Three years later...

'I've got it!' Harry called out as he ran down the stairs and raced towards the front door when someone knocked.

The boy clearly expected whoever was on the other side, and therefore Severus did not look up from the book he was reading in the living room. He guessed his sneaky son had stolen the cordless phone again because it was the only way the brat could know who was at the door. And therefore, Severus knew exactly who to expect so he quickly retreated outside where Erin was weeding the garden.

'Hey, Jack!' Harry pulled open the front door and greeted his best friend, who was over an inch taller than he was, and stepped aside to let the other boy in.

'Should we get started?' Jack asked as he shifted the weight of the schoolbooks he was holding, and followed Harry upstairs to the bedroom. 'Mr Garrick didn't give as much time on this project, which I think is so unfair!' He whined along the way.

'Don't worry - if we get stuck we'll just ask dad.' Harry winked and pushed open the door to his mostly messy room. 'C'mon, we can just sit on the floor.' He suggested and grabbed the cordless phone to bury it inside a desk drawer, making a mental note to return it to the kitchen later. If it weren't for him, Harry was convinced the phone would never get used and as a result, he never worried about someone noticing it was missing.

'Move over.' He nudged his frog, who hopped over to sit inside the blue dog bed positioned in the corner where the creature slept. 'Ready to get started, Jack? I did a bit of research in some of dad's books, with permission for once, and I think we've got everything we need. Did you bring the other stuff?'

'Yeah.' Jack exhaled. 'Do you know how not-fun it is to carry them all the way over here?' He rolled his eyes and sat on the floor with Harry. 'Mum wasn't too happy about me borrowing them, but I harassed her enough until she gave in just to make me go away.' He smirked, to which Harry grunted at because that never worked with his parents.

Three years had passed since the two best friends had carved their names into the tree near Spinner's End, in declaration of their withstanding friendship.

Due to a potion-related aging incident when Harry had been nine, the boy's birth-date had been changed by about a month. When it first happened, Harry hadn't been too happy with it, but ended up being happy to be a bit over a month older than he had been. Previously, Jack had been older than Harry (though not by much), and so the sandy-haired boy was not pleased with having his friend now being the older one.

The adults didn't see what the big issue was, but to the boys it was a big deal for that order of age to be shifted.

As the boys sat on the wooden floor of Harry's bedroom - which looked about the same as it did three years ago with the polished wood furniture, large windows with white blinds, shelves of photographs of his family, various sporting equipment he rarely used, figurines of animals and cartoon characters, and a stuffed toy bulldog that rested against the pillows on his bed – to work on their partnered school science assignment, Harry's gaze drifted to a nearby calendar, which was pinned above his desk.

In a few weeks, it would be the twenty-fourth of June and Harry was going to be eleven-years-old!

Apart from the obvious aging of the boys, not a lot had changed over the last three years. Jack and Harry were now both ten-going-on-eleven and had been told they were above-average students in their class, something Erin and Severus constantly praised them for, or acknowledged in high regard.

The lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead never returned, and Erin had won the battle of convincing Harry that a hair cut was a good thing. She'd made the arrangements and decided how short it was going to be trimmed, which was more than Harry would have chosen for himself. He had no support from Severus at all in the matter, as the man would much rather Erin ensure Harry's hair was short and “proper”, rather than for her to drag Severus into it as well. The boy's hair was rather short now, though he could still run his fingers through it if he wanted to. He had not been too keen on the length at first, but with little choice in the matter, Harry once against adapted to a strange situation.

Even with his scar being gone and his hair now cut shorter, Harry did look somewhat different in appearance in other ways as well. Apart from a few odd things transfigured or given to him by Severus when he'd been seven, Harry never really had many clothes that he liked. They'd been average at best and mostly second-hand. Now, with a loving mother and father to care for him and provide what any child needed, Harry's wardrobe had had a huge upgrade. His drawers and closet were filled with new clothes and almost all of them were to his liking.

Jack was under strict promise not to ever mention the horrible brown sweater from last Christmas, which was given to him by a distant aunt from his mother's side - one they'd thankfully never met.

With the ability to decide what sort of clothes he wanted to wear, Harry had developed a rather off choice with the way he went about it. Most of the time he dressed himself, the boy would end up wearing something black with an item that was of a much brighter colour. While he and Jack exchanged notes for their project, Harry was dressed in a pair of jeans with a bright yellow shirt, which he had pulled a black jumper over. Jack also wore jeans, but with a navy blue shirt and dark red hoodie.

Something that hadn't changed, but rather had increased, was the shared gardening Harry did with his mother. The pair now had an entire vegetable patch in the backyard, which was an addition to their formally-frog-eaten flower bed. A small fenced area in the corner (which was also carefully anti-frog warded), was a section only cared for by Harry under Severus' stern supervision. It grew three basic, non-harmful ingredients in which the man used in his potions. Harry loved helping with it because he thought his dad really needed them, whereas Severus was glad the ingredients took a while to grow because he didn't use them quite as much as Harry believed.

Severus had finalised his Potions Lab in the basement, which still refused to permit entry to anyone other than himself. It was at the aide of his potions and coaching that Erin's magic had returned. She'd obtained her own wand a little over a year ago, though she was still being taught how to use it. She was making good progress with most of the spells she really wanted, such as the cleaning charms and insect-zapping hexes. Erin was very pleased to have her magic and still found it to be rather exciting, even while she was still learning the ways of the magical world, which the entire family would soon become a bigger part of.

'Are you nervous?' Jack asked as he watched Harry draw a diagram on a large piece of paper.

'About what?' Harry glanced at him for a second.

'The letter.' Jack sighed.

'Oh.' Harry busied himself with his task again. 'I try not to think about it. But yeah, I guess I am.'

The letter.

It was a subject rarely mentioned in the company of Jack, which meant it was hardly spoken of at all when the other boy frequented the house almost as much as its residences did. Harry knew, with his birthday drawing near, that he would soon receive a correspondence from Hogwarts. His father had made sure Harry (or rather, Cody Summers), had his name enrolled for the school of witchcraft and wizardry.

And what Harry's dad said was rarely wrong.

'I don't know what I'm going to do when you're gone.' Jack didn't sound as miserable about the fact as he had in the past.

He'd had three years to accept that his best friend was going to leave for large portions of the year to attend a special magical school. Severus and Erin would be going too, as Severus had requested a job there (which they were still waiting to hear back from the Headmaster or Headmistress in regards to), and Erin would be going along as well. She hoped to find a job there, but otherwise was simply going as well because that's where her family would be. It was a common arrangement, Severus had said, and so Harry hid from Jack how relieved he was to have his parents at school with him.

Everyone knew it was going to happen, but no one liked the idea of leaving Jack behind after all the years they'd spent with the boy. Even Frogabook was going, as Harry's pet, and would be residing in the boy's dormitory with him.

'You'll be okay.' Harry sighed. 'And I'll write to you lots. Can we not talk about it, please?' He grumbled. 'I want to get this done.'

Though the boys paid close attention to their studies under Severus' encouraging, it wasn't the science project Harry was really concerned with at that moment. He never liked to talk about the inevitable arrival of his letter from Hogwarts because he always felt so guilty about leaving Jack behind. When they'd been eight, the boys had come up with long lists of ways to try and sneak Jack into the school. Their hopes and plans were dashed when Severus sat them down and explained how impossible it would be for a Muggle to even see Hogwarts, let alone be snuck inside.

It was the first time Harry had stormed out of the room, slammed his door while yelling things at his father, and then avoided the man without talking to him for almost an entire day. Erin had been relieved when Severus simply left the boy alone for a while and waited for Harry to come back to him with apologies.

And Harry did.

By nightfall he'd gone running to his father with tears and apologies, venting how he really wanted Jack to go with him and how horrible it was that he had to leave him behind.

The boys had struggled hard to accept what they could not change, and as they entered the month of Harry's eleventh birthday, it weighed heavy on their minds. Regardless of what Harry believed, Jack was convinced he had the worse arrangement because Harry was essentially moving away to a magic school, leaving Jack behind to continue going to school without Harry.

There would be no more sleepovers except during the summer, and no more playing in the backyard unless it was Christmas, and Jack would have to find something else to occupy all the extra time he would receive. And Jack thought he would need all the that time try and connected with his parents, which was something he had given up on around the time when Harry and his family moved to their new house three years ago.

Since Michael, Jack's older brother, had walked out on the family, his parents had never really coped.

Jack thought they had, early on, but as time went by it was clear they only thought of the son they lost and not the one they still had. No one had seen or heard from Michael since the night he'd left, other than to receive a short letter each Christmas basically telling them he was still alive. They knew he was still in England somewhere, but no one knew where as the letter was always sent from a different location. Jack's parents liked to think their older son was travelling around with some nice University friends, whereas Jack wondered if his older brother had gone bad and was actually on the run from the police.

No one knew, and they were talking about even less.

The Bailey household had become a very quiet and tense place for Jack, so it was no surprise he spent more time at Harry's house than he ever thought he'd want to in the past. He was worried about how things could be once Harry got the letter, and he didn't dare mention it to his best friend. Jack may not show it, but he knew what Harry was thinking. Hhe saw the guilt in the emerald eyes whenever they talked about Hogwarts, and the sadness the other boy felt was clear each time he wanted to spend as much time with Jack as he could, despite still trying to enjoy the fact he finally had parents of his own.

With the Twenty-fourth being only a short time away, Harry and Jack had never spent so much time in the other's company. It was a true testament to their friendship, because at times it had been too much and they'd fought more often, but in the last year it became clear to them that they should be glad to have each other, because their time was running out.

'Jack?' Harry broke the silence. 'I have an idea. Since my birthday is the Twenty-fourth and it's such an important age...' He looked away as he once again thought of leaving his friend now he was turning eleven. '...Yours is on the tenth of July, so mum thought it would be nice if we combined our parties. I mean, you said your parents were busy that day anyway. I can spend my birthday with my parents, and then on your birthday we can have our parties on the same day. Mum wants to take us to an amusement park!' He grinned.

'That would be really cool!' Jack gasped. 'Are you sure it's okay?

'Yeah.' Harry nodded. 'Mum and dad will take us out for the whole day, and I know it's your birthday, but if we have our party together then it's more like we're also celebrating our friendship.' He tried to smile through his sadness. 'I think it would be a nice thing to remember, you know?'

'Yeah.' Jack looked down at their project and swallowed, trying to be happy even as his heart sank at the pending separation. 'I like it. Let's do that. Neither of us were going to invite anyone from school for a backyard party anyway, so this is going to be heaps more fun than what we had planned with just the cake and presents!'

The boys returned to their school assignment, their minds filled with the approaching joined party rather than the soon-to-be undeniable arrival of the letter from Hogwarts, and the hours passed by until it was nearly sunset. They cleaned up the mess from their work and Harry stored their assignment on his desk, before heading to say goodbye to Jack.

'Would you like to stay for dinner?' Erin asked as the boys came down the stairs and turned towards the kitchen where the hallway was between the living room and kitchen. She stood near a corner and watched Severus preparing the meal.

'No thanks.' Jack sighed. 'I should get home.' He shrugged and waved goodbye.

Harry was called to the kitchen by Severus, and Jack paused by the front door to listen to Erin complaining that she wasn't allowed to cook dinners just because she burned the roast during their first Christmas. Jack bit his lip, which was a habit he'd picked up from Harry, and turned to leave the house.

He'd almost slammed the door on his way out, and barely paid much attention to the traffic as he hurried home. Tears slid down his face as he bent over to gasp for air in front of his own house. Sniffing and wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Jack stepped inside and looked around the darkened parlour.

'I'm home!' Jack announced. He walked into the sitting room where his mother was reading over some papers and his father sat to watch the news.

'Did you get your assignment done?' Gordon asked.

'Yeah.' Jack nodded. 'Cody and I are going to combine our birthday parties on my birthday, so we can celebrate together. His parents are going to take us out for the day.' He shared.

'That's nice.' Gordon commented as he looked back at the news. 'Make sure to use your manners when you thank them.'

'I will.' Jack nodded and glanced at his mother. 'What's for dinner?'

'Yours is in the fridge.' Judy replied. 'You'll have to reheat it. I do wish Cody's parents had at least asked us first if it was okay to take you for the day.'

'It's fine.' Gordon said. 'They knew we were busy that day, anyway.'

Jack didn't listen to the rest of the conversation as he went to find his dinner, his stomach now growling in hunger. Reheating the roast lamb, potatoes and vegetables, Jack stared at his plate with fond memories of the dinner's he'd spent at Harry's house. It was always happier than any dinner he'd spent at home. Sometimes Jack caught himself wondering who his real family was, and which home was the one he called his own.

Only eating some of his food, Jack stored it back in the fridge and ran upstairs to his room. He shut the door and pressed his back against it as his young form shook with sobs. Diving onto his bed, Jack pressed his face into his soft blue pillow and cried.

Harry and Jack were horrified to realise that time seemed to go much faster when it was running out.

They'd tipped an hourglass upside-down to test their theory and were convinced the sand fell much faster in the last minute. Before long (or so it felt), it was the twenty-fourth of June and Harry was waking in his bed on the fine Saturday morning. When Jack wasn't around to remind him why he should feel guilty, Harry was excited to be turning eleven and soon going to a magical school where his dad had once learned magic.

He jumped out of bed to pull on a black pair of pants and a lime green shirt.

'I'm eleven today, Frogabook!' Harry grinned as he crouched down to hug his startled frog, who had been rudely awoken in the process. Offering the boy a croak, the frog tried to regain some sleep while Harry ran out of his room.

Hurrying down the stairs, Harry saw his father sitting at the table with the magical newspaper. He didn't wait to greet the man, and merely threw his arms around his father with a smile still on his face.

'Happy Birthday, son.' Severus said, having expected the yearly tradition of being “strangled” by the boy on the brat's birthday, as a way of saying “good morning, dad. I'm a year older today.”

'Is mum up yet?' Harry asked as he made himself some toast for breakfast. He didn't receive an answer, and instead looked at a sun-shaped wall clock nearby and saw it was just after seven in the morning. 'Guess not.' He frowned. 'Should I wake her?'

Severus considered himself to be an intelligent man, and therefore he knew it would be foolish to tell the boy he could wake his mother at such a time. Erin had a habit of blaming everything on Severus if such events occurred. Severus was most displeased to realise that unless Harry put himself in any actual danger, the boy could otherwise do no wrong in his mother's eyes.

Severus, however, was not granted such leniency.

Smirking as the boy hurried back towards the stairs with the intention of waking Erin from her peaceful slumber, Severus turned a page of the Daily Prophet and mused about how far they'd come. He and Erin had been worried at first about how they could raise a son together in the same house without being a couple. After a year of living together with Harry, the pair realised there was nothing to be concerned with. They worked well together as a team and bickered the other half of the time, but overall they'd become good friends so there was no lasting conflict.

At least, not with Harry in the room.

-- 

Once Erin had been dragged from her rest and consumed two mugs of coffee, she bathed Harry in praise and hugs to celebrate his Birthday. The boy sat at the table with them and talked about how much he loved them and all the things he was glad he had now, but didn't have before. He then joined his mother outside to do some gardening while Severus went to finish some of his potions.

It was the silence outdoors that made Erin look to her son with worry, because he had a far-away gaze on his face and seemed distracted as he still held the weed he'd pulled out many minutes ago.

'Harry?'

He looked at her and smiled.

He was Cody to the world, but sometimes his mother would call him by his “middle name” when they were alone while gardening. He liked it, even if he no longer thought of himself as either Harry or Cody, and instead knew he was both.

'Mum?' Harry sighed and dropped the weed into the shared bucket. 'I have to ask you something. I've been thinking about it for a while, and...well, I would really like to know.'

'What is it?' Erin asked, her mind sorting through the some of the worse questions a parent ever dreaded their child to ask them.

'It's about...my other parents.' Harry looked at the grass as he picked at it with his fingers.

He heard his mother exhale, yet did not glance back up at her.

'I know dad doesn't want to admit I was once Harry, and he explained it to me last year, sort of. I get that, it's just...you know. I mean, you knew a bit about them, didn't you?' He finally raised his eyes to meet hers.

'Yes.' Erin nodded. 'I don't know a lot, but if you have any questions then I will try to answer them. As long as your father doesn't overhear, then you can always come to me with those sort of questions, Harry.'

'Thanks, mum.' He said in relief. 'I was actually wondering...how did they die?'

The careful and curiosity-ridden moment suddenly became a very tense one, as though the sunlight had been snuffed out of the backyard and overcast it with stormy clouds. Erin turned back to the weed she was trying to yank from her flower bed and released it. Sighing, she turned to her son's determined face and realised perhaps it was time to tell him.

Maybe now he was old enough?

'I knew only a few details when I adopted you.' Erin shared as Harry sat on his knees and inched closer with intense attention. 'With time, I was able to find out a bit more. I mean it when I said I don't know a lot, but perhaps it is time for you to know a bit of your own history as well.'

'I really want to know.' Harry added. 'Please?'

'Alright.' Erin nodded and thought how to phrase it. 'Their names were Lily and James Potter.' She began. 'They lived in a place called Godric's Hollow, which was where you lived with them at the time of your birth and until...what happened.'

'How did they die?' Harry focused only on that.

'They were killed by a very evil wizard.' Erin frowned. 'I am not sure of his name or why he sought out your parents, but he arrived at your home and they did not survive.'

'How did I live?' Harry's eyes were wide as he absorbed those details, and felt a little less enthusiastic of joining the magical world if someone as evil as that lived in it. 'What happened to him?'

'I don't know.' Erin shook her head. 'I only know Harry Potter became famous that night because he lived. Somehow, you survived. The evil wizard then disappeared and I couldn't find any conclusive information about how, but it seems he is gone forever. Harry Potter is known as the “Boy Who Lived”. Except, it's mentioned that the boy also disappeared.'

'I-I disappeared?' Harry gulped. 'What do you mean? I'm famous?'

'No, Harry Potter is famous.' Erin placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Cody Summers is right here where he belongs with his family, who love him very much. I believe, with the adoptions and moving from place to place the Muggle way, that the magical world simply lost track of you. Your name was also changed, remember?'

'So...Harry Potter is gone?' The boy stared back at the grass, not sure what to think of the information he had not been expecting.

He tried to imagine what sort of life he'd have as a famous orphan who had somehow stopped an evil wizard when he was just a baby, but it sounded too crazy and strange for him to believe. Erin was right...it was someone else's life, but not his.

'Yes.' Erin nodded. 'As far as anyone knows, Harry Potter is missing and no one has seen him since 1982 when you were just a year old.'

'Can they ever find out?' Harry began to worry. 'What if they realise I'm Harry Potter?'

'Shhh.' Erin soothed his hair and pulled him closer for a hug. 'Don't be afraid, sweetheart. No one will ever know, unless you tell them. You're not even the same age as Harry anymore. Your name is Cody Summers, legally and honestly. You have a loving mother and father who think you mean the world to them, and this is our home. I don't want you to let your old life haunt you, because it's in the past now. You are not Harry Potter.'

As the two embraced and a silence fell over them, a dark figure moved away from the door and returned to the house.

Severus stared at the floor and thought about the last few words he had heard Erin say. She'd said something about the boy's past, and to not let it haunt him, which Severus thought was wise. She'd also said the child was not Harry Potter. He didn't like the idea of the topic at all, but a relief flooded him when he'd overheard those words. The name “Harry” wasn't incredibly rare, after all, and Severus hoped he had interpreted the words correctly and therefore assumed his worse fears had not been confirmed. His son was not Harry Potter, and the boy had never been.

Severus was convinced, and was put at ease to overhearing that small snippet.

As Harry's night was filled with presents, cake, and cheers of celebration, Jack sat in his bedroom and kicked at his closet until his father came upstairs to tell him to stop it. Growling, Jack wished he could sneak downstairs and at least call Harry to wish him a Happy Birthday, but his mother was using it as she had been for hours and his parents insisted he stay home today.

He was sure Harry didn't miss him at all, on such an important family day.

With that thought, Jack slumped onto his bed and hung his head with misery. He always thought Harry would have received his letter by now, and with the other boy turning eleven Jack was becoming more anxious by the day. He kept thinking it would arrive any day now, at any moment, and when it happened his whole life was going to fall apart.

'Jack?'

There was a knock at his door.

Jack looked up hopefully, but it was just his mother. He was surprised to see her, as she almost never came into his room at all unless to scold him for sleeping in or lecture that his room was too messy.

'Yeah?' Jack frowned as she crossed the room and sat beside him, looking serious and yet determined. He knew whatever she had to tell him was not going to be good news to him, but was something she thought was important and necessary.

'I understand Cody is going to some sort of boarding school in September?' Judy asked.

'Yes.' Jack glared at the mention of it.

He was also careful, because his parents were never told much about the magical world, only that Harry was talented in a way they were not really informed of. They probably assumed it was simply artistically or intellectually.

'The timing is right.' Judy nodded while Jack looked at her in bewilderment. 'There's something we have to tell you. I was just on the phone with Michael.'

'What?' Jack gasped, his brown eyes widening in shock as they hadn't heard from Michael properly for over three years. 'Wh-what did he say?'

'He's moving to America to live with his girlfriend.' Judy frowned at the idea while Jack tried to comprehend it.

The boy had once been very fond of his older brother. He'd followed Michael around the house for years and always looked up to him. Until the night Michael decided he was leaving and Jack forced himself to believe the only brother he had was Harry.

And now Harry could be leaving as well.

'He called just now, not to let us know, but...' Judy hesitated. 'Well, he misses us.' She smiled, as though this was the most wonderful moment for her despite the harsher words she'd spoken to her eldest son on the night he'd walked out.

'Then he shouldn't have left.' Jack growled and crossed his arms.

'Jack, don't talk like that.'

'But it's true!' Jack insisted, but his mother didn't seem to hear him.

He had noticed a lot of changes in the last year in regards to himself and his brother. His parents, who had never really come into terms with Michael leaving suddenly, had become very focused on their grief for a while. Jack never wanted to admit it, but he had been shoved the sidelines, it seemed.

As he sat beside his mother, Jack realised he could not deny it any longer.

His parents had begun to talk about Michael more and more the past year. It was as though all their thoughts went to Michael and only the most necessary ones to Jack. And now the sandy-haired ten-year-old wondered if his parents really did love Michael more than him. Was he not good enough? Despite Michael being the one to leave, was he still somehow better than Jack in the eyes of their parents?

'Jack,' Judy sighed. 'We will wait until the end of July at the latest, but...'

'What?' Jack was fearful now. He was afraid of something else going wrong in his life, of someone else leaving him behind, and of becoming what Harry once was: an invisible boy. 'Mum, what are you trying to tell me?' Jack fretted and worried.

'Michael wants us to be a family again, and for us to meet his girlfriend.' Judy answered. 'So we're all going to move to America to be closer to him. You'll have time to say goodbye to Cody. He's going away to boarding school anyway, and his parents are moving to live closer to him anyway, so I don't think it's too big a deal.' She said.

Jack went into shock, thinking she had just delivered the last possible thing he felt could go wrong in his life. With Harry leaving, the last thing he'd had left was the chance to see Cody, Severus, and Erin, over the summer holidays, Christmas, and Easter. And now, his last thread of rope to keep him afloat...had snapped, with the words his mother spoke next.

'We're leaving at the end of July.'

--

It took three days for Jack to emerge from his room.

The first thing he did was run out of the house and bang on the door to Harry's. Erin had answered it and Jack didn't waste any time flinging himself into her arms. Sobs overcame him and Erin, though in shock, pulled him into the house and tried to comfort him. Harry came running down the stairs and Severus emerged from the living room to see what was going on.

Jack told them he was moving to America at the end of July, and then his emotions overcame him. Harry was soon joining him, crying as well, as the two best friends hugged in a huddle on the floor. Erin felt sad for them, while Severus was at loss of what to do.

It took a while for the boys to calm down, and by then Jack had decided he would stay for dinner.

When the two boys fell asleep on the living room floor after talking themselves hoarse, Erin called Jack's parents and they agreed to let their son stay the night. It was the summer, so there was no school the next day, and she thought the boys really need to be together at that moment. She looked over at Severus, who was watching Harry nearby, and wondered if he felt sad at the idea of losing Jack as well. The boy had been visiting their house almost every day after school, and more so recently, so he had almost become a part of the family in that way.

'I wish there is something we could do.' Erin whispered to Severus as she moved to join him.

'It is a most unfortunate circumstance.' Severus agreed. 'But they must adjust. There is nothing we can do. Cody will learn to overcome the separation. He will be attending Hogwarts in September and Jack will remain a memory.'

Erin frowned as she watched Severus walk away, doubting her own instincts that told her Severus was hurt by their son's pain as well. She wanted to believe he would miss Jack also, and had not simply given in to the inevitable.

Erin got little sleep that night, unaware that Severus got none.

She woke to find the man in the kitchen with a book he seemed to be researching. Not wanting to bother him, Erin walked to the room where the boys were still asleep. It was almost nine in the morning, so she nudged them away and fed them breakfast. When Jack reluctantly headed home, Harry rested his chin on the table and wanted to cry again, but felt he had used up all of his tears the night before.

'This isn't fair.' Harry complained. 'He's my best friend in the whole world and I'll never get to see him again! What am I supposed to do now?'

'You will make the most of the time in which remains.' Severus answered as he continued to take notes from his book. 'In September you will go to Hogwarts and make new friends. Jack shall do the same at his new school. It is not the end of the world.'

'He's my best friend!' Harry rose from his seat and glared at his father, who paused in his writing but did not look up.

Erin stood nearby and decided the boys needed to sort this out on their own; her intervention was not going to fix this.

'How would you feel?' Harry was lost to his anger now and didn't care what he was saying as his tone continued to rise in his emotional state and the shock of being told he'd probably never see Jack again. 'I don't want new friends at Hogwarts! I don't even want to go to that stupid school anymore! Jack was my first ever friend. Dad, I don't want to lose him!' It hurts too much.' His eyes welled up with tears again, but he fought against them to get his point across.

'You will survive.' Severus said in a quiet voice.

'How?' Harry growled. 'In July he'll be gone! Why are you being so mean? You don't know how much this hurts!' And with that, he sat back down and resolved to his tears.

Harry's head snapped back up when Severus' palms hit the surface of the table and the man stood over him.

'Perhaps when you are older you may seek out Jack and be reunited.' Severus said in a voice so low voice so quiet the others had to strain to hear him. 'Each of your lives shall continue until then. Be grateful for your health, and take advantage of the opportunity you have been given to exchange farewell.' He looked at Harry, his eyes pained and firm. 'There are other alternatives. Such as owl post to continue a correspondence, and magical transportation will allow us to visit Jack whenever we please. It is an unfortunate situation, but you will survive it.'

'How do you know?' Harry asked, his lower lip trembling as he watched his father and thought maybe he did know what he was feeling.

'I survived, and so shall you.' Severus answered.

'Did you get to say goodbye?' Harry asked while Erin looked sad, watching Severus instead of their son as she came to realise what Harry did not.

'No.' Severus narrowed his eyes. 'The alternative to the situation you face is far worse than you can imagine. Never again assume I do not know the pain involved with the loss of someone so dear.'

'I'm sorry.' Harry rushed to hug his father. 'I didn't know. You never told me.'

'You needn't have known.' Severus looked down at his son and wrapped his arms around the boy, hugging him close as his own way of offering comfort where his words had not.

Erin pretended she wasn't there until Severus sent the boy upstairs to shower and change for the day. She took a step towards Severus, but he turned quickly and retreated to his Potions Lab. Erin watched him leave and wondered the full story. It was clear to her now that Severus carried a dark burden inside himself, one he didn't want to share in fear of it spreading to another. S

he realised he probably understood Harry's pain more than the child himself could comprehend.

Harry was a bit shaken by what he learned, but tried not to focus on it too much. He wasn't sure what he thought of it, but felt a bit better with what his dad had shared with him. Sighing, he looked towards his open window and watched the breeze blow his curtain gently. It was calming and allowed Harry to focus on more everyday things such as getting dressed after a shower rather than the pending separation from Jack.

Looking for his comb, Harry paused as he noticed something sitting on his dresser positioned under the window. He stepped closer and his eyes went wide as a gasp escaped his lips, but wasn't heard. Harry trembled at the sight in front of him, without knowing how to react as his whole world seemed to alter once again.

His Hogwarts letter had arrived.