated if this was the right thing to do. Actually, no, he knew it was the right thing, but he wondered if he should be here. He had other things he could have been doing. Marking more abysmal essays, scrubbing some cauldrons, there was a list. Somewhere. All right. Probably not. Sighing, he hung his head before he knocked against the heavy oak door.

A moment later, Remus Lupin opened the door to his office.

"Severus?" the man said with narrowed eyes, clearly puzzled by his presence.

"I wonder if I might have a word with you?"

"Certainly." Lupin stepped aside, allowing him inside. "Do you want a cup of tea or something else to drink?"

Severus shook his head, though. "I won't be long." He watched Lupin take a seat across from him at his desk and decided to get on with the reason he was there. "When I'm near you, I recall the day I came face-to-face with you in your . . . other form in the Shrieking Shack. I can try to ignore it as much as I can, but deep down I am" he winced before he saying " . . . concerned with my safety."

"Severus, you don't need to—"

He held up a hand. "I do need to explain, though. I've been unfair to you over the years."

"We all made mistakes back then," Lupin replied kindly. "Mine being that I didn't stand up to James and Sirius whenever they went after you. I should have."

"You were wanting to be accepted, something of which I can understand entirely."

"It doesn't excuse my behavior, though."

"No, but you learned from your mistakes," Severus pointed out quietly. "You've shown that this year with how you've handled your classroom. I, however, became a bitter bully."

"And yet you still get the girl, Snape," a familiar voice drawled from behind Severus. "How about that, huh?" The man then chuckled quietly. "Sorry to barge in, Remus, but your door was open."

Black. Everywhere he turned now there was Black. "I should go," Severus stated, moving to rise.

"Don't leave on my account," Sirius said. "After all, it's not like I don't owe you an apology, right?" Wearing his usual aristocratic attire, he shrugged. "I mean, let's be honest. I was a git to you. I wouldn't be surprised if I was the reason, or one of the reasons, that you went to the dark side."

Severus's eyes narrowed on him. "How typical of you, Black. To think that everything that happens in the universe is solely because of you."

"That's not . . ." Sirius scoffed. "That's not what I was saying, and you know it."

Turning away from him, Severus said to Remus, "We'll finish this conversation later."

"You can finish it now, Snape," Black argued. "You don't have to run with your tail between your legs just because I'm here."

"Sirius," Remus scolded, giving his friend a pointed look.

"What? He doesn't have to leave. We can be cordial with one another."

Cordial? Now there was something he didn't ever think he'd hear from Black's mouth.

"So, just sit down again, Snape. It's all good."

Severus bit his tongue to keep from snapping back at the other wizard. As if he needed to be ordered about by Black of all people.

"How is Borealis doing anyway?"

Forcing himself not to react to Sirius negatively, namely punch him in the face, Severus replied, "She's as to be expected."

"Meaning?" the other man replied expectantly.

"She's alive, Black. That's all you need to know." Honestly, what did it matter to Black anyway? Aurora was his fiancée, not Black's.

"You know, I get you're annoyed by my asking, but I'm only asking because I care about her."

Severus's eyes darted to him instantly. That was it! "I would kindly appreciate it if you didn't act as if she's your girlfriend, Black, considering that I am the one engaged to her after all."

"There's no need to be jealous, Snape. I was just asking—"

"There's all the reason to be jealous, Black!" he spat back. "You and James always tried to take anything I enjoyed and destroy it."

"That's not what I'm—"

"I don't care what you're doing, Black, or why. I love her, and I will be damned if you—"

"You think I don't know that you love her? That she loves you?" Black scoffed. "I could be at my most charming, and she still wouldn't even look my way. She's all about you. Always has been."

Well, now he felt foolish. "Good." Severus truly didn't know what else to say than that.

"You know what?" Black said aloud. "I've been quiet for too long."

"Sirius," Remus warned, shaking his head sharply at him.

"No, Remus. He needs to understand just how much she loves him."

"He knows."

Black seemed to blow off his friend, though, and pushed on.

"She cried herself to sleep after she lost her baby," declared Black. "I had thought then that she'd be okay for a bit sleeping it off, but she cried your name, Severus. Not once, not twice, but repeatedly. Do you know how heartbreaking that is to hear? Someone cry out another person's name when you're holding them, because they want that person and not you?"

"Once again, Black, you make it all about—"

"She wanted you, Snape, not me," Sirius interrupted. "She's always wanted you. She used to defend you to us sometimes. More so before you became a full-blown Death Eater but even after. I could never understand how she could still care for you after you joined them. The bastards that hurt her, not once but twice. I had always wondered if it was a pissing contest between her and Lily, who could forgive your sins more. It was always her, though."

"What's your point, Black?" He was growing tired of this conversation.

"My little brother used to fancy her. Did you know?" He scoffed. "Of course you didn't. Reg always thought I didn't know, but I did. He'd leave her flowers sometimes, which she once thought you had done. Only once did she think it, because you promptly shut her down and made her feel like an idiot when she went to thank you. To thank you."

Severus frowned. How did Black know that? He hadn't even recalled that until Black had mentioned it and even then it was only a fuzzy recollection.

"I thought after you joined them that she'd definitely choose Reg instead, but she didn't. She kept after you and just stayed friends with him. He never told her, I think, when he joined." Sirius shook his head. "All this time I thought that maybe somehow she had finally woken up to see what a good man my brother was, but she knew that he was good, didn't she? Just as she knew deep down you were."

"What are you going on about, Black?"

"Reg, my smart little brother," Sirius said with a proud smile. "He figured out what old Smelly was up to with the Horcruxes and switched one in order to destroy it. Dumbledore left me a letter telling me all about it. I knew Reg had gotten himself in deep, and that he knew it too. But I didn't know that he was, you know, brave and shit. My little brother."

In the past, Severus would have replied that it was a little too late for Black to be going on about Regulus now as Regulus was dead, but Severus wasn't that man anymore. Or at least he wasn't trying to be that man. He'd let that sleeping dragon rest and allow Black his moment.

"Sirius, I think we should let Severus go now. I'm certain he has many things to do," Remus said gently giving a nervous smile.

"My little brother . . . he sacrificed himself for all of us. And we didn't even know it."

Inclining his head, Severus nodded hesitantly. Without the anger now, he could see the heartbreak in the other man's face and felt uncomfortable in front of Black. How did one heal such tremendous wounds?

Black had finally learned what had happened to his brother, but it didn't seem to give him any sort of solace or peace with it. Why should it, though? Everyone had believed for years that Regulus was a coward (Severus included) when he was so far from it.

"Your brother, Black, was a hero."

"Damn straight he was," Sirius replied, nodding jerkily.

Sighing inwardly, Severus quietly said, "He'd be glad to know that you were proud of him."

"You think?" Sirius seemed to be holding on desperately to those words, as if he thought it would bring Regulus back. Which it wouldn't.

"He always wanted you to be proud of him." Severus then paused before he added, "You and your parents." He watched Black nod. "Everything he did, he did to continue the Black legacy. He just never was certain if that meant your version of the legacy or your parents' version." Severus turned to Lupin then and inclined his head politely to the other man. "If you'll forgive me?"

"Of course, Severus. Thank you." Remus glanced to Sirius then. "Come on, Sirius. I'll get you some of that whiskey you enjoy."

Without another words, Severus turned away and left.

He soon found himself wondering the corridor aimlessly. He considered heading back to his dungeons and retreating there, but decided against it. He needed to be around others in order to forget the look of sheer devastation on Black's face. No one should feel that much heartbreak in one's life. He then frowned. Never in a million years would he have believed that he'd feel sorry for Black, but he did.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Luna Lovegood approaching from down one of the long windy corridors and winced inwardly. No doubt, she'd say something to him. Though, she was always good for a distraction, and he did need one.

"Time, it's a funny thing, isn't it, sir?" Luna asked with a bright smile as soon as she neared him.

So was her uncanny ability to read him, he though silently. "So it is, Miss Lovegood." His eyes scanned behind her to see if anyone else was around, but saw no one. "Curfew will start soon. You best be on your way back to the tower." Actually, curfew wasn't for another twenty minutes.

She nodded and laughed softly. "That's precisely what the Portanox said, sir."

"The what?" He then kicked himself for indulging her.

"The Portanox." She glanced around for a moment before she leaned in and lowered her voice so only he would hear her. "They don't seem to like rule breaking for some reason."

Severus forced a polite smile and nodded at her. Of course they didn't. He didn't like it either for that matter, but of course he wasn't some fictional character in her mind either.

"Good night, Professor." She then happily skipped away, leaving him in peace.

Harry scanned over the parchment in his hands one last time, making certain every line had an answer. He was fairly certain he had at least 90% of the exam right, but it was that last 10% he was unsure of unfortunately.

"All finished there, Mister Potter?" his Runes professor asked with a raised brow.

His eyes darted back to question five. Was that the home rune? Or . . . Frowning, he snatched the nearby quill and completed the final swoosh in its symbol. There. Now that was right. He hoped.

Professor Babbling's brow raised even more as she stared at him.

"There, Professor. I'm done now."

She rolled her eyes before she snatched his exam and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. He didn't need to be told twice. He left soon after, noticing that Hermione had already been dismissed and was heading to her next class.

"Hermione, wait," he called out, jogging to catch up to her.

When he fell in step beside her a moment later, she gave him a sideways smile. "You forgot the diagonal again, didn't you?"

"No." He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant about the whole matter.

"Harry," she said with a disbelieving laugh.

"All right. Fine. Yes, I forgot the stupid diagonal again, but I remembered before Babbling saw it." He snorted when he saw his friend's amusement. "Oh, like you didn't forget anything?"

She shrugged. "Unlike you, Harry, I spent all my time studying."

"Yeah, when you weren't snogging Draco, sure." He smiled inwardly when he saw her faint blush. Served her right.

"Draco and I are just—"

"Friends, yeah, I know," he drawled. "For the hundredth time, you've said that." He heard her slight huff but said nothing back as they continued through the halls. It didn't matter if she and Draco weren't snogging. Harry knew at some point they would. He had after all seen his parents do that a lot lately unfortunately so the fate was inevitable for Draco and Hermione as well.

As they turned the corner and headed across one of the courtyards, Harry noticed Ron up ahead of them. He frowned in response. He had tried to talk to his ex-friend, but Ron clearly hadn't wanted to at the time as he only brushed Harry aside and kept walking. It was strange to thing that it hadn't been too long ago that he and Ron had been battling it out over Wizard's Chess going on about the latest essay they both had done poorly on.

Maybe it was better this way, Harry thought glumly. Ron had chosen is way, and Harry had chosen his. He just wished it was different. That they could still be friends even though he had decided to become his own person. After all, didn't a best friend want that for their friend?

"I'll see you later, Harry," Hermione said with a wave before she broke off and headed towards her next class.

Harry continued walking behind Ron for a few more minutes. Maybe if he talked to Ron . . .

"Hey, Weasley," a voice suddenly called out from their right.

Harry turned towards where he had heard the voice and narrowed his eyes on the young man approaching Ron. Michael Corner? What was he doing hanging around a Ravenclaw?

"You coming tonight?" Michael asked.

"Yeah. I'll be there." Ron's head then turned right then left before his voice lowered. "You have it, don't you?"

"Of course I have it, Weasley." Michael then noticed Harry standing not too far away and frowned. He jerked his head towards Harry. "Think that's for you."

Harry winced inwardly, but held his ground as Ron whirled around and stared at him.

"What? Now you're eavesdropping on me too?" Ron glared.

"I'm not eavesdropping on you!" Harry shouted with his own glare. Why did everything with Ron turn into a fight nowadays?

"Says the guy standing behind me with his head craned towards me," Ron shot back.

Harry frowned outwardly and glanced towards Michael. "What does he have that you want?"

"None of your damn business, Potter!"

"It is my damn business, Ron, because you're my best friend! So that makes it my business!" Harry yelled. "Or are you too dense to realize that?"

"Dense? Oh sure. Insult the bloke when he's—"

"Um, do you two need a moment or something?" Michael interrupted before he found himself being glared at by both Harry and Ron. "Never mind. I'll just, you know, go elsewhere." He then quickly left them alone.

"You've been acting like a self-righteous git all damn year, and I'm tired of it, Ron! I nearly lost my family last year! Do you remember that? When my mum was taken?"

"Of course I remember that!" Ron shouted back. "My mum was taken too! Or don't you remember that, Harry?" When he said nothing, Ron continued. "You moped for months about her to anyone who listened. And then when you got her back, you didn't so much as even ask how my mother was? My mother . . . who was taken because of Sinistra!"

"I did too!"

"No you didn't, Potter! All you cared about was your perfect little family. The rest of us were cast aside like yesterday's news. You didn't care. You didn't even think to care. Not when you could have a family for once and be treated like a little prince!"

"Oh, yeah, Ron, because my life has been so freaking perfect!"

"Maybe not before, but it's pretty great now!"

"Screw you, Ron!" Harry growled. Why had he even considered trying to fix their friendship? It was clear Ron didn't care about it anymore.

"Enjoy your perfect little life, Potter!"

"Right back at you, Weasley," Harry snarled before he whirled around and headed in the opposite direction. Oh, his blood was boiling. Of course he had cared that Molly had been taken. She was like a mother to him as well. In fact, it was she who made certain he got aboard the train all right the first time he had traveled. Not that Ron had noticed. He clenched his teeth before he stopped and turned back. "What are you doing with Corner anyway? You hate Michael!" He couldn't stop himself from asking that question. Ron couldn't have changed that much over the past year.

"None of your business!"

Well, then, if he was going to play it that way . . . "Maybe I'll your mum then since you seem to think I don't care about her." He saw Ron blanch and felt his curiosity increase. Was he wrong or did Ron seem to really not want his mum to know about that? "Fine. Have it your way." He shrugged and headed back towards the general direction of the owlery.

"All right. Fine. You win. Okay, Harry?" Ron called out, clearly not happy. "I'm asking him for help with some my classes."

"Help?" Harry repeated, turning back. Ron never asked others for help. Unless that was Hermione and him that was.

"Yeah, okay, let's not make a big deal out of this."

"Why are you asking him for help?" He caught Ron's glare instantly and frowned.

"Because some of us aren't bookworms like you and Hermione," Ron replied snottily.

"Well, is it helping?" Harry asked.

"What do you care?"

"We played Wizard's chess almost every night together. Remember that? So, come off it with your 'What do you care?' crap. You know why I care. But in case you don't . . . you were my first friend, Ron. My best friend. I considered you my brother."

"Yeah, well, considering how you treated me after—"

"Treated you?" Harry scoffed. "How about all the fights you picked? The lying to Hermione? The backstabbing? Remember that, Ron?"

"What? So I was supposed to just roll over and lose her too?" Ron replied.

"Lose her?" Harry rolled his eyes, wondering if this was how his dad felt some days. "Ron, we don't even know what half of that stuff you're supposed to do with a girl is. So, how can you lose her?"

"Hey! I grew up with older brothers. I saw how they are with girls!"

Harry snorted. "So you saw them snog them?"

"Yeah . . . and take them back to their room sometimes when Mum and Dad weren't looking. But that doesn't matter. Hermione deserves someone much better than Malfoy."

"How do you know that? I mean, do you really know him?"

"He's a Slytherin, Harry."

"So are my parents!" Harry pointed out.

"Your dad at least, sure, but Professor Sinistra isn't your mum, Harry."

"She's as good as my mother." Why was Ron always pointing that out? He knew she wasn't his real mother, but she sure as hell did everything a mother would do. After all, a mother was a title that had to be earned. As his grandmother liked to point out, anyone could give birth. It took a special person to put her child, flesh or otherwise, above herself and her needs.

"If you say so."

"I do say so," Harry shot back defiantly. Aurora was his mother regardless of biology.

"Whatever," Ron said with a scoff before he turned and started to head away from Harry.

"She's my mother, Ron. You can piss and moan—"

"She nearly got all of the pureblood women killed!"

"She didn't! It was her mother that—"

"Oh, you mean, your grandmother?" Ron said snottily. "I mean, come on, Potter. If you claim Professor Sinistra, you have to claim her mother as well!"

Harry clenched his jaw.

"What's wrong? Only want to have that perfect family of yours, Harry?"

"Screw you, Ron!"

"Face it! You're no better than the rest of those prats in Slytherin. Always trying to make yourselves seem better than you really are." Ron's eyes narrowed when Harry took a step towards him. "You're just as pathetic as she is. In fact, life would have been better for all of us if she had died!"

Harry lunged towards Ron, fully intending to rip his ex-best friend into pieces. However, he soon realized that he was suspended in the air just a few feet from Ron, who had a surprised look on his face.

"I suggest you return to your common room, Mister Weasley, before curfew."

Harry felt his blood run cold the moment he heard his mum's voice. Had she heard what Ron said? He kept staring straight ahead and watched as Ron's face morphed from surprise into pure fury.

"I meant what I said, Professor! It would have been better for all of us—"

"Yes, Mister Weasley, I heard you the first time," Aurora repeated quietly. "Now, do as I say or I will be having a discussion with your parents concerning your recent behavior with me. And I'm certain Molly would have a few things to say about that. Wouldn't you?"

"You nearly killed her!" Ron yelled back at her.

"No, Weasley, you're mistaken!" Harry could hear the control that she had slowly breaking. "I did nothing to your mother. She was an innocent—"

"Yeah, she was, because you had to get some sort of super juice injected into—"

"You think I wanted that? To be tortured? Treated like a lab rat? Kept from my family?"

"Harry's not your son!" Ron screamed.

"You're precisely right, Mister Weasley. Ten points to Gryffindor." Harry swallowed as he heard Aurora's voice harden and become almost icy. "Both of my children died. One as a result of me being beaten by a group of my fellow housemates because I spoke out against Lord Voldemort corrupting Slytherin house." Ron's eyes widened in horror. "You didn't know that, did you? After all, there hasn't been a witch nor wizard who wasn't bad in Slytherin." She gave a dark laugh when he glanced down at his feet guiltily. "And my other child died because I was stressed beyond all belief. You see, there was a war going on at the time. So, right you are, Mister Weasley. Tell me, though. Does it make you feel better to point that out to me? Does it make up for the pain your mother underwent? If so, then do carry on. If not, then kindly shut your mouth and go back to your common room as I suggested earlier."

"My mother—"

"Is a wonderful person who would be so ashamed of her son right now if she heard you," Aurora interrupted instantly, cutting him off once again.

Ron glared at her one more time before he huffed after deciding whatever more he was going to say wasn't worth it and took off running towards the moving staircases.

Once Ron was gone, Harry felt himself be lowered back down to the ground slowly. He instantly turned back around to look at Aurora.

"I'm sorry for—"

"Don't apologize for someone else's actions, Harry," she stated quietly. "Otherwise, you'll find yourself apologizing a lot," she said with a faint smile.

"He shouldn't have talked to you like that."

"No, he shouldn't have, but he's hurting and doesn't know how to deal with everything he's feeling right now."

"That doesn't excuse him, though, Mum."

"Maybe not, but you've seen me on my worst days too, Harry, and I'm certain I wasn't all roses and sunshine then either." She sighed quietly. "Thank you for defending me, though. Not that I needed it, but I appreciate your kind words."

"It's true, though. You are my mum. Maybe not by blood, but—"

"Shared blood doesn't make a mother," she said, quoting Harry's grandmother Eileen. "I know."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah." He fell in step with her as they headed for the dungeons. It was so easy being around her. He couldn't explain it. It just was. And he wouldn't have traded it for the world. "I don't care what anyone says. You're a good mother, Mum." He felt her arm wrap around him a moment later as she gave him a sideways hug.

"Thank you, love."

He nodded jerkily, not sure of what else to say. Well, he knew of things to say, but he was sure that she didn't want to hear him ranting about Ron and how dense he was being.

"Well, what do you think, Harry?" He glanced up at her. "Do you think your father's managed to finish his stack of essays or do you think he's still hitting his head against his desk?" Harry laughed. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Well, let's go see if he wants some company."

"Will you just lay your card down already?" his father said with a heavy sigh.

Yes! He had his dad right where he wanted him.

"Harry? Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I heard you," the young Gryffindor said with a shrug, his eyes falling back on his cards. He could tell that his dad was getting rather annoyed with him, but annoyed was good in this instance. If his dad was annoyed, then it meant that his dad would be focusing on that instead of Harry's cards. And Harry really needed his dad to focus on that annoyance instead.

"Well?"

Harry shrugged again. He just needed to get his dad a bit more annoyed, and then he could move in for the kill. Just a bit. That was all.

"Nice cards, Harry," he heard in utter horror as his mum revealed all.

"MUM!" cried the young man before he whirled around, noticing her amusement.

"It's adorable that you think that getting him frustrated is going to knock him off his game, but, well, love, he does have the unfair advantage after all," Aurora said with a smile.

"I could have won!" Harry grumbled.

"Not when he had a royal flush, love," she said, pouring herself a glass of wine in the kitchen.

"What?" Harry's head snapped back towards his dad. That was impossible! His dad couldn't have had a royal flush. Harry had removed one of the higher cards from each suite. "You cheated!"

His dad shrugged, laying his cards down on the table. Sure enough, Harry saw the royal flush. "I'm a Slytherin, Harry. It's what we do." His eyes then narrowed on Harry. "However, correct me if I'm wrong, weren't you cheating as well by hiding the cards in the first place?"

"Well . . . that's different!"

"Indeed," his father remarked before rising and pouring himself a glass of elf wine.

"That wasn't fair," Harry grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting.

"Shouldn't have cheated first then," his dad stated.

"He's got a point there, love."

Harry glared at his mum. Even if it was true, he didn't need her to agree with his dad.

"Traitor," he mumbled.

"I think the word you're looking for, love, is fiancée," she replied with a grin before she kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Yeah, yeah." Harry rubbed his cheek where she had kissed him with a sigh. She always got lipstick on his cheek. Though, his dad usually got it much worse than he did.

"So, now that the card game is over, boys . . ." she drawled. "What do you say to a walk down to Hogsmeade? Maybe get a bit of a light supper?"

"If that's what you want," his dad replied, rinsing out his empty wine glass.

"It is. We've been cooped up for too long. I want to see my stars. After all, there should be a beautiful meteor shower tonight, Orionids, I believe."

Harry caught his dad's head jerk slightly towards her. It had been awhile since she had even mentioned anything to do with stars, least of all wanting to watch them.

"I'm going to grab a heavier robe. Do you want me to grab yours, Severus?"

Harry watched his dad shake his head silently as he stared back at her. A moment later, she was down the hallway and into the master bedroom.

"Does that mean . . ."

His dad's eyes darted to him instantly. "I'm not certain, but perhaps it's a good sign."

Harry nodded in response. He'd take it as one too.

As they waited for her to return, Harry thought back on the past few months. In the beginning, she just sat there for many nights in her own little world. Sometimes she would give a glimpse of her old self, but it would always just disappear again later. And then came the more semi-coherent states followed by fear that her earlier sickness had returned. But that too vanished. He couldn't understand it. What had changed from the start of the year to now? Well, she was talking more with that healer of hers. Was that it, he wondered.

No. It had to be more than that. Something in her thinking had changed. She seemed more like herself, like before she had been taken.

He glanced up when he heard her boots clicking against the stone floor as she approached. A smile tugged at his lips. She was wearing one of his dad's heavier outer robes. When she finally reached them, she paused before she twirled around slowly, the bottom of the robes billowing out in their usual way. Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you mocking me, witch?" his father asked with a raised brow.

"Oh, heavens no. I'm billowing." She then balled up a bit of his robes before she waved the bottom half back and forth. "And now I'm sweeping. Or is it dusting? I can never tell."

Harry's sides hurt from laughing so hard. Leave it to her to say that to his dad.

His dad glanced at him before he rolled his eyes. "Adorable."

"Why, yes, I am. Thank you for noticing, love," she remarked before kissing Severus's cheek.

Harry smirked when he saw the lipstick stain left behind. Least it wasn't him this time.

"So, I'm thinking we should head over to the Three Broomsticks, get a bite to eat, and then head back here to watch the shower. Sound like a plan to you two?"

Harry glanced at his dad and shrugged. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her that he found watching the night sky to be boring.

"It sounds like a perfect evening."

Aurora rolled her eyes instantly. "What flatterers you two are." She knit her hand together with Severus's and headed for the door. Harry quickly followed after them. Whatever had changed in her, he was glad that she seemed to be more at peace with herself.

He then paused and stared after them. That was it. She had made peace with what had happened to her finally. At least that was always what McCoy was going on about. It made sense now.

Several hours later, Severus could hear the hooting of the owls from the owlery as they lay on their backs (Aurora's idea of course) staring up at the stars. He hadn't seen a single one of her meteors that she was so excited for. But he had seen the happiness on her face.

"Ooh, look! Look, Severus!" Her hand flew up in the air as she pointed towards a dark part of space. "Right there! Did you see it?" She then turned and glanced at him. "What?"

He snorted in response and shook his head. "They're just pieces of debris burning up in the atmosphere, Aurora. Hardly something to get that excited over." He then caught Harry's wince and frowned. What? It was the truth.

"Just pieces of debris?" she repeated, crossing her arms and giving him her most stern look.

Uh oh. Now he stepped in it. He heard Harry's groan from the other side of Aurora.

"I'll have you know that meteors—"

"I can do without the lecture, Professor," Severus stated before he yelped when he felt the sharp sting in his side from her Stinging Hex.

"You may think they are just pieces of debris, but those pieces up there could kill you if they managed to fall on top of you. Not only by the fact that they'd burn right through your flesh and bones like it was nothing, but by the jaggedness of their edges. They're falling at a rate of 66 kilometers per second as they're burning up in Earth's atmosphere. And the little chunks of rock left behind, they contain no metal found on this planet. They're hard and dense, and they—"

"I apologize, Aurora. I meant no—"

"Just pieces of debris," she mumbled, shaking her head. "What if I had told you that potions were nothing more than just mashed up bits of insect and animal parts?"

He frowned.

"Gets your blood boiling now, doesn't it?" she stated with a huff. "So, don't tell me that meteors are nothing more than pieces of debris. They are much more than that. Just as how your potions are more than just insect and animal parts."

"I stand corrected," Severus said quietly.

"That you do." She then gave a final sigh before her eyes once more looked upwards.

It had been awhile since she had given him a verbally tongue lashing. Severus smirked inwardly. She was the only one other than Minerva who would. The others would just cower at his words. But not Aurora. She wasn't afraid of his bark.

"We should head back to the castle." She slowly pushed herself up off the ground to stand.

His eyes narrowed on her. From one moment to the next, she had decided to go inside instead. He thought for a moment on possible reasons. Was it that she was cold? No. It couldn't be that as she was still wearing his robes. Well, then was she worried about Harry breaking curfew? No she'd know that they could always excuse him if they needed to. So then what had changed? His eyes then narrowed when he saw someone approaching them from the owlery.

Oh. That's why.

"Come along, Harry," Severus said soon after. If they ran into her, there was no telling what would happen. Well, there was. Someone would likely end up in the hospital wing, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be Aurora this time.

"Is something wrong?" Harry too seemed confused. Not that he blamed the boy. Harry didn't understand the full backstory as Severus did.

"No. Let's just go, love," she said gently, picking up her pace as they headed towards the castle.

"Aurora!" a shrill voice suddenly called out from across the grounds as a witch rushed towards them. "Aurora, wait! I have something to tell you!"

Severus quickly rested his hand on her arm. It was an action she had always done for him over the years. While he had in the beginning found it entirely irritating, he now found that action comforting. So he'd return the favor to her.

"The baby's a girl!" the witch behind them yelled out of nowhere.

Severus felt Aurora's whole body tense before she whirled around. He did not like the look on her face right now as she was glaring down the hill murderously at the Divinations professor. He winced in sympathy for half a second before he once again placed what he hoped was a comforting hand on her arm. He watched her eyes dart towards him in response.

"It's not worth it," he stated calmly.

"Wait, did she say baby?" Harry asked. "I thought I heard her say baby. Are you pregnant?"

"It's a girl, Aurora," Sybill declared happily. "A beautiful girl."

"That's it," she growled, looking downright upset. "I'm going to kill her."

Severus stepped in front of Aurora, though, and held her back. While he had no doubt that she would kill Sybill if given the opportunity, he also knew that she would eventually regret it. Probably in a hundred or so years, but she would regret it at some point.

"Dad! Did she say baby? As in, you know, little crying infant?" Harry asked, the excitement seeping into his voice. "I'm going to be a brother?!"

He sighed inwardly and glanced towards his son. Harry was not helping matters at all.

"She's been going on about that damn thing for the past week," Aurora said angrily. She then stood up on her tiptoes and yelled over Severus's shoulder. "I'm not pregnant, you crazy alcoholic!"

"You are! I've seen it!"

"No, what you've seen is the inside of your damn sherry bottle, Sybill!" Aurora snarled, causing Harry and Severus to wince. "I am not pregnant!"

"You are, though! You're practically glowing, Aurora! Oh, this is so perfect! So wonderful. A new baby to celebrate your upcoming nuptials this spring."

"We're not getting married in the spring," Aurora argued.

"Then it was the winter then," Sybill said dismissively. "It's no matter. You're pregnant. Go. Go speak with Poppy if you doubt me. But I can see it clear as day."

Severus glanced down at Aurora and sighed. "It wouldn't hurt anything to check."

"I'm going to be a brother! I'm going to be—" Harry cheered in the background, causing Aurora to sigh heavily in defeat. "A brother!"

"I hate her."

Smiling faintly, Severus nodded. "I know you do." He then lowered his voice so only she would hear him. "That's partly the reason I love you."

"And what's the other part?"

"You'll have to wait for our vows to learn that," he drawled. His mind wasn't as shocked as he had thought it would be this time. Though, he assumed that was partly because Trelawney was known for telling incorrect prophecies. She had only ever gotten maybe a few right over the years he knew her. So, there was always the scenario that this too was incorrect. But did he want it to be? He wasn't certain. He knew Aurora had always wanted a child. They had even spoken about it recently with Healer McCoy. And the healer had stated that it wouldn't have been the worst thing possible for them in terms of their recovery.

Severus then winced inwardly again. If his mother ever found out about this, she'd hit him upside the head and tell him he was an idiot for not waiting. Well, on second thought, maybe she wouldn't. It wasn't like she and his father had waited either. And she hadn't been real upset about Harry, and he wasn't born in wedlock either. So maybe . . .

"Severus?"

He glanced down at Aurora again the moment he heard her say his name.

"If not, then you can hex her," he stated softly. He heard her quiet laugh and smiled.

If it turned out she wasn't pregnant, then he'd hex Trelawney himself, he realized, for getting their hopes up. He then paused as he realized that he had said 'their hopes.' He hadn't been sold on the idea of another child so soon because he wanted Harry to be their sole child for a bit, but the boy didn't seem choked up or at all worried about a new baby in their lives.

"I'm going to be a brother!" Harry continued to sing beside them.

Severus sighed inwardly. If she wasn't pregnant, poor Harry would mope about for months. He was certain of this. But if she was . . . They could still be a family, learning what it meant to be one even with a new child in their lives. And . . .

Oh, he just needed to know now! Damn Trelawney!

Harry's face immediately fell when Madam Pomfrey promptly snapped the curtain shut behind her and his parents. He wanted to know too! Frowning, he reached out to grab a bit of it. However, the second his fingers touched the material, he felt a sharp sting throughout his entire body, forcing him to release it at once. This wasn't fair! How was he supposed to know if he was going to be a big brother or not if they didn't allow him inside? Or even hear anything either? Sometimes magic sucked.

Huffing in defeat, he turned away from the closed curtain. They better tell him later or else. He crossed his arms and moved towards one of the empty cots to wait.

"Harry?"

His eyes darted upwards instantly at the sound of Hermione's voice. He found her just a few feet away from him, entering the hospital wing.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her eyes then narrowed on him. "You didn't hurt yourself again, did you?"

Why did she always think he was hurting himself? He wasn't a klutz after all. He just sometimes had trouble walking. And, you know, had trouble following him always. It wasn't his fault.

"Mum's in there with Dad and Pomfrey." He jerked his head towards the curtain as she continued heading towards him.

"Oh." She smiled softly. "Is everything all right with them?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Trelawney caught us down by the lake and told Mum that she's pregnant."

"She did what?" Hermione's whole body tensed.

"So Mum and Dad are, you know, checking to see if she was right."

"Well, Professor Trelawney better hope for her sake that she was," Hermione commented.

Harry snorted. "Mum and Dad said the same thing." His eyes then narrowed on her. It was strange to see her in the hospital wing. It made him stop for a moment and think. "Are you okay, Hermione?" he asked a moment later.

She laughed in response. "I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey just has a potion I need."

"Well, you could ask my dad—"

"No, Harry. It's fine. Really."

His eyes narrowed. She rarely, if ever, interrupted him. Something really strange was going on. "Hermione, are you sure everything's okay?"

She nodded. "Positive. It's just, you know, girl stuff."

"Oh." It was Harry's time to nod. "Say no more. I got it." He then glanced down at his hands that seemed strangely interesting that second.

"Are your parents excited?" When Harry glanced at her, she added, "About her possibly being pregnant?"

Harry shrugged. "I think so. At least, they seem more excited than last time."

"Last time?" She tilted her head to her side.

"Yeah." He gave a nervous laugh. "I guess I didn't tell you then or something. They thought she was pregnant last year, right before she was taken."

"Oh." Hermione glanced down. "No wonder Professor Snape wanted her back so much."

He nodded. "Yeah, but she wasn't. At least that was what I was told."

"Well, it takes a bit sometimes. My mother's best friend took years to become pregnant, and even then they weren't sure it would actually happen. She had to go through all these crazy tests and procedures. Mum always said how blessed she was that it hadn't taken that much to have me."

Harry didn't know what to say to that so he just nodded.

"A new baby will be exciting, though, won't it?"

"Definitely," Harry replied with a wide grin. He couldn't wait to hold his little brother or sister. To show them around Hogwarts. To tell them stories about all the crazy adventures he had.

"Though, if she's not . . ." Hermione sighed. "Professor Trelawney shouldn't play games like that with them. Your mother's wanted a child for so long. If it comes out that she's not, I can't imagine the disappointment she'll feel. But she's strong. We both know that."

"She is." Harry then cocked his head to his side for half a moment. "Wait a minute. How did you know that she's wanted a baby?"

Hermione forced a laugh and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Harry, it's pretty obvious. She takes all of us under her wing whenever she can. You most especially."

"Well, yeah, just because she likes my dad."

"There's more to it than just that, Harry. She was willing to exchange her life for yours."

"I know. For my dad."

"Do you honestly think all of this was just for your dad, Harry?"

He frowned, his eyes narrowing on her. "What do you mean?"

"Had the Martyr's Gift worked the way it was supposed to, she'd have died. And she knew that. She wanted both of you, Harry, you and your dad to have a happy ending, to be a family together, to be happy for once." Hermione shook her head. "She knew the moment she picked you up and started, that the odds of surviving were slim. But she still did it anyway."

"I know all that."

"Then why hasn't it crossed your mind that maybe it wasn't just your dad that she loved but you as well? It may not be in the same way as she loves your dad, but she does love you, Harry. She's always treated you like her son. More so after she saved your life."

That didn't make sense. He couldn't recall her treating him any differently.

"After the Quidditch match, where Professor Quirrell jinxed your broom, she was one of the first ones to demand the broom be inspected. Her and Professor McGonagall."

She had? He didn't know that.

"And according to Draco, she spoke with several of the Slytherins before the match. To ensure that it was a clean game or else."

"But she didn't know I was . . ." Had she?

"She would point out your mistakes on your star chart a lot more than she would with us."

"But she didn't know I was Dad's, though, Hermione."

"No, but she likely saw how your father looked at you when he thought no one else was watching. She probably picked up on something. Some little tick of his." Hermione then shrugged. "Not to mention, she did have a history with your mother."

"They hated one another."

"Most girls do when it comes to a boy. Even some boys have that problem sometimes."

"Ron and Draco," Harry said with a slight nod.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "Professor Sinistra may have disliked your real mum, but I think at some point they did come to some mutual understanding of one another."

"Possibly." From everything Harry had heard, he wasn't so sure of that.

"She once told me that who we are right now is not always who we are later on. She told me about how she had gotten into a fight once with a student older than her in the girl's bathroom. She had been angry at how the girl treated someone they went to school with."

Harry waited and listened to Hermione speak. Without a doubt, he knew the older student had been his biological mother.

"She was so angry with how this girl had treated one of their classmates that she ended up in a physical fight with the girl. They both ended up with two months of detention for their actions."

His mothers had gotten detentions too?

"She had said at the time, she wanted nothing more than to hurt the other girl, to wish death upon her. And later on, when a few other things happened and boiled the cauldron of contempt again, she thought the same thing. But when the other girl later was murdered by Voldemort, taken from her child, she instantly felt horrible for ever wishing harm or death to the other girl. No amount of wrongdoing ever was worth hating someone or wishing harm to them. She told me that was a painful lesson for her to learn, but it was an important one." Hermione pause for half a moment. "She never said your mother's name, but with everything we've learned it's clear it was your mother she was talking about." Hermione then glanced at him. "Do you know that she lays a flower down on your mother's grave every year on your mother's birthday?"

"What?"

"She does. She stated it was the least she could do."

"I didn't know that."

Hermione smiled. "Now, you do."

"So what you're saying is that not only does she treat me differently because she likes my dad, but also because she feels guilty for what happened to my mum?"

"I don't know. I would imagine as she's gotten to know you, she's seen you more than them."

Harry nodded. Everyone he had ever met, though, only saw James and Lily. They didn't see him. His mum always seemed to see him, though. So maybe Hermione was right.

"But I think, ultimately, Harry, she's a natural caregiver in terms of personality. She sees us who are lost and wandering, and try to show us that we're loved and okay. I mean, when I first came to Hogwarts, I was so uncertain of myself. Books were one thing, but I felt so lost. Everyone else had been exposed to this world since birth, but not me."

"That's when you would talk to her, right?"

"We'd have a cup of tea and talk. She's the one who told me about James's medal of service."

"She told you?"

"She did. I had spent the night talking about you and your fears about Quidditch. She asked me if I had ever been to the trophy room and seen them. The next day, we went there, Harry." Hermione smiled. "She'd be a good mother."

"She is," Harry replied with his own smile.

"If she is pregnant, will you pass along my congratulations to her? If not, well, just be patient with them, will you?" Harry's eyes narrowed. "It's just we all know you want to be a brother badly. Moping around isn't going to help her feel better any." She then glanced one last time at the curtain before she turned back. "I think I'll come back later for my potion. Night, Harry."

"Night." He sighed as he watched her leave. Hermione was right. Being disappointed wasn't going to make his mum feel any better. He nodded once. If his mum wasn't pregnant, then he'd just wait and try his best not to mope. He could wait. His mum had after all.

At hearing the curtains snapping shut behind Madam Pomfrey and the feel of her privacy charm, Severus inhaled sharply. He knew it was coming, but that didn't make things any better. He watched numbly as Madam Pomfrey instructed Aurora to do something. He felt so out of it right then. Though, he blamed it solely on Aurora's anxiousness that was practically suffocating him as they waited.

"All right, dear. We have several options in terms of finding out if you are or aren't pregnant."

Severus sighed inwardly, feeling Aurora grab his hand. His eyes darted to hers at once. He caught her pointed look at him and smiled in return. He supposed she was right. There was no need to be annoyed with Pomfrey doing her usual matron diligence. But she could just do the quickest option.

"Which is the quickest and easiest?" he heard Aurora ask a moment later. That a girl.

"A spell," Pomfrey said. "Normally, it'd be a potion, but Severus hasn't brewed those lately."

Which was for good reason. There was absolutely no reason to waste good ingredients when one could use his or her wand to find out such things.

"All right. Spell it is."

A baby . . . was he ready for such a thing? He watched Pomfrey draw her wand. He wasn't exactly young anymore. Neither was Aurora, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Would they be able to keep up with a newborn? To adapt to little to no sleep for the first few months and not manage to kill half of Hogwarts as a result? He swallowed as he saw the wand move over Aurora's abdomen. A baby. A screaming little terror bent of driving its parents up the wall. That was what he was facing. A baby.

He closed his eyes. He had missed all of Lily's pregnancy with Harry. Not to mention, it wasn't as if he had been around kids a lot in his life. Well, at least not around kids who weren't potty trained.

Money. Financially could they handle another mouth to feed? He was the main source of income right now as she was on an indefinite leave of absence. While Hogwarts paid decently, he wasn't certain it'd be enough. Babies were after all expensive.

"Breathe, Severus."

His eyes flew open the moment he heard Aurora's voice. Had he stopped breathing? He glanced at Pomfrey and saw the matron staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Normally, it's the new fathers that have this sort of reaction after they see their child the first time, not the ones who are trying to see if they will be fathers soon," Pomfrey remarked.

He glared at Pomfrey before he turned back to Aurora. A baby was a huge responsibility. They were still healing. What if this sent them back to before? What if it caused them to snap? What if—

"Severus," Aurora said softly, causing him to stop in mid-thought. "Do I need to ask Poppy to give you a Calming Draught?"

"No." He shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

"Obviously," both Pomfrey and Aurora replied.

"What if I'm a terrible father?" He sighed when Aurora reached up and caressed his cheek.

"You're not and you won't be."

"But . . ."

"We'll learn together. As a family. You, me, Harry . . . and if Pomfrey ever gets to it, the new baby if there is one."

"What if—"

"Not a what if," Poppy interrupted before she grinned at them when they both turned to her. "It would seem Sybill was actually right this time. You are pregnant, Aurora."

Severus's eyes fell to Aurora's abdomen at once. "It's mine?"

"No, Severus," Aurora deadpanned, "I didn't know how to tell you this, but I had an affair with Hagrid a few months back." She then lightly hit his chest. "Of course it's yours, you idiot."

He frowned and glanced at her. "Which potions should she be taking now, Madam?" he asked brusquely, making a note to get more ingredients when they got back to their rooms.

"I'm not reading anything that's setting off alarms right now. Her vitals and the baby's are stable. She's showing no signs of anemia, which is good. I'm finding just a few deficiencies in terms of vitamins, but a couple of doses of nutritional potion should fix that right up."

"All right. We can take that potion. I believe I have a few—"

Aurora snickered before she finally just started outright laughing.

"What?" He failed to see what was so funny.

"You're going to coddle me now, aren't you?"

"Coddle? No. I'm going to take care of you."

"There's a difference?"

"Of course there is."

She rolled her eyes. "Let me guess," she said, turning to Pomfrey. "Bed rest is in my future?"

"That is highly possible, yes," Madam Pomfrey started to say.

"Bed rest?" Severus repeated with a frown. "Why?" He caught both of them looking at him.

"Because I get stressed easily sometimes, and stress is bad for the baby."

"Exactly. And since she's had a history of miscarriages, we need to take extra precautions."

"Her first was due to a physical assault, though." A beating was a better word for it.

"Yes, and my second miscarriage was due to stress, Severus."

"Among other things," Pomfrey chimed in.

"Other things?" Severus's eyes narrowed. "What other things?"

"Perhaps it's best if I leave you two alone," Pomfrey said before she backed against the curtain.

"Thank you, Madam," Aurora replied sarcastically before sighing when they were alone.

"What other things? What is she talking about?" He hadn't seen anything in her medical file.

"With my second pregnancy, I didn't realize I was until a month before I miscarried. Unlike most women, I didn't slow down and take care of myself as I should have. I was solely focused on doing my missions for the Order, helping anyway I could. Which isn't going to be a problem this time as we have no more bad guys around."

Severus wisely remained quiet. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her that there was always the chance that someone with a grudge could always come after them still. He knew deep down she knew that just as well as he did.

"So I need to make sure you aren't overly stressed and are taking proper care of yourself." Severus nodded shortly as he made his mental note. "I can do that. Is there anything else?"

"No. That's it."

"You're certain?"

He caught her smile and felt himself relax a bit more.

"Fairly certain, yes. But please don't try to coddle me to the point where if I breathe wrong you go haywire. I don't think that'd be good for me, you know? I'll already have Minerva fussing over me."

"Not to mention my mother," Severus stated.

"What?"

He glanced at her. "My mother. She's wanted grandchildren all her life. Harry is one thing, but a new baby is going to send her into a frenzy."

"Oh."

The look on her face reminded Severus of a person who had just witnessed his or her own death.

"Aurora?"

"Maybe Pomfrey was wrong. Maybe I'm not . . ."

He grabbed her hand instantly and squeezed it. Why was she so unsettled by that? She had to have known that others would treat her differently now. It wasn't exactly her first pregnancy.

"What if I lose it?" she whispered, staring at him. "Like the others? She wouldn't forgive me. I wouldn't forgive me."

He stared back at her at a loss for words. "It'll be different this time," he stated a moment later.

"Why?"

"Because you're not alone this time, Aurora," he replied simply. "You have me to watch over you. To ensure that both you and our child are safe, healthy. And I'll do everything I can to make certain you don't feel that heartbreak again. That's why."

"But what if that's not enough? What if we do everything possible, and I just can't have kids? Like there's something physically inside me that is unable to have them?"

"Then as I've told you before, we'll adopt. That doesn't matter to me. But we'll cross that bridge if we have to. And right now, we don't have to cross it." He sighed quietly. "You're pregnant, Aurora. You heard Madam Pomfrey just as I heard her. What happened in the past with the other two . . . that doesn't dictate this pregnancy." He rubbed the back of her hand. "I never thought I'd love again, but here I am giving my heart to you openly. It's not anything close to your fear of losing another child, but I've learned where there is love there is hope . . . and all you really need is hope. Hope brings us love, brings us risk, and brings us together. You had always hoped to be right here with me. And look where you are. So don't let the doubt wiggle inside. Not when you have hope and love on your side with me."

"Since when have you become so optimistic?"

He half-laughed. "If I were a different man, I might say" he shrugged "since you came into my life." He heard her loud laugh instantly. "But I'm not that man. So, likely a result of a very dark curse."

"Yeah, that's probably it."

"Luckily, though, I know the countercurse."

"Oh?" Her smile reached her eyes once more. "And just what is the countercurse exactly?"

"I can't tell you that." He shrugged, enjoying their little back and forth. They had used to play this game with one another a long time ago, usually to the point where their coworkers would become annoyed with their antics. It was only recently that it had turned into something playful instead of snarky. He laughed inwardly as he thought about it for a moment. They had likely been engaged in verbal foreplay for years with one another and not even known it.

"And why not?"

"Because a good wizard never gives away his countercurses."

"Sounds like a bunch of bull to me."

"Possibly." He then glanced at the closed curtain and sighed. "We should tell Harry. Harry would be overly ecstatic after hearing it. "Think of it as practice," he suggested. "For when our second child is clapping and carrying on over some foolish bunny she saw."

"She?"

"Or he," he added with a shrug. "Trelawney always could have gotten that wrong."

"Just like our wedding."

He nodded. "Indeed."

"Because she's wrong. A lot."

"She is."

"So just because she said it's a girl, it doesn't mean it's actually going to be a girl."

"Right."

"It could be a little boy."

"It could."

"She reads people and tells them what they want to hear. I've always wanted a child. And she probably assumes that because I have Harry, that I would want a girl next."

He nodded, wondering why she was going over this with him.

"So, it doesn't mean it's true and that we should start buying little girl clothes yet."

"Precisely. Fate can go either way on this."

"It's not like it's set in stone. It can always change."

He nodded again.

She sighed in return. "All right. Let's tell Harry now."

"Are you certain?"

"If we put it off any longer, he's going to start to worry something's wrong. And I don't want that. He's been through so much lately. He needs some good in his life too."

Severus could understand that. He had been thinking the same thing. "Shall we?" She nodded once more and stood up. Once she came to stand beside him, he opened the curtain, Pomfrey's earlier spell dispelling instantly.

"Well?" Harry asked, glancing at both of them nervously as he stood from his own cot.

"You're going to be a brother."

"YES!" Harry yelled, jumping up into the air. He then raced towards them before throwing his arms around them both. "Thank you!" he muffled against them as he hugged them. "Thank you!"

Harry tugged on his tie one last time as he looked in the mirror. It didn't feel right. It didn't look right for that matter. He sighed heavily and ripped it off a moment later. Everything had to be perfect. Well, it didn't have to be perfect, but it needed to be pretty close. After all, how many times would his dad marry his mum?

His smile grew at that thought. They were getting married. Finally. Well, actually, they were getting married later that night. But, still, it was only a few hours until they became a real family. A family. A real family. He shook his head as he held his tie in his hand loosely. That was all his parents and he had ever really wanted. To be part of a family since their own families were severely messed up.

At a quiet knock against his door, the young man glanced in the mirror back towards the door. He laughed softly when he saw his dad in a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants standing in the doorway.

"You do realize the wedding isn't for another eight hours, right?"

"Yeah. I know," Harry replied with a nod. "Just making sure everything's ready to go."

"Oh?"

Harry's smile widened slightly. "Well, you have it easy, Dad. You know who you're going with. Me, well, I still am waiting to hear back from Hermione."

"Ah." His dad nodded. "So you did ask Miss Granger then?"

"I did."

"And she has yet to give you answer?"

"Yeah." Harry gave a short laugh when he saw his dad's brow raise. "I know, Dad, but she's the only girl I know." Or rather the only one he was close to was more like it.

His dad opened his mouth to respond when he frowned suddenly.

"Now, who is it?" his dad groaned before he turned and headed back out of Harry's room.

The young man couldn't help but follow. His mind raced with ideas of who it could be outside their rooms. Was it his grandparents? Maybe. Or maybe it was another one of the professors? When he saw the portrait swing open soon after, he stopped in mid-step and stared. Oh.

"Hello, Professor. May I speak with Harry?" He heard Hermione say a moment later.

Harry sighed in response and closed his eyes. Judging that she wasn't dressed yet, this wasn't going to be good. He took one more step to make it less noticeable that he had seen her and was disappointed. He noticed his dad glance at him before his dad swept out of the room to give them privacy. Harry plastered on the fake smile instantly.

"Is everything all right, Hermione?"

She nodded, her hands at her sides. "I'm sorry, Harry, but . . ."

The young man forced a shrug and shook his head. "It's okay. Really it is."

"I wanted to come tonight. I did. It's just with everything going on with Draco and Ron, I, well, you understand, don't you?" Her eyes searched his.

"Yeah. It's fine." Harry's smile widened just a bit as inside he felt sick. It wasn't like this scenario hadn't crossed his mind. He knew that by asking her, he would be putting her into a precarious situation with the other two boys. But he thought that maybe everyone could overlook it for just one night and let him take her. Guess they couldn't. Not that it was all that surprising. The boys had been fighting over her for months now like she was a piece of meat.

"Harry, please." She reached towards him, pausing when he stepped back from her. "I may not be able to go with you, but I did manage to ask someone for you."

The young man scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah? Who? Lavender? Pansy?"

"Luna."

Hearing that name was a slap across his face. Luna? She asked Luna Lovegood? He stared back at her, his mouth opening and closing several times. Luna? He hadn't spoken to her in a few weeks now. He always meant to, of course, but with the new baby on the way . . .

"Why?" he managed to choke out a moment later.

It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes now. "Harry, do I truly need to spell it out for you?"

Not particularly, no, but he couldn't find the words to respond to her properly.

"You like her! It's obvious to anyone with half a brain."

His eyes narrowed on Hermione. Was it really that obvious? He liked to think that only he knew of his confusing and sometimes at odds with himself feelings towards the blonde. He winced inwardly as he wondered who else knew. Did Luna herself know? If she did, he could never face her again.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about."

"Of course there isn't!" Harry snapped, sounding strangely like his father.

"She said yes by the way."

He frowned in reply, not wanting to admit that he was rather relieved to hear that.

"She'll be here in a few hours."

"Here?" he repeated, staring at Hermione blankly. Luna was coming down here?

"Yes. Here." Hermione smiled softly.

"But she's a Ravenclaw!" That sounded lame even to him. He pushed on, though. "So maybe Draco hasn't told you this, but the dungeons aren't a real safe place for someone like her to be."

"Someone like her?"

"Yeah, you know, a Ravenclaw."

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "I swear I feel like I'm talking with Ron right now. Slytherins don't have issues with Ravenclaws. In fact, many Slytherins end up dating one at some point. And all that is beside the matter. You have no reason to worry. Really. Everything is going to be just fine."

Fine? Fine?! How was him and Luna attending his parents' wedding together going to be fine? He could barely speak to Luna on a good day, let alone a day as important as this one. And he wasn't a fool either. He had seen the way Draco and his dad acted around their girlfriends. He was ten times worse than the both of them combined around Luna.

"It'll be fine, Harry. I promise." Hermione then gave him a final smile before she left.

The young man couldn't help but sigh as the portrait closed behind her. Going back to bed sounded really good about now. Maybe he'd wake up later and discover all this had been a very bad dream. Well, he could hope at least. He was almost asleep when he heard his dad walk past his room. Where was his dad going? That was the last thought the young man had.

His heart raced as he strode across the dark grounds towards the manor. Would she even want to see him? He scoffed and shook his head. Of course she would. She always had. If anything had ever sunken into his head this year, it was that.

He considered for half a moment about doing the proper thing and knocking on the door. But he quickly dismissed that idea. There was no need to involve her father in this and run the risk of him telling Severus to leave because of some ridiculous 16th Century old superstition of grooms and brides and wedding days. Searching for something on the manor he could use as leverage to pull himself up, he smirked. His father-in-law would soon learn that he had no intention of leaving Aurora alone ever again. He had spent too long as it was away from her over the years. He was ready for happy. They all were.

Finding himself two seconds later slipping and sliding back towards the ground below, he huffed and jumped back down. If climbing wasn't going to work, then he'd have to do it another way. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his actions and focused all his energy into flying. It was a skill few wizards knew, and that made it much more valuable than ever learning how to Disapparate properly.

The moment his feet touched the balcony outside the desired room, he reopened his eyes. He paused, hearing Orin's voice coming from inside the room. He'd wait his turn then. The man deserved these last moments to impart his fatherly advice on his daughter without Severus's interruption.

As the seconds passed by, Severus found himself craning his head more and more towards the window. He couldn't help himself, he realized. Just what words of wisdom did Orin have for her?

"You're not planning on running, are you, Aura?" Orin's rich tones filtered through the walls. "Because I very much doubt that boy would let you."

"What makes you so certain it wouldn't be him running, Dad?" Aurora replied. Severus could hear the smile in her voice.

"Because I know you, my dear Aurora. You'd stop at nothing to get your way, and he's been in your eyes for far too long, I'm afraid."

"Meaning?"

Meaning she'd use every Unforgivable and Dark curse she could find to make him marry her, Severus thought with a faint smirk. She always had worn her heart on her sleeve when it came to him. He just was too blind to see it.

"You won't let him slip away this time. Not after all you've been through."

"I guess we'll have to see, then, won't we?"

Severus heard her loud laughs and rolled his eyes. She was fooling no one. The silence then drug on, deafening almost. Yes, he could see where she'd equate the waves crashing against the cliffs like shattering glass. In this moment, it sounded exactly like that.

"Did you ever hear the story of how I met your mother?" Orin asked suddenly.

"She was at Mungo's when you were brought in. Working on her residency or something."

"She sat at my bed side for months. Months, Aurora. Nursing me back to health, being patient with me when I had difficult days. And, oh, did I have difficult days back then. When I woke up and saw her . . . I knew. I just knew."

"You loved her."

"I still do," Orin declared. "When I knew her, back before the darkness settled around this family, she was good at one time, Aurora. She was kind. Loving even at times."

"And then she had me."

"No. You weren't the cause, baby girl. She saw pain, unimaginable heartbreak day after day after day. It destroys your soul. Eats at it until there's nothing left but a shell. She loved you, Aurora. I know you don't believe it, but deep down I know she did."

"So you keep saying, Dad."

Severus closed his eyes, turning from the window. Perhaps he'd give them some privacy.

"Don't let the darkness fester. That's all I'm saying," Orin said. "Don't let it rot away at your marriage and love for one another as it did for your mother and me. If you're having a bad day, let him know it. Don't try to be brave. There's no shame in admitting that you need help from time to time."

"I'm good. Really."

"For now. But, trust me, there will be days when you'll be tested. You, him, your love for one another, all of it. It's how you come out of that, baby girl, that defines your marriage."

"All right."

What else could be said but that? Severus surely couldn't think of anything else.

"I'll let you get your rest now," Orin declared. "No need to dampen such a joyous night as tonight, right?" He softly chuckled before the sounds of retreating footsteps were heard.

Severus waited a few more minutes before he moved closer to Aurora's bedroom window. He just happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of her through a small opening in her curtains. She was sitting on the edge of her bed looking at a photo book of something. Deciding that coast was now clear, he moved even closer and slowly opened her window. The moment he stuck his head inside her room, he found himself coming face to face with a familiar wand that was slowly being lowered.

"What in the world—Severus?"

He glanced up at her and plastered on a thin smile. "I don't suppose we could finish our duel once and for all before we are to say our vows, hmm?"

"Our duel?" she repeated incredulously before she rolled her eyes. "You came all this way for that?" She then leaned closer to him, her voice lowering. "Afraid that I'll win once we're married?"

"Win?" He let out a hushed chuckle. "Hardly. You're not known for your exemplary wand work after all or even your magic."

"Oh my, what big words coming from the man currently crouching in my window like some Muggle creep."

"Just pointing out key facts, dear." When she pushed him back a moment later, he found himself falling back onto his butt. He stared at her as she closed the window with a wink before she snapped the curtains closed. This was not going the way he had expected it.

With a slight frown, he moved to reopen her window. A Stinging Hex put all that aside, though, a moment later. His frown deepened as he shook out his hands. That witch put a hex on her window! Well, he'd show her a thing or two. He reached into his pocket for his wand.

"All right there, son?" a voice suddenly called out from below.

Severus stopped in mid-wandwaving. Orin? He then watched as the curtains flew open along with the window a moment later.

"Dad?" Aurora murmured, staring at Severus as she said it. She leaned out partially as if to look around him to see her father.

"It's all right, Aura. I got this," Orin replied from where he stood on the ground.

"Um, okay, but . . ."

"I know, baby girl. I'll make sure your fiancé is in one piece for the wedding later." That answer seemed to satisfy Aurora for the moment. "Now, young man, down you go."

Unable to move now surprisingly, Severus found himself being levitated down to the ground slowly a moment later. Had Orin Stunned him? He supposed that was the only reasonable explanation. And that meant only one thing . . . he had gotten soft. He watched Aurora try and fail to conceal her amusement as he was taken from her. She could laugh all she wanted now, but he'd get her back for this someday. He was certain of it.

When he came face to face a moment later with the man that would soon become his father-in-law, he did his best not to seem unsettled. That would be a weakness after all. A weakness one could try to exploit. Then again, this was Orin he was talking about, not a Lestrange.

"Hello, Severus."

Cordial, he could do that. "Hello," Severus replied, not wanting to back down and show how awkward he was feeling right then.

"Let's take a walk. Shall we, son?" It was clear that wasn't a request, so they walked.

With the stars shining brightly overhead and the moonlight bathing the gathered party on the grounds several hours later, it began. There was no music, no fanfare really. Neither bride nor groom would have enjoyed it frankly. Just a simple ceremony, Harry realized as he looked around. There weren't even any decorations in fact. Just Aurora and his dad and the Minister of Magic Shacklebolt standing in front of a few of the Hogwarts staff, both sides of their families, and Harry and Luna. That was it. It seemed . . . Weren't weddings supposed to be big deals?

"It's peaceful, isn't it?"

Harry glanced immediately to his side at Luna the moment she spoke. "What?"

She smiled politely before she nodded her head towards his parents. "Their wedding, of course. Though, it makes sense that they'd choose it like this."

"It does?" Harry frowned as he stared at her. On what planet?

"Professor Snape's a very private person. He'd likely feel uncomfortable with a large wedding, I'd imagine." Yeah, that sounded plausible, Harry supposed. Hell, he would be more nervous too if it was any bigger than what it was. Too many people watching always made him do stupid things. Like forget to close his mouth when he was taking a sip of water at breakfast in the Great Hall. "It's better this way. Only selecting a few to witness it. Less reason for him to be nervous."

"Yeah." Harry smiled faintly before he glanced back up towards his parents, who were exchanging their vows to one another. They looked happy, relaxed even.

"Are ya . . . wait . . . El, are ya—?" Tobias murmured next to Harry.

Harry's head snapped back around, and he looked towards his grandmother. She seemed all right. His eyes then narrowed as he caught a shimmer of something near her eye. Was she—?

"Hush, Tobias," Eileen scolded quietly, her eyes remaining trained on Severus and Aurora.

"Ya are. Yer cryin'!"

"Tobias," she replied through grit teeth, clearly ready to hex him if he continued. However, the stray tear rolling down her cheek had given it away.

"Why are ya cryin'? This ain't—"

Luna then leaned forward. "I suspect it was the Pudgewumpers, sir."

Harry's eyes widened. She did not just say that, did she? Judging by the looks on both of his grandfathers' faces, Luna had said it, though. This was not going to be pretty.

"The what?" Orin and Tobias asked simultaneously.

"The Pudgewumpers," Luna repeated as if everything was perfectly normal. "They tend to be found mostly at weddings for some reason. They're harmless, but they do have an unfortunate effect on some people." Harry blinked as he continued to stare at Luna. Was she mad? "You see, sir, they feel very deeply. And, for some, the Pudgewumpers' heightened emotional response is transferred to them."

"Wait. What?"

"The Pudge-whatevers, Tobias," Eileen stated coldly under her breath. "They're to blame." She then glanced towards Luna and inclined her head to her before she turned away.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch on his grandmother then. One moment she looked like she was close to sobbing, and now she seemed perfectly fine except for little bit of flushed cheeks. He turned to look at Luna. Were these Pudgewumpers really to blame? After all, his grandmother didn't seem to be one to let her emotions control her usually. But then again, she wasn't usually allowing for silliness, and what Luna was saying was clearly silly.

"You may now kiss the bride," Shacklebolt declared loudly, snapping Harry from his thoughts.

Wait . . . had he just missed the whole thing because of the Pudgewumpers? He swallowed nervously when he saw his parents kiss. Yep. He missed their vows. Not that he really cared what they were. After all, he understood the basics. The telly at the Dursleys' had taught him that. But . . .

"It was a beautiful ceremony," Luna said with a wide smile, clapping happily.

"Yeah," Harry found himself saying, tugging awkwardly on his collar. Judging by how Professors Sprout and Vector were clapping and carrying on, it had to be. Right?

"Damn Pudgewumpers," Tobias muttered as he came to stand. "They ruin everythin'." As the newlyweds moved to walk towards them, he mumbled. "If they ask, we saw the whole thing. Got it?"

After the wedding, everything seemed to blur together for the family. Severus continued to teach while Aurora remained on her leave of absence, and Harry remained focusing on his studies just as he had promised he would. Though, he'd admit that he was starting to see why Draco enjoyed his study time with Hermione. It certainly made things interesting when it came to studying with Luna. He was learning about all sorts of interesting things. Who would have known there were Fipgos, who liked to tie your shoelaces together and make you trip, and Red Jarvies, who would tickle their unsuspecting prey? Harry couldn't help but come up with a few of his own wicked creatures to talk to her about.

"You've got a letter, dear," Aurora announced as she walked up behind Harry, who was sitting on the sofa writing his latest Charms essay.

Harry paused for half a moment before he glanced up at her. "From whom?"

She shrugged in response and handed him the rolled up parchment. "No idea." She then moved slowly around the sofa towards one of the recliners, a hand quickly rubbing her back. "Oh, what I would give for a good massage right about now," she mumbled before sitting down.

He chuckled and gave her a lopsided grin. "Dare you to send a house elf to tell Dad that."

"Now?" She rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. I may be nine months pregnant with his child, but even I know that he wouldn't be above hexing the hell out of me for that one. I'll live, thanks."

"Well, you could always, you know, say you're having contractions again?" He ducked when she threw one of the throw pillows at him.

"That was one time, young man!" she replied with a huff, crossing her arms and resting them on her swollen abdomen. "And how was I supposed to know that they weren't real contractions anyway? I mean, they felt like real contractions."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, the damn things hurt like a bitch. But, by all means, do laugh and make fun of me, dear. I live to amuse you."

Harry chuckled again, hearing her playful tone. "Admit it. You love seeing Dad race in here all in a panic just as much as I do."

She shrugged. "Regardless, your father is in his fifth year class. I am not to—" She then inhaled sharply and winced. Her right hand rubbed her belly in what Harry guessed was supposed to be a soothing manner.

"Want me to get Dad?"

"No."

"Okay." Harry then glanced down at his letter. It wasn't from Luna obviously, because otherwise it'd be in a shape of some animal. And it didn't seem to be from Hermione either, because it seemed too messy in its rolling up. He undid the bindings that held it together and unrolled it.

Dear Harry.

Closing his eyes, Harry sighed. He should have known that git would write him now of all times.

"That good?"

Opening one eye and looking at her, he shook his head. "It's just Ron being Ron."

"Ah." She then squirmed and winced again.

"Sure you don't want me to get Dad?" That was at least her third wince in a few minutes now.

"Positive. Your little brother is just deciding to be a little more active today than usual."

Harry's eyes narrowed on her. Didn't more active usually mean, though . . .

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Honest." She then motioned with her free hand towards his letter. "What's Mister Weasley have to say this time?"

He shrugged before he glanced back at the letter. "Not much. It's mostly just apologies for how he acted. That he was being a git. That he shouldn't have lashed out. You know, the usual stuff."

"Well, maybe his sessions have been helping lately."

Harry couldn't help but stare at her unbelieving.

"Love, we don't know the pain he's been feeling, and I hope you never find out. But, well, the fact remains that he's reaching out to you again."

"So after everything, I should just be friends with him again? That's what you're saying?"

"No. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that maybe you hear him out, read the letter, before you write him out for good."

"He said terrible things, Mum."

"I said terrible things too after the trauma I endured. It didn't mean any of it was true."

"Yeah, but you had a reason."

"So did he, Harry." She shifted again, rubbing her abdomen with a slight wince.

"I guess." He looked back at the letter before he shook his head. "I get what you're saying. I do. But . . . I can't forgive him, Mum. I just can't. I mean, I know we've been through so much together and stuff. And he was my mate and all, but . . . we're different now, you know? Ron's not the same guy I knew back then. I'm not the same guy. And when it comes down to it, he will always bring up Dad's mistakes, bring up that you're not my biological mum, say hurtful crap to Hermione . . . and I just, well, I guess, I don't want to be around that sort of negativity, you know? Not after everything we've been through lately. I've had enough of that crap, you know?" He glanced at her before he flew to his feet with wide eyes. "Fuck! Mum, are you . . . is that . . . um . . . ?" His eyes darted to the door before he turned back to her and kept his eyes focused on her wincing face. He was going to have nightmares for weeks now thanks to the horror show he had just saw. "Dad . . . yeah . . . I'm getting Dad now."

"No. No, Harry. It's . . . it's fine." She leaned her head back, her face flushed once more.

"But, Mum, that didn't happen before! None of that . . . you weren't . . . last time wasn't like that!" Harry knew he shouldn't have been panicking as he was, and he definitely knew that yelling at her wasn't going to help matters, but what was he supposed to do? "I'm getting Dad."

"Harry, it's fi—fucking Merlin's balls!" she yelled, clutching her abdomen. Her breathing was becoming very irregular. "No. It's . . . I've got a bit. We can . . . holy hell!" Her knuckles were white as she deathgripped the armrests for what seemed a lifetime. Once she relaxed, she said, "Get him! Now!"

The young man didn't need to be told twice. He went sprinting out of their rooms and ran as hard as he could down the cold dungeon halls towards the potions classroom. He slammed hard into the door forcing it to fly open and slamming hard against the stone wall.

"Dad!" he yelled, realizing right away that was the exactly wrong thing to do.

"What in the Nine Hells—Harry!"

"Mum! She's . . . there's stuff . . . I . . ." He watched his father wave his hand swiftly, causing every single cauldron in the classroom to cease bubbling and every fire to go out.

"Go, Professor. We got this," one of the Weasley twins, George Harry recognized later, stated.

Harry found himself being pushed out of his dad's classroom a moment later with his dad striding quickly in front of him and down the hall. They burst into their rooms a moment later just as Aurora let out a loud yell. Harry nearly covered his ears from how piercing her scream was.

"Here," his dad directed, holding his hand out to her. "I'll help—"

"No. No. It . . . it won't work," Aurora replied through loud pants after the pain seemed to subside for a bit. "It's . . ." Her head fell back against the top of the armchair before she screamed again, her hands clenching the armrests as if they were her only lifelines.

"What do you mean? I don't understand," he asked once her scream had subsided.

"No time."

What did she mean, 'No time,' Harry wondered. Didn't they have all the time in the world now to be a family? Unless she meant before the baby came, and then, well, Harry wasn't sure how these things went but he was pretty certain there was time there too. Wasn't there?

"You're certain?" his dad asked, his eyes darting towards the fireplace one last time.

"Oh yeah," she replied with a sardonic laugh. "They're too . . . oh FUCK!"

"Uh, should I get Pomfrey then?" Harry winced when he caught his parents' look. "I'll take that as a yes." He quickly moved to the fireplace and grabbed a bit of the Floo powder from the mantel. "Hospital wing," he commanded after tossing in the powder and turning the flames green. "Madam Pomfrey!" he yelled as soon as the hospital wing came into view.

"Judging by how quick your contractions seem to be," his dad said behind him to his mum, "I believe you're right."

Harry kept his head down into the green flames when he heard the harsh forced responding laugh from his mum. At least she wasn't hexing anyone yet. After all, wasn't that what all pregnant women did during this time? Or was that just some sort of fake thing they did on the telly for ratings?

"Well, thank Merlin for that," his mum grumbled before letting out a higher-pitched scream.

It was then Harry noticed the matron bustling towards her fireplace.

"Mister Potter? What—" Pomfrey started to say.

"It's time!" he replied, his voice squeaking slightly. When he saw her surprise, he added meekly, "I mean, we think so at least."

"Well, out of the way then, so I may step through," she stated, grabbing her bag from somewhere on Harry's left.

He did as she requested and backed out of the fireplace, stepping to the side for her. Once she was in their rooms, the matron set off right away towards Aurora.

"How far apart are your contractions, dear?"

At the look Pomfrey received from her, Harry wondered if the Madam was at all worried. She didn't seem it, but that didn't mean she wasn't.

"All right, then. Let's have a look, shall we?"

The moment Harry heard those words, he knew he needed to leave the room. Now! There was . . . it'd just be too—nope he wasn't doing it. He could maybe get over the whole water breaking thing in a few years, but the rest . . . no, a walk to his room and just wait it out in there would be good enough. His dad had it from here after all. He'd cheer from afar this time.

Erecting a privacy shield around his room soon after arriving, the young man did his very best to keep out Aurora's screams. To him, it sounded like she was being tortured or worse even. Deep down he knew that was all in his head, and that her screams were just because it was pretty painful pushing out a human being. But . . . there was only so much the young man could deal with. And he had surpassed that limit long ago.

So, there he sat. Alone in his room. In complete silence.

He considered picking up the dirty clothes from the floor, but he quickly dismissed this. He didn't want to move from his bed.

Sighing, he glanced around. This was probably going to take quite a bit of time, he decided. Sure, Aurora seemed convinced that the baby was coming right then and there, but, well, adults were wrong sometimes. Maybe she was too.

That meant he needed to find something to do for the next few hours, if it took that long. Essays were out. He didn't feel like reading or thinking about Ron's letter because nothing Ron could say would make their friendship be like before. He really didn't feel much like anything. Well, that wasn't true. He did find himself wishing Luna was there with him. She'd know just the trick to distract him.

With a laugh, he recalled her story earlier about the Pengzowla, a breed of penguins who actually can fly and change colors too. They have a flair for the dramatics, she had said.

His hand reached for the book from his nightstand a moment later. He opened it and quickly leafed through the pages with James and Lily only to stop when he found the smiling dishwater blond staring back up at him.

It was amazing to think how well she got him. Like, she really understood him. Hermione tried, but she didn't have the same life experiences as he did. Luna sort of did. She knew what it was like to be an outsider all the time, someone who didn't fit in. She owned her uniqueness. All those years he had cared what others had thought about him, worried about if people knew the real him how they'd react.

His fingers traced over Luna's smiling face.

She understood it all. The good and the bad. And she didn't judge or tell him how he was supposed to act like the others did. She just . . . let him be.

A smile tugged at Harry's lips. Sort of like how Aurora was with his dad. She didn't try to change his dad. She'd let him keep going on and be the grumpy git he always was if it'd make him happy. And she'd call him out when he was wrong. Like Luna would with him if she thought he wasn't listening to her about something serious . . like putting himself in danger or being stupid.

Maybe this growing up thing wouldn't be so hard after all. Not when he had Luna and his family.

When he felt the vibration several hours later, the young man glanced at his closed door anxiously. His dad was outside his room, wanting to speak with him. Sighing, Harry grabbed his wand and cancelled his privacy shield.

He didn't hear any screams, so that was good, he guessed.

"Yeah?" Harry called out quietly before he turned his attention back to the book in his hands. He smiled faintly as he watched Luna in the moving photo dance with her hands up in the air. He didn't move when his door slowly opened. He still unfortunately was too afraid to look.

"Would you like to come see your brother now?" his dad asked softly from the doorway.

Cautiously, Harry peeked through his long hair towards the door. "Is it, you know, safe?"

"Safe?"

"Yeah, like, with Mum and all?"

"I don't follow, Harry."

The young man sighed. "Well, before she was bleeding and stuff, you know . . ."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He turned back to his book and sighed.

"Unfortunately, childbirth is a messy process. I'm certain she didn't mean—"

"I know that," he said with a look of 'Duh, Dad.' "I just—I know it's ridiculous, but—"

"It's fine, son. Your reaction is perfectly natural and understandable. That being said, allow me to subside your fears. Aurora is once again herself, and the mess you unfortunately witnessed is gone."

"All of it?" he asked skeptically.

"All of it. I promise."

"Okay." Harry slowly closed his book, setting it on the nightstand beside him. "Is the baby okay too? Like, does it have all its fingers and toes?"

His dad chuckled quietly. "He's perfectly healthy."

"Good." He stood up and walked towards his father. "I'm sorry for running out on—"

"It's fine. As I said, it's perfectly natural for someone of your age to have that sort of reaction. In fact, I'm certain it's done a better job at making certain I'm not a grandfather anytime soon than anything else would, am I correct?" He smiled faintly when Harry nodded. "That's what I thought."

They walked down the hallway together towards the master bedroom. Harry paused and hovered near the door for half a moment when they reached it. He could hear Aurora's voice from inside. She seemed to be talking to someone. Expecting to see Madam Pomfrey, he glanced in and found only Aurora propped up on the bed with a bundle in front of her chest.

"And there's your big brother Harry, love. He's been very anxious to meet you. We all have been," Aurora murmured to the newborn she was cradling.

Harry couldn't keep the grin from his face at the word 'brother'. He was a brother now. A real brother. A big brother in fact. He glanced up when he felt his dad's hand rest on his shoulder soon after.

"Does he have a name yet?" the young man asked, moving closer to Aurora and the baby. He couldn't really see much of his little brother. The blanket was doing a good job hiding him. If only he could see his brother, then . . . He laughed quietly a moment later when he saw tiny little fingers emerge from the bundle.

"He does. It's Aiden Xavier Snape."

His eyes narrowed slightly before he glanced at his dad. "Xavier? Isn't that the guy from—"

"Your dad's comics?" Aurora finished with a laugh when they both turned towards her with looks of surprise. "Hey, I may be a Pureblood, but I did recently have loads of time on my hands. Plenty of time, in fact, to brush up on my Mugglese." She then laughed. "Is that even a word, Mugglese?"

"Who cares?" Harry said with a laugh. "You still caught Dad."

"Excuse me? Caught me? Caught me doing what exactly?" his dad replied clearly outraged.

"Need we spell it out, love?" Aurora drawled with a faint smile.

"You both seem to be under the misguided—"

"Admit it, Severus. You named our son after one of your comic book characters."

"I did no such—"

"Oh? Then Xavier is a very common name in the Wizarding world, is it?"

Harry saw his dad blink blankly.

"Uh-huh. Thought so." She rolled her eyes before she cradled her son closer.

"If you didn't like—"

"I didn't say that, Severus," she replied, glancing at Harry's dad.

"I'm afraid that I don't follow then."

Harry snorted, earning a swift glare from his father. "Dad, what she's trying to say is that she knew and still went with it."

"Yes, I believe I understood that much. Thank you," his dad quipped before he turned back to Aurora. "What is it that you'd like me to say exactly?"

"Nothing."

Harry saw his dad's eyes narrow on her. "You want me to say nothing?"

She shrugged in response before she readjusted Aidan's blanket. "There's really nothing more to be said. Our son's middle name is based off a bald, middle-aged professor confined to a wheelchair who happened to teach a bunch of superheroes."

Biting his lip, the young man tried to stop himself from laughing. When she put it like that . . .

"Xavier was much more than just that over simplistic characterization you gave, Aurora," his dad argued. "He was a scientific genius."

"Not to mention a telepath," Harry chimed in, knowing it'd only egg his dad on even more.

"Precisely, Harry." His dad nodded with a brief proud smile. "Xavier created a device that—"

"Was later used for evil purposes by the government to hunt down people with special abilities," Aurora pointed out.

"Well, yes, that did occur, but he did so much good with it, though."

"So did Magneto before he became Magneto. That doesn't prove anything."

"Xavier was the leader, though, who saw the good in people and led them to control their gifts."

"So, then, what? You want our son to be some sort of savior like Harry is?"

Harry winced instantly and rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe on second thought he shouldn't have pointed out the whole 'Xavier' thing. He didn't want them to fight.

"Of course not. I just wanted our son to have a strong name."

"I see."

Oh, Harry didn't like the way she had said that. Luna's Wrackspurts or whatever could show up any moment now . . . any . . . moment.

"What?"

"So, Aiden wasn't a strong enough name in your opinion."

"I didn't say that."

"No, but you insinuated it, Severus."

Harry's eyes closed. Where the hell were those Wrackspurts?

"I insinuated no such thing, Aurora!"

Loud crying then erupted from underneath the blue blanket. Confused for a second, Harry had nearly jumped the second he heard it. He watched his dad and his mum then quickly jump into action.

"Shh, love. It's all right," Aurora murmured, rocking the small newborn. "Daddy just got a little excited there."

"Indeed. I meant no ill-will towards your mother," his dad replied, his voice lowered and almost tender-like.

Cocking his head to the side, the young man looked on curiously. It was almost as if his parents were afraid of his little brother. Sure, Aidan's banshee-like scream was pretty scary (who knew someone so little could cry that loud anyway), but he was just a startled baby, though. What was there to be scared of exactly?

Aidan quickly became silent, settling once again against his mother happily.

His parents seemed to relax once more.

There was a lot they were going to have to learn now, Harry guessed. Like trying to appease a baby for one. But he knew they were up to the task. He certainly was. He watched his mum and dad silently fuss over Aidan. He couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy followed by sadness. Unlike him, his little brother would be loved right from the start. It was stupid, he knew, to be jealous of a newborn, but he was.

"Harry?"

"Love?"

He glanced up when he heard his parents' voices.

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear me before? I asked if you'd like to hold your brother."

Harry swallowed nervously. "Hold him?"

"Yes. If you'd like to, that is," his father replied.

His eyes darted to his baby brother and then back to his parents. "What if I drop him?"

"You won't."

"But what if—"

"Then we'll suspend his fall with magic," Aurora said with a shrug. "Like we did earlier."

"What?" He caught his dad's slight flush. "You dropped Aidan?" His dad's eyes darted to him.

"No, sweetheart. He didn't. I did," she admitted.

"You?" Harry couldn't believe his own ears. Aurora nearly dropped Aidan? "But . . ."

"Hey, it's the first time I actually held a squirming child, thank you. I'm bound to make a few mistakes here and there. And, you know, Severus caught him."

"If you nearly dropped him, I'm sure to, Mum."

"It wasn't nearly, Harry. It was dropped him. If it wasn't for Severus's quick reaction—"

"I don't want to hurt him, though. He's so tiny."

"You won't. I promise." She then moved her arm up a bit more so Harry could see a bit more of his little brother. "We'll teach you how to hold him, and we'll be right here to help you."

"Promise?"

"We promise," his dad replied firmly.

Harry nodded hesitantly then. He watched his parents' smiles and moved beside Aurora's bedside. He felt his heart race the moment he saw the tiny little blue bundled newborn slowly be placed into his outstretched hands.

Warmth. That was the first thing he felt. His baby brother felt warm. A sign of his being alive.

His eyes then widened when the little bundle started to squirm. His arm slid more to get a better hold on Aidan instinctively, and his other hand pulled the newborn further into his chest. Only when he was absolutely certain that he wouldn't drop his brother did he let out a breath.

"See? You did loads better than I did, Harry," Aurora said softly with a smile.

Harry snorted. It was luck. That's all it was. "Thanks." He smiled down, seeing the chubby little cheeks and dark eyes staring up at him. He couldn't help but want to play with those cute little chubby cheeks of his brother's. "Hi, Aidan," he whispered down to the newborn. "I'm your brother, Harry."

He laughed quietly when Aidan gave him one of his father's 'And your point is' looks.

"You're going to have an amazing life with us, brother. I promise you that. You have two parents who love you more than anything, and a big brother who is going to stop at nothing to make sure you're okay. But you know that, don't you?"

He could feel his parents' eyes on him as he spoke to the newborn.

"We're going to give these two heart attacks probably over the years. Especially when I teach you how to do a corkscrew on a broom or a Bat-Boogey hex or something." Harry heard his dad's resulting snort. "But deep down we'll know that we're loved. And that as long as we have one another, everything is going to be all right. Yeah?" He smiled when Aidan turned into the crook of his arm, seemingly drifting back off into another nap. "You just sleep now, baby brother, and know that we're all looking out for you." He then glanced at Aurora and slowly but gently handed Aidan back to her.

"Very sweet, love, but if you teach your brother the corkscrew or anything of the sort, know that your dad and I will kill you, my sweet boy."

Harry laughed. He didn't doubt it one bit. "Just wait until you see what I teach my sister, Mum."

He smiled when his dad lightly hit him upside the head. Now, this was what family and love was all about. It was so strange to think how it started with always but ended with forever.