"So…" Ron quietly says from his transfigured bed around midnight.

"Ron, my dad is just down the hall from us," I reply from my own bed. "Unless you want a very ticked off Severus Snape in here yelling at us yet again, I'd just go to sleep like he told us to do."

"Oh, come on, Potter. You know why he's grumpy," drawls Draco somewhere from my left in his own bed. I can just hear the grin in his voice.

"Malfoy, shut it," I respond gritting my teeth. I so do not need to hear Dad yell at us again.

"Think Sinistra and Snape have done it yet?"

I groan instantly and roll over to bury my face in my pillow. Any minute now, Dad is going to burst in and start hexing all of us to pieces. Oh, how I wish I were that lucky. My door remains closed, and I don't hear any movement in the hallway.

"I don't know. Maybe," I hear someone, but I don't know whom, whisper back.

"July, August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March," I hear one of the twins whisper. "Hey, Harry, you should get a baby brother—"

"Or sister in March," George finishes.

"Wonderful, guys, you can figure out what's nine months from now," I respond grumpily.

"Oh, come on, Potter. We're just joking with you," Draco says. "No need to be all prissy."

"No need to be prissy?" I hiss quietly. "What if your friends were talking about your dad screwing your mum? Would you be all grins about that?"

"Well, no, but it's just us, Harry. We don't mean anything by it."

Harry, go to sleep…now, growls Dad in my head.

I would if they'd shut up, Dad, I growl back. It's then silent for a while. At least in my head it is. Draco, Ron, and the twins are still discussing if Dad and Mum have slept together.

Meet me downstairs, Dad responds softly.

I instantly smile before glancing around. I mean, sure, I'm happy that Ron and Draco have some kind of temporary truce going on. However, I sure as hell don't want to listen to them discussing that. I draw in a breath. I'm going to have to sneak out of my own room somehow without anyone knowing it. Luckily, my room is pitch-black. Well, that might not really be a good thing on second thought. Silently, I roll over and gently ease myself onto the floor. The boys' conversation hasn't changed so I know I at least have succeeded in the first part. I draw in another deep breath before crawling towards my door. I can't help but wonder how I'm going to get the door open. My door always squeaks unfortunately. When someone suddenly grabs me around the waist, I nearly scream. However, the person holds a hand over my mouth, and I feel the familiar feeling of apparition. As soon as we reappear, the hand leaves my mouth, but the arm around my waist doesn't.

My survival instincts kick into high gear. Too many nights with Vernon Dursley do that to a person. I punch and kick as hard as I can towards the person holding me. I actually hit the person square in the jaw a couple of the times, which makes the person grunt quietly. The arm remains around my waist, though, but I hear a soft voice say something in my ear. I'm too far into panic mode to understand the words, though. I somehow am able to turn around in the person's arm to be face-to-face with my kidnapper. The candles in the room suddenly flicker on, which allows me to see my would-be attacker just before my knee connects with the person's groin. The arm instantly leaves my waist. My mouth drops. Oh, oh, I am so dead that I've actually been dead for ten minutes now.

"Harry…" Dad groans through grit teeth while hunched over.

I whimper back quietly, but that's my only response. How should I have known that Dad was the one holding me? I mean, it is midnight. For all I could have known, it could have been…I don't know the boogeyman. I watch him for a couple of minutes as he tries to breathe through the pain. I want to apologize, but I can't find my voice to say anything. Dad's hand then flies towards me, not to hit me, but for me to help him.

"Chair…" he groans before clenching his side painfully. Slowly, we make our way over there before Dad collapses into it. He's grimacing horribly, which I can relate to, I suppose.

Ron once hit me there with his Transfiguration textbook when he had gotten angry and thrown it full speed at the door. I had been walking into the boys' dormitory at the time, unfortunately, only to have the heavy book nail me in the groin. At the time, I swore I was dying. I remember passing out actually, and Ron apologizing profusely to me for days. Quidditch was hell for the next week.

"Do you want me to get you some ice?" I softly whisper. He shakes his head before releasing a low guttural sound. "What about a pain potion?" Again, he shakes his head. "Dad, please…please let me help you." He slowly opens his eyes and glances at me. I can see the rare look of sheer pain on his face. "I'm sorry. Please, Dad, I'm so sorry. I…I…I didn't know it was you, though."

"Hush, you foolish child," Dad says. He then groans again loudly, massaging his side. "Stupid worthless barriers," he mumbles before fixing me with a stare. "You thought I was that Muggle bastard again, didn't you?" He's not angry as he asks this.

"I…no…I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so sorry," I whisper.

"No. You were thinking," Dad argues before releasing a long hiss. "I'd rather know you'd fight back if someone was kidnapping you, then you going along, Harry." His breathing has started to even out again. "I apologize for not informing you earlier that I had entered your room. I didn't wish to frighten Weasley or the others." His eyes then stare at me as if he's trying to figure something out, which I know exactly what it is. It's always the same question he asks when we have this type of situation. I can understand why he'd wonder, though.

"No, Dad. He wasn't like that," I answer quietly. I watch Dad slowly nod before releasing a long sigh. One of these days, I'm going to ask him why he keeps asking me that question, but not tonight. "Are you going to be all right?"

"I will perhaps be bruised for my wedding night, but I'll be fine," Dad replies with a smirk. "So the others seem to be rather engrossed in their conversation in your room."

"I tried to get them to shut up, but they wouldn't," I respond feeling my grumpiness return.

"Harry, it's natural for them to make such remarks. While extremely distasteful, it is a part of being a teenager. I'm rather certain that even James made remarks like that concerning some of our professors." I softly feel the tug at my lips. "In fact, even we professors have been known to gossip about our colleagues."

"Even you, Dad?"

"No, but I am an exception," he responds with a soft sigh.

"Sorry for waking you up earlier, Dad," I quietly say.

"I was not asleep earlier so do not concern yourself over it." He then glances at me. "I was thinking about Lily.

"Dad, I don't think she'd think you were betraying her by marrying Professor Sinistra."

"No, she wouldn't think that at all. Your mother perhaps would be happy that I've chosen to move on with my life. She asked me that when she brought you to me that night. I think she expected to find me in bed with a woman."

"Do you think my mum knew that you loved her?"

"Lily was always a bright witch, Harry. I'm certain she had her suspicions. However, she chose James in the end, unfortunately, and I respected that decision. I was not happy about it, but I respected her decision." Dad then scoffs and shakes his head. "When she showed up with you in her arms that night, I half-expected her to say she was leaving James. Obviously, I was disappointed when she admitted that she came because you were sick." I instantly give him a mock-glare. "And for what it's worth, James did grow up, but only after he stole Lily from me." The comfortable silence in the study settles among us then. However, unfortunately, that's when my mind wanders back to the discussion going on upstairs in my bedroom.

"Dad, can I ask you a personal question?" He glances at me and inclines his head. "Have you and Professor Sinistra…you know?" I bite my lower lip then and stare at him.

"What do you think, Harry?" he calmly responds folding his arms.

"I think if you were any of the guys upstairs, you would have," I mumble.

"Then we'll thank Merlin that I'm not," Dad replies silkily. "When I first started my relationship with Aurora, we both came to an understanding that we would wait until we were married."

"But, well, I've seen her come out of our rooms a couple of mornings. At first I thought it was just because she was asking you about a duel or something, but—"

"Harry," Dad says with a soft—I don't know—smile (?) on his face. "Sleeping beside a person doesn't constitute the same as sleeping with someone. However, you are correct. Aurora has spent the night with me more than a few times. Nothing happened, though." His eyes then narrow on me again in his familiar way of trying to figure me out, but he says nothing.

"But you will tomorrow night, well, tonight now I guess," I say. Dad instantly chuckles quietly.

"Why the sudden interest in my sex life, Harry?"

I don't know how to describe what happens next. I guess a really bad train wreck would be one description. I'm not sure, though. I draw in a deep breath, and it all tumbles out of me.

"It's just…well…you're the greasy git of the dungeons, and it's not fair that you've got a girlfriend…sorry…fiancée that you can snog whenever the hell you feel like it. And I don't even have a girlfriend!" I shout before panting heavily. My green eyes then widen as my words echo back to me.

"I see," Dad says in a low voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that just now."

"No. You most certainly did, Harry. It's perfectly understandable that you'd be upset. However, let me make myself very clear. Just because I'm getting married, Harry, it doesn't automatically mean that I'll turn into some sex-crazed lunatic. As I've told you before, my emotions do not control me." He then smirks and gently cards my hair. "Harry, you are an adolescent male. There is one thing on your mind, and that's sex." My face turns bright red. "Why do you think I write my instructions on the board and scare the living daylights out of all of you? If I just told you how to brew and lecture about everything like any other instructor would, all of you would destroy my classroom on a daily basis. Do you know why?" I shake my head even though I do. "Because Mr. Weasley would be too busy staring at Miss Granger and thinking what he'd rather be doing to her than brewing a potion. In every single one of you are thoughts and fantasies about the opposite sex. I've observed Aurora's classes before to see the looks passed between the secret lovers. Do you know what the two most dangerous classes are?" I shake my head. "Potions and Astronomy," Dad replies. "Potions class is dangerous for obvious reasons. Astronomy is dangerous because the stars set just the right atmosphere for a young wizard to be staring at some young witch and thinking rather crude thoughts about her right before he walks off the side of the Tower. Trust me. It's happened before, and the poor soul who did that was miserable for a week." My eyes bulge out as I stare at Dad.

"No freaking way," I say completely shocked. "Dad, you're joking, right?"

"Actually, he's not, Harry," Remus quietly says behind me as he walks into the study. "Everyone thought that either James or Sirius had pushed him off, including me, unfortunately. James goaded Snape about that for months."

"Said I had a death wish because he won Lily, I believe," Dad drawls, glancing at Remus.

"Yeah, that sounded like James all right," replies Remus.

"Couldn't sleep, Lupin?"

"Not with the ruckus coming from Harry's room. I believe they've now thought that you and she have been carrying out this secret love affair since the late 80s. Oh, yes, and according to I believe it was Fred, you and she have used Dungeon Five numerous times for your clandestine rendezvous."

"Ah, thank you for that lovely update, Lupin. I so needed to hear that," Dad drawls before groaning and leaning his head back. "I only wish there was truth to that rumor."

"Really…?" I ask quietly.

"No," Dad instantly responds.

The door suddenly opens, which makes me whirl around to it. Sirius is standing in the doorway with sweat pouring down his face. He's also panting, which makes me glance at Dad. Inside I smile as Dad quickly leaps towards my godfather. I'm not naïve. I know both men still hate each other. If Dad's willing to help Sirius like this, though, then maybe there's hope for all of us to be a big happy family someday. Okay, maybe that's a pipe dream, but Dad does steer Sirius towards the couch gently. However, Sirius pushes Dad's wand away when Dad's running a diagnostic on him.

"No, no, Snape, I have to…I have to tell you," Sirius says gasping before grabbing a fistful of Dad's black nightshirt and pulling him towards him. "I slept with Aurora!" My mouth drops, and I glance towards Remus. "I'm not proud of it, Snape. I mean, Christ, she was fifteen! Hell, she even cried afterwards." Dad's eyes were getting darker now. "Do you know why she cried? It was because it wasn't you, Snape. Hell, I'm not an idiot."

"I'd beg to differ, Black," Dad quietly mutters under his breath.

"I saw the way she looked at you. I mean, hell, she even moaned your name during it."

"Lovely, Black, now kindly shut the hell up before I glue your tongue to your mouth." Dad then glances at me before shaking his head. I know he's not angry with me, though.

"She was just there, staring at the stars. Did you know her name means 'Serpent Handler'? Well, I knew from that night on that the only serpent she wanted to handle was yours."

"Dear Merlin," Dad groans before pointing his wand at Sirius.

"Please, Dad, don't kill—"

"Aguamenti," Dad says before a jet of water hits Sirius in the face.

"WHAT THE—" Sirius roars. He then glares at Snape. "Get your damn wand out of my face, Snape, or I'll shove it up your—"

"Dad…?" I say very quietly.

"It appears that your godfather's woken up, Harry."

"Woken up?" replies Sirius before glancing from me to Remus. "Oh, no, I didn't. Tell me I didn't, Remus. Tell me I didn't tell him."

"If you are referring to the fact that you had sex with my soon-to-be wife when she was fifteen, you did, Black. In fact, you admitted it in front of your godson."

"She didn't want you to know. She made me promise never to tell you, Snape. But ever since she came to Grimmauld humming that stupid wedding song of hers this afternoon, I…I just couldn't handle it." Sirius then ran his fingers through his wavy hair. "It was eating me alive. For all your faults, you at least would have told James if something had happened between you and Lily."

"I'm surprised you never gloated to me about it before, Black."

"Dammit, Snape!" growls Sirius. "I'm not gloating about it now. If I could, I'd take it back."

"She wasn't good enough to be one of Black's women," Dad sneers.

I'm feeling horribly awkward at this point. I mean, first Dad, now Sirius. Maybe it's somebody's way of telling me that I really need to listen to the talk. No, that's absurd. Or is it?

"She was too damn good to be treated like that! Dammit, Snape, she loves you more than you will ever know. Hell, I won't make any excuses for what I did. I took advantage of her. She was upset about something when I got up there. She just kept staring off the balcony, looking towards the forest. I saw the tears and the anger in her face. I used all that just so I could add another mark on my headboard. I told her I'd be whomever she wanted me to be…that I'd take all her pain away. I lied through my teeth just… She instantly started sobbing afterwards. At first, I thought I had hurt her. Then I realized that I hadn't hurt physically as much as I did emotionally. I…I couldn't—ah, dammit, I apologized to her profusely. Oh, boy, did I apologize. I got down on my hand and knees and begged her to forgive me. I knew it wouldn't help her, though. She kept crying that she betrayed you. She kept saying that she was no better than Lily. She broke down in front of me, and I…I didn't know what to do, Snape. No matter what I said helped. I wanted to run to Pomfrey…to McGonagall…to someone to help me with her."

I glance towards Dad and see that the anger is completely gone. Then again, I can feel Sirius's heartache. I can't stop imagining it. However, in my case it'd be the equivalent of Draco sleeping with Cho. I then bite my lip again. If I were Dad, I would have probably punched Sirius a long time ago.

"Christ, Snape, I turned my back for a split second. She was just sliding in between the railing."

"And you leapt towards her and held her," Dad quietly says. "I know all this, Sirius." He then draws in a deep breath. "I take it that your dream concerned this?" Sirius nods once. "While I am not particularly thrilled to know that you stole her innocence, I am, however, glad that you saved her from herself. Her thoughts were rather dark before you even arrived, unfortunately. Before you ask the asinine question of how I know, do remember that I am a skilled Legilimens." I see a look of understanding.

"I, well, we talked afterwards. I don't think I was the one who stole her innocence, Snape." Sirius then glances at me before glancing back to Dad. "I think that's why she was so upset when she learned you took the Mark." Dad closes his eyes in understanding, but I have to admit that I'm confused.

"Unfortunately, I must agree with you, Black. I too have thought that."