The day the letter arrived, was the day Severus had had enough. It angered him to see his son so hurt by one whom he had once received so much care.

The brown barn owl had dropped the letter in Harry's cereal one morning at breakfast before hooting loudly and flying away. He had watched as the boy had eagerly torn into the letter, only to be deeply disappointed by what he'd found.

Had Harry simply taken the letter with him when he'd sulked up to his room, Severus wouldn't have pried, but he'd dropped it on the table and gone to his room to be alone.

The writing was instantly recognizable as belonging to the youngest Weasley son, and Severus was learning to despise the boy in a way he'd never done with Fred and George, despite the constant pranks they had pulled on him.

"Dear Harry," it started. Severus had hoped the letter wouldn't be too harsh, and judging by the greeting it didn't seem that it would be. But less than a sentence later and Severus was fuming.

‘It has come to my attention that you are under the impression in all of your infinite wisdom, that you are going to be returning to Gryffindor tower upon your royal arrival back to Hogwarts. I have been elected by the other house members to inform you however, that the majority vote has decided that you shall no longer be allowed entrance to the tower because your blood is too pure for the likes of us.

Furthermore, if you insist on coming back to the tower, do not expect to be greeted warmly or to have any friends. Pureblood traitors are not allowed.

Yours sincerely, Ronald Billius Weasley the II, seventh year Prefect of Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'

Eyes scanning down the page further, Severus was even more disgusted to find a smattering of signatures, including those of most of the sixth and seventh year Gyrffindor boys, and some of the sixth and seventh year Gryffindor girls. He noted the names of those who had not signed, including Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and wondered if they had refused, or had simply not gotten the chance.

Scanning the letter again Severus knew that the boy could not have written something of this nature on his own, and was reminded of the ‘charm' quills the Weasley twins now sold in their shops. Much like a quick quotes quill, you could say anything you wanted to it and it would make you sound like the prince of the land. Knowing what type of language Mr. Weasley usually used in school, he would bet ten Galleons that he had told the quill to write, ‘Hey Harry, you suck, we don't want you back, -Ron.'

Sitting down at his desk in the den, Severus pulled out a new piece of parchment and a quill and penned two letters of his own, one to the Headmaster, to which he attached a copy of Mr. Weasley's elegant little letter, and one to Molly and Arthur, asking them to please make their son cease and desist from contacting Harry, because he was causing a loss of self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. His self-restraint was perhaps not what he would have wished it to have been however, and at the end he added that the tactics Ron was using to get at his son were deplorable, especially after the type of friend Harry had been to Ron in times of need.

The letter to the Headmaster was more of a business matter, because he wanted action to be taken against those who had part in the letter, and wanted reward given to those who had refused to sign. Mr. Weasley was not acting the part of a Prefect, and Severus did not want to see the torment he would inflict on Harry once they were back at school should he retain the position.

Severus watched over the next few days as Harry refused to see Draco and steadily grew more unhappy again, closer to what he had been at the beginning of the summer. It was three days after he had sent his letters away by owl that he had come to the conclusion that if Harry didn't get better by the end of the summer, than he might need to stay home and tutor him for his seventh year for his son's mental and emotional health. He wasn't a fan of running from one's own problems, but he could not see another way, especially knowing the measures the boy had tried to take to deal with his pain in the past.

With a shudder, Severus remembered the look on his son's face as he stumbled backwards right off the battle ramparts. The image of his son trying to make up his mind of whether to let go or climb up was also seared into his memory forever.

Just thinking of checking on Harry up in his room, there was a knock on the front door, and Severus rose, prepared to turn Draco away yet again. He was persistent if anything, Severus mused, because the boy had already come by before breakfast and threatened to fly up to Harry's window on a broom if he didn't come out. Severus had long since put unbreakable charms on Harry's windows from any outside intrusions, but he had no doubt Draco would eventually drag Harry outside and down to the stream one way or another.

He was surprised then to open the door and find Molly and Arthur Weasley instead of Draco.

"We need a word with you Severus," Molly said, tone dangerous.

He nodded, figuring he would hear from them at some point because they had always been very protective of their own children.

"We must do this outside," Severus said, stepping out and closing the door most of the way. "Harry is up in his room."

Molly and Arthur exchanged looks before Arthur held up the letter Severus had sent and asked in a calmer way than Molly could, "Would you please explain to us the meaning of this insulting letter?"

Severus straightened. He'd thought the letter had been clear enough. "Starting two months before the end of the term, your youngest son began to pick on Harry by calling him names, singling him out, and telling him all manner of things unsuited to come out of a sixteen year old boy's mouth towards another human being. He continued to speak ill of my son in Diagonalley when Harry approached him and attempted to reconcile differences, and then sent an appalling letter to my son a few days ago telling him that he was no longer welcome to be a Gryffindor."

"Absurd, not our Ronald," Mrs. Weasley scoffed, throwing her hand up in the air. "You know that we have always loved Harry as if he were our own, but if he's going to be spreading rumors like this about our Ronald, then he's no longer welcome to our home or to be part of our family."

There was the sound of a door creaking quietly behind them, and Severus, Molly, and Arthur turned to see Harry standing there, pale and broken looking in the doorframe. "I never had a family before," he said quietly, visibly struggling with himself. "And when I found out I did, Ron told me I was a traitor and didn't deserve to be his friend." Slowly Harry turned and closed the door, and Severus turned back to the Weasley's. Molly and Arthur were giving each other worried looks.

"He's so pale," Molly said, hand over her mouth.

"He's been ill with the Wizarding Influenza," Severus said. "He had gotten over it but I fear the emotional strain he's been under in the last few days had brought it back upon him."

From a pocket he withdrew the letter that Ron had sent to Harry, and handed it to Arthur, who read it silently and then paled himself. "He wasn't joking dear," he told her, handing her the letter.

"Aside from the fact that I was outraged as a parent, I also sent a copy of that letter to the Headmaster as staff at the school. We do not tolerate bullying at Hogwarts, and I expect that the Headmaster may have consequences for those involved in the writing of this letter."

Molly was still too shocked to speak it seemed, so Arthur said, "Yes well, you can bet there will be some consequences at home as well. We really are sorry Severus. We never wanted any harm to come to Harry, and I don't think that Ronald realizes quite what he's done."

"Be that as it may, if Harry does not get well in the next month before school starts, he may not be returning. I cannot justify putting him under such strain when his health is clearly at risk."

"What will you do? Home school him?"

"I may, or I may send him to Durmstrang for the year. Lucius has long since been talking about sending Draco for a year abroad and I'm sure if I sent Harry that they would send Draco."

"Draco... Malfoy?" Arthur asked, giving a look inquiring why on earth Severus would want to do such a thing.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy has been a good friend to my son during the last few weeks, and especially during the year when the rest of the school turned on him. He stuck up for Harry and informed me when he was ill at the end of the year, when no one in Harry's own house would inform a staff member."

Stricken with the thought that the Malfoy terror they'd been hearing complaints about for years from their own children had actually been a better friend to Harry than their own son, they apologized deeply once more and then left. What an undesirable thing to have to go home and deal with, Severus thought sadly, knowing how much they cared and trusted their children. To know one's own child is a bully is almost worse than having the child who is being put down.

Feeling the need to find his son and ensure that he was all right, Severus pushed open the unlatched front door and found Harry slumped on the hall floor crying.

"Harry?" No response.

"Son?" Severus kneeled down and before he knew what was happening Harry was in his arms holding on for dear life, and Severus had been knocked to a sitting position on the floor. He held on tight and struggled within himself not to do what Harry was doing and break down.

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why did you tell them?"

"Because you're my son and I love you," Severus replied. "I will always do for you what needs to be done."

Harry began to sob and buried his face in Severus' robes. His whole life was upside down and inside out. Despite that he knew it was wrong what his former friends had done, he still felt like a traitor. He was still unsure of who to believe in or what was going to happen next, and he was still in pieces over trying to reconcile it all inside of himself. He did know one thing though, and that was that his father loved him, and he had finally found the open arms he had needed so badly to take comfort in. Deep inside, he knew that he was home.