Harry could feel eyes on him in the darkness. It was like an itchy feeling on the back of his neck. He slowly turned to the side.

“Barty.” he hissed out under his breath.

“My lord,” came a voice from the shadows.

“Our plans remain on track?”

“Yes, my lord. I silenced the fools myself,” he said, placing his iron hand against his chest with reverence.

“Excellent.” Harry breathed. “We cannot allow anything to jeopardize our plans no matter the cost,” Harry turned to the right and sneered. “ Right, Flint? ” he growled. The man was bloody and bruised, and covered in weeping wounds.

“M-y ‘ord” the man slurred, with blood dribbling from his mouth “please…” Harry drew his wand, long and white as bone.

“Let this be a testament to my mercy.” he purred, trailing the wand through the air like a child might twirl an ordinary stick. Then suddenly the muscles of his arm grew taught. “Avada kedavra!”

“HARRY!”

The teen sat bolt upright, shaking like a leaf. His skin was clammy and cold. He gasped and went to wipe the tear from his face. But when he pulled his hand away he flinched and gasped in horror. His hand was covered in blood!

“Shh shhh shhh!” Emmeline cried, worry etched all over her face. “You’re okay. You’re safe… you’re home,” she said as she wiped his face with one hand and rubbed his back with the other. It helped calm his panic a bit, but he was still shaking when his father returned with a calming draft. He hadn’t even known the man was standing there.

“Flint’s dad…” he suddenly choked out. Severus blinked. “Voldemort killed him.” his parents exchanged an incredulous look.

“how do you know?” Emmeline demanded.

“I saw it,” Harry whispered with a swallow. “I watched it happen.”

“Saw it?” Albus demanded again, looking very grave.

“Yes,” Severus said firmly. “From the dark lord’s perspective.” Albus looked up at him.

“His perspective…” he whispered. Severus’s eyes narrowed.

“There is something you’re not telling me.” the potions master snarled coldly.

“Severus-” Albus began slowly.

“If you think ,” Severus began dangerously, “for one second that I will accept another one of your pathetic excuses , you really are a mad fool,” Severus said, making reference to that morning’s Prophet article. Albus looked up at him in silence. That silence stretched on in a cosmic battle of wills until finally, Albus dropped his gaze. Severus wanted to smirk in satisfaction but the elderly headmaster simply shook his head.

“Severus… I cannot tell you. It is too dangerous. Not yet at least…”

“Not even part of it?” the man demanded. The elderly headmaster let out a monumentally exhausted sigh and rubbed his face with his hands before looking up at the man, seemingly trying to formulate a worthy response. “Albus, whatever is happening, it is killing him !” Severus choked out. The headmaster's expression crumpled before he took a deep breath.

“Sit down,” Albus insisted. “I will… attempt, to tell you what I can… and then… we can see about a possible solution.” Severus huffed at the half-truths he was inevitably going to hear. But he needed something. So he settled in and leaned back as Albus took a deep breath and began his tale.

“Thanks for taking me out for lunch Miss Emmeline,” Lucy said as he walked in between her and Harry.

“Oh, it was my pleasure dear. The white horse is our favourite spot in Dover.” Emmeline said before her eyes got wistful. “It's where Severus proposed too.”

“With the chocolate cake.”

“It was mousse actually.” Emmeline corrected. Then she blinked. “Hang on? You knew?!”

“Course!” Harry cried with a tired smile. “Who do you think helped him plan it?”

“You were thirteen!” Emmeline cried flabbergasted. Harry snickered.

“Well, I had help. Uncle Remus suggested the mood music. I was the one who told Dad to just tell you how he felt.” 

“Well,” Emmeline cried with a laugh. “Good job!”

“Thanks,” Harry said. Then suddenly he swayed on his feet. Emmeline gasped and put a hand on his back to stabilize him.

“Alright darling?” she whispered. Harry smiled weakly at her.

“‘M fine,” he assured her. Lucy bit her lip with worry before she grabbed Harry's hand. 

“Let's get you home so Miss Emmeline can make you some hot cocoa.” Lucy declared.

“And another strengthening solution,” Emmeline muttered worriedly.

“I’m fine.” Harry insisted, strong now. “I don't need more potions.”

“Not even cocoa?” Lucy demanded. She’d gotten the ‘only potion with sugar’ speech from Severus a few days ago. 

“Well, I'll never say no to cocoa,” Harry admitted with a grin. Emmeline's smile relaxed before she let the children in. Then she froze in the doorway. 

“ Mother? ” she demanded, flabbergasted. Harry blinked and oggled the woman in shock. She had a rounder face than Emmeline, more similar to Arnold Cleansweep, but the same expressive open eyes. She was also tall and thin like Emmeline with the same dark brown hair. Her air was sharper though; more austere. She held herself with a grace that marked her out as coming from money. Lots and lots of money. “What are you doing here?! Is father with you?”

“Oh no! You know he's much too busy!” Mrs. Vance cried with a bat of her hand. “I simply came to see how the wedding preparations have been going! You’ve already been engaged for a year you know! People will start to talk!” she looked away from Emmeline to Harry and grinned. “And there he is! My grandson!”

“Hi,” Harry responded with a small smile. Well, that was surprising. For all of Mrs. Vance's air of superiority, she certainly talked like a normal, down-to-earth person. She reminded him a bit of Molly Weasley. “It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Vance.”

“Oh none of that nonsense!” the woman cried. “Call me Nana! Or you can call me Mary if you’d prefer” Then her expression grew worried. “Are you alright dear? You look a bit peaky…”

“Just a bit under the weather is all…” Harry murmured reassuringly. Mary hummed worriedly before her eyes trailed down and she blinked.

“Oh! Oh my word I didn’t realize. Well hello my dear!” Lucy smiled at her slowly.

“Hullo,” she murmured.

“Emmeline… you didn’t tell me that Severus had a daughter as well,'' Mary muttered matter of factly. 

“Oh, Lucy isn’t Severus' daughter!” Emmeline explained quickly. “She's a family friend. A new witch in fact! We’ve been helping her adjust to the magical world.” 

“Ah!” Mary cried. “Well, that's alright!” The woman gave Lucy a gentle smile. “You can call me Nana too if you like.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” at the woman's sharp look and raised eyebrow she blushed. “Er… Nana.”

“So!” Mary Vance cried with a smile. “Wedding planning?” Emmeline tried to smile. To keep a cheerful face but she couldn’t hold it for long before she finally broke.

“Oh Mother, it's been a disaster,” Emmeline admitted finally in a rush. “Severus and I have been trying to get everything together, but it's much too much with our work with the school and all that's been happening,” she put a hand over her brow and sighed heavily. “It's been incredibly stressful.”

“That's why I’m here dear!” Mary cried before she pulled out a scroll and a never-ink quill. “Let's see if we can't organize some of it right now. I’ve got a kettle on. As we always say:” she began cheerfully.

“Cocoa always fixes everything,” Emmeline said in unison with her mother. Harry threw his head back and laughed. But the laughing soon turned to a violent coughing fit. Emmeline was at his side, tutting in worry. As the coughing died down Harry straightened again to give his mum a reassuring smile.

“Sweet Merlin!” Mary cried in horror. Harry blinked before he touched his lips and recoiled a bit.

“I’m okay!” he insisted, even as he held a hand over his mouth to shield their eyes from the blood he’d evidently coughed up. He immediately rushed for the kitchen and rinsed his mouth out, gargling a bit when the copper taste lingered. He was sure to be back quickly, but he could tell the incident had caused a stir.

"-know the sign dearest! You really should take him to a doctor!" Mary hissed at Emmeline worriedly. Emmeline looked exasperated.

"Mother, there hasn't been a case of the Spanish flu in 90 years." She said,

"Well still!" Mary insisted before she noticed Harry and her worry turned to him fully. "Oh darling are you alright?!"

"I'm fine," Harry repeated. He'd been saying that a lot lately. "Just been a bit ill. Coughing fits. We'll go see a healer if it gets worse."

"Healers aren't always that grand." Mary insisted with a sniff. "I much prefer doctors."

"My grandmother was a field nurse." Emmeline explained with a chuckle "So mum was raised with doctors, rather than healers. She's always been a bit skeptical."

"But it takes way longer to heal from things like broken bones."

"Oh with broken appendages, cuts and scrapes, I am more than willing to trust healers and their 'modus operandi'." Mary assured him with a bat of her hand. "But they become blithering idiots when there's something wrong with you they can't see. Take my Gallbladder for instance! Took healers a year to diagnose me with the wrong thing! Took an NHS hospital two months and a three-hour surgery to actually fix the issue! I was glad to rely on wizards for recovery. But that experience taught me that you cannot rely on magic for everything. Especially not your health."

"Well, in this case, I think I'll be fine," Harry assured her with a smile. "It's just a bad cough."

"But to cough so hard you cough up blood-" Mary began

"It's because I've been coughing so much ." Harry lied smoothly. He really hadn't been coughing all that much, but he didn't want his nana to worry. The woman still didn't look pleased.

"Severus and I have been handling it," Emmeline assured her when the woman opened her mouth. "There's no need to fret."

"Hmph." Mary began. "Well if you're sure. But if it doesn't clear up soon I really think you should go to a hospital. a muggle one!"

"Yes, mother." Emmeline agreed with a roll of her eyes.

"Anyway!" The woman said before she flicked her wand and summoned their cocoa from the kitchen. "Wedding planning! Let's start with colours!"

Lucy took one look at the latest bouquet and shook her head.

"No way! All that black and white makes it look like a funeral wreath!"

"She's right," Emmeline agreed grimly, eyeing the black roses with a grimace of disdain.

"How about purple then!" Mary offered as the roses turned a flashing purple. It was Harry's turn to pull a face. 

"Those are an eyesore." He complained.

"I really think we should stick with red, burgundy or pink." Emmeline insisted.

"But you said you wanted blue or green robes!" Mary complained. "You can't have green robes and red roses! The clash!" 

"Not even a muted green?" Emmeline insisted. Mary conjured a swatch of mint green fabric and draped it around the bouquets. 

"See! It clashes! You'll look like a garden salad!"

"Glad I can always count on you for a compliment Mother," Emmeline muttered.

"I'm trying to make sure you don't look like a garden salad!" Mary reminded her with a roll of her eyes. 

"What about blue?" Harry asked casually. Mary blinked and changed the roses again before making a small hum.

"It could work." She conceded

"Ooo add tiny pink flowers too!" Lucy said excitedly. "And those long pointy leaves." Mary complied, a wide grin spreading.

"Oh hey, what about some English ivy!" Harry piped up again.

"Yes! And forget-me-nots!" Mary agreed.

"Yeah! Put them around with the pink flowers." Lucy added excitedly. At this point they had all stood up and circled the floating cluster of flowers, blocking it from view.

"Am I ever going to see it?" Emmeline demanded with a sigh. Then they all stepped away and her breath caught.

It was effortlessly beautiful in its relative simplicity. A cascade of flowers that made Emmeline want to tear up.

"Add a bit of lavender for nerves," Mary muttered, adding the fronds in a few strategic places around the top of the bouquet before she hummed. "Darling…"

"Yes?" Emmeline asked with a slight hitch. Mary looked over in shock before she smiled.

"This is your bouquet." She insisted. "Which means you can't shoot down my next recommendation."

"What?" Emmeline asked worriedly.

"Lilac blue robes." Mary declared, changing Emmeline's shawl to a soft purplish blue and handing her the flowers. Emmeline blinked and looked down at herself then the flowers before she really did tear up and leapt to give her mother a big hug.

"Oh thank you, mother! With your help, it's going to be perfect!"

"Always happy to help darling." Mary insisted with a kiss on her temple. Then she drew back, eyeing her with her same water smile. She took a deep breath and shook the most from her eyes. "Now, when were you hoping to be married?" Emmeline winced.

"That's a whole other bucket of flobberworms." Emmeline responded with a sigh. "Severus and-" As if on cue the fire leapt up to green flames and Severus stepped out. "Oh darling I-" Emmeline before her face fell. The man looked pale and shaky and not at all like he'd found a solution for Harry's ailment like he said he was going to. 

"Well hello there!" Mary cried, turning around with a smile. "Nice to finally meet…" she trailed off slightly as she recognized his grave expression. Severus very quickly switched to confused and somewhat weary.

"Hello," he said cautiously "who are you exactly?"

"Mary Vance," she replied with a raised eyebrow. Instantly he was blinking and stumbling over himself.

"Oh! Oh, my apologies! It's a pleasure to meet you, madam." He said quickly, before lifting her hand to give it a kiss. Mary smiled.

"Why Emmeline! You never told me he was such a gentleman!" She said cheerfully.

"Sometimes," Emmeline muttered, eyeing Severus with worry. They seemed to share a moment of silent communication before Emmeline cleared her throat.

"We should probably start dinner." She declared before turning for the kitchen. Severus was fast behind her. 

"I can help!" Harry offered.

"No!" Severus cried with a sternness that made Harry jump back slightly. The man's face crumpled and he took a fortifying breath. "It's alright Harry, we can manage. Stay here with madam Vance and Lucy… bring down snappy or… something." Severus finished rather lamely before he rushed to the kitchen. Harry frowned worriedly. Mary hummed thoughtfully before she cleared her throat and smiled at him.

"So who's snappy darling?"

"Harry's pet book," Lucy said with a cautious smile.

"Pet… book?" Mary asked with a blink. 

"I'll bring him down," Harry said robotically, still staring after his parents. After a few moments, he suddenly whirled and marched off. The act instantly made Mary smile.

"He and his father are terribly alike are they not?" She whispered to Lucy. The girl sighed.

"In more ways than one, unfortunately." She responded.

"Unfortunately?" Mary demanded.

"Severus is really bad at admitting when things are bothering him too," Lucy complained.  Mary's eyes lit up as she smiled at the darling child beside her. Harry came thumping down the stairs with the furry book in his arms and Lucy instantly focused on the magical textbook, cooing in delight as he purred to her.

"I will never not be amazed by how much magic can do." Mary declared with a smile after petting the book for a few moments. Harry smiled.

This was so casually domestic.

It filled him with a strange sense of nostalgia. Back in the days when he was begging and wishing for a family. Lucy and Nana seemed to fit in so perfectly. Like they'd always been there. 

"Say," Severus suddenly declared, coming from the kitchen with a conspicuously unworried face for how grave he had seemed early. "Would you all like to help with dinner after all? Emmeline wants to make something big as thanks for your help with our wedding."

"Well," Mary said eyeing him with a look she hoped conveyed just how much she knew he was hiding something "I don't see why not." Severus' eye bore into her eyes with a silent plea she recognized well from her own husband. 

Don't. Ask.

She'd seen it most during the last war when he'd been forced to agree to the ministry censorship. He'd often been complicit in under-reporting a number of heinous actions for the sake of ministry security and public image. It had been a terrible time. So that look made her soften. 

"What are we making?" Harry asked as he readily rolled up his sleeves.

"Butternut Ravioli, buttered roasted broccoli, an autumn salad and fresh bread." Emmeline declared, walking out with an apron smeared in flour.

"Well!" Mary cried before she flicked her wrist, wrapping herself, Harry and Lucy in matching blue aprons covered in little white chickens. "Let's get started!"

"That was absolutely delicious Miss Emmeline!" Lucy declared with a wide smile.

"Thank you, darling!" Emmeline said, reaching to give her hand a gentle pat. Severus laced his fingers before he cleared his throat.

"Mary," he began casually. "Might you do us a favour?"

"Certainly." The woman agreed readily. Severus' posture screamed of a tension that was threatening to overwhelm him, so anything she could do to release it was preferred. 

"Could you walk Lucy home?" He nearly begged. Mary blinked before she smiled and turned to the girl.

"Certainly? Where do you live dear?"

"12 church street," Lucy replied, "in the rectory."

"Oh?" Mary questioned with a blink. "Did your family purchase it?"

"My father is the pastor of the local Anglican parish." Lucy declared with a subtle tone that set off alarm bells. Mary's face twitched before she schooled it into an innocent smile. 

"How lovely," Mary said. Then she stood. "Well I'm afraid I don't know this area terribly well, so I can't offer much more than companionship, but I would be more than willing to walk you home."

"Okay," Lucy said as she rose from the table. Then she turned and went around to give Harry a tight hug. "You better get well again. You promised we'd be going to Hogwarts together. Can't do that if you're sick!"

"I'll definitely be well by then," Harry promised her with a reassuring smile, despite the frailty that Lucy could feel in his posture. Her eyes felt drawn to Severus, full of worry and uncertainty. His expression in response was gentle and kind, full of understanding and assurance as he nodded to her in agreement. Her worry melted away as soon as he did this, instantly seeing the action as the silent promise that it surely was. Then she turned back to Mary with a now worry-free smile.

"Come on Nana." She declared easily. "I'll show you the way!"

"Of course!" Mary declared happily. She turned to Emmeline and Severus with a smile. "Once again, It was wonderful to finally meet you, Severus. My Emmeline has not always had the best of luck when it comes to romance,"

"Mother!" Emmeline squeaked indignantly. Mary smile.

"But you and your son are certainly the best thing that has ever happened to her." Mary finished happily before turning and following Lucy out the door. The silence that followed was a bit awkward.

"How much is she going to loathe me when she finds out that I was the one who walked out on you in 1979?" Severus finally muttered, sounding prematurely defeated.

"Not terribly much," Emmeline insisted. "She was much more upset about Charles treating me so poorly than you walking out. She thought you just had commitment issues, and that it was better than stringing me along."

"Oh joy." Severus drawled bitterly. "So our getting married is going to make her very irritated won't it." Emmeline didn't respond as she let her eyes drift closed. Then she turned to Severus with the same thoughtful expression she had hours ago. Severus's gravity returned with gusto as he turned to Harry, expression calculating.

"I'm going to start the washing up." Emmeline suddenly declared.

"I can help." Harry offered.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait," Severus insisted. "We need to have… a discussion." Harry blinked up at the man before nodding slowly. “Come along.” he led Harry down into the basement. The teen grew more nervous as his fathers continued to walk about his lab in silence. He seemed to be tidying, muttering under his breath a few complaints about his own sloppiness. Then he cursed and slammed his hands on the table, making Harry jump from the stool he'd sat on.

“My apologies,” Severus grunted. “I'm stalling.”

“Why?” Harry asked nervously. “Is it really that bad?” Severus sighed before he pulled up a stool and sat across from his teenage son.

“It is… deeply troubling,” he admitted quietly. Then he took a deep breath. “As you know, I left earlier this morning to speak with Albus about your condition and possible solutions.”

“I thought you said I shouldn't trust him anymore…” Harry muttered worriedly.

“And you shouldn't,” Severus confirmed candidly. “But he is also the most knowledgeable man I know in terms of magic and, regrettably, your person. If anyone would know what has been causing your issues it would be him.”

“And did he? Know what's causing it I mean.” Harry asked.

“He had a theory,” Severus muttered.

“What is it?”

“He believes that the night of your attack the dark lord unwittingly created a connection between you. Your scar was created by extremely powerful magic. Similar scars have been known to have parallel effects on victims in the past. I know of one case where a witch would have muscle spasms every time her past aggressor cast certain spells. Your case seems a touch more… extreme,” Severus admitted with a grunt. “But then, no one has ever survived the killing curse before, and we still don't know how it happened exactly. Any number of factors could contribute to this situation.”

“So… what you're saying is that Voldemort and I are… sharing a mind?” Harry demanded, feeling queasy at the thought.

“No,” Severus assured him quickly. Harry sagged in relief. “However,” the relief was instantly chased away by dread. “It appears that they may be linked, and you or he have been unwittingly slipping through the link while you sleep.”

“Bloody hell.” Harry cursed in horror. Then he frowned. “You said unwittingly. I know mine would definitely be unwittingly, but Voldemort?”

“It seemed very likely to Albus that the dark lord is not yet aware of the connection you share. Otherwise… well you likely would already be dead.” Severus admitted candidly. Harry blaunched. “In the past, the dark lord loved to use his ability to enter others' minds to torment them, as well as gain valuable information. It would sometimes last for hours and be excruciating. The victims would often beg for death by the end.” Severus recounted all of this in a monotonous tone and hollow eyes. Afterwards, he seemed to realize what he said, eyes flicking to Harry's face with worry. While it was important for the teen to know the facts he didn't want to overly frighten the boy. But Harry didn't look afraid, he looked worried, eyeing his father with deep concern. Severus took a deep breath and rubbed his face to help recenter himself. “There is a magic that can be used to protect yourself. It's typically only used to circumvent in-person outside attacks, but Albus believes there is a possibility it could be used to defend your mind against the link you share with the dark lord.”

“What's it called?” Harry asked

“Occlumency. It allows a witch or wizard, through discipline and practice, to shield their minds from all manner of outside influence. Most members of the order are able to practice it. There are those who possess a natural affinity for it, including myself.” Severus explained. Harry nodded slowly before adjusting, sitting a bit straighter and flexing his fingers as he did before his brewing or flying session, an indication that he was ready to jump right in, which Severus was more than happy to take advantage of.

“How do you do it?”

“Take a deep breath,” Severus began standing straighter. “Now push aside all of your thoughts, feelings, emotions, distractions. Clear your mind. In doing so, you will create a shield through which an outside attacker, in this case myself, will be unable to penetrate.”

“Hang on,” Harry said, growing nervous. “You're going to attack me?!”

“I'm afraid it is really the only way to teach you,” Severus said, though he also found the prospect less than appealing. “It is the only way for me to test whether you are understanding the process.”

“Okay,” Harry said. But his tone was weary. But he did as instructed. Or at least he tried to. It was hard to try and clear one's mind or push away emotions like apprehension when you know you're going to be attacked at any moment. But he did his best. He was pretty sure it was fairly good too.

“Ready?” Severus asked after a few minutes. Harry took another deep breath and nodded. “Legilimens!”

The cupboard door slammed shut. Then the shutter. Utter darkness

The basilisk lunged for him. Sharp teeth, bloody eyes, hot breath

Death eaters and chaos. Screaming crowds, running feet.

Sirius Black stared down at him with a sneer. Cold eyes.

Then suddenly he was back in his father's lab, choking on air, feeling like he’d just been hit in the head with a sledgehammer. He swallowed a mouthful of bile and shuddered.

“You need to block out your emotions,” Severus repeated worriedly. “You cannot allow fear and apprehension to take control.”

“I was trying!” Harry complained. “I thought I had…” he rubbed his face with a shaky hand. “It's harder than I thought.”

“It is, but it will become much easier with practice. However, It's important you master this skill as quickly as possible. You will need to use it while you sleep as well as when you are awake.”

“How am I supposed to do that?!” Harry demanded in horror. 

“Occluding before you fall asleep will be the first step. Eventually, your magic will begin to do it on its own. Magic is a lot like a muscle. If you train it to do something enough times, it will begin to do that thing naturally.” Severus explained.

“So you're just… always occluding?” Harry demanded slightly horrified. Surely that couldn't be the case.

“It is what allows me to compartmentalize so well.” was Severus response. “There are degrees. My magic naturally puts up my strongest occlumency shields when I sleep, so it is not possible for me to be caught off guard.”

“Can you still dream?” Harry asked weakly. At this, his father's expression turned a bit weary.

“Yes. Although I'm afraid I have not had peaceful dreams in,” the man paused, face becoming very sallow. “a very long time.” Harry believed it. With all of the horrors he'd been forced to witness, maybe even participate in, against his will for the sake of the order. It couldn't have been easy. Severus let out a deep sigh. “It would be foolish to continue anymore tonight. But remember everything I've said and keep practicing. We'll continue once we’re back at Hogwarts.” Harry nodded and stumbled up to his bed, before collapsing onto it without even undressing. If he had any dreams or visions from Voldemort that night, his mind was too exhausted to remember them.