“At this time, we would like to call to the stand the former…as of this morning…” Sirius felt like cringing, but he managed to remain professional, “…Narcissa Malfoy.”

The whole Malfoy table instantly shot to their feet.

“What?!” Draco exclaimed.

Lucius looked furious. “What is the meaning of this?!”

BANG! BANG! BANG! Dumbledore banged his gavel repeatedly in an effort to calm both the Malfoys and the rest of the crowd, which had become riled up from all the excitement. “Might I remind you, Mr. Malfoys, that I allowed you back into this courtroom with the condition that you will cause no more outbursts or interruptions. If you both don’t take your seats this instant, I will hold you both in contempt!”

There was a loud noise as the doors to the courtroom opened and in walked Narcissa, four aurors escorting her. She paused briefly by the Malfoys’ table, but made a point to keep her eyes off either of the men. She merely slammed a stack of papers onto their desk and continued walking without a backwards glance. “Happy Christmas, Lucius.” She murmured, her voice cold and emotionless.

“Do you consent to the administration of Veritaserum?” Sirius asked, his voice level and just as devoid of emotion as his cousin’s. He merely watched, still as a statue, as Narcissa helped herself onto the witness stand.

“Yes” She answered, pointedly directing her gaze away from her former husband and son.

“This is outrageous!” Lucius exclaimed, slamming an angry finger against his table.

“Mr. Malfoy, retake your seat—” Dumbledore started.

“I demand this questioning by stopped immediately!”

“My Lord, Mr. Black failed to disclose this witness’ identity to me prior to the trial.” Smith argued, a lot calmer than his two clients.

“She only volunteered to testify for us as of last night.” Sirius countered. “AND, may I point out, My Lord, Mr. Smith here failed to disclose the identity of his only witness to me over the course of the last week.”

“I did too!” The arrogant lawyer shot back with a scowl. Sirius felt like rolling his eyes.

“Mother, what are you doing there?! Step away immediately!” Draco added, directing his angry rebukes towards an indifferent Narcissa.

“You speak to your mother that way?” Sirius murmured, narrowing his eyes at his cousin. The animagus shook his head at the blonde teen’s attitude. If Harry had ever spoken to him that way, his godson would have soon regretted it. He would never have tolerated such disrespect in his house!

“Gentlemen!” Dumbledore boomed. “Let us all calm down, shall we? Mr. Smith, I will allow it. Mr. Malfoy—the both of you—I have grown weary of repeating myself.”

Draco growled. “Damn it, Dumbledore, she—”

“MR. MALFOY!” The Chief Warlock cried, incensed, “THIS is a courtroom and not the Hogwarts school grounds. I am a member of the Wizengamot and as such I am to be addressed in a certain manner—a fact I have reminded you of more than once today. Now I have asked the both of you to take your seats. You refused to do so. In this courtroom, I do not make threats, I make promises. Aurors!” He signaled to the guards at the back of the room. “Escort Mr. Malfoy and his father to a holding cell. I am holding them both in Contempt of Court.”

“There is no way my son and I are going to be held in a prison cell! This is ridiculous!” Lucius replied, jerking his arm away from the grasp of a nearby security auror.

“Mr. Malfoy, I’ll have you know that Contempt of Court is a crime punishable by time in Azkaban or a hefty fine.” Dumbledore’s nostrils flared and his eyes grew wide in anger. “Continue with this insolent behavior and I assure you it’ll be both!”

Once again, the auror tried to place a hand on Lucius’ shoulder, only to have the older man shrug him off violently. “Take your hand off me!” He snarled. With one final glare at Dumbledore, he turned on his heel and marched angrily out of the courtroom, Draco at his heels.

The Chief Warlock sighed wearily. “I should not have let them back in to begin with.” He murmured under his breath as he tried to rub the wrinkles from his forehead. “NOW that we have no more interruptions…Mr. Black, the floor is yours.”

“Thank you, My Lord.” Sirius nodded. He signaled for Narcissa to take a drink of water from the glass an auror had just handed her, and waited for her to comply before he began his questioning. “Now…can you please state you name and relation to the Malfoys, for the record?”

“Narcissa M…” The woman froze mid-sentence, having caught herself just in time. The courtroom watched as she shut her eyes and took a deep breath before clearing her throat and starting again. “…Narcissa Black. I was married to Lucius Malfoy as of yesterday evening. As of this morning, I am no longer his wife.”

“So…you divorced him?”

“Yes…well…” Narcissa shrugged, “…my lawyer informed me that in cases of confirmed domestic abuse, the husband’s signature was not required for the divorce to take effect. Those papers,” she gestured towards the stack of papers she had slammed onto the Malfoys’ table earlier, “which he has conveniently forgotten,” she growled angrily, “are merely a formality.”

Sirius steeled himself against all emotion as he pushed forward to his next question. “Just out of curiosity…Why did it take you so long to divorce him?”

Narcissa looked genuinely surprised by the question. It was obvious she had not been expecting Sirius to ask her something like that.

The witch turned away and sighed to herself. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. And it stayed that way for a short while. She would look towards Sirius and open her mouth as if to answer, and then just as quickly close her lips and turn away. “I…I…” She managed to stutter, but never made it past her first word.

“I feel sorry for her.” Ginny murmured, garnering strange looks from all the people around her, save for Hermione.

“For god’s sake, why, Gin?!” Ron whispered in disbelief.

“Well just look at her, Ronald!” Ginny quietly rebuked her brother. “She’s obviously in pain!”

“And she could just as obviously be faking it!” He shot back.

“If she’s just faking it, why did she volunteer to testify for Harry’s sake?!”

“Because she’s mental!”

“It was Astoria.” Narcissa finally admitted. Her voice sounded nasal, as if she was on the verge of tears.

“Astoria Greengrass?” Sirius asked, though he already knew the answer.

“Draco’s former betrothed. She…” The middle-aged witch inhaled sharply and shifted in her seat, “…after Mr. Moody rescued the both of us from Draco and Lucius…and we barricaded ourselves in the room Severus was in…” The woman looked to be building up to something—something big. And it looked like whatever she was about to admit involved emotions beyond which Harry and the others had thought her capable. She looked genuinely hurt.

“She called me pathetic!” Narcissa exclaimed, her bowed head suddenly shooting upward to reveal the tears in her eyes. “ME, Sirius! She called me pathetic!”

Sirius grit his teeth as he struggled to remain stoic. He clasped his hands behind his back and gripped his wrists tightly, as if that simple act would stay the sympathy he knew he was feeling for his cousin.

Narcissa accepted the handkerchief Dumbledore passed down to her with a word of thanks, and dabbed at the corners of her leaky eyes. “And I realized I was!” She continued. “I had ended up…just like my mother and I never said I would! I never…” she cleared her throat, “…I said I would never sit back and take it like she did. I said I would leave!” The middle-aged witch bit her lip and her gaze moved down to the handkerchief in her lap, which she was gripping like a lifeline. “But I didn’t leave soon enough.” She tried to swallow her emotions, control herself to the level she knew she was capable. “‘Cause look at what he’s done to Draco.”

And Draco really was the crux of the matter, wasn’t he? That’s why she didn’t leave Lucius for all those years. She had had a child with him. And she wanted Draco to have a man in his life—someone to show him how to be a man. Unfortunately, it also had to be someone who shared her belief in blood purity, and Sirius unfortunately didn’t fit that bill. She had figured, somewhere along the line, that Lucius would change; that being a father would change him. She had hoped that he would be a better man, a sweeter man—a husband she had always dreamed of having. Yet her hopes were all for naught. Lucius had shown Draco how to be a man, alright; but not the kind of man Narcissa had hoped he would become. The first time Draco had hit her, the reality of her situation came crashing down.

Sirius swallowed and cleared his throat in an effort to refocus himself. He didn’t have time to deal with this right now. Right now, he needed to prove that the Malfoys never wanted Severus for Severus. He needed to prove that they merely wanted the infant as a tool for their plans. His cousin and her situation could wait ‘til after the hearing was over.

“Miss…Black…” Once again, the animagus felt like cringing, “you were within the Malfoys’ inner circle. What did they truly want with Severus Snape?”

Smith immediately jumped to his feet. “My Lord, Mr. Black is leading the witness!”

“My Lord, she herself came to us with this evidence for the Malfoys’ ulterior motives early this morning.” Sirius replied without missing a beat, “I am merely putting the question in context of the comments she herself came here to make.”

Dumbledore’s gaze quickly moved from one to the other and back. He looked like he was on the fence on how to call this particular shot. “It is my belief that it is the answer that’s important here. Miss Black? You may answer the question.”

Narcissa nodded silently. She was still trying to get a hold of herself. “They wanted Severus in order to lure Mr. Potter to them.” Murmurs instantly began circulating about the room, but Dumbledore took care of that with a few forceful whacks of his gavel. “I know what you’re thinking—why didn’t they just kidnap him? But…the truth is they had tried that. And failed. Repeatedly. Severus was impossible to kidnap. Mr. Potter had…extensive wards around both his property at Godric’s Hollow and at Hogwarts, as well as around the Burrow. Every agent that Lucius sent returned half-mad.”

For the first time since the start of the hearing, Harry grinned. It was good to know his wards actually worked from those who had actually tried to get past them!

Behind him, he heard Ron happily whispering to Remus. “See?! I told you! It was ward layer one!”

“When Severus was out in public, he had extensive protections around his person, as did whomever he was with.” Narcissa continued. “He was impossible to kidnap period.” She cleared her throat. “The only reason Lucius never went out himself or sent Draco to do it was because he didn’t want to be implicated in the crime. He said it would ruin,” she rolled her eyes, “his name too much.” The witch scoffed and shook her head, muttering with disdain, “As if that hasn’t happened already.”

“So they strove for legal custody of Severus.”

“Yes.” Narcissa nodded. “Well, they were doing that while they tried kidnapping him. They were trying to obtain him both legally and illegally at the same time.”

“And they never actually wanted him as a child?” Sirius pushed. Now they were getting to business!

“Oh, heavens no!” The witch scoffed and shook her head. “They wanted him as bait. They knew Mr. Potter had the tendency to act on impulse and take matters into his own hands. Thus…if they got Severus into Malfoy Manor, they were absolutely sure that Mr. Potter would soon follow. That’s why they’ve neglected him all week. They didn’t really care about him. They cared about getting Mr. Potter.”

“And what were they going to do to Mr. Potter once they got their hands on him?”

“Well, Lucius and Draco worked out that although Mr. Potter was quite powerful against the Dark Lord, it was a one-on-one fight. They figured that if they could get Mr. Potter to split his attention more than one way, then they would have the advantage. If they all went at him at once, they were certain he would fall.”

“But obviously that never happened over the course of the last week.”

“It almost did.” Narcissa felt obligated to acknowledge. Sirius cocked his head in curiosity. “Lucius wanted Mr. Potter within the wards of Malfoy Manor so he wouldn’t have the ability to apparate out and escape. Over the course of the last week…Mr. Potter had apparated to Malfoy Manor several times a day, but had remained outside of its wards.”

Everyone sitting around Harry gaped at him in surprise. The teen ignored them.

“He merely stared at the property.” Narcissa went on to explain. “He never fully stepped into the trap, which was what they had been expecting, and that’s what infuriated Lucius and the others, causing them to lash out…” She left the sentence hanging, looked down at her body and sighed. The unspoken “at me” hung precariously in the air.

“So…” Sirius swooped in for the kill. “…they only obtained custody of Severus in order to use him as a tool to lure Mr. Potter to the property and kill him. Is that correct?”

His cousin nodded and whispered, “Yes.”

“They never wanted him as a part of the family. Is that correct?”

“Without a doubt, yes.”

“Thank you, Madame. No further questions, My Lord.” The animagus turned and headed back to his seat, an air of muted triumph about him. “Your witness!” He sang, just before he sat down.

Yet Smith made absolutely no move to stand. The lawyer had his elbow against the table and was making a show of rubbing his temple. He released a loud, pointed sigh which, to Sirius, sounded more like a huff, and threw a funny look towards Malfoy’s empty seat.

“Mr. Smith?” Dumbledore pushed, confused as to why the barrister had yet to approach the witness.

Smith held up a single finger. “One minute, m’Lord.”

Reaching across the table, he trapped the divorce papers underneath a finger and made a show of dragging them over to his half of the table. After quickly scanning the top page, he daintily lifted up a corner to do a quick scan of the second and almost immediately made a sound of disgust. Dropping the page, he shooed the divorce papers back across the table like a revolting pest, leaned his forehead against his hand, and turned back to Dumbledore. “No questions, m’Lord.”

Sirius turned to Harry with an excited smile on his face. “It’s in the bag, pup!” He whispered.

Remus leaned over the divider between the first row and their table to whisper in Harry’s ear. “A good law school does not a good lawyer make!”

Harry placated them both with a tiny smile, still full of uncertainty, but now with a little bit of hope. He held up his fist and the three of them bumped knuckles in an almost-victory.

After exchanging a look of concern with the members next to him, Dumbledore sighed. “Very well.” He turned to Narcissa. “You may step down now, Miss Black. Thank you.” He signaled for an auror to help her down. “Mr. Black?”

Sirius shot to his feet. “One further witness, My Lord.”

The sound of more than a few muted groans did not escape the animagus.

“Come on!” One of the Wizengamot members complained, softly, yet loud enough to be heard.

However, the enthusiastic wizard merely ignored them and kept on chugging. “I would like—”

“Mr. Black!” One of the members—a big, brutish-looking male—leaned impatiently over his desk to glare at the animagus.

Sirius quickly turned towards him. “Yes, My Lord?”

“You have done WAY MORE than enough to convince me that the child should not be placed in Mr. Malfoy’s custody. What you HAVEN’T done is completely convinced me that he should be placed back in Mr. Potter’s!”

Harry blindly reached for Ginny’s hand.

“I am about to do that, My Lord.”

“Be quick about it then!” The wizard snapped.

Sirius gave him a respectful nod. “Yes, My Lord.” He turned back to Dumbledore. “On behalf of my party, I would like to call to the stand muggle Pastor Edward Kolson from the Second Chance Home for the Homeless.”

Harry’s shot up in his seat and his eyes widened in shock. “What?!” He breathed. A loud noise at the back of the courtroom had his head spinning in that direction and, lo and behold, there he was—Pastor Ed! His graying hair was a bit shorter than usual, and he was dressed in business-casual wear rather than his usual shirt and shorts, but the friendly-looking man strolling up from his seat in the back was, in fact, the very same minister that had been Harry’s lifeline for most of his life!

He was the last man Harry was expecting to show up at this custody hearing.

“Sirius’ star witness, cub.” Remus whispered in his ear. He could hear the smile in the werewolf’s voice.

“Hello there, Harry!” Pastor Ed winked at Harry and smiled as he passed by his table. “Didn’t see you last summer. Now I know why!” With a small laugh and a shake of his head, the minister made his way up to the stand, where Sirius was holding the small door open for him.

“Good Morning, sir!” The animagus greeted with a friendly smile. “Will you consent to the administration of Veritaserum?”

“Of course!”

Sirius gestured towards a nearby auror, who immediately brought a glass of water forward. The pastor quickly took a sip.

“Now…” The animagus began, excited to finally be questioning this witness, “will you please state your name and your profession for the Wizengamot, please?”

“Pastor Edward William James Kolson,” The muggle minister replied, “I am a fully ordained Christian minister, founder and manager of the Second Chance Home for the Homeless on Whitechapel Road in London’s East End, and I also have a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialty in Child Psychology from the University of Oxford.”

Sirius took a quick glance at his godson. Harry looked completely floored. His mouth was hanging slightly open in shock and he merely stared at the minister, as if not knowing what else to do.

“Ah, interesting…” The animagus played along, pretending like he hadn’t actually asked all these questions already, “…so you would consider yourself a therapist, or, as we put it here in the Wizarding World, a mind healer?”

Pastor Ed smiled and gave him a small nod. “Absolutely!”

“Very interesting. So…I’m curious. How long have you known Mr. Potter?”

“Oh…let’s see.” The older man sighed and contemplated for a minute. “I definitely knew him by the time he was seven, because I distinctly remember there being a birthday party for him and a few other children that July at the shelter, so…” he paused for a moment, “…I would say since he was about five or six years old. Twelve…thirteen years.”

“That’s a long time.” Sirius remarked casually.

Pastor Ed nodded in understanding. “It seems that way, but…in other ways, it seems like it was just yesterday he was no taller than my leg.” The old man smiled wistfully. “He tried to bite my leg once, if I recall correctly. Thus, I’m very grateful he’s no longer that height.”

The audience chuckled, Harry blushed, and Sirius smiled to himself a bit. “Now…what would you say your relationship with Mr. Potter would be?”

“I would…” The man took a second to think, “…consider him…” He then suddenly backtracked and attempted to reword his sentence. “…I would consider myself, rather…his mentor.” At Sirius’ cocked head, he tried to elaborate. “I’d like to think that I’m the man he runs to when he has nowhere else to run. The man who’s there to listen to him…give him advice, or anything he may need—be it a shoulder, a bed, a hot meal, a shower, or a safe haven. And, indeed…that’s what my shelter and I were for him…as it is for many more children and adults like him who pass through our doors each day.  ”

“That’s very admirable, sir.” Sirius replied, his voice full of genuine awe. “So…would you also consider yourself HIS therapist? Or…‘mind healer’?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Pastor Ed nodded, “I consider myself the mind healer of every soul who walks through the doors of my shelter. I just don’t tell them that.”

This time, Sirius was genuinely confused. “What do you mean, sir?”

“Well, as you can probably guess by the perplexed look on Harry’s face right now,” Pastor Ed remarked, a small smirk on his face, “not many people are aware of the fact that I am a board-certified psychologist. If I told most of them that I am trained to help them solve some of the most pressing problems of their lives, many of them wouldn’t say a word to me.”

The animagus was intrigued. “Really?”

“You have to understand, sir, a lot of the people I deal with have negative reactions to seeing a psychologist. Case in point, the negative reaction Mr. Malfoy had, according to his mind healer, to seeing him.” He explained, drawing on an earlier example. “A lot of people prefer to deal with their own problems themselves and are very reluctant to accept help. Um…” he paused, wanting to expand on a particular point, “…this is especially true of the children who come through my shelter. And, I assure you, there are plenty of children who pass through my shelter. Now, you see…these kids, they’re the product of the streets. Many of them wander the alleyways alone—they’re either runaways, orphans, or have been abandoned or neglected by their parents or guardians. They learn how to fend for themselves at an incredibly young age. Harry, of course, was no exception. I had to resort to alternative means to get him to open up to me.”

Ah! Now they were back on course! “Would you elaborate on that point, sir?”

Harry, himself curious as to the pastor’s statement, leaned forward attentively.

“Well…there are several methods I used. I find children are more inclined to reveal their stories to me if they don’t know they’re actually revealing them.” The minister and therapist explained, “I used dolls, toys, story books, drawings, anything that can possibly coax the story out of the child in the most subtle way possible. With Harry, I remember the toys, story books, and drawings always worked best. Every time I used them, I was able to coax the story of how he ended up there through metaphor.” He paused stroked his chin in thought. “The only thing that frustrated me about Harry was that the marks of abuse, suffered at the hands of various individuals, never stayed on his body long enough for me to collect the necessary evidence for it!” He exclaimed, sounding a bit frustrated at the fact. “All the bruising and whatnot always disappeared before I could convince him to allow me to photograph it. Thus, I was never able to press charges very much.”

“Well…thank you for your efforts anyway, sir.” Sirius nodded at him. He was grateful for the lengths this man went through to try and help his godson; and he didn’t want the pastor to feel unappreciated in any way. They were also now getting to the most important part of questioning, and he needed the minister to be on top of his game. “Now…you’ve heard the opposing testimony so far. What would your response to the Malfoys’ accusations be? In other words, are my colleagues correct in assuming that Mr. Potter’s past makes him more likely to be a bad father?”

“On the contrary,” Pastor Ed shook his head, “I would argue that he would make a very good father.”

“Really?” Sirius remarked, pretending to be a skeptic.

The minister snorted. “Oh, heavens…” he chuckled slightly and shook his head at Malfoy’s table. “You all have your police reports and medical reports…” He gestured towards the papers on both Harry’s and Malfoy’s tables. “…but none of those documents give you any information on Harry!” The minister hid it well, but to those who knew him, the frustration was evident in his voice. “They give you times, dates, bruises, descriptions of weapons, crimes, trials and whatnot. I challenge any of you to read those documents and tell me what’s going on inside that boy’s mind.” He pointed directly at Harry before eyeing everyone in the room, including the Wizengamot. “Harry spent most of his life in and out of my shelter. And every time he ended up there, it wasn’t by choice. It was by necessity. He had nowhere else to go, he didn’t know what to do, so I took him in and we talked…and played…and every time this process repeated itself, I got to know Harry more and more. I got to know his mindset…and not only did I get to know his values, but I’d like to think I helped to instill some of those very values in him. Harry has an unbelievable capacity for love, and considers human life God’s most precious gift.”

Pastor Ed paused momentarily to survey his audience. To his relief, they were all captivated by his words. He took a deep breath before diving straight into his story. “Harry came to me that night—the night Mr. Smith claims was the night of his initiation. Apparated directly into my office!” The minister halted briefly and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He turned to the court clerk and asked, “It’s ‘apparated’, right?”

Martha gave the minister an understanding smile. “It is indeed.”

Pastor Ed laughed and sent her a nod of thanks. “Thank you.” He turned back to his audience and resumed his story. “Harry apparated directly into my office with two people in tow—the woman he was given to rape, not a hair on her head had been touched, and the man he was given to beat, not a scratch on him. Both were alive, well, confused, but very grateful nonetheless. Harry had saved their lives that night…but he had nearly lost his soul in the process.” It almost pained Pastor Ed to think back to that night. That was the night Harry truly hit rock bottom. “And it was the most direct Harry had been with me his entire life. We stayed up the entire night talking and he told me about how he had nearly gotten his godfather killed, and that he was being plagued by nightmares, and how he was receiving extreme pressure from his peers in regards to a prophecy of some kind.” The minister paused slightly, almost as if he was afraid to continue on with the story. “And then he told me about what he termed the Double T—the Taipan Tribe.”

FLASH!

“Come on!” The gang leader won him over with a friendly smile and a comforting grip on his shoulder. “You want to get away, don’t you, kid? Be someone else for a change?” The nicely-dressed young man offered Harry his hand. “Just for a little while...”

Be someone else for a change.

Just for a little while.

Images of their completely unnecessary battle in the Department of Mysteries filled his mind. Voldemort had lured him there. He had almost gotten Sirius killed. Now he had some kind of prophesy hanging over his head.

Harry wanted to be someone else for MORE than a little while!

Without even thinking about it, he took the gang leader’s hand. The snake tattoo on the man’s wrist never even registered in his mind.

FLASH!

“Welcome to our lair, Harry!” The gang leader—Horvath, he said his name was—lead the way into the dance club. Loud music, smoke, booze, girls in short dresses, and drugs littered the scene. “Max! Show our newest boy how we have a good time, huh?!”

FLASH!

Harry threw back yet another shot amidst cheers from the guys and sexy words in his ear from the ladies.

FLASH!

Harry had lost track of how long he had been snogging with this girl. Who was she anyway?! She was smokin’ hot, whoever she was! Although…the girl he was snogging with before her was smokin’ hot too. The teen decided it was a toss-up.

FLASH!

“Hey! New kid!” Harry turned at the sound of his title to find Frankie, the gang’s ‘accountant’, heading his way. “Hold out your hand.”

Harry did so. Nanoseconds later, a roll of cash was slapped onto his palm.

“That’s Forty Thou, boy!” Frankie explained, slinging an arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Just a taste of what we can give you, kid.” He gestured towards the group of sexy ladies by the bar. “See those pretty little things over there?”

Harry raised an eyebrow and took one eye off the cash in his hand to follow Frankie’s gaze. “Yeah?”

Frankie smacked him on the butt, propelling him in the direction of said ‘pretty little things’. “Don’t spend it all in one night, ya hear?”

Harry frowned in confusion. “What?”

“And remember!” Frankie continued, regardless. “A good whore is like a fine wine. You gotta be slow with it. If you think you’re just going to be quick and dirty, find a cheaper ho.” He shrugged. “My advice.” And with a final wink and a click of his tongue, he turned away and left.

“Hey, Handsome!” The girls beckoned him over seductively. “Come over here! We’ll show you how to spend that cash!”

Harry stayed frozen, his gaze moving between the money in his hand and the prostitutes in the corner.

Temptation…Temptation…

FLASH!

50,000 pounds. If he won this race, 50,000 pounds would be waiting for him when he climbed out. Harry quickly glanced at the car on his right. He found that he was leading by just a fraction of an inch. It was anyone’s game!

“Nos!” Harry exclaimed. Horvath told him this car was loaded with Nos! He just needed to find that bright blue button…“Got it!”

Harry felt like he was driving a jet as he overtook his competitor and crossed the finish line before he even realized what was going on. Cheers, beers, and pretty little things pulled him out of the car and threw themselves at his feet. Harry grinned.

Drag races were FUN!

FLASH!

“And Harry made a decision.” Pastor Ed continued. “And the decision turned out to be a mistake. But, in my opinion, what defines Harry was not the mistake that he made; it was the choices that he made to correct it.” Harry blushed and buried his face in his hands. He didn’t deserve all this! “What tells me the most about him was that he openly acknowledged to himself, first and foremost, that he was getting in over his head, and he consciously decided to turn around and get back out before the Devil had the chance to claim his soul. Now I ask you…” the minister eyed everyone in the room firmly, “…what kind of fifteen or sixteen year-old boy would consciously choose to turn his back on this world of temptation and indulgence with absolutely no boundaries whatsoever…to set boundaries on himself, and deny himself the privileges that every kid his age would kill for? He could have had anything he wanted—women, money, cars, drugs, alcohol, mansions. Whatever he wanted! He had the world at his fingertips and yet he said ‘no’. No one was stopping him and yet he said ‘no’. A single human life was too high of a price for him.”

Harry flashed back to that fateful night a lifetime ago. It was well past midnight, and the storm had knocked out the power. He remembered him and the Minister, sitting in the dining room, talking by candlelight. The teen remembered crying. A lot.

“His soul was too high of a price.” The minister murmured thoughtfully. He paused momentarily to take another look around. “And he cried that night. It was one of only a handful of times I had ever seen him cry. And that was the night something changed in him. He became more active in the goings-on at the shelter. He became a mentor, a big-brother to the younger children there. And, most especially, to the boys being tempted into the world of gangs and violence, he became the guy they talked to in order to convince themselves that it was not the way to go.” The pastor chuckled to himself. “And when he left at the end of that month…to wherever he went to whenever he left…Harry dropped a note of gratitude on my desk, which I’m sure Mr. Black is about to declare Exhibit E or F or something,” this time, the audience chuckled along with the minister, “but I’ll never forget what he said at the end of that note: ‘This patched up soul is mine all mine, devil be damned to hell.’”

Harry remembered that note. He remembered writing it, he remembered dropping it off, and he remembered promising himself that from here on out, he would be a better person. He remembered swearing that no matter how dark the world seemed, he would never forget that there was light out there. There was always hope. There was always something to live for. A wistful smile tugged at his lips.

“And I knew.” The minister finished. “I knew from that point on, he was out completely. And everything that he would do would be in an effort to steer others away from the twisted path. He was a changed man. He’d grown up.” The pastor almost looked sad to admit that last fact.

Sirius gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Pastor.” He turned to the Wizengamot, “My Lords and Ladies, that very letter is indeed Exhibit F in your evidence packets. A young man, who had lived a hard life, changed forever by a single mistake and the decision to correct it. I ask you this—who would you rather have raise this child: a man who the child loves as his father, who’s been presented with all the hard choices and has so far made the right ones OR…” the animagus looked around at all the members, lengthening the pause to maximize the dramatic effect, “would you put him with a man who, as you clearly have seen, has the tendency to make the wrong ones?”

With one final look, he nodded at the Wizengamot and then once again at Pastor Ed, “Thank you, sir.”

The minister smiled and nodded at him in return.

“Your witness.” The animagus took a seat and leaned in to whisper in his godson’s ear. “Watch this!” He hissed excitedly.

Harry gave him a strange look.

“Mr. Kolson…” Smith began, looking a lot less sure of himself than he did at the beginning of the hearing, “…is it true that Mr. Potter had a very violent childhood?”

“Oh…‘violent’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.” The minister replied sadly.

“He’s lived through physical abuse, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Emotional abuse?”

“Yes.”

“Neglect?”

“That’s an understatement. Yes.”

Smith paused for a second, “Sexual abuse?”

Low murmurs began making their way across the room.

Pastor Ed looked pained. “Yes, that too.” He replied after a short pause.

“Dr. Kolson,” Smith picked up a file from his table, “I have some statistics with me from different studies by various agencies, and they state that around FORTY PERCENT of abusers themselves came from abusive families. Now, in light of those statistics, can you tell us with absolute certainty that Mr. Potter will not eventually fall into that forty percent who continue the cycle of abuse?”

“I can tell you with absolute certainty that he will NOT.” The minister replied without missing a beat.

The barrister looked dubious. “Really? Come now, sir. How can you know that with absolute certainty?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at the pastor.

“Because I know Harry.” Pastor Ed replied calmly. He pointed at Harry once again. “That boy is not a statistic—never has been, never will be. And furthermore, I would question your sources as well as your interpretation of those statistics.”

Smith furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “How do you mean, sir?”

“Well, first of all, how did you obtain them? Did you obtain them through British government agencies? Your own Wizarding Ministry agencies? Universities? Private agencies?”

The lawyer glanced down at his folder.

“How many years’ worth of data did they use? How did they take their data? How large was their sample? Are there any biases in their analysis? Forty percent is quite a large number. Does that mean forty percent of abusers in general come from abusive families? If so, what were their statistics when they sampled only the people who came from abusive backgrounds? Was the number the same? Forty percent? Because I would really expect it to be much smaller. Or did they neglect to sample only people who lived through abuse?”

Smith sighed and shut the folder with a snap, haphazardly flinging it onto his table before turning back towards the minister.

“I don’t mean to discourage you, Mr. Smith, but I have testified as witness in a lot of cases of this sort and I have come to expect this question. And I must say—every time it comes up, the percentages are radically different. Some are ridiculously large, some are too small to be believable, etc. I myself have looked up these statistics—with varying results as well—but I only use them as reference when I counsel my residents, because I have adopted the belief that every person is different. They live different lives, they must learn to deal with different obstacles in their lives, and they each deal with them in their own way. You cannot judge a man on statistics alone. Statistics tell you the probability, but the person tells you the possibility.” He paused momentarily to let that little gem sink in. “And I can tell you with absolute certainty that Henry James Potter will not continue the cycle of abuse. It ends with him.”

“Yes, sir, however—”

“If you need any more proof than that, I can show you his patient file.” Pastor Ed argued. Both Smith and Sirius looked surprised by the offer. “It’s about ye thick.” He held his fingers about two inches apart. “I left it with that security guard back there.” The minister pointed to a man standing at the back of the room. He was holding a black brief case and looked serious about guarding it.

“Security Auror, sir.” Dumbledore corrected, all the while signaling for the auror to come forward with the evidence.

“Yes, of course, I apologize, sir.” Pastor Ed nodded. “You see, Mr. Smith, I have worked with him extensively, from a very young age, in regards to helping him understand that what his uncle was subjecting him to was not normal behavior for a young man. I tried my best to be the alternative male role model for him to emulate, and as far as I can tell, it worked rather well.” The guard placed the briefcase on Martha’s desk and the court clerk proceeded to open it and briefly inspect its contents before passing a rather thick file folder up to the Chief Warlock. “In there are my notes pertaining to his behavior and attitude over the years.” The minister explained. “He’s improved remarkably from when I first met him at the age of five or six.”

Dumbledore opened the folder and glanced at the first few pages. The two Wizengamot members on either side of him crowded in to take a peek as well.

Smith began getting desperate. “I have his criminal record with me today—documented proof that Mr. Potter has anger issues, most especially in his teenage years. His Hogwarts records—”

“Yes, the anger issues.” The pastor acknowledged with a sigh, “He’s always had them, which is not unexpected for someone with his history. In fact, the anger he displayed as a teenager was nothing compared to the anger he displayed as a child. Yet, regardless, I expected them to spike during the teenage years, and thus I took care to give him extra counseling in that regard from the age of twelve up. I’m proud to say he’s rather adept at several calming techniques now.”

“What of this latest bout of gang activity? You’re absolutely certain it won’t happen again?!”

Pastor Ed studied the lawyer with knowing eyes. “Haven’t you ever made a mistake, sir?”

Smith froze for a fraction of a second and Harry was reminded of what Malfoy had said earlier.

“Haven’t you ever been so emotional at some point in your life that you do something completely out of character and soon you find yourself totally over your head?”

The lawyer frowned and looked away, clearly uncomfortable with what the minister was saying. Then, almost absentmindedly, he began rubbing his upper arm.

“And you tell yourself, ‘I just need to get myself out of this mess. That’s all. If I can just get out, I’m done with this!’ Well…that’s Harry.” Pastor Ed paused for a moment and then added, very softly, “And that’s you, from the looks of things as well.” He gave the lawyer his warmest smile, but Smith seemed too lost in his thoughts to notice.

The barrister looked dazed. He studied the minster with unseeing eyes as he continued to idly rub his arm. After a short while, he conceded, murmuring in a robotic voice, “Thank you, minister, no further questions.”

All eyes in the room followed him as he retook his seat. The man looked lost, as if he was stuck in a hopeless situation.

“The poor man…” Ginny sighed, a long look on her face.

“He’s still in over his head, from the looks of things.” Harry remarked.

“And he probably has no idea how to get out.” His girlfriend nodded.

“They gave him a beating, I suspect.” The teen deduced. He himself was no stranger to bookies and their methods of persuasion. “Illegal gambling is super high stakes, and if you can’t pay when you lose, their first warning is a bad beating. And there is no second warning.”

“Thank you, Dr. Kolson! That was very enlightening.” Dumbledore smiled at him before signaling for the man to step down. “Now...Mr. Black, do you have any more lovely folks to enlighten us or can we finally go about making our decision?” The courtroom audience chuckled at the Chief Warlock’s exasperated yet indulging tone.

“No further witnesses, My Lord.” Sirius declared with a smile.

“Okay!” Dumbledore exclaimed. Under his breath, he muttered, “Finally…”

Ron snorted and shoved Sirius’ shoulder playfully.

“Unless any of my fellow members have objections, I move we skip the closing arguments, have Dr. Pendleton’s recommendation, and make a ruling. Do I hear any objections?” Dumbledore looked around at his fellow Wizengamot members. Everyone either shook their heads at him or looked indifferent. The Chief Warlock then turned to the two parties. “Mr. Black, do you have an objection?”

“May I have a minute, My Lord, to consult with my client?” Sirius asked. Dumbledore gestured for him to do so. The animagus leaned in to whisper with Harry and Ginny. “Do you want me to make a closing argument?”

“How sure are you that we have this?” Harry asked, sounding a bit uncertain.

“Ninety percent sure. Did you talk to Severus? Does he know whom Pendleton recommended?”

“Us, of course.” Harry replied, but he felt compelled to reiterate what he learned earlier. “But he said to watch out for any funny business. He told Moody to keep an eye out.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “As if he doesn’t already. So…no closing arguments?”

Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick glance. “I think we’re fine.” He answered.

“Mr. Black?” Dumbledore pushed, getting impatient.

“No objections, My Lord.”

“Mr. Smith, any objections?”

The barrister shook his head. He looked defeated and very, very tired. “No objections, My Lord.”

“Excellent!” The Chief Warlock gestured to the aurors by the doors. “Bring in Dr. Pendleton!”

The doors boomed as they opened and in strolled the nice mind healer from the start of the hearing. Harry immediately sensed a shift in the room’s aura.

He frowned.

Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, Moody approached the security stand just outside the courtroom doors. He was told by a runner that both Malfoys were to be kept in a holding cell for Contempt of Court. That was more than half an hour ago. He had, as of yet, precisely no Malfoys in his custody.

“Stegner?!” He snapped, just before he reached the booth. His trainees had told him some degree of fair warning was appreciated before he popped out of nowhere and began yelling in their faces. The grumpy auror was just barely beginning to oblige them.

To his dismay, once he got to the booth, there was no auror for him to yell at.

“Stegner?!” Moody looked left and right. Not an auror in sight. Finally, he looked down.

His magical eye afforded him the ability to see through the wood of the booth and find his employee under the desk, bound by a Petrificus Totalus.

“Stegner!” Ignoring the door, Moody jumped over the desk and into the booth. “Finite Incantatem!” he snapped

Stegner shuddered and began gasping for breath. “Malfoy!” He cried.

“What?” Moody pulled him into a seating position to help him breathe.

“He took his wand!” The younger auror pointed towards the courtroom doors.

“Son of a bitch!” Moody growled and pulled himself to his feet as quickly as he could.

Pendleton sat in the witness stand. The giant smile on his face looked a little too forced for Harry’s taste.

“My Lords and Ladies, after careful analysis of the child and the parties involved, it is in my expert opinion that Mr. Malf—”

BOOM!

Everyone gasped and turned at the sound of the courtroom doors bursting open. Before anyone could react, there was a loud scream.

“FINITE INCANTATEM!!!”

Moody banged his staff against the ground and a wave of blue energy coursed through the room. Then, two things happened at once: Pendleton collapsed on the stand, unconscious, and Lucius Malfoy suddenly appeared in the middle of the courtroom, pointing his wand at the now-unconscious mind healer.

Dumbledore was livid. “Mr. Moody, arrest that man!” He boomed, pointing at Malfoy.

The blonde immediately attempted to flee. Aurors sealed the courtroom doors and tackled him to the ground before he could get very far. Yet they weren’t able to get his wand fast enough. A green flash of light all of a sudden flew through the room, heading directly towards Dumbledore.

“NO!” Harry jumped into the line of fire and caught the curse ball in his custom shield before it could even come close to the old man.

The audience lost it.

“An unforgivable! Can you imagine?!”
“The Imperius Curse!”
“The Killing Curse!”
“What a dumbass!”
“WHOA! Did you see him block that curse?!”
“Thank you, Harry.”
“That man does not take humiliation well.”
“Someone get a healer in here on the double!”
“Who does?”
“I’m right here, Albus!”
“Someone get Madame Pomfrey her wand!”
“On its way, sir!”
“So I take it it wasn’t Mr. Malfoy he was going to recommend?"
“Find the copy of his final assessment. He always has two floating around. Miss Jones would likely have the copy.”
“No doubt that one is a forgery.”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“Order! Ladies and Gentlemen! Calm down!”
“This hearing has been a circus from the very beginning.”
“Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! All show! Who called this anyway?! WE don’t normally handle custody cases!”
“It was that Malfoy boy who demanded the Wizengamot. If a citizen requests, we deliver.” 
“We don’t do small claims, though. Definitely not!”
“A child is no small claim.”
“It was a poorly set trap and a bad strategy, let me tell you!”
“Obviously the child’s doing well with Mr. Potter.”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“QUIET DOWN OR I WILL EMPTY THIS COURTROOM!”

It was the threat that finally managed to get everyone’s attention. The crowd immediately began winding itself down. “Thank you!” A messenger returned from the back room and handed the Chief Warlock Hestia’s copy of the mind healer’s recommendation. “Thank you, sir.” He quickly opened it to establish Pendleton’s true recommendation.

“HARRY POTTER!” Dr. Pendleton suddenly jerked awake on the witness stand, much to Madame Pomfrey’s surprise, and screamed at the top of his lungs. The unexpected bellow worked better than any number of bangs from Dumbledore’s gavel. Dead silence instantly reigned in the courtroom.

“HARRY POTTER IS TO GET CUSTODY!!!” Pendleton yelled once again.

“A little louder. They couldn’t hear you in China.” Ron muttered under his breath.

“Yes, yes, Mr. Pendleton.” Madame Pomfrey reassured him in a calming voice. “We got that.”

The mind healer’s head suddenly jerked towards her in surprise. He looked dazed, like a drunk man just becoming aware of her presence. “HARRY POTTER IS TO GET CUSTODY!!!” Pomfrey, not expecting the bellow, once again, jumped out of her shoes.

Yet she quickly got a hold of herself, nodding as she rubbed her patient’s back. “We can hear you quite fine, Dr. Pendleton!” She turned to Dumbledore. “It’s some of the side effects of the Imperious Curse. I’ll just get him out of here.”

“Of course.” The Chief Warlock signaled for some of the aurors to help her out with the patient.

As Pomfrey helped Pendleton limp out of the room, the mind healer continued to yell in her ear, like a drunk with a hearing problem, trying to communicate with someone who didn’t speak English.

“Harry Potter it is!”
“Yes, Mr. Pendleton. We heard you quite plainly the first time.”
“I said HARRY POTTER!”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“Did I say Harry Potter?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Severus loves him and Ginny.”
“We know.”
“He calls them ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’.”
“Yes, yes, yes…”
“HARRY POTTER, I SAID!”
“I heard you, Dr. Pendleton!”

Dumbledore let out a huge sigh as the courtroom doors closed behind the two healers. “Well?” He studied everyone in the room with a look that radiated both frustration and impatience. “Anything else?! Questions? Comments? Theatrics?! Or can we finally put this to a vote?!”

“I would like to make a comment, Albus!” A high-pitched voice chimed in out of nowhere.

A very, very, very, VERY old, cheerful-looking lady amongst the Wizengamot members raised her hand and almost everyone in the courtroom turned to her in shock.

Dumbledore himself stuttered in disbelief, “L—La—Lady Palimore?!”

“She’s the oldest member of the Wizengamot.” Harry heard Remus whisper to Ron. “232 years old! She’s been on it the longest as well.”

“What is it you wish to say, My Lady?” Dumbledore asked. Harry thought he sounded almost reverent, as if he were speaking to a deity of some kind.

The old lady gave him a friendly smile and pointed a crooked finger towards Harry and Ginny. “There is a bond between them, did you know that, Albus? All three of them!”

Once again, whispers began circulating about the room.

“A bond, My Lady?”

“Did you mean a mental bond, Lady Palimore?” One of the other members of the Wizengamot asked. “Mr. Black might have mentioned—”

Lady Palimore slowly shook her head, turning towards the member, the smile still glued onto her face. “No, no, Edvard. I mean a…” she then turned the smile towards Harry, “…Familiaris Bond.”

This time, the whispers were an equal mix of confused and stunned. Harry, Ginny and Sirius exchanged baffled looks with their companions behind them in the first row.

Dumbledore shook his hand at the crowd to quiet them. He seemed reluctant to bang his gavel this time. “What is a Familiaris Bond, My Lady?”

“I haven’t come across one in many, many years.” The smiling old woman babbled. “The last time I knew a child bound by Familiaris, I was but a little girl.”

The Chief Warlock tried again, “My Lady, would you please tell us what it does?”

The way Lady Palimore looked at Dumbledore reminded Harry of a nice lady schoolteacher, smiling down at her pupil. “It is a bond that can only be created naturally…by Old Magic.” She explained, her voice oozing with patience. “And it is the child that initiates the bond with his chosen parents and not the other way around. Our adoption process today is reversed, and it can only attempt to recreate the Familiaris bond…but like other forms of modern magic, the old ways are the best ways.” Lady Palimore’s short pause turned into a lengthy coughing fit, which worried more than a few people on the panel. “Severus has adopted his parents…” she continued, after having caught her breath, “…and neither distance nor modern magic can break what has formed between them. And in the eyes of the old laws…” she sat back in her seat and once again smiled at the nice young couple below, “…that child is no less theirs than if they had conceived him themselves and brought him into the world.”

Murmurs instantly overtook the audience.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Dumbledore’s gavel-shyness seemed to have had gone away, however. “Thank you, Lady Palimore. That was highly informative!” He nodded politely at the ancient lady and then waited patiently as she smiled and nodded in return. “Now…shall we put it to a vote?” He looked around at his fellow Wizengamot members and saw no objections. “Very good!”

Harry’s heart began beating rapidly. Out of instinct, he reached over, grabbed Ginny’s hand and squeezed hard.

Dumbledore picked up Pendleton’s report once again. “Now…as per custom, I will start with Dr. Pendleton’s recommendation.” A quick glance at the report confirmed that the mind healer did indeed recommend Harry and Ginny. “All in favor of awarding full and unquestionable custody to the Potters?”

“Aye!” Hands went up by the drove and, judging by the sheer multitude, Dumbledore figured he didn’t need to count them.

“All oppose?”

No hands went up that time.

“It’s settled then.” The Chief Warlock gestured towards a nearby auror. “Tell Miss Jones to bring the child forward. Full and unquestionable custody awarded to the Potters.” BANG! “Case Resolved!” Dumbledore threw the gavel over his shoulder and immediately shot out of his chair, grumbling under his breath. “I need to use the loo!”

Amidst cheers and whoops from the crowd, Harry breathed a huge sigh of relief and collapsed back against his seat, closing his eyes and whispering under his breath. Ginny, on the other hand, squealed in delight and jumped onto her boyfriend’s lap, giving him a big hug.

“Congratulations, guys!” Sirius cried.

Ginny immediately leaped off Harry’s lap and jumped into Sirius’ arms, giving him the biggest hug she had given anyone in her life! “Thank you so much, Padfoot!” She whispered into his ear. “We owe you everything!”

The animagus merely laughed. “You’re welcome.”

“We won! Oh, Arthur! We won!”
“Yes, I know, sweetheart.”
“I knew it all along.”
“You were amazing out there, Sirius.”
“Ditto, Padfoot.”

“Daddy! Mummy!” Severus exclaimed as soon as he emerged from the judges’ chambers in Hestia’s arms. Harry shot to his feet immediately and Ginny turned her attention away from everyone else. “Daddy! Mummy! Daddy! Mummy! DADDY! MUMMY!”

Cameras were flashing like crazy. People were cheering like mad. Security was having trouble keeping the audience on their side of the barriers. The scene was utter and complete chaos. Yet none of that registered in either Harry’s or Ginny’s minds. Their baby was theirs again and they were taking him home!

As soon as Harry was within arm’s length of Hestia, Severus jumped out of the social worker’s arms and into his father’s. “DADDY!”

“Oh, I missed you, cub!” Harry wrapped his son in his embrace and hugged him for all he was worth.

“MY BABY!” Ginny ran straight into them and hugged them both as tightly as she could. Almost immediately, she began planting kisses all over Severus’ face.

“Mummy!” Sev giggled and began wiggling to and fro. His mum’s kisses tickled!

“Oh! Listen to that laugh! I missed that laugh!” Ginny sounded on the verge of tears. “Oh! Haven’t we missed that laugh, daddy?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe!” Harry grinned, himself planting a kiss atop his son’s head.

“Me wub ooo, Daddy! Me wub ooo, Mummy!” Severus cried, telling them all about the epiphany he had had earlier with the nice mind healer doctor.

“Oh, sweetheart…” “Oh, cub…” Once again, the three bodies latched onto each other and became one as Harry and Ginny wrapped their infant in a big cocoon-like hug.

“Harry?” Hestia cleared her throat, reluctant to break up the joyous reunion, but anxious to share the good news with them. “Ginny?”

“Oh, Hestia!” Ginny tried her best to wipe away her tears of joy. “Thank you so much!”

The social worker smiled. “Whatever I did, you’re welcome. And I have good news!”

“Well!” Harry snorted, nudging the grinning baby in his arms, “This day just keeps getting better and better then!”

“Lady Palimore—”

“That really old lady that spoke up earlier about a bond?” Harry raised an eyebrow.

“That would be her, yes.” Hestia snorted. “She approached the Wizarding Department of Social Services during the recess earlier and told them everything she apparently told you all here in court just now. Long story short, Social Services knows they’ve got nothing on Old Magic, and they offered to bump up the official adoption date to today.” If at all possible, Harry’s, Ginny’s, and Severus’ grins grew exponentially bigger. “All you need to do is walk up to Social Services and fill out a birth certificate.”

Harry and Ginny looked at each other in amazement.

Hestia chuckled in amusement. “Congratulations! It’s a boy!”

“Oh, baby!” “Oh, sweetheart!” Harry and Ginny exchanged a quick kiss before planting a kiss on their infant’s cheeks.

“Hey! What about me?! Don’t I get a hug and a kiss?” Sirius cried jokingly, heading towards the group with open arms. “After all, I’m the one who’s been talkin’ for three hours!”

“Papoo!” Sev exclaimed, diving into Sirius’ arms.

“There he is!” The animagus chuckled as he wrapped the infant in his embrace. “The house has been too quiet without your annoying presence, ya know!”

Severus blew raspberries in his face before uncharacteristically planting a kiss on his cheek.

If Sirius was surprised, he hid it well. “Thank you! Now I know I’m appreciated.”

As the others each took their turns welcoming Severus back into the family, Harry took a moment to give his attention to the man who had been patiently waiting on the sidelines.

“Pastor Ed.” Harry greeted, the smile on his face displaying a multitude of emotions, ranging from gratitude to euphoria.

“Harry, my boy!” The two embraced like long lost friends; only they knew their bond ran a lot deeper than that.

“I can’t tell you how much this…” Harry babbled into his shoulder. All the emotions of the day were finally coming out. “You were here. You—You spoke for me! I—”

“Shhh, my boy!” Pastor Ed rubbed his back and rocked him slightly, just as he did that night, not so long ago, that Harry had left the gang.

The teen took a deep, shuddery breath and reluctantly pulled out of the hug. His eyes were red and puffy and more than a few errant tears had managed to escape. “I can’t thank you eno—”

“I’m proud of you.” Pastor Ed blurted out before the teen could get any further.

Harry looked momentarily stunned, but the minister soon spotted the tell-tale twitching of his lips, “Wha—”

“I look at you…and I try to picture the boy you used to be.” Pastor Ed explained. He had a wistful look on his face and his voice was filled with melancholy. “But all I can see is the man you have become.”

Despite the fact that Harry had received his fair share of compliments from this man, he still couldn’t help the blush that crept up whenever he received one more. Nor could he control his typical reaction. “No, Pastor Ed, just—”

“Ah! Ah! Ah!” Well used to this boy’s responses to compliments, the minister held up a stern finger to stop him before he could continue. “None of that! You got a beautiful family!” He gestured towards Ginny and Severus and everyone around them. “And that was all you, boy!” He finished proudly, a pleased grin on his face. “All you!”

“Hey! Excuse me! Pastor Kolson?” One of the aurors called out to them shakily. “Um…did you request to see Malfoy Jr., sir? ‘Cause…well, we just caught him and…well, if you wanted to talk to him…? I—I could—”

“Yes, yes, thank you!” The minister smiled at the boy, “Would you give me a few minutes, please?”

“I’ll wait outside, sir.” Pastor Ed nodded in gratitude.

Harry’s mouth dropped open and he turned back towards the minister in confusion. “Pastor—”

“You know me, Harry.” Pastor Ed cut in before he could even get a word out. The man knew what Harry was about to say. “Regardless of whose side they’re on, if a person needs help, I’ll be there to help them.”

“The guy’s a lunatic!” The teen argued.

“He’s sick.”

“Well he got himself sick in the first place!”

“Henry!” Pastor Ed’s signature stern yet gentle look was always Harry’s undoing. This time was no exception. “You have a family now. You are a father. You have a son.”

“Hello there!” Ginny greeted as she approached the duo, Severus in her arms. “Pastor Ed, right? It’s so great to finally meet you!”

“And I am no stranger to the amazing Ginny Weasley either.” The minister returned with a smile.

As the two talked, Harry once again found himself lost in thought. Pastor Ed had always advocated forgiveness. He once joked that it was in his job description. And for as long as Harry could remember, the minister never once failed to back up his word with his deed. He forgave everyone—no matter if he felt they deserved it or not. The pastor had attributed the unusual habit to some quote in the Bible. Harry had always attributed it to the minister’s inability to stay mad at someone for lengthy periods of time. Regardless, whereas Pastor Ed found the strength to forgive even his attempted murderers, Harry felt he wasn’t capable of such a feat. It was Malfoy, for crying out loud!

“By the way, Pastor, it’s Severus’ first birthday tomorrow—his grandmother is planning everything—but I also had the idea of combining it with his naming ceremony. Harry…” she nudged her daydreaming boyfriend on the arm, thrusting him back into the real world, “…and I would very much appreciate if you would officiate his naming.”

“Who he?!” Severus squeaked, barely coming to the realization that he didn’t know this man.

“This is the man who made a difficult childhood a little less difficult.” Harry explained, taking Severus from Ginny’s arms and giving him a peck on the forehead.

“I would be honored to help you name him.” Pastor Ed replied with a smile. “Severus! It is very nice to meet you!” He held out a hand and Severus took a finger, shaking it with a shy smile. “You are very lucky to have such wonderful parents in your life, and they are very lucky to have you!”

“Uh-huh!” Sev commented, diving into Harry’s chest to muffle his giggles.

“And it is my hope…” the pastor continued, fixing Harry with an expectant stare, “…that your father instills in you the same principles I would hope I instilled in him…” The minister left the sentence hanging, leaving it up to Harry to make the next move.

Both Ginny and Severus turned to Harry in confusion.

“Wha happ, daddy?” Sev babbled, patting Harry on the chest as if trying to get his attention. “Daddy? Daddy, wha happ?”

“Your daddy is about to prove just how strong a man he really is.” Pastor Ed calmly replied.

Harry met the minister’s expectant look with a glare of annoyance. The man always seemed to know how to put Harry between a rock and a hard place. And the most annoying part was that he knew precisely that Harry was going to rise to the occasion.

“Daddy stwong!” The infant exclaimed with conviction. He already knew his daddy was strong! Daddy was the strongest man in the world! “Daddy stwong mam ah WHOA!” Severus even screamed it out loud, much to Ginny’s and Pastor Ed’s amusement.

To Harry, though, hearing the strength of Severus’ convictions was the final nail in his coffin. He knew that if he was to live up to his son’s expectations, he would have to muster up the strength to do the impossible.

“Fine.” He murmured, taking care to keep his voice soft and calm.

“This has to be all you, Harry—”

“It is all me, sir!” The teen returned, fixing the minister with a steady look. “You tell that sorry excuse for a man, when he’s all sobered up, to come find me. Because the only way he’s going to keep me from pressing charges and keep himself out of jail is if he makes me a promise worth his life!”

“Harry!” Ginny frowned at her boyfriend.

“No! I got this, Gin.” Harry insisted. “He tried to take my son away from me. I already made him promise to leave my family alone before, in exchange for me not pressing charges against him. And this is how he repays me? Kidnapping my son and trying to destroy my family? I’m not letting him off the hook so lightly this time, Pastor.”

“Mawmoy mo go Asbam?” Severus asked in confusion.

“If Malfoy wants any semblance of a life back, he’s going to have to choose between his life and protecting my family. Because I can sure as heck tell you that my godfather,” he gestured towards the man across the room, whom Narcissa was approaching rather hesitantly, “is going to take away most of the things that he used to have. So…a different kind of life, full of hard work, sacrifice, and protecting my family, or…life in prison—that is my final offer, Pastor Ed, he can take it or leave it.”

The minister actually grinned at him and offered him his hand. “You drive a hard bargain, Harry. You always have and I’m sure you always will.” Harry shifted Severus to one arm and then took the man’s hand. “But that’s your kind of forgiveness,” he shrugged, “and it’s forgiveness none-the-less.”

“If you say so, Minister.”

Pastor Ed chuckled, “Harry…you’re challenging him to be a better man in order to stay out of jail. I take that as forgiveness…kind of.”

The group actually laughed at that before turning to arrangements for Severus’ naming ceremony.

Meanwhile, across the room, Sirius crossed his arms against his chest and glared at the woman approaching him. She, along with most of her family, had humiliated and belittled him for years; made him seem a stranger in his own home; made him yearn for a real family the likes of James’ or Remus’. Now look at who was relying on whom!

Payback sure is a bitch, isn’t it? Sirius cackled internally.

“Sirius…” Narcissa cried, sounding every bit the groveling aristocrat, desperate to keep her money.

“Narcissa.” The animagus had no intention of making this easy for her.

The disgraced witch went so far as to give him her teary-eyed look. “I have no home, Sirius.” Her voice was pleading and thick with emotion. As were her eyes. She looked and sounded almost genuine.

Sirius felt like simply staring at her until she curled up into a ball and rolled away. Yet one glance at his godson made him brush aside his childish fancies in favor of taking the high road.

“Correction, Narcissa…” The woman actually looked surprised that he was responding to her at all, “…they have no home. You have an entire fully-staffed mansion at your disposal.” Narcissa frowned at him in confusion. “As of right now, Malfoy Manor is rightfully Black Manor once again.” The animagus peered past the rambunctious crowd to the back of the room, where Moody stood by the courtroom doors. The auror nodded at him once and then gestured over his shoulder. Sirius returned the nod before addressing his cousin once again, “Now…if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take your dowry back.” An evil smirk overtook his face then.

As the head of the Black family, it was Sirius’ duty, upon the termination of Narcissa’s marriage contract, to take back the dowry his family paid to her husband, Lucius Malfoy. It was a duty he would now carry out with never-ending pleasure.

“I’m off to strip Lucius Malfoy and his son of their fortune.” Sirius gleefully informed his godson. “I’ll meet you at the adoption office, yes?”

Harry gave his godfather a strange look as Pastor Ed proposed to join him. “You’re going to let Narcissa stay in the mansion?!” The teen asked, confused. He was sure his godfather was going to take everything away from his cousin as well.

“Yeah.” Sirius shrugged.

“Why?”

The animagus paused for a moment, looking like he was trying to justify it to himself, before meeting his godson’s eye with another shrug. “Why did you just offer Draco a deal?”

Harry opened his mouth, paused, and then slowly closed it again. That was a little hard to explain.

“Sons.” Pastor Ed answered, smiling at both Harry and Sirius. “They’re there for the betterment of their fathers.”

It was all the explanation either of the men needed. 

“This is madness!” Ron yelled as he was forced to shove the millionth person out of the way. He, Remus, Arthur, a few members of Dumbledore’s Army, and a couple of their auror friends had the unfortunate task of being the family’s bodyguards for the day. In between them, Ginny was clutching Severus to her chest, trying to shield him from the endless flashing lights and reporters, Harry was covering them as best he could with his own body, Tonks was holding Teddy close and huddling against Harry, Molly was chastising all the reporters she came across for hounding the poor dears and shoving away all the microphones that managed to make it past their initial set of bodyguards, and Hermione took up the rear, apologizing to anyone who looked even remotely offended for having shoved them out of the way.

“This is the price of fame!” Remus screamed in reply. “What do you expect?!”

“Where are we going anyway?” Ron asked, trying to make himself heard above the yells of reporters and the sounds of flash bulbs and camera shutters.

“To the adoption agency! It’s in the Department of Social Services!”

“Are we there yet?!” Seamus squeaked, just as annoyed at having to shove people out of the way as Ron was.

“Here!” Remus threw open the door and the others doubled their efforts to keep the crowd from entering the office. As soon as all the relevant people were inside, he instructed the DA members and the aurors to maintain control of the crowd outside, before shutting and locking the door behind him.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and then froze in surprise when he looked up to find all the members of the department gaping at him from their cubicles.

“Hello…?” A woman behind the front desk greeted them with caution and just a bit of confusion. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, um…” Harry cleared his throat, “I’m Harry Potter. I believe Lady Palimore came in here a while ago and—”

“Ah!” Now the woman seemed less confused, “Yes. You’re the bump-up!” She and her rolling chair rolled to a side table where she retrieved a rather large folder full of papers. She then slammed it down in front of Harry. “Read, sign, date.”

Ginny’s mouth dropped open in shock. “All of these?!” She asked in disbelief.

“Our social worker said we just had to fill out a birth certificate.” Harry clarified.

“Yes, but in order to get a birth certificate, you need to finish the adoption process. And in order to finish the adoption process, you need to read, sign, and date all of these.” She offered them a quill and a fake smile. “Let me know if you have any questions.”

“Well…I sort of have one quick one right now, if you don’t mind.” Harry replied as he took the quill. The woman merely raised an eyebrow at him. “Why is it that we need a birth certificate, as opposed to an adoption certificate?”

The woman sighed, as if she had answered this question half a million times already. “The Ministry views adoptions as transference of a child’s parentage from its biological parents’ to its adoptive parents’. Any claim the biological family has to the child will be severed and the adoptive parents will have all the rights and privileges the biological family had given up. Of course, the easiest way to magically represent all of this complicated junk is to invalidate the kid’s original birth certificate and replace it with a new one containing the adoptive parents’ information. No need to imbue an adoption certificate with complex magical spells and exceptions and such and such. Just issue a new birth certificate and have done with it! Simple. Now…are you going to fill those things out or not?”

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look with the rest of their group.

It was a full hour before the two of them finished the paperwork, with Molly and Arthur’s help. Severus and Teddy were on the floor with Sirius, who had arrived halfway through the paperwork, and Dora, playing with some stuffed animals, Ron had fallen asleep, Hermione was reading a gossip magazine, and Remus was finishing up the latest edition of The Cutting Edge—Strategies for Defense Masters by Defense Masters.

“All done?” The woman at the front desk asked.

Harry nodded as he handed her back the heavy folder. “Does this mean he’s fully adopted now? That we can call him our son?”

“Actually, according to Lady Palimore and the old laws, he officially became your son the moment the Familiaris bond kicked in. Chances are, the two of you didn’t notice that particular moment, but the kid did.” She explained as she stamped every single page with a Ministry seal. “All this is just for formality’s sake, in other words.” Once she was done, she handed the folder to a nearby worker and then pulled another piece of paper from a folder on her desk. “Likewise, after we fill out this birth certificate, he will formally be your son. So…are we ready?”

Ginny, Severus, and the others joined him at the front desk as the woman pulled out a special quill.

“Full name?”

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. “What would you like it to be, cub?”

Severus grinned at him. “Haweh!” He replied excitedly from his perch Ginny’s arms.

“Wow.” Sirius remarked, genuinely surprised.

“I want him to keep his first name,” Ginny added, “so that he can remember where he came from.”

Harry nodded at her sensibility and then decided to satisfy them both. “Severus Henry Potter.”

“Male or female?”

Harry frowned. Shouldn’t it be obvious?! “Male!”

“Date of birth?”

“9 January 1998.” Harry shot a wary glance at Severus. Yet the infant merely kept waving his stuffed lion at a laughing Teddy, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they had just moved his birthday up by thirty-eight years.

“He doesn’t care, love.” Ginny shook her head.

“Parents?”

“Henry James Potter and Ginevra M—Molly…” Harry stumbled and cleared his throat. He had almost said ‘Potter’ at the end of Ginny’s name! He had to watch himself, as the rest of the family had yet to find out they were engaged, and this was neither the time nor the place for such an announcement. “Weasley.”

“Mm-hmm.” The woman behind the desk raised an eyebrow at him. “Place of birth?”

“Uh…” Harry and Ginny met each other’s blank gaze.

“Hogwarts!” Sirius blurted out, startling the lot of them. “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hospital Wing, of course!” The animagus grinned.

“Which is in Scotland.” The woman finished in a bored voice. “Where were you born, Mr. Potter? You and your partner.”

“I was born in Godric’s Hollow, West Country, England, and Ginny in Ottery St. Catchpole, Devon, England.”

“Present address?”

“Number 20 Haven Place, Godric’s Hollow…West Country…England.” Harry didn’t know if he was getting on this woman’s nerves or if she was just bored.

“Do you wish to appoint godparents at this time?”

“Yes!” Harry looked over his shoulder to exchange a smile with Remus. “I would like to officially name Remus John Lupin as his godfather and Nymphadora Tonks Lupin as his godmother.”

Tonks gasped and clutched her chest in surprise, “Oh! I’m HONORED!” She squealed, genuinely delighted by her new title.

Harry suddenly turned to his two best friends, “Ron, Hermione, I hope you’re not offended—”

“Me?!” Ron squeaked, “No! No, no, no, no. Uh-uh. Never!” Harry thought he actually looked quite relieved.

“Perfectly understandable, Harry.” Hermione replied with a reassuring smile.

“Right! Okay…” The secretary, as Harry now thought of the woman, slapped the birth certificate on the table in front of Harry and Ginny before thrusting the quill in Harry’s face. “Sign where my finger is pointing.” The teen did so. She then thrust the quill in Ginny’s face and then moved her finger. “If you please.”

The woman then pulled the paper back onto her desk and read out in a monotonic voice, “I, Samantha Jean Kolt, Superintendant Registrar for the Registration District of London do hereby certify that this child, Severus Henry Potter, was born to the parents of Henry James Potter and Ginevra Molly Weasley on this date of 9 January 1998. With this signature, before these witnesses, I certify that all the above information is correct to the best of my knowledge.” She then signed and dated the bottom of the paper and then stamped it with a Ministry seal.

A strange tingling sensation sudden flashed through Harry’s and Ginny’s bodies, causing them to exchange a worried look.

“Don’t fret about the tingling.” The secretary explained as she placed the birth certificate in a protective folder. “That means the adoption just kicked in.” She handed them the folder and finally gave them a genuine smile. “Congratulations! It’s a boy!”

“Whoo!” A cheer rang out of nowhere and everyone in the department suddenly rose from their cubicles to give the little group a standing ovation.

Severus squealed in delight and began clapping his hands along with them, causing everyone in the room to crack up.

“Mummy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Ooo meh weaw mummy mow!” Severus declared, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Ginny felt like squealing too, she was so happy.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, cub?”

“Ooo meh weaw daddy mow!” He said, reaching for Harry.

“Always, kiddo.” The teen replied, taking him in his arms and planting a kiss on his forehead.

It was official. Severus had parents. Parents who cared for him! Actually cared for him! Heck, they more than cared for him, they loved him! And he loved them! And now they called him ‘son’. To say this was the happiest day of Severus’ life was an understatement. He was so happy, he didn’t know how to adequately express himself! What he did know, though, was that although everything was now official, it didn’t change what already existed among the three of them. They had already been a family these last few months. Severus had already been their son. Harry had already been his father. Ginny had already been his mother. Remus and Dora had already been his godparents. To have the rest of the world acknowledge that was just the icing on the cake!

You must admit, though—protection against legal kidnapping the likes of what Malfoy just attempted is worth the hassle of the adoption process. His big voice reasoned.

And I get to have Daddy’s name now!!! His little voice added enthusiastically.

I suppose it’s just as well we rid of that bastard’s atrocious name… The big voice begrudgingly agreed with a sigh. Yet this new one is going to take some acclimatization.

“Severus Henry Potter.” Sirius ruffled Sev’s hair with a laugh. “Oh, James would be rolling in his grave if he found out just who his first grandchild was.”

Bfffffft!

“But it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” The animagus finished, wiping his drool-soaked hand/shield off on his trousers. “Severus Henry Potter.”

“Me!” Sev declared proudly, pointing a finger at his chest.

“You, cub.”

A slew of congratulations, hugs, and kisses soon followed. Molly kept going on and on and on about her new grandson and how this was one of the happiest days of her life. Arthur merely had a goofy smile on his face that never quite went away. The look on Ron’s face was an awkward mix of happy and uncomfortable, yet Hermione wore a genuine smile. Aside from Harry and Ginny, the two happiest people in the room looked to be Remus and Dora. There was a look in the werewolf’s eyes, as he stared at his new godson, which conveyed a multitude of emotions—all positive, of course.

“May I, Harry?” He asked, reaching for Severus.

“Want to go to your godfather, cub?”

In response, Severus dove into Remus’ arms and gave him a tight hug around the neck. Harry could see that they now had a special bond between them—one he himself shared with Sirius, and one he hoped to share with Teddy in the future. It was the culmination of a long journey for the two of them. When Severus was first deaged last June, he didn’t even want to be in the same room as Remus. Now look at the two of them! After seven months and countless baby steps, they had become godfather and godson.

“Come now! Let’s go home!” Molly commanded with a clap of her hands, “I have plenty of stuff to plan before tomorrow. I assume you’ll want to invite your whole Army gang?”

“It’s not a gang, mum!” Ron argued.

“That sounds good, doesn’t it, cub?” Harry murmured in Sev’s ear after Remus passed him back his son. “Home.”

Home

It had been Severus’ wish all week—to go back home. Now he had gotten his wish and then some. He was now, officially, in this crazy family and he was never getting out ever again! The realization made the smile on Sev’s face grow exponentially larger.

“See? I told you, Severus…” The Lady’s voice echoed in his head. She, too, was smiling. He could hear it in her tone. “Want it and it’s yours!”

“We go home, daddy?” Sev asked, sticking his thumb in his mouth and settling into a comfortable position in Harry’s arms.

“Let’s go home, son.” Harry replied, tightening his arms around his boy.

“Ready?” Sirius asked, a twinkle in his eye. Without even waiting for a reply, he threw open the door, transformed into his dog form, and charged at the crowd of reporters, barking like a rabid canine. There was a panicked scream and the gathered crowd immediately dispersed in fear. Cameras flashed in random directions, microphones were dropped in the middle of the hallway, and reporters jumped on top of statues in the hall in order to get out of the crazy dog’s path.

Severus laughed so hard, his face began to turn red.

“Just another typical day in the Potter household, I assume?” The secretary asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Madame, you have absolutely no idea!” And with that, Harry readjusted his laughing son in his arms and then turned on his heel, following his barking mad godfather out the door.

Severus loved his life!