The floo in Harry’s quarters flared to life just milliseconds before a bushy-haired girl stepped onto the hearth and quickly began navigating around the chairs and the playpen in the living room.

WOOF! The big black dog, stretched out on the couch, barked lazily at the girl’s entrance but otherwise refused to move.

“Good morning, Sirius.” The girl replied distractedly.

Half a second later, the floo flared to life once again and out staggered a lanky, fire-haired young man. “Hermione! For Merlin’s sake!” He hissed at his girlfriend.

WOOF! The big black dog barked once more.

“Oh shut it, Padfoot. You’re not even a real dog.” He grumbled, cursing as his shin banged against the low coffee table in front of the fireplace.

“Harry!” Hermione called before she knocked loudly on the master bedroom door. “Harry! Ginny!”

“Must you do this at this hour of the morning?!” Ron growled. “It’s not even that big of a deal!”

There was a series of loud bangs before the door to the master bedroom flew open and a bleary-eyed, unshaven, shirtless Harry staggered out, wand at the ready. “What? What’s happened?!” He cried in alarm.

Hermione quickly snapped open a copy of the Daily Prophet and shoved it in his face. “Have you seen the headline on the Prophet this morning?!” She practically screeched.

Harry instantly froze in place and gaped at his best friend. “Hang the Prophet! What’s the emergency?!”

“That’s the bloody emergency.” Ron growled as he rubbed his bruised shin and scowled at his girlfriend.

“Wha—” Harry squinted at the colossal headline on the front page of the paper Hermione was shoving in his face and was barely able to make out the words in the dark. Extra! The Chosen One and the Werewolf to Teach at Hogwarts this Coming School Year, An Insider Claims!

Harry’s jaw tightened in mild irritation and his wand immediately dropped back to his side. “That’s the big emergency?!”

“Told you it wasn’t that big of a deal.” Ron grumbled.

“Of course it’s an emergency!” Hermione retorted. “It means there’s a leak inside Hogwarts!”

Harry rolled his eyes and released a huge sigh of relief. “Ginny!” He called as he turned back towards the bedroom.

“Harry?!” Ginny’s voice echoed strangely from inside the room.

“False alarm! You can come out now.” He cried.

“Why is her voice echoing?” Sirius asked curiously as he jumped over the back of the couch and sauntered over to where Harry and Hermione stood.

“She’s down in the panic room.” Harry croaked, trying to rub the morning dew from his eyes.

“Panic room? You have a panic room?!” Sirius stuck his head in the door. “Where?!”

“Harry! Can we focus here? This is an emergency!” Hermione scowled at her best friend’s lack of concern.

“No, it’s not, Hermione.”

“See, I told you!”

“Whoa! You never told me you had a lab down here, Harry!” Sirius’ voice echoed as he descended into the potions lab. “Hey Ginny!”

“What happened?”

“Hermione panicked over a little thing.”

“It is not a little thing!” Hermione retorted indignantly.

“It’s a little thing.” Sirius told Ginny with a wink. Suddenly, the baby in the teenager’s arms began to cry. “See what you did, Hermione?! You woke the baby!” Sirius teased with a smile.

“Why are you not upset about this, Harry?”

“‘Mione, it would’ve happened eventually.” Harry mumbled as he helped his girlfriend up the stairs.

“What are you brewing down here, pup?”

“Sirius! That’s important stuff! Could you please not mess with it?” Harry cried in alarm.

“Relax, kiddo, I’m not touching anything.” Sirius’ voice echoed in return.

“Haweh!” Severus reached for him blindly through a wall of tears.

“Yeah, cub, come ‘ere.” Harry took the infant and began rocking him back and forth.

“What do you mean, ‘it would’ve happened eventually’?!”

“Hermione, it’s August, for Merlin’s sake. News about Remus’ and my teaching positions would’ve come out eventually.” Harry replied as he rubbed Severus’ back.

“See?!” Ron added from the living room.

“But who else would know about this other than the staff here at Hogwarts?”

“How about everyone who came to my birthday party last July?” Harry raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

“How about Mundungus Fletcher?” Sirius added as he came out from the secret staircase.

“Ugh! You blame him for everything.” Ginny said as she crawled back under the covers.

“That’s because he’s responsible for everything.” Sirius retorted as he left the bedroom and padded towards the kitchen. “I’m starting breakfast!”

“Hermione, don’t worry about it.” Harry reassured her. “Dumbledore was going to give an interview and a press release to the Prophet and the Quibbler later today anyway, on account of the letters to the students go out tomorrow.”

“Making a bloody mountain out of a mole hill.” Ron grumbled from his recliner in the living room. He looked to be on the brink of sleep on one of Harry’s easy chairs.

“Ugh! Honestly!” Hermione rolled up the newspaper in frustration and stomped towards the kitchen. “Why am I the only one panicking about this?”

“Because you’re the only one who bloody overreacts among us!” Her boyfriend retorted grouchily

Bfffffffffffffft! Severus blew strong raspberries at her back.

“Alright, okay, that’s enough.” Harry walked him back to the big bed. “You wanna go back to sleep with Ginny?” The infant nodded as he rubbed his little eyes.

“Come here, sweetheart.” Ginny reached out her arms and Harry laid Severus in her embrace. “Let’s sleep in, shall we?” Sev yawned and stretched his little arms and legs as Harry wrapped the fluffy comforter around them, and then, just as quickly, he sighed and curled himself into a tiny ball, snuggling into Ginny’s chest. “There we are.”

“I’ll keep breakfast warm for you.” Harry said before dropping a kiss onto both their foreheads and walking away.

“Alright! How about some pancakes, eggs, and sausage?” Sirius’ voice was the last thing either of them heard before Harry closed the bedroom door and consciousness faded away.

“I didn’t particularly enjoy the headline.” Remus commented.

“I know. Neither did I.” Harry nodded solemnly. “They said ‘the werewolf’ like it was a bad thing.”

“I’m sure that’s how they meant it, Harry.” Remus replied cynically.

“They’ll change.” Harry replied confidently. “They’ll change soon enough, Remus, I promise you.”

“Who, the Prophet?” Remus snorted and shook his head in amusement. “The Daily Prophet will never change, Harry.”

“Oh, I’m not particularly concerned about whether or not the Prophet changes. It’s bloody rubbish anyway.”

“Harry!” Ginny rebuked from where she walked with Tonks behind them.

Severus giggled and pat Harry’s mouth with his tiny hand, singing, “Uh, uh, uh! Uh, uh, uh!” playfully.

Remus snorted, “Uh, uh, uh, Harry!” He wagged a finger in Harry’s face with a laugh. “Uh, uh, uh!”

“Bab wobth!”

Harry smiled. “Bad words. I’m sorry.” He kissed Sev’s hand, making the infant giggle, and shot an apologetic glance at his girlfriend. “I’m starting to sound like your Uncle Ron, aren’t—” Harry froze mid-sentence and suddenly made a grab for the nearest column for support. Sev gasped at Harry’s sudden stop and gripped the sides of his sling tightly in order to prevent himself from falling out.

Remus, Dora, and Ginny all froze. “Harry?!” The latter cried in alarm, quickly darting to his side. “Harry, are you okay?” She hissed in his ear as she grabbed his free arm. Harry’s hand found her sleeve and the teenager didn’t miss how quickly his grip on the fabric tightened. Neither did the tightening of his grip on the column slip her notice either. Ginny knew only one thing in the world could make Harry react the way he did—sharp, intense, relentless pain. “Harry!”

Harry’s eyes locked with hers and Ginny could see the quivering of his tightened jaw, the beads of sweat breaking out at his temple. All of a sudden, the teen flicked his eyes towards Remus. Ginny understood his silent message.

“Look into my eyes, love.” She sent him through their mental link.

“Harry, are you alright?” Remus asked in concern.

All of a sudden, wave after wave after wave of calming white magic flowed into Harry from his link with Ginny. It wasn’t exactly what he needed and the both of them knew that; but it was a stopgap measure that did its intended job for the time being and Harry was grateful for it. He immediately channeled the energy to where it would do the most good.

“Harry? Do you want me to call Madam Pomfrey?” Remus pushed, stepping closer to the pair to see what the matter was.

All of a sudden, Harry inhaled sharply and then just as quickly released his breath before his grip on both the column and Ginny’s sleeve slackened. “No!” He replied hoarsely, covering the roughness of his voice by clearing his throat several times. “No, thank you, Remus.”

“Haweh?” Sev questioned cautiously, peering up at his caretaker with a concerned look on his face. “Haweh?” The infant reached up from where he reclined in his sling and pat the teen’s chest to get his attention.

“Yeah, cub.” Harry replied distractedly. He took Severus’ little hand and rubbed the palm affectionately with his thumb. Otherwise, he only acknowledged the infant in his arms with a vague, “I’m fine.”

All of a sudden, he straightened up and began resuming his walk back to their quarters. Remus, Dora, and Ginny merely followed him with concerned eyes, unmoving.

“Harry?” Remus exchanged a look with his wife before running to catch up with the fast-moving teenager. “Harry, what was all that about?”

“Nothing, Remus.”

“He’s limping.” Tonks whispered to Ginny as the two ladies began trailing after their men.

“What?” Ginny raised an eyebrow and squinted at Harry’s retreating form.

Tonks readjusted her hold on Teddy and repeated in a low, concerned voice, “He’s limping, Ginny.” She peered at her friend worriedly. The teenager sighed and Tonks noticed her jaw tighten slightly. Otherwise, she didn’t respond. “Do you know anything about this, Gin?”

Much to Tonks’ frustration, Ginny still refused to answer.

“Anything at all?” The metamorphamagus pushed stubbornly.

“Dora, just leave it.” Ginny replied, her shoulders sagging in a look reminiscent of defeat.

Tonks frowned. “What’s the matter, Ginny?”

“Nothing.” And with that, Ginny picked up her pace and managed to overtake Tonks just as they turned the corner to reach their quarters.

Not one to give up easily, Tonks hugged Teddy close before giving chase to her best friend. “Ginny!”

Up ahead of them, Remus and Harry were on the verge of a screaming match. “I told you to leave it, Remus!” Harry growled as he climbed into the portrait hole leading to his quarters.

Much like his wife, Remus was not one to give up easily, “Not until you tell me what’s wrong, Harry!”

“NOTHING is wrong!”

“Harry!” Ginny called as she ran up to them and pushed past Remus to climb into the portrait hole after her boyfriend.  “We need to talk.”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!” Harry quickly yet gently pulled Severus out of his sling and into his arms. “There’s nothing to talk about, Gin!”

SLAM! Ginny threw Severus’ diaper bag onto the floor in frustration. “That’s BOLLOCKS and you know it!”

At this point, Severus didn’t know if it was the loud slamming noise or the fact that Ginny just cursed, but whatever the cause, a tense silence quickly descended onto the Potter quarters. The infant’s heart soon began to race and he stuck his thumb in his mouth and began sucking in an effort to relieve the tension.

Ginny was glaring at Harry. Harry was glaring at Ginny. Remus, Dora, and Teddy stood at the entrance to their quarters, watching the proceedings with looks that radiated both concern and shock. Severus’ feelings weren’t very far from theirs either. What in the world was going on?!

“It’s bollocks!” Ginny growled. Severus cringed at the intense look she was sending Harry’s way. She looked on the verge of tears! The infant gripped Harry’s robe tightly in his fist and tried to bury himself in the folds. They were doing it again. Why were they doing it again?! What was so bad that they had to get into these kinds of arguments every time it came up?!

All of a sudden, his ride lurched. “Remus, would you mind taking him for a minute?” And for the second time in the space of a week, Severus was thrust into Remus’ arms while Harry turned back to take care of some major business.

“You want to talk? Fine!” He snapped at his girlfriend before turning on his heel and leading the way into the bedroom.

“Don’t yell at me. Don’t you yell at me!” Ginny retorted heatedly, following her boyfriend with angry strides.

“I already told you there’s nothing to talk about!”

“Like hell there’s nothing to talk about! What were you expecting me to do? Just…ignore this? AGAIN?!”

“There’s nothing to ignore!”

“You’re a goddamn liar!”

SLAM!!!

And with the slamming of the bedroom door, the room with plunged into silence once again.

“What do you reckon that was about, Remus?” Tonks whispered after a while, breaking the tense stillness in the room.

“I don’t know.” Her husband replied worriedly. “But whatever it is, I’m going to find out.”

All of a sudden, the child in Remus’ arms squirmed and began striking the werewolf’s chest as hard as he could. “Wha happ?!” He cried, and with each accompanying strike his tone became more and more desperate, his words, more and more a plea. “Wha happ?! Wha happ?! Wha happ?! Wha happ?! Wha ha—” Until finally, Severus’ voice cracked and the tears that had been piling in his eyes finally began to fall. For more than a minute, Sev lost the ability to speak as his face contorted into an agonized mess and he expelled what sounded like all the breath in his little body. Then, with a great gasp, the tiny infant let out the most heart-wrenching cry Remus had ever heard. “Ahhhhhhhh!”

“Oh, baby…” Tonks sighed and she hugged Teddy close to her chest as Remus wrapped Severus in his embrace.

“Shhh, cub…Shhh…” Severus buried his face in Remus’ robes and screamed out his agony into the folds. “I know, Sev…I know…” The werewolf began making calming sounds and started rubbing Severus’ back as the infant vented his frustrations into the fabric.

“Remus, you have to talk to Harry.” Tonks said, “I’ll talk to Ginny. Whatever it is they’re fighting about, it’s hurting him!”

“I know, Dora!” Remus growled angrily. But his anger wasn’t directed at her, she knew. The werewolf sent a stone-cold glare towards the closed bedroom door as he pulled out his wand with his free hand.

“What are you doing?” The metamorphamagus asked worriedly.

“They may not allow us to hear them, but I can sure as hell allow them to hear him.” And with that, Remus whispered a spell that amplified Severus’ cries and sent it directly towards the closed bedroom door. The werewolf made doubly sure that it penetrated as well. The couple inside would be able to hear their crying child as if their own bedroom door was a gigantic speaker turned up to the highest volume. “Let’s see if they can ignore that.” Remus declared vindictively, earning him a raised eyebrow from his wife. She had never seen this side of him before.

It worked. After about a minute, the door to the master bedroom flew open and Ginny came power walking out. Remus and Tonks both frowned when they saw her brush the corners of her eyes with her thumbs and dab her reddening nose with the back of her hand. The couple even exchanged a look when they started picking up on the soft sniffles. “Are you alright, Ginny?” Tonks asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Dora.” The teenager answered in a nasal voice, indicating that she had indeed been crying. “Thanks, Remus. I’ll take him now.”

Remus’ eyebrows furrowed. “What did he do to you, Ginny?” He growled.

“Nothing, Moony. I promise.” Ginny answered sincerely, making sure to meet Remus’ eyes to assure him that she was indeed telling the truth. At the same time, she worked to pry Severus from his protective embrace. “We just had a bit of a row.”

“Again.” Dora interjected. 

“What was the row about?” Remus pushed. “And where is he now anyway?!” The werewolf’s angry gaze shot towards the open bedroom and he sniffed the air testily.

“He’s down in the lab, brewing something.” Ginny was finally able to pry Severus loose from Remus’ grasp and take him into her arms. “Aw, come here, baby.”

“Wha…happ?” Sev moaned between sniffles. Upon sensing that he was back in Ginny’s familiar embrace, he grasped her robe with all his strength and buried his face in its folds. “IMMY!”

“Yeah, baby, I know.” Ginny replied in a hushed, calming voice. “I know. You don’t like it when we fight. We know, sweetheart, and we are so sorry.” She gave him a big kiss on his exposed cheek and began rubbing his back lovingly. “We’re sorry, baby.”

“If Harry was that sorry, he’d come out here to say it.” Remus growled, striding towards the open bedroom.

“Remus, stop!” Ginny cried in alarm, freezing the werewolf in his tracks. He peered back at her quizzically. “He’s down in his lab brewing something…incredibly important right now!” She said, her emphasis on the word accompanied by a slight crack in her voice. “And…I…need him to do that.”  

Remus raised an eyebrow. “You need him to?”

“Ginny, what’s going on?” Tonks added with concern.

“Wha happ?!” Severus put in, pushing up against Ginny’s chest and gazing at her through a wall of tears.

Ginny took a deep breath and opened her mouth to answer…but nothing came out. Her gaze shifted from Severus to Remus to Tonks and Teddy and finally back to Severus again.

“Wha happ?” The infant repeated through hitched breaths. He pleaded with her through sad, sad eyes to tell him what was wrong; to tell him what the big issue was between her and Harry. He wanted to know the truth. He needed to know the truth! Their arguments were getting worse; which told him the issue around which their fights revolved was getting worse as well. Something was wrong with Harry—that much Severus knew—but neither Harry nor Ginny were letting him in on what that something was! It was infernally frustrating!

Ginny, for her part, appeared confused and frustrated too. From the looks of things, Sev figured she was internally debating with herself about whether or not she wanted to divulge the truth to the rest of them. After holding her mouth open for a short while, and not having uttered a single word, she closed it once again. Sev watched as she shut her eyes and turned away from them. The dimples on her cheeks, which usually sat high up in a joyous smile, instead sat low in a sad, sad frown. The happy wrinkles that usually lined her face transformed into stress lines that aged her prematurely. And the area under her eyes, usually clear of any sort of blemish, now housed dark bags of sleeplessness.

Sev swallowed and tried to get a hold of his breathing, for Ginny’s sake, at least. “Immy?” He questioned cautiously.

“Ginny, what’s the matter?” Tonks asked in the same tone. She took a step closer to her best friend and reached out a hand to comfort her.

The teenager, however, would have none of it. She bit her lip and, as if sensing the move, quickly stepped out of Dora’s reach. “No.” She cried, her voice thick and laden with a deep hurt. She shook her head, turned away, and brushed the corner of her closed eyes with the back of her hand.

“Ginny, please,” Tonks begged, “please tell us what’s wrong.”

“Is it Harry?” Remus ventured a guess, turning away from the bedroom and focusing his attention on the distraught girl before him. “There’s something wrong with Harry, isn’t there?”

“Immy?”

It was Ginny’s shuddery breath which gave her away. Her eyes flew open and focused on the heavens for a fraction of a second before she turned away from the other couple and started making her way to the living room.

“It has to do with whatever just happened in the hallway, doesn’t it?” Remus continued, immediately giving chase to the fast-moving teenager. “Something happened to him out there just now; something that he doesn’t want to talk about.”

“Remus—”

“Something that just sparked the big row the both of you just had.”

“Remus, stop—” Ginny threw herself onto the nearest easy chair and immediately began curling in on herself.

“Something you definitely want to talk about, though. Ginny, just say—”

“STOP!!!” Severus cried, scowling at the werewolf over Ginny’s shoulder. Had this been any other time, Sev would have prided himself in being able to clearly pronounce the letters ‘S’ and ‘T’ for the first time in three months. However, this wasn’t just any other time, and for now all Sev cared about was that Remus shut the hell up and back away from Ginny.

The teen was now curled up into a ball on one of the leather chairs; Severus nestled securely in the gap between her chest and her thighs. Ginny had planted her forehead on her knees and wrapped her arms around her shins, hugging her legs to her chest. Severus, for his part, was propped up against her right arm. He had his own right arm wrapped around Ginny’s neck in a one-armed hug, his left hand was patting her back in comfort, and his face was scowling at Remus. “Go weh!” He barked, narrowing his eyes at the werewolf in challenge.

Remus, for once, was speechless. He was standing by the side of their chair, gaping down at them with a face full of shock and concern. Ever so slowly, he started lowering himself down on one knee. “Ginny—”

“MO!” Sev growled, hugging the crying teen protectively and barring his two teeth at the interfering werewolf.

Remus flinched back instinctively. “Severus, just—”

“GO WEH!!!” The infant squealed at the top of his lungs.

“Honey, honey,” Tonks cut in, sweeping down to pull her husband to his feet and away from the duo. “Let’s just give them some space for a few minutes, okay? Come on!” Remus resisted momentarily, trying to pull away from his wife in an effort to continue pushing the subject with Ginny. “Remus! She needs space!” She hissed in the werewolf’s ear. After a few moments, Remus reluctantly gave in with a sigh. “Ginny, we’re just going to go make some tea. We’re going to be in the kitchen, okay?” Tonks told her, dragging her unwilling husband behind her.

“Immy…” Severus cooed in Ginny’s ear, patting the teenager on the back with what he hoped were comforting pats. “Immy…” Once again, he tried to emulate the same calming tone of voice Harry used whenever he, Severus, needed comfort. “Immy…”

“Oh…god…” Ginny gasped between hitched breaths before her crying fit started anew.

“Immy…” If only Severus had a mental connection to Ginny as well. He would tell her that it was okay to cry. He would tell her that he was there for her, and that whatever it was that was bothering her and Harry, he would be there to help them whenever they needed it. If only Ginny could hear him, he would tell her that he loved her and that Harry loved her and nothing else in the world mattered, save for those two facts. If only Ginny could hear him, he would tell her that whatever this was, they would get through it—together.

“Wise words, cub.”

Severus looked up with a gasp to find Harry sitting on the edge of the coffee table, directly across from them. Beside him, Ginny took a deep, shuddering breath before peaking up herself to meet her boyfriend’s eye.

“Harry?”

BFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTT!!!

Harry merely shut his eyes and allowed the infant to douse him with spit without comment.

“Ooo mek Immy cwy!” Severus spat in disgust. BFFFFFFT! “Ee—dee—ot!”

Ginny gasped, “Severus.” She rebuked softly, “Please stop.”

“No, I deserved that.” Harry countered in an equally soft voice as he peered at them through glasses covered in spit.

“No, Harry…” Ginny uncurled and crossed her legs atop the seat, readjusting Sev so that the infant was nestled between them, his back supported by her chest. “…you didn’t deserve that. You…” She paused for a moment to regain control of her breathing and wipe the stray tear tracks from her cheeks.

“Ginny…” Harry took his glasses off to wipe them on his shirt as he met his girlfriend’s eye. “…yes, I did.” Ginny sighed and began to shake her head. “And I know you think I did too so…” A corner of his mouth tipped up in a quirky half-smile, “…might as well admit it.” He then reached up a sleeve to wipe down the rest of his drool-soaked face.

Ginny snorted. “Maybe a little.” She replied. Severus peered up at her quizzically. “But the thing is…” Ginny paused to swallow and swipe her still-damp eyes once again, “…the thing is, what you said in there…” She took a deep, shuddery breath, “…you were right.” She conceded in a voice that Severus could only classify as defeated. “You were right about that. I…I couldn’t do it.”

Severus furrowed his eyebrows and peered back at Harry in confusion, wanting to gauge the teen’s reaction to her statement.

The man in front of him looked sad and drawn. “I’m sorry, baby.” He whispered in a voice laden with regret.

“No, I am.” Ginny replied in an equally low whisper. “I…I see where you’re coming from now. Look…” The teen shifted and the look on face all of a sudden transformed into one of quiet resolution. “Just give me a timeline, Harry.” She told him, her voice filled with plea. “Give me something I can work with.”

The teen nodded and looked away for a second to ponder the answer. Severus’ face screwed up in confusion. A timeline? For what?

“Two months.” Harry replied, meeting Ginny’s quiet resolve with a twin look of his own. “Two months. We are so close, Ginny—SO close! I can feel it! One month to…finish everything up and one month to steep it.”

“One month.” Ginny replied in a voice laden with mixed emotions. “It’ll take a month to brew?”

“It’s looking that way, yes.” Harry answered regretfully. “There is a necessary ingredient that has to be steeped for at least a month.”

Steeped? Ingredients? Brew? Severus’ perplexed gaze traveled from Harry to Ginny and back. What, in Merlin’s name, were these two talking about? A potion?! That doesn’t make sense. Weren’t they just discussing Harry’s behavior towards Ginny earlier—the reason why she was crying? How in the world had they gotten on the topic of potions?!

Severus tried to connect the dots in his head. Ginny crying—Sev spit on Harry—Harry said he deserves it—Sev agrees—Ginny saying that Harry was right about something said during the fight—Ginny asks for a timeline—Talk moves to potions. Where the heck was the logic in that chain of thought? All sense broke down the moment Ginny asked for a timeline.

Perhaps I’m missing something vital. Sev mused. Of course you’re missing something vital! The voice at the back of his head scoffed. They’re not telling you anything about what the heck’s going on—that’s the vital piece that’s missing.

Sev rolled his eyes and dismissed the grating voice. He didn’t need them to tell him what was going on. He was smart enough to figure everything out by himself! Sev was reminded briefly of all the adventures Harry went through in his years here at Hogwarts. All those times, no one had given the boy the information he needed to get through all the obstacles facing him. Harry had figured that out all by himself (with Ron and Hermione helping him, of course) by taking what he knew and connecting the dots as best he could. That then was all Sev had to do in this instance—connect the dots!

Of course…he needed more dots than he currently had at the moment. Think back, you imbecile! The annoying voice at the back broke in. This isn’t the first time they fought like this!

Sev gasped. Godric’s Hollow! That’s right! The infant’s eyes lit up and he sat up straight and smiled in delight. “Ah ha!” He squeaked joyously. He had more dots now—lots more dots! He had more information he could use now.

“What are you laughing at, cub?” Harry’s amused voice broke into his thoughts.

Sev gasped yet again but this time the smile disappeared and he peered up at Harry through wide eyes. He looked, for all intents and purposes, like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Did he just react out loud? Shoot! “Uh…Mmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnn…None…ting.” He decided to distract them by pretending he was trying to pronounce a word.

“Nothing?” A smile began tugging at the corners of Harry’s lips. 

“Oh, you should be proud of him, Harry.” Ginny broke in, “He was able to pronounce ‘S’ and ‘T’ again for the first time in three months!” She gave the infant on her lap a supportive squeeze and dropped a kiss on his head. Severus grinned up at her.

“He was?!” Harry’s eyes widened in surprise. “What’d you say, cub?”

The infant smiled shyly. “Ssssss—top.”

“Stop!” Harry grinned.

“Yeah, he said it to Remus—” All of a sudden, Ginny gasped. “Remus!” The teenager stood up so quickly, Severus’ head began to spin and he cried out in surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart.” She turned around to find the other couple standing by the kitchen window, their backs to them. “Remus! Dora!”

Remus peered back at them awkwardly, “Er…do you two want us to step out or—”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Moony.” Harry replied, getting up as well. “We’re sorry about everything that just---”

“Ah! Forget about it.” Remus waved him off.

“Harry, are you sick?” Tonks asked in concern. “Is there…something wrong? Anything we can do to help?”

“No, I’m not sick. Don’t worry. It…” Harry stuttered for a second, trying to decide on what to say, before choosing to shrug it off completely. “It’s a personal, um…issue.”

Remus’ eyebrows furrowed. “Too personal to tell us about it?” He gestured between him and his wife, sounding a bit offended.

“Remus, it’s…” Harry’s jaw tightened and he sighed in frustration, “It’s not against you. Er…It doesn’t have anything to do with you. Um…I mean—”

“Please,” Ginny interjected, stepping in front of Harry and peering at Remus and Dora through pleading eyes, “Can we just drop it for now? Please? There’s been too much drama for one day.” She made sure to meet Tonks’ eyes and sent a silent appeal to help her cause. 

The metamorphamagus nodded and gently touched her husband on the shoulder. “Remus…come on, love.” She said in a low, hypnotic voice, “That’s enough for now. Let’s drop it.”

Despite his wife, the werewolf continued his steady stare in Harry’s direction. “This isn’t over, Harry.” He said resolutely. “I’m finding out what this is.”

“Remus, stop already!” Tonks hissed in her husband’s ear. 

“Alright, alright, I’m stopping.” Remus replied, waving his wife off before pointing a serious finger at Harry. “For now.”

Back in Ginny’s arms, Severus grinned. Yes! He had Remus on his side now! Two against two! Maybe they could put their heads together later, when Harry and Ginny weren’t in the room, and find out what was going on. A wave of excitement suddenly flowed through the infant. This mystery-solving stuff was fun! No wonder Harry, Ron, and Hermione occupied their time solving school mysteries when they were here at Hogwarts. It was exciting! It was thrilling! It was mind-engaging and adventurous! Oh, Merlin, he couldn’t wait ‘til he could walk again and see what other mysteries he could find and solve!

“Thank you.” Harry said, his voice filled with appreciation.

“For now.” Remus grumbled as he turned away to scowl at the view out the window.

“Hey! I have an idea.” Ginny spoke up in an effort to break the tension in the room, “Why don’t we try and bake something, huh? Sev? Teddy? You want to help us bake some biscuits?”

Sev gasped and peered back at Ginny excitedly. He loved Ginny’s biscuits!

“Yeah, I think that’d be fun.” Tonks added, catching on.

“Plus, biscuits are easy for them to chew—especially when they’re fresh out of the oven.” Ginny replied. “Harry, would you go get the camera, love?”

“Remus, come on, help me find the molds.”

And with that, the ladies successfully steered attention away from the afternoon drama and back to safer, more enjoyable topics of conversation.