Sevvie and his friends

Summer starts with a feeling of contentment in the air. The house is clean, Eileen has a new job in a clothes store in Diagon and she’s baking treacle tart for the surprise. 

She feels rejuvenated, as a new woman. She has her kids, his dear Severus, who in time looks more and more like her, and Harry, who has made himself a place in her heart. 

There are bad days, days in which a voice that sounds just like her ex husband tells her that she’s good for nothing, that she needs him, that by herself she’s worth nothing.  But talking with Dr. Saroyan, from the group of women, helps her understand that she has a new life with so much to live and that parting with Tobias is the best decision she has made in a long, long time . She hasn’t smelled all the flowers there are, hasn’t adventured herself into baking all the cakes there is to bake, hasn’t created the most beautiful pieces there is to make and hasn’t been amazed enough by her boys. The letter little Harry sent her to thank her for the robes she designed and made for him she places in her drawer, in a box with all the letters, flowers and paintings Sevvie made when he was little. She hadn’t realized how small, how defenseless she felt before. She thought she deserved it. She turned her back on his father, his overbearing father who she never had the chance to make up with and on magic, marrying a muggle. She thought she had to. But now being free, unafraid, made her realize it shouldn’t have been like that. Just looking at Dahlia, whom she had become close friends with, and her husband Marcus and how they cared  and drawed comfort from each other, and the look they had for their girls, their wonderful, magical girls made her realize there were kind, loving muggles who could coexist with magic. 

“Diner is ready!” she yells and hears the thump thump thump of her flooring from the boys coming down the stairs. The house smells like wild lilies, chicken stew and treacle. She wants to remember this day for as long as she lives, her house full of laughter and magic.

Today is the last day of July and she looks at the papers with her signature with a nervous smile. From the moment Sevvie had talked to her and even before that, the idea had been on her head, sometimes making her heart full, sometimes filling her with insecurities. Was she really fit? Child services thinks she is. She prays, although she is not much for the practice, that she is enough.

“This is delicious, aunty!” says Harry, with his cheeks bulged out.

“You’re a disgrace, don’t spit on the plate” Severus chides him, rolling his eyes but with a smile.

Harry swallows and then gulps on his sweet tea “Joykiller”

“Savage”

Eileen laughs, her heart feeling light while looking at the boys.

After they’re done with the stew, Eileen brings out a treacle tart and a cake, frosted with pink colored buttercream and green icing for the letters.

“There’s more?!” Harry says, jumping on his chair.

“It’s your birthday dumb arse, of course there’s more”

Harry looks at both of them and then flushes, shy all of a sudden. And then, his eyes zero in the icing words.

“Happy Birthday Harry Prince?, Oh! I think you put…” he pauses and looks at the expectant mother and son.

Eileen clears her throat and blinks some moisture away. “Harry, you are a wonderful boy and have been more than a friend for my Sev and I. I know you had to do with Tobias leaving-”

“I-”

“I know it was you somehow dear boy. I won’t question it. But the point is, that is what family does for one another, and you have been family since Sevvie met you. We would like to make it official. Would yo do me the honor of becoming my boy? It feels like you are already”

Harry stops with a blank face and looks between Severus and Eileen without saying a word. He stays silent.

Eileen feels dread in her stomach, she should have asked before, she never should have assumed, worse, why would she think this wonderful boy-

“Breath, Prince” Severus says, almost bored.

Harry looks at her and whispers “Really? Do you…do you want to adopt me?

She breaths then. She sometimes forget that these children that do thing that are larger than life are still children, navigating life. She smiles and opens her arms.

“I would be honored to become your mum, darling”

He falls in his arms and tries to quiet his silent sobs. “I had a mum before but she died before I could even meet her.”

“I won’t replace her, my love, but I can be your second mum. I have a place in my heart for you, and I will care for you. You won’t be alone anymore. We can be a family. Together”

He cries harder while he clutches at her, feeling his heart break for the mother he never got to have, for those solitary memories of another life, of the only mother he knew hating him, hiding him in a cupboard never to be seen or heard. He cries for what the other Harry, who is him but also not him, that never knew this, that never had a brother or the embrace of a mother and hiccups.

“Are you going to blow on the candles or not?” says Severus, with a frown but also unshed tears.

Harry shut him up with a hug.

He quickly writes the good knew to Regulus, emphasizing how he is on the good to bother Severus now that they’re brothers. ‘We have bunk beds! I’m on the top one of course. We’re going to cause so much havoc!’

“Stop chatting with them and help me scare them away!” Severus frowns.

“Aw, but they want to be friends with Robert!”

They are weeding the backyard and cleaning it of snakes. Petunia is leaning with sunglasses and a glass of sweet tea on the reposet because  “I’m not getting my hands dirty” and since she was doing so, Lily decided she was not doing anything either. “It’s your house. I’m the guest” she say resolute and sat in the chair next to Petunia.

“Tuney!” Severus yells suddenly and lets go a bundle of weed “Uruz!”

“What are you- Uruz! With Fairy bird! Seven times! Oh Lord!”

“What are they about?” says lily, sipping on her glass”

“Some brainiac experiment to fly, I think”

They all stop when a ‘pop’  resounds in the air and four figures fall in a heap on top of each other.

“Hello there” says James Potter with a smile, still tangled with Sirius and Regulus.

“Thorfin has to go master James. But call for Thorfin and Thorfin will come to retrieve you and masters Sirius and Regulus”

Harry quickly pulls Regulus behind him and points his wand to James.

“Speak”

He tries to smile and raises his hand but they all can see that he’s tired.

“I come in peace. Please don’t bite me again”

Lily pushes Harry out of the way and her green eyes zero on the one of James and Sirius who appears upset. “Speak, Potter. What are you doing here?”

“Sorry to intrude, my red headed spitfire but-

“Reggie?” Harry asks, checking on the pale boy who can’t even stand.  “What happened? Who did this?”

“Walburga” Sirius spits, leaning on James for support “She threw me out. She casted a Cruciatus at me but Reggie got in the way and she hurt him too”

Harry shakes and pales, as if he had been the one attacked and starts checking on Regulus

“I’m fine” he says, with trembling lips.

“Why?” he whispers, trembling. In that moment the only thing he can think about is about finding Walburga Black and make her a stain on the carpet “How could that bitch-?”

“Harry. Calm down now” Severus intervenes and at that moment he realizes the pebbles in the backyard were levitating, the snakes hissing angrily. He calms them down, lest they attack their unwelcome guests. Then he takes a gulp of air and helps Regulus to his feet.

“Are you okay?”

“I will be”

Petunia comes in front. She has never seen these boys but knows everything that her sister has told her.

“Why are you here?”

“You must be Petunia” James smiles and extends his hand. Petunia doesn’t take it. James clears his throat. “We went to my family, but Reggie here wanted to come here so here we are”

“Thank you for bringing him” Lily says, icily. “You can leave”

“Oh Lilybell-”

“I’m not Lilybell to you. You have been awful to my friends. This changes nothing.”

Harry sighs. “Lets go inside. There are neighbors. Let’s get the Blacks some rest and a warm drink”

They all sit uncomfortably in the living room who doesn’t have sits for everyone so Severus, Lily and James are standing. 

“I’m sorry” starts James “I know I have been an arse to you guys, it was stupid of me. You’re not like the other Slytherins who hate and mess with the Gry-”

“Oh we hate the Gryffindors all right. The ones that cast us aside and attack us when we’re just trying to study, the one that are full of themselves and hateful”

“Oh come one, you blokes-”

“Us blokes,” Harry interrupts “have done nothing. Nothing to you, to deserve your shite. Go stick your pranks up in your-”

“What Harry means to say is that just because they’re in a different house doesn’t mean that you get to pick at them and then go laugh with Dumbledore saying ‘It’s a prank, it’s a prank’. Because some things you do, like hanging Sev upside down? When he hadn’t even noticed you guys? That’s harassment. And in the real world, not the one where your parents are part of the Wizengamot and the Headmaster turns a blind eye and Mcgonagall only looks at you with disappointed eyes, it would have real consequences. But since you think you’re prince charming, you’re just an immature child who looks down to the rest of us”

Sirius made a hissing noise, which had Petunia standing up and laying it on him.

“And you!”

Sirius widened his eyes and was stopped from talking. “What kind of older brother are you? Abandoning Reggie just because he didn’t go to the same house as you? Did you ever worry about helping him adapt in his first year? How could you choose some buffon-”

“Oi!”

“Over your own brother? Family comes first!”

He quickly nodded with wide eyes.

“I’m so sorry for being an arse Sni- Severus. I really thought they were just pranks. And I’m sorry I was a shite brother Reggie. It was messed up”

“I’m sorry too!” James intervened “I was so jealous of your friendship with Lils and…I was also jealous about you, Harry. You’re brilliant and I get compared to you more often than I would like.  and I was an absolute moron. I promise I’ll stop”

“Then prove it” Lily said with a grave voice.

James looked over at Harry, that had crossed arms and mouthed “Brother”

“Oh no, you put your foot in your mouth yourself and I’m not your brother”

“He’s mine” deadpanned Severus.

“I didn’t know you could speak parseltongue” Sirius says with a smile. “And a Slytherin to booth. What would the school say”

Harry looks at him with narrow eyes.

“Being a parselmouth is not illegal” says Petunia,m with the nose in the air. “Being an unregistered animagus on the other hand…”

Harry smiles at the dumbstruck expression of both James and Sirius and at the unsurprised faces of Regulus and Lily.

“The school is full of snakes, desperate to talk with whoever can hear them about everyone’s business, Padfoot. I tell everything to my friends”

“And what I know, my sister knows as well, Prongs. Silly names, by the way”

Sirius surprises them by cackling “Sneaky Slytherins”

“I am a Gryffindor”

“That you are, Silvertongue. And” he stands up and takes Petunia’s hand and places a kiss on her, wiggling his eyebrows “You didn’t tell me you have a Veela sister”

“I’m not much of a dog person” she responds, with her nose in the air.

Sirius laughs and produces a flower for her. Severus scrunches his face, Regulus gags seeing his brother make a move and both Harry and Lily hiss.

James looks at her and she flushes.

“Harry does it all the time. It stuck”

Reggie is less pale, drinking a cup of hot chocolate when he swallows and says “You are better at Transfiguration than us. Teach us the animagus transformation”

A silence falls between them. James shifts in his place. “It’s not easy. You have to let a lighting struck you. Animagi transformations that fail can kill you, or transform you into an animal forever.”

“We know all about that,” Petunia says. “We have the theory and all the ingredients for the potion. We know of the risks. We still want to do it. I heard that even Squibs can achieve the transformation.”

“It’s not a party trick” Sirius tells her “There’s a good reason as to why we decided to become animagi”

Severus sighs and rolls his eyes “We know all about Remus and his furry disposition. It’s not like you are discreet. Anyway, we haven’t said anything. If you want to prove you’re truly sorry and thank us for our silence, teach us.

“Is there anything that you sneaky Slytherins don’t know about?”

“Not likely”

Eileen arrives home tired of the day but happy to see her boys. She’s thinking about what in the fridge to start on super when she sees seven pair of eyes looking back at her in panick. On one end, damn children could have told her they were inviting a whole squad so she could clean the house, on the other, it’s the first time Sev and Harry bring friends over. She will let this slide.

“Good evening to Tuney and Lily and good evening to the new faces... And who you might be? You look like a Potter and two Blacks, which one of you is Regulus?”

She offers them biscuits while she starts on dinner.

Petunia as the older, stands up “I’ll help aunty!”

Sirius quickly gets up too and trails behind Petunia.

“Lily!” Petunia yells. “You’re a guest too, come help!”

Lily stands up and narrows her eyes at James, who springs up after her. He turns around at the three boys sitting.
“How come you’re not helping?”

“We made dinner yesterday” says Harry with a toothy grin “And Reggie only gets close to stoves in Potions, he will burn the water”

He wakes up from a nightmare, sweating. Time is running out. People are changing their votes in the Wizengamot sessions and a few people have started disappearing. Time is running out.

He has managed to destroy the diadem and the ring which are two out of five. Hopefully there will only be five as of now. Well. He touches his scar. Six. 

He will walk to his death again. 

This time, he knows it from the beginning and accepts it. He will try to come back again but is willing to not too. He thinks about Reggie. He shouldn’t have made that promise.

He needs to tell them about the horcruxes, needs to tell them what they are and where they may be, in case this time he can’t destroy them. He needs to locate the diary, the locket and the cup. He has no idea where they may be now. Well, he has an idea about one…

If he has to die again for his loved ones to survive, he will. 

He will do it without hesitation. 

He is thinking this, mourning the life that he no longer will have, when a hand smacks the window and scares the shit out of him.

He quickly gets down his bunk bed careful not to kick either of the three boys sleeping on the floor and opens the window.

Severus shifts on his sleep but remains asleep.

“Of course it you” he says and helps Lily climb up.

“There is a perfectly good door, just so you know”

“This couldn’t wait for the morning” she whispers.

“Why? Did something happened?”

“No. I had a dream about you and the Horcruxes. I don’t remember most of it but it had to do with you, standing alone in the Forbidden forest. And Merlin help you Harry Prince, you’re not going on your own to hunt those things.”

“Wake up” she whisper-yells. She kicks James to be on the safe side.

“I need to hunt down the Horcruxes remaining. Is the only way to kill Voldemort.”

“Kill Vol- we’re too young?” Sirius intervenes “ Why can’t we let the Order deal with it?”

Harry sighs. “The order is still just forming and is more focused on stopping Death Eater raids than a way to kill Voldemort.”

“And we can’t tell them this why?” James intervenes

“Because the more people on the know, more the chance for Voldemort to find out and go hiding. Or worse, create more of the damned things”

“We’re with you Harry.” Regulus tells him and takes his warm hand between his “An horcrux is an aberration, not to mention five of them. We will destroy them all”

Sirius, who was listening in, interjects. “You are not getting my brother into a war! He’s too young! Leave him out of it”

“As if you could stay out of it now that you know! Plus,you didn’t care about me until know, so don’t be an hypocrite-”

“I know, Reggie. I’m sorry. I care now and you’re my little brother, I’m not letting you-

“You don’t let me do nothing. You don’t decide for me”

“Then I’m in” Sirius says, resolute.

“So I am” James includes.

Harry looks at them, looks at this group of children that are willing to enter a war, just to stop a madman. 

They are all too young.

“Let’s trust Dumbledore at least”

Lily moves in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable. She likes the Headmaster but she can’t help to notice…

“No way.” Harry says and stands up. “ I don’t trust Dumbledore. We’re doing this alone.”

“He’s a good man! Don’t you think he can tell him? Everyone trusts him” James says

“Which is why I don’t. No one should hold that power, that blind trust. Or did you tell him about your animagus transformation? Did you trust him with that?”

“Sometimes I think he already knows”

Harry turns to Lily. She has her pajama on, came running wit slippers, her hair is in a bun. She looks beautiful and young. Untouched by death.

“You still have an out, Lily. This will get dangerous. Think about Tuney.”

Lily looks at him and her expression tells him that she’s a warrior already. He understands why, in another life, it was so easy for her to become part of the order.

“I’m thinking about her, and I’m thinking about my parents and I’m thinking about other muggleborns. I can’t keep my head down in a world that despises us for living. So tell us everything.”

“Okay” I have an idea of where one of the horcruxes may be. But before that, we need to keep an eye on Dumbledore. Find out if they’re meeting with any Diviner. Because before,” and he intently looks at Severus, Regulus and Lily to make sure they understand what ‘before’ he’s referring to “a Prophecy was made and awful things happened when it was heard by the wrong ears. So. James, Sirius. You need to tail Dumbledore. He trusts you the most. I’ll make sure to have the castle snakes on the lookout”

“I hope coming here for an interview was not too difficult, dear Sybill” Albus greets, standing in a private room in the Three Broomsticks.

“Oh, no, not at all” she responds, a nervous feeling in her steps. “Mercury is in retrograde so I make sure not to leave my quarters unless I’m called to use my power to…”

She grew silent, with wide unseeing eyes directed at Albus. He took her hand and helped her seat. He had a knowing expression. “Tell me, Sybil” he prompted. She brethren in suddenly and grasped his sleeve, and urgent look to her. Then she started speaking, with a voice that appeared not to be hers.

“In a world where shadows loom and sway,
Four souls emerge to light the way.
With power forged from trials and fate,
They stand together, strong and innate.

The first one the chosen,cut by the same scissors, but with light in their eyes,
The second a fighter, inventive and wise.
The third, a navigator through waters of doubt,
The fourth one, courageous red blood her path 

No winter without autumn, no summer without spring,
In harmony’s embrace, their voices will sing.
Through battles they’ll face, in light they will thrive,
For the fate of their world, they’re destined to strive.

So let the four march, hand in hand,
Against the darkness that seeks to expand.
With hearts intertwined and destinies spun,
They’ll live or perish together, but never undone.

She then sat, exhausted “What did I say?” she asked. He smiled down to her and handed her a pint of butterbeer “Nothing important, dear. How do you feel about teaching the Divination class in Hogwarts?”

 They hear a knock on the door. Dumbledore freezes and goes to see who it is with his wand raised.

“Hello professor!” James Potter greets, with Sirius in tow.

“My boy!” he says. “What are you doing over here? Classes won’t start until a few days”

James responds with an Obliviate.

Lucius Malfoy sees this from where he’s listening outside the closed door and quickly writes the prophecy spoken by Sybill Trelawney, ignoring the underlying unease and focusing on how pleased his Lord would be with him. Maybe this could persuade him the next time he casted a Cruciatus at some of his followers. He turns around to flee when he finds himself at the end of a wand.

“Sanguis Imperium” Lily whispers and her green eyes appear almost dark in the night. They all move to another empty room.

His body seizes up, his mind still clear but unable to speak or move his body. He looks at them with hatred, particularly at the witch who has him under his power.

His hand moves by itself and hands her the diary in which he had written the prophecy. He fights the spell he is under but only manages to be able to speak

“You have potential, mudblood. A pity your blood is dirty. You would have made a good follower. And you” he says, his eyes looking at Regulus, who is reclined over the wall with a bored expression. “This generation of Blacks are filthy, forgetting the values instilled within them. Walburga should have tortured the blood treason out of you”

“Shut up” she says, and he finds himself unable to speak.

He still looks at Severus, who he once thought would be a good apostle, a brilliant boy and halfblood with great potential. He then looks at the last boy. Harry Price, now Prince, who is looking at him from the shadows. 

“Cowards” he manages to spit, although it brings a piercing pain over his body.

Harry smiles, and Regulus with him. 

A hognose snake, who has grown to be the size of a python slithers on the ground until it reaches him. Harry then hisses and the snake coils over the paralyzed man.

A fear as no other creeps over Lucius. He knows only one other person who can speak parseltongue.

“You!”

“Me” Harry says, with a sinister smile. “Count again, Malfoy. You know who the prophecy is talking about”

Severus intervenes with a serious expression. “You are following a farce of a monster. And he will fall.”

Lily, who had droplets of sweat running down her face says “You are marked and under his thumb. He tortures his followers, he has long lost the path he promised you. Is that what you want for Narcissa? What about any future children you have? Will you have them marked and used as a tool?”

“I will not let you further involve Cissa in Voldemort antics. If he hurts her, you’re going to pay” Regulus says, bored expression on his face.

He finally feels the sensation of his body return, except that he is still wrapped by the huge snake.

“I will not join Dumbledore”

“You don't have to join Dumbledore. Or us, for that matter.” Severus tells him.

“Keep living like a coward, as you are. We have already destroyed some horcruxes, he will fall. Save yourself and Cissa  and your future children.”

Harry looks at him, but he is no longer smiling “ He gave a book to your father. Bring it to us.We are going to kill Voldemort. Stay out of it. Be the coward you are”

“It was awful” Lily says, and her eyes are brimming with tears “I could feel his whole cardiovascular system like spiderwebs, so easy to break. I was terrified of stopping his heart. I don’t want to do that ever again”

“You won’t have to” Severus tells her and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry Lily” Harry hugs her, and both Severus and Regulus join him.

“I’m scared”

“I know”

Days later, they receive the diary by owl.

Harry looks at them. “We’re going to do this” He looks over at Narcissa, but she doesn’t return the gesture. Regulus sighs.

They go to the chamber that first day.