Albus sat down in one of the armchairs.

“Harry,” Albus said. “Come here.”

Harry walked over to the Headmaster. When the child was standing in front of him, Albus pulled Harry to stand between his spread knees.

“Why the tears?” Albus said, wiping the tears steams from Harry’s face.

“Do you think I’ll be alone?” Harry stuttered. He tried to keep his voice even. It wasn’t working out.

“Why would you say that?” Albus asked.

“I can’t be a Gryffindor. I can’t be friends with Ron and Hermione.”

“And why do you think that?” Albus asked, softly.

“Professor McGonagall said,” Harry sighed, trying to not breakdown crying. “I can’t be a Gryffindor anymore. That Ron and Hermione can’t be my friends.”

“That won’t happen,” Albus said, shaking his head.

Albus pulled Harry towards him and wrapped his arms around his grandson. Harry’s shoulders shook from his silent cries.

Remus and Severus stood still. Severus’ heart broke for his fledgling. He wished there was something he could do that would ease his worries.

“Harry,” Albus whispered in Harry’s ear, “do you really think that Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley would abandon you because you are a vampire?”

Harry stood back up and shrugged his shoulders.

“It just means I’m more of a freak,” Harry said.

Severus and Remus were about to protest about Harry’s choice of word, but Albus held up his hand to quiet his boys.

“Harry,” Albus said. “Do you still see yourself as a freak?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders again.

“No,” Albus said, shaking his head. “I want a verbal response.”

Harry looked at his Grandpa Albus. He could see that he was waiting for an answer. He turned to see his da and Uncle Remus, but Albus grabbed the child’s wrists and kept him facing forward.

“What’s your answer, Harry?” Albus asked. “Do you still see yourself as a freak?”

“I have to be,” Harry shouted. “Look at me.” Harry stepped back removing himself from Albus’ hold. “My own Head of House doesn’t want me in the tower. I told Da that I wasn’t angry about what happened to me. And I’m not. He gave me a family, but I don’t want to be singled out again.”

Severus’ heart broke more because he knew that it didn’t matter if Minerva kept him from the tower or not, he would still be singled out. That fact just made his guilt weigh heavily that much more.

Severus walked over to his fledgling. He put his hand on the child’s shoulder.

“Harry,” Severus said, kneeling in front of Harry. “I can’t promise you that you won’t be singled out because of this. I wish I could. I wish I didn’t…”

Severus stopped talking when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Harry saw Remus walking towards his da.

“Harry, listen,” Remus said. “Everybody’s different. You are not going to be the same as your friends. No one is the same. And that makes everyone singled out.”

Harry looked at everyone silently.

“Harry,” Severus said. “What singles out Ms. Granger?”

Harry looked at his da not knowing what he was supposed to say.

“Ms. Granger has something that is uniquely her,” Severus said. “What is it?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders saying, “She likes to read. She’s good in class.”

“Exactly,” Severus said. “And what about Mr. Weasley?”

Harry thought about it for a second. Ron was his first friend. He sat with him while they were on the train in their first year.

“From what I heard from your little adventure in your first year,” Severus said, smirking.

Harry tried to hide his smile but wasn’t completely successful.

“It was Ron that got you three past the chess board, right?” Severus asked, raising an eyebrow.

This time Harry did smile.

“Yeah,” Harry said.

“Then he’s exceptional at playing chess,” Albus said.

Harry looked at the elder wizard.

“Those chess pieces were set so that it would be extremely hard to win,” Albus said. “But Mr. Weasley won in only eight moves.”

“So,” Severus said, bringing Harry’s attention back on him. “Mr. Weasley is singled out for being a wonderful chess player.”

“And you,” Albus said. “Yes, you are the only person to survive the killing curse. But that isn’t what makes you different from everyone. And it isn’t that you are now a vampire. It is your ability to forgive.”

Harry’s brow furrowed. “Forgive?”

“Yes,” Albus said. “For someone who’s lived the hard life that you have. For being treated abominably by people who were supposed to love you. When you walked through those doors of the Great Hall, you did not have a look of bitterness or anger. It was a look of awe and wonder. I know that you risked getting in trouble in order to protect a friend’s property. You rejected one child because of how rude he was to another.”

“How did you know about that?” Harry asked.

“I’m the Headmaster,” Albus said. “I know everything that happens in this school.”

Albus winked at Harry causing the child to snicker. Hearing the child laugh eased the tension in the room.

“You had a brightness around you,” Albus said. “You forgave the wizarding world from ostracizing you. To put it simply, you forgave me because I was the one that placed you with your relatives.”

“You didn’t know how they were going to be,” Harry said, shrugging his shoulders.

“And that, right there,” Severus said, pointing in the middle of Harry’s chest, “is what makes you different from others. With everything that you went through, you have to ability to forgive.”

Harry smiled and rushed to his da, wrapping his arms around his neck. Severus stood up since his legs were started to cramp, holding his fledgling in his arms.

“Well,” Albus said, clapping his hands. “Since you two are heading to Sugar Cottage…”

“Sugar Cottage?” Harry said, turning around in Severus’ arms, looking at the Headmaster.

“I think you know,” Severus said, shaking his head, “your grandfather’s affinity towards sweets.”

“Anyway,” Albus continued. “We’ll be home in a weeks’ time.”

Remus ruffled Harry’s hair causing the child to look over at him.

“I’ll see you in a week, little cub,” Remus said.

Harry smiled.

“Bye, Uncle Remus.”

Severus put Harry down, gathered their belongings, shrinking them to put in his pocket.

“See you later,” Severus said, holding out his hand for Harry.

Harry and Severus walked out of Severus’ chambers, heading for the gate of the castle.

Albus stood up, walking over to Remus and put his arm around his son.

“Do you want to go home now?” Albus asked.

Remus looked over at his dad and shook his head.

“I would love to,” Remus said, “But I think that Severus and Harry need some alone time so they can cultivate their bond. Get closer to each other. And that will not happen within these walls with Minerva here.”

Albus didn’t respond to that. It angered him that Minerva continued to pick on Severus and now Harry. She made it difficult for Severus for a long time. This was something that Albus knew he would need to handle before one of his sons’ or even worse his grandson’s primal instincts to take over.

“Let’s have some tea,” Albus said.

Remus stepped away from Albus towards the door when he saw the door close. Turning around Remus saw that Albus closed the door.

“I don’t feel like dealing with Moony,” Albus said. “Honestly, I don’t think I would stop Moony if he did come out.”

Remus through his head back and laughed.

“So, I thought we would use the floo to my chambers to avoid Minerva,” Albus said.

Remus smirk as he walked over with his dad to the fireplace.

___000___000___000

Severus and Harry appeared at a deserted street. After a moment of silence, Harry looked up at his da.

“Uh, where are we?” Harry asked.

“Home,” Severus said, trying to keep his face neutral.

They continued walking down the deserted street. Harry looked around. There were overgrown weeds. Moss growing up the tall trees. The limbs on said trees almost reached the street. Harry didn’t want to seem snobbish about what he was seeing. Lord knows he didn’t live in luxury. And it wasn’t even the fact that the area looked deserted. Honestly, Harry didn’t know how he was feeling. It was like parts of him were scared, excited, and nervous at the same time.

Severus could feel Harry’s anxiety. He didn’t need to use their connection to know how his fledgling was feeling. Severus could see it on Harry’s face.

“Is there something you want to talk about, Harry?” Severus asked, put his hand on Harry’s shoulder.

Harry shook his head so hard that his hair was swiping across his face. Severus knew for sure something was bother Harry by how quickly he answered. Severus stopped walking and stood in front of Harry. He knelt in front of the child.

“I can feel your anxiety seeping though your pores,” Severus said, looking up at the boy.

Harry shook his head and looked down. Severus gently but firmly gripped Harry’s chin and lifted it so he could look in his emerald eyes.

“What’s bothering you?” Severus asked softly.

Tears started to pool in Harry’s eyes. Severus, seeing how upset Harry was, worried him more. Was this something that still lingered from Harry’s thoughts of being a monster? Was Harry being honest about how much Minerva’s statements actually hurt the child?

“I’m not a spoiled boy,” Harry said. A tear streamed down his cheek.

The statement surprised Severus. Where on earth did this come from? “Spoiled boy?”

“I fear I’m missing something,” Severus speculated. “I never said that you were spoiled.”

“I was judging how the place looked,” Harry sobbed.

Severus pulled Harry into his arms.

“What’s wrong with me?” Harry asked, burying his head on Severus’ shoulder.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Severus said, standing up with Harry in his arms. They need to continue so they could get to the cottage. “Your emotions are heightened. If you’re upset, it will exaggerate how you are feeling. If you’re worried or scared, that too will deepen. Once you get used to your body now it won’t seem so powerful.”

Severus rubbed Harry’s back wanting to soothe his fledgling of his sensitive emotions. After a moment, Severus didn’t feel Harry’s shoulders shaking.

“Are you feeling better?” Severus asked.

Harry lifted his head and looked at his da. He wiggled a little so that he could be let down. Severus complied.

Taking a deep breath, Harry replied, “Yeah, I am. I just can’t wait until I’m able to stop all this crying. I’m almost thirteen.”

“It’ll pass,” Severus said, smirking. “Just give it time.”

They walked in silence again, when Severus tightened his grip on Harry’s shoulder.

“We’re here,” Severus announced.

Harry looked at the cottage. It looked serene. The lawn was manicured. There were flowerbeds across the front of the house. There was a small gazebo with chairs and what looked like a bench swing. There were trees that outlined the property. It didn’t look anything like the street did when they arrived. If Harry was right, he could hear water running as if there was a stream nearby. The cottage was made with stone and wood. It looked like a cozy two-story house.

“If you’re finished gaping at it,” Severus said, smiling. “Maybe we can go inside.”

Harry smiled as he nodded.

“Well, there you go,” Severus said, walking towards the door with Harry following. “That’s why.”

Harry giggled as they went inside.

Harry’s eyes seemed to have popped out of his head as he looked around.

“Wow.”

It was the only word that he could come up with to describe what he was seeing.

___000___000___000

Remus and Albus walked out of the fireplace. Remus sat down on the sofa; Albus walked over to his desk. His plan was to finish all his work so that he could get to the cottage sooner.

Albus looked over at Remus. His boy was slouched on the couch, his head leaning on the back of the sofa. The more he looked at Remus the more anger filled Albus’ soul.

This was supposed to be a pleasant summer. Remus and Severus were under the same roof. Which had been a long time since they were together. While Remus was away that didn’t mean that Albus didn’t check on his son. But knowing that this year he would have both brightened his day more.

Now, he had another. Yes, he was upset that Severus didn’t take his potion and neglected to inform Poppy or himself that he wasn’t feeling well. But what was done was done. Severus was now taking responsibility for his actions. Harry surprised Albus more. That child’s ability to forgive was mind-boggling.

Thinking of Harry, Albus looked over at Remus. This time he focused in on his clothes.

“Remus,” Albus said, breaking the quiet of the room.

“Yeah,” Remus replied, not even opening his eyes or lifting his head.

“Do you have clothes?”

Hearing that question, Remus opened his eyes and sat up on the sofa.

“Of course, I have clothes,” Remus said. “Why?”

“I’ve noticed your clothes are on the thin side,” Albus said.

Remus couldn’t help the heat growing on his face. It was true that his clothes were old but finding a job with his ailment was very difficult. No one would hire someone that needed five days off every month. Now, there was a new judgement going around that a person must disclose issues a person has if they were looking for employment.

“My clothes are fine, dad,” Remus said.

Albus looked at Remus, silently. Looking through his desk, Albus found what he was looking for.

“Here,” Albus said, reaching out the item in his hand. “Go to Diagon Alley and London and get yourself some clothes.”

“Dad,” Remus said, still sitting on the sofa. “I’m fine. I can get myself some more clothes when school starts.”

Albus shook his head.

“Give an old man his wish,” Albus said. “Take this and get yourself some clothes.”

Remus stood up but didn’t move towards the Headmaster’s desk. Albus knew that Remus was struggling. Severus and Remus are proud men. They never asked for anything. If they were in need, they were determined to acquire what they needed on their own; though what they didn’t know was the items that they would acquire would be because of Albus. He would supply what they needed, and with the help of the store owners they would give his sons what they needed.  On very few occasions did they come to Albus.

Albus walked over to Remus and gripped his son’s shoulders.

“You know,” Albus said, softly. “It is okay to receive help from others.”

Remus didn’t say anything. He just looked at his mentor, his dad.

“And it is okay,” Albus continued. “to let an old coot,” Albus said, smirking, “take care of his sons and provide for the.”

Albus gave Remus a small card.

“This you will use to get you some clothes. I don’t want you trying to get the least number of things. Get yourself a full wardrobe. Have your clothes sent to Sugar Cottage as I will check when I get home.”

Remus was about to interrupt, when Albus raised his hand, halting any talking and continued.

“You will then go home, and I will see you all when I am finished here.”

Remus didn’t know what to say. He was dumbstruck. His dad wanted him to buy himself a new wardrobe. And leave him here. Remus looked down at the money card in Albus’ hand.

“Remus,” Albus said, bringing the werewolf out of his musing. “What I said was not a request.”

“Yes, sir,” Remus said, taking the card and putting it in his pocket. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here?”

“With all the problems Minerva is causing you and your brother,” Albus said, “as much as I would like Moony to come out and deal with her, I don’t want undue stress for me or you boys. Go home. I’ll be home in a few days.”

Remus went to the fireplace, stepping inside after grabbing some floo powder. He threw it down and said, “Diagon Alley.” With a flash of green Albus was alone in his chambers.

Albus sighed and walked back to his desk.

TBC