“MO!!!”

“Severus—”

“MO! MO! MO! MO! MO!!!”

“Mr. Snape, for Merlin’s sake—”

Severus blew strong raspberries at the school matron.

“Severus!” Harry rebuked sharply, stepping up behind Madame Pomfrey. “You just earned yourself a ten minute time-out, young man!” He said, fixing the infant with a hard look.

“Mo…!” The infant whined, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Harry made sure to drop down slightly so that he was eye-level with the child. He then fixed Severus with his sternest glare. “You are on thin ice, Severus. This is your last warning!”

“Haweh!” Sev sniffed and the tears began running down his face. He tried batting them away.

Harry wasn’t fazed. “Listen to me.” He tapped the infant’s chin lightly to get his attention. “I’ve had enough with your attitude this morning. One more show of blatant disrespect to anyone in this room and you’re going to find yourself with a stinging bum and an early bedtime. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

Sev sniffed. “Mo fod!”

“I said, do I make myself perfectly clear, Severus?” The teenager pushed gently.

Harry’s look of disappointment completely did Severus in and the floodgates burst open as Severus began crying in earnest. “Yea…ehw…!” He forced out in between sobs.

“Good. Thank you. That’s all I needed.” The disappointment immediately melted off of Harry’s face and left a look of tenderness in its wake. The teenager stood up straight and gently lifted Severus out of Ginny’s arms and into his own. The infant immediately latched onto his robes and sobbed loudly into his chest. “There, there now, cub…It’s alright now…” Harry whispered soothing nothings into his ear as he rubbed Severus’ back and slowly danced around the room. “That was just a warning, cub, not an actual punishment. As long as you straighten up, everything’s going to be fine.”

“Mo fod!” The baby screamed into the folds of his robes.

“You don’t want a shot, I know.” Harry nodded in understanding, his voice remaining soft and gentle. “Nobody wants a shot, Sev. Nobody wants one, and nobody wants to give one.”

“Uh-huh!” Severus argued, pointing behind him at Madame Pomfrey without lifting his head from Harry’s chest.

“No, that’s not true.” Harry replied. “Madame Pomfrey doesn’t want to give you a shot any more than you want to have one.”

“That’s true, Severus.” The matron added loudly.

“You see?”

“Uh-huh!” The infant continued to argue.

“I have an idea!” Ginny shouted over the din. “Madame Pomfrey, has Harry had all his magical immunizations yet?”

The mediwitch looked surprised. “Uh…well…” Waving her wand, Madame Pomfrey summoned Harry’s medical file over to her.

“I can already tell you I haven’t.” Harry answered for her.

“And why not, Mr. Potter?!” The matron peered at him, aghast. His file lay open yet forgotten in her hand.

By now Sev’s crying had died down, allowing Harry to speak in his normal tone of voice. “Begging your pardon, Madame, but I wasn’t originally from this world. I had no idea there were immunizations for magical diseases until…five minutes ago, to be honest.”

“Goodness gracious, Mr. Potter!” Poppy slammed the file shut and began waving it at him. “Sit down! Sit down right now, young man!” She shooed him—and the child in his arms—onto the bed that Ginny just vacated and reopened his medical file to examine it. “Merlin’s Beard! Oh my goodness—”

“What?!” Harry’s eyes widened, alarmed.

“I never ran a full medical history on you prior to your starting here at Hogwarts, Mr. Potter.”

“A full medical what?”

“A full medical history. Oh, that was rather careless of me. I can’t believe I’ve missed it throughout all these years! And the number of times you’ve stayed here in my wing—”

“What does this full medical history entail, Madame Pomfrey?”

“One quick spell and every bruise, every cut, every broken bone you’ve ever had would be documented in this file. I should’ve run this on you years ago! Well! No matter,” the nurse reached for her wand, “I can get this done in a—”

“Hold on! Wait a second!” Harry held up a hand, unconsciously activating an indiscernible shield charm. “I thought we were talking about immunizations here?”

Severus, who had stopped crying once the conversation began focusing on Harry and not him, pushed up against his caretaker’s chest and peered at the faceoff between Harry and the school healer. Madame Pomfrey was frowning at Harry. “It’ll only take a minute, Mr. Potter, now—” She raised her wand again, and once again Harry’s invisible shield came up.

“Madame Pomfrey, please, this appointment is not about me. And besides, I’m not a student here anymore—technically—so you really don’t have to do it.” Harry paused to lace his voice with just the slightest trace of magical suggestion. “So can we please return to the immunizations now?”

Sev watched as Madame Pomfrey pursed her lips and placed her hands on her hips. Uh-oh, he knew what that look meant. Yet Severus also knew why Harry didn’t want her to perform the medical history on him. If she did, she would know everything about Harry’s life—the abuse, the neglect, the dusty old skeletons still buried in Harry’s closet. If Severus knew anything, it was that Harry James Potter was nothing if not intensely private about his past. The only people who knew anything about what it was really like were him and Ginny. Not even Ron or Hermione or Remus or even Sirius knew about Harry’s real past. The teenager led them to believe anything they wanted to believe as long as their beliefs steered clear of the cold, hard truth. The only secret Harry ever kept from anyone was the truth about his childhood.

“Why don’t you want me to perform this medical history, Mr. Potter?” The healer asked, narrowing her eyes at the teenager. Sev peered up at Harry warily.

“It’s not that I don’t want you to perform it—”

“Good!” Madame Pomfrey was waving her wand before Harry could utter another word, yet the teenager’s reaction was instantaneous. The shield charm that emanated from Harry’s palm was so powerful it glowed a bright blue and pushed away everything within a five meter radius of their hospital bed—including Madame Pomfrey.

Thankfully, Ginny was walking back into the room when everything took place and was able to catch Poppy before she hit the floor. “Merlin me!” She stood the healer up and looked her up and down. “Are you alright, Madame Pomfrey?”

Dumbledore, who had come in with her, immediately rushed to their side. “What happened?!” He too looked the matron up and down. “Are you alright, Poppy?”

“I’m fine! It’s not me I’m concerned about!” The mediwitch shooed them off, never taking her eyes off of Harry and the shield that now stood between them.

The teenager, for his part, sat calmly on the bed, clutching an awed and astonished Severus to his chest protectively. “I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t have done that, Madame!” Harry cried, refusing to drop the shield.

“What did you try to do?!” Ginny demanded fiercely.

“Calm down, Miss Weasley.” Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder and addressed Madame Pomfrey. “Poppy, what happened here?”

“I was trying to convince Severus to take his immunizations shots, but he began crying. Mr. Potter tried to comfort him, and in the process of trying to convince Severus to accept his shots, Miss Weasley tried to suggest Mr. Potter receive some of his magical immunizations as well. Thus, they would both receive a shot, and it would make everything easier. However, when I pulled up Mr. Potter’s file to see which magical immunizations he had yet to receive, I found out that I have yet to run a full magical medical history on him. When I tried to remedy that, this is what happened.” She turned back to the teenager and her eyes narrowed to slits. “Why don’t you want me to run a full medical history on you, Mr. Potter?!” She demanded severely.

“That’s a fair question, Harry.” Dumbledore added, turning to him as well.

“I’m over seventeen now!” Harry scowled. “It should be my choice whether or not I want to have one, shouldn’t it?” 

“What are you trying to hide, Harry?!” The mediwitch pushed.

“Nothing!” Harry squeaked.

“Then if there’s nothing in the closet, why not allow us to open it up?” Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at him.

Both Harry and Sev glared at the old man. “With all due respect, sir, what I keep in my closet is my business.” He replied in a cold voice.

“Mr. Potter, really! All this drama for a simple medical history?” The matron looked exasperated.

“Poppy, Poppy, Poppy…” Albus laid a hand on her shoulder and began shushing her, all the while holding Harry’s chilly gaze. “Mr. Potter’s right. He’s over seventeen now. If he wants to opt out of a full medical analysis, it’s his choice.”

“What are you talking about, Albus?” Now the healer looked exasperated at the headmaster.

“His medical history isn’t important right now, is it?”

“Of course it’s important right now!” Madame Pomfrey argued. “I need to know which muggle immunization shots he received—“

“I can tell you that myself. I know all the shots they gave me, what they’re called, how much of each they injected, and the exact date of each injection. You don’t need to do a full medical history to get that information.” Harry replied helpfully. The shield charm he had unconsciously been holding up started to flicker and thin in some areas.

“You can’t possibly remember all of that!” Poppy peered at him skeptically.

“I have photographic memory—total recall. I can tell you anything and everything. You don’t need to run a full medical, magical history or anything. I can tell you everything you need to know.”

Professor Dumbledore glanced at Madame Pomfrey. They seemed to have a short conversation with their eyes before Dumbledore nodded and Madame Pomfrey lowered her wand. “I have no doubt that you can tell us everything we need to know, my boy.” The headmaster said, meeting Harry’s eyes once more. “The real question is…will it be the truth?”

“Alright, Sev,” Harry adjusted the infant on his lap and wrapped his free arm around the baby’s chest, tightening it protectively. “I’m going to go first. You just watch, and then you’ll be next. Okay?”

“Mmm…” Severus chewed on his teething snitch as he watched Ginny fold up Harry’s sleeve, exposing his right forearm. The teenager was turned away, watching Madame Pomfrey closely as she prepared their injections across the room. Thus, he didn’t notice when Ginny froze in her efforts as soon as the skin just above Harry’s elbow was exposed. Severus watched as Ginny’s eyebrows furrowed together in dismay. Glancing down at Harry’s arm, the infant knew almost immediately what garnered such a reaction. Several long, deep, angry-looking scars ran from just below his elbow, up his arm, and into his sleeve. Ginny was brushing them gently with her thumb.

“Harry?” She croaked, her voice laced with concern.

“Hmm?”

“What is this?” She whispered, lowering her voice so as not to rouse the attention of the already-suspicious matron.

“What’s what?” Harry raised an eyebrow at her following her line of sight to his arm. “Oh!” Harry inhaled sharply and shifted on the bed. Both Severus and Ginny peered up at him in concern. “Sorry. My…focus slipped…” He closed his eyes and both Severus and Ginny began to sense a shift in his magical aura. Glancing back down at the scar, the redhead and the infant watched as the angry red crevices disappeared, leaving perfectly tanned skin in its wake.

Severus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion while Ginny turned a death glare on her boyfriend. “You’re wearing a glamour?!” She hissed.

Harry sighed and looked away as Sev peered up at him curiously. “Not now, Gin.”

“Why are you wearing a glamour, Harry?”

“Ginny—”

“Harry!”

“Later!” The teenager glanced frantically in Pomfrey’s direction before turning back to his girlfriend. “Please?!” He hissed.

Ginny stared at him silently for a long while before peering over her shoulder fleetingly, taking a step closer to Harry and lowering her voice even more. However, instead of sounding angry or frustrated, as Severus had expected, she sounded sad yet understanding. “How many scars do you have, Harry?”

“Madame Pomfrey!” Harry called, pointedly turning away from his girlfriend. “How many shots will we be receiving today?”

Severus watched as the sadness slowly crept into Ginny’s eyes and a look of disappointment crossed her face. She sighed and peered down at Harry’s arm once more before squeezing his hand gently in support and backing away. He watched as she silently took a seat by the bed and studied her boyfriend from behind concerned eyes.

Severus too peered up at Harry, watching him with a look that very much mirrored Ginny’s. Harry was wearing a glamour? But he looked just like he always looked! What kind of glamour didn’t change your appearance? Wasn’t that what glamours were supposed to do? Yet Severus did recall a change in appearance—Harry’s mysterious scars disappeared.

So Harry was hiding his scars. Sev peered down at the now-smooth arm and gently touched the spot where he saw the scars disappear. Just how many scars were there? He wondered. He didn’t recall seeing any scars the other night when he and Harry slept shirtless in Godric’s Hollow. He must’ve had the glamours on then. Come to recall, he must’ve had them on in the shower as well, because I didn’t see any scars then either. Sev’s eyes widened in realization. He has them on all the time.

The infant gently poked the spot where he knew the scars to be with the tips of his fingers, seeing if he could feel any of them beneath Harry’s magical barrier. Why would someone need to wear a glamour all the time? Is he ashamed of what he’s trying to hide?

“Not you too, cub.” Harry murmured above him. He was peering down at the infant, a slight frown on his face.

Sev graced him with the exact same sad-yet-understanding look Ginny threw his way not moments before. “Boo-boo?”

Harry swallowed and forced himself to turn away from the wide, innocent eyes. They would be his undoing, he could tell right now. He could deny this child nothing; not even information. “It’s not important, Sev.” There was not a chance in hell Harry was going to let this secret see the light of day! He had to be strong for Severus. Ginny as well! He had to be the man of the house. He had to take care of them. He had to be the protector! And protectors don’t let their protected see the scars of war. Harry resolved to never let his focus slip ever again.

Meanwhile, Sev’s eyebrows furrowed and he gaped at Harry for the longest time. “UH-HUH!” He argued pointedly, scowling at his caretaker. “Uh-huh, mm—po—bam!” He started poking Harry in the chest with his teething snitch. “MM—PO—BAM!”

“Alright, are we ready here?” Madame Pomfrey asked, announcing herself. Thankfully, it served to sufficiently distract the child, as Severus immediately turned to her, wide-eyed and slightly fearful.

“We’re ready when you are, Madame.” Harry replied, adjusting Severus once more.

The matron eyed him dubiously as she tied up his arm and searched for a sufficient vein. It was obvious she wanted to say something about earlier but was trying to restrain herself. “So…I trust all of you have seen the headlines in Daily Prophet recently? They all have your name on it, talking about you being spotted doing something or another. But then…” she picked up a needle and tested it out, “…they have these ridiculous little pictures of dragons holding baby dragons with their arms around hippogriffs or something like that.” She finished as she injected him with the serum.

Harry winced slightly and then smiled as Ginny chuckled and Sev grinned at the healer. “Bebe Da-goo!” He held up the wrist that sported a sterling silver cuff and waved it in Madame Pomfrey’s face.

The healer raised an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?” Sev giggled at her confusion as Ginny took the time to explain Fred and George’s invention to her. “Oh…so that is you in the pictures.”

“Most likely.” Harry nodded.

“You have to admit the genius behind it, though.” Ginny interjected. “It’s making the Daily Prophet look like a total gossip mag.”

“I think it was doing a fine job of that on its own, Miss Weasley.” Madame Pomfrey replied as she untied and bandaged Harry’s arm with the flick of a wand and then turned toward Severus. “But you’re right. It’s doing an excellent job of discrediting them even more.” She then peered down at the now-solemn infant. “Well, Mr. Snape, are we ready now?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Mmmm…” Sev whined and peered up at Harry pleadingly.

“Come on, cub. I did it. Now it’s your turn.” Harry urged.

“It won’t hurt one bit, sweetheart.” Ginny added, coming up next to them. “It’ll be a slight pinch and that’s it! Did you see how Harry took it just now?”

“You’re my cub, aren’t you?” Harry whispered in his ear.

Sev pouted and leaned further back into Harry’s chest. “Mo mike…”

“Come now, cub. Close your eyes…” Severus squeezed them shut but could still feel as Harry took his tiny forearm and held it out to the matron. “Now I want you to picture your arm in your mind’s eyes, okay? Picture your forearm in your head.” Severus did so. “Okay, good…now I want you to picture a…dragon. A baby dragon. He’s a tiny little thing. He could just about fit in the palm of your hand. Do you see him?”

Severus did indeed. The miniature dragon came flying in through the window, breathing puffs of grey smoke as it floated in. At first, Severus pictured him as a Norwegian Ridgeback, but the image soon changed in midair from a Ridgeback to a Horntail. Yeah, a Hungarian Horntail! That was much more macho! Severus smiled to himself. He remembered Harry facing off one of these dragons a few years ago and defeating it, though not without much effort. That must mean this particular dragon was the best of its kind! Sev watched as it hovered around the vicinity of his forearm, breathing actual fire, rather then measly puffs of smoke.

“Good. Now…that dragon is about to land on your arm here, okay?” Severus felt them shifting his arm around and something was tied just above his elbow. “Now I need you to stay very still for me, alright? Very still! The dragon can’t land if you move around too much, you know.”

Severus saw the dragon hover just in front of his face. Dark brown eyes met yellow and dragon and human had a stare-down that seemed to last forever. Finally, the baby dragon turned away and began flying lazy circles around his forearm once again. Severus smiled in satisfaction. He had just stared down a dragon!

“You ready, cub? Here it comes!”

The Horntail pulled its wings up, spun around, and landed gracefully in the niche underneath Sev’s elbow. It stung slightly where the dragon’s claws met his skin, but otherwise it didn’t hurt. The baby dragon now stared up at him curiously.

“I’m proud of you, Sev. You took that like a man.”

Severus felt a kiss land on his head and he opened his eyes in curiosity. Madame Pomfrey was taking her gloves off and tossing a now-empty syringe onto the floating tray beside her. With a flick of her wand, something unwrapped itself from Sev’s upper arm before a matching bandage to Harry’s wrapped itself around his elbow.

“All done!” Ginny smiled kindly at him.

Sev peered up at Harry in confusion.

“That was your shot.” Harry smirked. “See?! Told you it was no big deal.” He stood up and Ginny helped him wrap Sev in his sling.

“So when do we have to return for the rest of his immunization shots, Madame?” Harry asked. The mediwitch handed him a schedule which listed the required vaccinations and the dates, while Ginny gathered their things.

The walk back to their quarters was a silent affair. Severus could feel the tension in the air and he didn’t like it very much. He began shifting restlessly in his sling, using one hand to hold his teething snitch while the other poked Harry in the chest. “MM—PO—BAM!” He cried, remembering where their conversation had left off earlier. “MM—PO—BAM, Haweh!”

The teenager raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m sorry. What are you talking about, Sev?”

“He’s saying you’re important, Harry.” Ginny replied, giving him a sideways glare as she hugged the diaper bag to her side.

“Important?”

“Boo-boo!” Sev pointed to the bandage in Harry’s arm.

“My shot?”

“Harry, you’re not as thick as you pretend to be, we both know that. So just drop—”

“Leave it alone, Gin!”

Ginny glared daggers at her boyfriend before turning on her heel and stalking down the hall as quickly as she could without running. She barked the password at Merlin without so much as a greeting and threw herself into the portrait hole before he could even ask what was wrong.

Harry sighed and slowed his pace as he continued towards their quarters. Sensing that he wasn’t about to jump inside the portrait hole behind his girlfriend, Merlin closed the door to their quarters and watched the quiet young man finish his journey down the hall.

Severus shifted against Harry’s chest and buried himself within the folds of his sling. This wasn’t supposed to happen! Why were Harry and Ginny fighting? Why was Harry acting like this?! What was he hiding? Why was Harry being so stubborn?! This all didn’t make sense! Ginny was mad at Harry because he wouldn’t talk about the funny scars on his arm, Severus understood that. What Sev didn’t understand was why Harry kept closing up every time Ginny asked for answers. It was making the both of them upset and Harry didn’t seem to care!

That’s not like him. Sev was used to a Harry who would move heaven and earth to make everyone feel better. He wasn’t used to a Harry who was the source of a problem rather than the solution. Severus peered up at his caretaker’s blank face and tried to find something, anything that would make this uneasy feeling in his gut go away, but he couldn’t. “Haweh?” The infant cried in a tiny voice.

It was as if the sound of his voice snapped the teenager out of whatever trance he was in and he peered down at the child with an inquisitive look on his face.

Sev stared at him for a long time, mentally debating whether or not he wanted to get into this. Finally, he murmured, “Immy mab?”

Harry sighed and tightened his arm around Sev. “Yes, Ginny’s mad.”

Sev watched as Harry ran a hand down his weary face, and the infant couldn’t help but notice that there were lots of lines around Harry’s face now—lines that weren’t there before. The child made sure to raise his hand up to Harry’s eye level and finger spelled ‘W-H-Y’.

Harry grimaced and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Because Harry’s being an idiot.” He murmured softly.

Sev grinned. Now that was the Harry he was used to! So he did care that he was upsetting the both of them. Whatever caused those scars on his arm must be something that’s troubling him terribly. Sev decided to wait this whole thing out and see what happened. In the meantime, he wanted to do away with this sad and tense atmosphere. Too much drama! “Okie, ie—dee—op!” He pat Harry on the arm indulgently.

“Okay, idiot.” Harry echoed with a snort and kissed Sev on the head.

“Might I suggest you give her a bit of space, Sir Henry?” Merlin remarked, observing the scene with a twinkle in his eye. “Give the both of you time to calm down.”

“Thank you, Sir Merlin.” Harry nodded with a smile. “That’s what I was going to do anyway. Would you let her know if she asks?”

“Certainly.” 

“Thank you.” Harry gave him a small smile before turning around to face the wolf painting. As soon as the little wolf cub saw that he was looking at them, he started yipping and howling excitedly, running around his parents’ legs and pouncing up and down. Harry couldn’t help but grin. “And hello to you too, Junior.” The wolf cub yipped once more before turning around and dashing deep into the forest in the background, presumably to get one of the residents.

Harry turned to the child in his arms. “What do you say, cub, you want to visit with Remus, Tonks, and Teddy for a while?”

“Mo mike ooo am immy mab.”

Harry nodded knowingly. “I don’t like fighting with Ginny either. But you remember what we said a while back, don’t you? It’s perfectly normal to have arguments every once in a while.”

Yeah, well, this argument is entirely your fault! Sev scowled at Harry.

“Look, I promise Ginny and I will work it out later, okay? She and I just need to take some time off from each other for a bit to let off some steam.”

Sev frowned and peered up at Harry with furrowed eyebrows. He didn’t like the way Harry said ‘time off’. What was that supposed to mean?

“Just for a few hours, Sev.”

The portrait hole swung open to reveal a tired-looking Remus clutching a cup of coffee in one hand and a soiled nappy in the other. Harry and Sev both peered at him with raised eyebrows. “I hope you’re not intending to eat that, Remus.”

The werewolf looked confused for a moment before he realized he was holding a dirty nappy. “Oh…Harry, shut up.” He turned from the doorway and threw the dirty diaper into a nearby trashcan. Harry snorted and followed him in while Sev delighted in watching the waste receptacle gobble up the gunk.

“Ewwwww!”

“Teddy is nursing right now so I’m afraid there isn’t much Sev can do at the moment.” Remus pulled out a chair for Harry at table before heading to the sink to wash his hands. “You want some coffee?”

“I wouldn’t mind, thank you.” Harry nodded and looked around. “So…how’s everything going? Did the Wolfsbane work well enough? You look like hell.”

“Thanks.” Remus snorted. “No, the Wolfsbane worked like a charm actually. Thank you, by the way. I woke up the next morning. It was like I hadn’t transformed at all.”

“So why do you look so tired?”

Remus looked up from the coffee he was mixing and sighed at the wall. “Dora and I just found out that Teddy has a dormant form of lycanthropy.”

Sev looked slightly alarmed and Harry sat up in his chair. “Oh, no, Remus…”

“Don’t worry!” The werewolf turned around and gave them a small, comforting smile. “Don’t worry too much. It’s not that…big of a deal. It doesn’t actually mean anything right now. It’s like…being born with the gene to have brown eyes but instead you have green. It doesn’t mean much. It’s dormant, after all.” He turned back to his stirring.

“But you wish he didn’t have it to begin with.” Harry conjectured.

“Well of course not! What kind of father would I be if I wished my illness on my own son?” Remus slid a cup over to him and handed him a banana for Sev to chew on as well before sitting down himself. “So…where’s Ginny?”

Now it was Harry’s turn to sigh. “We had a row.”

Remus’ eyebrows furrowed. “Really?”

“Haweh ie-dee-op!” Sev added as he nibbled on the edge of the banana Harry was holding out for him.

The werewolf raised an eyebrow. “You’re an idiot?”

Harry shook his head and grimaced. “It’s nothing. Well…it’s something but…I’m acting like it’s nothing…and therefore that makes it something, to them, apparently.”

Sev giggled and grinned at Remus. “Haweh ie-dee-op! Haweh IE-DEE-OP!”

“Okay, Severus, he gets the point!” Harry scowled at the table and stirred his coffee idly.

Remus looked confused. “Do I even want to know?”

“No, you don’t.”

Sev watched as the confusion on Remus’ face slowly turned to quiet contemplation as the seconds ticked by. The werewolf took a sip of his coffee before setting it down on the table and addressing the cup rather than his friend. “Is it because I don’t actually want to know…or is it because you don’t want to tell me?” He peered at Harry from the corner of his eye.

Sev too looked up at his caretaker, curious as to what his answer would be.

Harry silently studied his coffee cup for several long minutes, picking at the invisible chinks on the sides and fingering the rim every now and then. Sev could tell he was a million miles away. “I don’t really want to tell anyone, Remus.” He finally murmured, his voice just above a whisper.

“And that’s the crux of the matter now, isn’t it?”

Harry didn’t answer. He merely swallowed and turned away.

“You don’t want to tell anyone.”

“Moony—”

“Harry, if you’re going to be in a relationship, especially with a girl like Ginny, honesty is always the best policy.”

“It’s not that simple—”

“Oh, but it is that simple. You’re just making it more complicated.”

“UH-HUH!” Sev began bouncing in his sling. He started jabbing Harry’s chest pointedly. “Ooo fey! Ooo fey!”

Harry closed his eyes, leaned on the table, and started rubbing his wrinkled forehead. “What did I say?”

“Ooo mape com—cay—beb! OOO MAPE COM—CAY—BEB!”

“Alright, alright, cub. Okay.” Harry absentmindedly began rubbing the infant’s back. “‘Things are only as complicated as you make them’, I remember.”

“Uh-huh.” Sev sat back in his sling, satisfied that Harry got the message.

“Now I’m not going to pretend that I know what you’re hiding from Ginny.” Remus continued, “And I’m not going to ask, because that’s your business. But, judging from your reaction, I’m guessing whatever it is you don’t want to tell her takes even more strength to get out than it does to keep in.” Harry shot him a bewildered look. Remus tried it from a different angle. “Harry…I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to appear strong.” Sev glanced up at Harry’s controlled face in surprise. “Whatever it is you’re trying to keep inside—whatever it is you’re hiding from Sev and Ginny—you think that by keeping it inside, that’s what makes you a strong man.” Remus surmised. “You want to be the foundation and foundations don’t have cracks.”

“Exactly.” Harry replied through gritted teeth.

“But that’s where you’re wrong, Harry.” Remus replied pointedly. “Foundations can have cracks without the building collapsing because good foundations are made of strong material. They can have cracks galore but still be able to hold their buildings up through a catastrophe, if need be. And you know why? Because the cracks in good foundations are superficial. They’re on the outside. What really matters is what they’re made of. Good foundations show their strength by doing their jobs well despite their weaknesses.” Remus sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee. “As I said, it takes more strength to get it out—to show weakness—than it does to keep it in and hide it.”

“Ah!” Sev agreed wholeheartedly, bouncing on Harry’s lap and patting his chest. “Ah! AH! Ah! AH! AH! Ah!”

“Alright, Sev, okay. I get it.” Harry groaned and leaned his elbow against the table, burying his face in his hand.

Five minutes later, the bouncing and the patting had yet to stop. “Ah! Ah! AH! AH! AH! Ah! Ah!”

Remus snickered behind a hand while Harry threw him a dirty look. “Severus, maybe you should give Harry a break, eh?”

“Mo. Ah! AH! Ah! Ah! AH! AH!”

“Harry?”

“He wants to know what it is I’m trying to hide from the pair of them.” The teenager replied wearily, still rubbing his forehead with his hand. “And he probably won’t stop until I tell him.”

“Ah!” This time, both Remus and Severus said it together. Harry was becoming awfully sick of that sound.

“I have an idea!” The teenager exclaimed out of desperation. He pushed himself up and sat up straight in his chair. Sev was startled into momentary silence. “Why don’t the pair of you help me start to plan for Ginny’s surprise birthday party next month?”

“Bef-bay?” Sev peered up at Harry in confusion. What in the devil is he talking about?!

“It’s Ginny’s seventeenth birthday on August 11th. We have to make it special for her, don’t we, Sev?”

The infant grinned. Planning a surprise birthday! That should be interesting, in the very least.

Wait…did that mean that they actually had to go to the birthday party they planned? Going to the Burrow and dealing with the Weasleys? Sev grimaced and sighed. The things he did for these people…

“Ginny?” Harry stuck his head through the doorway and looked around the living room and study.

“Over here, Harry.” A voice called from the kitchen.

Sev peeked over and saw Ginny at the stove, sautéing something in a frying pan. “Immy!” He began bouncing in his sling.

“Hello, Angel.” The teenager gave him a gentle smile before turning to her boyfriend. “Harry, can we talk about…the thing…later?”

Harry sighed but conceded. “Yeah.” He replied, his voice quiet. “Yeah, we need to…talk about it.”

“Thank you.” And for the first time since the fight started, she gave Harry a small smile. “So what have you two been up to?”

The infant began bouncing in his sling. “Immy! Bef-bay!”

Harry hissed sharply and cleared his throat forcefully, peering at the infant with wide eyes.

Sev froze and gasped. It’s supposed to be a surprise, you idiot! “Ooop.”

“What?” Ginny laughed at the exchange. “What did you say?”

“NOTHING!” “MUM-PING!” Both Harry and Sev exclaimed simultaneously.

Ginny threw her head back in laughter and turned back to her cooking. “Okay…if it was nothing.” She looked the other way and muttered loud enough for them to hear, “I could’ve sworn I heard ‘birthday’.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Sev burrow into the folds of his sling. Oh, he definitely said ‘birthday’. She chuckled internally. Which reminds me…”Harry, would you finish cooking this for me? I need to change Sev’s clothes.”

Harry and Sev both exchanged confused looks and peered down at the said clothing. “They look clean to me, Gin.”

“Just…come on. Please?” Ginny beckoned him over.

Sev looked at Harry worriedly. The teenager leaned down and whispered as softly as he could. “Just try not to think about it, okay? If you don’t think about it, you’re less likely to blurt anything out. Secret, okay?”

Secret. Sev stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking. Yeah, maybe if he just kept this in his mouth the whole time, he could prevent himself from blurting out the secret about Ginny’s surprise party. He was kicking himself for hinting at it just a second ago.

“Come on, Angel.” Ginny lifted him out of the carrier and headed towards the bedroom.

It’s a secret! It’s a secret! It’s a secret! It’s a secret! Sev chanted in his head. It’s a secret that there’s going to be chocolate pudding. It’s a secret that we’re going to bake Ginny’s favorite cake from scratch. It’s a secret that it’s going to be held at the Burrow. It’s a secret that Harry and I are going to make Ginny’s birthday present together. Sev increased the intensity of his thumb-sucking as Ginny closed the bedroom door behind them and placed silencing charms on it. It’s a secret that we’re going to make her favorite foods.

“Alright, Sev,”

It’s a secret that—

“I have a secret for you.”

“BEF-BAY!” Sev exclaimed with a grin. Then, just as quickly, his eyes widened and he gasped. He slapped a little hand over his mouth and stared out into space, wide-eyed.

What the devil is wrong with you, man?! You were a spy for god knows how long! You used to be able to keep secrets like no one in the world could; now you can’t even keep a secret about a goddamn surprise party? Great Merlin! Focus, Severus, FOCUS! IT’S—A—SECRET!!!

Ginny gave him a funny look and then grinned. “That’s the second time you said ‘birthday’, honey.”

Sev’s wide eyes focused on her and he mumbled behind his little hand. “UH-UH!”

Ginny shoulders shook with silent laughter as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure?”

“Uh-huh!” Sev nodded for good measure, still refusing to move his hand from his mouth.

“Okay, well…” Ginny gently but firmly moved his hand away from his mouth. “Anyway, as I was saying, I have a secret for you.”

Oh, she better not tell me ‘cause, judging from the way I’m going, I might not be able to keep it.

“Can you keep it?”

“Uh-huh!”

I must be going insane! What comes out of my mouth by no means matches what goes on in my head!

“I want to throw Harry a surprise party.”

Sev paused. All thoughts suddenly fled his head and he gaped up at Ginny with a blank expression.

“He’s turning eighteen at the end of the month, which is a big thing in the muggle world. Since Harry lives with a foot in both worlds, I think it’d be great if his eighteenth birthday would be as good as his seventeenth.” Ginny smiled at Sev. “What do you think?”

Sev’s shocked gaze turned inward and all he could think of was: This is too good. The infant felt a grin blossom on his face. Oh, this is too, TOO good! The grin widened and giggles began bubbling up from the bottom of his belly. The laugh sounded suspiciously evil.

Ginny grinned. “So…you like the idea?”

Oh, if you only knew I was laughing at you, not with you. You and Harry, both. Sev nodded.

“Great! So this is what I was thinking…”

With a shake his head, Severus leaned back against Ginny’s chest and paid attention.

“Harry?”

“Hmm?”

“We need to talk.”

Severus didn’t like the way Ginny sounded when she said that. Opening his eyes, the infant peeked around the bars of his crib to see what was going on. Harry and Ginny were standing on the other side of the room, by the rocking chair. He was leaning back against the side table; she was leaning against the back of the chair. He had his hands buried deep in his pockets. She had her arms crossed over the top of the chair. His eyes were focused on the carpet. Her eyes were focused on Harry.

“Go ahead, Ginny.” The teen murmured softly.

Sev watched as Ginny studied her boyfriend for a long moment before she spoke, “I want you to be honest with me, Harry.”

“I’ll try, Gin.”

“I want you to do more than try.”

Harry leaned his head back and sighed at the ceiling. Sev saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. Harry’s eyes were closed as he addressed his girlfriend. “What do you want me to say?”

“The truth.”

“As I said, it takes more strength to get it out—to show weakness—than it does to keep it in and hide it.” Sev remembered Remus’ words from earlier. He wondered if they were running through Harry’s mind as well.

The teenager silently stared at Ginny. Sev imagined his eyes were a million miles away. “It’s hard, Gin.” He finally croaked, turning away from his girlfriend and resuming his vigil on the floor. The infant watched as his hands moved from his pockets to the edges of the side table, gripping the frame tightly.

“Please, Harry.”

“You won’t want to hear it, Ginny.”

“I’ll decide if I want to hear or not!”

“By then it’ll be too late now, wouldn’t it?” Harry replied softly. Yet when his green eyes met her hazel, each pair was just as fiery and intense as the other.

“Harry,” Ginny pushed away from the chair and took a step closer to her boyfriend. Her voice lowered to a whisper, but as it got lower, it intensified. “Honesty. I want you to be honest with me, Harry. Is that too much to ask?”

“Ginny—”

“Is it?!”

Harry glared at his girlfriend. “And if it is?” He hissed roughly.

Ginny stared at Harry for the longest time, her breaths coming in at shorter and shorter intervals. Sev could see her unshed tears glistening in the candlelight. “Don’t make me choose, Harry.” She whispered, her voice filled with pain.  

Harry’s head snapped up so quickly Sev was worried he’d get whiplash. “Choose between what?!” He asked sharply.

Ginny merely gazed at him.

Sev didn’t know what Ginny meant, but Harry did, apparently, for he pushed himself up off the table and took a step closer to his girlfriend. “Ginny.” He croaked, his voice now filled with just as much pain as hers.

“I am not going to be in a relationship with a man who flat-out refuses to be honest with me!”

“It’s not about honesty!”

“Yes, it IS!” Ginny screamed in his face before stepping back and taking several deep breaths. “Yes, it is.” She repeated, her voice calmer, more controlled.

“Not for me.” Harry replied through gritted teeth, stepping back as well and resuming his former position.

Sev studied him as he glared at the carpet and gripped the edges of the side table so tightly his knuckles turned white. Half of Harry’s face was bathed in light, the other half covered by shadow. The muscles in Harry’s neck were taut. His entire back was tense. The infant could see beads of sweat on Harry’s forehead glistening in the candlelight. He could also tell Harry’s eyelashes were damp. What could possibly be so bad he can’t tell Ginny? Sev wondered. Harry could usually tell Ginny anything.

“Then what is this about for you?” She asked, her voice betraying her frustration.

Harry sighed and replied wearily, looking Ginny straight in the eye, “I don’t want you to see me as a monster.”

A monster? A monster?! How absolutely preposterous! Sev could never see Harry as a monster. He couldn’t even see Harry as a monster back when he hated Harry! I was the monster back then. The infant recalled with a grimace. He did bad things, horrible things back then! Harry never did any of the things that he did. Harry could never be a monster like he used to be. Never, never, never, not-in-a-billion-years ever!

“Harry, I would never see you as a monster.” Ginny replied gently, stepping closer to her boyfriend.

“You would if you knew.” Harry’s voice was filled with pain; a horrible, heart-wrenching, agonizing pain that cut deep into the soul.

“Knew what, Harry?”

“I killed a man, Ginny!” The teenager cried, finally meeting his girlfriend’s gaze, his eyes filled with tears. “I killed him! I killed him with my bare hands.” A rogue tear broke free of the dam and quickly trailed down his face.

To say Severus was shocked would’ve been an understatement. Harry killed a man? Harry killed a man with his bare hands? Sev didn’t know what to think! There had to be an explanation for this, some kind of logical reason.

Sev watched as Ginny hesitated ever so slightly before reaching out and gently pulling Harry closer to her by the edges of his shirt. “Who did you kill, Harry?” She asked, her voice laced not with fear, but with concern.   

Harry swallowed and whispered his reply, “Fenrir Greyback.”

Both Sev and Ginny simultaneously breathed huge sighs of relief. The infant smiled. He knew he could never see Harry as a monster. Never, never, never! Then he paused as his thoughts turned back to Harry. Wait…he’s regretting this why?!

“Harry, you’re not a monster for killing Greyback. Greyback was a monster that you killed!” Ginny argued.

Sev wanted to cry ‘Ah!’ in agreement but remembered he was eavesdropping and thus pretending to be asleep. If he made a sound now, they would know he was awake and he wouldn’t be able to effectively eavesdrop anymore. Shhh! Better stay quiet…!

“He was still a man, Gin!” Harry retorted.

“He was no longer a man.”

“Yes, he was.”

“He was an animal, Harry! He was the animal that bit Remus!”

“Are you so sure that he was an animal?” Harry asked suddenly, his voice quiet and weary. “Are you so sure man is not?”

“Harry—”

“Are you so sure that you can kill an animal? That you can hold its neck between your hands…and still see an animal?” Harry voice was so full of hurt that Sev began feeling a ghostly pain in his chest just from listening to him. “Are you so sure that you can look into the eyes of a dying man…with the power of God in your hands…and judge whether this thing that you’re dangling over the depths of hell is an animal and not a man? Or a man and not an animal? Are you so sure…that in those last few seconds of life…that they’re both not one in the same?”

Ginny studied her boyfriend’s watery eyes. They were so far away right now. So far…

Wordlessly, she pulled him closer and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Animal or man, Ginny, I killed him.” Harry continued, his voice just above a whisper. “He begged me, he pleaded with me, he cried like only a man could cry.” Harry’s breath hitched, but he continued regardless. “He squealed like only an animal could squeal.” He stared into Ginny’s eyes as she ran her hands down his arms and tossed away his shirt. “He scratched, and he bucked, and I squeezed…and not an ounce of me cared!”

“Oh, yes it did.”

“No, it didn’t!” Harry’s voice cracked in the middle of his retort.

“If it didn’t, you would be having a breakdown right now.”

“I’m not having a breakdown!” His voice cracked yet again and the tears began spilling from his eyes.

Ginny ran her hands down his smooth, bare chest and leaned against him. Harry turned away. “Show me, Harry.”

The teenager took a deep, shuddering breath and turned his gaze towards the crib. There, gleaming in the candlelight, were two obsidian eyes, watching him with such an intensity it took his breath away. 

 “…cracks in good foundations are superficial. They’re on the outside. What really matters is what they’re made of…” Remus’ words from earlier flew into his mind, no doubt Sev’s unconscious doing. “…Good foundations show their strength by doing their jobs well despite their weaknesses…” Harry knew immediately what he had to do.

Turning back, Harry looked deep into Ginny’s eyes, focused his energy, and consciously dropped his glamour.

Ginny and Sev watched as angry red scars, too numerous to count, suddenly appeared all over Harry’s front, back, and upper arms. They were shaped like short, jagged lines and they came in sets of three, four or five. They crisscrossed each other over his chest, his abdomen, and his upper arms. From what Sev could gather, they looked liked scratch marks!

“Greyback’s doing.” Harry murmured softly as Ginny fingered each of the scars. “We found ourselves stuck in a cave, fighting to the death. He didn’t have his wand. I didn’t have mine. I was desperate. I wasn’t thinking straight. My magic was erratic. Sometimes it would work. Sometimes it wouldn’t. He wouldn’t give up until he snatched me…and I wouldn’t let him.” Harry swallowed. “And then he tried to bite me…” he looked deep into Ginny’s eyes, “…and an animal took over.”

“Took over you.”

“YES!” Harry hissed and gulped again. “I suddenly became so proficient at wandless magic; I no longer needed a wand after that. I threw him against the wall. I was on him. I blinked and my hands were around his neck.” Harry took a deep, shuddering breath and turned his gaze towards the ceiling. He could feel Ginny moving around him to check out the scars on his back. “And I squeezed, Ginny! I watched in delight as the light left his eyes, and all I could think of was that I was ridding the world of such an evil monster.”

Sev watched as Ginny slowly ran her hands down Harry’s scarred back.

“And I didn’t even look back, Ginny! He died and I just walked away.” Harry screwed his eyes shut tightly and Sev saw a teardrop drip off his chin. “And now every night it haunts my dreams. And every night the monster becomes more and more a man. Now I can’t even tell the difference.” Sev watched as Ginny encircled his waist from behind and kissed his scarred back. “I killed him…in cold blood, Ginny!” Harry’s head dropped and Sev couldn’t remember seeing someone look more defeated in his life. “I’m no better than Voldemort.”

“Shhh!” Ginny’s arms tightened around Harry’s waist. “Don’t say that! Don’t say that!” She chided. “You are infinitely better than Voldemort! Voldemort killed in cold blood. You are no cold-blooded killer. Look at yourself, Harry! You feel…and that’s what makes the difference!”

And Severus realized Ginny was right. Harry was always the better man between him and Voldemort. Even if magic was written out of the equation, Harry would have come out the stronger man hands down. Harry allowed himself to feel—even for his enemies—and that’s what defined his strength.

Back when Severus was in school, feelings were weaknesses. To show feeling meant you were weak and incapable of doing what was necessary to get the job done. Yet Severus knew different now. Harry and Ginny just showed him that. It takes much more strength to feel than it does to remain detached. It takes a stronger man to face the regret a weaker man would block out. It takes a stronger man to cry for his enemies in addition to his friends. It takes a stronger man to show his vulnerabilities to the two people in the world he wanted most to hide them from.

Sev watched as Harry finally broke down into tears and crumpled to the floor. He watched as Ginny wrapped him in her arms and rocked him back and forth, whispering calming noises in his ear. Sev watched as all the cracks in his foundation appeared before his eyes. Yet Sev was not worried. He knew what this foundation was made of. He knew this foundation had a lot more strength within him than he gave himself credit for. He knew that, despite all the cracks, Harry could hold him up through a catastrophe, if need be. In Severus’ eyes, Harry was the strongest man in the world and nothing was going to change that!

Turning away from the heart-wrenching scene, Severus closed his eyes and smiled. Now he knew what real strength was. Now he knew where real strength came from.

The crying died down more and more as the minutes passed and Severus’ consciousness slipped further and further away from him. 

“Ginny?”

“Yes?”

“There’s one more thing…”

Yet Severus never heard what that one more thing was, for by then he was off to the land of nod.