~~~~AU SS~~~~

As he got dressed that evening in the comfort of his home on Spinner's End, Severus had the realization that somehow it seemed every year he had been required to wear his set of dress robes, mostly against his will. It started with the adoption - the only real time it was voluntary - then the Yule Ball, Petunia Dursley's funeral where they were transfigured into a muggle suit, and now the damn Christmas Party the Malfoy's were hosting that he agreed to attend against his better judgement. 

He wasn't completely surprised when the invitation arrived by owl last month since Narcissa had mentioned wanting to invite him when they ran into each other at the Apothecary right before Halloween. Severus had been there to pick up his latest order for Harry's newest potions regimen, which would have been a perfect excuse to deny the invitation - on the grounds that Harry wasn't feeling well - except this latest round seemed to be doing the best job of all at ridding the Leukemia from the Gryffindor's blood. If nothing else, the party would be a good distraction from the chaos of their life lately.

"Why do I have to go again?" Harry complained as he walked into Severus's bedroom, appropriately dressed in a new set of navy blue dress robes. Naturally, the young wizard had outgrown the green set from the Yule Ball two years ago and tried his hardest to convince Severus that was the reason he would not be able to attend the party tonight. To rectify the situation, Severus purchased the new pair and surprised him with them last night when they returned home for the holiday.

"It's good manners to attend a party you're invited to if you have no acceptable reason to decline," the professor formally replied.

"So, in other words you couldn't think of an acceptable reason to get us out of it," Harry said, shaking his head as Severus clumsily tied his white tie. "And if you have to suffer through it, you're going to make me."

"Precisely."

A companionable silence came over the father and son as the Potion Master finished getting ready.

"He hates me, dad," the Gryffindor said quietly.

There was no reason to sugarcoat or deny that fact. It was true; Draco and Harry had never been able to get past their mutual animosity towards each other and this year had definitely not helped that situation. Harry had a rough start to the school year as he'd adjusted to the potions that sometimes made him forget simple things and Draco - alongside Crabbe and Goyle - took advantage of it. Harry's reaction had since improved and he no longer had those issues, however that did not necessarily stop the taunting he received. What finally ended the incessant ridicule was at the first Quidditch match where Harry, as Quidditch captain, out flew every Slytherin on the pitch and caught the Snitch right out from under Draco. Severus tried hard not to show favoritism to Harry over his own house - the Gryffindor had Minerva for that - however even he had to admit the blonde deserved that one.

"All I ask is that you behave yourself," he lectured his son while trying in vain to tame the sixteen year old's messy black hair. "Regardless of whatever Draco says or does tonight, you are in control of your own actions and reactions, and I expect both of those to be appropriate for the occasion. That means your utmost best behavior."

The professor knew he was asking a lot from the Gryffindor. Overall, he'd had very few disciplinary issues with the teen, except when he did, it usually involved Draco or some combinations of his Slytherins. It was a battle they had fought since day one.

"I will," the young wizard eventually promised, albeit more grudgingly than Severus would have liked.

"Good, now go take your evening potions so we can go," the Potion's Master said before they made their way downstairs to floo to Malfoy Manor.

Overall the night had been quite pleasant, an observation that greatly surprised Severus. Narcissa outdid herself with the extravagant decor and impeccable food, but the best part of the night was that Harry appeared to be having a good time as well. The Gryffindor had found some former classmates in attendance that had recently graduated and now worked at the Ministry where they'd met Lucius. The Potion's Master assumed they were in attendance as a way to further their careers, yet at that moment no one really cared. Everyone was overwhelmed with the holiday spirit and Narcissa made sure no one was discussing a gram of work. All Severus was concerned with was that Harry stayed occupied away from Draco and the other Slytherins that were inevitably there.

It was approaching midnight, and most of the guests had already left, when Severus found himself having a glass of firewhiskey with Lucius tucked away in the library. They both sat in silence across from one another in the dark red leather chairs surrounded by bookcases that reached the ceiling high above his head. The professor loved the smell of old tomes and the Malfoy library was one of the oldest in wizarding history, making him feel more comfortable than he would have elsewhere in the Manor.

He had tried his hardest to avoid being left alone with the Malfoy patriarch because he feared the conversation would take a turn towards the Dark Lord and Death Eater activity. He knew that over the years, several of his former associates had been listening and searching for signs of the dark wizard and the rumors had always come back to the Malfoys. So the professor was pleasantly surprised when the conversation started as far away from the Dark Lord as possible.

"How is fatherhood treating you, Severus?" Lucius asked, raising his glass as if to toast themselves, "because sixteen is almost unbearable to me. I swear Draco is testing his limits every time he comes home."

Severus doubted they had anything in common in how they raised their boys, but it was a far better conversation topic than where he thought this would be heading.

"It's been a rough year for us," he honestly answered.

The blonde's eyebrows lifted when he recognized Severus's meaning.

"Oh shite," Lucius exclaimed and covered his mouth with his pale hand, "I'm sorry, I just… I didn't think. How is he?"

Severus was used to that reaction; it was always what people asked him. They hadn't been able to keep Harry's diagnosis a secret, not when a case like his was so rare in the wizarding world and the young wizard also happened to be The-Boy-Who-Lived. It was like Harry just wasn't able to catch a break.

"This latest round of potions seems to be helping," the professor replied. "He had a checkup earlier this month and so far it's looking positive."

"Keeps you busy, I'm sure."

"You have no idea," the Potion's Master replied as they both fell into silence.

"Have the healers any idea of how he could have ended up with a muggle disease? What's it call-"

"Leukemia," Severus interrupted, "and no they don't know and frankly, I don't care to know. I just want it gone."

Lucius nodded his head, then stood and walked over to one of the plentiful bookcases; this one was in the far, dark corner of the room, and he opened a disguised drawer. The wizard came back carrying two large, extremely ancient looking texts that he offered to the Potion's Master. While Severus didn't recognize either one, it was clear that they both dealt with the Dark Arts - a fact that surprised the professor as he thought he had known most of the famous texts on the Dark Arts.

"No," Severus simply stated, handing them back to his acquaintance, "I don't care what answers you think are in these, I'm not going down the road of dark magic."

"They may help you find an alternative solution for your son," he emphasized the last two words and then laid the books down on the table between them. "If I were in your position, I would do almost anything to help my Dragon."

"Don't you dare!" Severus bellowed slamming his glass on the table next to the forbidden books, "I am doing everything in my power to help him and forgive me if I don't want to meddle in something that could land me in Azkaban, which is exactly what having those texts in my possession would do."

"Forgive me," the blonde said sitting back down across from his friend. "I only-"

He was interrupted yet again when a small house elf popped in between the men. She was an older looking elf, likely one that had been with the Malfoy family for generations. She was wearing a dirty tea towel, something Severus hated to see, with her big ears and eyes lowered to the ground before her master.

"Sinsey?" Lucius asked, confused by the interruption. "Is Draco alright?"

"Sinsey is sorry, Master," the small elf exclaimed, "Young Master Malfoy is in trouble along with Young Harry Potter-Snape, sir. They be out in the back gardens, sirs."

Both wizards looked at each other, not able to hide their state of alarm. If Harry and Draco were together, it absolutely could not end well. Severus had images of both teens mid-muggle fight out in the cold, snowy garden. The fathers rushed out of the library and down the heavily decorated corridors until they came to the glass doors that separated the house from the back gardens. Almost out of breath, Severus pulled the doors open and stopped so quickly, Lucius almost fell into him from behind.

Laughter. It was the absolute last thing he expected to hear coming from the gardens that contained these two teenage boys that were sworn mortal enemies. Or at least he'd thought they were. Slipping into his former spy mode, he motioned for Lucius to keep quiet as they slowly approached the two teens, using a non-verbal silencing spell to dampen the sound of their footsteps crunching in the snow.

"I don't think that was a good idea," he heard Harry's voice once the Gryffindor had caught his breath from the laughing fit.

"Oh, C'mon," Draco replied, "do you really think Severus would notice? With all the potion fumes in your house, I guarantee you he'll never know."

There was the distinct sound of rustling and then Harry coughing followed by another set of laughter from both boys. A quick peek over the hedges and they could see both teenagers sitting on a bench clearly smoking some substance between them.

"My turn," Draco called out and then silence.

Lucius's face went bright red from anger, not the cold.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" The Malfoy patriarch yelled as he entered the garden. Draco immediately stood up, dropping whatever it was he'd been smoking.

"Harry James," Severus said disappointingly and picked up the rolled paper to inspect it, "Dragon Dust, really?"

He handed it to Lucius, who smelled it, threw it on the ground, and then vanished it away.

"Where did you get that?!" The older blonde wizard called out grabbing Draco by the shoulder.

"I didn't-"

"Do. Not. Lie to me," he lectured.

"Matthew was here tonight and Nott got it for us! I swear! He left it when he went home," Draco yelled and Lucius finally let go of the teen. "I'm sorry."

Severus ignored the rest of their conversation as he watched his own son wondering how he ended up in the mix. As he did with his students back at school, he was not about to reprimand Harry in public.

"Let's go," he grabbed Harry's arm more firmly than even he expected. "Thank you Lucius. Please give Narcissa our best and Happy Christmas to you both."

Just as they headed back into the manor Severus heard Draco call out, without the normal animosity he would have expected, "See you later Potter… or Potter-Snape."

Harry couldn't even look over his shoulder with the iron-clad grip his father had on him.

"What the bloody hell were you thinking, Harry?! Do you have any idea what would have happened if that reacted with your potions?" Severus yelled the minute they were both back home in their sitting room.

"I didn't think," Harry started and then looked away, "I just… wanted to be normal for once… and it was stupid."

"You're right about that! Get up to your room!"

Harry obediently left and Severus aggressively untied his tie and threw it against the wall. What in the world was that child thinking? Not only were drugs absolutely unacceptable for any reason, it especially wasn't something Harry should have in his system. The professor pinched the bridge of his nose taking several calming breaths and then walked up the stairs to his son's bedroom.

Harry was already in his green, but not Slytherin green, pyjamas and was getting into bed. Upon seeing Severus walk into the door - not at all rewarding the teenager with the privacy of knocking first - the Gryffindor immediately stood back up.

"I'm so sorry, Dad!" The raven-haired boy started, but before he could say another word he was enveloped in his father's strong arms.

"You are absolutely grounded," Severus said, "most likely until you're thirty."

Harry gave a small chuckle and started into the story of how he ended up with Draco in the gardens. If there was any silver lining to the event, after that whole ordeal when they got back to Hogwarts the Malfoy heir's attitude towards Harry changed drastically, making the second half of the year much easier on his son. Unfortunately, the reprieve was short-lived and Severus was never able to fulfill his threat on grounding Harry until he was thirty because the young Gryffindor was gone before his next birthday.

Wednesday 23rd, October 1996

~~~~HP~~~~

Much to Harry's chagrin, Snape did not allow the Gryffindor to return to classes early. Sure, Harry had been nervous about going back and it would have given him less time to mentally prepare, but at the same time he wanted to just get the first week over with so he could start his 'new normal'. At first he really thought doing individualized lessons would be beneficial so he wouldn't have to deal with the other students distracting him - specifically the Slytherins in Potions - however after over a month of it he was ready to move back into regular classes.

According to Snape, he had to wait until the 28th because there was still too much to try to prepare before he would be ready to go back. The Gryffindor couldn't imagine how much there was to "prepare" for seeing as he already had his books and was technically taking classes, so it should have been just a matter of him physically showing up. It was true that he needed a new set of quills and parchment, at the same time though, he could get through at least a week with what he had laying at the bottom of his trunk or the muggle pen and paper he'd been using all year so far. If he absolutely needed to, he was sure his friends would lend him some to use. In the end, he knew well enough not to question too hard about it because he needed to pick his battles, and this wasn't one worth picking.

The young wizard did his own personal celebration when he finished his last round of phase one consolidation the previous Saturday because he didn't think anyone, besides maybe Snape, would understand how freeing it was to finally have that completed. It was far better than winning the Quidditch cup third year and as an added bonus to the day, there was nothing out of the ordinary in terms of the side effects - even the black stuff when he vomited seemed less than before. Apparently, while Healer Smithe ended up being questionable in the end, he'd been right all along that the last two weeks would be much more bearable than the previous month.

In the final week before classes and when his phase three would start on Friday - with an IT and two IVs, followed by another IV on Saturday - Snape had him trying to test out what his "unintentional magic" could do. Harry wasn't sure why they didn't do it during his normal magical testing, but he wasn't about to complain. Since summoning seemed to be the most common use of this new magic, the professor had him try to summon something he needed like his blanket, a goblet of water, or a book from his bedroom, however none of them reacted to his nonverbal, wandless accio. He had asked about getting his wand to test, except as Snape frustratingly pointed out, there really wasn't a way for them to know if he was using his normal magic or this "new magic". With the overall experiment a failure, it either meant his new magic was no longer here or it wasn't something he had direct access to; at least not yet.

Following that train of thought, by Wednesday Harry finally had to admit to himself that he had no idea how to put all the pieces of this puzzle together on his own. He kept circling back to the word he'd found in Snape's notebook about him, Horcrux, which was a container for something and Snape thought it was related to how he got Leukemia in the first place. Maybe it held this "new magic" and he had been somehow able to "tap" into it during the chemotherapy? Maybe as he went through the chemotherapy, he'd get more access to this "new magic"? Wouldn't that be an ironic change of events; he chooses the chemotherapy thinking he was going to lose his magic, but instead he was actually going to gain more magic?

I can definitely handle that!

"Hermione, have you ever come across the word Horcrux?" Harry asked while studying with his friends after their customary dinner Wednesday night. It was times like this where things were starting to feel a little more normal to him and it was a good time to ask the only other person he thought would have any idea of what that word meant.

As expected, without making a sound, his friend closed one of her eyes as if she were looking through every book she had ever read in her mind. Occasionally, Harry envied her ability to remember such minute details, even if she'd only read them once, but at the same time he imagined it would be very exhausting to have that much information permanently stored in one's head. Not to mention he was having a hard time keeping track of small details lately. At his last treatment he'd asked Dr. Meghan and she called it "chemo brain" and it was another side effect - less common, but not rare - of chemotherapy where he could find himself having a difficult time remembering things or finishing sentences. For him it sometimes felt like the chemotherapy was slowly breaking apart pieces of his mind along with his body.

"I don't think so. Can you give me some context for it?" she replied inquisitively, almost taking it as a personal challenge that Harry knew something she didn't, "Where did you come across it?"

Oh... I should have expected that question.

That was a prime example of his brain not quite thinking things completely through lately. Of course Hermione would want to know where he'd learned of something she didn't know. If she knew, she probably wouldn't care where he'd seen the word and he'd be fine... now, he'd have to tell her something.

"Erm... I read it in a book Severus had," he said, not wanting to admit that the book was Snape's personal notes about his treatments. It was generic enough and still technically not a lie.

"It's probably some kind of dark magic then," Ron muttered, not even attempting to hide his feelings on the subject.

"It sounded like it was a container for something," he added hoping it would give her enough to work from, "but there wasn't much else said about it."

"Maybe it's what contains your magic?" Dudley suggested out of nowhere and Harry was surprised how close his muggle cousin was to his own theory on it, "I mean something has to be holding it, right?"

Hermione furrowed her brows as she contemplated that idea.

"Technically speaking," the witch started in her lecture-mode Harry knew all too well lately, "our magic is held within what's called a 'core', however no one's obviously seen it. It's like a soul; you know it's there, just there's no real corporal figure to it so there's no real need for something to hold it."

Harry wanted to disagree on the grounds that the soul was held by a person's body, except he really didn't want to get into a theoretical discussion he was bound to lose against Hermione.

"The word doesn't sound familiar," the witch continued, "but that doesn't mean there isn't information about it somewhere. I'll take a look through the library and let you know what I find. You do know, Harry, that you could always ask Professor Snape, especially if it was in his book. I'm more than certain he would tell you."

"Not likely in his current mood lately," Ron mumbled again pushing more of the food around his plate; an act that was very telling for the redhead who normally ate every crumb on his plate.

"Don't mind him," Hermione explained, waving off Ron's mood, "he got a detention first thing in class this morning from Professor Snape, so it's been a bit of a sore subject; at least more than usual."

"I was defending my best friend! What did you expect me to do?" Ron finally lifted his head as he argued back to them. "Parkinson was saying all sorts of awful things, but did that slimy git hear a word she had said? Of course not because it was said by a Slytherin. I swear he's worse now then even last year!"

Being almost two weeks since the Skeeter article, Harry really had hoped most of the gossip would have blown over by now. Unfortunately, that clearly hadn't happened since every time he talked to his friends, they told him all different stories of the things that were being said about him. Most of the time, Harry just ignored it and told his friends to do the same. However, something had clearly upset Ron this time to get detention.

"It's really fine, Ron," Harry explained to his sullen friend. "I appreciate it, I really do, but you didn't need to get yourself detention over my account. You know Severus has been a little off lately, it's best to stay out of his way."

Thinking about it now, it was no wonder the man was grumpy after the article. Even if Harry had been in classes after it was printed, there wasn't much in there that he'd have to answer for; everyone already knows about the cancer, so what if they know about what his treatments are like and the side effects from them? Snape, on the other hand, would have to face his students and the other professors after all of them read a very bold accusation that he was still a current Death Eater. Those that actually trusted that the professor was on the side of the light would feel sorry for him - an occurrence Harry knew Snape would immensely hate - and those that weren't sure where his loyalties fell would now look at him as a traitor; Harry knew for a fact in these cases no one ever gave the other person the benefit of the doubt. It was a lot to manage on top of Harry's care and suddenly the young wizard could understand why Snape hadn't been able to help get him ready to return to classes early.

Ron had a sour expression on his face that morphed into confusion.

"You're really handling this loads better than I would have expected, mate," he said, somewhat confused. Then he added as an afterthought, "You didn't hear the things Parkinson was saying, though. Even Neville got riled up over it."

"Seriously, what else am I supposed to do? For once, what she reported, at least most of it about me, was actually accurate," Harry spat back. He was tired of everyone continuing to talk about it all and he refused to feed the fire of gossip regarding him.

"I told you already; you should have pressed charges, Harry," Hermione said, reaching over the table to give Harry's hand a small squeeze. "In the muggle world, she would have broken a countless number of privacy laws for essentially stealing, and then reporting, your medical information without your permiss-"

She was interrupted when Harry vehemently shook his head, "And what about the wizarding world, Hermione? No one seemed to care when she wrote that rubbish last year. Not to mention that it would only manage to draw even more attention to the story then there already is. No, I just want this to die down before I start classes Monday and that's already not likely to happen."

"How do you feel about starting back?" Dudley asked, bailing Harry out by changing the topic. The Gryffindor silently thanked his cousin simultaneously taking note that the other teen had seemed more withdrawn tonight than usual.

"I'm nervous... and I'm angry because I should have been in classes this week like my new doctor said I could be," it was Harry's turn to push his food across his plate thinking about how he used to be able to make decisions like this on his own. "And apparently I'll have a new schedule Severus has been working on with Minerva so I restart classes slowly. I think I'll only start out doing partial days, or something like that."

"First, there's nothing wrong with a muggle doctor Harry, especially when you have a muggle illness," Hermione lectured; of course she would pick up on the first part of his statement. "And second, I'm sure professors Snape and McGonagall just want what's easiest on you."

"Yeah, well most of my life was spent with me getting to make my own decisions on these types of things. Hell, my aunt and uncle refused for me to come to Hogwarts pretty much every year and we all see how well that turned out... And they were my guardians then too," it was a bitter thing to say, especially with Dudley sitting next to him, plus it wasn't even a reflection of his current mood.

The week so far had actually gone extremely well. After spending most of Sunday recovering from Saturday's chemo, he woke up to the dreary Monday with a lot of energy and ready to jump back into lessons. He'd gotten his best marks of the year - maybe even his whole Hogwarts career - on his latest Defense assignment on Monday, Tuesday's lessons with Malfoy were actually so engaging he didn't even notice when the time was up for them to end - genuinely surprising himself on how much he enjoyed those two tutoring sessions. Really, outside of the new doctor, the article from Rita Skeeter, and having to wait to start classes, things were looking up for him.

When dinner was long over, the new trio decided to stay with Harry until Professor Sprout showed up for his Herbology lesson. At least, that was the plan until Snape stormed through the door with Malfoy following behind him. The four students in the sitting room looked between themselves as the professor went into his office with Malfoy, closing the door behind them. Snape was almost never back before Harry's lesson, so his presence - along with Malfoy's - was significant.

"I don't want to be here when, whatever that is, is done," Ron commented standing up to leave and Harry couldn't blame him given everything they'd talked about today.

As his friends and cousin were getting ready to leave, Harry called out, "Dudley, can you say back for a minute? I wanted to ask you something."

Sometime between dinner and that exact moment, Harry made the decision to check in with Dudley based on his overall gloomy demeanor. A lot had changed for the other teen and while Harry was extremely proud of his cousin, it had to be difficult to make such a big change, on top of having no idea what was going to happen in the immediate future. That wasn't even counting the fact that he'd lost both his parents only three months ago and being surrounded by Harry's friends and world, no one would really be checking in on Dudley.

"Yeah," Dudley said, sitting back down once Hermione and Ron left. "Everything ok?"

"I wanted to ask you the same thing," Harry awkwardly said, "You seem a little down today."

"Oh," Dudley looked down at his hands, "it's nothing, really."

"You've done a lot for me these last couple of months, Dudley," Harry admitted for himself as well as his cousin, "and there's been a lot of change in such a short time... To be here-"

"It's fine," Dudley said and suddenly the Gryffindor knew why Snape gave a subtle cringe every time Harry used that word; it was obvious the other teen was anything but fine. "I actually really like staying here. I think it gives me something else to focus on, y'know?"

Harry could appreciate what Dudley had said. It made things so much harder when everything around you went on like normal life when you felt anything but normal inside. It was how he felt going back to Privet Drive after Cedric's death and then to Grimmauld Place to find out that everyone around him was going about their life while he sat with his own thoughts and nightmares at his aunt and uncle's house. That caused a thought to pop up in his head.

"I'm sorry for what I said about your parents and about me having to make my own decisions growing up," the young wizard tried again to get through, "it wasn't fair to say that with you sitting right next to me."

"I know they were horrible to you, Harry," Dudley said honestly, "I can't imagine having to take care of myself like you did, especially at that young of an age. It's different for me now; I'm practically an adult."

The two cousins sat in an awkward silence. Harry wasn't going to say it was alright because it wasn't. His aunt and uncle may not have liked or loved him, but they should have made sure he was at least taken care of. If nothing else they could have given him to someone who would do that; of course Dumbledore already told him they were forced to keep him for his own safety from Voldemort.

"Mum's birthday is Friday," Dudley said and Harry could hear the pain in his cousin's voice.

"I'm sorry," the young wizard said awkwardly, not sure what else was appropriate. He'd pretty much forgotten about his Aunt Petunia's birthday after starting at Hogwarts and he was no longer there for it.

"Do you even know when your parents' birthdays were?"

Harry recoiled at the blunt question and for a moment didn't know how to respond to the easy question.

"No, I don't," He'd thought about that a lot when he was a kid, but learned quickly to never ask his aunt about things like that. If Snape and his mother were close, he would probably know when at least her's was though. "It has to be hard for you having known your parents before they died. I mean, I don't remember mine at all, so I miss them... All the time... but it's just different.

"Why don't hang out here on Friday? I have chemo that day, but I think you should come over anyway. You can skive off muggle studies for the day and I'll ask Dobby to bring some cake."

"That'd be great, Harry," Dudley said quietly and for a second he looked hesitant to continue, but he did, "It looks like things are working out for you... Here, I mean… I know you said you had a complicated relationship with Professor Snape, but he seems good for you. He really cares about you."

"He does," Harry replied with his eye on the professor's office. "We've become... I dunno really, but I like it."

While Harry had been thinking that awkward phrase for weeks now, it was the first time he'd admitted it out loud. He was happy living with Snape and he could never deny that he thought of the man as his parent; more so than Professor McGonagall.

"You deserve it - someone to watch out for you - even if you don't think you need it."

"Thank you, Dudley," Harry replied and his face immediately flushed.

Both boys let the conversation fall between them until Malfoy came out of Snape's office. He took one look between the two cousins, smirked, and shook his head before leaving.

"What'd you think that's about?"

"Who knows, Severus has been spending almost all his supposed free time in his office and most of the time Malfoy has been with him," Harry commented as Snape walked briskly out of his office.

"Professor Sprout is here," he announced, raising a single eyebrow at Dudley's presence.

"I should go," Dudley stood and collected his notes from his muggle studies classes. Harry made a mental note to ask him about how things were going for him on Friday.

~~~~SS~~~~

"So let me get this straight," Draco asked in disbelief staring down at the piece of parchment Severus had just handed to him. The teen was sitting across from his Head of House unable to believe what he'd just been asked to do, "you actually want me to go buy an illicit ingredient on the black market, using a dodgy contact from my father?"

"Mutual contact," Severus corrected, feeling no less guilty over the situation he found himself in.

Somewhere in all of his planning, Severus had quickly realized there was no way he could be seen purchasing Chimera Scales as Voldemort's top traitor, so he came up with the - extremely risky for them both - plan to use Draco in his place. He recognized that it was the only option, even if it wasn't the best. For one, he didn't want to intentionally place Draco into any additional harm's way, nevertheless, they needed to take some calculated risks sometimes because Severus being brought to the Dark Lord would not help any of them in the long run. He reassured himself that he would ensure his and Draco's safety by going with the blonde disguised under Polyjuice Potion, however he was intimately aware of how much could go wrong during a meeting like the one he was planning.

The source he'd decided on had been someone Severus had met in his Potion's Mastery training class who also happened to be a decent acquaintance to Lucius from when he was a Slytherin three years ahead of the Malfoy patriarch. Severus and Matthew had bonded over the Dark Mark. Matthew had wanted to join the Death Eaters, however as one of the rare muggleborn Slytherins - a fact that the older wizard tried hard to conceal - he thought it best not to tempt fate. At the time, Severus thought he had been paranoid, now though he could see the merit; given Matthew's nervous disposition he wouldn't last long in front of the Dark Lord's questioning, even if he would turn around and deliver every last muggle relative of his own.

And that was how the professor found himself in his laboratory the Wednesday night before Harry returned to class, discussing the illegal procurement of a highly controlled ingredient with his student, while the Gryffindor was discussing something much more innocuous with Dudley until Professor Sprout's arrival for Herbology. It had been easier than expected to convince Albus of the benefits to having Draco assist him with the brewing process and the headmaster's only request was that the teen did not know the purpose of it - compartmentalization and all - should he find himself questioned about it from Lord Voldemort. The former spy may or may not have conveniently left out the part about also needing to use Draco to help secure one of the "harder to find" supplies, but in the end, all that mattered was that he had the headmaster's explicit permission to make this a top priority to get going.

For Severus, starting had been the easy part. He'd made a trip last week to Knockturn Alley - after picking up Harry's new school supplies, a couple of new shirts, trousers, and robes since he had actually grown - then him and Draco started the complicated mess of the potion. Each night brought its own set of challenges and there were several curses - both literally with his wand and figuratively speaking - trying to get the first steps correct. Luckily, the full moon would be this Saturday and Lupin had of course agreed to send a phial of hair sometime on Sunday, and so far it looked like they wouldn't be losing any time.

The only complication he'd run into - besides securing the Chimera Scales - had nothing to do with the potion itself. No matter what he'd said to Albus, there was no way Draco didn't have some clue who this potion was for. Even worse, based on the questions he'd received it wouldn't surprise him if the blonde knew what it did based on the ingredients alone. No, it was only a matter of time before Draco was fully aware of some kind dark magic living within Harry. The professor was determined to do everything in his power to prolong the discovery for Draco's safety more than Harry's.

"Mutual or not, you're still asking me to use my name to get this, and all without any real explanation? Are you mad?" The teen declared in front of him as he pointed to the four cauldrons currently on the fire, "It's one thing for me to help brew a mysterious potion and another to almost end up in Azkaban for it. If you remember right, unlike my father, I'm trying to stay out of Azkaban."

"I will not let you end up in Azkaban over this," the former spy said without missing a beat. "And do not forget that being part of brewing an ancient and extremely difficult potion will open a lot of doors for you."

"What good does that do for me again if I can't list what it is because for one, you won't tell me what we're brewing, and two, because of its illegal ingredient?" Draco asked, crossing his arms in front of his body as he leaned against the table top.

Severus had been fully aware that bartering with Draco would be a difficult task because the teen was pure Slytherin. He knew exactly what his value was worth and pushed until he felt he was getting the better end of the deal. In any other scenario, the professor would be quite proud. At the current moment, he needed to find the right currency to get Draco to help with as few questions as possible.

"That's fair. I will tell you the identity of the potion once it is deemed safe to do so. Also, do not forget, it comes with a high recommendation from the youngest and top leading Portions Master in the UK, which will translate impeccably well for the Potions apprenticeship you were considering after Hogwarts," that got through to the teen. It was common knowledge in the academic and research community that Severus very rarely endorsed a student, especially for a Potion's Mastery as Draco had alluded to wanting last year.

"What if that's not where I see myself anymore?" The blonde asked more curiously than confrontational, giving Severus the impression that he was indeed thinking about a change of direction.

"Then we can discuss the other options you're considering, especially if you need to change your course load. Though unless you're looking into something as simple as Herbology, you should know my recommendation would do you well in almost any discipline," he narrowed his eyes.

There was a moment of almost silence between them, with only the boiling of the cauldrons filling the dead space, before Draco lifted his head in confidence and said, "When do we leave?"

"As you can expect, with these types of deals certain arrangements need to take place first. I'll reach out under the cover of wanting to arrange a deal based on your recommendation. Once he's set a day and time, I'll let you know," Severus said without waiting for another word from Draco on the subject before moving on in their preparations.

There were very few things relating to Potions that Severus Snape didn't think he could do, and he was pretty sure this would push him to his limit. He'd do it, though, and the worst case scenario would be a failed potion, a - most likely quite large - explosion, and no further answers to their question about the black substance. If that were to happen, they'd need to make an educated guess and error on the side of caution to try to preserve as much of Harry's current magical core as possible.

He had just dismissed Draco and was putting a stasis spell on all the cauldrons when a piece of parchment popped up in front of his face that had Pomona Sprout written on it. After Harry's Herbology lesson, he'd planned to walk Harry through what to expect when he restarted classes, so the sooner the professor started, the sooner he could have that conversation and finally get some sleep.

Severus used the time during Harry's Herbology lesson to catch up on as much of his marking as possible, putting him in a good position heading into the second half of the week. Unsure where Friday's chemotherapy would lead them, as it was the first of Phase two of consolidation, he wanted to get as much out of the way as possible, especially since he'd taken that day off. While Harry would be getting the same medications he had the last two weeks, the professor still felt he should be here for it.

Harry's lesson didn't finish until shortly after nine, and when he heard the door eventually close he waited to give him some time to get ready for bed before making his way out to the Gryffindor's bedroom.

"Come in," Harry called from the other side of the door.

As expected, when he walked into the room, the young wizard was propped up against the headboard sketching in his notebook.

"Something good?" He asked casually. In his old reality, Harry was always proud to show off his work to Severus, but here Harry was more private with it and the professor only saw pieces here and there when passing.

"Not really," Harry's face started to flush as he promptly closed the book, "I'm working on a beach or at least what I think the beach would look like since I've never been before. But you said..."

He trailed off and Severus was taken back to their last night at Privet Drive. Somewhere in his rambling mess, he remembered telling Harry that his Harry - no, that wasn't right anymore - the other Harry, loved their trip to the sea and they had planned to go back before... Before that Harry died.

"Do you ever get confused?" The Gryffindor asked, "with the memories between the two worlds?"

That's a fair enough question.

"Not as often anymore," he answered honestly, "I used to be, closer to when everything happened, but it's getting less and less often. Now occasionally it's hard to remember I'm a year behind where I was, but beyond that I'm just living in the moment."

Harry nodded thoughtfully then rubbed the back of his neck; a telltale sign that he was nervous, "Besides... y'know... me... What do you miss the most?"

Severus gave a small chuckle that seemed inappropriate given the serious tone of the conversation. It had been a rough two weeks for the professor between the aftermath of the Skeeter article and the realization that his Harry - no the other Harry, he reminded himself again - didn't have to die because of the soul fragment. He hadn't lied when he said he was living in the moment, because that was the only way he found he could stay focused and moving. But now he needed to answer the Gryffindor; what did he miss the most besides his son?

"The little things I hardly noticed back there at the time," he answered, sadly. "Like the pictures from your birthdays and Christmases that I still have memories of, but will never actually see again. The Dark Lord being gone is a pretty large one right now too. And keeping up the charade of two personalities has been quite tiring at times."

"I bet," Harry said, running his hands nervously over the cover of his notebook.

Severus waved his hand and a box came flying into the bedroom right towards Harry, which the Gryffindor caught with his still honed seeker reflexes.

"That is your school supplies, new uniforms, and robes," he transitioned once it seemed like Harry wasn't going to continue to ask the questions he knew were still plaguing the young wizard's mind.

"I should have gone with you," Harry announced, opening the box full of quills, rolls of parchment, ink, refills on several of his potions ingredients, seven white shirts, five jumpers, and two Gryffindor robes, "I'll write to Gringotts and-"

"No," Severus said interrupting the nervous teen, "you needn't worry about it."

"But-" Harry sat up taller to make a point. Severus had expected this reaction. Harry had been fully responsible for taking care of himself most of his life and even though he was almost a legal adult in the wizarding world, he didn't need to do that anymore.

"Minerva and I have taken care of it," he reassured the young wizard. "Look through them, try on the clothes to make sure I got your sizes correct, and let me know if you need anything additional."

Harry opened his mouth to continue his argument, then decided against it and instead said, "Thank you Severus. I'll let you know, but I don't think there's anything else I need."

Severus was surprised when a comfortable silence fell between them. The professor pulled out of his robes a piece of parchment and handed it to Harry.

"Minerva has put together an alternative schedule for you," he explained watching for Harry's reaction to his shortened schedule. "You'll have a maximum of two classes per day with a tutoring session in either period before lunch or before dinner depending on if your classes are in the morning or split on either side of lunch. It will be up to you if you'd like to have meals here or in the Great Hall, though I'd recommend you eat here at least for next week."

Harry's eyes scanned the parchment outlining his "new normal:"

Monday: Defense/ Transfiguration; Charms Tutoring

Tuesday: Herbology/Charms; Defense Tutoring

Wednesday: Defense/Potions; Transfiguration Tutoring

Thursday: Herbology/Transfiguration; Potions Tutoring

Friday: Transfiguration/Charms; Herbology Tutoring

To Harry, it felt like an easy schedule compared to what he knew his classmates were doing, yet somehow he felt he'd have a hard time keeping up with it. And of course, he was starting out with Defense in Snape's class.

"How far behind am I?" He asked tentatively, not one hundred percent sure he wanted the answer.

"I won't lie, it will be a difficult transition for you," Severus honestly said, "but we'll stay in communication with your professors and do what we have to do."

Despite how scared the Gryffindor appeared, he looked Severus in the eye and said, "What will class be like with you? What I mean is..."

"Will there be open hostility between us?"

Harry's face flushed, "Yeah... What you said."

"I will not belittle you in class anymore," Severus had put a lot of thought into this during the last few of his classes, specifically with the sixth years, "however you must also understand that in class I'm your professor first and..."

It was Severus's turn to trail off unsure how to complete the sentence without sounding foolish.

"My parent second," Harry finished for him, giving a small smile. There it was, everything they'd been circling around these last few weeks sitting on the proverbial table in front of them. It was both terrifying and relieving all wrapped together.

"Exactly," he replied confidently, so that Harry couldn't question his sincerity and he was rewarded with another small smile from the young wizard.

"Severus?" Harry asked as it was approaching ten o'clock. "Would it be alright if Dudley spent Friday here? It would be Aunt Petunia's birthday and he's seemed kind of down because of it."

Severus raised a single eyebrow, "As long as you are alright with that as it's your first day of phase two."

"Yeah, I'm fine with it," Harry assured him, "it's not like the chemo will be anything new and these last two weeks were practically a breeze."

It was true, Severus had been relieved when they'd finally put phase one behind them, which included putting behind them the start of his tutoring, the awful pneumonia weeks, and the hell weeks which also brought along the horrific visions. He had no idea what the next twelve weeks would bring, but he was ready to start on their new adventure of going back to classes with Harry having to navigate among his peers, hopefully completing the potion to confirm the piece of Voldemort's soul within Harry's, and getting to spend their first holiday together as a family; albeit a very non-traditional one.