"Harry, if you expect to keep that O in Transfiguration you're going to have to find another time to daydream," Hermione said, bringing Harry's eyes around from the gray dreary skies and rain drops dripping down the windowpane.

"I just need a couple more O's and I can relax a little," Harry said. It had taken him until February to bring his E up to an O. If he could get a couple more O's he could take some time off of studying Transfiguration, because his grade would be secure for a while if he got E's. He wanted to go to a Quidditch match this summer almost more than he wanted to get back out on the alleys. His entire Quidditch season had been wasted since they couldn't get out to practice or play when hungry Dementors were on the prowl.

"Or you could start spending time raising your other grades up as well," Hermione said as they sat and studied at the tiny table by the window.

Harry sighed and looked down at Ron who was in the common room below them playing wizard's chess. Harry had an O in Defense and a high E in charms. Another O essay or test in Charms and he'd have that grade up to an O as well. The rest of his classes were still down at A for acceptable however.

"I don't want good grades," Harry said, "I want to go outside. I want to fly, and I want Easter to come around quicker so I can have a couple days off."

"Are you going somewhere for Easter Hols?" Hermione asked, taking a break from her own homework for a few moments.

"Just here," Harry said. "It'd be nice to spend some time with my dad again." Snape had been as busy as Harry it seemed. They still found some time to have meals together, and Harry had been taking his homework up to the Headmaster's office to study, but he missed spending time with them like he had at Christmas.

"Well, it's only a week away," Hermione said. "Then you'll have a Friday off and classes won't start again until the next Tuesday morning. I'm going home again that weekend."

Harry knew Hermione had loved going home for a long weekend before the Christmas holidays. Because of the Dementors and the stress they had been putting on students, the staff had made many exceptions and let two dozen students go home one weekend. That hadn't happened again since before Christmas though.

"Are many people going home then?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, a few I think. We'll be going through the Floo to London again like last time."

Harry let his eyes drift back out the windowpane, still splashed with water. If he could just get through another week then he could have a break and go back to his room in the dungeons. He turned back to his essay and the page of notes he had, and began to write again. Just two more O's in Transfiguration, and he could have a break.

* * *

"Are you going to stay next year too sir?" Harry asked Remus. It was just a few days until Easter holidays, and his father and grandfather were both busy. Snape had to grade midterms and had been cranky for the last few days because an entire group of fifth year Hufflepuff's weren't doing well in Potions and their OWLs were coming up, and the Headmaster was still trying to get the Ministry to take the Dementors away, which meant even he had grown too busy lately to have tea or visit much. Instead Harry had tried to stay out of their way and had come several times in the last week to seek Lupin out to have tea and ask about his parents.

"I hope to," Remus said. After the incident with the Aurors, Remus had sat Harry down and had a serious talk with him about the things Harry had said to them, about wanting to be Fae and becoming one at the first opportunity. "You don't know what it is you're saying. You'll be an outcast. How they treated you that day, that's how they'll treat you every day."

They ate biscuits and had another cup of tea while they chatted about Harry's grades in his other classes. After a long moment of silence, Harry frowned into his teacup and said, "How come you never talk much about Sirius?"

Remus paused and then set his empty teacup down. "It's hard for me to talk about him."

"Because of what they say he did?"

"Yes. Peter was our friend... a very timid boy when we were children. He was no match for Sirius. All they found of Peter after the blast was a finger." Remus was quiet and Harry stayed silent, letting the man think. "I know you don't think he did it," Remus said. "I want to believe that, that Sirius is the same man I knew... the same friend I grew up with. I have no evidence that says he didn't do it though. In the meantime Peter is dead... James and Lily...." he lifted his eyes up to survey Harry's face, not wanting to say something insensitive. Harry had occasionally found Lupin looking at him when they spent time together and didn't mind him doing so now. He had told Harry that he reminded him of James, from the cut of his hair to the shape of his chin.

"You don't know what it was like in the summer," Harry said. "I'm not sure I would have made it without Sirius."

"You said something like that before."

Harry had told him that he thought Sirius was innocent and that he'd helped him, but had never gone into much detail.

"I had to run away from home," Harry said. "I got thrashed and chased out of the house. Sirius appeared and got me to call the Knight Bus when he tripped me. I thought he was just a mangy dog. Then he found me on Diagon and stayed with me. You know about the trial?"

"I've heard some things about it, but I was never clear on why you and the Headmaster had gone to court."

Harry explained to him about having to fight for his right to live somewhere safe where he would get fed regularly and not be shut away out of sight and out of mind.

"I didn't realize," Remus said sadly. "I would have found a way to get you away from them if I had known."

Harry smiled at him. He believed it knowing how the Fae helped each other. They might not have wanted to help Harry as a child, but the Fae community would have helped Remus to help him.

"I was stressed out over the trial," Harry said, "and I was having nightmares. I wanted to run away again. Sirius was there for me through it all. I'd wake up shaking and sweating, thinking I was still at my relatives house, and Sirius would put his wet nose in my hand and just let me pet him until I calmed down. People say he didn't kill me just because he needed a place to hide out. I don't think he would have been so nice to me if that was the case."

Remus looked unsettled by what Harry had told him about Sirius, and about how he'd been treated at home, though Harry had glossed over all the details of his home life and just given Remus an indication of what things had been like.

When Harry left to go back to his common room, Remus sat and stared at the empty chair he'd just been occupying. He'd wanted to believe so badly that Sirius hadn't sold James and Lily out... that he hadn't gone crazy and killed Peter. He had searched for evidence for years that his friend was innocent and could never find any. There had been all kinds of evidence that his old friend was guilty however. His association with Sirius had made the Ministry follow Remus more closely than they did other Fae. For a long time Remus had been angry at Sirius for that, for thinking only of himself and his dedication to the Dark Lord... a dedication he'd hidden from all of them. Remus had thought that in order to serve Voldemort, Sirius could have no more compassion or empathy, because no one could serve Voldemort... betray their friends if they still had compassion. What Harry had told him contradicted that however. The animagus Harry described sounded like his boyhood friend, who looked out for James, Remus and Peter like their lives were more important than his own.

Harry was so certain that Sirius hadn't broken, despite never having known him as a man, only as a dog. He was so certain Sirius was innocent... would not have betrayed his friends. That certainty was making Remus question the incident again. Was Sirius really guilty? Had he turned on them? Could he have given up his soul to do that?

Remus wanted to believe in Sirius. The only problem was, if he did believe, then where was Peter? If Sirius hadn't murdered him, then where was his small timid friend now, and who had betrayed James, Lily and Harry?

* * *

Severus had put together a surprise for Harry. He'd gotten a recent copy of Quidditch Monthly and left it open to the last two pages on the dining room table two days before the Easter holidays. When Harry had come Wednesday evening for dinner, he'd seen the magazine and struck up a conversation with Severus as he cooked about all of the upcoming matches listed in the magazine that he wished he could see. Half a dozen were taking place on Easter weekend.

"Ooh, the Harpies and the Cannons," Harry enthused. "Bet Ron would love to see that. He loves the Cannons but I think he has a crush on the Harpie's Keeper." Harry had run his finger down the list of upcoming matches, stopped on another one and said, "Arrows and Kestrels. That would be fun to see. It's a rematch because the Kestrels won last month but the Arrows claimed interference from a biased referee. Dean always roots for the Kestrels."

"Which would you prefer to see?" Severus had asked, and Harry had scanned the list again until he found the Falcon's next match, which was the Monday afternoon after Easter.

"Falcons versus Puddlemere United. Couldn't miss that if I had a chance to see them. Puddlemere is wicked fast and it's on the big Puddlemere pitch. I heard there's gardens around the Puddlemere pitch and that they have ties to the royal family."

"One of their Chasers is seventeenth in line for the Muggle throne," Severus said. He was the only member of the royal family in the last ten generations to have magic, and he had been a pistol when he'd been at Hogwarts, holding court with whoever he could and reminding Professors that if he got poor grades they would be hearing about it directly from the queen, who they knew he had only met once or twice.

Harry had worked hard to get an O in Transfiguration and Severus wanted to reward him. He knew Harry was also getting antsy to get out of the castle, and so had bought two tickets to the Falcons game against Puddlemere. He didn't tell Harry about it until Monday morning however, the day of the game.

Harry had spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the dungeons reading and playing chess with Severus, though he had disappeared at meal times to see Ron. It had been an uneventful and quiet holiday. When Monday morning rolled around, Severus woke Harry at nine after letting him sleep in, and told him to get up and to dress warmly.

"Are we going out sir?" Harry asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Are we going to the alleys?"

"We have a Quidditch game to attend this afternoon."

"We do?" Harry got out of bed and started putting his shoes on despite that he hadn't changed out of his pajamas yet.

"Falcons versus Puddlemere," Severus said, unable to keep a small smile from forming at Harry's excited look. "Dress warmly... perhaps in all of your Falcon's gear," he suggested. He left Harry to get dressed, and ten minutes later Harry came out with his Falcon's joggers, Falcon's t-shirt, and Falcon's hoodie over his arm. The dark blue leather Falcon's flying goggles were on his face, pushed up above his eyes on his forehead.

"Ready to go!" Harry said.

"Eat first. Bring your money pouch. Do you still have coins?"

"I've got my money here," Harry said, indicating the pocket in his hoodie. "Seven sickles and a couple knuts."

"We will leave at ten thirty. The match starts at twelve. We'll be eating lunch there. After the match we will go to a Muggle book store I had in mind to visit nearby." He pulled his own money pouch out of his pocket. "For raising two of your grades to an O and maintaining the O you already had," Severus said as he pulled out a twenty pound Muggle note and handed it to Harry. "You can spend that on books."

Harry thanked him and tucked the money away. At ten thirty they went across the grounds to the gates, where several Dementors hovered close and watched them pass, and then apparated to the Pitch in Puddlemere. It was already busy with people buying snacks, posters, and clothing branded with the two Quidditch team's logos. Harry bought a bag of popcorn and a little bag of assorted candy, and they began their trek up the many flights of stairs into their spot in the stands.

A few seats down from them Harry recognized a boy from Hufflepuff a year behind him who played for the Hufflepuff team as a Chaser and moved down to talk to him until the match started.

"I'm glad we don't have to Floo back until tonight!" the boy enthused with Harry. "I've been wanting to see Puddlemere play all year but they never have games when I'm out of school on holiday!"

"Is Puddlemere your team then?" Harry asked the second year.

"Yeah, they're the best."

"Mine's the Falcon's," Harry told him, and they discussed their favorite players, their signature moves, and Harry told him about the Falcon's game he'd been to over the summer on the coast.

When the game started, Harry moved back to his spot next to Severus and was surprised that his adopted father seemed interested in discussing the game as it went on. During the game they'd been to together in the summer with the kids from the orphanage, the man had been mostly silent.

"Kieran's too slow to keep up with Beck."

"Beck has that new broom," Harry said.

"Which one?"

Harry's cheeks turned red and he said, "The Potter 2001."

Snape snorted and said, "I thought you were going to put an end to that foolishness."

"Well," said Harry, "I gave them my recommendations is all, but told them the choice in the end was up to them."

"And when children start coming to school with the newest ‘Potter' to ride during matches, how many of them will you be signing?"

"None," Harry said.

Snape looked over at him and said, "A signed Potter broom could potentially be sold for hundreds of Galleons more than it was purchased for. I would not be surprised if parents bought them for their children, told them not to ride them, and told them to try to get a signature on the broom from you."

"I wouldn't sign them sir, I swear."

"Calm yourself. You are not in trouble. Perhaps you should sign them. Many people need the money."

Harry was surprised by him. He'd always accused Harry of acting big headed and having a fan club at school. Once in first year he had even accused Harry of handing out autographs to get Ron and Hermione to ‘follow after' him ‘like lost puppies,' despite that he'd never signed an autograph in his life.

Deciding to mess with him, Harry said, "I don't think I should sign very many. If I sign them all they'll be worth nothing. If I only sign a few they'll be rare and more sought after by collectors."

When Severus turned to look at him, Harry was grinning. "You know," Harry said, "that is if I was gonna sign any for my fan club at all."

"Brat," Severus said, though there was affection behind the word and Harry didn't mind the playful jab as he once would have.

The game lasted until three. The Falcon's lost by ten points, though Harry didn't mind because he had thoroughly enjoyed the game and the time away from the castle. They ate a late lunch at a fish and chips restaurant, and then Severus took Harry to a large Muggle bookstore. Harry was in awe of its size. Flourish and Blotts was small but packed with books. This bookstore was enormous, and had dozens of sections of books.

"What books did you want to come here for?" Harry asked as Severus gazed at the many signs indicating which section they might want to visit hanging from the ceiling.

As he led off to a section labeled ‘Fantasy', he said, "I thought you might like to find books where Fae are the heroes."

"Do you think they'll have some like that?"

"The details will all surely be wrong, but I am certain there will be dozens of them. Muggles have a fascination with magic and magical creatures despite knowing very little about them."

Snape had been right. In the fantasy section there was a shelf dedicated to vampires, another dedicated to vampire romance, four dedicated to witches and wizards, one dedicated to werewolves and werewolf romance, and several other shelves with their own topics.

Harry didn't bother to look at the romance novels, and instead began reading book summaries in the werewolf section. In twenty minutes he had found several books he wanted there before he moved on to the vampire section and then a section labeled ‘Epic Fantasy.'

"I want them all," Harry said, trying to narrow down his choices. He could only get three with the twenty pounds he had.

"How many coins do you have left in your pouch?"

Harry pulled out his pouch and showed him, and Severus took the money and handed Harry twelve more pounds. In the end Harry ended up with two books about werewolves, one about vampires, and one called ‘The Lord Of The Rings.'

As they browsed the rest of the bookstore for books Severus might be interested in, Harry told him about the books he'd chosen. "This one is about a teen boy who gets bit by a werewolf, and he and his Muggle friend end up fighting all kinds of other creatures, including a giant lizard. And the girl the boy is dating belongs to a family of werewolf hunters."

"That cannot end up well," Severus commented.

Harry looked at the next book and said, "This one's about a werewolf that got thrown out of his pack, and he ends up befriending a wizard who got kicked out of wizard school." Harry's eyes scanned down the summary on the back of the book again and said, "It was a wizard school for boys only. That would be boring."

"Indeed."

"The vampire book is about a guy that's 800 years old. His vampire master is evil and this guy doesn't want to be evil and kill people. He works as a muggle cop and saves Muggles every night."

Harry started to tell Severus about The Lord Of The Rings, but apparently he had already read it. "That story has some truth to it," Severus said. "In the ancient past there was an evil ring, and there was a pact between hobbits, gnomes and elves to destroy it."

"But, how could Muggles know to write about it?"

"A Muggle didn't write it," Severus said, "A mage with an interest in ancient history and a talent for embellishment wrote it intending it to stay within the wizarding community. After he died his neighbors took the book and published it in the Muggle world."

"Do they have this at Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Somewhere I'm sure."

Before they went back to Hogwarts they stopped and had dinner, and then found an alley to shrink their two bags of books down so they could easily apparate back. Severus took his arm and they apparated outside of the Hogwarts gates.

"If these books are good, maybe we could go back again in the summer," Harry said hopefully. All of his books were part of various series and he had a feeling he'd want to get the next installments.

"That is odd," Severus said.

"The books sir?" Harry asked, but Severus was pointing ahead of them through the trees bordering the drive and the Hogwarts gates.

"There are students and staff up ahead. The students who went home for the holiday."

"Maybe they took the train back," Harry said.

"Perhaps. They were not supposed to-" he paused because someone on the path ahead of them screamed. There were several shouts, another scream, and they heard Professor Sprout shout, "Expecto Patronum!"

Severus grabbed Harry's wrist and began to pull him ahead towards the commotion, needing to help but being unwilling to leave Harry by himself with so many Dementors prowling the area.

"Stay close," he warned as they ran. It was hard to see in the waning light, but there was no mistaking the swarm of Dementors swooping over and around the group of students. Several students were on the ground unmoving along with Professor Sprout. Two older boys were protecting a younger girl as a Dementor swooped down at them. One of the boys put a shield up around them, but the Dementor flew right through it and hit the boy, sending him flying into the mud.

Severus and Harry both had their wands out. As they got closer, Severus began to encant a Patronus, but before he could finish saying, "Expecto-" a Dementor hit him and he was knocked to the muddy path. He waved his wand again, shouting the first half of the incantation, but two Dementors came down on him and attacked. One seemed to be holding him down while the other moved to Snape's mouth, ready to begin feeding.

Adrenaline was coursing heavily through Harry's veins seeing his guardian down and two dozen Dementors flying wildly around them. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt his chest and his hands trembled. Then everything fell away from Harry as he began to feel darkness creep in. The sounds of the terrified students and of Snape continuing to try to cast a Patronus quieted. The feel of the soupy mud beneath his sneakers disappeared. He could see a vision of Uncle Vernon swimming in front of him, not fully formed yet. But Harry could also see a Christmas tree in the Headmaster's quarters, and he latched onto that image. As he pulled that image towards himself, it began to materialize and the image of his uncle started to fade out. He could see himself sitting next to the Headmaster playing games by the fire as Snape read a book and drank coffee in the comfortable chair next to the couch. His eyes latched onto the Christmas tree again and the memory changed to Harry sitting and staring at the family tree... his family tree. He couldn't hear himself speak, he couldn't feel the mud beneath him, but Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Suddenly the world came back to life with a snap: the Dementors, the students lying in the mud, the sun sinking below the horizon, and the sounds of terror were all there. Harry's stag burst out of his wand, as bright as it had ever been, and didn't wait to be told what to do. It lowered its antlers and charged the two Dementors attacking his father, launching one into the air. Then it turned and began swiping it's head from side to side as it ran through Dementors two and three at a time, making them scatter. It stomped it's hooves all over one Dementor, who screeched, startling the two boys and the girl that were still huddled together, and then jammed it's antlers into the Dementor so forcefully that a gaping hole appeared in the evil creature, growing wider and wider until the hole consumed it and it disappeared altogether.

"Kill them all!" Harry shouted, angry that the Dementors had done this, and his glowing blue stag got a feral look in its eyes, picking out it's next target. When the flying black creatures saw that one of the Dementors had been killed, the rest fled, Prongs chasing after them until they couldn't see the stag or the evil creatures anymore.

Severus crawled out of the mud, slipped, and was finally able to get up, hurring to Harry. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder, looked into his eyes to be certain he was ok, and when Harry gave him a nod, he turned to help the students and Professor Sprout without a word.

Professor Sprout was trying to get up out of the mud herself, and Harry ran to help her before going to help up the two boys who had been protecting the girl. Severus conjured stretchers for the four students who were passed out. One of them was Hermione.

"Is she all right?" Harry asked, coming to look at her pale face.

"She's alive."

Everyone was shaken, including Snape and Professor Sprout.

"Harry," she said, "can you bring your Patronus back to escort us to the castle?"

Harry didn't know if he could or not. He'd sent it on a mission and he didn't know if it would complete that mission or disappear, or if it would come back to him or if he'd have to cast it again.

"He'll come if we need him," Harry said with confidence, though he really wasn't sure. He wanted his Patronus to destroy as many Dementors as possible. Maybe he could even get them all. At that moment they heard another Dementor screech in the distance, and Harry gave a satisfied look into the last of the light as night fell on them.

"Bigby," Snape said, "Levitate one of the stretchers." Harry looked around to see who Snape was talking to and realized for the first time that the boy who had thrown up a shield was a seventh year Slytherin Prefect.

Snape levitated two stretchers and Professor Sprout took the one with Hermione. "Quickly," Severus said. "We need to get back into the castle."

They hurried up the muddy drive silently, Harry at the rear of the group to make sure everyone made it. Everyone kept an eye out in the darkness, and Harry and the other students who were still conscious kept their wands lit to give the group light. They were nearly back to the castle when Bigby leaned in a little towards Harry and said, "That was something Potter."

"Pretty scary huh?" Harry said, thinking he was talking about the incident in general.

"I meant what you did. I didn't know you could do that. It must have been thirty Dementors, and you sent them all away... killed one. I didn't know they could be killed."

"Me either," Harry said. "Not until it happened."

"I didn't think we were going to make it," the other boy with them said. He looked like he might be in Ravenclaw, but it was hard for Harry to tell in the darkness, especially since he didn't know every student at the castle.

"To cast a Patronus," Harry said, "you have to know."

"What do you mean?" the boy asked.

"You have to know you'll make it for the Patronus to work."

They hurried up the stone steps to the Great Oak Front doors, and as soon as they were all inside Severus closed them and warded them shut. Harry didn't need to go to the Hospital Wing, and for once felt like he didn't even need a cup of hot chocolate, but he went with the others anyway because Hermione was being taken there and because he wanted to stay with his father.

Madam Pomfrey was startled by the number of people needing to be seen to and as soon as the four unconscious students were settled onto beds, Severus went into Pomfrey's office to firecall the Headmaster.

"Harry, get the chocolate bars and hand them out," Pomfrey instructed, seeing that he was the only one who didn't seem to be affected. "They're in that cupboard against the wall, yes that one there."

Harry grabbed a stack of chocolate bars and went around to each bed, starting with Professor Sprout and ending with Bigby. The Headmaster and Professor McGonagall came in a few moments later and took in the scene before them. Madam Pomfrey still hadn't been able to wake Hermione or a first year boy yet, though the other two students who had passed out had been woken successfully and were sitting in bed shaking.

"What has happened?" Albus asked Severus urgently as Minerva went to help Poppy attempt to wake Hermione again.

"Harry and I were coming back from the Quidditch match. As soon as we apparated in I knew something was wrong because there were students up ahead of us on the path. Then the Dementors began to attack them. More than twenty of them."

"Twenty five," Professor Sprout chimed in as she was sitting in the bed nearest the door and where the Headmaster and Snape were talking. "Maybe even twenty seven. They attacked me first and sent me to the ground, and then the rest swarmed in. I cast a Patronus but it fizzled out before it could do any good."

"Harry and I ran in to help," Severus said. "I was also taken to the ground immediately. Each time I attempted to cast a Patronus I was thrown or attacked before I could finish the incantation."

Albus shook his head, looking at the wary students and staff, many of them still shaking. "How did you-"

"It was Harry," Severus said, cutting him off. "I was on the ground, and he cast a Patronus and sent it to get the Dementors off of me. It chased all of them away."

"All of them?" Albus asked. "Twenty seven Dementors?"

"It was the strongest Patronus I've ever seen," Professor Sprout said. "Just incredible. It killed one of them and took off after the rest. We heard another scream, so it may have killed another."

"It is possible for a Patronus to kill a Dementor," the Headmaster said, "but rare. There are only 92 Dementors in existence today out of the original 100. Before today only 8 had been killed by Patronus' over the centuries. The Ministry had sent 27 of them to guard the school. And Harry sent them all away?"

Severus nodded. "It was like they were waiting there to attack us. For all 27 to have been there, and to attack the staff first..."

"Miss Granger attempted to cast a Patronus first," Professor Sprout said. "She was the first they incapacitated.

"The castle may be in danger then," Albus said warily. "Minerva," he called and she came over to him. They talked in hurried, hushed tones for a few moments, and then McGonagall hurried out of the Hospital Wing. "Severus, stay here and help Poppy," Albus said, and then he followed after McGonagall.

Harry sat on the edge of Hermione's bed as she started to come to, and Madam Pomfrey moved to the last student who was still unconscious.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry helped her sit up and unwrapped a chocolate bar, pushing it into her hands. She took a bite and Harry hugged her as she ate another. "We all made it back?"

"They're gone," Harry said. "Hopefully they'll all be dead by the end of the night."

"Dead?"

He gave her a serious look, and then let a smile creep over his face. "My Patronus is out there poking holes in them right now. I didn't know Dementors could scream." The boy on the bed behind Harry woke a minute later and Madam Pomfrey moved to start checking on Severus, Sprout and the other five students.

"Come here," Harry told the first year boy who had just woken up. He motioned with his hand and the first year boy crawled across the bed tentatively towards Harry and Hermione. When he was close enough Harry pulled him across the floor to Hermione's bed and said, "It's better to sit with us. It helps." The boy gave Hermione an uncertain look and she wrapped her arms around him. Harry thought he might be a Hufflepuff but wasn't sure. He looked across the aisle to the others and found that the two older boys who had been protecting the girl were already sitting on either side of her, pressed up against her as if still willing to protect her even now that they were safe. The last two students were Slytherins, one a second year and one a fourth year. Harry got up and went across the aisle to sit on the bed next to the fourth year. "Come on," Harry said to the second year, who wasted no time in coming to that bed to sit down. "Trust me, it helps." Harry held out his arm and the second year leaned into him. The fourth year looked wary, but also tired and leaned into the second year boy.

"One word of this to anyone Potter," the fourth year boy said, "and I'll make your life miserable."

"Shh," Bigby said from the bed behind them. "That's no way to talk to the guy who saved our lives."

"What are you talking about?"

"Harry. His Patronus chased all of the Dementors away and killed one of them, maybe more. We wouldn't have made it out alive if it weren't for him."

"The Professors-" the boy started, but Bigby cut him off.

"Were down," he said. "You didn't see it because you were passed out. Doesn't matter... the rest of us did."

The second year Slytherin boy pressed harder into Harry's side then, and Harry squeezed him, hoping at some point the adrenaline would fully leave his system so he could go to sleep that night.

After Pomfrey was satisfied that everyone was all right, she started releasing students one or two at a time. Harry walked Hermione back to the common room and was surprised to find people looking scared inside.

"What's going on?" Harry asked Seamus.

"McGonagall came in and told us all to stay inside and stay away from the windows. She told Fred and George to get ready to cast a Patronus if they needed to. First years are scared half to death." He pointed to the spot by the fire where all of the first years were huddled.

"It's ok," Hermione said. "Harry took care of the Dementors."

Harry didn't want to stick around to hear the story retold, and was thankful that only a few minutes into Hermione re-telling it that the portrait opened and Snape appeared, beckoning for Harry to come out into the corridor. Before he left he whispered to Ron, "There's chocolate in my nightstand drawer. Make Hermione eat another piece." Ron nodded and Harry left with his father.

"You're sleeping in the Dungeons tonight," he said.

"The tower's kind of scared," Harry said, thinking if the Dementors attacked the castle he should be there to protect his friends.

"You will undoubtedly be called to answer questions early in the morning. The Headmaster has called the Ministry."

"Erm-" Harry hedged, looking around the dimly lit corridor to be sure they were alone, "what about- you know." He tried to convey his meaning but when Snape didn't seem to understand Harry said, "What about people who might not want them around the castle?"

"He will be staying in his quarters until everything is settled."

"Good," Harry sighed in relief.

When they were back in Snape's quarters he stopped Harry from heading to his room. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder to hold him at arm's length so he could look at him. "You are certain you are all right? Do you want hot chocolate?"

"Now that the adrenaline's all out of my system I'm exhausted, but I'm ok."

"They did not attack you? Is that why you were the only one of us able to cast?"

"They did attack me," Harry said. "I started to see the vision of my uncle, but it was hazy. On top of that I was seeing Christmas with you and, erm, grandpa." He fidgeted. "It was like I told that seventh year. I believed I would be ok, so my Patronus came out. I didn't tell it to help you, but it knew that's what I wanted so it went after the ones attacking you first."

"And you wanted it to kill them."

"Only after I knew it could." Harry grinned. "I really hope it's still out there chasing them off. Do you think it could be?"

"Before tonight the strongest Patronus I had ever seen was Albus', and I had never seen it in action fighting Dementors. After tonight, I think you may have him beat. I would not doubt it is still out roaming the grounds and protecting students. So long as it stays within a mile of you, and as long as you have strength of mind and magic left to keep it corporeal, it should still be there."

Harry gave him a wild smile. "I need some coffee or something. I'm staying up all night. I don't want to fall asleep and have it disappear. If the Ministry won't take them away, my Patronus will chase them away."

Severus gave Harry a wary look, as though he had underestimated him before and was only now seeing him for the first time.

"I am going to bed, you should do the same." Harry closed the gap between them and hugged his father, who wrapped his arms tightly around Harry in return.

"Glad they didn't get you too bad," Harry said. "You have my books shrunk in your pocket you know. If you died it would be kind of awkward if the other teachers found me digging through your pockets for them."

"Brat," Severus said fondly, pulling out the bags of books and resizing them. He couldn't help himself from reaching out for Harry's hair and running his hand through it as Harry took his books to sit on the couch. He watched for a moment as Harry pulled them out of the bag and started reading. His son was full of surprises. With the strength he had shown today, both in magical prowess and strength of character as well as confidence in himself, he could do anything he set his mind to. Sometimes he only needed to get out of his own way first.

* * *

Snape had been right. It was six in the morning when Harry and Severus had been called up to the Headmaster's office. As they made it to the stone gargoyle, Professor Sprout came out with the first year Hufflepuff boy Harry and Hermione had comforted the night before.

"Severus, Harry," she greeted them with a smile.

"Pomona," Severus returned.

As they disappeared around a corner, Harry faced the stone gargoyle and said, "Queen of England."

"Queen of England?" Severus asked. "You can give it any password you like and you use Queen of England?"

"Sure," Harry said. "I give it a new one every time. I could say ‘Hagrid's underwear' and it would open so why not."

Severus shook his head as they stepped onto the moving staircase and rose to the Headmaster's office. The door was open when they made it to the top, and the office was fuller than was usual. There was Dumbledore, a man and woman in Auror robes, Hermione and the Minister of Magic.

"That will be all for now Miss Granger," Albus said as Harry and Severus stepped into the office. "Classes are cancelled for the day. You may return to your common room. Breakfast is being served in the common rooms this morning."

"Yes sir." She smiled at Harry on her way past and when she was gone Albus motioned for Harry and Severus to have a seat. The Aurors were giving Harry a strange look.

"Am I being detained again sir?" Harry asked Albus rather than the Aurors. "I haven't had a chance to brush my teeth yet this morning if they're up for inspection again."

"That will be enough Mr. Potter," the Minister said, sounding irritated, though Harry hadn't done anything wrong.

"Just thought you came to personally see me get slammed up against the wall again," Harry said to the Minister's back .

The Minister turned and gave Harry a wary look before he turned away from him again, hands gripped tightly behind his back as he stared out the window.

"Mr. Potter, we have some questions about the incident with the Dementors last night," one of the Aurors said. "We need to take an official statement of your account. This will go into the investigation files with the others."

"I'm under investigation again?" Harry asked, wary. He wasn't sure he was up for yet another issue between him and the Ministry. If he had a choice he would be completely off the Ministry's radar.

"No, it's an investigation into the conduct of the Dementors while they have been stationed on school grounds."

Harry nodded slowly.

"Please tell us your version of events last night."

Harry recounted coming back from the Quidditch match with Professor Snape and knowing something was odd the moment they apparated in since there were students and staff on the grounds on the path ahead of them. He described Snape getting lifted into the air by the Dementors and everything he had seen, and finally conjuring Prongs to chase them away.

"And you conjured him to kill the Dementors?" the other Auror asked, looking wary and still giving Harry an odd look, as if he had no idea who Harry was or what he was about.

"No," I just cast my Patronus to get the Dementors away.

"Yet he has killed seven of the 27," the female Auror said in a stern voice as though she didn't believe him. "That's not something a Patronus typically does on it's own."

"Well, it killed the first one on it's own," Harry said. "I didn't know that could happen. Once it happened I told him to get them all though," Harry admitted.

The male Auror flipped through a notebook he'd been taking statements down on searching for something and finally found what he'd been looking for. "Then Harry said, ‘Kill them all' and his Patronus took off after the lot of them." The auror looked up from the statement he'd been reading and stared at Harry. "Did you or did you not tell your Patronus to ‘kill them all?'"

"I said that."

"Why do you feel it necessary to destroy Ministry property?" the man asked hotly. Harry noted that the Minister of Magic was still standing with his hands clasped behind his back staring out the Headmaster's office window.

"I didn't know they were Ministry property," Harry said. "All I knew was that they've been trying to kill me and my friends all year and they were doing it again. They had Professor Sprout down, they were attacking my dad and not letting him cast a Patronus, four kids were passed out and the last three were being attacked."

"After your stag chased the Dementors away, you could have kept him with you to protect you. According to Professor Sprout, you refused to recall it."

"I didn't refuse," Harry said. "I didn't know how to call him back. She asked to have the Patronus with us to keep us safe. I said I'd conjure him again if the Dementors came back."

"Mr. Potter," the Minister said, back still to Harry, "please recall him now."

Harry looked to Dumbledore, sitting in his chair across the desk for help. "Verbally call him back to you with the intention that he should come back," Albus told him.

"Prongs, come back," Harry said. Nothing happened.

"Depending on how far away he is, it may take a while."

"But-" Harry said, "he can't be too far right? They have to stay within a mile?"

"We've been trying to recall the Dementors all night, but they keep scattering because your Patronus has been chasing them across the grounds and countryside all night killing them one by one. The Patronus was spotted chasing a group past Hogsmeade, which is more than a mile away."

Harry didn't grin though he wanted to. Instead he tried to keep his face impassive. "Are you sure it was mine?"

"People reported a glowing blue stag with Christmas lights tangled in its antlers."

Harry noted that all the adults in the room were staring at him now, including his father and grandfather.

"How'd you manage to cast a Patronus like that kid? They don't normally have human made items with them, and they definitely can't travel long distances like that or stay corporeal for that long."

Harry mumbled something and Albus asked if he could please speak up.

"I might have had a cup of coffee before bed. I read all night and haven't been to sleep yet."

Severus made a dissatisfied noise in the chair next to him but Harry didn't have a chance to look up at him, because in the next moment Prongs had come trotting through the wall of the Headmaster's office to stand before Harry, waiting for instructions. Just as the Aurors had said, he had a short string of white ethereal Christmas lights tangled across both sets of antlers. They weren't real, and glowed like Prongs did.

"Good boy," Harry said, reaching out to touch him. Prong's ghostly nose nudged Harry's hand, though Harry didn't feel it. The stag pawed at the floor with his hooves once, the lights swinging on his antlers, and then he disappeared, his soft glow going with him.

"Do you have anything to add to your statement?" the female Auror asked Harry.

"No. Are you taking the Dementors away from the school?"

"As soon as we can catch them they'll be removed," she said.

They asked Severus questions for several minutes as they took his statement, which matched Harry's and the other statements they'd taken that morning, and then the Minister asked the aurors for a few minutes alone with Harry, Dumbledore and Snape. After they packed up their notes and left, the Minister turned to face the window again.

"Despite what you may think of the Ministry Harry," he said quietly, sounding tired, "our goal was to protect you and the other students from Sirius Black."

"Maybe," Harry said. "Do you know how many times I almost died this year because of the Dementors though?" The Minister flinched. "Ten," Harry said.

"Twelve," Snape corrected. "And adding the other seventeen incidents involving other students and staff, that makes for 29 near-tragedies."

The Minister finally turned around to face them and said, "I understand you may want to take the story of what happened last night to the Prophet. Two staff and eight students nearly dying to a Dementor attack would be in the papers for weeks."

Harry took in the defeated posture of the Minister as he sat down in a chair at the end of Dumbledore's desk by the window, and Podmore's words floated through his mind from the previous summer. Podmore had told Harry that being the Boy-Who-Lived, he was going to be dragged into political matters, and that things involving him would always be politically charged. Harry had been encouraged to do things like invite the Minister to lunch during his trial to gain his support. Podmore had told Harry that doing things like this showed that he was mature enough to, "understand the game and enter it." Throughout the course of the summer Podmore had also instructed Harry numerous times to speak like an adult and had once told him, "I suggest you learn to control yourself and not have any outbursts in front of ministry officials, inside or outside of court." He'd taught Harry how to talk to the Minister and other officials in a way that always reminded Harry of the Malfoys. Harry hadn't been taking that advice when meeting with the Aurors. Now that the Minister was before him, it might be the right time to step back into that role Podmore and Silver had wanted him to play.

Sitting up straight in his chair Harry said calmly, "I have no interest in taking this to the papers right now."

The Minister looked up and met his eyes. "You take everything to the papers."

"I never needed to do that until I was attacked by the Ministry and fined when I hadn't done anything wrong."

"By the Office Of Business Affairs," the Minister said, "I had nothing to do with that. They're not under my control."

Harry doubted that very much, but didn't say so.

"You came out in the papers with some pretty harsh words about me," Harry said, trying to keep calm. "Even then I didn't retaliate. I would have gladly continued to keep to myself if MOBA hadn't started fining me. I respect you and I respect the Ministry. I know how important it is to our community and I don't want to have any part in fighting against you or the Ministry for any reason."

Snape and Dumbledore were staring at him, but Harry didn't look away from the Minister. He half expected his guardians to jump into the conversation and wasn't sure why they hadn't yet.

"You don't?" The Minister asked. His defeated posture had slowly begun to change, and now he was sitting upright and leaning slightly forward towards Harry. "Perhaps you would be open to making a deal then Mr. Potter?" He seemed far too eager, like he was waiting to jump on Harry for something and surprise him.

"What kind of deal?" Harry asked.

"Drop the suit against MOBA. MOBA will drop the fines against you in return."

Harry sat completely still. During a visit to Silver during the school year, he'd told Harry the Ministry might try to approach him with a deal like this. They wanted the trial to go away because Harry and the others who had joined in on the suit with him had a good chance of winning since by law the Ministry was in the wrong to issue fines for employing Fae or catering to them. Silver had also told him to take such a deal so long as the terms were right and to get it in writing.

"I'm not the only one bringing the lawsuit," Harry said. "And what about the fines I already paid? What about the fines everyone has been paying for months. If the lawsuit goes away you'll continue fining us."

"Not me Harry," the Minister assured him again, "MOBA. All fines paid already will be returned. All current fines will be dropped if you drop the suit."

"And you won't fine us again for these things," Harry added.

"MOBA won't fine you again for the current businesses that were involved in the suit for the current violations being discussed."

"And the same for the other businesses that have been fined for this stuff since the end of last summer."

"The same for them. We can get the others to drop the suit. If you drop it, they'll follow you."

Harry sat back in his chair and was quiet for long moments. This was too easy. It didn't feel right.

"I have the money to pay my fines and everyone else's," Harry said. "And I can win this lawsuit. Why should I drop it?"

"Aside from the fact that you would rather not be in conflict with the Ministry?" the Minister asked.

"Aside from that," Harry agreed.

The Minister leaned forward in his seat towards Harry again and had a steely look in his eye, like he had finally caught Harry in some wrong-doing. It was a look he'd seen Snape wear too many times before the man had adopted him.

"Drop the lawsuit, and I'll allow Remus Lupin to continue working at Hogwarts instead of having the Aurors take him with us when we leave."

Harry could feel the blood draining from his face because he felt lightheaded. "Professor Lupin?" Harry asked, trying to control his breathing. "I like him, but why would me dropping the lawsuit let him stay at the school?" Harry had to work diligently to keep his eyes on the Minister and not let them dart around frantically to the Headmaster and his father.

"I don't believe for a second you don't know he's a werewolf," the Minister said, sitting back and looking satisfied.

"So I drop the suit, MOBA drops the fines, and Professor Lupin stays? For how long?"

"Until there's an incident or the Headmaster decides it's time for him to go."

Harry looked down at the armrest of his chair, fingers rubbing against the worn wood, all of his confidence gone.

"I need it in writing," he said. "Then I'll drop the suit."

"And-" the Headmaster said, drawing Harry and Fudge's eyes to him, "it will be in writing that the fine Harry paid for not having a business license for the janitorial business still stands. That one will not be dropped."

"As it should be," Fudge said, standing up and rubbing his hands together. He suddenly looked excited like he had over the summer when going out to lunch with Harry, Dumbledore and Harry's barristers.

"Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I need to oversee the removal of the Dementors. Harry, I'll have those papers to you by this evening. Good day gentlemen." He left the office, almost gleeful.

"You just gave up your leverage to change things for the Fae community," Severus said. He didn't seem like he cared one way or the other, but still sounded displeased.

It took a few minutes for Harry to gather himself up again. The fact that the Minster had known about Remus being there and was using it against him had startled him. Despite what Podmore had tried to teach Harry, and what Silver had tried to re-inforce, Harry had never actually felt ready to enter the ‘game' as they'd called it. This underscored for him that he disliked politics and didn't want to be involved in them if he could avoid it at all.

"Silver said they would come to me with this deal, and to take it," Harry said.

"What reason could you possibly have for dropping the lawsuit when your goal has always been to allow Fae to find employment and have places to shop in our community?"

"Case law," Albus said, and though Snape looked up to hear what he had to say, Harry continued to stare at the worn arm of his chair, rubbing his finger over the wood. He wanted to be done with this business with the Minister... to go to sleep for the day and wake up and not think about it. To not feel that anxiety that hadn't left his chest yet since the Minister had shown his trump card.

"If a future case is ever brought against the MOBA office regarding fines for allowing Fae to be employed, purchasing items from Fae, or carrying goods that only Fae would want," Albus explained, "it can be argued that since the Ministry dropped all fines relating to those things against Harry and other business owners, and returned fines already paid to them, that it was an admission of wrongdoing and unlawful fines. They have now set a precedent that any future business owners can take advantage of. If Harry must bring another case against them, this will work to his advantage. That is, so long as they don't also drop the fine against Harry for not having a business license, as they could use that to say this was an agreement solely between they and Harry, or a favor to him, as that fine had nothing to do with Fae."

Severus sighed heavily and rubbed his temple. "I hate politics."

Harry agreed with him, but was clenching his eyes shut. He wanted to block everything out. He'd gone from a feeling of triumph with Prongs to having a confident conversation with the Minister to feeling like the floor had been ripped out from under him, leaving a gaping hole beneath his feet so quickly. It left a panicky feeling in his chest he couldn't shake.

"Harry?" Albus asked, but Harry didn't respond.

Severus reached a hand across and rested it on Harry's forearm, causing Harry to flinch violently. Harry missed the glance between the two men because his eyes were still closed. A moment later Severus said calmly, "You need to breathe. Take slow, deep breaths and listen to the calmness in my voice."

Harry was trying, but the panicky feeling was refusing to go away.

"Listen to my voice," his father said again in that calming tone, "listen to the rhythm and cadence, and focus on my words alone. Focus on the feeling of the air coming into your lungs, and let the air out slowly. Focus on the darkness behind your eyelids and the calmness coming over you."

Harry didn't know if he felt calm or not. He didn't feel as panicky as he had before though, and opened his eyes, feeling lightheaded. He'd never had a panic attack like that in front of his guardians before, and wished he hadn't now. He didn't want them to think he was so weak that he couldn't handle a little stress from something like the Minister toying with him. He wanted them to know he was just as strong as they were... as strong as Prongs had been chasing Dementors down all night and killing them.

"I think I'm just- really tired," Harry said. "I'm dizzy because I haven't had any sleep yet."

"Which is what happens when you ignore me and stay up all night to keep your Patronus corporeal," Severus said, his voice chastising.

"Take him to my quarters and let him sleep on the couch," Albus said. Harry didn't wait to be told to get up and stood on his own. He stood there for a moment, willing the dizziness to go away so he could walk, and then went into the man's living room in his upper quarters.

"I will make you something to eat before you go to sleep," Severus said, startling Harry as he sat down on the couch. Harry hadn't realized his father had followed him in.

Harry leaned back on the couch, still dizzy and tried not to think back on all that had just been said in the Headmaster's office. He didn't want all of that anxiety to come rushing back in on him again.

"Every moment your Patronus is corporeal," Severus said, setting a plate of toast with butter and jam in front of Harry a few minutes later, "it draws from your core of magic and your willpower to keep it going. By staying up all night you allowed it to continue on, but drained a significant amount of power from yourself. The fact that it was doing so miles away, while astounding, tells me that it was taking more power than it normally would."

"Is that why I'm so dizzy?" Harry asked, eating his toast with his eyes closed.

"You are dizzy because you didn't sleep. Finish your toast."

Harry finished the last few bites and then let himself fall over onto the Headmaster's couch. If he could just get a few hours of sleep he'd be fine to go about his day. Maybe he could make it back to the common room in time to play chess with Ron this afternoon.

"Prongs was pretty good though, right?" Harry asked his father, eyes closed. Snape laid a blanket over Harry a moment later.

"He rose to the occasion."

"Prongs showed up with bells on," Harry murmured, before tucking his face under the blanket and letting himself drift off. Remus had told him about his dad being a stag Animagus, and how they had called him Prongs. Harry's Patronus was more than just James protecting him however, it was Severus and Albus too. It was the memory of Christmas with them that had conjured Prongs with Christmas lights from the Headmaster's tree. Prongs With Bells On was the perfect name for his Patronus.