~~~~HP~~~~

When Harry woke up the first morning of his summer holiday at home, it was overcast and looked like it was threatening rain; two things that would definitely spoil the plans he'd wanted to do this afternoon. When they'd first moved into their home on Spinner's End, Harry was only seven and didn't think twice about moving from their charming home in the wizarding village of Godric's Hollow to the rundown neighborhood in muggle Cokeworth. It was where his parents had grown up - though his mum and Aunt Petunia lived several blocks away - and Severus had grown up in this exact house; his same bedroom if Harry was being specific about it. As he grew up, and into the space a little more, he couldn't fathom why his mother would choose to move them here of all places. At least half of the other houses were deserted, most of the street lamps were broken with no one caring to replace them, the river was always dirty, and if none of that turned people away, the abandoned mill - complete with its tall crumbling chimney - on the horizon certainly would. One would think with his stepfather being so highly recognized in the Ministry and with Lord Voldemort, he would have had aspirations to live somewhere a little more respectable, but for whatever reason this was where they'd decided to call 'home'.

His mum had done what he could only assume was a full remodeling job on the inside of the house before they even set foot in here to live. Everything inside was bright and clean, and so different from what was on the other side of their front door. Though it was almost too neat and tidy for as turbulent as Harry always felt inside of him, and walking through the house sometimes felt foreign to him. Everything had its place in their small home and if things fell out of place - as Harry, himself, was now - then it needed to be rectified immediately. Luckily for him, his mother gave him more leeway than a misplaced book or a tea cup left out too long, and usually had Severus handle any of his behavioral issues. Sometimes Harry wondered if it was because he was growing up to look so much like his father that it hurt her to look at him. Everyone who had ever met him - after thanking him for his father's brave sacrifice - told him how much he looked like James Potter; besides his eyes, he obviously knew he had his mother's eyes. As the years went by, that statement became less of a compliment and more of curse.

While Harry's room was only large enough to fit his twin sized bed, a wardrobe, and a small bookcase, he loved the space that was all his own and for that he was grateful. His bed was placed against the far wall on the right, underneath the window where he could see the river, and he could sit and think about where it would take him if he ever followed it. The walls were painted a light steel grey, adorned with his Gryffindor posters and flags. They were placed mostly because he was happy to keep his mother and father's house pride alive, especially because it wasn't a secret that the entire school expected him to be sorted into Slytherin, but to also give him a piece of his other home, where he felt more like he belonged. For the rest of his life he'll remember the look of shock and awe on everyone's face when he was walking over to the Gryffindor table - not mention the fact that Severus had paled at least three more shades, a difficult feat for the man to begin with - and so he held his Gryffindor pride close to him. The fact that Severus had to see them every time he walked by his bedroom, and imagine that they were now where his old Slytherin posters used to be, was only an added benefit.

Living in a muggle neighborhood meant Harry was allowed to dress in his muggle clothing on a regular basis. Outside of going to the Malfoys' Annual Midsummer's Gala on the 21st later this month, or any other trips into Diagon Alley, he wouldn't have to wear his wizard robes until September, and that was really the only thing he liked about living in Cokeworth. Dressed in a plain blue tee-shirt, a pair of jeans, and his newest pair of trainers, the young wizard made his way down to breakfast, breathing a sigh of relief knowing Severus would already be gone to the Ministry for the day.

His mum was sitting at the table in her normal spot furthest from the door, reading that morning's copy of The Daily Prophet. Harry hated reading the rubbish reported in almost any paper, but the Prophet was the worst of them all. Everyone knew the media - and the Daily Prophet specifically - was controlled by the Ministry, meaning that every single word published, or reported on the wireless, was reviewed by a member of the Department of Magical Media. He'd heard that Angelina Johnson had taken a position in that department which she'd likely be starting in the upcoming weeks having just finished at Hogwarts. Being her first year, she wouldn't be the one actually reviewing any of the writing, of course, and Harry thought that was for the best because she wasn't nearly biased enough not to get herself in any trouble. Anyone who knew Angelina knew she spoke her mind, and Harry could only hope it would be a useful tool for her someday instead of getting her in trouble. Whoever it was giving the final approval on what was being published was doing so on Lord Voldemort's orders - through the Minister obviously, as the powerful dark wizard was rarely seen, even in the Ministry offices - and therefore nothing could be trusted at face value. Today's headline Exiling People to Space? Magical Community Targeted for Latest Muggle Technology was accompanied by a photograph of something Harry couldn't even begin to describe and was most likely the thing people would be living in while in space.

"Morning, Harry," Lily said, gently placing the paper down across the tiny table. "There's breakfast on the counter."

"Thanks, mum," Harry replied, walking the short distance to the countertop where a bowl of hard boiled eggs, a plate of bacon, and a plate of buttered toast sat. He pulled out a new plate from the cupboard and made up a respectable breakfast for himself before sitting next to his mother at the table.

The mother and son sat in silence eating their breakfast, the sound of their metal utensils clanking against their dishes filling the awkward air between them.

"Can you believe this?" Lily asked, sounding horrified. "They're trying to make it so people can live in space. It's only a matter of time before they start rounding up witches and wizards first."

Harry shook his head. He could never tell which side his mother fell on and he questioned if that was intentional - to balance her loyalty between her constantly bickering son and husband, and therefore keeping her own opinions nestled safely to herself - or if she really didn't have an opinion either way and was torn between the community she grew up in and the one she currently lived in. Neither of those options were good because he had always imagined his mother as having more of a backbone than she appeared to have, especially as of late.

"They don't even know about us, mum," he told her. "Plus, according to Hermione, there's an entire career field dedicated to space travel… they've walked on the moon, remember? I'm sure there's a long line of them wanting to go up there before they start finding and forcing us to go."

"You just wait," she pointed a finger at him, "they're all jumping in line to test it, but what happens when they find out they can exile-" she'd looked at the headline again to make sure she got the message right, "-people there forever?"

"Either they'll send willing participants," Harry replied, "or convicted felons. Either way, there's a long line before they uncover and drag witches and wizards to be tied to a rocket and sent to space."

"You do know it's Muggleborns that are at the highest risk," she explained to him, "they have a foot in both worlds and therefore by bringing them into the wizarding world, we're almost protecting them. It's why I chose to live in the magical world, obviously figuratively speaking."

The young wizard set his lips in a firm line, trying his hardest not to react on his first instinct. If it were Severus, he would have jumped at the opportunity, but his mum was different. When she talked about Muggleborns, it seemed more innocent, likely because she was talking about people like herself. He didn't know about early on in their lives, but he could tell from his parents' - his real set of parents - pictures that his mother had given up her own muggle life for a wizarding one. She didn't have any pictures of her sister, Harry's Aunt Petunia, and her family, nor did they speak about them. All Harry knew about the Dursleys was they were muggles and they hated magic. It was people like them, plus the little he knew about Severus's father, that caused so much strain between the two worlds. The Wizarding World wasn't any more accepting, only their target was against those people - supposedly caused by mutations in their genes - that could straddle that line. Perhaps if the magical community had been more accepting of these "hybrids" then they would encourage Muggleborns to take the leap into the magical world, instead they're left with less rights than Purebloods and Halfbloods, and in some regards even less than other magical creatures. Harry had never gotten the courage to ask, but he was curious if Remus needed to take as many precautions as Hermione did when doing little things like buying her school supplies or traveling internationally.

Not wanting to get into a political debate with his mother, he simply took a last bite of his buttered toast and said, "I'm going to the river."

"In the rain?" She challenged him.

Harry looked out the window in the kitchen, it was cloudy and damp looking, but there was no actual rain. Good enough for me, he thought to himself.

"If it gets bad," Harry said, taking his plate to the sink where the dishes were charmed to self-wash, dry, and then put themselves away, "I'll come home."

He leaned down to give his mum a kiss on her cheek and left the kitchen before she could have a chance to respond. If she were really adamant that he not go out, she would have no qualms in telling him so, and he would have listened. The last thing he wanted was to cause another reason for his parents to fight and to start their summer holiday off in a more hostile environment than it was already becoming.

~~~~SS~~~~

Severus never had any ambition to work at the Ministry, nor as a professor now that he thought about it. After Hogwarts, he had planned to join the Death Eaters - which he did - and possibly secure a job in Potions, yet never even considered teaching. He applied and took the Potions Master position when Horace Slughorn retired at the insistence of the Dark Lord, and after the Ministry fell in '84, he wasn't about to draw attention back onto him by turning down the advisor position in the newly created Department of Magical Education when the new Minister - the Dark Lord's second in command, Lucius Malfoy - offered him the position. While potions was his specialty and main role in the department, two years ago he had been asked to help consult on the Dark Arts subcommittee and, again, knew it would be too suspicious to turn it down. And that was how he ended up working among the people he hated.

Keeping to what was familiar to him, Severus used the opportunity to gain as much information as he could on the comings and goings of the Ministry and should anything look particularly alarming, he made sure to have contingency plans in place to get Lily and Harry away from Wizarding Britain safely. So far, while things hadn't been good, nothing dangerous - for his family at least - had been started. It helped that early on, the Dark Lord recognized just how few true Purebloods were left and had given Halfbloods the same status as their Pureblood counterparts. For Lily though, a Muggleborn widowed witch, it had taken months of appeals - using James's status and death to her advantage - in order to allow her to continue to live in the wizarding community of Godric's Hollow alone with Harry. Even after she'd married Severus, she was still required to be a part of the Muggleborn registry and her wand had been marked appropriately. By doing so, every checkpoint she went through, she was required to show her registration-status card that would determine if she could enter places like the Ministry, Diagon Alley, and even any Gringotts locations, as well as tracking exactly where she travelled. Once she officially became Lily Snape, some of those restrictions on her were lifted as he, the superior blood status in the household, was now responsible for her comings and goings. It was a barbaric system, but it allowed a little more flexibility for her, so he accepted it.

While most employees entered the Ministry through the main entrances, several of the higher level employees were approved to have their homes connected to the floo. The approval of the application was completely subjective to Arum Kelplis, a Death Eater who oversaw the Department of Magical Transportation and whose main responsibility was to keep track of the Muggleborns' travel as well as any application requests for international travel - specifically without a Pureblood or Halfblood in accompaniment. Severus's own application to attach their Spinner's End home to the Ministry floo network was almost denied due to the fact Lily was living there, but luckily Lucius had seen the denial and reversed it without any other issues arising.

While having his own personal connection was convenient, it didn't necessarily help him make his way through security any faster. It was the prime reason he'd learned to arrive as early as possible, especially because he was required to enter through a separate line for "mixed households". Handing his wand to Sena, the security agent, she scanned it, asked him the customary question if he was bringing any guests - which was ridiculous because she was sitting at a desk across from him and therefore would have seen if he'd approached with another person - but he answered politely as he always did when at the Ministry.

The Department of Magical Education was added to Level Five alongside the Department of International Magical Cooperation when Voldemort took over by power. Since there were many times they needed to be in contact with the other magical schools around the world, it did make the most sense, and Severus could admit that he was grateful they were at least placed with a quiet department. He grimaced at the thought of sharing a floor with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, one floor above them. He avoided that floor as much as possible, only catching a glance when the lift stopped to let out one of the many maintenance workers that visited the area.

Before Voldemort took power, the education at Hogwarts was not under the Ministry's control. It was one change that was widely accepted - at least in the beginning - because the magical community had wanted an updated curriculum and more regulations over not only what was taught at Hogwarts, but also in regards to the requirements for hiring professors within the school. What they got instead was a period of time - three years to be exact - where no Muggleborns were allowed to study at the school, and when it was determined that those witches and wizards could fill in the positions that Purebloods and Halfbloods didn't want, they created a "custom curriculum tailored to the unique needs of the Muggleborn Magical Community." It was pure propaganda, nevertheless it was better than nothing and every summer since then, Severus reviewed petitions that were brought to the DME to try and expand their curriculum anyway possible; including the new Potions class petition currently sitting somewhere on his desk.

Level five, as a whole, was basically one large room separating the two divisions by a wall of glass that could be magically activated into a series of enchanted windows. There were exquisite marble floors that filled in the entire room, making Severus feel far more important than he was whenever he entered. The walls were made of granite in a speckled light brown color and on his "side" of the floor, they had rich wooden paneling covering the bottom half of the walls. Inevitably, since the DME was added to the already existing International Department, they were placed on the far end of the room and therefore every time the professor entered, he was required to walk past all the desks and offices for the other division. While arriving before seven o'clock in the morning would have almost guaranteed him an empty office upon his arrival on any other level, given that the international department required international coverage, there were always at least two people present to account for the different time zones around the world. Not even Lord Voldemort himself could force other nations to adhere to the British time zone, though it wasn't without trying.

Severus gave his customary greetings to the few stragglers from the night shift and those starting their day on the early morning shift as he made his way across the room, through two other corridors to the DME office. When he opened the door, he was greeted exactly as he preferred it to be: a quiet, empty office. Anyone who visited this office would expect to have more desks given how many courses were actually taught at Hogwarts, and had this department been set up correctly, there would have been at least one representative per course. However, this was all about control and therefore it had been split up as "efficiently" as possible. The first split was between "core" classes and "elective" classes . The core classes were separated into two levels - Pureblood/Halfblood or Muggleborn. All of the Muggleborn leveled classes were handled by a single, severely overworked wizard named Evert Abbott, the uncle of Harry's Hufflepuff classmate Hannah Abbott. It was Evert who was heading the petition to allow select fifth year Muggleborn students from his level Potions class into Severus's level. The Pureblood/Halfblood leveled classes were handled in groups with Severus being the only employee covering a single subject - Potions - on his own and only consulting on the Dark Arts with his fellow Death Eater, Thorfinn Rowle. He was also the only official educator in the entire department, which was a large oversight in his own opinion. The electives - such as Divinations, Care of Magical Creatures, arithmancy, and Ancient Runes - were far simpler to handle because there was only one level, and Muggleborns needed to be granted special permission for each elective they wished to take. The easiest course to secure a position in was Care of Magical Creatures, which was almost always filled with a majority of Muggleborn students. No matter how hard Severus fought, Harry was dead set on taking Hagrid's class, since by the end of his second year - when electives were chosen - he was already fully in his "difficult stage".

It had been three weeks since Severus had been back in the office because as the end of term at Hogwarts approached, his weekend schedule was too full with end-of-term marking to make it in. That meant his normally well organized desk was completely covered in parchment from various memos, new regulations, and pamphlets. With a wave of his wand, anything that didn't start with his name was vanished to the rubbish bin; if it was important, someone would have either contacted him directly by now or they'd send another missive. That simple move allowed him to at least see his desk top, where he kept pictures of his family neatly in frames: the first was of himself and Lily on their wedding day, followed by one of both parents with Harry on the beach from the holiday to Aberdaron they took when Harry was eight. It had been, and still was, one of Severus's favorite trips because Harry had never seen the ocean before and the young child could have stayed playing in the sand all day, as the waves came in and out around him without anything weighing him down. The last picture filled him with the most sorrow. It was a picture of himself with Harry building a snowman in their small garden the Christmas before Harry started at Hogwarts; before the young wizard started to question the life they lived and when his son started to pull away from him. He missed that carefree version of his son more than he would ever tell anyone, besides maybe Lily, and that was less likely as of late. With any luck, Harry would outgrow this phase by the time he left Hogwarts and Severus wouldn't have to worry about the Gryffindor landing himself in Azkaban for acting on his ever-growing radical thoughts.

The office started to fill up quickly as it was approaching the general start time of half past eight in the morning. Not usually being there in the office meant every single person felt the need to stop by his desk to ask about Hogwarts and his family. It was a camaraderie he wasn't used to, nor wanted to be any part of at that time of his life with this particular group of people.

"My niece, Hannah, tells me there's been trouble with your stepson lately," Evert Abbott exclaimed as he walked into the office to his desk, only two away from Severus's. Evert was a tall lanky wizard with blonde thinning hair and bright blue eyes, who could never keep his mind out of anyone else's business.

Severus looked down at his desk and pulled out the folder containing the petition the other wizard had filed and held it up for Evert to clearly see. The blonde's face immediately paled, giving the Potions Master the desired effect he'd hoped for, "Seems to me that if I had a petition requiring a certain Potion Master's endorsement, I would try everything I could to not poke the dragon, so to say."

Snickering from around the room made Severus want to roll his eyes at the juvenile attitudes in such an important department. None of these other witches or wizards had to live through the effects from the decisions they collectively made, and therefore few took their responsibility as seriously as Severus did. He had a front row view of what a disaster they could cause to the student body, and this type of responsibility should not be taken lightly.

"Trouble in paradise, Snape?" Carlton Cygnet, the middle aged, rather plump wizard who was responsible for overseeing the Charms and Transfiguration curriculum called from the other side of the room. "Abbott's told us all about-"

"Abbott needs to learn how to keep his damn mouth shut," Severus growled. "Both this one and Hannah."

"Definitely sounds like trouble," Cygnet continued, "maybe it's not the kid, though, and it's his Mudblood-"

Severus reacted purely on instinct when he brandished his ebony wand and shot a stinging hex straight at the plump brunette sitting in the corner. The man jumped so high, he fell straight over this chair and landed flat on his back.

Severus made it over to the other man's desk in three long quick strides, and towering over him the professor warned, "Don't you ever think you can talk about Lily or Harry like that and get away with it. Trust me, you won't be so lucky next time."

Ignoring the scared glares being cast around him, Severus picked up the petition file and seriously considered denying it on principle as retaliation for the little stunt Abbott had pulled. In the end, doing so wouldn't make him any better than the other corrupt Ministry workers he was surrounded by, so with the file still in his hands he stormed out of the office. It was the perfect time to take a visit up to Lucius's office to discuss what Lily had spoken with Narcissa about.

In the wake of the Ministry falling, none of the Death Eaters were surprised when Lucius Malfoy was named Minister for Magic. If Lord Voldemort, himself, wasn't going to take the position, they all knew the top position would either go to the Malfoy Patriarch or to Corban Yaxley. Ultimately, it made the most sense to put Yaxley over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement - the second highest office in the Ministry - and leave the highest honor to Lucius. He was a far more aristocratic choice, after all, and while any Death Eater besides Severus and James could have acted as Voldemort's puppet, Lucius at least naturally acted the part.

When Severus had brought James to join the Death Eater, he'd immediately lost whatever small ground he'd managed to build with the blonde Death Eater who had recruited him. It took him most of the four years James served before his death for the professor to win back his loyalty in Lucius's eyes. When James had been announced a hero after that awful night, it put to rest any of the remaining doubt in his colleague's mind. That simple change had worked to his benefit, and being on "friendly terms" - as much as a Death Eater would ever admit to - had gotten him out of a few rough spots throughout the years.

Severus had never visited the office of the Minister before Lucius had been given the position, however he doubted it had a fraction of elegance to it before the older Slytherin moved in. It was a large room with picture windows - enchanted like all the others in the Ministry of Magic - with his ornate desk in the middle littered with more parchment than Severus had ever seen; even more than Albus Dumbledore's desk. Unlike how the professor had just handled his own stack of parchment, as the Minister Lucius wouldn't be able to simply vanish away things without reading through them.

"Severus, come in. Have a seat," his friend greeted him, gesturing to the dark green plush wingback chair in front of his desk. Motioning to the file Severus was carrying, he said, "Jumping right back in, I see. I shouldn't have expected anything less from you."

"Not exactly," the dark-haired wizard admitted, "simply making sure I don't unintentionally deny this claim before even opening it."

Lucius narrowed his eyes, "The potions class petition, I take it?"

Severus sat in the chair that had been offered to him and crossed his left ankle over his right knee. It was a far more casual pose than he would have had with anyone else in the entire Ministry than this man. Nodding his head, he handed the file over to Lucius who looked over the list of signatures, explanations, and the submitted course curriculum.

"Is there any reason a wizarding nanny would need to take such an advanced course?" The Minister aptly questioned.

"Not to brew, of course," the professor carefully explained, "however the sixth year curriculum does include a Coughing Potion, Wound Cleaning Potion, and Antidotes to common poisons. All of which would be important identifications when working with small children. That's assuming the appropriate O.W.L. marks can be achieved to take the sixth year course, which would explain why fifth year is being targeted. No student can receive an Outstanding mark without the standard fifth year coursework."

The other Slytherin gave a small chuckle, "They're trying too hard. I'd be surprised if the nanny Narcissa found for Draco had passed any O.W.L.s, let alone attempted any real courses."

"It's a different world nowadays," Severus neutrally replied.

"All the more reason to deny things like this," he held up the file and carelessly tossed it across his desk back to Severus. Then he ceremoniously stood and with his hands clasped behind his back, stared out of the window - showing a lake that Severus wasn't familiar with - as if he didn't know it was fake. "The landscape is changing, Severus. While you were babysitting exploding cauldrons, we've been here making plans for our next move."

None of that sounded promising. To make sure he was on the same page, he asked, "Militarizing?"

"In due time," Lucius turned around and gave a small, sinister smile. "Let's just say these new… regulations are now, more than ever, strategically in place for the Muggleborns' safety… and there are more on the way."

Severus couldn't contain his sigh of frustration. The latest rounds of regulations were what set Harry on his warpath this year and he could only guess where this next round would take the young wizard. The Dark Lord had been methodically building his regime with one end goal in mind: regain the Wizarding World's rightful place among the muggle world. Once the Ministry fell - and the dark wizard recognized the need to not banish the Muggleborns - it was surprisingly easy to gain followers under that headline; who wouldn't want to come out of hiding and abolish the Statue of Secrecy that had been in place since 1692? It was a move that had been in the making for years and selfishly Severus wished it had either come sooner or would end quickly. As Harry got closer to seventeen, an adult in the wizarding world, he could be called to fight against the muggles once his Hogwarts education was completed. As the Minister's son, Draco would likely be exempt, however Severus's own status wouldn't protect Harry and the circumstances around James's death would actually work against the young Gryffindor this time around. And then there was the Order to consider and if Harry somehow got recruited… This could only end badly for his family. They could flee; he had plans in place to take them all to America should something like this happen, but it would take time, and Harry wouldn't go easily or quietly. Regardless of how much he hated to admit it, Harry was a true Gryffindor and wouldn't voluntarily go into hiding to save himself.

"Then, we're close," Severus said, feigning indifference. He did not ask it as a question because there was no doubt in his mind what was going on. It was only a matter of time before they took on the Muggle World, but he still carried his own demons from the first war, and was not prepared for another one; fearing what he'd lose this time around.

"Closer than ever before, Severus" the Minister proudly said to him. "But that's not what brought you here, and if it's not the petition, then to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Lily had tea with Narcissa the other day," he carefully broached the topic he had come to discuss, asking for a favor was always risky in the current economic status, but he needed to get as much information as he could before bringing Harry into the Ministry. "I guess Narcissa had mentioned the idea of Harry working on an internship in the DMLE this summer."

"Yes, yes," Lucius replied, excitedly, "My wife filled me in, and of course we can make arrangements for Harry. I've been saying for years that we don't do nearly enough to give our youth the appropriate information to make sound decisions on their upcoming career aspirations."

Severus was sure he'd never heard that platform from the Minister before, and that simple fact almost made him turn around and exit the room, throwing this idea behind him. He wasn't about to let Harry be used in some political agenda. Narcissa had been nothing but kind to his family, nevertheless that only went so far. The Malfoy Matriarch was so far removed from daily life in the Wizarding World, she likely didn't know just how dangerous of an offer she'd made.

"I'd understand if it's simply not possible," Severus provided the excuse he hoped the blonde would take. "The DMLE is a very elite department, after all, and having an almost sixteen year old sitting around is not ideal."

"Don't be ridiculous, Severus," Lucius answered. "We'll find something for the young Gryffindor to stay busy this summer. Let's discuss over dinner this weekend, say Saturday night?"

The offer was a courtesy because no one could safely turn down dinner with the Minister; no matter how good of friends you were before he'd taken the position.

"Of course," the professor answered with a nod, "I'll let Lily know."

"Wonderful," the blonde sat back down at this desk, signifying the end of their conversation. "I'll have my assistant make reservations at Brimstone Nova, their Diagon Alley location, for half past seven o'clock this Saturday. We'll discuss the details then."

It wasn't ideal. Severus hated the Malfoys' choice of restaurants because they were always far too pretentious for his - and most definitely Harry's - liking and he was uncomfortable, at best, sitting through them. Malfoy Manor would even be preferred, at least there he wouldn't be in public. But it would save him the need to stop by Yaxley's office today, and he was always grateful to avoid the auror's office whenever possible.

So as humbly as he was expected to be after being invited to such an elite locale, Severus gave his head a quick nod and said, "Thank you, Lucius," before leaving the expansive office.

"I'm not going," Harry predictably said when Severus announced their weekend plans over dinner the same night.

"You make it sound as if you have a choice in the matter," the professor bluntly replied, "which you do not."

For once, Harry didn't have any witty or sarcastic response. He simply stared down at his plate as he shredded the roasted chicken Lily had prepared while Severus was working and the young wizard was out of the house doing who knew what. If they were on the cusp of war with the muggles, as Lucius alluded to in his office, then Harry wouldn't be able to continue gallivanting around the neighborhood with zero supervision. While he obviously wasn't known as a wizard to their muggle community, the tides could quickly turn and almost anything could happen. That was a conversation for another night though; now he was having a hard enough time getting his son to show up to dinner with the Minister and his family in only two days time.

"For once in your teenage years, Harry, could you simply agree to something without making it an issue?" He pinched the bridge of his nose as he asked the young Gryffindor sitting to his left, his exhaustion already evident in his voice.

"Well maybe if you'd asked me first-"

"I do not need to ask you before accepting a dinner invitation with the Minister for Magic on your behalf," Severus interrupted. "Or did you already forget this is to help aid your ridiculous career aspirations!"

"Severus!" Lily warned her husband, placing her hand on his arm as a physical reminder to keep his temper in check. Then turning to Harry, she calmly added, "I think an internship in the auror's office is an important opportunity, sweetheart, plus it will give you something to focus on this summer. It's worth one awkward dinner with Malfoys."

"I don't need something to focus on this summer," Harry retorted.

"Oh, really," Severus interjected a bit more sarcastically than he'd intended, "and what exactly will you be doing this summer? Studying for your N.E.W.T.s, perhaps?"

"Hardly," the young wizard arrogantly replied, his eyebrows furrowed, "Hermione hasn't even made a study schedule yet. If she's not thinking about them, I certainly don't have to."

Severus exchanged a look across the table with Lily, who took a slow sip of her red wine, silently begging him not to comment on Harry's apparent oversight.

"That is most likely due to the fact that Miss Granger is not eligible to sit those exams," he sadly reminded his son. It was a policy he vehemently disagreed with. If any Muggleborn should be able to continue her education to the fullest extent, it would be Hermione Granger. Seeing as she also wasn't eligible to take his level Potions class, he hadn't gotten the privilege of teaching the Gryffindor know-it-all, but he'd heard of her level of expertise in just about all of her subjects; even those not available to her. Muggleborns who performed at that level should be allowed to at least attempt the N.E.W.T. exams. What harm could really come from it? Did the Dark Lord truly think having select high ranking Muggleborns would threaten the infrastructure he'd built? If anything, if positioned carefully enough, it could help solidify the two sides closer together, but no one would see it that way.

"Oh," Harry replied and for once it wasn't laced with the thick aggression he'd had within him all year, but in its place was deep sorrow, "I forgot about that. Guess Ron and I will have to make our own schedule this time around."

The Gryffindor didn't say another word throughout all of dinner. He obediently ate his meal and then excused himself to his bedroom where neither parent had seen him the rest of the night. Severus knew it was bound to happen. At some point that fire inside of Harry burning for all the injustice he was trying to fight against would start to burn out into smoldering embers, waiting to see if their fate was to completely extinguish into submission or not. Although Severus would welcome the change, as everyone who had built a fire knew, the danger isn't necessarily in the raging flames you can clearly see during its peak, but the burning embers left over at the end that can quickly and unexpectedly restart the fire; taking over without anyone noticing before it's too late.