***16 November 1986-7:17 a.m. ***

Severus was still in bed. He had failed to close his eyes once during the long night. Normally, he would have started his morning routine over an hour ago. He had not even bothered to awaken Harry, rationalising that his son would still be sleepy from his emotional day. Severus was so exhausted that his entire body protested at the mere idea of stumbling out of bed.

He had no desire to leave his bed. Lucy's citrusy scent still lingered in the sheets and he wanted nothing more than to let her ethereal presence enfold him. Without thinking, Severus would turn to put his arm around his Lucy, only to find she was not there and his heart would break anew at each occurrence.

Lucy never came home. Severus was certain that she was at Hogwarts or the Hog's Head, but that knowledge did nothing to ease his worry. Would she ever come back? He would say and do anything, short of giving up Harry, if she would just come home. It did not even matter to him that he looked a fool to the neighbours after she Apparated as the house lights snapped on one by one in the industrial neighbourhood and worried eyes peered through the stealthily opened drapes, looking for whose car might have misfired.

Severus just wanted his Lucy back.

If she would only come back, he could explain. He should have explained last night rather than run off on her. It would not have been easy for him to explain himself...explain that whenever Black was about, Severus felt the need to fight...to fight for his dignity, to fight for his honour... to fight for his right to happiness. It was a fight Severus had been engaging in with Black since he was eleven years old.

It disgusted Severus that he could still find his anger provoked from his childhood rival and shamed him that he took that anger out on the one person who would have understood. Lucy would have understood, he was sure of it, and he should have spoken to her, rather than give into his childhood bogymen. If he had, Severus would have been holding her this morning rather than grasping at ghosts.

He let his temper get the best of him, and he had pushed her away... just like Lily.

Severus' body was just about to give in to his fatigue by sliding into a fitful doze when the sound of tiny footfalls going down his stairs forced him to face his bleak day...like it or not. He groaned as his body objected to his movements and he placed his bare feet on the cold, wood floor. Severus dug his slippers from beneath the bed with his foot as he reached for his dressing gown hanging over the end of his bed. Knowing that since he felt like death warmed over, he probably looked it too, he made a point to avoid the mirror as he left his room. It was good thing he had stopped frequenting the local pub after he gained custody of Harry, or Severus was quite certain he'd have a few more sins, and a throbbing head, to add to his regrets that morning.

Severus held the banister for support as he unsteadily made his way down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom of the landing when he heard the refrigerator door snap open and saw a light illuminate the dim kitchen. Severus rushed over to help Harry with whatever it was he was trying to fix himself. Severus added neglectful parent to his burgeoning list of faults. He had chosen to sleep in and now his six-year-old son was trying to fix himself breakfast. He might as well hand Harry over to Black now and at least avoid a trip to Azkaban for child neglect. He stopped at the kitchen door, when in his confusion; he noticed what the child was hefting onto the kitchen table.

Kale? Was the boy attempting to make a salad for breakfast?

Severus' brow rose in amazement as Harry dragged one of the chairs from the kitchen table over to the sink. The boy clambered on the rungs and then onto the seat. He asked in a soft tone, so as not to frighten the boy and cause him to fall, "Harry, what do you think you are doing?"

"I have to wash the vegetables," he replied, explaining the obvious to Severus. "Mummy asked me to take care of Thor while she was gone."

Severus nearly choked on his own Adam's apple. He joined Harry at the sink. A box of blueberries awaited Harry on the counter. Severus, conjured a waterproof apron around his son, and picked the boy up so he would have easier access to the running water. "Mummy told you she was leaving? Did she tell you where she was going?"

He breathed an internal sigh of relief. If Lucy left her precious rabbit, she had no intention of being gone for long.

Harry looked at Severus as if his daddy had gone daft. "Of course she did. She went to Hogwarts. You already know that."

Severus helped Harry down from the chair and the boy scuttled to the kitchen table to put down the berries. He came back to Severus and handed him a large, leafy, greenish-purple head of kale.

Severus' chest tightened as he realised his little boy was growing up. Harry was intent upon taking on the responsibly Lucy had given him, and Severus couldn't have been any prouder of Harry's determination. Severus' heart mourned for the passing of his little boy, and celebrated the arrival of his little man at the same time.

Harry continued to explain to Severus, "Mummy said she might be gone a couple of days and if I take good care of Thor she might let me keep her."

Severus' hands stopped as he was washing the rabbit's kale. What did that mean? Was Lucy simply deciding what her next move would be before she left him? Was she coming back only to gather her things and be gone forever? How would he face her at school? Severus felt like such a tosser. For once, he thought he might actually have found happiness with a woman who loved him, and he could not even hold on to her for a week. He shook his head slightly to bring himself out of his depressed torpor and sniffed before he had a chance to shed the tears that had been gathering all morning. "Harry, did you leave enough berries for your porridge or are you feeding them all to the rabbit?"

***8:14 a.m. ***

"Severus, are you there?"

"Come through, Albus."

Severus was turned away from the Floo, his hands behind his back, and starring out the garden door at the bright day which was so contrary to his state of mind. It was still cold enough that most of the snow that fell the previous day was still on the ground, but by midday most of it would melt off, with only small patches left in the shade to indicate it had ever snowed at all.

Harry was upstairs in his room, playing quietly with Lucy's rabbit. As much as Severus wanted to find Lucy, he had to take Harry to Diagon Alley to be fitted for new glasses after the Headmaster left.

On the coffee table, awaiting Albus was a box containing three stands of hair, one belonging to Severus, one Harry and the other to Lucy. They would be needed as Albus and Severus established new wards about the property.

Severus heard the rush of magic emit from his Floo and the soft rustle of robes as the Headmaster stepped out of the hearth.

"Have you read the morning Prophet, Severus?"

Severus turned his head slightly to Albus' direction. The Headmaster's question had not registered at first. "Hmm...No, Albus." He finally turned and gestured for the old wizard to take a chair. "Why, has the news of the adoption finally leaked to the press?"

"No, thankfully, it has not," said Albus with a happy grin and his trademark twinkling eyes as he lowered himself into one of Severus' chairs. "There is more sensational news at the moment." This piqued Severus' interest as he sat at the end of his sofa closest to the Headmaster. "Late last night, Arthur Weasley caught an intruder on his property digging beneath one of the trees in his orchard. Imagine his surprise to find that the intruder was none other than Peter Pettigrew."

Severus could not hide his shock from the news. His brain was a rush with a thousand questions. "Pettigrew! He's still alive? What would he ever want with the Weasley's? How... ? Where...?"

Albus held up a hand to cease Severus' questioning. "Has Harry ever made mention of young Percy's rat?"

For a split second, Severus was confused, "Scabbers?" It was then the realisation hit him. "That imbecile has been disguised as a child's familiar all these years?" Severus felt the same horror and disgust clinch his gut that Molly and Arthur must have felt at the moment of discovery. A grown man...hiding amongst children... The thought was too disgusting to contemplate.

Severus felt a rush of worry for young Percy. How would the child react to the news? Molly and Arthur could not hide the news from the boy forever. Severus felt sickened at the implications. Many children slept with their familiars. Almost all would think nothing of dressing or undressing before them. And he was certain that some even bathed with them. Severus wanted to crush the rat's neck, for sins both past and present.

The discovery of such perfidy might require counselling for Percy for some time to come.

Severus hoped this was not the case. He had rarely seen the rat himself, as it would always run and hide whenever Severus arrived at the Burrow...he now knew why. However, whenever Harry made mention of the older boy's familiar, it was to comment upon how boring it was and that it constantly slept and refused to play.

"Yes," Albus concurred sadly then asked, "Where is Lucy? I should like to tell you both the details together so I needn't repeat myself."

"Is she not at Hogwarts?" Severus asked with a bit more visible alarm than he intended. He then cleared his throat to compose himself. "She is supposed to be readying her lessons for tomorrow."

"No doubt she is having breakfast with Aberforth," Albus said unconcerned. "You can fill her in on the details if you see her before me."

When Albus left, Severus took Harry and Flooed to his quarters at Hogwarts. He first checked to see if Lucy was in her quarters or her scriptorium, as the only unimpeded access he had to her chambers was from the Floo in his quarters. He and Harry had startled a house elf that Albus had assigned to care for Lucy's plants, most especially her prized Venus flytrap, Henrietta. The elf had been adamant that Lucy had not come back and furthermore, Severus knew this to be true. Lucy's wards had not been touched.

By that time, Severus had become increasingly more panicked and decidedly more agitated. He did not have much longer before Harry's appointment and he was anxious to find Lucy. It was possible that she spent the evening at the Hog's Head, not wishing to make her late night arrival known to Albus.

Unfortunately, Harry was already beginning to ask questions and Severus could not be certain that there would be no scene when he suddenly showed up at Aberforth's doorstep. Taking Harry to the Burrow was out of the question, as the household was most certainly in the midst of a Ministry investigation. Albus would know that something was amiss if Severus asked a Lucy's whereabouts once again. Severus did not trust his colleagues not to ask questions, and as a result, he once again trusted Harry to Hagrid's care whilst he made a hasty visit to Hogsmeade. Much to Severus' indignation, Lucy had not been to the Hog's Head either, and now Aberforth and Remus were involved.

***1:33 p.m. ***

Severus sat quietly in a chair in an out of the way corner of the exam room whilst the Healer tested Harry's eyes. Upon their entrance to Diagon Alley, Severus had been distracted by , the whispered conversations about the capture of the traitorous Peter Pettigrew and the exoneration of the wrongly-convicted Sirius Black. There was also talk of an investigation of Bartemius Crouch and his possible arrest for falsifying court documents.

The Prophet had not given any of the details. Only stating that Arthur Weasley had captured Peter Pettigrew when the fugitive trespassed onto his property, and that under the influence of Veritaserum, he confessed to exposing the Potter's hiding place to You-Know-Who. Sirius Black was never involved in the treachery and was not a Death Eater. Albus had been successful ensuring none of the more sordid or revealing details made it to public knowledge. How Albus managed such a feat Severus did not know and was almost certain he never wished to.

But unlike the general public, Severus knew quite a bit more. Pettigrew had managed to breach the Weasley's familial wards because he had been given access. As a beloved familiy pet, he was considered a member of the family.

It was nearly a forgotten fact that Peter Pettigrew had secured employment with the Ministry under Arthur Weasley in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts office. He had only procured the position three weeks before his false death. He knew hiding in the home of a highly respected Muggle sympathiser such as Arthur Weasley would be a perfect disguise.

Upon his hire, he was invited to dinner at the Burrow as was custom for Arthur to do for his new employees. Apparently, Peter Pettigrew was not the complete idiot that he portrayed himself to be. He had managed to keep himself hidden in the intervening years. It was likely he would have remained incognito indefinitely if Black had not managed to escape and flush him out of hiding.

Pettigrew did not remain a rat during his entire stay with the Weasley's. At one point early in his sojourn, he slipped out whist the rest of the household slept and stole a wand from a Knockturn Alley vagrant. He brought it back with him to the Burrow and buried it in a wooden box under a tree in the Weasley orchard. Over the years, the rat managed to pilfer the occasional stray Knut, Galleon, or Sickle-no mean feat, given the family's lack of solvency- all of which, he hoarded away in his little box until such time he may need to escape. By the time the moment had arrived, Pettigrew had accrued a tidy little sum of money. Pettigrew was caught when he returned to the Burrow in an attempt to retrieve his booty and make good his escape.

Arthur went against protocol and opened the box before the Aurors arrived. Molly recognised a letter addressed to Severus from Lily. It had been amongst letters Lily had sent to her regarding Severus being named Harry's godfather...the one that had mysteriously disappeared. It looked as though someone had tried to open it, as evidenced by crumpled folds the size of a man's fingers and indentations in the shape of a rodent's incisors, but the letter was obviously charmed to be opened only by the intended reader.

Arthur gave the letter to Albus, who in turn gave it to Severus. At present, it was in his shirt pocket, unopened. Funny, it was not very long ago when Severus would have thrown himself into isolation, ripped opened the letter, and dwelled for days on end over Lily's final words to him. True, Severus was curious as to what was in the letter-perhaps it contained the answers as to why Lily chose him as Harry's godfather- but the reasons were now immaterial to him. After he and Albus set the new wards about his home, it was time for Severus to bring Harry to the optometrist and he'd had no time to fire-call Aberforth to see if Lucy was there.

Despite the wizarding world being abuzz with the latest Death Eater scandal, or even the letter from Lily left unopened in his pocket, Severus dwelt little upon any of it. He just wanted the bloody Optical Healer to do her job so he could get to Hogsmeade and find Lucy.

After Harry was fitted for his glasses, Severus would go to Aberforth's. Perhaps Lucy would have been in contact with her grandfather by then. Severus had no illusions that their next meeting would not be tense, and he did not wish for Harry to witness any potential fireworks. Surly, Lucy would at least be back at Hogwarts by that time.

Severus shifted in his chair as he impatiently waited for the Healer to transfigure Harry's new glasses. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps! Damn it! Why did she have to leave! If she had only given him five minutes to explain, he wouldn't be sitting here ready to crawling out of his bloody skin whilst waiting for...

"There we are, Harry," the Healer chirped happily, making Severus wish he could vomit. The old wizard that had originally fitted Harry had retired since the past summer. "Good as new. I simply cannot believe that I am fitting glasses for Har..."

"They are new, Madam," Severus answered sardonically as he arose to take Harry from the exam chair. He despised people who hero-worshipped his son as if the boy was Merlin reincarnated. "And I do believe Harry should be the judge of how 'adequate' the glasses are."

Harry looked up at Severus with his familiar spectacled face, his little brow creased with confusion at his daddy's ire with the witch. "They work great, Daddy. She did a good job."

"Yes, Mr. Snape," the witch replied tersely. "I cast additional anti-breakage spells, so if an incident such as yesterday's happens again, the lens will not shatter. Might I suggest in a few years, fitting your son with Kerat-Lenses, they fit directly on the eye and will only need replacing once every two years."

She smartly tore of the perforated sheet he would need to sign out Harry and handed it Severus.

Severus snatched the forms out of the witch's hand. "It is 'Professor Snape,'"

Severus was thankful he purchased additional insurance for Harry's new glasses. Unlike in the Muggle world, Wizarding specialists required private payment. Severus debated if the next time Harry's prescription needed renewal, whether he should just take the boy to a local Muggle doctor in Manchester. Harry would certainly be less recognisable in that circumstance.

As Severus walked down Diagon Alley, hand in hand with Harry, he swore he could feel strange eyes following them. It was mid-November, and students had long since gone back to school, and the Christmas shoppers have not yet descended en masse. Since the Alley was not as busy as it was when Severus last brought Harry, neither boy nor father enjoyed the anonymity that came from being swallowed in a swirling sea of humanity.

Logic dictated to Severus that he was probably paranoid, as there were few public photographs of either he or Harry. Severus and Albus had done a relatively good job of keeping Harry from the prying eyes of the paparazzi and Severus was considered too un-photogenic to be a real target for the sharks with film. It was unlikely that anyone notice Harry's scar unless they were staring directly at his forehead, due to the boy's constant insistence that it remained covered by his fringe.

What was it that Lucy had once said to him when he had burned a hole in the top layer of his coat sleeve during a Potion demonstration and the damage was resistant to magical repair? Severus had sworne under his breath about the incident nearly the entire lunch hour when Lucy had finally had enough of his grousing and said, "Honestly, Severus. If anybody gets close enough to notice, slap them."

Severus gave a crooked smile as he thought of the memory. He wished he could have slapped the Optical Healer, but that would have led to a nasty scene involving Aurors, and the witch did have to get close enough examine Harry's eyes.

Severus had originally intended upon doing a little early Christmas shopping that day, but now he was wondering if it would be pre-mature.

Although the early winter weather that plagued Manchester had not seen its way to London, the air was still cold and damp as it had rained the day before rather than snowed. It was a chore to avoid the lingering puddles that were still spattered about the alley and Severus decided once again to carry Harry rather than have to deal with cold, wet feet and a set of sniffles later.

Rather than take Harry to lunch at the Cauldron, where Tom and his clientele had an ugly habit of fawning over Harry, Severus opted to lunch at a small, unassuming yet more expensive bistro tucked away in a branched offshoot of the Alley that catered to a more discerning cliental. At least the patrons would have the grace not to overtly stare in the direction of Severus and Harry, thus ensuring that neither of them would be bothered with impertinent questions of the type asked by gossiping harpies and brownnosing arse-kissers.

As soon as he had Harry fed, he would ask Hagrid to take care of Harry once again. Severus needed to find Lucy without the added distraction of his son's presence. He decided to use the excuse that he needed to move their effects back to the school now that the 'threat' of Black was gone. He would simply take 'breaks' from time-to-time and drop in on Lucy's office.

***9:35 p.m.***

So much for finding Lucy today, Severus thought to himself as he scowled into his cup of camomile. He had put Harry to bed just over an hour ago and of course, the child would rip out Severus' heart by asking when Mummy would be coming home.

Apparently, Lucy had returned to Hogwarts early that afternoon. Many of his colleagues mentioned visiting Lucy in her office and welcoming her back and to congratulate her personally on the engagement. Severus had already run that gauntlet. Albus had let that Kneazle of the basket days ago. One of his seventh year Slytherins had won a betting pool by correctly predicting that Severus would propose, and Lucy would accept, before the month of November was out. By the time Severus had arrived at Lucy's office again, Professor Binns had informed him that Lucy had grown weary of the constant interruption, and moved her work to the seclusion of her scriptorium.

Severus debated on whether or not he should disturb Lucy in her sanctum sanctorum. He decided against doing so in the belief that he would only raise her ire even more. Severus decided his best course of action would be to wait for Lucy to calm down and seek him out when she was ready. Regardless of how difficult the waiting was.

Severus remained in an enforced state of calm even as the hours crept by. Finally, he gave up any pretence of patience and paced the small parlour of his rooms. Dammit! Where was she?

He faced another night without her and now he was angry again. He needed to get some sleep before lessons began in the morning, as it had been two days since he had any. Exhaustion had not helped his mood at all.

She was avoiding him. How in Merlin's bloody hell was he supposed to apologise and make things right if she avoided him? Were all women so bloody unreasonable?

It was like Lily all over again.

***16 November, 1986-11:25 a.m.***

Drawing her hands down and then back up her face, Lucy reluctantly awoke to the world. It was very late when she Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. She almost entered the gates when she remembered that the wards would alert Uncle Albus to her late arrival. She did not wish to be bombarded with uncomfortable questions that she had no intention of answering. Lucy briefly considered imposing on Pawpaw, but it was Saturday night, he and Remus would still have their hands full, and honestly, Lucy just wanted to be alone.

She almost decided to Apparate back ho...to Severus', when she remembered Mama's friend Rosie. Mama had visited her while she was here in October, but Lucy had not seen the widowed innkeeper since she was sixteen, the year things really started heating up in Voldemort's War and Lucy had not returned to Scotland until she was twenty. Lucy was never as close to Rosie as her mother had been during their visits and she honestly did not think to drop in on her. Maybe because they weren't so well-acquainted, Rosie might not ask too many questions.

Lucy thought with a wash of guilt that all she really needed from the woman was a room for the night.

"Damn it!" Lucy cursed under her breath when she noticed how high the sun was out the window. It had to be at least late morning if not early afternoon and Lucy had hoped to be back at Hogwarts hours ago. She had missed the checkout time and would have to pay for another day, but that did not matter to Lucy.

It was very late...or was it very early, when Lucy had finally drifted off to sleep, and though she would cut out her tongue before she admitted it to a soul, the bed's in Rosie's inn were much more comfortable than Pawpaw's.

She was obviously more exhausted from the previous night's events than she had originally thought. Lucy groaned as she stretched. After digging out her toothbrush and a change of clothes from the trunk she had restored to size, Lucy shuffled her way to the mirror and filled the chipped, blue, transfer-wear porcelain washbasin with warm water. Unlike Pawpaw's inn, Lucy did not have access to private bathing facilities, so she decided upon a simple sponge bath and a cleansing charm in her room over waiting in line for the no doubt filthy communal shower down the corridor. She could have cast a Disinfecting charm, but the very thought of taking a shower after a stranger was enough to make Lucy want to take another shower.

After her ablutions, Lucy stared out the window. The day was still chilly, but it had warmed up enough that the previous day's snow was beginning to melt.

Sighing to herself, and wondering what Severus and Harry were up to, she wished that she could go back in time and prevent Fred from hurling that damned stone so that all of this would have never happened. Lucy then left the privacy of her room to go downstairs and see what Rosie had to offer for a late breakfast before she returned to the castle.

Lucy sat at a corner table, barely touching something that vaguely resembled quiche. Rosie...Madam Rosmerta as the locals called her, joined Lucy. They had become lost in the conversation of what Lucy had been doing with herself over the years and also the day's news of the capture of Peter Pettigrew and the impending exoneration of Sirius Black.

Lucy soon came to realise that Rosmerta was quite Sirius Black fan. She had been fond of the Marauders, especially Sirius, while they attended Hogwarts. Rosie found him handsome and roguish. Lucy would have liked to have told her that she found him to be a pain in the ass, but that would reveal that she had knowledge of the fugitive's whereabouts.

Careful not to expose too many details, before she realised it, Lucy found herself opening up to Rosie about her fight with Severus. After Rosie's reaction, Lucy did not think she liked Rosie too much anymore.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish."

Lucy nearly choked on her tea to keep from spitting it in Rosie's face."Pardon me?"

"Bah! I'm surprised. You're a right smart young lady. Can't see how you'd involve yourself with a Death Eater." Rosie said as she poured out her own cup. "I remember that Snape boy back in the day. Surly lad he was, always stalking about after poor Lily Evans. Couldn't get through that great brain of his that she fancied James Potter. How could she not? Potter was handsome, popular, and had a great deal of money to boot. A homely, churlish bloke like Snape had no chance. Should have left well enough alone. You'd be better off with the likes of Sirius Black or even young Remus. I've seen him about the village. I understand you two are already acquainted," Rosie said with a hopeful lilt.

Lucy set down with a *clank* of china on china. "Rosie, I am quite aware of Severus' past. It is something that he takes no pride in, but I think I know better than you, that Severus Snape, is indeed, a very good man. And I should hope that Lily Potter was not so shallow as to be attracted to looks, popularity, and money. She obviously saw something redeeming in Severus. After all, she did name him as Harry's godfather."

"Calm yourself, lass," Rosie's 'mothering' was making Lucy nauseous. "I don't claim to know why she did such a daft thing, but I tell you, the man is not right, I don't care what the Prophet says." Rosie said defensively. "You may think you know Snape, but I tell you, a Nundu doesn't change its spots, remember, you have your own wee bairn to consider."

Lucy abruptly pushed her chair away from the table. She stood up and hastily opened the drawstring of her carpet bag. "I assure you, Madam Rosemerta, I have nothing but the best interest of my children in mind." Lucy fumbled in her bag and smacked ten Galleons on the table, more than enough to pay for her room and board for one night. "I need to go home."

Rosmerta's brow lifted as Lucy marched herself up the stairs.

How could Lucy have been so callous? She walked out before she gave Severus a chance to explain himself. It was quite possible she misunderstood him. Severus never actually said Lucy wasn't worthy of being Harry's mother.

She was already wracked in her own guilt over Harry's injury and had no doubt projected the negative emotion onto Severus.

Severus at least deserved the chance to explain...and she had her own apologies to make. She could not run away every time an argument went south. She had more than herself, or even Severus to consider. She had to consider the children. Plus, she loved Severus. That hadn't changed for a second. It was obvious in the way she defended him against Rosie. Furthermore, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Severus loved her. Surely, there was nothing they could not work out.

Lucy took the Floo back to Spinner's End only to find it empty. Of course...Harry's glasses.

Still needing to fulfil her obligations to her students, Lucy reluctantly Flooed back to the school. After all, Severus already knew of her plans to work at school today and she assured Harry that was where she would be.

She had been there for just over an hour and managed to get nothing done. The endless string of well- wishers, both students and staff, welcoming her back was beginning to play on her nerves. Not to mention, if Severus were to come, he would never want to risk personal matters reaching the ears of others.

After that mosquito, Trelawney, had actually shown up to announce that Lucy was expecting fraternal twins, Lucy had put up with all that her nerves could stand. She stood up and announced, "Cuthbert, if Severus should stop by, please let him know I am in my scriptorium."

Lucy did manage to complete her work in silence, but her agitation grew by the minute. Where was Severus? Cuthbert had floated in and informed her that he had seen Severus and he had let her fiancé know her of whereabouts. Why hadn't Severus shown up? Was he still angry with her over Harry? Was he avoiding her? Did he think he had nothing to apologise for...just like Kenneth?

Lucy went through her nightly routine and for the first time in a week and a half, climbed into her own bed.

It felt strange and unfamiliar. It would be another very long and lonely night.

***21 November, 1986***

It had been a very strange few days for Harry. Mummy and Daddy were trying to hide that they were fighting. Either Mummy or Daddy would come and have lunch with him at Hagrid's hut, but never together. Something was going on at the Weasley's and Harry would not go back until tomorrow. Mr. Lupin had something he had to do, so he couldn't watch Harry this week and Daddy did not want Harry at Mr. Dumbledore's without him or Mummy because of all the strangers that came by. Harry was glad he was going back to the Weasley's again. Hagrid was fun, and Harry was allowed to play with his puppy, Fang, whenever he wanted, but most of the time Harry just followed Hagrid around the castle, watching him trim hedges or muck out the hippogriff paddock. Harry didn't mind so much, but the hippogriffs were awfully smelly. Sometimes Harry found a little snake to talk to, but for the most part, he was pretty bored.

At night, they all had dinner together in the Great Hall, just like they used to, and Mummy and Daddy talked to him a lot, but they did not talk to each other. Whenever Harry asked Mummy how long it would be until she came home, she would just say maybe in a couple of days and look at Daddy funny. She always looked so sad. Daddy looked sad too.

Harry knew why Mummy didn't come home. It was because she and Daddy were angry with each other. This made Harry sad, because Mummy and Daddy were sad without each other. Harry was sure they would make up if they only talked to each other. The problem was, they did not talk.

An idea suddenly came to Harry. Mummy and Daddy were angry with each other, but they still loved Harry. What if something happened...something that made them have to talk to each other? Oh...Harry wouldn't hurt himself or make himself sick...that would be stupid. But what if Harry were to...?

Harry looked up from where he was drawing in the dirt with a stick, just in time to see Hagrid throw a big pile of hay and hippogriff poop on Professor Kettleburn, who walked up at just the wrong time. Harry laughed hard, but Professor Kettleburn was yelling at Hagrid now.

Harry did not like it when people yelled, so he decided to go play in Hagrid's garden instead, as it was not far from the hippogriff and Hagrid could still see him.

When Harry walked the short distance to the garden, he stopped and looked to the thick stand of trees beyond. Harry took one last glance behind him. Professor Kettleburn was still yelling at Hagrid and they did not notice Harry walk off.

Harry knew he wasn't allowed in the Forbidden forest...at all. But if he just went in a little way and hid behind a tree...soon Daddy and Mummy would come. They would help each other find Harry and they wouldn't be angry with each other anymore.

Harry took a big breath and gathered up all his determination. It was a scary forest... but he was only going in a little ways.