“Harry?”

Harry looked up from where he was pulling weeds from around the white nettle at his father’s call. He pushed his slightly sweaty hair out of his eyes, looking to his right at the cottage’s back door as it opened and Severus stepped outside. He watched as Severus left the patio and approached where he was knelt on the ground in front of the garden.

“What are you doing out here?” Severus asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow in a way so reminiscent of his adoptive father, cocking his head to the side. “Uh, chores?”

“Did you forget we are going to Diagon Alley today?” Severus asked.

“That’s today?” Harry said, surprised, yanking on a stubborn weed that finally released from the ground.

Severus arched his own eyebrow in amusement, smirking. “Given letters arrived earlier this week, and we arranged it with Molly and Lucius, yes, that is today.”

Harry huffed, dropped the weed in his basket, and pushed himself to his feet. “You know, the condescension isn’t necessary.” He pushed back his hair again and swiped at the bit of sweat he could feel just under his eye.

Severus chuckled and Harry scowled. He looked at his father curiously when the man’s hand came up to him, thumb swiping across his cheek.

“You seem to have forgotten you just had your hands in the dirt,” Severus said, clearly heavily amused.

Harry rolled his eyes. “I was doing my chores without being told. Surely I get some points for that.”

“For doing the chores you have had for the past four years?” Severus said, clasping Harry’s shoulder once Harry had picked up his basket of tools and weeds. “Five points to Gryffindor.”

“Dad,” Harry said, unimpressed, only to smile as Severus laughed and pulled him close with a hand wrapped around his head, lips brushing his messy hair.

“Get cleaned up,” Severus said, guiding them back inside. “We leave in thirty minutes.”

Harry handed the basket to his father, kicked off his shoes onto the mat just inside the door, and walked through the sitting room to the staircase that sat just before the front foyer. He dashed up and around the U-shaped, dark cherry wood staircase, and into the bathroom that sat just across from the top of the stairs. He showered quickly, excited for their excursion to Diagon Alley to see his friends. He hadn’t seen any of them since the end of the school year, Severus and all the other adults being far more worried about the dangers upon the return of Voldemort in June. He hadn’t even been allowed to go to Grimmauld Place to visit Sirius and Remus despite it being the well-protected headquarters for the Order or have anyone over for his birthday. He’d had to make do with letters, owled presents, and a quiet day with his father. Harry was glad for at least this single day to be out of the house and see his friends.

Finished showering, he headed left down the hall and into the first bedroom on the left, just diagonally from the stairs. He got ready, pulling on jeans and a red raglan shirt with a V embroidered at the neckline. He looped his black dragon leather belt and wand holster from Kingsley into his jeans, knowing the hell he would get from his unofficial godfather—and official godfather and father—if he were to go anywhere without it, slipping his wand into place. He cast a quick look into the mirror on the wall at his hair, running his fingers through it uselessly, before leaving his room and heading back downstairs. He found Severus sitting at the island in the kitchen, finishing off a cup of coffee as he perused the Daily Prophet. He came up behind his father, looking over his shoulder at the paper.

“Anything interesting?” Harry asked.

“Still reporting on June and last week’s attack in Manchester,” Severus said. “More disappearances as well. Amelia Bones hasn’t been seen for over a week.”

Harry couldn’t help but frown at the reminder, a pain in his heart at what had happened during the horrible third task. Cedric flashed before his eyes briefly, chased away when a hand landed gently on the back of his neck. He looked at his father.

“How are you today?” Severus asked softly. “How was your night?”

Harry shrugged. “Alright. I don’t remember any nightmares, so I think it was okay.”

“No Silencing Charms?” Severus asked and Harry gave him a withering stare.

“I haven’t used one in over three years,” Harry said defensively.

“I was not accusing you,” Severus said placatingly. “I am simply concerned.”

Harry sighed. “I know. No, I didn’t use one and I honestly didn’t have any nightmares. I’m okay.”

Severus nodded, brushing his hand through Harry’s messy hair. “Ready to go?”

“Definitely,” Harry said, his melancholy erased.

With a smile, Severus guided him over to the fireplace in the sitting room corner. Harry hated the Floo, but it was currently preferable to a Portkey though remained tied with Apparation as his second most hated form of wizarding travel. Honestly, why couldn’t wizards have come up with better ways to travel? Even the Muggles had figured out better methods. He stepped through, holding his breath as he twirled through the ash and flames, stumbling, as usual, upon his arrival. He caught himself on a nearby table to avoid hitting the floor.

“Harry!”

He didn’t have much time to recover before he found arms wrapped around his neck and brown hair in his vision. He immediately hugged Hermione back, managing to get them out of the way of Severus’ arrival behind them.

“Surely we could be away from the fireplace for this,” Severus said, raising an eyebrow at them.

“Of course. Sorry, Professor,” Hermione said, releasing Harry.

“Finally! We were starting to wonder if you were still coming,” Ron said, stepping up to them with Draco and Mrs. Weasley who rushed over to pull Harry into another hug.

“How are you, Harry, dear?” she asked, cupping his face to gaze closely at him.

“I’m fine, Mrs. Weasley,” Harry said, smiling as she patted his cheek affectionately.

“Hello, Severus,” Mrs. Weasley said, turning to the man. “How has your summer been?”

“Molly,” Severus greeted. “Mostly uneventful. I do hope you have not suffered too much over the children being kept home this summer.”

“Hey!” Harry and Ron exclaimed together, gaining an eye roll from Mrs. Weasley and a smirk from Severus.

“Oh, I’ve kept Ron busy enough, I’m sure he’s hardly noticed,” Mrs. Weasley said.

“I’ve noticed not seeing one of my best friends for a month, Mum!” Ron argued.

“Yet you endure,” Severus said, still smirking.

“Dad!” Harry said indignantly, making his father chuckle.

“Draco, is your father joining us?” Mrs. Weasley asked and Draco shook his head.

“No, he’s at the Ministry today,” Draco said. “He told me to tell you, Severus, that you get a second son for the day.”

“Amazing,” Severus drawled with a false air of being unimpressed.

“Oi!” Draco said, affronted.

“No one else?” Harry asked.

“Seamus and Dean’s parents have chosen to just owl order this year,” Hermione said. “They’re nervous given everything happening.”

“Haven’t heard from Neville or Luna, but I think Neville had finally convinced his gran to let him get a new wand so they’re probably coming another time,” Ron said.

“I’m pretty sure Luna and her father were on a trip this summer,” Draco said.

“Very well,” Severus said. “Shall we get on with it?”

“You all have your letters?” Mrs. Weasley said and the four teens nodded, Harry grinning as Severus handed him his.

With the four teens talking to each other excitedly, catching up on the past several weeks, the group headed through the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley. It was quieter than it used to be, the return of Voldemort and mass Death Eater attacks making the world nervous to operate as it once did. A few shops were boarded up, shop owners not willing to risk being in such a target-rich environment. It was a shock to everyone that Death Eaters hadn’t attacked the Alley yet.

The partially abandoned Alley was a sad sight, a stark contrast to what it had been in past years, particularly that very first time Severus ever brought Harry there when he was just ten. He remembered the wonder that had filled him as Severus brought him through the little wizarding town, pointing out each shop and explaining every bit of wizarding life they encountered. Despite being brought to Diagon Alley several times before even beginning Hogwarts, each time was like the first, an amazing world for a young boy who’d thought he’d never see anything more than the inside of his cupboard. To see that light and wonder so dim caused a heavy heart.

“Hey, do we know who the new Defense professor is this year?” Ron asked, and they all looked back at Severus.

“Do we at least get a competent one this time?” Draco said.

“Despite the result and the slight psychosis, fake Moody wasn’t terrible,” Ron said, gaining stares from the others. “Or I’m wrong.”

“Sorry, but I can’t exactly get behind the whole Death Eater in disguise,” Harry said.

“Fair enough,” Ron said. “But, seriously, do we know anything?” he asked again, looking at Severus.

“I’ve only a name,” Severus said. “Ethan Grey.”

“Well, his book list seems normal,” Hermione said as they all walked into Flourish and Blotts.

“Sure, because he’s going to tell us to get The Darkest Magicks if he is a psychopath,” Draco said sarcastically, earning a scowl from her.

“Hey, the book list can tell us a lot,” Ron said. “Lockhart?”

They all shuddered at the memory of the man that was likely their worst Defense professor yet, at least in terms of competence.

“Go, get what you need, kids,” Mrs. Weasley said, and shooed them all into the shelves while she and Severus waited at the front, speaking quietly.

“So, what’s Lucius doing at the Ministry?” Harry asked Draco once they were submerged in the stacks, searching for their Charms text.

“He’s trying to get into the Department of Mysteries so he can get the prophecy before Voldemort tries to go after it,” Draco said quietly. “Not that I’m supposed to know that.”

“But you do?” Harry said, raising an eyebrow as he pulled The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 from the shelf, handing one to Draco.

“Of course,” Draco said haughtily, making Harry laugh lightly. “But, naturally, Fudge is a moron and so are a lot of the Unspeakables, so there’s really no telling how it’s going.”

“At least he’s trying,” Harry said and Draco hummed.

They continued down their lists, picking up Of Common Poisons and Antidotes for Potions, Runic Applications and Rune Systems of the Ancients for Ancient Runes, The Exotic Creature for Care of Magical Creatures, and both Defensive Magic in a Darkening World and Theory of the Dark Arts and Their Defense for Defense. Arms filled with books, they returned to Mrs. Weasley and Severus, individually setting their stacks on the counter to pay. Once done, they returned outside and gazed around while Severus and Mrs. Weasley examined the shopping lists.

“Look, there’s a new shop,” Draco said, pointing down the street at the building that had once been Sugarplum’s Sweets Shop. It had once been a bright pink with sweets of all kinds filling the front display. Now, however, it was a soft blue with what seemed to be craft supplies in the window.

“Looks like a hobby shop,” Ron said.

“Can we go check it out?” Harry asked, turning to his father who looked up from the shopping list.

“Are you asking me if you can go look at art supplies while I complete the shopping of your school supplies?” Severus said, arching a brow.

“You know me so well,” Harry said with a grin as his father rolled his eyes.

“Molly?” Severus said, turning to the woman.

She gave an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose we can manage, if you promise to stick together and meet us back at the Leaky Cauldron in one hour.”

“You are to go nowhere else, understand?” Severus said, holding out his hand for Draco’s list.

“Promise,” Harry said as the others nodded.

“Draco, is there anything you need that is not on your list?” Severus asked.

“Just some ink and a new quill knife,” Draco said.

“Very well, go on,” Severus said.

“Thanks, Dad!” Harry said and the four teens ran down the street towards the new shop, finding it named ‘The Crafty One’.

Upon entering, Harry immediately knew it would become one of his favourite shops. Entire areas of the wide-open shop were dedicated to specific crafts or hobbies. He could see there was a mixture of magical and Muggle items, an uncommon sight in Diagon Alley.

“Hello, hello,” a young woman with long black hair in a thick braid said, a welcoming smile on her face as she approached them. “Welcome to my shop.”

“It’s wonderful,” Hermione said.

“What made you open such a place now of all times?” Ron asked, looking at a magical model train set.

“Ah, well, I figured, we could all use an escape in such times,” she said with a shrug.

“Can’t argue with that,” Draco said.

“If you need anything, just ask,” the woman said and walked back to the counter she’d originally been sitting behind.

Harry was instantly drawn to the area with the fine arts supplies, complete with everything from pastels to paints to coloured pencils to charcoals. He examined each item reverently, finding his thoughts drifting to the source of his love of art.

After Severus had started to come to Privet Drive in that year leading up to his first year at Hogwarts, the man had tried everything to help him acknowledge and deal with what the Dursleys had done to him. He wasn’t much for talking, especially back then before he really knew Severus, but then Severus had brought a sketchpad and coloured pencils, and it was like a whole other world had opened. It turned out drawing was so relaxing and comforting for Harry that he was willing to speak while doing so. As such, Severus had consistently brought him any art supplies he could think of, encouraging the activity as much as possible, and Harry slowly opened up. Art had remained a favourite pastime of his, an easy comfort and method of relaxation.

He smiled at the memories, love for his father for helping him find a passionate interest bubbling inside.

He grabbed a set of Muggle shading pencils and a never-ending sketchpad—as though he didn’t already have three others, but he liked keeping them themed—and finally left the area to find his friends. Hermione was looking at journals, Draco at wood carving, and Ron was still at the model train sets. They each ended up picking out their respective hobby and paid for their new items.

Talking happily about their purchases, the four stepped back out into the quiet street. Harry looked around, spotting just a few people walking along before ducking into their chosen stores. The town had dimmed, both through the lack of activity but also from the dark clouds moving in overhead. He frowned up at them.

“Was it supposed to rain today?” he asked, his friends looking up at the sky as well.

“I don’t believe so,” Hermione said with her own frown.

When a shiver ran through Harry’s body and their breaths became visible, Harry looked at his friends in alarm, receiving wide and confused eyes from them. He spun to look at the window of the shop, finding frost quickly covering the glass. They all had just enough time to pull their wands before a cold, black figure swooped over them, leaving behind frostbitten skin anywhere its tattered clock touched. Hermione screamed as she was knocked down and Harry grunted as he was too, hitting the cobblestone.

“Look out!” Harry shouted as he saw another three Dementors come flying towards Draco who had run over to help Hermione.

“Run!” Draco yelled, helping Hermione up and they both took off running down the street, followed closely by the three Dementors.

Harry clapped his hands over his ears as he heard Voldemort scream ‘Avada Kedavra’ as well as his own screams from that last day when his uncle nearly beat him to death before Severus came to save him. The flash of green light appeared in his head and his scar seared with pain. He could feel his head growing light, and his chest constricted with the cold and draining happiness.

“Harry!” Ron appeared beside him. “We have to go!”

Ron started to help him to his feet only for three Dementors to fly up to them and begin to suck at their joy. Harry groaned, getting lost in the despair as he was forced to remember the graveyard and Cedric in June. His world was starting to grow dark when the feelings stopped abruptly and he drew in a deep breath. Back to awareness, Harry scrambled backwards to escape the Dementors, watching the silvery-blue hawk that was chasing away the Dementors that had been on him and Ron. Seeing Draco’s Patronus was like a reminder and Harry immediately thought of the day Severus had officially adopted him. Letting the love and happiness fill him, he pointed his wand at the Dementors trying to make their way back to him and Ron.

“Expecto Patronum!” he yelled and watched his lion rush forward just as an additional four Dementors appeared from nowhere, holding them back.

Ron’s terrier went running to his right, stopping another two Dementors. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Hermione’s otter repelling the three Dementors that had chased her and Draco. Despite the fact that Harry had held back nearly forty Dementors on his own back in his third year protecting himself and Sirius, he became filled with worry as another five Dementors appeared, fighting to break through the four Patronuses keeping them at bay. They were now surrounded by nearly twenty Dementors and Harry could see the slight flickering in his friends’ Patronuses as they fought to keep them strong in the escalating despair. He felt a sense of relief when the very familiar tiger Patronus joined his, helping to push the Dementors far away until they finally turned and took off away from the Alley.

Once the Dementors were gone, Harry dropped his wand in exhaustion, though his lion stayed around long enough to be nuzzled by Severus’ tiger. He watched them until they dissipated and he was spun around to meet his father’s terrified gaze.

“Are you alright?” Severus asked, a hand coming to rest on Harry’s forehead and then cheek.

Harry nodded wearily. “I’m okay. Chocolate sounds pretty good right about now though.”

Severus rolled his eyes and pulled Harry against him in a tight hug. “Draco?”

Harry moved his head away from Severus just enough to look at Draco who had come up beside them with Hermione and Mrs. Weasley who was mercilessly examining Ron and Hermione.

“I’m fine,” Draco said, accepting the one-armed hug he received from Severus.

“What the bloody hell were Dementors doing in Diagon Alley?” Ron said once he managed to stop his mother’s hovering hands.

Harry stepped out of his father’s embrace to look up at him, waiting for the answer.

“It would seem Voldemort has untethered them from Azkaban and they have joined him,” Severus said and all four teens’ eyes widened.

“They’re free to just roam around?” Hermione said.

Severus nodded. “It would seem so, though he will likely have a level of control over them.”

“How so?” Draco asked.

“They will be able to be sent where he wants and after specific targets,” Severus said and Harry felt a jolt of fear. Dementors had always been drawn to him in general, but now they could be sent to target him? He leaned against Severus again, comforted by the arm wound around his shoulders.

“I think it is time to head home,” Mrs. Weasley said.

“Agreed,” Severus said. “Draco, you will come with us and wait for your father. I will get a hold of him at the Ministry.”

Draco nodded and they all headed down the street to the Leaky Cauldron, far quieter than when they had arrived. Harry allowed himself to be held close to Severus’ side, exhausted and weakened by the Dementors’ attack. They bid goodbye to Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley as they disappeared into the pub’s fireplace before them, stepping in moments later themselves to arrive in their sitting room.

“Sit,” Severus said to Harry and Draco, gesturing to the sofa. “I will make some hot cocoa once I get a hold of Lucius.”

Harry and Draco nodded, shuffling over to the sofa and dropping heavily onto it next to each other. Harry watched as Severus used the special scrying mirror that sat on the mantle, trying to make contact with Lucius. All the adults in their circle had one, a gift from Dumbledore when it became apparent that the children of the various families were becoming friends so the parents always had a more efficient way of contacting each other in emergencies. Once Sirius and Remus had joined the fray, they got one for Grimmauld Place as well. Some, like Lucius, had been given multiples in different forms, one to have at Malfoy Manor and one that he wore at the base of his throat when out to the Ministry, a decorative piece to the public. Severus had a secondary one as well, his passing as a pocket watch that was constantly tucked into his waistcoat while teaching.

Harry sighed as he listened to the low voice of his father filling Lucius in on what had happened, sinking into the sofa and against Draco.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked quietly, finally beginning to realize the danger his friends had been in. He’d been scared for them all, but there was a special bond with Draco, the blonde having been his first ever friend.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Draco said just as quietly. “You? You didn’t pass out this time.”

“No, and it didn’t get to that point either,” Harry said. “Just heard the two days, like usual.”

“Here, drink,” Severus said and Harry blinked, realizing his father was standing in front of them with steaming mugs. He hadn’t even noticed his father had finished talking to Lucius or had gone to the kitchen. They both sat up and took the cocoa. Harry took a sip and sighed at the warmth that radiated through him. “Your father is on his way.”

“How badly is he freaking out?” Draco asked.

“A normal amount given what’s occurred,” Severus said.

“So, I don’t get to see the outside of my bedroom for the next month,” Draco said with a huff.

“Don’t worry, I probably won’t either,” Harry said, grinning around his mug at his father’s scowl.

The fireplace flared then and Lucius stepped out, his eyes immediately finding his son. Despite the grumbling he had just been engaged in, Draco stood upon seeing his father and allowed himself to be pulled in for a tight hug. It didn’t surprise Harry. The two Malfoys had had a rough year as Narcissa had gone missing the previous year, and had grown quite close in the wake of the tragedy. No one knew if she was dead or had simply run away or had found a way to rejoin her sister, Bellatrix, when the murderous woman had broken out of Azkaban.

“Is everyone alright?” Lucius asked, looking at Severus who had moved to take Draco’s spot next to Harry on the sofa, arm draped along the back behind Harry’s head.

“Yes, everyone is fine,” Severus said. “The children did well with their Patronuses, as expected.”

Harry tucked himself into his father’s side with a touch of embarrassment as Lucius looked at him and Draco with pride. He cupped his mug, absorbing the heat and relaxed into his father as Severus began to brush his fingers through Harry’s hair. He zoned out, feeling the rumble of Severus’ voice in the man’s chest as he and Lucius conversed for a little while longer. Harry could feel himself beginning to drift, just barely noticing when the mug was carefully removed from his grasp to avoid spillage.

“Wake up, child, Draco and Lucius are leaving.”

Harry blinked, chasing away his doze at his father’s comment and looked up at the Malfoys.

“Bye, Draco,” he said. “Bye, Lucius.”

“Goodbye, Harry, get some rest,” Lucius said. “We will see you on September first.”

“Told you,” Draco said, sounding petulant, but, given he was still tucked against Lucius, Harry knew better and he chuckled lightly. “See you. Thanks for bringing me along, Severus.”

There was no verbal response, but Harry assumed Severus had likely just nodded as he usually did. With a quiet goodbye between Severus and Lucius, the Malfoys took their leave, disappearing through the fireplace and leaving Harry and Severus in a silent, darkening sitting room.

“How are you feeling?” Severus asked quietly after a time, long fingers still carding through Harry’s hair.

“Okay. Tired,” Harry said, leaning into his father heavily. “It wasn’t like third year, though. Guess I’ve built a bit of a tolerance.”

Severus sighed and Harry felt the kiss pressed to the top of his head. “Head up to bed. Get some rest.”

Harry really didn’t want to move, but he did have to admit his bed sounded lovely. With a slight groan at having to move that made Severus chuckle, Harry pushed himself off the sofa.

“Do you need a Dreamless Sleep?” Severus asked as Harry was standing.

Harry shook his head. “I think I’ll be okay with just the music.”

Severus had been the one to introduce Harry to classical music only to discover that it greatly helped with Harry’s nightmares. It had only been discovered when Harry was incapable of falling asleep one night only a few months after Severus had started visiting Privet Drive and they had both been exhausted, desperate for sleep. In hopes of getting Harry to at least focus on something other than his terrifying dreams recreating his memories, Severus had conjured a record player and let Chopin play while rubbing Harry’s back as he remained curled into a tight ball in the bed. Shockingly, Harry’s trembling had stopped and, by the fourth track, he had drifted off to sleep, the first sleep he had that was not interrupted by any nightmares. Once they’d realized what had happened, the classical music had remained a staple in their home.

“Very well,” Severus said and waved his wand through the air. Harry knew there would be music playing lightly in his room now, waiting for him. “Go on. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

Harry nodded and shuffled up the stairs and into his room, collapsing heavily onto his bed as the Dementors’ effects continued to ravage his body. The screams—Voldemort’s and his own—had ceased, but the draining despair was still there, stealing his strength, despite the cocoa. He slipped off his wand holster with a bit of struggle as he did so while lying down and placed it on his bedside table before rubbing his eyes under his glasses. He settled in bed, doing his best to focus on the music and warmth of the cocoa rather than the insistent prickling in his scar that had not abated since the attack.

A month later and it was time to return to Hogwarts for Harry’s fifth year. The Dementor attack on Diagon Alley had appeared in the Prophet, but Lucius had managed to stop any record of their underage magic from being filed. One such benefit of being close to a powerful man that had the moronic Minister for Magic and Ministry of Magic as a whole in the palm of his hand. The rest of the summer break had been uneventful, though, he’d once again been unable to see his friends or godfathers in the second month. Due to the restriction, Harry had convinced his father to let him take the Hogwarts Express rather than Apparating with Severus to the castle. Severus was clearly not thrilled with the plan, worried about what could happen on the train, but Harry had been adamant. It was a tradition and he refused to be the only student at Hogwarts early just because he was the only one with a parent on staff.

A knock on his door pulled Harry from the doze he had started to fall into. A downside to the deal was that Severus was bringing them to the platform fairly early in order to make sure all of Harry’s friends were there as well as the Order members that would be riding the train for protection. He wanted to go over the plans with them.

“Yeah?” Harry mumbled just loud enough for Severus to hear.

“If I open this door and you’re not packed, you are not taking the train,” Severus threatened and Harry flew up in bed, eyes darting to his half-packed trunk, the rest of his belongings strewn around it on the floor. He jumped out of bed and started tossing everything haphazardly into his trunk, managing to slam it shut just as Severus opened his door. He spun around to look at his father with what he knew was the guiltiest expression if Severus’ raised eyebrow and partial smirk were any indication. “Did I not tell you to pack yesterday?”

“Yes,” Harry said, “and I did…mostly.”

Severus just rolled his eyes. “One of these days, child, honestly.”

Harry gave a lopsided grin and shrugged.

“Do you intend to go to school in your pajamas?” Severus said, looking Harry up and down.

“Uh, maybe?” Harry said, flushing at his father’s chuckle.

“You, my son, are a brat,” Severus said and Harry just shrugged again, used to such a comment by now. “Come down for breakfast. We leave in an hour.”

Harry nodded as Severus left his room and hurried to get dressed. He headed downstairs, hopping to skip the last couple of steps, and swinging around the corner to the left to enter the huge open-concept kitchen and sitting room. His father was on the other side of the island at the stove, frying up eggs while a pot boiled on another element. Harry circled the island as well, heading directly for the refrigerator. He opened it, took a quick inventory of available drinks, and grabbed the carton of mango-pineapple juice. He unscrewed the cap and took a large swig directly from the carton.

“Harry,” Severus said warningly and Harry turned to look at his father, finding an arched eyebrow and a disapproving stare.

Harry flushed and stopped drinking. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. 

As he poured the juice into the glass, Severus left the stove briefly and stood behind him to open the small spice cupboard just to Harry’s left beside the refrigerator. Severus reached in with one hand to grab a couple of spices while his other ran through Harry’s messy hair affectionately. With a smile at his father, Harry put the carton back in the refrigerator, took his glass, and moved to the island. He took a quick drink of his juice before putting the glass down and beginning to mess around with the other items on the island to make his father’s morning tea as he usually did. It had been Severus’ compromise when, once Harry came to live with him, Harry felt the need to help with meals as he’d had to do all the cooking for his relatives. Severus hadn’t wanted Harry being responsible for such a thing as a child and so had come up with a compromise they could both agree to. At breakfast, Harry prepared Severus’ tea, he made his own lunch as Severus was often in the middle of brewing or something else at the time, and, at dinner, Harry helped with the prep work. 

He returned briefly to the same cupboard and grabbed a teacup, turning back to the island where he grabbed one of the two kettles that perpetually sat there, always filled with hot coffee and hot water. He grabbed a teabag—English Breakfast, his father’s favourite—and poured the hot water over it into the teacup. As he let the teabag steep, he brought silverware over to the little table in the breakfast nook that sat between the kitchen and the back door, and before the large bay window that provided a view of the backyard.

Back at the island, he scooped the well-steeped bag from the cup, placing it on the little saucer that sat near the kettles. He proceeded to add a small amount of both milk and sugar, stirring with a small spoon and placing the teacup on a matching saucer. With the small spoon beside the cup on the saucer, Harry picked up the tea and his juice and brought both to the nook, setting each at his and his father’s places in the half-circle cushy booth seat. 

Just as he sat, Severus joined him, setting a bowl of hot apple cinnamon oatmeal and a plate with scrambled eggs and buttered toast in front of him. He gave his thanks with a smile, immediately moving to spread peanut butter on his toast as Severus settled across from him with his own breakfast of over-easy eggs, kippers on buttered toast, and fried tomatoes. As Severus summoned the Daily Prophet from where it would be sitting on the entrance table in the foyer and began reading while he calmly ate, Harry took the time to relish this final summer morning. He loved going back to Hogwarts each year, he really did, but he also couldn’t help but miss the calm, quiet morning routine he and his father had during the summer holidays. Spending a night in his father’s rooms and having dinner there once a week at Hogwarts just wasn’t the same.

“We could easily have an early dinner together if you would Apparate with me,” Severus said, obviously catching onto Harry’s sentimental musings.

“Dad, I’m taking the train,” Harry said, grinning at his father’s almost pained sigh and look as he put the paper down.

“Must you?” Severus said.

“It’s tradition,” Harry said. “I’ve taken the train every year, my friends are taking the train. It’ll be okay. We’ll all be together and the Order members will be there. Who will it be again?”

“Kingsley, Mad-Eye, and Tonks,” Severus said.

“See? Nothing to worry about with them there,” Harry said. “Especially Kingsley. He won’t let anything happen out of fear you’ll kill him.”

“Very funny,” Severus said deadpanned and Harry grinned cheekily again, particularly at the fact that Severus didn’t deny the sentiment about Harry’s unofficial godfather. “I am concerned. There is always a strong possibility that the train will be targeted. Remember, they attacked London Bridge simply for the sake of causing fear and damage. Attacking the train would be a direct attack on you.”

“I know,” Harry said with a sigh, “but you know we can all defend ourselves. We know how to fight.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

“But we do, Dad,” Harry said gently as he saw the pain in his father’s eyes. He knew how much it agonized Severus that he and his friends had been placed front and center in the war despite being children. “I refuse to hide because you made sure I can fight. I’m not going to stop living just because there are risks. I’d never be able to leave my room if I did.”

“Do not tempt me,” Severus said and Harry chuckled.

“I’ll be okay, Dad, even if something happens,” Harry said. “You know I’ll be okay.” He smiled at the look he received from Severus, resigned pride and love in the dark eyes.

“Very well,” Severus said. “I suppose I cannot keep you locked away forever.”

“Oh, I’m sure you could, but I appreciate that you won’t,” Harry said, laughing as he brought his cleared dishes to the sink.

“Doing so would invite far more trouble than you already bring,” Severus said, coming up behind Harry and putting his own dish in the sink, charmed to automatically wash dishes and return them to their proper cupboards.

“Hey!” Harry said, affronted. “Trouble finds me!”

“You do realize that argument never truly held up, correct?” Severus said, raising an eyebrow.

“Since when?” Harry said, nearly pouting despite his age of fifteen.

“Since you fought a troll in a lavatory when you were eleven,” Severus said pointedly and Harry grumbled, making his father laugh. Running his fingers through Harry’s hair and dropping a kiss on the top of his head, Severus added, “Get your things. It is time to go.”

Harry nodded and hurried upstairs, grabbing his trunk and swinging his bag onto his shoulder. Despite his resolve to take the train, he was glad Severus had already sent Hedwig ahead to Hogwarts so she didn’t have to be stuck in her cage on the train for hours. Giving his bedroom a final glance, always a little sad to be leaving it and their home for the school year, he headed back downstairs, turning right to join his father in the front foyer.

“You have everything?” Severus asked, pulling on his outer robe and handing Harry his jacket.

Harry nodded, shrugging on his jacket and crouching to tie his shoes.

“You are sure?”

“Dad, even if I forgot something, you can just come back and get it,” Harry said, straightening and pulling his bag back onto his shoulder.

“I am attempting to instill a sense of responsibility in you, brat,” Severus said and Harry snickered.

“We both know I’m hopeless there,” Harry said and Severus rolled his eyes. 

“Let’s go before I pull you from Hogwarts all together,” Severus said, lightly gripping the back of Harry’s neck and pushing him out the front door.

“And abandon my education?” Harry said, turning to watch his father close, lock, and ward the door. “You would never allow that.”

“Homeschooling remains an option,” Severus said, leading them to the Apparation point on their property.

“You’re kidding, right?” Harry said and his eyes widened at the silence. “Right?”

Severus just smirked, clasped Harry’s shoulder, and Disapparated them away to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. As the travel ended, Harry drew in a deep breath and hunched over as his stomach rolled. He glared up at his father.

“A little warning would’ve been nice,” Harry said. “You know I hate Apparating.”

“You hate any travel that isn’t a broom, child,” Severus said and Harry rolled his eyes.

Harry stood up and looked around the platform, finding it already filled with families with more appearing every few seconds either by Apparation, Portkey, or the King’s Cross barrier. It didn’t take him long to spot the Weasleys and Hermione, finding Hermione waving at him enthusiastically. Severus must have seen them as well as he gently pressed Harry’s back, encouraging him to head for the sea of red hair. Hermione immediately hugged him as they approached.

“How was the rest of your summer?” Hermione asked.

“Quiet,” Harry said, glancing at Severus as his trunk was taken from him and handed to a nearby worker.

“Harry!”

Harry spun around at the unexpected voice, turning just in time to spot Sirius and Remus before he was gathered into a huge hug by Sirius. He smiled at Remus, one of his two unofficial godfathers—Kingsley being the other—over Sirius’ shoulder. He hadn’t expected to see the men, having resigned himself to just letters and packages through the post as they were consistently busy with Order tasks.

“What are you doing here?” Harry asked once Sirius finally released him and he got a calmer, lighter, but no less loving hug from Remus.

“Severus told us what time you were going to be here and we wanted to see you off,” Sirius said.

“We’re going to be gone for a few weeks, following some intel,” Remus said.

“Has a horcrux been found?” Harry asked, knowing the horcrux hunt was the main Order task assigned to two of three of his godfathers.

“No, but there is a possible lead in Croatia,” Remus said. 

“We’ll be back by Halloween for our usual,” Sirius said and Harry nodded.

Their Halloween tradition had started with just him and Severus, but quickly included Sirius and Remus after third year. Every Halloween, they would come together and spend the evening sharing memories of Lily and James before heading outside where Severus, Sirius, and Remus would cast charms that created a stag and a doe that would frolic around. Severus would then harvest a special lily that he would duplicate for each of them and that would then give them all a night of dreams filled with those they each missed most: Lily and James. None of them had ever missed a Halloween, determined to create positive memories to erase the tragedy that had befallen them all that day in 1981. 

It had been because of that tradition that the three adults had officially put aside their hatred from when they were kids and agreed to get along for Harry, acknowledging the role they each could play for him and what they could each provide for him, particularly in terms of Lily and James and how beloved they had been in different ways to Severus, Sirius, and Remus. He hadn’t been sure they could do it, but he’d been thrilled when they proved him wrong. He wasn’t sure if they considered each other friends, but they were more than amicable and friendly, and it was good enough for him. He understood their rough past and appreciated the efforts they made to look past all of that for him, providing him with the most wonderful family he could have asked for.

“So, we wanted to come see you before we left,” Remus said.

“Exactly. Do well, have fun, raise some hell, get into some trouble, torment your professors,” Sirius said with a grin as Harry laughed.

“Black, I swear,” Severus said, sending Sirius an unimpressed glower.

“Ah, come on, Severus,” Sirius said, clapping Severus on the shoulder. “You know I only encourage it because you’re there to stop him.”

“You mean deal with the fallout,” Severus said dryly.

“What can I say? Kid’s good at trouble,” Sirius said and Severus snorted quietly, obviously agreeing with the sentiment.

“No question where he gets it from,” Severus said.

“Excuse me, I’m right here,” Harry said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Do not deny it, child, we just had this conversation over breakfast,” Severus said and Harry scowled, shoving Remus away half-heartedly when the werewolf ruffled his hair affectionately with a chuckle.

“I hate all of you,” Harry grumbled, receiving laughs from his father and godfathers in response.

“Ah, the troublemaker we are tasked to protect.”

“Oh, come on!” Harry groaned at Kingsley, his third godfather’s comment, turning to see the man strolling towards them, Mad-Eye and Tonks stopping to talk to Mrs. Weasley. He pushed Kingsley away when the man threw an arm around his neck, giving a deep, booming laugh. “I’m going to find Draco and the others now.”

“Be back here in fifteen minutes,” Severus said.

Harry waved his father off and walked away, Ron and Hermione instantly following him through the crowds, looking for their other friends. They wound their way through the families milling about, nodding, waving, and smiling at those they knew as they went. They glared at the Slytherins that shouldered past them with sneers, children of Death Eaters. They had been problematic since first year, even with Draco’s friendship. Draco was, instead, often targeted with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the others, especially considering Lucius’ betrayal of the Death Eaters. Luckily, Draco did have support and protection in Slytherin from Blaise Zabini and a few others that were not in Voldemort’s circle.

Ignoring the Slytherins, they continued along the platform, searching for their friends. It didn’t take much longer for them to spot Draco and Lucius, amongst the crowds where they stood talking to Luna and her father, Xenophilius. They hurried over.

“Hello, children,” Xenophilius greeted while Luna hugged each of them.

“How in the hell did you convince Severus to let you take the train?” Draco asked Harry.

“By being very annoying and using the standard guilt trip,” Harry said, making Draco chuckle.

“Where is Severus, love?” Lucius asked.

Harry pointed the way they’d come. “He’s talking to the Order before we leave.”

“An excellent idea,” Lucius said. “Shall we ensure our children’s safety, Xenophilius?”

Harry glanced at Draco with exasperation.

“Absolutely,” Xenophilius said.

“Stick together now,” Lucius said to all of them. “Return to us in—”

“Fifteen minutes,” Harry interrupted. “Dad already told us.”

Lucius pat his shoulder. “Good boy.”

Harry rolled his eyes as Lucius and Xenophilius walked away, heading in the direction of Severus, Mrs. Weasley, and the others. “Honestly, they’re all acting like Death Eaters are just sitting on the train waiting for me,” he complained to his friends.

“They’re just worried,” Hermione said as they started walking again, hoping to find Neville, Seamus, and Dean.

“The burden of being loved,” Luna said lightly, looping her arms around one of Draco’s as she normally did. The two had been close ever since they all met in their second year and Luna’s first, though it had started with annoyed exasperation with the girl from Draco’s side.

“Honestly, even I had to convince Dad to let me take the train,” Draco said, hands in his pockets as they walked. “If he didn’t have a meeting at the Ministry, I’m pretty sure he would’ve Apparated me to school.”

“They wouldn’t actually attack the train, though, would they?” Ron said. “They’ve got kids here too.”

“They could easily arrange an attack that doesn’t harm their own,” Hermione pointed out.

“We just have to be on guard,” Harry said with a sigh. “Expect anything and everything.”

The others nodded and they continued wandering the platform. Eventually, they found Neville, Seamus, and Dean. It had also been a fight for them to convince their parents to let them return to Hogwarts, especially Dean with his Muggle parents and Seamus with his slightly paranoid magical mother. Neville hadn’t had as difficult a time convincing his grandmother as she whole-heartedly believed Hogwarts was the safest place he could be. They took some time to catch up on their summers as letters were only able to convey so much. Neville showed off his brand new wand, finally no longer tied to the wand of his father which had never worked properly for him and caused him nothing but strife in school for the last four years.

As they wandered back along the platform to where their parents and guardians were, they, once again, spotted the Death Eater children. They were tucked away in a corner behind a pillar, engaged in what seemed to be a very serious conversation. Harry and the others glanced at each other, all of them curious about what the enemy Slytherins could be talking about. Harry was going to suggest they find a way to eavesdrop when the ten-minute departure warning was called out across the platform. The Slytherins left the corner then and Harry looked at his friends with a sigh.

He suddenly had a very bad feeling.

He and his friends made their way back to Severus and the others, finding them all still there except for Mad-Eye and Tonks. Harry assumed they were likely already on the train. As they approached the adults, they were all pulled into goodbye hugs and handshakes with kisses from Mrs. Weasley planted on their cheeks. Harry was eventually pulled to the side by Severus, Sirius, Remus, and Kingsley.

“Stay safe, Harry,” Remus said, giving him a hug again.

“You both too,” Harry said, getting pulled into a crushing hug by Sirius.

“We’ll see you at Halloween,” Sirius said. “Don’t stress your father out too much, but don’t make it easy for him either.”

“Sirius,” Severus said warningly.

Sirius leaned in close to Harry conspiratorially, whispering, “Save it for Halloween.”

“Stop encouraging him, Black!” Severus admonished as Harry snickered.

Sirius laughed, ruffling Harry’s hair. “Have a good start, kid. We’ll be back before you know it.”

Harry smiled and nodded, watching Sirius and Remus shake Severus’ hand before walking back to Lucius to bid their goodbyes and likely exchange information about the mission. Harry turned back to Severus and Kingsley.

“You are to behave and stay where Kingsley can find you,” Severus said. “If there are any problems, find him. Use your Patronus if you have to.”

Harry nodded. “I will, promise.”

“He, Mad-Eye, and Tonks will be patrolling the train,” Severus said, somewhat unnecessarily as Harry was very aware of that fact, but he could see how worried his father was so he chose not to voice the thought. He just nodded again.

“You’re wearing your holster, kid?” Kingsley asked.

Harry lifted the hem of his shirt to show his holster and wand.

“Good lad,” Kingsley said. “I’ll keep an eye on him, Severus, promise.”

“I know you will,” Severus said. “The question is will you stay under his eye?” He gave Harry a hard stare.

“I will, I promise,” Harry said. “I’ll get a compartment with my friends and we’ll stay there.”

“Everything will be fine,” Kingsley said assuredly. “Kid knows what to do, so do his friends.”

Severus sighed and nodded. “Give us a moment, Kingsley.”

“See you at Hogwarts, Severus,” Kingsley said, turning and heading for the train.

“Last chance,” Severus said and Harry shook his head, amused.

“Dad, it’ll be fine. It’s just a few hours,” Harry said.

“A lot can happen in a few hours,” Severus said pointedly and Harry sighed, hating how many examples the man could likely pull from the last four years to exemplify that exact statement.

“I know, but it’ll be okay. Even if something does happen, we’ll be okay,” Harry said, choosing to keep his bad feeling to himself. Severus was worried enough.

Severus looked pained as he cupped Harry’s cheek before sliding his hand to the back of Harry’s head and tugging Harry to his chest. Harry immediately wrapped his arms around Severus’ waist while his father’s wrapped around his shoulders, the one still buried in his hair.

“I love you,” Severus said quietly, kissing the top of Harry’s head.

“I love you, too, Dad,” Harry said. “I’ll see you in a few hours, promise.”

“I know,” Severus said, squeezing him before letting go. “Be good and have fun.”

“I will.” Harry smiled, hugged his father quickly once more, and turned to head to the train. “Bye, Dad!” 

He ran off, briefly stopping to get one more hug from Lucius and kiss from Mrs. Weasley. Once they’d finished, Harry boarded the train with Ron, Hermione, Draco, Luna, and Neville. They found a compartment quickly, making sure it was on the platform side so they could wave to their families. As Harry waved at Severus a few minutes later, the usual ball of anxious sadness settled in his chest. It was a feeling he had every year despite knowing he would see Severus in a few hours and still got to see his father all year long. Despite that, he still felt the bittersweet loss of saying goodbye every year.

As the train began to move and their families disappeared from view, they all settled back on the seats, getting comfortable for the journey. Luna began to describe her trip with her father to Albania where they had explored little villages and vast forests for some creature Harry had never heard of before. She told them the story they’d learned from a villager about a haunted forest, a woman having being murdered by a man who had been desperately pursuing her only to be rejected. The legend said there was a tree with markings that indicated where the murder had taken place, but Luna and her father had been unable to find it. Once she finished her story, they broke off into separate conversations, catching up on their summers and predicting their year along with theories about their new Defense professor. When the trolley came by, they all grabbed some sweets, sharing amongst each other.

After a few hours, it was growing dark as the train continued on to Hogwarts through the Scottish Highlands. Harry was playing chess with Ron while Hermione read and Draco, Luna, and Neville chatted when the train’s lights flickered. They all stopped what they were doing and frowned up at the compartment light. When it didn’t happen again, they made to resume their activities only for the train to shake, knocking over some of Harry’s chess pieces, the others yelling in their tiny voices. Harry looked at his friends, finding confusion and worry in their faces. Harry and Draco stood, stepping into the corridor where others were doing the same. Murmurs were running up and down the corridor, especially when the lights flickered again.

Harry frowned when he thought he heard an odd comment and turned to Justin Finch-Fletchley. “What was that?”

“Someone’s saying the last couple train cars have disconnected,” Justin said.

“What? How is that—”

Harry was cut off when he was suddenly thrown from his feet into the opposite wall. Draco flew next to him, slamming into the opposite compartment’s door, the glass cracking under his force. Harry had no time to react as he and everyone around him began tumbling as their train car rolled. The sounds of folding steel, breaking glass, and screams filled the air around Harry. He gasped, groaned, and cried out as he rolled with the train, smashing hard into now glass-covered surfaces and other bodies. It seemed to be forever before the rolling car finally stopped, leaving Harry laying painfully on the car ceiling, surrounded by glass, moaning, and crying.

Harry blinked against the pain and the blood trickling into his eye. He fought through the daze he was in, trying to clear his mind and make his body move. Slowly, he regained control and some coherence, pushing himself to his knees. He cried out when pain radiated from his left thigh and, looking down, found a huge shard of glass buried in his leg. He groaned, pushing himself over to sit, leaning against a section of wall between two compartments.

Swiping shakily at the blood blinding his one eye, he gazed around. Students were all over the train car, sobbing and screaming in pain and fear. He watched a couple students get to their feet, obviously less injured, and begin checking on others.

“Harry!”

He looked to his right and found both Draco and Hermione stumbling out of compartments. They didn’t seem terribly injured aside from many cuts and chunks of glass dotting their skin. Draco fell next to Harry, examining what he could of Harry’s leg.

“E…everyone else?” Harry asked.

“Ron’s unconscious and I think Neville’s broken his arm, but they’re all okay otherwise,” Hermione said and Luna emerged from the compartment at well looking alright besides the blood in her hair, indicating a head wound.

Harry nodded, glad his friends were mostly alright. “We need to get out of here. We need to find Kingsley or the others.”

“We should stay here and wait for them,” Hermione said.

“They could be hurt,” Draco said. “They might not be able to get to us.”

Harry watched as Draco pulled off his jacket and tore it into strips uncaringly for its expensive nature. One was wrapped and tied tightly around Harry’s thigh above the glass. The pressure and jostling of the glass made Harry groan loudly.

“I’m going to blow out the window in this compartment,” Draco said and he slipped back into the compartment he’d come out of. “Bombarda!” he shouted a few seconds later and then there was an explosion that shook the car, pulling cries from nearby students.

“What the bloody hell happened?”

“Ron, you’re awake!” Hermione cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

“No idea what happened,” Harry said, glad Ron also seemed relatively unharmed other than a huge gash running across his forehead and into his hair.

“Come on,” Draco said, returning to them. “We should start getting people out of here.”

Harry was helped to his feet by Draco and they stumbled their way through the hole Draco had created in the side of the train car. They stepped out into the dark, finding themselves in a huge open field, telling them they were still in the middle of nowhere Scotland. Another few train cars had rolled from the track across the grass while the rest of the train was folded and twisted together across the track. Students were crawling from the cars, helping friends and fellow students.

Harry and Draco were shuffling away from their car with Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville behind them when three black smoke clouds hit the ground in front of them, leaving behind Bellatrix, Amycus, and Alecto.

“Look who we found,” Amycus said with a twisted grin while Bellatrix and Alecto cackled.

Harry barely had time to pull his wand before the Death Eaters attacked. He and Draco were forced away from the others by Alecto’s pursuit, desperately warding off her horrifically dark and torturous curses. Harry ducked a strange purple curse, falling to the ground when the movement jostled the glass in his leg painfully. He cried out as a Cruciatus tore through his body, contorting on the ground. It seemed like Alecto was going to hold the curse forever only for it to end suddenly. He drew in a sharp breath and rolled over to see Draco had physically tackled Alecto to the ground. They were wrestling until Alecto got Draco pinned under her, wand stabbing into his throat.

“Imagine the reward if I were to deliver Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy,” Alecto said dangerously. “If we have you, well, we’ll have your traitorous fathers too. Our lord has wanted his revenge for so long. What better way than to use you to get them and bring an end to all of you.”

Harry watched Draco raise his wand only for Alecto to wrench it from his grasp and toss it aside.

“I think I’ll have a little fun first, just like they are,” Alecto said and her words were punctuated by screams from Ron, Luna, and Draco, and the exploding of one of the train cars. Harry swore he could hear Bellatrix laughing maniacally and was sure she had been the one to explode the car.

Harry gathered his magic and pushed it out in a huge blast. He pulled students from the train so they were safe from the fire now burning the car. Bellatrix, Alecto, and Amycus were thrown away from his friends and protective shields appeared around his friends.

“Harry! Harry, stop! You’re using too much magic!”

Harry looked towards the train and found Kingsley running towards him. His godfather hurried to him, kneeling beside him despite the magic leaving him in waves. 

“Harry, you need to stop,” Kingsley said firmly.

“I…I need to p…protect them,” Harry said even as he felt his head grow light and his skin tingle.

“You protected them, kid,” Kingsley said. “Let us take over.”

Harry found he didn’t get much choice as he felt his rolling magic fizzle out and he rolled to the side, sick in the grass. He heard Kingsley curse behind him and a large, warm hand landed on his back, rubbing gently. He was left trembling, dizzy, and weak a couple minutes later and he slumped into the ground. He was adjusted so his head was on Kingsley’s leg. Harry fought to keep his fluttering eyes open.

“Ev’ryone okay?” he mumbled.

“They will be,” Kingsley said and then Harry thought he heard several pops. “Severus!”

Dad’s never going to let me leave home again, was Harry’s last thought before he drifted away.

"No, no deaths. Several injured, but they will all be fine in a few days. Meant to be more to scare, it seems, and prove they can get to our children anywhere...no, don't come back. There is nothing you can do here and we need this recon...he'll be alright...magical depletion...Kingsley said he pulled a dozen students from the train while also holding shields around his friends...yes, he is extraordinary, but also absurdly reckless...no thanks to you...just be safe, both of you, and we'll see you at Halloween...I'll tell him...goodbye."

Harry rolled his head on the pillow as he heard the one side of the Firecall to look over at the door as it opened and Severus walked in. His father was dressed in his usual robes, but without his heavy outer robe he usually wore while teaching. Harry shuffled sluggishly to try and sit up, wincing at how his body ached. Severus helped prop him just slightly against his pillow before sitting on the bed next to him, leaning over his legs with his hand on the bed.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Severus said dryly.

"How long has it been?" Harry asked, gratefully drinking some water from the glass Severus helped him with.

"Only a day," Severus said. "It is currently ten a.m. on what would normally be the second day of classes."

"Normally?" Harry said.

"Albus has delayed the start of classes until next Monday to allow the injured to heal and sort the first years," Severus said. "The Sorting will be happening tomorrow now."

"Is everyone okay?" Harry asked, thinking of all his friends. He remembered Alecto on top of Draco, Ron and Luna screaming, and the tumbling of their train car. He remembered the glass in his leg and the cuts covering his friends. He remembered the fires, the glass, and the destroyed train.

"Harry. Harry, look at me, child."

Harry hadn't realized his eyes had closed or that his breathing had sped up, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He became aware of it all along with his painfully tight and twisted stomach and the feeling of water rushing in his ears. He recognized the panic attack now and forced his eyes open to focus on his father. Severus' hand came to rest on his leg under the blanket, a warm weight that always helped ground him, and Beethoven began to play quietly.

"You know how to do this. Just breathe slowly. Feel the blanket, feel my hand, hear the music," Severus said and Harry listened, picking out all the things of comfort he could see, feel, and hear. 

Panic attacks were a semi-common occurrence. He'd had them well before he ever met Severus or entered the wizarding world. Not that Vernon had ever needed a reason to hurt Harry, but when he'd pretended he had a reason other than Harry's mere existence, Harry's panic attacks were often on the list. Severus had quickly identified the attacks for what they were and learned how to help Harry through them, particularly as they became more severe with every traumatic event he experienced upon his entrance to the wizarding world. Oddly, they weren't as common-Severus theorized it was because he now had people he could turn to for comfort-but they had become more intense when he didhave them.

It took a few minutes, but Harry was soon calmed and sinking back into his pillow. Panic attacks always left him exhausted, even more so this time given he was still recovering from the train attack. Severus reached out and brushed back Harry's hair.

"Now, everyone is alright or they will be," Severus said. "All of your friends that required treatment have already been released and are settled in their common rooms. There were no deaths and severe injury was avoided thanks to you, your friends, and the Order members. The worst injured will be released by the end of the week."

Harry let out a sigh of relief.

"Would you care to tell me what you were thinking?" Severus said, his caring, soothing tone turning stern.

Harry groaned lightly. "Dad."

"No, explain," Severus said firmly.

Harry sighed again, this time in resignation. "I was just trying to help and protect everyone."

"So, you Apparate nearly a dozen students out of a train car while repelling three Death Eaters and holding four shields?" Severus said. "You know better than to use so much magic. You have not had such serious magical depletion since third year."

Harry dropped his eyes in the face of his father's concern and disappointment. Magical depletion was a serious risk for him, ever since his tenth birthday when Vernon nearly beat him to death. His magic had fought so hard to keep him alive that his core nearly burned out, causing it permanent damage. Now, if he used too much magic, he experienced magical depletion which came with an array of symptoms: weakness, exhaustion, migraines, chills, tremours, dizziness, and nausea. He was also unable to use magic until his core replenished. It was a serious condition as, if he experienced magical depletion too many times, he was at risk of his core being unable to replenish which would leave him without magic all together. It was a condition his friends, family, and professors were aware of, all having been given strict instruction from Severus on the signs and how to respond if he wasn't present.

On the other side of having a damaged core was also access to excess, powerful magic. He had a large amount of magic consistently leaking out of his core, remaining untethered to his core. It was extraordinarily powerful magic that Harry could tap into in extreme situations, even allowing him to forcibly Apparate people places as he did at the train. It was a double-edged sword, excess magic that could easily lead to depletion if used.

"I am not angry. What you did was remarkable, but it was also incredibly dangerous," Severus said and Harry looked back at his father. Severus sighed as their eyes met and Harry knew he'd given his father ‘the look' that usually got him anything he wanted. "I am proud of you for what you did."

Harry gave a small smile, always warmed when he made his father proud.

"Anymore nausea?" Severus asked.

Harry shook his head. "Mostly just really tired."

Apparently satisfied, Severus gently pulled Harry up and into a hug. Harry held to his father tight, resting against the broad chest.

"I was so worried when we got Kingsley's Patronus," Severus said quietly.

"I know, I'm sorry," Harry mumbled, "but I'm okay."

"You will be," Severus said. "You are on bedrest for three days."

Harry pulled back, gaping up at his father. "Three days?" he said disbelievingly.

"Minimum," Severus said. "Your depletion was severe this time."

Harry pulled away from his father and fell back against the pillow with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why do I feel like I'm being punished?"

"If you feel that way, you are doing it to yourself, for I have no intention of punishing you. Magical depletion is punishment enough, I think," Severus said. "Especially as you will be unable to do any magic for the first two days of class."

"Dad!" Harry exclaimed, outraged.

"You know the danger you are in if you do not take the proper precautions to recover," Severus said, tone firm once again. "We will inform your professors and they will understand. They all know of your condition."

Harry scowled down at his blanket-clad legs, annoyed and hating his uncle for doing this to him. He honestly didn't think about the Dursleys often anymore, except in these types of situations, and the reminder of what he now lived with as a result of his uncle's abuse always made him despise Vernon even more. He heard his father sigh, but kept his eyes down even as his hair was brushed back again.

"Get some rest, my son," Severus said quietly and left the room.

Harry threw himself back down on the bed and glared up at the ceiling.

Harry and Draco looked up and all conversations stopped as the classroom door opened. They all watched as their new Defense professor strolled up to the front of the room, leaning against his desk. He was young; couldn't be more than thirty-five. He was tall and seemed to be fairly muscular under his robes which were tailored to fit his physique quite closely. His base robe set was fairly standard with the wide trousers, though his were more fitted, and the long waistcoat over what was likely an Oxford. His outer robe, however, was far more similar to a well-fitted, asymmetrical overcoat. It fell to his knees though at a slant so the left side hung lower into a point over his calf. It had large cuffs and a high, stiff collar. A long row of unclasped buttons ran up nearly the entire front. A glittering gold chain was clasped on to the lapel and disappeared into a breast pocket that had a ‘G' embroidered. His face was long and slim with high cheekbones, a sharp nose, and a pointed chin. His eyes were a startlingly icy blue, made brighter by his copper skin. His hair was an ochre with hints of red. It was short, cut just around the ears and cheekbones to frame his eyes, straight and parted just to the side so some hair consistently hung just at the corner of his right eye.

"Good morning," he said though his tone was lacking friendliness and his gaze remained hard as he stared around the room. "I am Professor Grey, a duelling master and former raid strategist for the Aurors."

Harry shared a glance with Draco and Ron to his other side at the man's not-so-subtle bragging, feeling unsure about the man.

"I have to admit, the records and results for this class from the last four years are pathetic," Grey said and Harry raised an eyebrow at the harsh observation. Sure, Defense seemed to always have a rough go of it, but it hadn't been thatterrible. After all, Remus had been amazing and fake Moody did teach them some pretty important aspects of the Dark Arts. "As it is your OWLs year, it is now up to me to make sure you're ready, though I will be surprised if you know anything at all."

Harry narrowed his eyes, bristling at the insult.

"You best all be ready to put in a lot of work. I only accept the best from anyone, doesn't matter who you are," Grey said. "Slack off once, don't bother coming back."

Harry bit his lip to hold back the anger that had begun to bubble in his gut now. Glancing around showed some anger and concern among the rest of the students as well.

"Now, let's see what you can do," Grey said. "Get up and into pairs. Show me Disarming Spells, Stunning Spells, Reviving Spells, and Binding Spells."

There was second of hesitation at Grey's gruffness, but soon everyone was standing and grabbing partners. Once all the students were standing, Grey flicked his wand and all the chairs and desks flew to the side of the room. Everyone spread around the room and began casting spells at each other. Effectiveness and accuracy among the class was split about half and half.

Harry sighed, annoyed at being unable to use magic, but shook it off and moved around the room instead, helping everyone else. Anytime he'd been on restriction in the past, he'd always been allowed to wander and help his classmates, the professors all praising his ability to help the students learn.

"Were my instructions unclear or am I correct and you are the professor of this class?" Grey said, coming over to Harry as he was helping Parvati with her wand movement.

Harry turned to face Grey, surprised at the man's apparent anger. "Sorry, Professor, but I thought you knew. I can't do any magic for a couple days, so I was just helping out."

"I do not condone refusal of work," Grey said and Harry frowned as the rest of the class stopped what they were doing to watch the interaction.

"I'm not refusing, sir," Harry said. "I'm recovering from magical depletion."

Grey scoffed. "No one can produce enough magic for depletion, certainly not a fifteen-year-old."

Harry glanced at his friends who all seemed enraged and ready to jump into the conflict. He subtly shook his head at them.

"Do as I've instructed or get out of my class," Grey said harshly.

"I can't," Harry said. "You should have received a notice explaining my condition and needing a couple days."

"I received no such notice and no one gets special treatment," Grey said dismissively.

"It's not special treatment," Harry said, getting frustrated, but trying to stay calm. "If you talk to my father, this can all be sorted out."

Harry saw Grey's eyes flick to his forehead and sighed.

"Potter," Grey said in recognition, though it seemed to be very unimpressed recognition. "Your parents are dead."

Gasps echoed in the room. Behind Grey, Draco and Ron made to charge at the professor, but were held back by Hermione and Neville.

"How dare you?" Lavender said, staring at Grey with wide, appalled eyes.

Harry clenched his fists, struggling now to keep his anger under control. "I was adopted four years ago."

Grey sneered. "My sympathies to the poor folks."

More gasps complete with loud murmuring and glares. Grey was not endearing himself to the fifth years.

"What the hell is your problem?" Ron shouted, now held back by both Hermione and Dean though they looked ready to let him go.

"Disrespect and arrogance," Grey said, never moving his eyes from Harry. "I do not tolerate them. Now, Mr. Potter, you can either do as I've instructed or leave and serve detention."

"That's not fair!" Seamus cried.

"He told you he can't do magic," Draco said angrily.

"As if I believe that," Grey said, scoffing again. "Magical depletion is impossible for a mere fifteen-year-old."

"Not if his core is damaged, which it is," Hermione said.

"Talk to his father," Neville said. "He's got all the medical records."

"Find me the ghost of James Potter and I'll listen," Grey said, gaining cries of outrage from the class. "Until then, out of my classroom, Mr. Potter. Detention on Friday and do not return to class until you can follow instructions."

Harry glowered at the man before pushing past him to grab his bag. There were mumbles of anger and disbelief as he stormed from the classroom, slamming the door behind him. He immediately headed down through the castle, heading directly for the dungeons. He found the door with vines and leaves carved into it, and pushed it open, feeling the handle tingle as he was recognized. He stomped over to the sofa and threw himself onto it, chucking his bag to the floor. He snatched the sketchpad and pencil from the coffee table, and flipped to a new page, beginning to scribble.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up briefly, finding Severus stepping out of the small study with furrowed eyebrows.

"What are you doing here? You should be in class," Severus said. "You had better not be skipping again."

Harry scowled at the reference to the month in second year where he had skipped Defense repeatedly to escape Lockhart and the taunting about his Parseltongue abilities. He scratched at the sketchpad aggressively.

"I'm not," Harry said shortly. "I was kicked out."

"Kicked out?" Severus repeated in confused surprise. He walked over to the sitting area and sat next to Harry by his feet. "What happened?"

Harry glowered at his sketch as he continued drawing. "Grey kicked me out for not following instructions and refusing to do work."

"I assume there is a reason for these things," Severus said.

"He was having everyone cast some spells and I can't use magic, so I was helping like always and he got angry," Harry said.

"I sent a notice to all of your professors, so he should have known what was going on," Severus said.

"He said he didn't get it," Harry said, his pencil strokes slowing down.

"Did you explain?" Severus asked.

"I tried, so did my friends, but he didn't listen. He said I couldn't have magical depletion," Harry said. "I told him to talk to you, so did Neville, but..." he trailed off, remembering with a frown.

"Harry?" Severus pressed.

Harry sighed. "When I told him to talk to my father, he looked at my scar and said my parents are dead and made some comment about ghosts to Neville."

"I beg your pardon?" Severus said.

"When I told him I was adopted, he said ‘my sympathies to them' or something like that," Harry said.

Severus' eyes blazed with rage. "I swear, Albus needs to start getting proper professors."

"Hey, Remus was great," Harry argued. "It's not Dumbledore's fault you want to kill every Defense professor."

"Harry, it is appalling he would say such things to you, inappropriate at the very least," Severus said. "He cannot treat you this way, particularly not when he was made aware of a legitimate medical condition."

Harry sighed and dropped his gaze to his haphazard sketch, tapping his pencil on the page. "I know. I just don't want to cause a problem."

"Do not even go there," Severus said and then placed a hand on Harry's knee. "Are you alright?" he asked, his tone far gentler.

Harry looked up at his father and nodded with a small half-smile. "I'm okay. Honestly, I think everyone else was angrier than I was."

"As they should be," Severus said and Harry chuckled.

"He gave me detention, too, and said I couldn't go back until I could follow instructions," Harry said, feeling bad when his father pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly annoyed and on the verge of a headache. He chewed his lip. It was only the morning of the first day and he was already stressing Severus out.

"Enough, child," Severus said and a finger tapped Harry's chin, making him stop biting his lip. "You have done nothing wrong. I will take care of it."

Harry gave another small, unsure smile.

"How was the rest of your morning? How was History of Magic?" Severus asked.

Harry snorted. "I don't know, Dad, what was it like for you twenty years ago because it hasn't changed."

Severus rolled his eyes and stood from the sofa. "Are you staying here for the period?"

"Can I?" Harry asked.

Severus nodded. "Just don't be late for your next class."

"I won't," Harry said, settling more into the sofa and turning back to his drawing. He just smiled as Severus' fingers ran through his hair as the man returned to the study.

Harry blew out a breath and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall beside the classroom door. He glanced at his watch, raising an eyebrow. Severus had been in there talking to Grey for nearly twenty-five minutes and class was due to start in ten. He liked to think the lack of crashing and breaking and cursing was a good sign, but he was well-aware how dangerous a calm, quiet Severus Snape could be.

"Harry."

He looked down the corridor to see his friends coming towards him.

"Grey let you come back?" Ron said.

"He's about to," Harry said, giving the door a pointed look and watching his friends grimace. "Dad was furious."

"As he should be," Hermione said almost indignantly and Harry grinned at her repetition of his father's words about his friends being angry at Grey on his behalf. The door opened then and Severus walked out. Harry and his friends looked at him with not-so-subtle questions in their eyes.

Severus glanced at them before looking at Harry. "Have a good day, Harry."

Harry just nodded and watched his father sweep down the hall. He and his friends shrugged at each other and they entered the classroom. Grey was leaning against his desk, arms over his chest as he glowered down at the floor. They all took their seats, the class filling before Grey lifted his gaze. When he did, he instantly found Harry and his eyes narrowed before he pushed away from his desk roughly and turned his back on the class to face the chalkboard.

Harry and Draco glanced at each other, eyebrows raised at the professor's attitude.

"Open your theory books," Grey snapped. "You can thank Mr. Potter for the lack of practical work today."

Grey looked over his shoulder at the class almost expectantly, only to scowl and turn back to the chalkboard. Obviously, he'd thought the class would be angry at Harry and was promptly annoyed when that wasn't the reaction he got. Basically the entire school knew about Harry's condition and were perfectly fine with any accommodations that had to occasionally be made temporarily. All witches and wizards were aware of how dangerous magical depletion could be, particularly for a young person whose core wasn't yet fully developed.

It was a tense, uncomfortable period as Grey lectured briskly about the distinctions between Dark, offensive, and defensive magic and their histories. They all took notes silently, recognizing with annoyance any time Grey insulted a past professor and their apparent lack of knowledge. Harry could feel them all growing defensive, knowing they were more than capable.

Finally, the lecture ended and Grey turned to them, retaking the stance he'd been in when class began.

"Be prepared to do practical work on Thursday, no excuse," Grey said, giving Harry another look that bordered on a glare. "We are going to run an in-class duelling tournament in order to test your skills and improvement throughout the year. The winner will get a special opportunity."

Harry wasn't sure how to feel about the man's bribery. The bell rang and everyone began to pack up.

"Potter, stay behind," Grey said sharply and Harry sighed, waving his friends on ahead.

Harry waited until everyone was gone before walking up to the professor and looked at Grey somewhat impatiently. The man had not exactly made the best first impression.

"I hope you know there will be no more special treatment," Grey said. "Having a supposed parent on staff entitles you to nothing in my classroom."

"Supposed?" Harry repeated tightly, growing angry again.

Grey scowled at him. "A brat who's gotten everything for nothing, but not here. You will put in the work or you will fail."

Harry gritted his teeth. "I expect nothing less, Professor."

Grey's eyes raked him up and down with a sneer. "We'll see."

Harry left at Grey's gruff dismissal, seething as he headed to the Great Hall for dinner, ready to discuss with his friends just what Grey's problem could be.

A little over a month later, Harry was finishing his Charms assignment and dropped his quill, clenching and unclenching his hand to work out the kinks. He was sure he would never get fully used to using a quill. However, looking at the assignment, he hoped it would be enough leverage. He was done all his schoolwork early and had even read ahead in a few classes. He pushed himself up off the floor, wincing at the pops in his lower back chiding him for, once again, completing his homework at the coffee table instead of kitchen table or his own desk. He left the sitting room and headed for the archway in the back right corner of the quarters through which sat Severus' bedroom and personal study. He knocked on the study door and pushed it open slightly at the quiet invitation to enter, peeking around.

"Dad?" Harry said in an almost cheery tone.

"Harry?" Severus mimicked without looking up from the book he was perusing as he stood at the wall of books.

"Have I told you how much I love you lately?" Harry said and watched his father's head rise and turn to him.

"What do you want, brat?" Severus said, his knowing exasperation making Harry grin as he fully entered the study.

"So, I'm done all my homework, I've read ahead, I cleaned my room, I did the dishes-" Harry rattled off.

"Harry, spit it out," Severus said, to anyone else sounding annoyed, but Harry could hear the amusement. His habit of rambling had always been funny to his father.

"I know it could be a risk, but I was wondering if I could go to Hogsmeade with the team after the match tomorrow?" Harry asked. "They're planning to go to the Three Broomsticks, either to lament or celebrate, depending on the outcome."

"I told you I didn't want you going to the village this year," Severus said with a slight frown as he put the book down on his desk and crossed his arms.

"I know, but I've hardly gotten to go since third year," Harry said. "I'll be with the team and Ron and Hermione and Draco."

"I don't know," Severus said, still hesitant. "We have no way of knowing if the village is safe and, after the train, I'm not too confident."

"Please, Dad?" Harry said. "I'll help with inventory."

Severus gave him a withering stare. "Are you trying to convince me having you assist with inventory is worth risking your life?"

Harry couldn't help but huff, crossing his own arms. "No, but, come on. You said you wouldn't keep me locked up."

"In your room," Severus said pointedly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Dad," he said, hating when his father argued technicalities and semantics. "What if Kingsley came with us?"

There wasn't an immediate response, telling Harry his father was at least considering his proposition. Harry just kept his eyes locked on his father's as he waited, trying to subtly make his expression slightly more pleading. When he saw the very minute twitch in Severus' eye, he knew he'd succeeded and held back a grin. Soon, Severus sighed and rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Very well, but Kingsley goes with you and you go nowhere but the Three Broomsticks," Severus said. "Deal?"

Harry smiled and nodded, crossing the study to hug Severus.

"I will take you up on your inventory offer as well," Severus said, rubbing Harry's back.

Harry laughed and stepped back from his father. "Thanks, Dad."

Severus smiled and inclined his head, picking up the book he'd been reading again. "You should head up to the Tower. It is getting close to curfew."

"I thought I'd stay here tonight," Harry said and Severus raised an eyebrow.

"I believe you got what you wanted," Severus said. "There is no reason to implement more bribery."

"What? I have to want something to stay here more than one night?" Harry said, feigning offense.

"That has been my experience," Severus said with a smirk.

Harry huffed again, but silently conceded. Unless forced or as bribery, it was uncommon for him to stay in his father's rooms more than once a week. As much as he loved his father, he preferred to have the normal student experience and spend his time with his House.

"I sleep better here. Thought that it would be better to get good sleep for the match tomorrow," he said with a shrug. "Can I?"

Severus gave him another smile. "You never have to ask, son," he said. "I'll be in in a couple hours."

Harry nodded and began to leave the study as Severus returned to whatever he was working on. He almost had the door closed when he had a thought. He peeked back around the door.

"Dad?"

Severus hummed, jotting something down from the text. 

"Do your Slytherins know you hope Gryffindor wins every match?" Harry said with a grin.

Severus looked up at him again. "Excuse me?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret," Harry said cheekily.

"Secret?" Severus said.

"That you like Gryffindor best," Harry said.

"Bed, brat!" Severus said, wandlessly sending a ball of parchment at Harry who laughed when it bounced off the door.

"Good night!" Harry said, laughing as he closed the door on his father shaking his head and headed to his room.

Harry zoomed through the air after Draco, dodging Katie and Angelina as they raced away from the pursuing Silas Perrot. He flashed a grin at them, and then at Severus and Kingsley as he passed the staff stand. He zipped around a Hufflepuff stand, ducked a Bludger, and pulled up sharply as the Snitch and Draco darted towards the sky. He caught up to Draco just as the Snitch dropped and they quickly followed, bumping each other to try and throw the other off track. Cheers and screams echoed around the Pitch at their quick approach to the ground. When the Snitch darted to the right, Harry was able to cut Draco off, forcing the Slytherin to fly up to avoid a collision. Harry was able to race after the Snitch unhindered and finally captured it right next to a Slytherin goalpost just as Angelina scored one more goal.

Gryffindor exploded into applause and cheers, and the team rushed over to Harry to celebrate their first win of the season. Once they finished, the team flew to the ground to change and Harry flew to the teachers' stand.

"Good show, Potter," McGonagall said.

"Thanks, Professor," Harry said, smiling.

"An indication for the season, yes?" McGonagall said, flashing Severus a sly look that made him roll his eyes and Harry laugh.

"I hope so," Harry said.

Apparently satisfied, McGonagall bid goodbye and left the stands, leaving just Severus and Kingsley.

"How is your shoulder?" Severus asked as Harry turned back to them and referring to the Bludger Harry had failed to effectively dodge earlier in the match.

"It's fine, more of a graze," Harry said. "It'll bruise, but that's all."

Severus nodded.

"I'll meet you and your friends at the gate," Kingsley said.

"Can the Slytherin team come too?" Harry asked, he and Kingsley looking at Severus.

"If they wish to accompany you and Kingsley doesn't mind supervising extra students," Severus said, looking at Kingsley who shook his head indicating he didn't mind. "Very well. Remember, Three-"

"Three Broomsticks only, stay with someone at all times, preferably where Kingsley can see, and be back well before curfew," Harry recited. "I know, Dad."

Severus just raised an eyebrow before sighing as Harry and Kingsley exchanged grins.

"If you are not back by dinner, eat there," Severus said and Harry nodded. "Go. Have fun."

With another grin, Harry took off to the ground and dashed into the changing room to change. Finding the team waiting, he told Fred and George to go invite the Slytherins and, about fifteen minutes later, both teams plus Ron and Hermione were leading the way to Hogsmeade, Kingsley trailing behind. Entering the Three Broomsticks, their group was directed to a large area separated from the main pub with an archway and they spread out around the two large round tables. Kingsley sat at a small table between them and the bar, allowing him full sight of his charges as well as easy access to Madam Rosmerta for conversation.

Butterbeer and fizzy drinks were passed around as they relived the match and all of Harry's past ‘incidents' during matches.

"I still can't believe Lockhart walked away from Snape alive after that!" Jasper Chamberlain, one of the Slytherin Chasers, said after they'd picked apart the Gryffindor and Slytherin match in second year that had ended with Harry losing the bones in his arm courtesy of Lockhart.

"Considering Snape nearly hexed him there on the Pitch," Alicia said.

"He likes to torture in private" Draco said conspiratorially and everyone laughed.

"Seriously, Harry, what did Snape do to him?" Fred asked.

"I honestly don't know, he never told me," Harry said. "All I know is Lockhart avoided me like the plague after that."

"Until he ended up in the Chamber of Secrets with us," Ron said and everyone laughed again.

"And that's when Snape almost murdered Harry," Slytherin Beater Simon Carlisle said.

"Not the first or last time," Harry pointed out.

"No kidding," Draco said. "Almost gotten us killed right alongside him a few times."

"Hey, you chose to be a part of those things," Harry said, pointing at his friends with a grin.

"No kidding," Draco said.

"Remember..."

Whatever tale Ron was about to reacquaint them all with faded as Harry left the area, finding the rest of the pub to be quieter than their section. Harry rubbed his temple in response to the dull ache he could feel forming and walked over to Kingsley, leaning on his godfather's shoulder.

"Having fun, kid?" Kingsley asked, looking up at him.

Harry smiled and nodded. "Thanks for coming with us. It's the only reason Dad let me come."

"We only want you to be safe," Kingsley said, cocking an eyebrow and Harry sighed. He must have looked or sounded more frustrated than he'd intended. "It's all Severus has ever wanted."

Harry nodded. "I know."

He found himself drifting back to the beginning. Aside from the Malfoys, Kingsley was the first person from the wizarding world he met through Severus that year before Hogwarts. It had started professionally, Kingsley assigned to Privet Drive as protection by Dumbledore once it was discovered the blood wards from Lily were actually unexplainably non-existent. While activity from Voldemort was not expected at the time, Kingsley's presence also provided additional fear for the Dursleys if they touched Harry while also allowing Severus to focus solely on helping Harry. Harry wasn't sure exactly when the arrangement became more than professional. Eventually, Kingsley and Severus began to talk every time they were both in Privet Drive, sometimes Kingsley would arrive before Severus and would spend time with Harry, and then Kingsley began accompanying them to the nearby park and would play with Harry. Then, when Severus began to fight the Ministry for both guardianship and adoption, Kingsley helped provide the evidence of abuse and neglect. Kingsley quickly became one of the first choices to watch Harry if Severus had to be gone for any length of time. For Harry, Kingsley was one of the first people to actually take care of him and he'd quickly become attached.

"Harry?"

Pulled from the past, he smiled down at Kingsley. "I'm okay. Just a bit of a headache."

Kingsley gave him a searching look. "Should we head back?"

Harry shook his head, knowing the man was thinking of Voldemort and his scar. "It's just the noise."

Kingsley watched him for a few more seconds before nodding and bringing his hand up to pat Harry's back comfortingly. Harry gazed around the pub casually, taking just a few more moments away from his friends, when he spotted an unfriendly familiar face in a far corner with two others Harry could only see the backs of, both in hats and heavy cloaks. He thought the attire slightly odd given it was only mid-October. It wasn't too cold yet and the pub was almost too warm. He moved his eyes back to Grey.

"What do you know about Grey?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" Kingsley asked, following Harry's line of sight.

"He said he worked for the Ministry, for the Aurors," Harry said. "Raid strategist."

Kingsley frowned. "The only raid strategists I've ever known and worked with were Oscar Wilder, Dante Valery, and Grenadine Cloake."

Harry furrowed his eyebrows and looked at his godfather. "Are you sure?"

"I've been with the Aurors for twenty years," Kingsley said. "Ethan Grey has never passed through this part of the DMLE."

Harry felt a small twisting in his gut as he looked back at Grey and his company.

"Want me to look into him?" Kingsley asked.

"Could you?" Harry asked. "I know Dumbledore would have, but given his track record..."

Kingsley chuckled. "He means well, but, yes, he is a poor judge of character in this situation, for some reason."

Harry nodded his agreement.

"If he's going around saying he was part of the Aurors, he could have forged documentation," Kingsley said.

"Is that possible considering we have magic? It sounds so Muggle," Harry said.

"Magic can be used to create some types of documents that don't require blood," Kingsley said.

"Like adoption certificates?" Harry said, remembering the kind of ceremony he and Severus had gone through for his adoption, and Kingsley nodded.

"Adoption documents can't be forged because of that," Kingsley said. "Something like an Auror certification, though, could be forged with the right spells, or just someone to help write a fake one."

Harry frowned again.

"If there is anything to find about him, I'll find it. I'm sure it's nothing, just someone pretending to be more than he is," Kingsley said, rubbing Harry's back again. "Go back to your friends."

With a slightly tighter smile, Harry did so, trying to put Grey out of his mind for at least a couple more hours.

"I know we agreed you wouldn't ever interfere with my detentions, but Grey is mad and he gave me a detention on Saturday for absolutely no reason," Harry said as he walked into Severus' quarters. "I'm not asking you to get rid of it, but could you see if you can get him to at least move it to another day? I'm not missing Halloween."

He tossed his bag onto the sofa and wandered into the kitchen, grabbing an apple from the bowl that sat on the table. Taking a bite, he returned to the sitting room and looked around for signs that his father was there. He spotted the man's cloak hanging on its usual hook, but noticed other cloaks there as well that weren't usually present. He frowned.

"Dad?" he called out.

He heard a door open and turned to the archway in time to see Sirius come rushing towards him. Smiling widely, he was swept into Sirius' arms and spun around as though he were a little kid. He grinned at Remus standing in the archway watching them with a fond smile. After several seconds, he was put down and he hurried over to hug Remus, just spotting Severus and Kingsley behind in the study where the door was partially open.

"When did you guys get back?" Harry asked, pulling out of the hug but staying tucked against Remus' side with the werewolf's arm around his shoulders. 

"Last night," Sirius said.

"Did you find anything?" Harry asked. The search for Voldemort's horcruxes had been constant since second year when Harry destroyed the diary, apparently confirming a long-held theory of Dumbledore's. The headmaster explained it all to them, revealing that Harry himself was also a horcrux, explaining his connection to Voldemort. Dumbledore only knew of one other item that was likely a horcrux-a ring-but he didn't know where it was or how many other horcruxes there could be. After second year, Dumbledore had brought several Order members back into action, assigning them to the search and adding Sirius and Remus after third year once Sirius' name was cleared. It was proving to be a long search requiring a lot of effort.

"Possibly," Remus said. "We were going to be talking to Albus today, but then Kingsley and your father asked to see us."

Harry looked over their shoulders at the two in the study again. They were clearly talking about something and looking at papers on the desk.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, frowning when his godfathers glanced at each other.

"Bring him in," Severus said behind them. "This affects all of us."

Growing concerned now, Harry was guided into the study and to the small sofa where he and Sirius sat.

"You're freaking me out," Harry said, looking at each of his family members.

He watched Kingsley exchange a look with Severus who nodded and then turned to Harry. "I looked into Grey," the man said and Harry sat up straighter, interested. "I was right and he was never an Auror. However, he did work in the DMLE up until nineteen eighty-two."

"Okay," Harry said slowly. "What did he do?"

Again, all the men exchanged looks.

"What is going on?" Harry said.

"Ethan Grey worked in Crime Scene Analysis," Kingsley said. "He's the one that would determine what had happened and write up the reports about what was found."

Harry thought it sounded very Muggle, like those police shows on the telly. "Okay, but why would he lie?"

"Harry," Severus said, coming over to sit on Harry's other side. "He worked on Godric's Hollow."

"And the street where I confronted Pettigrew," Sirius said.

Harry felt his stomach clench at the mentions of his life's tragedies. "Is..." he cleared his throat. "Is that weird?"

"Not necessarily," Kingsley said, "but his paperwork is. I pulled his reports and there are things that don't match up with what we know happened on Halloween."

"What does that mean?" Harry said.

"It seems it is possible he was involved in the attack on your parents, child," Severus said quietly, brushing his hand through Harry's hair.

"It is also possible there are things we don't know about what happened that night," Kingsley said. "Some of his reports look forged."

All Harry could do was stare into nothing as his thoughts raced and his stomach twisted painfully. His father and godfathers talked quietly around him while he found himself back in those memories he'd had dreams of for so many years, seeing a flash of green and hearing maniacal laughter.

What didn't he know about his own life?

Harry looked around, trying to make out anything through the dark. He coughed at the dust floating around and settling in his throat as he breathed, cringing at the smell and taste of the stale air. He frowned at the thick air settling around him, feeling the way it tried to suffocate him and its odd temperature, both stuffy and chilled. More dust tickled his skin, creating layers of dirt on his cheeks and hands that he couldn't see through the dark. As he shifted to spin, trying to find anything, dust and stone crunched under his feet, making him frown again as he tried to understand where he was.

He stopped turning when he thought he saw the smallest of glints. In front of him, he thought the dark seemed just slightly thinner, slightly lighter as though there was something attempting to break through the heavy darkness. He stared at the spot hard, hoping for it to clear. He thought he saw the mist in the spot swirl as though disturbed by a wind that tried to blow it away.

He was going to walk towards the spot when a strange breeze brushed his cheek and a voice whispered incomprehensibly in his ear. He stilled and listened, trying to understand any of the whispered words. He winced as dirt rained on him, raising his arms to cover his head only to feel his elbows brush dirt walls. His heart began to pound as he felt around, feeling walls and a dirt ceiling close around him as though he was in a tiny space, like his cupboard at the Dursleys'. The whispering and swirling mist continued as he dragged his hands back and forth through the dirt.

"Filthy Muggle..."

Harry spun around at the clearly spat words that sounded like they came from directly behind him. His eyes darted around wildly, becoming desperate to find something or even a way out as he continued to scratch at the walls, his breathing getting faster and his heart pounding harder. He hated small, dark places.

"You look like that filthy Muggle..."

Harry spun around again at the new voice.

"Filthy Muggle!"

Harry flinched at the shout and jumped when a face flashed before him, but too fast for him to identify the person. Dust fell over him again, making him cough. The spot from before had thinned more and he narrowed his eyes. He thought he could make out a triangle, but was unable to see more as the dust falling on him grew heavier and the walls beside him began to move towards him. He immediately began to panic and screamed in fear just as he was blinded by a lime-green flash.

"Wait, so, what? Grey could have been involved in the attack?" Ron said, moving a knight to take one of Draco's rooks.

"That's what Dad and the rest of them seem to think," Harry said, adding some colour to his drawing. "It's all I find them talking about right now." 

It had been a few days since Severus and his godfathers told him about Grey, and it was as though the sudden mystery had ensnared his family. With Halloween in just under a week, the revitalization of the Potter murders was clearly weighing on Severus, Sirius, and Remus in particular, and Harry could see the strain, the uneasy confusion they all had as the night they'd lost everything was brought into question after so many long years. Any semblance of healing they'd managed was being chipped away and Harry could do nothing but watch.

"But, how could that be possible?" Hermione asked, glancing up from her book. "Is he a Death Eater?"

"Dad says he doesn't remember ever seeing Grey at meetings or even hearing his name," Harry said. "Lucius said the same thing."

"Was he connected to your parents in some other way?" Ron asked, watching Draco making his move. "Through the Ministry? Your father was an Auror."

"If he was, no one remembers or they're not telling me," Harry said, rubbing his finger over his drawing to smudge the coloured pencil he'd applied. He sighed. "I just don't get how it could be possible, how there could be anything we don't know about what happened."

"Actually, it's stranger that so much has been known," Hermione said and Harry, Ron, and Draco looked at her questioningly. She closed her book on her finger to give them her full focus. "There are only four people that know exactly what happened Halloween night: one was destroyed and wouldn't have exactly given an interview even if he hadn't been, two are dead, and one was an infant. There is no one that could have known what happened, not with the detail that is known."

"So, what are you saying?" Ron scowled as Draco took a bishop.

"A lot of what's known could very well be false," Hermione said.

Harry frowned down at his sketch. "Why would anyone lie about what happened?"

"Why would Grey?" Draco added pointedly. "If he wasn't a Death Eater, why would he want to lie about the Potters?"

"And Sirius' and Pettigrew's showdown," Ron said.

"And what exactly did he lie about?" Hermione said.

Harry drummed his coloured pencil on his sketchbook. He'd been haunted the last several days by the little he remembered of that Halloween. While he hated remembering, he also wished he could remember more, especially now. Maybe there was something he'd seen or heard that could fill in the new blanks, but had been lost through the years and incomprehension of a one-year-old mind. With a shake of his head and a deep frown, Harry sat up and gathered his pencils.

"You okay, Harry?" Draco asked and Harry saw the worry in his friends' eyes.

He nodded with a stiff smile. "I'm okay. I'm going to stay with Dad tonight."

"We're here, no matter what you find out," Hermione told him before he started walking away and he smiled at her.

"I know," Harry said, forever thankful for the friends and family he'd found over the last five years. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Flying after lunch?" Ron offered. "Beat some snakes again."

"Not happening, Weasley," Draco said. "Checkmate."

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed, examining the board to see how he'd lost while Draco sat back with a grin of satisfaction.

Harry chuckled, hitching his bag onto his shoulder. "I'll meet you on the pitch."

Bidding them ‘good night', Harry left the Room of Requirement and wandered casually through the castle down to the dungeons. He couldn't stop thinking about his parents, hating that the tragedy that destroyed his life was ravaging him again. Yet, for as much as he hated what it was doing to him, he hated what it was doing to Severus, Sirius, and Remus more. He would always lament the loss of his parents and have a hole that could never truly be filled, but he hadn't known them, didn't remember anything about them. Severus, Sirius, and Remus had not only known Lily and James, but had loved and lost them. To have the night they lost their beloved friends brought up and questioned was causing them a torment even Harry couldn't understand, and he hated watching it happen. The three men had been through enough, especially in regards to Lily and James; they didn't deserve to go through it again. He didn't doubt his father's and godfathers' commitment to him, he knew they would never leave him, but he couldn't help but feel like this new mystery could break something or at least threaten to.

Harry sighed despondently and turned a corner only to come to a startled stop when he almost walked into Grey. He tensed and narrowed his eyes at the man as Grey looked him up and down with an irritated sneer.

"Potter," Grey said. "You'll be pleased to know your father has gotten your detention rescheduled."

"Yeah, thanks," Harry said shortly, hating how Grey always responded to Severus being his father. It was as though Grey was disgusted with the idea or couldn't understand.

"Just can't do what you're supposed to, can you?" Grey said. "Never could apparently."

Harry frowned. "Meaning?"

He stiffened again when Grey took a step towards him and his expression turned into a glare.

"If you had died that night like you were supposed to, you would've taken him with you," Grey said in a low, angry voice. "He's back and people are dead because of you."

Harry clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth with rage and hurt.

"You've got quite the way of honouring your parents," Grey continued. "Cozying up with snakes and murderers, especially Snape. They would not be happy with you."

"And how would you know that?" Harry snapped.

"They didn't want you then and they certainly won't want you now," Grey sneered, acting as though Harry hadn't spoken. "Then again, has anyone ever really wanted you? If your own parents didn't, well..." he trailed off with a condescending shrug before brushing past Harry and disappearing around the corner.

Harry watched him go, practically vibrating with anger and pain at the man's blunt callousness.

"My word! Do control yourself, young man!"

Harry blinked at the exclamation and turned to a large painting of a Victorian-era woman with flowers flying around her. He cursed when he spotted the scorch mark in the bottom left corner, partly on the frame and partly on the canvas. He hadn't even noticed his excess magic making an appearance.

"Sorry, ma'am," Harry muttered and pushed some of his magic at the painting, easily repairing the damage.

He gave her an apologetic smile and continued his path to the dungeons, mind still whirling with Grey's comments. He buried his hands in the pockets of his trousers and stared at his feet as he walked, eyebrows furrowed and attention miles away. He barely came back to himself in time to not walk right past his father's quarters, letting himself in. He dropped his bag on the lounge chair and pulled off his robe, draping it over the chair's back. He was heading to his room when he heard muffled voices coming from the closed study and changed direction, coming to a stop outside the door to listen.

"This doesn't make any sense," he heard Kingsley say and heard papers shuffle around. "The number of inmates changes, but no inmates died and there were no new inmates during those months."

"Escapees?" Severus questioned.

"Sirius was the first to ever escape," Kingsley said. "Two prisoners just...went missing, at the same time as the Halloween attack."

"How is that possible?" he heard Remus chime in.

"Hell if I know," Kingsley said with a sigh. "I suppose it's possible records went missing. Everything was pretty much a disaster at that time."

"Is there any way to find more documents on Azkaban and the prisoners specifically?" Remus asked. "Surely, if prisoners went missing, records including them would just suddenly stop."

"I can try," Kingsley said. "Bertrand isn't exactly what I would call helpful, but I'll see what I can do."

"Time to wrap this up, gentlemen," Severus said. "I have a son to have a serious discussion with."

Harry's eyes widened as the study door opened and he was looking into the disapproving eyes of his father, Kingsley and Remus at the desk behind him. They were gathering up the multiple papers and parchments littering the desk, faces drawn over what they'd been discussing.

"I'll go see what Sirius found at Gringotts," Remus said quietly, giving Harry a poignant look as he brushed past with Kingsley.

Seeing the sternness in Severus' face, Harry desperately wished his godfathers would stay.

"Dad, I-" Harry started.

"Unless you are about to give me a very good reason for eavesdropping when you know better than to do so, I do not wish to hear it," Severus interrupted and Harry dropped his head, ashamed.

His father truly didn't ask much of him, but eavesdropping was one of the few things Severus was strict about enforcing. After all, eavesdropping had led to Voldemort getting the prophecy and killing Lily and James.

"Have you had dinner?" Severus asked stiffly, stepping out of the study and closing the door.

"A little," Harry said, and he was immediately turned around and directed to the kitchen. He sat quietly as Severus sat to his left and tapped the table, two dishes of chicken, potatoes, and Yorkshire pudding appearing.

"Eat," Severus ordered and Harry did so without complaint though slowly.

They were silent as they ate, tension hovering between them in the face of Harry's disobedience. He knew he shouldn't have listened-this certainly wasn't the first time he'd committed this infraction-and he hated making Severus angry. He sighed to himself as he pushed his potatoes around the plate.

"I'm sorry," Harry said eventually, bringing Severus' eyes to him. "I know I shouldn't have listened and I don't really have a good reason why I did."

"Do you have a reason at all?" Severus asked.

Harry thought back and shook his head. "No, not really."

Severus sighed and put his fork down, lacing his fingers together above his plate as he looked at Harry. "You know why this is a rule."

Harry nodded. "If there's something I need to know, I'll be included or you'll tell me."

"Precisely," Severus said. "I also prefer to have adequate information so I can provide better explanations for you."

Harry nodded again. "I know. I guess I don't want to make you have to keep talking about Grey and Halloween. It upsets you. It upsets all of you."

"I would rather have to face that pain than have you potentially misunderstand something or hear something harmful," Severus said.

Harry dropped his eyes to his plate where he was ripping apart his Yorkshire pudding. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry."

"I'm not angry, I'm-"

Harry groaned and dropped his Yorkshire pudding, burying his face in his hands. "Bloody hell, please, don't finish that! That's even worse!"

Severus chuckled and Harry scowled at his father through his fingers. Severus had propped his face between his index finger and thumb as he gazed at Harry with amused fondness.

"Good to know I've succeeded somewhere in my parenting," Severus said mirthfully and Harry dropped his hands, rolling his eyes at his father's amusement, but pleased the tension had passed. "Have you eaten enough?"

Harry popped half of his torn Yorkshire pudding into his mouth and grabbed the other half with a nod. Severus tapped the table again and their dishes disappeared. The man then gestured for them to head to the sitting room where they settled on the sofa, Severus on one end and Harry on the other, feet in his father's lap with a grin upon kicking off his trainers.

"Now, what did you hear?" Severus asked.

"Just the last little bit," Harry confessed. "Just the stuff about missing prisoners."

"It is quite puzzling," Severus said.

"Do you think it's connected or that Grey's involved?" Harry asked, adjusting the pillow behind his back to make the arm of the sofa more comfortable to lay against.

"We truly do not know," Severus admitted. "It would seem there are many questionable things to explore."

"Anything else I can know about?" Harry asked, settling further down on the sofa so he was laying down.

Severus' hand came to rest warmly on Harry's shin. "There are a couple of reports that are concerning. One reported that Lily's and James' wands did not require examination, and another reported that Sirius' wand had been examined and found to have cast the curse responsible for the murders of Pettigrew and the Muggles."

"And neither of those things is true," Harry said and Severus shook his head. "Why does it matter that Mum and Dad's wands weren't examined?"

"The last spells they cast could inform what did or did not happen that night," Severus explained. "By not having that information, there are questions that could not be answered."

"And saying Sirius' wand was examined ensured he went to Azkaban," Harry said, Severus nodding in confirmation. "Why would anyone lie about that?"

"I do not know, but we are trying to find out," Severus said. "Grey worked each scene and was involved in writing the reports, but it was someone else that signed off on them."

"Who?"

"Someone named Elias Moreshire."

"Do any of you know him?" Harry asked.

"Not that any of us can remember," Severus said. "Kingsley is searching for his personal records."

"How could he or Grey be involved, but Sirius doesn't know them? He and James were Aurors," Harry asked.

"Perhaps their paths never crossed. The DMLE is quite a large department, and Sirius and James were not there very long before..." Severus said, trailing off just slightly. "Unfortunately, anything is possible."

Harry just sighed his agreement before remembering the things Grey had said on his way to the dungeons. "I think he knew them."

"Excuse me?"

"Grey. I think he knew Mum and Dad," Harry clarified and Severus looked at him curiously. "I ran into him on my way here."

"You had better not be about to tell me you got another detention," Severus said, looking unimpressed.

"Oi! Have some faith!" Harry said, affronted. "I was walking down a hallway. How could I possibly get detention?"

"You have managed it before, son," Severus said sarcastically, smirking.

Harry scowled half-heartedly. "No, I didn't get detention," he said petulantly.

Severus laughed lightly.

"He mentioned Mum and Dad though," Harry said once the amusement passed. "He said I was supposed to die and I've caused everything that's happened because I didn't die. He also said they'd be angry about me being with you and that they didn't want me, that no one wants me."

Severus' face had tightened with each word said. "Harry-"

"I know it's not true, don't worry," Harry interrupted quickly. "It's just that he talked about them like he knew them and like he knew what was supposed to happen on Halloween, or what he thought was supposed to happen."

"It is all becoming quite the mystery," Severus said quietly and Harry heard the underlying pain he'd seen in his family since their investigation began.

"Dad?" Harry said after a few minutes of contemplative silence and Severus turned to him again. "I don't know what we'll find out, but, whatever it is...will it change things?"

"If you are asking will I reconsider this," Severus gestured at the both of them, "the answer is no. Nothing short of hell on earth will make me give you up."

"You've said we're in the middle of hell on earth," Harry pointed out.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Precisely."

Harry blinked uncomprehendingly and Severus chuckled.

"There is absolutely nothing in this world that will convince me to give you up," Severus said firmly, but still gently. "You are my son and nothing will change that."

Harry smiled, warmed, and they fell into another comfortable silence. Severus summoned a book and read as he absently rubbed Harry's leg comfortingly, and Harry found himself dozing. He fell asleep before he knew it, before he could remember to mention his strange dream, comforted in his father's presence, but found every dream tinted green and echoing with shouts of ‘Avada Kedavra!'.

Harry huffed as he picked at a gouge in the desktop, the mark clearly made by someone dragging their sharpened quill over the spot again and again. Likely out of sheer boredom. He wished he could add to it, just for something to do. He glanced at his watch and wanted to groan at the slow passage of time. He had only been in detention for thirty minutes; still an hour and a half to go. He flicked his eyes up to Grey, casting the man an unseen glare. He despised detention with Grey. He was forced to just sit there, not allowed to do a thing, while Grey did whatever he was doing at his desk. Today, he was vigorously writing though Harry could tell it was not essays. Something else had the man's full attention.

He rolled his eyes and sat back heavily, crossing his arms over his chest and gazing dully around the Defence classroom. 

"How did Snape come to be your...father?" Grey asked suddenly and Harry looked at him, somewhat startled to see the man staring piercingly at him.

"Long story," Harry said shortly, unsure why the man would care.

"Interesting choice," Grey muttered and Harry narrowed his eyes. "What happened that night? Halloween?"

"How would I know?" Harry snapped. "I was only a year old. Besides, you worked in the Ministry. Surely you heard all about it."

He saw Grey's body stiffen and a strange flash in the eyes. Grey was definitely hiding something and it had to do with his parents. Harry's eyes narrowed further. He didn't know where Grey was going to take the conversation, but it was interrupted by a scroll popping into existence in front of the man. It unrolled itself and Harry watched Grey's eyes dart back and forth as he read, eyes widening minutely as he did.

"Your detention is not over," Grey said as he stood suddenly. "Stay here or you will be spending Halloween night with me, Snivellus be damned."

Harry fought not to react as Grey rushed past him and out of the classroom. He waited a couple extra minutes after the door closed before moving, thoughts racing with Grey's words. The man had definitely known James at the very least; no one but the Marauders had called Severus that particular nickname. Subtly sending his excess magic at the door to lock it, Harry hurried up to Grey's desk to find what he'd been working on, hoping for a clue about what the man was so clearly hiding.

The desk was a mess, covered in papers that seemed to be on anything and everything. He frowned, shifting papers around until he found parchment with what seemed to be the start of a letter, reading the two short sentences with furrowed eyebrows.

He's alive. We failed.

It had no addressee or anything else to indicate who it was for or what it was referring to. He pushed it aside and continued digging through the messy desk, moving on to open drawers. He paused when, in one drawer under the course textbooks, he spotted a brown manila envelope. Glancing at the door, he pulled the envelope out and quickly opened it, reaching in for its contents. He grasped a few papers and pulled them out, finding himself even more confused as he read the case files. There were three, one for a young woman and two for men. He found his heart racing as he recognized the last name of, not only the two men, but also the young woman, and as he read through the woman's file, finding it to be a report of her brutal murder.

The woman was Adeline Moreshire. She'd been murdered at sixteen after hours of torture by three infamous Death Eaters: Antonin Dolohov, Rabastan Lestrange, and Rodolphus Lestrange.

The other two files detailed the life, capture, and subsequent deaths of two Death Eaters: Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange

Harry skimmed through the files with steadily growing confusion as his darting eyes picked out strange facts. He didn't know much about the Lestrange brothers, but, between Severus and Lucius, he knew enough and that knowledge did not include them being dead or having died on the exact same day. The last name of the murdered girl and lead scene analyst was the same: Moreshire. The third and, quite frankly, most confusing bit of information was the names of two Aurors that had responded to the murder.

James Potter and Sirius Black.

He had little time to continue as the shaking of the door made his head snap up. Cursing, he pushed his magic at the door to hold the Locking Charm and at the files, duplicating them. He sent the copies to his bag and hurried to put everything back to the way it had been. He rushed back to his seat and pulled back his magic, allowing Grey to unlock the door and enter. He sat stiffly as Grey swept up the room and stood in front of him, a hard glare on his face.

Harry prepared himself for yelling or hexing-he honestly wasn't sure which one the man would choose-only for knocking on the door to interrupt Grey's decision. Harry didn't move, but a snarl twisted Grey's face as he looked past Harry at the door.

"What?" Grey barked.

Harry heard the click of the door latch releasing as the door was opened and saw Grey's eyes flash with what could only be described as pure hate.

"I apologize for the interruption, but I require my son."

The relief Harry felt at hearing Severus' voice was palpable and he could have sagged if not for Grey's still imposing form directly in front of him.

"His detention is not over," Grey snapped.

"He will make it up another evening," Severus told him.

Harry wanted to argue, but didn't want to bring either man's wrath on him.

"Come along, Harry."

Harry didn't hesitate to obey, snatching up his bag and slipping from the chair as Grey's blazing eyes snapped to him. He walked briskly to his father, slipping past him into the corridor to get as far away from Grey as possible.

"Good evening, Professor," Severus said politely and pulled the door closed on a fuming Grey.

"Dad, I-" Harry started only to jump when Severus turned to him, face full of worry.

"Did he hurt you?" Severus asked sharply.

Harry frowned. "What? No."

Severus let out a clearly relieved breath. "The way the both of you looked..."

Harry thought back to how stiffly he'd been sitting and the anger in Grey as he loomed. He could see how his father had made the leap.

"He didn't do anything," Harry assured. "He was mad though. I'd locked him out of the room."

"Why would you do that?" Severus questioned.

"He'd left and I...took a look at what he'd been doing," Harry said awkwardly, realizing the trouble he could be in for snooping on a professor. "But, I found something you have to see!" he added quickly.

"We will take a look," Severus said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder to guide him to the dungeons. "Sirius has found something as well."

Worry bubbled in Harry's gut as he walked with his father. Nothing they were finding was making any sense, only causing agitation, confusion, and hurt. Harry was becoming less and less sure he wanted to solve the mystery, not at the expense of his family. A few minutes later, Harry let himself be guided into his father's quarters, finding all three of his godfathers. Remus was perched on the sofa arm with Sirius and Kingsley standing close, the three of them talking quietly with tight faces.

"You know, I love all of you, but I am not enjoying this new pattern of you all being everywhere I go and looking like someone's died," Harry quipped, snickering when a hand swatted the back of his head.

"Maybe remember this is how we've looked during every single one of your stunts the last four years the next time you have the urge to go adventuring," Severus told him, pushing him towards the others to sit on the sofa.

"I wouldn't call it an urge or adventuring," Harry argued as he sat on the center sofa cushion, dropping his bag on the coffee table. Remus remained on the sofa arm while Sirius sat next to Harry, Kingsley stood by the empty fireplace, and Severus took his usual seat in one of the wingback.

"Would you rather your ‘saving people thing'?" Severus retorted with a raised eyebrow.

Harry scowled. "Stop talking to my friends."

"Shall I stop talking to Remus as well then?" Severus asked and Harry whipped his head around to scowl at his godfather, indignant.

Remus lifted his hands in surrender, lips twitching in a clear attempt to hold back a smile.

Harry huffed and threw himself back on the sofa, arms over his chest. "I take it back. I hate all of you."

He rolled his eyes when the men chuckled at his grumbling and Sirius draped an arm around his neck.

"Shame," Severus drawled wryly.

"I believe we have some things to discuss," Kingsley interjected.

"Yes, you both have found something?" Severus said, looking at Sirius and Kingsley.

"I spoke to the goblins and got access to James' vault, the vault Harry will get once he's of age," Sirius told them. "I found a couple of things. A fairly large amount had been withdrawn a few days before Halloween. Considering they were in hiding, a large withdrawal is strange."

"No record of where the money went?" Kingsley asked and Sirius shook his head.

"No scripts were used," Sirius replied. "It was taken out and used as pure cash. Any goblin magic that traces coins was removed."

"How would anyone be able to do that?" Harry wondered.

"A Curse Breaker or an Unspeakable are the only ones that would have the skill to break goblin magic," Severus said and Sirius nodded gravely. "What else did you find?"

Harry craned his neck to look at his godfather curiously when the man hesitated to continue.

"I found Lily and James' wands." Sirius paused again. "They had both been snapped."

Harry frowned at his father and godfathers as their faces grew concerned and confused. "Were their wands broken that night?"

Kingsley shook his head. "No, they were processed through the Ministry and given to the goblins intact."

"So, what?" Harry said. "Someone broke into Gringotts?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Severus said, referring to Harry's first year and the philosopher's stone. "However, that had been the first break-in in decades, at least recorded. Once the goblins took over, break-ins supposedly ceased."

"Why would anyone break into a vault just to snap a couple wands?" Harry wondered.

"To prevent any examination," Remus replied. "We already know Grey and Moreshire falsely reported their wands had been scanned. Snapping them would ensure no scan could ever be done."

"But why?" Harry asked, not understanding.

"One or both of their wands must have been able to show something about that night," Kingsley explained.

"And, whatever it was, Grey and Moreshire didn't want anyone finding out about it," Remus added.

"Maybe it's connected to what I found," Harry said, leaning forward to dig in his bag for the copies he'd made. "Grey had these." He handed them to Severus whose eyebrows came together low on his forehead.

"This is a crime scene report," Severus observed, scanning the document before looking up at Sirius. "You worked this case with James."

Sirius frowned and took the papers. "And Grey? Adeline Moreshire..." he muttered as he read. "I don't remember this case at all, and I don't remember Grey or Elias Moreshire."

"Could it be from Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"No, Padfoot ensured I kept my mind," Sirius said, rereading the file almost desperately.

"Kingsley," Severus said and Harry watched as the Auror walked over to his father to look at the files on the Lestranges.

"Dead?" Kingsley said, shocked. "They're not dead. I just went through prisoner records and theirs were there. Living inmate documents."

"So, either these are forged or the living documents are," Severus said.

"Wait, when does it say they died?" Remus asked.

"July twenty-sixth, nineteen eighty-one," Severus read.

"That's the day after the withdrawal from Gringotts," Sirius realized.

"The missing prisoners," Kingsley said. "Whoever did this had the living inmate documents made so they wouldn't register as dead or escaped, but didn't take into account the monthly count."

"Who signed the death certificates?" Sirius asked.

"Ariadne. Marina Ariadne," Kingsley read and pulled a parchment from his pocket. "Same person that signed off on this." He dropped the paper on top of Harry's bag on the coffee table. Harry's eyes widened as he read his name on the death certificate.

"What the hell is this?" Harry demanded, snatching up the paper.

"I found it in the Potter file," Kingsley replied. "I have no idea when or how it got there, only that it had to have been after August tenth because that's when the investigation closed, and I use the term ‘investigation' loosely."

"Clearly," Remus said sardonically.

"Who is this Ariadne?" Severus asked, looking at Kingsley.

"I honestly have no idea," Kingsley admitted.

Sirius suddenly stood, startling Harry's attention from the death certificate. "I'm going to Azkaban."

"What?" Harry questioned, startled again.

"Pettigrew knows something. He must," Sirius said.

"He has no soul," Harry pointed out.

"He still has memories," Sirius said. "Come on, Remus. We'll be back for tomorrow night."

Harry barely had time to say ‘goodbye' before the two men were gone.

"I'm going to try find personnel files again for Grey, Moreshire, and this Ariadne," Kingsley said.

Harry watched his third godfather leave before dropping his eyes back to the death certificate...his death certificate. His mind was racing and his gut was twisting. He couldn't stop reading his name as though, if he read it enough times, it would morph into another name, a correct name. By the forty-third read, he was lost in the spiral that was his mind until an arm wrapped around his shoulders and long fingers tugged the paper from his hands.

"Calm down, child," Severus said gently. "You are levitating things."

Harry blinked and looked up, finding a teacup floating as well as the photos and trinkets on the mantle. He frowned and forced the items down, once again having not noticed his excess magic acting up. That seemed to be becoming more common.

"What has you so distressed?" Severus asked.

Harry pulled away and looked at his father incredulously. "I'm dead!"

Severus arched an eyebrow. "You are most assuredly not dead."

"There's a death certificate with my name on it!" Harry shouted, snatching the page back.

Severus took it again with a sigh. "While certainly disconcerting and warranting an investigation, it means nothing unless you are implying I adopted a ghost."

Harry slumped into the sofa again. "Apparently you did."

"Harry."

He lifted his eyes to his father. "What's happening?" he asked quietly, feeling like something was breaking. "What does this all mean?"

Severus sighed again, sadder this time. He brushed Harry's fringe aside and stroked his cheek lightly. "I do not know, but we will find out."

"What if it's something bad?"

"Then we will deal with it."

Harry bit his lip, his anxiety skyrocketing. He pulled his legs up and curled into Severus' side, needing contact, needing to know everything he'd found was still there. It felt like there was a net hovering behind him just waiting to scoop him away. He needed the security that was Severus. The man's arms immediately fell around him, providing that solid presence that kept down the pit threatening to swallow him.

"Don't leave," he muttered into Severus' chest, unable to keep his possibly irrational fear to himself. Severus' arms tightened around him and a kiss brushed his hair before his father's head came to rest against his.

"Never, my son."

"Severus will not be happy if he finds out you're up here in the middle of the night."

Harry turned away from the dark horizon view from the Astronomy Tower at Kingsley's quiet voice. He watched the man push away from the center railing he'd been leaning on and lower himself to join Harry at the edge of the observation platform, sitting against the opposite side of Harry's archway. Harry was reminded of the few nights back in Privet Drive before Hogwarts when he'd been awake, but Severus hadn't been. It wasn't common-Severus had been extraordinarily sensitive to when Harry was awake and distraught-but there had been a few nights where Severus was completely exhausted, but Harry couldn't sleep. He would curl up in a corner, overwhelmed by whatever trauma was tearing at him in the moment, and Kingsley had sat in the opposite corner, taking away his naturally imposing form and ensuring Harry was not alone.

"I've got an Auror escort," Harry quipped with a cheeky half-grin.

Kingsley chuckled lightly. "What's brought you up here?"

Harry's mirth faded and he turned back to look outside. "I've been having nightmares, weird ones."

"Not the usual ones?" Kingsley asked, referring to the Dursleys and Voldemort, and Harry shook his head.

"I mean, Halloween's come back, but it's different. Blank faces, weird voices, weird order of things," Harry told him. "Guess this whole mystery thing is messing with me."

"That's to be expected," Kingsley assured. "Halloween was tragic and traumatic, and it's being dragged up, questioned."

"Yeah, I know." Harry blew out a deep breath. "I can hardly imagine what it's like for Dad, and Sirius and Remus."

"I take it Halloween is not the only nightmare that's driven you up here."

Harry glanced at his godfather. "No, there's another one."

Kingsley just watched him quietly, waiting.

"It hasn't made much sense, but I've had it a few times now," Harry said, picking absently at the skin on his thumb as he remembered the dream. "I think I'm underground. It's dark until I see a small light or movement. There's yelling, two different voices, and a triangle, then I start to get buried and there's a green flash. Then I wake up."

"Have you told Severus?" Kingsley asked.

Harry shook his head. "I forgot after the first time, and now he's got too much else on his mind."

"He'd want to know. Your dreams are not typically just dreams."

"I know, but he's upset and stressed enough with all this Halloween business," Harry argued. "I cause him enough trouble as it is."

"Come on, kid, you know that's not true."

"Isn't it?" Harry shot back. "Did you know he only sleeps maybe four hours a night because he can't stop researching horcruxes in living beings? Can you imagine how much calmer his life would be if he'd never adopted me?"

"Given he's told me he likely would have returned to Voldemort's service in some capacity, I would have to argue that his life would be more stressful," Kingsley told him. "Not to mention lonely. That man had no one before you and don't you even think he would give up any of it just for a couple more hours of sleep. That's why he doesn't stop researching. He refuses to give you up to anything."

Harry let his head fall back against the stone with a small huff. "You know, sometimes I want to wallow in self-pity, not have a helpful lecture."

"Wrong family for that, I'm afraid," Kingsley said with mock sympathy, making Harry laugh. "Now, as for your dream, it sounds like it could be connected to Voldemort or, rather, a part of him."

Harry frowned, questioningly.

"His ring," Kingsley clarified. "Slughorn gave Albus a memory of it, and part of its design and shape is a triangle."

"A horcrux? I'm dreaming about a horcrux?"

"Seems like. The voices and green light, I'm not sure about, but it seems like it could be underground."

"I'm not sure how that helps," Harry replied. "The voices and light, though. What if it's how the horcrux was made?"

"Like a memory."

Harry nodded. "What if memories of their creation are in horcruxes and I can see them because I'm also a horcrux?"

"It is definitely possible," Kingsley agreed. "Horcruxes are basically living things."

"Maybe that's how we find what they are and where they are, through me."

"Let's not get too excited, kid," Kingsley said. "Let's talk to Severus and Albus first. I am not about to encourage a mental treasure hunt for soul bits before we know anything."

"This is what everyone's been waiting for," Harry argued. "I could actually be useful in the search."

"Not until we tell Severus and Albus, and find out what we can first," Kingsley said firmly and Harry exhaled sharply again.

"Fine, but not until after tomorrow," Harry agreed reluctantly. "I'm not ruining Halloween more than it's already been."

"Luckily, James' tail was small enough he could wear trousers like normal while I spent a month cutting holes in mine."

Harry laughed with Sirius as the man's story ended while Remus chuckled and Severus shook his head, amused.

"And here I thought you were," Severus moved his hands up to cover Harry's ears playfully, "experimenting with a special toy."

"Well, that is what James announced in Transfiguration," Remus reminded.

"Oh, I remember." Sirius barked a laugh.

Harry tugged Severus' hands from his ears, letting his father's arms return to where they'd been draped down his chest, keeping him in a loose embrace.

"Can I become an Animagus?" he asked.

"I believe I have said you can begin next year," Severus repeated for what Harry knew was likely the fortieth time since third year.

"They were only fifteen."

"Oh yes, and this story has been a glowing endorsement of that fact," Severus drawled.

"Even I can't argue with Severus on this one," Sirius said and Harry huffed, Severus' chest bouncing under him as the man laughed lightly. Sirius jumped to his feet. "Come on, kid."

"Go on," Severus said, brushing a hand through Harry's hair and pushing him up encouragingly.

Harry took off after Sirius who had transformed into Padfoot and was bounding around the glade. He chased after his godfather, dodging his jumps and rolling on the grass when he was finally knocked down. He laughed as he wrestled with the giant dog, always secretly thrilled to act like a complete child on Halloween, having the fun he never got with the Dursleys for at least one night.

Eventually, Sirius transformed back just as a glittery, blue, translucent stag and doe began running around the glade, looking not unlike Patronuses. Harry smiled at Severus and Remus who had cast the creatures and were talking casually, Remus chuckling and Severus smirking good-naturedly. His attention was pulled from them as Sirius grabbed him around the waist and spun him around, making him laugh wildly. 

As Sirius put him back on the ground, Severus and Remus joined them. Harry was pulled to Severus' side as they watched the stag and doe frolic around, playing and nuzzling with each other. Soon, they slowed and walked over. The doe came to stand in front of Harry and Severus, and Harry raised his hand as if to pet her. It wasn't possible, of course, but he did feel the warmth of the magic that created her and her stag who was sauntering around Sirius and Remus. Harry smiled sadly as the doe bowed into his hand as though wanting his touch.

"Would you look at that."

Harry looked away from the doe at Sirius' voice and followed the man's gaze to the tree line. He was stunned to see a stag standing there and seeming to stare directly at the four of them.

"Nice bit of coincidence," Sirius said, but Harry was more focused on Remus whose face was crumpled with confusion.

"It's not possible," Remus muttered.

"Remus?" Severus queried.

Harry found himself growing anxious as Remus ended his conjuration of the stag apparition and held his wand in the direction of the real stag.

"Do you smell it?" Remus asked Sirius.

Sirius sniffed the air and his eyes widened before furrowing into an expression of distrust. He pulled his own wand as the stag took a few steps forward, leaving the tree line.

"Severus, it's not a stag," Remus told him stiffly. "It's an Animagus."

"And there's another one," Sirius added and, as though summoned, a doe joined the stag.

Severus' conjured doe dissipated as he joined the others in raising his wand to the animals. Harry was pushed partially behind his father in a protective move.

"Death Eaters cannot cross the wards," Severus said. "Nothing with Dark Magic remnants can."

"They're not Death Eaters," Remus replied. "The Dark Magic remains to be seen."

"Why? Who are they?" Harry asked.

The stag and doe shimmered and morphed, losing their animals forms and becoming human. Harry's eyes popped open and his heart leapt into his throat while pounding hard in his ears. He knew them. They were older and didn't look exactly the same as his pictures, but he knew them.

And it was impossible.

He felt a shudder run through Severus as they all stared, for that was all they could do...stare...

Stare at Lily and James Potter.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

It couldn't be...

His heart was pounding, creating a sharp ache in his chest, but he paid it no attention. He couldn't take his focus from them.

Harry started to step forward only for Severus' arm to extend in front of him, keeping him behind his father. He gripped Severus' arm, unable to tear his eyes away from Lily and James, the two still just standing there with strange, small smiles. He couldn't help but jump slightly when Lily suddenly looked directly at him, allowing him to finally see where his eyes had come from.

"Harry," she said, her voice soft, but there was something else there, something Harry couldn't identify, at least, not right then. "Look at you. All grown up. I never thought-"

"Don't you speak to him," Severus snarled, curling his hand around Harry's hip to pull him closer and in a clear attempt to shield him from view.

"He was right. What happened, boys?" James said with an odd lilt in his voice and glint in his eye as he turned to Sirius and Remus. "I don't remember Snape being a part of the plan for my son."

"Who or what are you?" Sirius said tightly, also shifting to help hide Harry.

"Aw, come on, Pads," James said with a lopsided grin and holding his hands out to his sides. "Gonna hurt my feelings."

"Don't you talk to me like you know me," Sirius growled.

James dropped his hands into his trouser pockets and his grin fell, eyes turning hard. "Maybe I don't," he said, a snap in his tone. "Never thought I'd see you with Snivellus, after all, or allowing him near my son."

Harry frowned, bristling at the insulting nickname and confused by James' apparent anger. This wasn't how he had ever imagined his father to be. As a teenager, maybe, but Sirius and Remus had sworn James had changed, gotten better once he left Hogwarts and married Lily. Even the look in Lily's eyes was putting him off, never how he thought his mother would look at him.

"Yeah, well, it's been fourteen years, mate," Sirius replied.

"And we shouldn't be seeing you at all," Remus added, amber eyes flashing dangerously. "I think we're owed an explanation before you are."

If anyone was going to respond to Remus, they were cut off by Harry crying out when the pain he'd been ignoring in his chest evolved into deep, harsh, painful pulsing. He grasped at his chest with one hand while the other tightened on Severus' arm, bringing his father's attention to him. The pain steadily increased, making it hard to think or focus on anything else. He could just barely recognize the electricity in the air around him and the voices that had resumed.

"Kid really is a little broken, isn't he?" he heard James say, once again in a tone Harry couldn't quite figure out.

Harry's knees buckled slightly, but he was kept on his feet by Severus. His eyes fluttered as the painful pulsing continued, magic leaving him in heavy waves that charged the air.

"Explanations will have to wait for another time," he heard Lily add and then there were shuffling sounds. He felt movement around him, and heard leaves rustle aggressively and muffled sounds of snapping twigs.

"Sirius, don't! Come back!" Remus shouted.

There was more movement and he forced his eyes open as he trembled, finding Severus had knelt in front of him and was holding his upper arms firmly. The dark eyes were worried and the long hair was being whipped around as though caught in a strong wind.

"Harry, calm down," Severus told him. "You're expelling magic."

Harry grasped at Severus' shoulders, clutching the man's robe almost desperately when the pulsing wracked his body some more. He groaned, the sound turning into a whimper by the end.

"I...I...can't..." he gasped out. "I don't...I don't...I..."

"What's wrong?" Remus asked next to him, sounding just as worried as Severus looked.

"I think he's going into magical shock," Severus replied.

In that moment, Harry had no idea what that meant despite having experienced it before, and he had no capacity to remember, continuing to shake and claw at his father's shoulders.

"How? He hasn't used any magic." Remus sounded concerned and confused.

"Given what we have just witnessed and his damaged core, it is likely an emotional response," Severus explained.

Harry gulped in a desperate breath, bunching Severus' robes in his fists with tears burning in his eyes. The pulsing was continuing, causing sharp, electric pain to course through his body. He could feel himself growing weak, his vision blurring and tunneling and his stomach was clenching, making him nauseous.

"D...Dad..."

A large, warm hand cupped his cheek.

"You're okay, Harry," Severus said gently. "You're being overloaded. I need you to calm down. I know it's hard, but you need to stop expelling magic before you deplete."

Harry shook his head jerkily. "I...I don't...I can't..."

"You can. Just like when you have a panic attack, child," Severus murmured comfortingly. "You know how to do this. Just breathe and feel."

Harry tried to do so, tried to focus on everything that made him feel safe the way he did during panic attacks. He felt Severus' hand on his bicep, rubbing up and down, and the hand on his cheek, the thumb stroking his heated skin. He couldn't tell if the thumb was brushing away tears, couldn't tell if there were any to be caught. He tried to focus on those things and tried to pull his magic in, but nothing could seem to break through and he shook his head again in frustrated despair.

"I lost them," he heard Sirius suddenly say, his godfather's voice having been absent through the whole ordeal so far.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Remus snapped. "Didn't you learn anything fourteen years ago? You have no idea who or what you were chasing."

"Oh, don't you get on me, Moony. You saw the same thing I did."

"We don't know what we saw, that's the point!"

Severus suddenly moved, standing which dropped his hand from Harry's cheek and made Harry grasp the robes on the man's chest instead of shoulders. Harry leaned forward so his forehead was pressed to his father's sternum, Severus' hand immediately coming to rest on the back of his head.

"Gentlemen, perhaps we could argue later." Severus' chest rumbled under Harry as he spoke.

"What's happening?" Sirius asked and Harry heard the worry that entered his godfather's voice.

"He's in emotional magical shock," Severus answered. "I need to get him to our quarters."

Being in his father's quarters sounded wonderful. He was just barely aware of the pressure that surrounded him temporarily and was vaguely confused when he heard Sirius curse quietly.

"How...?" Remus also sounded puzzled.

"He Apparated all of us," Severus said with a sigh and Harry opened his eyes, tilting his head just enough to realize they were no longer in the Forest's glade, but now in Severus' rooms. 

"Through Hogwarts' wards?" Sirius said, sounding stunned.

"Apparently," Severus replied. "It is of no concern right now. Remus, get the conduit crystal from my study. He needs the help. Harry, lay down on the sofa."

Harry didn't answer, but allowed Severus to maneuver him around until he was laid across the sofa. He continued spasming against the cushions, his fingers curling and digging into them. He forced his eyes open again and found Severus sitting on the coffee table next to him while Sirius stood near the fireplace, and items shimmered as they levitated on his magic waves. A few seconds later, Remus was reaching over the back of the sofa and over him, handing something to Severus.

"Hold this, Harry," Severus said, prying his left hand from the sofa and pressing the conduit crystal into his palm.

He'd only ever had to use the crystal once before, after the Chamber of Secrets debacle when the Basilisk venom and trauma of what had happened made his magic become uncontrollable, much as it was now. When it happened, his magic essentially became confused, convinced he was in danger and needed protecting again, just like on his tenth birthday with his uncle. His core poured magic, flooding him with it and, since he didn't actually need it, it overloaded him and poured out to affect everything around him.

Lucius had been the one to provide the conduit crystal which gave his magic something to focus on rather than the non-existent danger. The crystal collected his excess magic and allowed his core to slowly reabsorb it without overloading him any further.

As his fingers curled around the crystal, the hard pulsing in his chest eased slightly, his magic stopped filling the room, and everything levitating dropped. He was able to release a deep breath, albeit somewhat shakily, and he focused on spinning the crystal in his hand even as he continued trembling. A hand came to rest on his thigh comfortingly and he smiled to himself.

"We need to speak with Albus," Severus said and Harry found his eyes flying open when he felt his father stand. 

Harry's free hand shot out and he grasped his father's sleeve, his heart speeding up unexplainably. "Don't leave. Please."

Severus gazed at him for a few moments before nodding and sitting back down on the coffee table. "Go speak with Albus. Tell him what happened. Also, find Kingsley and tell him the Forest needs to be searched. I imagine they are long gone, but they can look for signatures."

There were no responses, but Harry heard footsteps, received affectionate brushes of fingers through his hair, and listened to the door open and close. He watched and shifted when Severus moved from the coffee table to sit next to him on the sofa.

"You were unaware you were expelling magic until the pain started." It wasn't a question.

Harry sighed and gave a small nod.

"It has happened before." Again, not a question.

"Two other times this month," Harry admitted. "It seemed to start when the dream started."

"Dream?" Severus repeated, a light sharpness in his tone.

"It started about a month ago," Harry told him. "I'm underground and there's mist. I see a triangle in the mist and there's voices, and then I get buried alive. I think it's about a horcrux."

Severus' eyes shut for a long second before pinning Harry again. "And you decided this was not something I needed to know about?"

"At first, I honestly just forgot," Harry replied. "Then, all of this stuff about Halloween started and I didn't want to stress you out even more."

Severus' stared turned harder.

"I told Kingsley," Harry hurried to add. "He's the one that thought I might be seeing a horcrux and hearing its creation."

"The horcrux in you could be impacting your magic, especially if it is reaching for the others," Severus said thoughtfully before rubbing his forehead. "You should have told me about this dream and your magic when they both started."

"I know," Harry agreed. "I didn't want to ruin Halloween. Though, guess that happened anyway, considering."

Severus' expression changed into a mix of alarm and sympathy. The man's hand came up and brushed his hair back, cupping his cheek again briefly.

"It couldn't have really been them," Harry said, eyes flicking up to his father's. "Could it?"

Severus sighed. "Typically, I would say no. however, given all we have discovered and have yet to understand, I truthfully cannot say for certain."

Harry's eyebrows furrowed as his mind raced, attempting to process what he'd seen now his magic was more under control.

"If...if it really was them, they...they weren't what I'd imagined they'd be like," Harry said, rolling the crystal in his hand absently. "They weren't like how you all told me."

"Which is why we cannot be certain it was them."

Harry's furrow evolved into a frown. "If it was them...if they've been alive all this time..." he hesitated before voicing his deep dark fear. "Why didn't they come back for me?"

Severus' face softened and he cradled Harry's face for the third time. "I don't know, child."

Harry felt a single, light tear fall from the corner of his eye and trail across his temple into his hair. "Can you...stay? Just for a minute?"

Severus didn't say anything, but helped Harry to sit up before moving to sit behind him. Severus moved them until Harry's back was resting against Severus' chest as Severus settled into the corner of the sofa. His father's arm curled across his chest, hand rubbing Harry's upper arm.

"I will never be anywhere else," Severus murmured.

Harry leaned his head slightly to lay it against Severus' shoulder and stared into the fire flickering in the fireplace, monotonously turning the crystal over and over between both hands. He sat in the silence and comfort provided by his father, fighting to think of the years given to him by the man who chose him and not the years stolen from him by those who may have chosen to leave him behind.

Harry pushed at his sausage despondently, watching it roll back across his plate. He pushed it again and it rolled back, the pattern repeating. He felt ill despite the Anti-Nausea Potion he'd been given, telling him his rolling stomach wasn't just a result of his chaotic core from last night. While his magic was back under control, he could still feel it sizzling within him, still agitated by his simmering, unsettled emotions. He couldn't turn off his anxiety, his confusion, his fear, his hurt. He couldn't stop seeing them, whoever they were. He couldn't stop seeing the way they had looked at him and spoken about him, sounding...disappointed? Annoyed? Surprised? Angry? Disgusted?

He just didn't understand.

"Harry, you need to eat."

He sighed, stabbed a small bit of egg, and put it in his mouth only to drop his fork and push his plate away. "I can't."

"I know this is all very distressing, but I won't have you hurting yourself," Severus told him.

"I'm not," Harry protested. "I'm just not hungry and I want answers."

"Which, realistically, we may not get immediately," Severus argued.

Harry slumped in his chair. "I know," he muttered.

They were interrupted by the appearance of Remus' wolf Patronus.

"Kingsley has arrived and Albus wishes to see us, both about last night and the horcruxes."

"I want you to get some rest," Severus said as he stood. "I will return as soon as I can."

Harry immediately shook his head and also got to his feet. "I am not waiting. I'm coming with you."

"Harry, you need rest after being in shock. You could relapse," Severus told him.

"Honestly, I'll relapse if you make me stay here alone and wait," Harry argued. "Anything I come up with here alone will be way worse than anything that's going to be said in that office."

Severus continued staring at him, clearly hesitant.

"Dad, I'm going to be honest. If you don't let me come, I will break every one of your rules and be there anyway," Harry told him and, despite the seriousness of the situation, grinned at Severus' heavy sigh and eyeroll.

"I suppose I must appreciate the transparency," Severus said with exasperation, eyes returning to Harry. "Very well. Come with me. However, if you begin to feel unwell, you will leave with no complaints, agreed?"

Harry nodded. "Promise."

"Come along then."

Severus guided Harry out of their quarters with a hand between his shoulders and they made their way up to the headmaster's office. Upon entering, they found Dumbledore behind his desk looking concerned, Kingsley leaning against the tall window's ledge with his arms crossed, and Remus sitting in front of Dumbledore's desk as he talked quietly with Sirius who was perched on the desk's corner. They all turned and looked up as they joined, Harry pulled to Sirius' side before he could sit beside Remus. He hugged his godfather, remembering all that had broken the previous evening and was the reason for all of them being there. A part of him wanted to escape, pretend it was all a terrible nightmare, but he knew it was impossible. None of them could ignore all they'd learned up to that point and what they had seen last night.

"How are you feeling, kid?" Sirius asked, still holding Harry close.

"I'm okay. Magic's back to normal."

"To an extent," Severus jumped in. "He should be resting, but he threatened to crash this meeting if I didn't allow him to accompany me."

Harry grinned sheepishly as his godfathers laughed and Severus shook his head, amused. He finally moved to sit in the other chair beside Remus and Severus stood behind him.

"In light of what occurred last night, Kingsley has updated me on the investigation you have undertaken these last few weeks," Dumbledore said and the others nodded. "That being said, Kingsley, if you would tell us what you found."

Harry looked over at Kingsley as the man left the window and stood next to Sirius.

"As you anticipated, we found no one in the Forest. Even the centaurs saw nothing," Kingsley told them. "We also did not find any magical signatures except for one."

"That's impossible," Sirius protested. "They were there. We all saw them and I know their scents."

"Whether it was actually them or not, there has to be signatures," Remus added. "They were Animagi and they transformed. There had to be signatures."

"Unless they masked their signatures," Severus offered. "Though, that is nearly impossible to do unless you use goblin magic or are an Unspeakable with the masking pendant."

Kingsley nodded. "Which goes into the rest. We found one signature, but it was tampered with."

Harry frowned, confused. "What does that mean?"

"It is a signature that someone has attempted to make look like someone else's," Kingsley explained. "Except this masking form is weak and we could identify both. The signature masking is Ethan Grey."

Harry, at first, didn't think that too strange. Grey was a professor at Hogwarts, after all, and his signature showing up in the forest wasn't impossible. Then, it fully registered that Kingsley was saying Grey's signature was hiding someone else's, meaning Ethan Grey didn't actually exist. So, who...

"The underlying signature, the real signature is Elias Moreshire," Kingsley finished and Harry's eyes grew wide.

"Are you saying Ethan Grey and Elias Moreshire are the same person?" Remus asked and Kingsley nodded.

"How is that possible?" Sirius asked demandingly. "Both of their names are on reports for scenes they had worked."

"Forged," Kingsley replied. "It seems to have been an attempt to make it seem like they were separate people to avoid detection in the forgeries."

"But how did he mask his magic?" Harry asked. "He's not all that powerful and I haven't seen any kind of pendant."

"That is the other part of what I found," Kingsley answered. "He has used a masking spell only known by Unspeakables and Aurors. It doesn't fully mask a signature. It's meant to dampen it, but he seems to have changed it to try and create a brand new signature to hide Elias Moreshire's. Marina Ariadne is an Unspeakable whose name appears on several documents involving Grey, Moreshire, and Halloween. I haven't been able to physically track her down yet, but she has very clear ties to Grey, Moreshire, and James Potter."

"So, she's involved," Severus said tightly.

"Seems like," Kingsley agreed. "I don't think details were changed about Halloween. I think the entire narrative was changed, and I think James and Lily survived."

As they sat in a stunned, disconcerted silence, Harry just stared at the floor. His mind was spinning as Kingsley's theory echoed in his head and tore his world apart.

James and Lily survived.

This time when Harry's magic started spiralling with his thoughts and the sharp pain stabbed his chest, he was aware of it. Not wanting his father to remove him from the meeting, he fought to contain his excess magic and stop it from pouring out. Holding back while his thoughts and emotions continued to demand a magical outlet made the pain in his chest worse, but he ignored it, focusing on the unbelievable theory Kingsley had presented.

James and Lily couldn't be alive. No matter what they'd seen, it just wasn't possible. They were dead, had died protecting him. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be because...

Because if it was true, then they hadn't died for him.

Because if it was true, then everything was a lie.

Because if it was true, then they'd left him behind for fourteen years.

That's why it couldn't be true because they wouldn't have abandoned him...

Would they?

No, of course not. They'd loved him...

Hadn't they?

"It can't be," Remus eventually said, shaking his head. "It wouldn't make sense and, besides, Lily wasn't an Animagus."

Yes, exactly! Remus was right. It couldn't have been Lily and James! It was just some sick trick.

"Given everything else we seem to not know, Lily being an Animagus is not high on the list of impossibilities," Kingsley pointed out and Harry's hopes for a sick prank sank with his heart. "Plus, if I'm right, it's been fourteen years. A lot can happen in that kind of time."

"There has to be another explanation," Remus argued and Harry looked around at the others, finding deep, pained contemplation and resignation.

"You know their scents as well as I do, Moony," Sirius said quietly, almost reluctantly.

"Scents can be altered," Remus objected.

"Not enough to get past us, especially you," Sirius replied and the way Remus' face tightened told Harry the werewolf was running out of arguments.

"What about the bodies?" Remus tried again, looking at Sirius and Dumbledore. "You both saw them."

"I did see both, yes," Dumbledore agreed with a slow nod and Harry felt the smallest sliver of hope rise within him. "However, it is possible to change one's appearance."

"Polyjuice would have worn off and no charms last after death," Remus stated matter-of-factly.

"Unless they were already dead," Kingsley said bluntly.

"Lily was exceptional at charm work," Severus added and Harry felt his sliver of hope die. If Severus was arguing for Kingsley's theory, it had to be true.

"Severus, you can't possibly believe this," Remus said, astonished.

"I don't wish to, but I am seeing no other explanations," Severus replied, sounding pained at his own admission.

"It explains nearly everything we've found," Kingsley told them. "They paid someone off to get the Lestranges from Azkaban. They paid Ariadne to forge documents. They had Grey help stage Godric's Hollow and write the reports to hide the truth."

"It would also explain the lack of blood wards around Privet Drive," Dumbledore interjected.

Harry sunk in his chair with his heart and stomach, further and further, while his eyes burned and his magic screamed to be released. His world was fracturing.

"By saying this, we're saying Lily and James murdered the Lestranges. We're saying they helped send you to Azkaban," Remus said to Sirius. "We're saying they left..."

"Me," Harry whispered when his godfather stopped abruptly and it was as though the single word broke the lock on his magic. He felt it rush out of him in a short, but strong burst and the window cracked loudly. He sighed when Severus' hand landed on his shoulder and everyone's eyes landed on him.

"Perhaps you should take a break, son."

"No, please. I know I promised not to argue, but please let me stay," Harry said, turning to look up at his father.

"Harry..."

"I need to hear this. Please, Dad," Harry pleaded. "I'm okay, I promise."

Severus stared at him for a long minute before releasing his own reluctant sigh and nodding, carding his fingers through Harry's hair. "Very well."

Harry gave him a small, grateful smile and turned back around, ignoring the way his magic still sizzled in his gut. Severus' hand came to rest on him again, palm pressed warmly to the front of his shoulder, and Remus laid his own hand on Harry's leg.

"If this is what we're saying is true," Remus continued, "then why? Why would they do this?"

"There are still many unanswered questions and that is among them," Dumbledore replied. "I suggest we cease speculating until we have further information and evidence."

"How do we do that?" Sirius asked. "Seems like they did a damn good cover-up job."

"I'll find Ariadne," Kingsley suggested. "There's still some parts of Archives and Records I haven't gotten into. Restricted areas. I'm sure something will be hidden down there."

"Do be careful not to endanger yourself," Dumbledore cautioned and Kingsley nodded before leaving the office, patting Harry's shoulder comfortingly. "Sirius, speak with Gringotts again about the withdrawals, the wands, and anything else they may know about. Remus, I would like you to go to Godric's Hollow. Perhaps there are things we missed in the tragedy and emotion of the night. I will arrange a visit with Peter Pettigrew."

"I tried already," Sirius told him. "He couldn't give me anything."

"You are unable to Legilimize him," Dumbledore pointed out and Sirius inclined his head in understanding. "Additionally, Ethan Grey may prove to be useful."

"You cannot be serious," Severus protested. "He's a clear threat to Harry."

"He may lead us to the truth," Dumbledore said.

"He's right," Harry jumped in. "Grey's already been trying to find things out about what happened on Halloween. Maybe I can get him to reveal something."

Severus blew out a very obviously frustrated breath.

"I'll be careful," Harry promised. "I'll get my friends to help. I won't do anything alone."

Severus just gave a single stiff nod and squeezed Harry's shoulder.

"I must caution you two as well," Dumbledore said to Harry's godfathers. "We cannot allow Grey to know we are onto his role in all of this, nor that we are aware of his true identity."

Agreeing, Sirius and Remus followed Kingsley in leaving the office after giving Harry a comforting pat or squeeze. Severus finally moved from standing behind Harry and took Remus' spot next to him, replacing Remus' hand on his leg.

"Have you been struggling with your magic, my boy?" Dumbledore asked, gazing at Harry after glancing at the cracked window.

"A little," Harry admitted.

"He has begun expelling magic without realizing," Severus added.

Dumbledore's forehead crinkled as he stared at Harry. "When did this begin?"

"Beginning of the month," Harry said. "Same time as the dreams."

"Dreams?" Dumbledore echoed and Harry nodded.

"I think it's about a horcrux," Harry explained. "I think I'm seeing where it is and hearing how it was created. I hear voices."

"Do you know which horcrux?" Dumbledore wondered.

"Kingsley thinks it's the ring," Harry told him. "I think he killed his father to make it."

"I would have to agree," Dumbledore said and placed a photo on the desk. Harry leaned forward to see it, finding it to be a close-up of a woman's hand with a gold ring with a triangular, pyramid-shaped black stone. "Is this what you have seen?"

Harry nodded, looking at the headmaster curiously.

"I learned of this ring from Horace Slughorn, a former professor here at Hogwarts, as you know. He told me about it as well as about the day he told Tom Riddle about horcruxes," Dumbledore explained. "This ring was last seen, except by Horace, on the hand of Merope Gaunt, Voldemort's mother, when she died in childbirth at Wool's Orphanage. It was sold to Borgin and Burke's before being bought by Morfin Gaunt, the wizard accused of murdering Tom Riddle Senior and his parents. The ring was not found with Morfin and was not seen since until Horace saw Voldemort wearing it in his seventh year."

"Voldemort stole it," Harry realized. "Killed his father and made it a horcrux."

"And made his uncle take the blame for the murders," Dumbledore confirmed. "That is as far as I have been able to track it. I do not know where Voldemort has hidden it."

"What if it's still there in Little Hangleton?" Harry suggested. "I've been seeing it underground, I think. What if it's in the graveyard? It would explain why he went back there for the Resurrection Ritual. He needed a horcrux nearby to be stronger."

"A sound theory. A matter I will leave for an Order meeting," Dumbledore mused. "Is anything else occurring with these dreams aside from magical outbursts?"

"Scar pain as usual." Harry shrugged.

"Oh dear," Dumbledore murmured and Harry's stomach twisted while Severus' hand tightened on his leg. His scar hurting wasn't new, nor was pain associated with dreams, so what had Dumbledore concerned?

"Albus, what is happening to my son?" Severus asked stiffly.

"I cannot be certain, of course, given the unknowns of the circumstances," Dumbledore answered. "However, I believe the horcrux within you is seeking power and is tapping into your excess as it is free magic not tethered to your core. I believe it is absorbing your magic, but cannot control it which is likely causing the outbursts. It would also explain the dreams. The horcrux in you is using your magic to grow stronger and reach out to the others as they want to be reunited."

"And the outcome should this continue?" Severus pressed.

"I cannot say for certain. There is no precedent for this," Dumbledore replied.

"Then guess," Severus growled. When Dumbledore glanced at Harry, still hesitant to offer his insights, Severus said, "Harry, please leave. I will meet you in our rooms."

"What? No. Dad," Harry protested.

"I am not negotiating," Severus said firmly. "We will have our own discussion once I am done here."

"But, Dad-"

"Do not argue with me," Severus snapped. "Go."

Glaring and huffing, Harry stormed from the office. He honestly did have every intention of doing as he'd been told-he'd gotten in trouble for eavesdropping only a week ago, after all-but then he realized the door hadn't latched behind him. Knowing he would be in trouble and likely grounded for life, he stood outside the door and listened.

"Albus, be straight with me," Severus said and Harry frowned, his heart squeezing at the pain he could hear in his father's voice. "Am I going to lose my son?"

There was a long pause and Harry leaned against the wall, letting his head fall back as an ache engulfed his heart.

"Until we find a way to free Harry of his horcrux, you know it remains a possibility," Dumbledore finally replied.

"I have searched every book I can get my hands on," Severus said, sounding defeated. "I have started learning to translate ancient languages, for Merlin's sake. There's nothing."

"There is still hope," Dumbledore said, trying to sound reassuring. "Until we find something, perhaps we can use this new development to find the others."

"You want to use my son to hunt horcruxes knowing the horcrux is killing him?" Severus ground out.

"Do you truly believe Harry has not already had the same thought?"

Harry huffed to himself. Was he really so predictable?

"I'm sure he has, but we are not meant to follow the lead of a fifteen-year-old," Severus argued. "I am not sacrificing my son."

"Nor am I asking you to, but I do ask you to consider that his growing connection to the other horcruxes may be our best solution. Perhaps our only way forward," Dumbledore told him.

"And what of Lily and James?" Severus asked, obviously choosing to just side-step the horcrux issue. "If it wasthem, if they are alive...can they take him from me?"

"I truly do not know."

Suddenly, Harry felt he'd heard enough. He couldn't listen to more. Filled with anguish at his father's despair, he left his spot and headed down to the dungeons as he'd been instructed. In Severus' rooms, he sat heavily on the sofa, folding his legs under him and settling into the corner as he gazed up at the photo on the mantle. It was a Muggle picture of him and Severus hugging, little eleven-year-old him wrapped around his father completely. Fuzzy in the background around them was Kingsley, the Weasleys, Hermione, and the Malfoys. It had been taken at the party thrown by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Lucius in honour of Severus officially adopting Harry after more than a year of fighting the Ministry.

He sighed at the photo, hating the pain he was putting the man through. He looked away from it as the door opened and Severus walked in, looking haunted. They gazed at each other, Harry waiting for the anger over his eavesdropping. He had no illusions that Severus didn't know he'd listened. Eventually, though, Severus just shook his head and walked through the sitting room.

"We are not discussing it," Severus said shortly and Harry blinked before jumping up on the sofa, spinning around on his knees to look over the back at Severus who was heading to the archway.

"You said we would," Harry argued.

"I am not negotiating you martyring yourself."

"Dad-"

Severus spun around, eyes flashing. "I am not losing you!"

"You might not have a choice and we both know that!" Harry shot back. They stared at each other for a long while again, the silence between them heavy. Harry sighed. "We need to find the horcruxes and I could be the way we do that."

"I am not giving you up for this war," Severus refused.

"Maybe you won't have to. Maybe I can find the horcruxes fast enough before it kills me," Harry said optimistically, "but if I'm going to die, I'd rather die doing something."

"You are a child."

"Yeah, I am, because of you," Harry agreed, "but I'm also Harry Potter and everything that comes with that. I'm the only one that can end this, but you have to let me. Let me choose what to do with whatever time I might have. Let me do what I have to."

The look in Severus' eye was hard and his face was tight with agony. Yet, as the man walked towards him and the sofa, Harry could also see a telltale light.

Pride.

Severus stood at the back of the sofa and reached out, cupping Harry's cheek. "You have a remarkable strength."

Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around Severus, head resting on the man's sternum. "Also because of you."

Severus' chest lifted under him as the man let out a deep breath and a hand ran down the back of his head. "Very well, but you do nothing alone, understand?"

Harry nodded and pulled back, looking up at Severus again.

"I am not giving up on you," Severus promised and Harry smiled again.

"I know."

"Head back to your tower now. Spend some time with your friends," Severus told him. "I have some work to do."

Harry knew it wasn't work, but horcrux research the man was going to lose himself in as he watched Severus retrace his steps to the archway. Gazing at his father, he remembered the last fear he'd heard Severus voice to the headmaster.

"Dad," he called and Severus turned to him again. "I won't choose them."

There was the briefest look of questioning in Severus' eyes before it was replaced with recognition and resignation. Severus sighed sadly, looking at him as though Harry had already made his choice.

"And if there is a perfectly reasonable and acceptable explanation?"

"There's not," Harry responded quickly, hardly waiting for Severus to finish. "There is no good explanation."

"Harry, they're your parents."

Harry shook his head and left the sofa, circling it to walk over to the man. "My parents are dead. You're my parent. There is no good reason. You taught me this. You told me there could never have been a good enough reason for what the Dursleys did to me. It's the same thing. There can never be a good enough reason for leaving me to Voldemort. There can never be a good enough reason for leaving me with the Dursleys. There can never be a good enough reason for abandoning me for fourteen years. I will never go with them."

As Severus stared at him, Harry could see the slightest hint of tears and bob in the throat as his father fought back his emotions.

"There is not a single thing in my life that explains how I came to deserve you."

Harry smiled. "There is." 

Severus looked at him curiously.

"You chose me. They didn't."

He was quickly pulled into another hug and a kiss was pressed to his hair.

"You will always be the greatest choice I have ever made," Severus murmured and Harry held to his father even tighter. They held to each other for several seconds before Harry spoke.

"Can I help you research?"

"Do you have homework?"

"Can we pretend I don't for now?"

Severus just chuckled and led him into the study.