The Lost Prince of Rivendell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*September 1991*

“SLYTHERIN”

Harry beamed brightly and completely ignored the sounds of outrage and shock that came from the students and even staff around him as he headed straight for Draco and sat between him and another first-year boy.

“I told you,” Draco said with a grin. Harry laughed and turned toward the head table. The headmaster was sitting there looking quite unhappy and trying to hide it. There was another man a few seats down that was all dark robes and dark hair. He didn’t look very happy either.

“Who is the angry old man in the middle?” Harry asked Draco quietly.

“That’s the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Why?” Draco answered.

“He looks quite unhappy with my sorting,” Harry pointed out. “So does the man with the long black hair.”

“That is my Godfather, Professor Snape. He always looks like that. Also, we already told you that people were not going to be happy with your sorting,” Draco reminded him.

“RESORT,” Harry heard someone yell. “SOMEONE MESSED WITH THE HAT,” Someone else added. “NO POTTER HAS EVER GONE TO SLYTHERIN.” It just kept going on and on and Harry found it exceptionally amusing.

“SILENCE,” Dumbledore finally stood and called above the noise. Everyone fell silent. “I know that we all find the sorting to be quite shocking. The hat was checked for tampering before the ceremony. However, I do find the results a bit suspicious as well. So, Mr. Potter would you please return to the stool so that we can simply be sure nothing has been untoward.”

Harry was just about to refuse when the Sorting Hat spoke instead.

“I’ve not been tampered with; you may check that if you wish it. I will not be resorting the boy, he has gone where he needs to be,” The Sorting Hat insisted. Harry relaxed back on his bench. Harry could see the Headmaster clench his teeth before he quickly schooled his face and smiled at the students.

“Well, there you have it. There has been no tampering and there will be no resort. Now please remain calm so that the rest of the first years can be sorted,” Dumbledore stated, and Harry saw most people grumble unhappily before quieting down.

Harry did not fail to notice that the people who made the most fuss over his sorting were in red. Must be the Gryffindors.

“You would think people wouldn’t be so invested in where one eleven-year-old goes,” Harry said with exasperation. Harry watched as the loud, rude redhead Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor. Harry and Draco had ended up in a confrontation with the boy over seating. It had been stupid and Weasley had started it by snorting when Draco introduced himself.

“You aren’t just any eleven-year-old,” The boy next to him said with a laugh. Harry glared at him.

“Of course, I am,” Harry opposed him. The boy snorted as did a few others.

“You are Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. Defeater of the Dark Lord and Ender of the War. People will always be far too opinionated about your life. You should get used to it,” The boy stated. It was Harry’s turn to snort.

“That is just ridiculous. I was fifteen months old. I didn’t defeat anyone; I didn’t end a war. My parents were murdered and all I did was not die with them. People are just stupid,” Harry insisted.

“People are cattle, Sheep. They follow the person with the most power and the loudest voice. In this age, that is Albus Dumbledore. He may look like a weak old man who runs a boarding school, but he isn’t. He is the Light Lord. Paragon of all that is good in the world. I will not be surprised if he doesn’t call you to his office before the first week is over,” The older boy sitting across from them said with a grin.

“Why would he call me to his office?” Harry asked curiously.

“To get you on side. He will be more determined than ever now that you are in the Den of Snakes. He will want to make sure you are not influenced by the Evil in our house,” The boy answered. Harry snorted and laughed. Draco and the boy on his other side laughed as well.

“That sounds ridiculous. So, apparently everyone knows my name,” Harry said with a roll of his eyes. “May I ask for your names as well?”

“Well, I am…OOMPH” Draco started and then Harry elbowed him in the side.

“Hush you, I know who you are,” Harry said with a laugh. Draco grinned and then pouted.

“I can’t believe you elbowed me. You are a terrible best friend,” Draco pouted quite nicely.

“Pout later, Draco. Let the others talk,” Harry said with a pat to his shoulder. The blonde smiled and looked at the others.

“Well, Heir Potter has asked you for your names,” Draco said haughtily.

“I am Theodore Nott, Heir to the House of Nott, and part of the Sacred 28,” The boy next to him stated simply.

“Blaise Zabini, Heir to the House of Zabini. I am not part of the Sacred 28, but my family is just as Pureblooded and old. My family is from Italy,” The dark-skinned boy on the other side of Draco went next.

“I am Heir Marcus Flint. I am also the Slytherin Quidditch captain,” the boy across from him answered. The other people around them introduced themselves if they were within speaking distance without raising their voices.

Just about then, Dumbledore stood again and made a few announcements. He warned about the forbidden forest and the third-floor corridor. There were a few more things and then some ridiculous words before he clapped his hands, and the feast began.

Harry was amazed at the amount of food. He had to force himself to remember how the first week had been at the Malfoy’s house. He had eaten so much that he had made himself sick many times. His stomach wasn’t used to full meals. He had gotten a little better, but he still couldn’t eat enough to look normal.

He ate what he could and then spent the rest of the meal talking to his new housemates. He tried not to flinch at louder noises or when someone made a quick gesture and was pretty sure he had succeeded. Harry was really quite glad he had been sorted Slytherin it seemed to be the quietest and most reserved table in the Great Hall.

The most noise came from the Gryffindor table. They were all loud and rowdy. People were throwing food or pranks and jinxes at each other. It was Harry’s worst nightmare. There was no way he would have been comfortable at that table. They were also the house that was sending him the most glares and hateful looks.

Hufflepuffs were also a bit loud but in a more jovial way instead of obnoxious. They sent Harry a mixture of glares with hints of curiosity. Ravenclaw was about as quiet as Slytherin but a little less formal. They either looked at him with curiosity or ignored him completely.

When it was time to head to their dorms for the night the Slytherins filed out together in an orderly fashion. They were led to their common room and the first years were instructed to sit down and wait. Apparently, their head-of-house wanted to speak with them all.

“Welcome to Slytherin House. The greatest Hogwarts house. In this house, we are united always. If you have an issue with one of your housemates, you are to handle it in-house. If it cannot be settled between the two of you then you will report to a Prefect who will either handle it or come to me,” Harry and every other first-year turned at the sound of that deep penetrating voice. Their Head of House had arrived, and it was none other than Severus Snape.

“If any of you are caught fighting amongst yourselves outside of this common room, you will be severely punished. Our house must be united because the other three houses will be united against us. Professors included. It will be worse this year now that we have our own unexpected celebrity amongst us.”

“Shocking or not, he is ours. All of you are and we take care of our own. Your prefects have made a list of house rules that have been posted in each dorm room as well as the announcement board here in the common room. There is no excuse for being caught rule breaking. I require all of my students to report to me for a medical check-up within the first two weeks of school This is non-negotiable and if I have to hunt you down because you have not reported for your time slot it will not be pleasant.”

“Now, with all of that out of the way. I want you to have a great year, study hard, and make us all proud. Your prefects will get you settled in your dorms.” The dour man left as soon as his speech was over, and Harry was pretty sure he was going to like Professor Snape.

Something had changed in his attitude toward Harry from right after his sorting to now. Snape had been giving him unhappy looks after his sorting but now he was only watching him curiously and maybe a bit concerned. Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about the concerned part, but he was going to avoid that at all costs.

He was sincerely hoping he could find a way to put off that medical exam as well. He didn’t want anyone to know about his past. His shame. Then they would know he was a Freak, and he would never succeed in this new world.

The prefects were quick and to the point but much more kind than Snape had been. They would be rooming two to a room. Boys to the left of the common room and girls to the right. There were no charms in place to keep them from entering each other’s dorms, but they were trusting them to be proper about it and to respect boundaries.

They were told that they were expected at breakfast before eight so that everyone had time to eat a proper meal. Their head of house seemed to be particular about their health and wellness. That made Harry kind of nervous. The other students were pretty sure that he was extra attentive to his house because everyone else made it a point to either ignore them or hurt them.

They were sent to find their dorms and settle in before bed. The girls in their year consisted of Milicent Bulstrode who was rooming with Tracey Davis, Daphne Greengrass was rooming with Pansy Parkinson, and Sophie Roper who was rooming with Alice Flint.

The boys' rooms were assigned with Vincent Crabbe and Greggory Goyle sharing a room, Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini sharing, and to Harry and Draco’s joy, the two of them were sharing a room.

According to the Prefect, this would be their room for the next seven years. They could decorate it any way they wanted, and it didn’t have to be taken down at the end of the year. There were two queen-sized, canopy beds done in greens and silvers. There were two wardrobes, two desks, two bookshelves, and two windows that were submerged and showed a beautiful view of the Black Lake from underneath.

There was one bathroom with two sinks two cabinets and one fireplace. It was a really nice room, and the best part was that they were sharing. The two of them unpacked their trunks and organized their sides of the room. Harry set up Pretty’s den on top of his bookshelf and then let her slither down his arm where she had been all day and into her den to relax.

Hedwig and Loki, Draco’s owl, would be staying in the Owlery. Once they were all settled, Harry let Draco take his shower first while he finished reorganizing his books on the shelf. When Draco was done Harry went to the bathroom and quietly locked the door so that Draco wouldn’t accidentally walk in on him without his clothes.

Harry went to bed that night really excited for the school year. This was going to be so fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first two weeks of school had passed pretty quickly. Harry had a bit of a hard time because Draco had been right, a lot of people resented him being in Slytherin. His biggest issue was Gryffindor. One boy in particular. Ronald Weasley. He was apparently going to hold a grudge about their confrontation on the train.

Harry and Draco were constantly being antagonized into a confrontation. Draco was hot-tempered and often ended up in a fight of some sort with Weasley. Harry did his best to stay out of it. He had enough violence and confrontation growing up. He wasn’t going to voluntarily partake in it.

So far it hadn’t come to blows yet, which Harry was grateful for. As much as he didn’t want to get involved, he was afraid he would jump in to defend his only current friend if it came down to it.

Flint had been wrong about the Headmaster though. The old man had not attempted to talk to Harry at all just yet. Which Harry was fine with. He was enjoying his classes and concentrating on making the best scores that he could. He loved magic.

Harry had also managed to get himself in a bit of trouble. He would be serving his first detention tonight and it was with his very own Head of House. Harry had ‘forgotten’ about his check-up and had been given a new time. He had ‘forgotten’ that one as well.

Snape had held him after potions and told him that he was to report to his classroom this evening after dinner or he would risk expulsion. Harry didn’t want to be kicked out so here he was. Standing outside of Snape's office and trying to work up the courage to knock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Severus POV Opening Feast*

Severus was checking out the first years as they came through the doors. He could almost tell you exactly which students would end up in his house. Then his eyes were drawn to a head of messy hair and bright green eyes behind glasses.

Harry Potter. He looked so much like James ‘fucking’ Potter and it made Severus want to encourage his snakes to pick on him just as a sick way of getting back at his childhood bully. But he tamped that feeling down.

He tamped it down because of those big green eyes. Eyes that looked at everything in wonder. Eyes that crinkled just a bit at the edges when the boy smiled. Lily’s eyes had been the same shade, shown the same wonder, and crinkled just like that.

Severus watched the boy closely. He couldn’t seem to, not, watch the boy. He wanted to see who the boy was going to take after. His horrible, spoiled, arrogant father, or his smart, kind, bright mother. So far, he was leaning toward Lily.

He watched the boy walk quite hesitantly up to the stool as if he did not like the fact that he was going to be the center of focus. The hat was placed on his head, and it took far longer than Severus thought it would have. He was just as sure as everyone else that the boy would go to Gryffindor.

“SLYTHERIN,”

Severus was shocked. Potter was going to be his? He was going to Slytherin house instead of Gryffindor. He watched as relief seemed to flash across the boy's face and then he headed straight for Severus’ Godson who was absolutely beaming.

How did they know each other? Lucius nor Draco had mentioned to Severus that they knew Harry Potter well enough for Draco and him to be so familiar with each other already. This was more than having just met on the train. They were very comfortable with each other.

He frowned when Albus attempted to resort the boy right then and covered his grin when the Sorting Hat refused. As amusing as this was, this was going to cause him trouble. He didn’t like trouble.

Something was not right with Potter. Severus noticed it pretty quickly. He was small. Much smaller than even the girls in their year. Smaller than Lily had been at that age. The boy wasn’t eating. He took maybe ten bites during the entire meal. He flinched at loud noises or when someone gestured wildly or suddenly near him.

He watched everything and seemed to be wary of everything and everyone. Severus was really concerned now. Albus had assured him and the rest of the world that Harry Potter was being raised like a prince. Spoiled and loved. This small, jumpy child was not that. Severus was glad that he had always required medical check-ups from his students.

Severus watched him in class and listened when the other teachers talked about him. He was smart and studious, just like Lily. He was polite and never interrupted or caused issues. He was a good student. Did not seek to draw attention to himself in any way if he could help it.

He was even decent at Potions. He paid close attention to what Severus said and took notes on everything. His book was about as marked up as Severus and Lily’s books had been back in the day.

When it was time for his check-up, Severus waited eagerly. Then the allotted time passed without Potter showing up. Severus had sent a note to the boy the next day at breakfast with a new appointment time. The boy had missed that one as well. So, Severus kept him after class and informed him that he had detention. Threatened him with expulsion if he didn’t show up.

Right on time, he felt the boy approach his office door. He stood there for ten minutes, and Severus was curious as to why the boy wasn’t coming in. Another five minutes later and Severus was through waiting. He pulled open the door and stared down at the boy who had clearly been working himself into a bit of an anxious mess.

“Come in, Mr. Potter,” Severus said. The boy still flinched a bit no matter how he had tried to make himself less intimidating.

“Yes, Sir,” Harry said and then slipped quickly into the room. He didn’t take a seat, he just stood in the room and waited for Severus to tell him what to do. Severus changed his tactics immediately.

“Come, Child,” Severus said and then led Harry through a door behind his desk. This led to his personal quarters. He would make the boy comfortable, give him a calming draught, and then get him talking. Harry just followed him silently. The boy paused at the door.

“Is this…” Harry trailed off. Severus nodded and waved a hand at his couch.

“My personal quarters. I am tired after a long day, and I am more comfortable here. Have a seat, Mr. Potter,” He instructed. Harry did as he was told. Severus called an elf for tea and slipped a very mild calming draught into Harry’s cup.

“Why did you miss your check-ups,” Severus asked as soon as he saw a bit of the tension in the boy's shoulders relax. The boy looked at him carefully and seemed to make a decision. Severus was curious to see what the boy had decided.

“I was afraid,” The boy stated calmly. He had decided on the truth, Severus thought proudly.

“What are you afraid of, Mr. Potter? What have I done to cause you to be afraid of me? Or is it the check-up that you are afraid of?” Severus asked him carefully. The boy took a deep breath and looked up and into Severus’ eyes.

“The check-up. I …. I am not healthy. I am….um not. I am afraid,” the boy stuttered and then exclaimed pleadingly.

“If you are not healthy, Harry. I can help you with that. That is why I do these check-ups. So that I can help you do what you need to do in order to be healthy. What about the check-up scares you?” Severus asked. He was really not ok with the way this was going.

“I am afraid of the truth. Of everyone knowing,” Harry whispered. “I cannot say it. How do I tell you without having to say it?”

Severus knew exactly how the boy could tell him without speaking a word. He gently took Harry’s cup out of his hand. He frowned when the boy still flinched. He lifted the boy’s head up to look at him.

“There is a way that you can tell me without saying anything. I know you read a lot. Have you read anything about Legilimency?” Severus asked kindly. Harry shook his head no. “It is a mind magic. I am a Master at it. That means that I can go into your mind, and you can show me what you can’t tell me. I will see it. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir. Will it hurt?” Potter asked him.

“Maybe a little. But if you do not resist me if you open your mind and let me in. It will only be a little uncomfortable instead of painful,” Severus answered. He watched the boy think about it.

“Ok, please do that, Sir,” Potter told him finally. “I won’t fight. What do I need to do?”

“Just look me in the eye and when you feel a presence don’t fight it. You can think about what you want me to see and then I will take it from there,” Severus told him.

“I am ready,” Harry said and then looked Severus straight in the eyes. He did not fight at all. It was the easiest Severus had ever slipped into anyone’s mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Severus was disgusted. He was angry, appalled, betrayed, and disgusted. He had seen the first memory that Harry had shown him. It was a memory of a fat child braking something and blaming it on Harry. Then a whale of a man hadn’t questioned it at all and had beaten Harry bloody and then thrown him into a cupboard under the stairs.

After watching this, Severus dug deeper. He had seen memory after memory of abuse. There was so much of it. It was never-ending. This poor child had never known an ounce of kindness since his parents' murder.

He had been starved, beaten, and abused every day from the moment he had been left with Petunia Dursley and her family. PETUNIA. That woman had hated everything magic from the moment she had learned it existed.

Severus also knew for a fact that Harry was never supposed to go there. He had been a witness for Lily when she had done her last will and testament. There was a long list that included him, of people Harry was supposed to go to. Petunia Dursley had been intentionally mentioned as someone she never wanted Harry to be with.

What had Albus done? Why had he done it? Severus had so many questions and knew he wouldn’t get answers to most of them easily. But he wasn’t a spy for nothing.

“Harry, will you let me perform my scan now? I need to know exactly how bad the damage is. Old and new so that I know how best to fix it,” Severus asked the silent boy. Harry nodded. He had been completely silent since Severus had seen his memories. The bad part about Legilimency was that the person whose mind you were in, also saw the memories.

Which meant that unfortunately, he had just subjected Harry to all of his own worst memories. Severus performed the spell quickly and then put the parchment away after reading the most important parts. The boy was going to need a lot of work.

“Harry, will you show me your scars?” Severus asked. Harry looked up at him quickly and looked like he wanted to deny him. “I want to see them so that I can see if I can heal them. There are potions, creams, that can help vanish or lighten them.”

“You could make them go away?” Harry asked him hopefully. Severus nodded.

“I am certainly going to do everything that I can to get rid of them,” Severus promised. He looked at those big green eyes full of hesitant hope and fear. He would never be able to see James Potter when he looked at this child again. There was nothing of Potter in this child.

The other side of that was, that he wasn’t like Lily either. He was his own person, and Severus had sworn to protect this child. Not to Albus like the Headmaster thought he had. No, Severus had sworn to Lily right after his birth that he would always look after the boy.

He had failed. He had let Albus convince him that the boy was being taken care of. Albus had sworn he was checking on the boy to make sure he was doing good. To make sure he was properly educated and ready to enter the magical world at eleven. Albus had lied and Severus had fallen for it.

He would not fail the boy again. He nearly choked on a cry of horror when the boy finally took his robe and shirt off. Then he removed his pants and was only standing in front of Severus in his underwear.

The boy was riddled with scars. There was no skin untouched except for his hands, neck, and face. The people who hurt him were smart and they wanted to make sure that no one knew. Severus examined every scar. He wanted to vomit at the sight of the word ‘Freak’ carved into the boy’s arm. He summoned a cream.

“I am going to apply a scar cream now. Will you allow it?” Severus asked. Harry nodded silently. “I will be gentle. I am going to ask you to sit on the couch while I do your legs.” Harry simply sat on the couch and kept his head turned away from Severus.

It took Severus almost an hour to cover every scar. When Harry finished putting his clothes back on, Severus did something he had never done. He gently pulled the boy into his arms. Harry was stiff and still. Severus did not let go. It took five minutes, but it was worth it when the boy nearly turned boneless in his arms.

Severus tightened his arms when he felt Harry grip his robes and bury his face in them. The only reason he knew the boy was crying was because his robes became wet where his face was hidden. Severus simply held him. How any child had survived this amount of abuse was far beyond what Severus could understand.

“This will never happen again, Child. They will never hurt you like this again. Do you understand me?” Severus asked. He pulled the small eleven-year-old away just enough to look him in the face. Harry searched his face with red-rimmed eyes. Slowly he nodded.

“Yes, Sir. Th…thank you for believing me,” Harry said quietly.

“I will make you a promise right now, if you will make one back. I promise to always believe you, always. If you come to me and tell me something I will believe you, no questions asked. But you have to promise to never lie to me. Never take advantage or break that trust. Think we can do that?” Severus asked the boy.

“Yes, Sir. I can do that. I promise to always tell you the truth. I will never lie or exaggerate to get my way. I won’t take advantage of your trust or break it,” Harry promised quickly. Severus was so angry. It was so clear to him that the boy had never had an adult to trust or depend on.

“Then I promise to always believe you. Always defend you. I am in your corner, Harry. I will oppose anyone to keep you safe,” Severus promised. Harry looked like he wanted to cry again but he took a deep breath and nodded with a smile.

“Thank you, Sir. Thank you so much,” Harry told him gratefully. Severus straightened his and the boys' robes and did a quick cosmetic spell that removed the signs of crying from his boy.

“Now, I believe you can head back to your dorm room. I will go over your scans and I will brew a few potions specifically for you. I will give them to you once a week and trust that you will take them properly. That means once a week you will come here so that I can do another scan and make sure things are progressing the way we want them to. Do you understand?” Severus asked.

“Yes, Sir. I understand. I will see you in the morning, Sir,” Harry said quickly and then bolted from the room when Severus dismissed him. Severus summoned a glass and his strongest whiskey. This had been one hell of an evening.

Albus, the Dursleys, and anyone else involved would suffer for this. Severus would make sure of it. Lily was not here to defend her son so Severus would do it for her. It mattered not who the boy’s father was. Harry Potter was Severus’ child now. It would be a bit difficult, but he would figure it out.

His position as a spy was important. Not for Albus or the Light, but for Harry. If the Dark Lord returned like Albus was convinced that he would, then he would come for Harry. Severus needed to know all of his plans so that he could keep Harry safe. Albus, the Light, the Dark Lord, and the Death Eaters could all kill each other for all he cared.

His only concern was the green-eyed boy who had walked into his office scared and afraid and stolen the heart from his chest. When the time came for action, Severus would take Harry and run if he needed to. If Lucius was stupid and Cissa weak, he would take Draco as well before he let his Godson be given to the Dark Lord.

Severus had plans and potions to make.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry was elated. It had been a month since that first detention with Snape. Now he saw the man in his quarters every Sunday evening after dinner. They would have tea, Severus would run his scan, and they would talk about Harry’s week.

When they were through visiting, Severus would apply the scar cream to Harry and then give him his potions for the week. So far it had been easy enough for Harry to hide his potions and visits from Draco and the other Slytherins.

School was going great; Harry was making nearly the highest marks in his year. He was making friends and learning so many new things. One of those new friends was a muggle-born girl with bushy hair from Ravenclaw.

She was super smart and a little bossy, but Harry didn’t mind. They studied together in the library a lot. Harry had even convinced Draco, Blaise, and Theo to come with him. It had taken a few weeks, but they all got along pretty well, and he had only had to chastise the Slytherin boys a few times about calling her a Mudblood.

Harry was happy and he felt good. Healthy and not in so much pain. The potions that Severus had him on were helping him a lot. He was so grateful for Severus Snape. He also thought about bringing Draco with him when he went to see Severus.

“It wouldn’t be a good idea, Harry,” Severus told him with a sad sigh.

“Why not? He is your Godson, isn’t he? You send him gifts and you care about him. I know you do. So why aren’t the two of you closer?” Harry asked curiously. He had gotten so much more comfortable with Severus.

“It is complicated. I know I told you that I am a spy. Or was, during the war. I have to be careful how I act now. If the Dark Lord returns, which is likely if the rumors are to be believed, I must be ready to slip back into that roll.”

“That means I cannot be too friendly to either side. It is why I am not as warm to you outside of this room where others can see. If the Dark side thinks I have a soft spot for you then they will not trust me with information that I could use to keep you safe. If the Light sees me being to friend with the son of a known Death Eater, then they will not trust me with information that I could use to help keep my place among the Dark. It is a delicate and exhausting line to toe,” Severus explained.

“That is awful. What if you knew Draco wouldn’t tell his parents?” Harry asked. Severus gave him a look.

“Harry, you know Draco. ‘His Father would hear about it.” Harry snorted. Severus smiled at him. That was Draco’s favorite line after all. “Draco is a good boy, Harry. I know he is your friend, and he is my Godson. I will always look after him and protect him, but I must do it from the shadows. Draco has always strived to accomplish one thing in life. To make his father proud.”

“And Lucius Malfoy is not an easy man to please,” Harry said in understanding.

He had seen Lucius withhold praise to make Draco work desperately at something to get it. Lucius was not a kind man. Severus was right. Draco would cut off his left arm if he thought it would please his father. He would definitely inform his father about how close Severus and Harry were.

“Exactly,” Severus agreed. He was glad the boy understood. “You must always be careful as well. Draco is your friend. Lucius will take advantage of that. If the Dark Lord does ever return, Malfoy Manor will not be a safe haven for you anymore. Lucius will happily break his son’s heart to personally hand you over.”

“I understand, Sev. I will be careful,” Harry said. He hadn’t even realized he had called Severus by a nickname.

“Sev?” Severus repeated and Harry looked up at him confused. Then he realized what he had said.

“Oh, Sorry. I didn’t even realize,” Harry apologized. Severus waved him off.

“Your mother used to call me that,” Severus told him sadly. “I don’t mind if you do as well. But only ever in private.”

“Yes, Sir. I will be careful,” Harry said with a smile. Severus had told him a long time ago about how close he had been with Harry’s mum. Best friends even before school. A friendship that had developed into love on Severus’ side. Lily had grown distant and fallen for Severus’ bully. Harry’s father. It had caused a major rip in their relationship.

One that ended with Severus calling Lily a Mudblood after she had stood by and watched James assault him in front of the whole school. Harry honestly thought Severus was justified in his anger. Harry would never stand by and let anyone hurt Draco.

They had reconciled after they graduated. But they had done it without James knowing. Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about James Potter. He and his friends sounded like Dudley and his friends. Bullies. Harry hated bullies.

His mother on the other hand. Harry loved her so much. Severus told Harry stories about how kind and loving his mother was. How smart and what an amazingly loyal friend she had been before James Potter. She also apparently had a horrible temper when she needed to. How could he not love her when Severus’ voice was so filled with love when he talked about her?

Harry would never ever say it out loud, but there were many times in the last month that Harry wished Severus was his father. That Lily had returned his affection and married him instead. Then maybe Harry’s entire life would have been different.

“All right, Child we are done for the evening. Get back to your dorm,” Severus told him after handing him his potions.

“Good night, Sev,” Harry said with a smile and then he quickly left the room. He didn’t want to accidentally project his thoughts to the Legilimens.

When Harry got back to his dorm, he put his things away and plopped down on his bed with Pretty in his hands.

“How was your walk?” Draco asked from his side of the room.

“It was good. What did you do?” Harry asked. He didn’t like this thing he kept from Draco, but he knew Severus was right. Draco thought he spent every Sunday evening walking the castle grounds to unwind and take some time for himself.

“I played chess with Theo and Blaise. Then got some homework done. Mother sent another care package for the two of us. I put yours on your desk,” Draco pointed to the package. Harry grinned. Narcissa had started sending care packages for Draco and Harry during the second week of school.

She sent one every week or so. There were snacks, books, toys, and other things in them. Just whatever she had happened to get that week and thought of them. The first package had a small gift in it. It was a congratulation for their sorting.

Draco had gotten a set of cuff links with the Slytherin House Crest on it and Harry had gotten an ouroboros bracelet that was silver with green eyes that matched his own. Harry always wore it. It was the first gift he had ever been given. Other than Hedwig, of course.

“Did you get all of your homework for this week finished?” Harry asked Draco. The blonde got up and plopped down on Harry’s bed. Pretty slithered from Harry over to the blonde. Harry laid his head over on Draco’s shoulder.

“Yeah. No need to ask you,” Draco said with a chuckle. “I swear you would have been happier in Ravenclaw.”

It was an ongoing joke for the Slytherins. Harry was smart and not afraid to show it or flaunt it. He was happy that he got to show his true potential rather than failing on purpose.

“Why do you smell like medicine?” Draco asked suddenly. Harry paused and then made himself relax.

“Oh, it is just a scar cream that Professor Snape gave me. I have a few scars from my childhood that I don’t really like. I read about a scar cream a few days back and decided to see if Snape would let me have some,” Harry quickly lied. He didn’t like it, but it was as close to the truth as he was comfortable with.

“I have never seen any scars aside from the one on your head,” Draco said curiously. Harry shrugged.

“You have never seen me without clothes, Drake,” Harry pointed out.

“Oh, that’s true,” Draco agreed. “Well, I think I am going to take a shower and head to bed.” Harry took Pretty back from Draco and the blonde grabbed his pajamas before disappearing into the bathroom.

** You lied to the Dragon ** Pretty accused as she slithered over Harry’s chest and around his neck.

*I know. I don’t like it, but I have to * Harry told her after a long sigh.

** I don’t understand why you humans cannot be more open ** Pretty said, and she sounded exasperated. Harry laughed when she tasted his neck just below his ear.

“Me neither, Pretty Girl,” Harry said. He put her back in her den and quickly changed into his own pajamas before Draco was done in the bathroom. Draco and he had grown really close. Harry felt like he would be perfectly fine hurting someone who tried to hurt the blonde. He was asleep long before Draco came out of the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week after that on October 21st, Ronald Weasley and Seamus Finnigan tried to pick a fight with Draco and Harry. They ended up getting humiliated when Weasley did a spell wrong, and Harry made him look like an idiot.

Harry hadn’t done it on purpose it had been like a reflex and the red head had been pissed that he was made a fool of in front of so many people.

So, he challenged Harry to a duel. Harry was having none of that though.

“So, you are a coward? Some Boy Who Lived you are,” Weasley said with a snort. Harry laughed which only seemed to make the boy angrier.

“I am not a coward and have never and will never claim the title of Boy Who Lived. That title is just stupid. Besides I don’t have to accept a duel from you because your feelings were hurt. I think I have already proven that I am better than you,” Harry said with a frown.

“You have to accept. I challenged you. You can’t refuse,” Weasley insisted. Harry scoffed and turned away.

“I will duel you in his name. I will stand for him,” Draco said quickly. Harry turned around and frowned at his friend.

“What are you doing?” Harry whispered angrily. He really tried to temper most of Draco’s intrusive thoughts and impulsive behavior but sometimes he just didn’t manage it.

“Fighting for you. He called you a coward and questioned your honor. I won’t stand for that. I know you don’t like fighting or confrontation so I will do it for you,” Draco said. He was incredibly proud of himself.

“Don’t think I don’t pay attention to you, Harry Potter. You are my best friend. Don’t worry I will always fight for you.”

“Fine, if it means that much to you then have at it,” Harry said with a small blush. Draco was a spoiled boy and was always so full of himself that sometimes Harry forgot how intense he could be about their friendship.

“Are you two Fairies through flirting?” Weasley said snidely. Harry and Draco both glared at him. “Are you going to let your boyfriend fight for you? I have no issue dueling Malfoy instead. Just means when it is over, I will have put two slimy snakes in their place.”

“Trophy Room, midnight. Don’t be late Weasel,” Draco said in answer. Then they left to head back inside for lunch.

“How do you plan on succeeding without getting in trouble?” Harry asked Draco. The blonde smiled.

“Duels are officially against the rules, but everyone knows they happen. The prefects will help as long as no one gets caught. The teachers pretend to know nothing about them unless they are intentionally brought to their attention. My Father told me about it,” Draco explained.

“So, our Prefects are just going to let us out after curfew?” Harry said a little shocked.

“Yep, and what do you mean us? I am fighting for you. You don’t have to risk getting in trouble at all,” Draco told him. Harry just laughed and bumped their shoulders together.

“You are dueling for me. I would never stay safe in our room while you defended my honor. Of course, I am going to be with you,” Harry answered. “Does it bother you?”

“What?” Draco asked. Harry looked up at Draco carefully.

“That Weasley called us Fairies,” Harry clarified. Draco snorted.

“Of course, not. Weasley is an idiot first of all and his opinion doesn’t matter. You are my best friend; we know what we are to each other and that’s all that matters. Besides I already have a marriage contract,” Draco said with a shrug of his shoulders. Harry looked up at him startled.

“What do you mean, you already have a marriage contract?” Harry asked.

“Nearly all Purebloods from the sacred 28 are betrothed at birth. It has been that way for a long time. It is how our bloodlines are assured to remain Pure,” Draco explained.

“That seems so outdated. Do you think my parents did that for me when I was born?” Harry asked. Draco shook his head.

“The Potters stopped betrothing their children a few generations back. Your parents would not have done it,” Draco answered. Harry relaxed.

“Thank goodness for that. I don’t want to have to marry someone I don’t love,” Harry said quickly. He wanted a family, but he wanted one of his choosing, one built on love.

“For the heir of a Noble House, it isn’t about love. It is about having an heir and continuing the lines,” Draco said with a laugh as if it was obvious that love didn’t matter.

“Well, this is one subject that we can agree to disagree on. You said it was perfectly normal for same-gender relationships right,” Harry asked. Draco nodded.

“It is perfectly normal and accepted. Wixen don’t have the same hang-ups as Muggles about it,” Draco answered.

“So, what if you like boys and your parents betroth you to a girl?” Harry asked curiously. Draco shrugged again.

“Then you marry a girl. Betrothals are not impossible to break but it is bad form and usually one of the betrotheds has to do something pretty bad in order for there not to be consequences. I could break my betrothal, but it would cost my family a lot of money and our home in France,” Draco answered. Harry frowned.

“So, you would marry a girl even if you liked boys? Wouldn’t you be unhappy? Doesn’t that matter?” Harry asked upset. Draco patted him on the shoulder.

“It is just the way it is, Har. Sometimes if you are lucky, you find a woman who will let you have a lover on the side as long as you are discreet. I know for a fact that is what happened with Bulstrode’s parents. They were betrothed and it turns out her mother likes women, and her father likes men. They have an arrangement that works for them,” Draco informed him.

“Well, I am certainly glad that my parents didn’t betroth me to anyone. I don’t know whether I like boys or girls or even both, but at least it will be my decision to make when I am ready,” Harry said with a determined look.

“Unless your magical guardian draws up a contract for you,” Draco pointed out. Harry stopped walking and looked at the blonde horrified.

“That is something they could do?” Harry said upset. Draco nodded.

“Yeah, as your guardian, they can do whatever they want until you are sixteen,” Draco informed him.

“I won’t allow it. I will find a way to go to the bank on my own to talk to the goblins about it. I will fight it or break it,” Harry insisted.

“Calm down, Har. It isn’t something you have to worry about yet. There are stipulations and ways to work around them if you really want to. But you don’t have to worry about it for another five or six years,” Draco pointed out.

“Yeah, thanks, Drake,” Harry said sincerely. He had never imagined while locked up in his cupboard that he would ever have a friend as good to him as Draco.

“No problem, Har. I am just surprised we never talked about it over the summer. Maybe my parents didn’t think it was important since you aren’t betrothed,” Draco offered.

“Yeah, maybe. So, Drake, who are you betrothed to?” Harry asked curiously.

“Astoria Greengrass. She is Daphne’s little sister. She is two years younger than we are. Very pretty and very quiet. A lot like mother honestly,” Draco answered him.

“Oh, well. I guess if it doesn’t bother you, then it isn’t an issue,” Harry said and then they dropped the subject and switched to something less heavy. If he had more questions, he was sure he could talk to Sev about them. Maybe Sev would help him figure out who his magical guardian was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Draco, something isn’t right,” Harry whispered as they turned the corner toward the Trophy Room. Draco stopped and listened when Harry grabbed his sleeve.

“I am telling you Minerva, your little brats lied to you. My Snakes would not sneak out after curfew to duel in the middle of the night,” Severus stated in his bored tone.

“What reasons would Weasley and Finnigan have to lie? Of course, they were challenged to a duel. You just wait. Your snakes will show and then they will be serving detention with Filch,” Harry heard Professor McGonagall answer.

“Those cowardly lions tried to set us up,” Draco hissed quietly. Harry nodded. He was going to get them back for this. If Draco had come alone, he would have gotten caught. One of his worst qualities was not paying attention to his surroundings. Harry was certain it was because his parents had spoiled him, and he had never had to dodge a fist or frying pan.

“Come on, let’s go back to our dorm,” Harry said just as quietly. Draco nodded and just as they turned to go, they heard Filch mumbling from that direction. If they went that way, they were caught for sure.

“There,” Draco pointed. There was an opening to the staircases. They could hide in an abandoned classroom or find another way down when the coast was clear. Harry and Draco sprinted for it. They turned the corner just in time to hear someone shout.

“What is it, Argus?” McGonagall asked.

“I saw students take off toward the staircases,” He said. Harry and Draco could here footsteps behind them now. Draco grabbed Harry’s hand and they sprinted up another flight of stairs before finding an open door and slipping in. They ran down a long hallway and to the only door on it.

“It’s locked,” Draco exclaimed. “We are going to get caught.” Harry rolled his eyes at his friend's panic. He pulled out his wand and aimed it at the door.

“Alohomora,” Harry said as he made the wand movement. He heard the lock click open and then the two of them practically fell into the room and closed the door. They waited until they heard Filch and his horrible cat head back down the hallway before taking a deep breath.

Draco leaned heavily against the door and Harry turned to explore the room. What he saw had his blood run cold. He reached out and grasped Draco’s robe.

“What Harry?” Draco asked without lifting his head. Harry tugged again. “What?” He asked again.

“Drake, open the door but do it slowly,” Harry whispered. It didn’t help. The massive Cerberus lifted all three of its heads and raised up to growl at them. Draco turned around slowly to see what was going on.

“Holy Shit,” Draco cursed. Harry was frozen. Draco was not. He yanked Harry to the side just as one of the heads snapped down at them. Harry seemed to shake off his shock and yanked the door open so that Draco could pull them both through. When it closed behind them there was a loud growl and the nearly silent click of the lock snapping into place.

“That was terrifying,” Harry said nearly hysterical. Draco nodded and wrapped an arm around the trembling smaller boy.

“That should not be in a school full of children,” Draco exclaimed angrily. “My father will hear about this. I am writing him tonight.” Harry fully agreed with Draco this time. This was not acceptable. “Come on, let's make our way back to our dorm.”

“I think maybe it was guarding something,” Harry whispered as they made their way toward their common room.

“What do you mean?” Draco whispered back.

“There was a trap door under its paw,” Harry pointed out.

“Well, whatever it is guarding probably shouldn’t be in a school either,” Draco answered. Harry nodded. He was probably right. Harry was going to talk to Severus as soon as he got the chance. Surely, he didn’t know.

Turned out, Severus did not know. He was super angry about it. Harry had been chastised for letting himself be goaded into a duel until Harry had explained that he had refused the challenge and was walking away when Draco jumped in to ‘defend his honor’. Then he felt obligated to go with him to make sure he didn’t get into trouble.

“That boy,” Severus said and pinched the bridge of his nose. “His father should have taught him better than to deal with Gryffindors at all. They cannot be trusted to keep their word when it comes to a Slytherin.”

“Yeah, well. I don’t think that is the most important part of this conversation. There is a giant Cerberus on the third floor of a school full of children,” Harry pointed out. Severus gave him a pointed look.

“I will see what I can do to handle it. I don’t know what is being hidden under there only that some of the Professors, myself included, have been asked to provide an obstacle to keep it safe,” Severus assured him.

Harry grabbed a newspaper off the table.

“Oh, when did this one come out?” Harry asked curiously.

“It is an old one. I confiscated it from the Weasley twins. They enchanted it to attack anyone who said a trigger word. I was getting ready to throw it out. Why?” Severus asked. Harry pointed to the article on the front.

“This vault that someone attempted to steal something from, I was with Hagrid when he took it. There was something in this vault that he was really secretive about, he said it was something for Dumbledore. Someone tried to steal it the day after it was emptied,” Harry pointed out.

“So, you think, whatever was in that vault is what Albus has hidden under the school?” Severus asked him.

“Yeah, I think so,” Harry said with a shrug. “I have no idea what it could have been though. It was wrapped and I only saw it for a moment. Then Hagrid wouldn’t talk about it again.”

“I will keep an eye and an ear out to see if I can figure it out while I am trying to get the Cerberus out,” Severus told him. “I want you to stay far away from that corridor. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir. I have no desire to find out what it is like to get eaten by a giant three-headed dog,” Harry replied sassily. Severus just pinched his nose.

“Hush brat. Let’s get your scar cream on and do your scan,” Severus changed the subject. Harry grinned and did as he was told. Harry had completely forgotten that he was going to talk to Severus about his magical guardian and marriage contracts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Halloween Night*

“I heard some of the Gryffindor skanks talking in the girls' bathroom earlier,” Pansy said as soon as she sat down across from Harry, Draco, and Theo.

“Ok, and?” Draco said impatiently. Pansy sniffed and looked at her perfectly manicured hands.

“Pansy, we would love it if you would be so kind as to tell us what the Skanks had to say,” Blaise said from next to her. Draco rolled his eyes, but Pansy grinned at Blaise and then winked at Harry.

“Your pet Mud….I mean Muggleborn has been crying in the first-floor bathroom since third period today,” Pansy told them.

“Hermione? Why, what happened?” Harry asked first. Pansy shrugged.

“I don’t really know. All I gathered from the conversation was that the girl corrected the blood traitor about his pronunciation of the Levitation spell and then he was really mean to her about it. Said something about her not having friends because she was a know it all,” Pansy answered.

“He is such a jerk. I don’t know why he feels the need to mess with everyone,” Harry said with a frown.

Harry looked around the dining room and realized that Hermione was not at the Ravenclaw table. He hoped she didn’t skip the meal.

“He is an entitled Gryffindor. Of course, he is a jerk,” Pansy answered.

“Thank you for telling me, Pans,” Harry thanked her. The girl smiled brightly and then primly dug into her food.

They continued to eat and enjoy the massive Halloween Feast. Harry loved all of the decorations and themed foods. They were all startled out of their conversations when the doors were thrown open wide, and Professor Quirrell came running into the room in a panic.

“TROLL….TROLL IN THE DUNGEON,” Quirrell yelled out. He stopped running and everything was completely still and silent. “Just thought you ought to know,” He nearly whispered before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed face-first into the floor.

Chaos erupted in the room. Students were screaming and panicking. Some were standing as if they were going to make a run for it.

“SILENCE,” Dumbledore yelled over the noise. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to the Headmaster. “I know it is all very frightening, but we must remain calm. Please follow your prefects in an orderly fashion and return to your common rooms. You will continue your feast there. Trust your Professors to handle the troll and keep you safe.”

“Are you kidding me?” Harry said surprised and shocked.

“What?” Draco asked. Harry, Theodore, and Pansy looked at him like he was crazy.

“Drake, our common room is in the dungeon. Where the troll is,” Harry explained. The color seemed to drain from the blonde’s face.

“The old man is senile. Why would he send us to the dungeons? What if we come across the troll?” Draco stated quickly.

“Then we will take care of it,” Marcus Flint said with arrogance. “It isn’t like we are helpless. I am sure that we can take it out as a class.”

The students quickly filed out of the Great Hall. Harry was in the common room before he remembered that Hermione had not been at dinner. She didn’t know about the troll. There was no way he was going to be able to get out of the common room.

“Selwyn,” The sixth-year Prefect turned toward him. “Is there any way to get a message to a professor without leaving the common room?”

“Yes, what is it that you need, Firsty?” Xavior Selwyn asked him.

“Well, my friend Hermione is a first year Ravenclaw. She might be in trouble because she was in the first-floor bathroom during dinner. She doesn’t know about the troll and the Professors don’t know she is missing or where to find her. Can you let someone know?” Harry asked quickly.

“I can send the message. What will you do for me in return little snake?” Selwyn asked. Harry wanted to make sure that Hermione was safe, but he wouldn’t put himself in a bad situation to do it.

“What do you want?” Harry asked carefully. The sixth year seemed to think about it.

“We need someone to retrieve our Quidditch balls when they get away from us during practice. How about you work as our waterboy and lackey during practice and games for the rest of the year?” Selwyn asked.

Harry thought about it. That didn’t seem so bad. Maybe just a situation where they were trying to teach him that you never get something for nothing.

“So, just to clarify, you want me to be present for practices and games to get water, chase balls, and other things for the team during that time?” Harry asked.

“Correct. Don’t worry, firsty, we don’t torture our own unless they deserve it. You haven’t done anything to deserve it. You are a lot less trouble than we thought you were going to be,” Selwyn answered.

“Ok, deal. Will you let someone know now please?” Harry agreed. Selwyn grinned and pointed to the empty portrait next to him. There was usually a man in the frame.

“Already done. He left the moment you told us what you wanted the Professors to know. He has probably already told them,” Selwyn answered. Harry grinned. He loved magic.

“Thank you,” Harry told the Prefect and then went back to his friends.

“What was that about?” Blaise asked. Harry shrugged.

“Hermione. She didn’t know about the troll. I asked him to get a message to the Professors about it,” Harry told them honestly.

“And what do you have to do in return? Selwyn doesn’t do things for people,” Theodore asked.
“He said I have to go to the team practices and games to fetch drinks, towels, balls, and other things like that. Not a big deal,” Harry told them.

“That’s it?” Pansy asked. Harry nodded. “Well, then he must like you. He isn’t usually that nice.”

“I don’t know. But it might be fun to be able to watch the team so close. I might learn enough or convince them to let me practice a little. Maybe I might be good at it,” Harry answered.

“You will be. You flew with me during the summer remember? I know how well you fly. Like you were born to have wings,” Draco pointed out. Harry hushed him and then they waited in the common room to find out it if the Troll was taken care of.

“LISTEN UP,” Selwyn called out. “The troll is down. It was taken care of by a few professors just after it reached the first floor. It is all clear, but they are asking students to remain in their common rooms for the evening while they investigate how the troll got into the school in the first place.”

“That’s good,” Draco said happily. Harry was still watching Selwyn. The Prefect had been glancing at him and
now he was coming toward him.

“Potter,” Selwyn addressed Harry when he got to them. Harry stood. “Come with me. I have permission to take you to the Infirmary since you are the one who let them know where the Ravenclaw was. Your friend was hurt but they didn’t say how bad.”

“Thank you. I want to go,” Harry said quickly and waved by to the others as he followed Selwyn out of the dorm. He didn’t ask questions. Selwyn had already said that he didn’t have details so asking wouldn’t accomplish anything. When they got to the infirmary Selwyn stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“I will wait for you here. You are not allowed to roam the halls alone,” Selwyn informed him. Harry nodded.

“Yes, Sir. I will be quick. Thank you,” Harry said quickly and then headed into the room. He saw the Madame and Professor Flitwick standing next to a bed and assumed that was the one Hermione was in. He headed there.

“Ah, Mr. Potter. I hear you are the reason we knew where to find Ms. Granger,” Madame Pomfrey said with pride. Harry nodded.

“Yes, ma’am. Pansy told me that she overheard some girls in the bathroom talking about her. She said that Hermione helped to correct Weasley’s pronunciation of the spell today and he was really mean to her afterward. That is why she was in the bathroom, to begin with. She had been in there crying since the third period. Weasley is a bit of a bully,” Harry told them what had happened.

“Is that true, Ms. Granger,” Flitwick asked. Hermione looked at Harry and then nodded slowly.

“Weasley has been quite unkind to me many times,” Hermione admitted. “Thank you, Harry, for thinking of me when you were probably scared yourself. I think I would be dead if you hadn’t sent the teachers to find me.”

“I only did what anyone would do for their friends,” Harry told her. Hermione smiled and then grimaced.

“All right, Mr. Potter. Thank you for stopping by, but Ms. Granger needs to rest now. She will be fine to rejoin classes tomorrow. She is mostly just shook up. The teachers got to her before the troll could cause too much damage,” Pomfrey told him.

“Oh and Mr. Potter,” Flitwick called out as Harry was walking away. Harry turned and looked at him from his place beside Selwyn. “Fifty points to Slytherin for a great show of friendship and level-headedness in a time of crisis. Job well done.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Harry said with a bow and then he had Selwyn went back to the common room.

“Good boy, Potter,” Selwyn said as he left Harry with his friends. “See you tomorrow for practice.”

“What happened?” Draco said. Harry told them about what was said and how Hermione was.

“Flitwick gave you fifty points?” Pansy said surprised. No one ever rewarded Slytherins fairly. Harry nodded with a smile.

“Yep,” Harry said and popped his ‘p’. “Guess we can be treated friendly by the right people.”

“Only you, Har,” Draco said without looking up from his chess game. Draco beat Blaise who looked exasperated.

“Harry, you have to play him. Come on. You are the only one who can beat him. He needs some humility,” Blaise insisted. Harry laughed and took Blaise’s place across from Draco.

“I don’t always beat him you know. He beats me just as often as I beat him,” Harry pointed out.

“Which is still a hundred percent more often than we do,” Theodore countered. Harry shrugged and turned to Draco who had started the game off.

“How much did the two of you play chess over the summer?” Blaise asked. Harry shrugged. The answer was way too much. They had even owl-ordered a few strategy books so they could try new things. He and Draco were very evenly matched when it came to chess.

“Only when we were bored,” Draco answered. They played a few rounds where, just like Harry said, he won just as many rounds as he lost.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 9th was the first Quidditch game between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Harry was excited he would be down on the field in the team area to get them drinks or towels if they needed them. Or if something happened to their brooms, he would get them a replacement.

The team had even let him play Seeker for them during a few practices after the team Seeker had hurt himself and was out for two weeks. It had been so much fun, and he had been assured that if he wanted to play next year, there was definitely a spot for him on the team.

Halfway through the game, something strange happened. Harry had gotten on a broom during a break to take water up to the team while they huddled to talk, and his broom had gone crazy. He had almost been shaken right off the broom when Adrian Pucey and Marcus Flint had saved him. Marcus pulled Harry onto his own broom while Pucey hit the still-bucking broom with a ‘Finite’. But it didn’t work, then suddenly it just quit.

“HEXED,” Selwyn called out. “SOMEONE HEXED HIS BROOM.” When Marcus landed, Severus was already there and was checking each of them for more hexes. When he determined that everything was fine, he gave the go-ahead for the game to continue but he did not return to the stands. He stayed down on the pitch with Harry to keep an eye on things.

“Was anyone down here?” Severus asked him.

“No, Sir,” Harry answered. “I am the only person who even messed with the brooms before they were brought on the pitch. I don’t know who could have hexed them.”

“I know who did it Professor Snape,” Harry and Snape both turned at the sound of Hermione’s voice. She looked out of breath. Probably was from running down the stairs and around the pitch.

“What did you see, Ms. Granger?” Snape asked quickly.

“It..um.. was Professor Quirrell, Sir. I read in our book that you must maintain eye contact when casting a hex. The Professor was not blinking, Sir and he had been watching Harry really closely through the game. The Hex was not ended by the ‘finite’ that was cast. I … um … may have set his robe on fire,” Hermione admitted. Harry snorted.

“You set a teacher’s robe on fire?” Harry exclaimed. If he sounded a bit proud no one said anything.

“Well, you did save me from a troll,” Hermione countered. Harry grinned at her and hugged her.

“Thank you, Hermione,” Harry told her and then they both turned to Professor Snape.

“I will investigate Quirrell. He has been a bit suspicious lately. The two of you keep this information to yourself,” Harry gave him a look and Severus snorted. “Fine, but only Mr. Malfoy, Potter. I mean it. Tell no one else.”

“Yes, Sir,” Harry and Hermione said together.

“Good, now Granger back into the stands. Potter go and sit with your other half. I will tend to things down here,” Snape told them. Then Harry and Hermione headed off. Harry was harassed and fussed over for the rest of the game by more than just Draco. Harry had really good friends.

Draco was livid when Harry told him about Quirrell later. Harry had to convince Draco to let Severus handle it so that he didn’t take Pretty down to the professor's quarters and murder him. It was nice to know Draco would have his back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was currently December tenth. Harry had signed up yesterday with Draco to leave school for Christmas. He had been invited by Lucius and Narcissa to join them for Christmas when they found out that he did not have plans to leave the school.

This would be the first time he would be allowed to participate in Christmas celebrations. It was exciting. He was currently waiting with Draco in the library for Hermione to join them. They were studying for their midterm exams.

“Harry, Draco. I have news,” Hermione said quietly as she sat down.

“What is it?” Harry asked her. She seemed to be riled up about something.

“Remember when you let it slip about the item Hagrid took from the vault?” Hermione asked. Harry nodded.

That had not been an accident. He had been curious, and he knew that the one person who liked to research things more than he did was Hermione. So, he had ‘accidentally’ made a comment about the newspaper and having been in that vault the day before.

“What did you find out? Draco asked curiously. Hermione grinned.

“I know how to figure out what is being guarded. When I talked to Hagrid about it, he slipped up and said that the item was a secret only known to Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamell. That means we might be able to figure it out if we look up that man,” Hermione told them.

“I have heard that name somewhere,” Draco said uncertainly. “I know I have. I just can’t remember what it was about it.”

“We will research it. I am sure we can find something here and if we can’t, then your family has a massive library we can check through during winter break,” Harry stated.

“I am going to look it up as well before I leave for break,” Hermione assured them. “We will figure it out.”

“Yeah, now let’s get this studying started. Midterm exams are next week, and I will not fail,” Harry stated. The others snorted.

“I bet if we didn’t let you study at all for the next five days you would still be like top two in our year,” Draco teased.

“I know Flitwick and some of the older Ravenclaws are a bit upset that we didn’t get you in our house,” Hermione said with a laugh as they all pulled out their books.

“What first,” Harry asked. He ignored them like they usually did when they teased.

“How about Herbology? Get it out of the way,” Draco offered. So that was what they did. They studied.

Draco gave up about two hours later to go and hang out with Theo and Blaise. Harry and Hermione would be at this for a few more hours. Draco knew how the two of them were when they studied. He would have to come back before dinner and make sure they didn’t miss it.

On Monday, December sixteenth, they had the Transfiguration and Herbology written exams. Tuesday was Defense written, History of Magic written, and then the Defense practical. Wednesday was the Potions Practical followed by the Potions written exam. Thursday was the Charms written followed by the Practical. Friday was their Astronomy exam and the Transfiguration practical.

It was a busy week that had most of the students worn out and stressed to the max. Harry was so ready to get on the train in three days and head to Malfoy Manor. That happiness was shot into the ground on Saturday when he finally received that invitation to the headmaster’s office.

“Ah, Harry, My Boy, come in and have a seat,” Dumbledore said with a smile. Harry came in and sat down in the offered seat. He remained silent. Dumbledore called him here not the other way around. The headmaster seemed to catch on.

“Would you like a cup of tea? Lemon Drop?” Dumbledore offered.

“No, thank you, Sir,” Harry answered. He just wanted to see what the headmaster wanted from him.

“How did you like your first term of school?” Dumbledore asked him. Harry sighed internally. So, he was going to try for idol chit-chat first.

“It was great. I very much enjoyed my classes,” Harry answered.

“And how have you found your housemates?” Dumbledore asked. Harry forced himself to smile.

“I have found Slytherin house to be very welcoming. I find that I quite enjoy being there,” Harry stated sincerely. He watched the headmaster think about his next questions. Harry was proud to see that he wasn’t giving the Headmaster anything to go off.

“You and Mr. Malfoy have grown close,” Dumbledore commented.

“Yes, Sir,” Harry stated simply.

“You have not attempted to make friends outside of your house. I think you would benefit from a few friends like say Weasley in Gryffindor,” Dumbledore offered. Harry worked really hard not to snort.

“I have made a friend outside of my house. A Ravenclaw first year. We study together every week. I don’t know how much you pay attention to the students, Headmaster, but Mr. Weasley is a bully whose favorite target is my best friend. He and I will never be close based on his attitude alone,” Harry answered.

“Now, the Weasley family and the Malfoy family have always had a bit of a feud. But you should not let their families issues keep you from making a friend that would be very loyal to you,” Dumbledore stated. Harry couldn’t hide his snort that time.

“Mr. Weasley does not only constantly target Draco. He has targeted me as many times as he has targeted him. Your loyal Gryffindor is a bully who enjoys tormenting anyone from Slytherin House. I am just able to ignore his insults better than most others,” Harry countered.

“I just think you should have a more diverse friend group, My boy,” Dumbledore answered. Harry looked at the man curiously.

“Are you this concerned about all of your student’s friend groups? Thank you so much for your concern, Headmaster Dumbledore, but I am quite happy with my current friends. I don’t see why you would be concerned. I make top marks in all of my classes, I am never late with my assignments, I am never in trouble, and none of my friends have even served one detention. I don’t see where your concern is validated,” Harry pointed out.

Harry watched as Dumbledore seemed to flounder over his response. He didn’t look like he had expected these types of responses or reactions from Harry at all.

“Do you know much about the war that ended with your parent’s deaths?” Dumbledore asked suddenly.

“I know enough from people talking and my own research. I don’t see what that has to do with my schooling or my friends,” Harry told him.

“So, then you understand that the Dark Lord had followers, Death Eaters?” Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded. He didn’t know where the man was going with this line of thinking.

“Yes. I still don’t understand what that has to do with my schooling or my friends,” Harry repeated. Harry watched the agitation flit across the man’s face.

“The Malfoys are a family of known Death Eaters. So, are the Notts and the Parkinsons,” Dumbledore finally spit out. Harry looked at him like he was crazy.

“I am sorry, Headmaster, but it sounds to me like you are suggesting that we should judge children by their parent’s choices. Is that what you are saying? That I shouldn’t be their friend because their parents were bad people?” Harry asked.

“No, of course not,” Dumbledore said quickly.

“Is this the reason you called me to your office? To question my choice of friends? If it is, can I go now that I have answered all of your questions?” Harry asked a bit annoyed.

“Unfortunately, that is not why I called you in here. I was double-checking the list of the children who are leaving for the winter break, and I saw your name on it. Is that true?” Dumbledore asked.

“Yes, Sir,” Harry answered simply.

“Well, I guess you do not know that your family is not expecting you to come home for the holiday. I am afraid that I have a note here from your Aunt stating that you are not coming home for winter break and that you do not have permission to leave the school at all for the break,” Dumbledore told him. Harry found that very hard to believe.

“May I see it?” Harry asked.

“See what, my boy?” Dumbledore asked. Harry glared at him.

“The letter from my aunt. And please, Headmaster I don’t feel comfortable being called ‘my boy’ Will you please call me by my name?” Harry asked. Being called ‘boy’ in any capacity made him feel unsettled. It was Uncle Vernon’s second-favorite name for him.

“Here you are,” Dumbledore said unhappily and passed over a letter. Harry read it over and then sat it back down on the desk. That was just like the Dursleys to make him miserable even at school. He watched the look of triumph quickly pass across the headmaster’s face.

Why would it matter to him whether Harry stayed at school or left? Why was he so concerned about Harry’s friends but not his grades? It didn’t make sense to Harry why a mere Headmaster would be so nosy. But he was going to find out. He was going to see what Severus could tell him. He was a spy after all.

“Anything else, Headmaster,” Harry said coldly.

“Sure, you wouldn’t like to share a cup of tea?” The headmaster asked again.

“No, thank you, Sir. I would like to spend time with my friends before they leave for winter break,” Harry stated simply. Then he stood without being dismissed and left the office. He was really starting to dislike the headmaster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas morning Harry woke up to a pile of gifts. It was a small pile, but it was more than he had ever received in his life. He got gifts from Hermione, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Pansy, and surprisingly Lady Malfoy. There were three other gifts besides the ones from his friends.

One was from the Dursleys, it was an old dirty sock that Harry threw away. He didn’t know if they were just trying to keep up pretenses by sending a gift at all or just trying to remind Harry that they still hated him.

He opened the next gift and inside was a small note that stated it was an heirloom from his mother. It was a pretty silver ring with a blue stone in it. He slipped it on his finger for now. He would get a chain to keep it on. The ring felt powerful as soon as he slipped it on. It was subtle but it was definitely there.

How was there magic in it if his mother came from a muggle family? That didn’t really make sense to him, but he still hadn’t gone for an inheritance test or a bloodline test. That would tell him if his mother came from a magical line. Then the ring would make sense.

He turned to the last package and opened it up. There was a beautiful silk cloak in it. It ran through his fingers like water. He rubbed his face against the material and almost sighed at how good it felt. He picked up the letter with the gift.

** Your father left this in my possession before he died. It’s time it was returned to you. Use it well.**

It was signed AD. So, once again Dumbledore was interfering in his life. Why was this man so involved? He got up and went over to the mirror on his wardrobe door. He wrapped the cloak around himself and gasped when his body disappeared. He pulled the hood over his head and watched in awe as he became completely invisible.

He took the cloak off and was visible again. This was pretty cool. He could use this for all sorts of things. Like hiding from the Dursleys when they wanted to hurt him. Or hiding from Dudley when he decided a game of ‘Harry Hunting’ sounded fun.

Harry put it on again and watched with interest as he disappeared. It would be even cooler if he didn’t have to take the cloak off to be visible again. It would work faster and…He was visible. Harry could now see himself in the mirror and he was still wearing the cloak.

Maybe it had to do with intention. Magic was all about intent. How many of their professors had said that exact thing? So, to test that theory, he thought about wanting to be invisible again. It took a few tries but he finally did it.

He took about an hour just practicing doing it back and forth until he could do it with a single thought instead of multiple times. Then he decided to get dressed and visit Severus. He had a Christmas gift for him and wanted to give it to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come in, Child,” Severus said and waved Harry into his quarters. Harry happily bounded in and took his normal seat on Severus’ couch. He toed his shoes off and tucked his feet underneath him.

“Merry Christmas, Sev,” Harry said happily and tossed a small gift to the man as he sat down. Severus caught the small package and looked back up at the small boy who looked far more comfortable on his couch than a student ever had.

Harry watched as Severus opened the small box carefully. Harry grinned when Severus’ face blanked. He usually did that when he was trying to pretend, he wasn’t feeling things. Severus pulled out a small blown glass orb with a lily inside of it. The lily was almost completely pure white. The only splash of color was that the stems in the middle and a line up the center of each petal was a bright emerald green. Harry thought it was almost the exact shade of green as his eyes which had been his goal.

Harry had borrowed an owl order book from Pansy and when he had seen the custom, blown glass flower orbs he had immediately thought of Severus. Judging by the reaction of the man, it had been a very good choice.

“Harry, this is beautiful. Thank you,” Severus said with a voice so full of emotion that it made his blank face seem silly. Severus put the orb right in the center of his fireplace so that anyone who visited his quarters would see it.

“You are welcome, Sev. I am glad that you like it,” Harry said happily. Severus summoned a gift of his own and tossed it to Harry.

“Merry Christmas, Brat,” Severus said as he sipped his tea. Harry opened the book and smiled. Apparently, the two of them had stuck to a theme. Gifts that reminded them of Harry’s mum. It was a photo album full of pictures. It started with Lily at around eight years old. Which was when Severus had first met her.

Some of the pictures were just of Lily but others were of the two of them together. Harry flipped through the pages and watched his mother and Severus grow up together. Up until about sixteen years old when they fought and parted ways. Then the pictures picked back up with Lily at about twenty years old.

In these pictures, Harry saw a few of her with a round stomach and then the rest of the album was pictures of mostly Harry as a newborn. His mother had been sending Severus pictures of him and he had taken the time to put them into an album. He knew it wasn’t something he had just done to gift to Harry because the album was old and the writing under the pictures was worn.

“My mum sent you pictures of me?” Harry asked as he looked at them all.

“Yes, she was so proud of you and how smart you were. Bragged in every letter about how there was no way you weren’t going to be smarter than us both,” Severus told him.

“You kept them and put them in an album,” Harry said with a smile. He had never seen pictures of himself as a baby. The Dursleys didn’t take pictures of him. As far as he knew, these were the only pictures that existed of him.

“Of course, I did. Your mother was my best friend and I loved her with my whole heart. You were her pride and joy. The love of her life and her very heart. How could I not keep every piece of her heart that she sent to me?” Severus said as if it were just fact and not sappy nonsense.

Harry looked at the man who had been more kind and more caring toward him than any other person that he could remember. A man that he had more than once wished was his father. He looked back down at the album and thought about those words. Harry didn’t know he was crying until he felt a pair of arms manhandle him around until he was leaning in the opposite direction and cuddled against Severus’ side.

“Hush, Child,” Severus said quietly. Harry wiped his tears and just sat there without moving even after he had stopped crying.

“Sev, will you answer a few questions for me?” Harry finally asked and broke the silence.

“Ask me and I will answer whatever I can,” Severus said. Harry nodded and then sat up. He moved back into his original position and was happy that Severus didn’t get back up from the couch.

“Will you tell me why the Headmaster is so invested in what friends I have and whether or not I leave for the break? He seemed far too interested in my personal life for a Headmaster,” Harry asked his first question.

“Albus is the type of person who likes to have his hand in everything. I believe that he has a plan or is at least working on one. He has been telling anyone who will listen for the past decade that the Dark Lord will return,” Severus took a deep breath and turned toward Harry.

“In the eyes of the world, you defeated the Dark Lord once. They will expect you to do it again. Albus sees himself as the ‘Leader of the Light’. He will start trying to manipulate you now so that he can have you on his side for when the war starts again. He will try to mentor you, train you, and manipulate you,” Severus continued.

“Albus…Albus was the one who dropped you off with the Dursleys. There were only three people who knew where you were. Three people in the entire world knew where you had been placed. Albus, Minerva, and Hagrid. They left you in the middle of the night and then never checked on you again. I don’t know why,” Severus told him.

“How do you know that?” Harry asked quietly. Severus pinched his nose.

“I started digging after I found out about your abuse. Albus made me swear on my magic to protect you with my life if need be. Then he swore to me that you were safe. That you were being raised by people who spoiled you, loved you, and treated you like a prince. He told me that he checked on you at least once a month and that you were thriving and learning everything that you needed to know so that you were prepared to enter our world,” Severus admitted.

“Why would he lie? Why would he do this on purpose? Did he leave me with them knowing they would hurt me? Did he want them to hurt me? Sev, why would anyone do this to a child on purpose?” Harry asked desperately. Severus reached out and took his hand.

“I don’t know, Child. I don’t know why he would do this. I am investigating. I am going to get to the bottom of this. I swear it,” Severus promised him. Severus, the only adult he had ever been able to count on.

“Sev, who writes out the addresses on the acceptance letters?” Harry asked suddenly.

“I believe that Minerva and Albus take turns doing them each year. I believe this year, Albus was the one to address them. Why?” Severus asked him. Harry looked up at him and hardened his gaze.

“Mine was addressed to Mr. H. Potter; the cupboard under the stairs,” Harry told him angrily. “He knew. He knew what was going on in that house. He knew they were hurting me.”

“Do you still have it?” Severus asked. Harry shook his head no.

“Vernon Dursley destroyed every letter I received except the last one that wasn’t addressed at all,” Harry admitted. “Why?”

“I have been keeping evidence. I bottled all of my memories of your scars. I have a file with all of your medical scans and my memories of our conversations about it. When you are ready, I will take your memories as well. I am going to make everyone involved in your abuse pay for it,” Severus admitted to him.

“You are building up evidence to get justice for me?” Harry asked just to clarify.

“Yes, Child I am,” Severus stated simply. Harry smiled at him and then squeezed the hand that was still holding his.

“How would I find out who my magical guardian is? Lord Malfoy says every magical child has one if their parents die,” Harry asked. He was ready to move on from the conversation of Dumbledore.

“Your parents name your magical guardian. I know for a fact that the first person on your list was Sirius Black. He was your father’s best friend and your Godfather,” Severus told him.

“So, then why didn’t he take me?” Harry asked the simplest question. He hadn’t known he had a Godfather.

“He is currently serving a life-sentence in Azkaban. He betrayed your parents to the Dark Lord and then killed another of their friends and thirteen Muggles before he was arrested,” Severus told him.

“Oh,” Harry answered a bit shocked. “Who was next on the list?”

“Remus Lupin. Another of your father’s best friends. But he was on a mission at the time of their death, and no one knows what happened to him. The belief is that he was so devastated by the loss of his four closest friends that he retreated from society,” Severus informed him.

“Well, we are two for two. Who was next?” Harry asked. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“I don’t know the order, but I do know that Frank and Alice Longbottom were on the list. Both were tortured to insanity the night your parents died,” Severus told him.

“Isn’t there a boy named Longbottom in Gryffindor?” Harry asked.

“Yes, his mother was your Godmother and Lily was his Godmother. If everyone had lived the two of you probably would have been raised as close as brothers,” Severus said carefully.

“Think he would be nice to me if I tried to get to know him?” Harry asked.

“I think that you will not know unless you try,” Severus teased. Harry just stuck his tongue out.

“Who else?” Harry asked to keep the conversation going.

“The Weasleys, The Tonks, and Myself,” Severus told him. “All perfectly acceptable choices that would have happily taken you in. I know that I am not your Magical Guardian. So, it could be the Weasleys, or it could be the Tonks. It would be easy to find out.”

“What would I need to do?” Harry asked. Whoever it was he wanted them removed especially if it was the Weasleys. He would see what he could do to get Severus as his Magical Guardian.

“Talk to your account manager at Gringotts. They handle all of that,” Severus answered.

“That is where I would get an Inheritance Test and a Bloodline Test done too right,” Harry asked.

“Yes, you haven’t had those things done?” Severus said surprised. Harry shook his head no.

“Have you ever heard of Nicolas Flamel?” Harry changed the subject. He was going to need to find a way to get to the bank.

“Yeah, he is almost a thousand years old. He is a famous Alchemist. He is most famous for creating the Sorcerer’s Stone. Which is the main ingredient in the Elixer of Life,” Severus answered. Harry grinned at him.

“I knew you would have the answer. Your eidetic memory is so cool,” Harry praised.

“Why did you want to know?” Severus asked him with a smile. Harry knew the man liked praise probably about as much as Harry did.

“I have been trying to figure out what Dumbledore might have had in the vault that he is now hiding in a school. Nicolas Flamel was the only clue that could be gotten out of Hagrid before he clammed up,” Harry admitted to Severus.

“So then, we are going to go with the theory that Albus is hiding the Sorcerer’s Stone in the castle?” Severus stated for clarification. Harry shrugged.

“That is our only current theory. I just wanted to talk to you about it so that you could do your spy thing and maybe see if there is any merit to it,” Harry stated.

“Good boy, Harry. Thank you for letting me know. I will work on it,” Severus praised.

“Wanna see what I got for Christmas?” Harry asked after a moment. Severus nodded. Harry stood up and grabbed the cloak from where he had laid it over a chair. He slipped it on and disappeared. He grinned when he heard Severus groan.

“Who on Earth gifted you with an invisibility cloak?” Severus demanded. Harry grinned and made himself visible. He handed the note to Severus.

“I think it was Dumbledore,” Harry told him. “He says it was my father’s cloak and now it is mine. Then there is this.” Harry pulled off the ring and handed it to Severus.

“It is very pretty. You think it came from Dumbledore as well?” Severus asked him as he looked it over.

“Yeah, the handwriting on the cards was the same. He said this was a family heirloom from my mother,” Harry informed him. Severus looked at it harder before handing it back to Harry.

“Harry, I have known your mother and Grandmother since I was eight. Lily nor Mary ever wore that ring. I have never seen that ring before in my life. I don’t know what Albus is trying to pull but you need to be cautious. You know there is a rule here that isn’t well known. You are allowed to have your head of house with you any time you are called to see the headmaster. Remember that and call for me the next time you are asked to go,” Severus told him.

Harry slipped the ring back on his finger. He believed Severus, but the ring felt nice on his hand. It felt familiar and warm. He would keep it whether it was his mother’s or not. Harry stayed with Severus for a little while longer before they parted ways for the day. This was the best Christmas Harry had ever had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*April 92*

The months after Winter Break passed quickly and uneventfully for Harry and his friends. He had told them that he had gotten permission from Snape to go to the restricted section and found the information about Flamell. They had attempted to do a little more research about it but hadn’t been able to find much.

Harry fell into a comfortable routine of tea with Severus, study group with Hermione, chess matches, and schoolwork. Everything was calm and normal for Harry and his friends.

He had even started trying to talk with Neville Longbottom. The boy was really shy and only talked to Harry when there were no Gryffindors around to see. Harry understood. The boy shared a dorm with Weasley and Harry was sure he would be tormented if they caught him being friendly with Harry.

Which was how he learned something very interesting about Hagrid.

“Hagrid has a Dragon egg,” Harry told Hermione and Draco during their study group toward the end of Easter Break.

“Excuse me? He has a what now?” Draco exclaimed. Hermione just looked at him shocked.

“Neville heard Weasley and Finnigan talking about it in their dorm room. Apparently, they have been invited down to Hagrid’s hut tomorrow night to watch it hatch,” Harry informed them.

“That is illegal,” Hermione insisted.

“I know. So, what are we going to do about it? There is already a Cerberus on school property that nothing has been done about. We don’t need a fire-breathing baby dragon this close to students on top of that,” Harry agreed.

“We could report it to a professor,” Hermione stated.

“Depends on the professor. I think we should tell Snape,” Draco stated. Harry nodded his agreement.

“He loves every opportunity to knock Gryffindor down a few pegs,” Harry agreed. “I will tell him.”

Harry does exactly that. He goes straight to Severus after dinner that night to let him know what was going on. Two days later, they saw that Gryffindor had lost one hundred points and that Ron and Seamus would be serving detention.

But nothing had been reported about the Dragon or Hagrid being in trouble for it. When Harry asked Severus about it the man had told him that Dumbledore had forbidden him from turning it in. That he was going to handle the transfer of the dragon and keep Hagrid out of Azkaban.

“I know why Weasley has been in the infirmary,” Harry announced to Draco about four days later.

“Oh yeah? What happened? We have all been curious,” Draco said excitedly. Blaise and Theo nodded.

“The Dragon they are trying to keep quiet about, bit him when he went to visit Hagrid,” Harry told them. “Apparently, it caused some sort of reaction, and he has a severe infection.”

“Serves him right,” Blaise said with a laugh. Theodore just laughed and nodded.

“Reckless Gryffindors, I don’t know how any of them are even alive. Let me guess, your new best friend told you about it,” Draco pouted. Harry grinned and leaned over on the blonde.

“You are my only best friend, Drake and you know it,” Harry responded with a laugh. “But yes, he is the one who told me.” Draco snorted and tried to shove Harry off, but the boy just laid down with his head on the blonde’s lap.

They continued to talk and joke together before heading to bed. A week later the Dragon was gone. Severus told Harry that Weasley’s older brother worked on a Dragon Reservation in Romania, and he had come and taken the baby Dragon.

It was another week before there were rumors about weird things happening to Finnigan and Weasley when they served their detention in the Forbidden Forrest. There was something in the woods killing unicorns and they were claiming to have seen the creature and barely survived getting away from it.

Harry just figured they were seeking attention so didn’t pay it much attention. He had more important things to worry about. Like Final Exams being in two weeks. He and Hermione had written out a study schedule that the two of them followed every day without fail.

Draco had attempted to follow it as well. It had taken him two days before he had declared Harry and Hermione insane and decided to study with Blaise. They were surprised when Theo asked for a copy of their study schedule and started studying with them.

Exam week was stressful, and everyone was grateful when they were finished with them on June fifth. Which also happened to be Draco’s twelfth birthday.

“So, exams are done, and it is your birthday, what are we going to do to celebrate?” Harry asked Draco as they were heading to the front lawn to hang out with Hermione, Blaise, and Theo. Harry had invited Neville, but he didn’t know if the other boy would show.

“Probably exactly what we are doing. We have been studying forever it feels like and then the actual exams. I feel like we haven’t been outside in months. This is nice,” Draco answered.

“Harry, Draco,” they turned to see Hermione coming toward them. When she reached them, she stepped close and lowered her voice. “So, as you know I have been keeping an eye on Quirrell since we suspect he might be the one trying to steal the stone, right?” The boys nodded. They knew she was going somewhere with this. “I think he is going to try and steal it tonight.”

“Why do you think tonight specifically?” Draco asked quietly.

“Well, you know we figured out that he might be the one who traded Hagrid the Dragon egg for information about how to get passed the Cerberus and we know because of Snape that he tried to go through on Halloween. Then Harry heard Snape warning Quirrell to stay away that night,” Hermione told them.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t answer why you think he will go after it tonight,” Harry stated. Hermione blushed.

“Right, well I overheard Flitwick and McGonagall just now talking about how the headmaster had to leave for some reason. So, if it were me and I had been trying to steal the stone all year, I would go tonight when the headmaster was away,” Hermione explained.

“Oh, well that does make sense. We can let Professor Snape know since he has been watching him already,” Harry stated.

“Sounds good,” Draco replied. “Now, no more talk of it for now. I want to enjoy at least of few hours of relaxation on my birthday.”

“Oh, Happy Birthday, Draco,” Hermione said with a smile. “You are right of course. Quirrell won’t try anything in the middle of the day anyway. Let’s go relax and enjoy the fact that we are done with exams until next year.”

And that was exactly what they did. They played Gobstones and Exploding Snap as well as a few other things. They spent hours out in the sun until they had to go in for dinner. Severus was missing from the head table during dinner as well as Dumbledore. Quirrell was there though so they were not worried that he had already gone to the third floor.

Harry and Draco slipped on his Invisibility Cloak and headed for Severus’ office first and then his quarters. He was in neither place so Harry wrote a note to let the man know what they were doing and pinned it where he knew the man couldn’t miss it.

“So, what are we doing exactly?” Draco asked. Harry looked up at his friend and smiled uncertainly.

“Well, I think we need to go and watch for Quirrell. If he wants that stone so badly, we need to try and stop him somehow,” Harry answered.

“How are we going to do that? He is the DADA teacher. He definitely knows more spells than we do,” Draco pointed out as they made their way to the third floor.

“Well, I think we know enough to knock him out and tie him up or something. Or even just seal the door so he can’t get out. If all else fails I have Pretty with me. She is venomous and can easily stop him with a bite,” Harry countered.

“So, you have already thought about it?” Draco said with a smirk. Harry shrugged.

“Maybe a little,” Harry answered. Then they were quiet for the rest of the walk. They didn’t want to get caught or alert Quirrell that they were on to him. When they got to the third floor, the door was ajar.

“Someone is already here,” Draco whispered. Harry pulled the cloak off of them and put it around his shoulders thinking about being visible. “Do you hear music?”

“Yes,” Harry answered back just as quietly. They carefully pushed open the door to see a harp playing music and the Cerberus sound asleep. The trap door was open, and Draco and Harry exchanged a glance.

“We are going in, aren’t we?” Draco said with a sigh. Harry nodded.

“Lumos,” Harry whispered. “Keep an eye on that harp and the beast.”

“You got it,” Draco said and then pulled out his own wand as Harry leaned over to look into the hole.

“There is a plant down here. It’s huge and made of vines. You are better at Herbology than I am. Trade me places and see if you can identify it,” Harry whispered. Just as they were switching places, the music stopped, and the dog started to stir. “Quickly.”

“Devil’s Snare,” Draco whispered back almost so low that Harry couldn’t hear him. “When we jump, stay perfectly still and you will sink straight through it.”

“Good,” Harry said frantically and then he shoved Draco hard into the hole before jumping. The Cerberus had woken and was about a centimeter away from snapping Harry’s head when he fell through the hole. He and Draco remained perfectly still, and the Devil’s Snare dropped them through to the ground beneath. Draco pushed Harry and glared at him.

“You didn’t have to shove me,” Draco griped. Harry shrugged.

“The dog woke up. I panicked, sorry for shoving,” Harry responded. He batted his eyes and gave Draco his best puppy dog look that he had used on Severus many times.

“Oh, stop it,” Draco said with a laugh. “I am not mad at you, come on let’s move on.”

Harry and Draco held their wands up with the lit tips lighting the way. They walked down a small corridor that ended in a small circular room.

“Are those flying keys?” Draco asked.

“Yeah, I think so. Don’t touch anything, it might trigger something. Let’s just try the door first,” Harry said. “Do you agree?” Draco nodded and Harry carefully moved around the broom without touching it and tried the door handle.

“Locked,” Harry said with a sigh. “Figured it would be, but it didn’t hurt to try.”

“So, I guess the obstacle is figuring out which key. Want to fly up and have a look?” Draco asked. He knew how good Harry was on a broom.

“Nope, you can do it. Quirrell made it easy to choose. There is one big key close to the ceiling with a bent wing. Start with that one,” Harry instructed. Draco grinned at him and went to grab the broom. “Oh, and Draco, be careful.”

“It’s just flying a broom. I have done it a thousand times. You worry too much. What could go wrong?” Draco said with a laugh. Harry groaned. Now something was definitely going to go wrong.

As soon as Draco touched the broom, chaos erupted. The smaller keys that had been flying around suddenly stilled before all of them began to dive-bomb Draco. The blonde jumped on the broom and took off flying as Harry pressed himself against the door.

“Arresto Momentum,” Everything stopped moving except for Draco who grabbed the biggest key and landed the broom. Both boys turned toward the deep voice that had helped them. Harry was grinning before he had even seen the person.

“Professor Snape,” Harry said with a wide grin. Draco dropped the key into Harry’s hand and smiled sheepishly at his Godfather. Severus glared at them both. “You came.”

“Of course, I came. I was only gone for a mere two hours. Could you not temper your urges for only a few moments more? You would think the pair of you were reckless Gryffindors instead of Slytherins who know better,” Severus scolded them.

Draco looked quite chastised, but Harry was still grinning. Severus glared at him, so he turned around quickly and slipped the key into the lock.

“I don’t know how far ahead of us Quirrell is. Are you sending us back to the dorm?” Harry asked.

“And how am I to send you back to the dorm? Have you learned to fly recently or perhaps you know a spell to get you passed the massive Cerberus?” Severus snipped back as he grabbed Harry and gently moved him from in front of the door.

“Just so you know, Professor, we are not stupid enough to fight Quirrell head-on. We only came to watch and prevent him from leaving with the stone. We were going to block the way out or knock him out if we could do it safely. We came to find you first, but you weren’t there,” Harry stated.

Draco was just standing next to Harry letting the two of them snip at each other. Draco seemed perfectly happy not to have Severus’ attention on him. Harry didn’t know why so many people thought Severus was so scary.

“Just do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it. The two of you will not put yourselves in danger unnecessarily is that understood? If I tell you to run, you better run,” Severus instructed.

“Yes, Sir,” they said together. Severus looked between the two of them one more time and then sighed before turning the key in the lock and stepping through the door. The three of them looked around. It was a massive room with the biggest chessboard they had ever seen.

“We have to play,” Severus told them. “You may not pass through the room until you have won the game. I am a decent player, but I am not as good as Lucius. Tell me Draco has your father taught you to play?”

“Yes, Sir. I am tied for the top spot in our house,” Draco said with a smirk and his nose in the air.

“The house or your year?” Severus wanted clarified.

“The House,” Harry repeated. This was one time that Harry wasn’t going to stop Draco from preening. He was pretty proud as well.

“Who are you tied with?” Severus asked. Harry grinned and Draco rolled his eyes.

“Who do you think? Harry will be better than me in another year or two,” Draco said with a sigh. “He never touched a chess board before this past summer. He is a natural.”

“Then the two of you will lead the game together,” Severus told them. “Come up with a strategy and decide what positions you want us all in. We all have to play. Our side needs to win. We do not all have to make it across the board.”

“We got this,” Draco told him. He grabbed Harry and then the two of them worked out a strategy to get them across the board in the fastest way possible.

“Whose obstacle is this?” Harry asked.

“McGonagall,” Severus told him. Harry and Draco nodded. So, their opponent would probably come at them like a Gryffindor.

“Ok, we are ready,” Draco said. “Professor you will be the King.” Severus nodded and went to stand in the King’s place. The chess piece moved off the board. “Harry will take the Queen and I will take the Knight.”

Then Draco called the first move, and the game began. Harry and Draco continued to call moves back and forth. They talked it out when it got a little complicated. When they finally reached Checkmate, Harry and Draco were very proud that none of them had been hurt or sacrificed to make it across the board.

“Very good, boys,” Severus gave them a rare bit of praise. “There are competitions the two of you could compete in through the summer if you were interested. Now, let’s continue.”

The next room had a very large mountain troll in it that was already dead. They had to hold their noses as they passed through because the odor was so bad. The next obstacle was a potion riddle that wasn’t an issue since they had the man who had created it with them.

Then they were in the final room. As soon as they stepped through, black fire sprang up around the room blocking them in. They were not alone. In the center of the room was Quirrell standing in front of a large mirror.

“You tried to kill me,” Harry said. It had really been bothering him since the Quidditch match. He had never done anything to Quirrell.

“Yes, I would have succeeded too. If not for Severus muttering his counter curses and your friend setting my robe on fire, I would have been rid of you,” Quirrell answered without turning from the mirror.

“Why? What did I do to you?” Harry asked curiously. Quirrell didn’t answer. He moved before anyone knew what he was doing and snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out and wrapped around all three of them.

“Nothing in particular to me personally. I am just tired of dealing with you and your head of house. While everyone else was out looking for the troll, Severus came looking for me as if he already suspected me of something. I don’t like the way the two of you watch my every move. The fact that you are here is proof that I was right to worry,” Quirrell stated.

“Now, be quiet while I figure out this mirror,” Quirrell added as an afterthought. Harry looked around and saw that Severus was already halfway out of his bindings. Draco was just sitting there struggling uselessly.

Harry needed to keep Quirrell talking and distracted so that he didn’t turn his attention to Severus.

“You were seen in the forest you know. By two Gryffindors, nonetheless. You aren’t a very good Slytherin, Professor,” Harry taunted.

“Yes, well. I did figure if I could scare them enough, they would spread enough panic to keep others out of the forest,” Quirrell said absently.

“You are the one who tried to break into Gringotts as well. I read about what Goblins do to thieves. Why do you want the stone so badly? You risked a Cerberus and Azkaban with the dragon egg. What are you trying to accomplish?” Harry asked. Severus was free and slowly moving around the room in the shadows.

“I am not afraid of Goblins, the Cerberus, or Azkaban. Trying to threaten me will do no good, boy. I have Lord Voldemort on my side,” Quirrell stated distractedly. The mention of the name made Harry’s scar twinge, but he ignored it. He needed to get the man to turn toward him so that Severus could get him.

“What does that mean? That you have Voldemort on your side. Voldemort is dead. I should know, I killed him,” Harry tried to taunt the man. But it didn’t work.

“I see the stone.. I am holding it in my hand…presenting it to my Lord. But where is it? How do I get to it?” Quirrell said finally sounding frustrated.

“Maybe it is because you are weak. I heard you sobbing in the hall, Snape threatened you and you were afraid. Maybe you aren’t worthy,” Harry taunted. He hadn’t been the one to hear Quirrell in the hall. Hermione was but that wasn’t the point.

Finally, he got a reaction. Quirrell stiffened in what looked like fear and finally turned toward Harry.

“Sometimes…it is hard to follow my master’s orders. He is great and I am weak….” Quirrell admitted.

“What does that mean? Are you delusional? Do you think that you see Voldemort? Do you believe that he is with you?” Harry asked shocked. Maybe that was the issue. Quirrell was insane.

“My master is with me always,” Quirrell said quietly. He seemed to be staring off into space over Harry’s head. “I met him when I traveled around the world. I was a foolish young man then, I thought that I knew right and wrong, good and evil. My Lord showed me that I was wrong. There is only Power in the world and those too weak to seek it...”

Harry, Severus, and Draco listened in growing horror as Quirrell continued to talk. Either he was completely and utterly delusional or Lord Voldemort had finally found a way to come back.

Suddenly, Quirrell cursed and turned back toward the Mirror. Severus must have ducked behind it because Harry couldn’t see him.

“I just don’t understand… I know the stone is in the mirror. Should I break it? Will that release it or cause it to be lost forever?” Quirrell grumbled to himself. “I don’t know what to do. Please, help me, Master.”

Harry shook in horror when a voice answered. It was gravelly and seemed to come from Quirrell, but the man’s mouth wasn’t moving.

“Use the boy…. Use..the boy,” The voice hissed. Quirrell whipped back around toward them, and Draco whimpered. Harry had no time to soothe Draco, the blonde would just have to wait. Quirrell wasn’t even interested in him, so he was fine. Harry was intentionally making sure he had all of the man’s attention.
The ropes disappeared from Harry with a clap of Quirrell’s hands.

*When I give the word, Pretty. Bite him *

Harry hissed low under his breath as the professor moved toward him. He grasped Harry by the upper arm and pulled him toward the mirror. Harry had never seen the mirror before. It was ancient and ornate. It had clawed feet and the frame was golden. There was an inscription at the top. “Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi”.

“Look in the mirror, boy,” Quirrell hissed at him. Harry didn’t want to, but he did.

Harry saw himself standing between Lily and Severus. They were both smiling at him and each of them had a hand on his shoulder. Then he watched as Severus reached into his pocket and pulled out a red stone. Then the man slipped the stone into Harry’s robe pocket and patted it before pressing a kiss to his temple. His mother did the same on the other side.

Harry didn’t understand but obviously, the mirror showed something that you desired. How many times had Harry wished that Severus was his father since school started? He discreetly felt his pocket and was surprised to find something in his pocket that hadn’t been there before. He flinched hard when Quirrell spoke again.

“Well, what do you see?” Quirrell demanded. ‘lie’ his inner voice told him.

“I see myself playing Seeker for Slytherin House next year. We won every game, and our house won the Quidditch Cup,” Harry told him. He was good at lying. He hadn’t hesitated or anything.

“Get out of the way, stupid boy,” Quirrell said and shoved Harry out of the way. Harry turned toward Draco and thought about how hard it would be to get him out of the ropes and get out of the room. He had the stone, it was safe, which was the only reason they had come. He started to slowly back up toward Draco.

“He lies….lies..” That horrible scratchy voice hissed. “Let me speak to him…. Face-to-face.”

Harry stopped moving and watched in terror as Quirrell hesitated for a few moments before he reached up and started unraveling his turban. Draco whimpered again and Harry stepped to the side just enough so that Draco could no longer see what was happening.

Draco was made of softer things than Harry. He had not been forged in the fire the way that Harry had been. Draco had been spoiled and sheltered his entire life. He had probably never even gotten a swat on the hand or heard his parents' yell. Harry would protect him from those things for as long as he could. Harry had already experienced everything a person could.

He could feel Draco press his face against the back of his legs to hide and Harry locked his knees to make sure he could support him. Harry wanted to vomit when he saw what was finally revealed.

There was a literal face on the back of Quirrell’s head. It was misshapen and terrifying. Harry swallowed the scream that he wanted to let out. If he started screaming now, he wouldn’t stop and that wouldn’t help them.

“See what I have become, Harry Potter? Shadow and Vapor…only able to survive when I share another’s body. Unicorn blood has strengthened me these last weeks, but I need something more. I need the Elixer of Life. Then I can create a body of my own. Now give me the stone in your pocket,” The face hissed at him.

How had he known? Harry was a good liar. He knew he hadn’t given himself away so how had it known? He couldn’t step back. He reached back to grab for Draco. If he could get Draco to his feet, they could run for it.

“Do not be a fool, Boy,” The face snarled. “You are a Slytherin you know what self-preservation means. Join me. Join me or join your parents. They died begging for mercy…will you?”

“I won’t join you. You are pathetic, a parasite. I won’t beg you for anything,” Harry said and then spat at the abomination.

Suddenly, there was a commotion, and the mirror crashed to the ground. It was enough of a distraction that Harry was able to reach down and pull Draco to his feet. He dragged the taller boy as far away from the fight as he could.

*Go now, Pretty. Do not let him hurt, Severus *

Harry felt the snake slither down his leg as he watched the fight. It looked like Severus was trying to keep Quirrelmort from seeing him clearly. He was spewing smoke from his wand as he threw spells. There was a pained scream, and Harry held his breath as the smoke cleared to see who was still standing.

Quirrell was on his knees. He was convulsing, his skin was mottling, and he was screaming in agony as he tried to claw at his leg. Severus stood over him watching in confusion.

“What have you done,” Voldemort hissed out into the room. “How did this happen?”

Harry watched in horrified fascination right along with Severus as the screaming stopped. Quirrell was dead. His body began to crumble into ash and a black mass of smoke rose from the body shrieking.

The mass turned toward Harry who stepped away from Draco.

“Don’t let Snape hurt, Pretty,” Harry said quickly. Then the wraith slammed into his body. Harry had a moment to see Snape rushing toward him as he fell to the ground and passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Harry opened his eyes, he knew something had happened. He wasn’t somewhere that he recognized, and it smelled sterile. He didn’t like it. He sat up with a little difficulty. He winced when he realized he was in the infirmary.

“Oh, Harry. You are awake,” Harry heard and winced at the level of noise. “How do you feel? Are you hurting?”

“Hush, Drake. I’m ok,” Harry said gently. The blonde seemed to deflate. He looked awful. “How long have I been here?”

“Three days. You have been asleep for three days. I tried to stay with you the whole time, but the stupid medi-witch kept making me leave for meals and curfew. I was so scared down there, Harry, but you were so brave,” Draco was rattling. Harry reached out and grasped the blonde’s hand and pulled.

“Draco, breathe,” Harry told him as he scootched over and made Draco lay down beside him in the small bed. “You look so tired. Just lay here with me for a bit.” The blonde was quiet for a few minutes and Harry was glad to feel his breathing slow down and his shoulders relax.

“Har,” Draco said quietly. Harry ‘hmmed’ to let him know he was listening. “Was that really You Know Who?”

“Yeah, Drake, I think it was,” Harry answered back just as quietly.

“You defeated him again, Harry,” Draco nearly whispered. Harry pinched his side and smiled when the blonde yelped.

“Don’t spread that lie, Drake or I will hex you. I did not defeat Voldemort. Pretty, bit Quirrell,” Harry insisted.

“On your orders,” Draco insisted as well. Harry just rolled his eyes. He pinched Draco again. “Fine…fine. You didn’t defeat him. Stop pinching me.”

Harry relaxed back into the bed. Draco snuggled closer and started running his finger over Harry’s forearm as if he was tracing something that neither of them could see. That was when he realized with horror that he was in pajamas.

Someone had changed his clothes. Did that mean someone had seen his scars? Severus’ scar cream hadn’t done much to fade his scars. Severus was experimenting now with something new to see if he could find something that would work.

“Harry? Why did you get stiff? Are you ok? Are you in pain?” Draco asked quickly. Harry shook his head.

“Who changed my clothes?” Harry asked quietly. Draco stopped moving his hand.

“My Godfather. He refused to let Pomfrey do it. Said that it would really upset you if you found out someone else had done it. They fought about it, but she finally gave in when Dumbledore came in and told her to let it go,” Draco explained.

“Oh, good,” Harry said with a sigh and relaxed.

“Why would it matter who changed you? What are you hiding? You never change in front of me, and you are almost always covered completely even when you sleep. Even when it is hot outside,” Draco asked carefully.

“Not yet, Drake. Please, I am not ready,” Harry pleaded quietly.

“Ok, Har, not yet. But one day...” Draco said. Harry nodded.

“I swear,” Harry promised.

“Mr. Malfoy,” Both boys looked up startled to see the Headmaster standing there looking at them disapprovingly. “I think maybe, it will be best for Mr. Potter if you are not crowding him.”

“He isn’t bothering me, Sir. I asked him to get up here with me,” Harry said sternly.

“Be that as it may. I would like to speak with you about what happened,” Dumbledore stated. “Alone please.” Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Draco lightly pinched his side where the Headmaster couldn’t see.

“It’s ok, Harry. I will go,” Draco said then he leaned up and hugged Harry. “He doesn’t know Snape and I were there,” Draco whispered in his ear.

“Come back later ok,” Harry said as Draco left the bed and headed out of the room. Dumbledore walked around the bed and stopped at the table full of candy, cards, and flowers for Harry.

“You seem to have a lot of admirers, My...Mr. Potter,” Dumbledore corrected himself when Harry looked at him hard. He had already told the old man he didn’t like being called boy.

“I don’t know half of those people,” Harry answered shortly.

“Maybe, it would do you good to get to know a few of them. You might find some very good friends among them,” Dumbledore stated.

“I already have very good friends, Sir. What did you want to talk about?” Harry stated. He was trying to let the man know he wasn’t open to talking about this again. He didn’t like to repeat himself.

“Do you know what the mirror was?” Dumbledore asked.

“I am assuming it has something to do with desiring something. I know Quirrell tried to get the stone and failed. I did not try to get the stone and it ended up in my pocket. He wanted it…I didn’t. Obviously, it was set up so that only someone who didn’t want the stone could get it,” Harry said. He was smart, no reason to pretend he wasn’t.

“Very good, Mr. Potter. You have quite the quick mind,” Dumbledore stated. Harry was happy to know he didn’t seem happy about it.

“Yes, Sir. I know,” Harry said simply. “Is there anything else?”

“Did you not have questions as to why Quirrell was burned by your touch and turned to dust?” Dumbledore asked him. Harry showed nothing on his face. That was a complete and utter lie. Who had told him that? Harry would play along. Maybe it was to keep Pretty safe.

“Of course, Sir. I was going to research it,” Harry answered. Dumbledore frowned at him and then placed a hand on his leg. Harry figured it was his way of trying to show caring. Harry didn’t like it. He moved his leg out of reach.

“It was because of your mother. She sacrificed her life to keep you safe. That leaves a mark. Her love protected you ten years ago, and it protected you again three days ago. He could not touch you because he was tainted by Voldemort and you were protected by your mother’s love,” Dumbledore explained.

“Love?” Harry repeated. That was ridiculous. He was saved by the power of love? Where had the man come up with that crap?

“Of course. It is something that Voldemort doesn’t understand. He has never known it. It will be your most powerful weapon against him. Never forget that” Dumbledore insisted. Harry just nodded.

“Thank you for explaining that to me,” Harry said quickly. Then he faked a yawn and made himself look tired.

“You look exhausted, I will leave you to your rest,” Dumbledore said. He turned to leave and was almost to the door when Harry remembered something.

“What happened to the Stone?” Harry called out.

“Not to worry. I have been in contact with Mr. Flamell, and we have decided that it is too dangerous to exist. I will destroy it,” Dumbledore answered. Harry doubted that. The headmaster didn’t seem like the type to destroy power things.

Pomfrey checked on him a few minutes after Dumbledore left. It was determined that he was fine and would only spend one more night in the Infirmary and be released tomorrow. Draco was back an hour later and stayed with him until dinner. He let Harry know everything that had happened since Harry passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you here to talk about the illegal, deadly, snake that is currently in a cage in your dorm room?” Severus asked as soon as Harry was settled in his normal spot on the man’s couch.

“Um, no. That Pretty Girl is harmless, honestly,” Harry insisted. Severus snorted.

“Child, she turned a man into ash in a matter of moments from a bite,” Severus pointed out. “How can you be sure?”

“Well, it helps that I can talk to her, and she can talk to me too,” Harry said quickly. He remembered Narcissa’s warning about telling people. But this was Severus.

“Explain,” was Severus’ simple answer.

“I am a Parselmouth. At least that is what Draco called it,” Harry explained. “I have been able to talk to snakes my whole life.”

“Why are you only just telling me this?” Severus asked after a few moments.

“Well, Lady Malfoy told me that it wasn’t something that I should tell people. She said it was dangerous and that people would treat me badly because of it. So, I haven’t told anyone else. Only, Draco and his parents know and now you,” Harry admitted. “I was afraid. Are you mad?”

“I am not mad, Child. I understand why you didn’t tell. Now explain why you own one and what it is doing in the school,” Severus asked.

“Well, she was so pretty, and the shop owner didn’t know what kind of snake she was. Pretty was miserable and begging to be taken. I knew that I could hide her and that I could keep her from hurting anyone. Please, don’t make me get rid of her,” Harry pleaded and gave Severus the full force of his puppy dog eyes.

“You can stop looking at me that way. You have kept her hidden all year. You will continue to do so. If you are caught, you are on your own, I knew nothing of your deadly pet,” Severus said sternly. Harry grinned.

“Thank you, Sev,” Harry said happily. Then he held out a paper. “Wanna see my final exam scores?” Severus held out his hand and took the offered score sheet.

Transfiguration - E
Written – 89
Practical – 88
Defense – O
Written – 98
Practical – 100
Potions – O
Written – 99
Practical – 100
Charms – O
Written – 95
Practical – 97
Herbology – E
Written – 88
Astronomy – O
Written – 92

Harry was very proud of his scores. Even his two ‘E’s’ had almost been ‘O’s’. He watched Severus who gave a small smile before he blanked his face. He handed the parchment back to Harry, who tucked it away.

“You did very good, Harry. I guess now would be as good a time as any to let you know that you were first in your year academically. Your Ravenclaw friend was second, Theodore was third, and Draco was forth,” Severus told him. “I am very proud of you and how hard you worked this year.”

“I got top marks?” Harry said shocked. He had done it. He had proven that he was smart. That he wasn’t the idiot people told him he was.

“Yes, Child,” was all Severus said in return. Severus seemed to give him a few minutes to compose himself. “Harry, you will be leaving to go back to the Dursleys in a few weeks.”

“I don’t want to go,” Harry said immediately. “Can’t I stay with the Malfoys or you? I would even agree to stay at the school, Sev. Anything so that I don’t have to go back.”

“Hush, Child. Let me finish,” Severus said and pulled Harry close to him. “Albus will not let you. He has been working very hard to make sure that no teachers believe any reports of abuse that you try to report. Says that you don’t like your family and that you are spoiled child who wants to stay with his friends, so you are lying.”

“Seriously?” Harry asked shocked. “Why? What purpose does that serve? Why does he want me there? They are going to hurt me, Sev. Probably worse than they ever have before. I am so scared.”

“They will not hurt you, Harry. I will be paying Petunia and her husband a visit before you ever get off the train. I will let them know that no matter what Albus or anyone else says, you are not to be harmed. That I will be there every week to check on you. If I find any signs of abuse or neglect I will make them pay,” Severus swore.

“You would do that?” Harry asked as he looked up at Severus.

“I would do that and more to make sure that they never touch you unkindly again,” Severus assured him. Harry hugged him tight.

“Thank you, Sev. Thank you so much,” Harry said gratefully. Severus wasn’t going to stop taking care of him even after he was away from the school.

“I will not fail you again, Child. You or Lily,” Severus swore.

They sat together for a little longer before Harry left to head back to his dorm. The main reason for his visit had been to show Severus his grades. Everyone else had talked about showing their parents. Harry didn’t have parents. He had Severus, and Severus was proud of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On June nineteenth, the students entered the Great Hall for the leaving feast. The Slytherins preened with pride. The entire hall was decorated in green and silver with their house crest on banners hanging from the ceiling.

It had been a good year for Slytherin House. They had dominated at Quidditch and won the Quidditch Cup. It was very proudly displayed in the Slytherin common room and would be there until the end of next year when it would be moved to the Trophy Room.

They had also won the House Cup. Ravenclaw had been in second place, Hufflepuff in third, and Gryffindor had been in last. It was their worst year in decades. Harry was pretty sure it was because of Ronald Weasley and his group of bullies.

Harry and the rest of the Slytherins celebrated and enjoyed the Leaving Feast. Friends were promising to write to each other and keep in touch. Harry was barely eating. It wasn’t that he wasn’t hungry, but he had been very careful since getting out of the infirmary to only eat the bare minimum.

He was doing this so that he could get his body used to being hungry again. He knew that Severus had promised to make sure he didn’t go hungry, but he was preparing just in case. He figured it wouldn’t be such a shock to his system if he had already been preparing for it.

Dumbledore gave a quick speech and congratulated Slytherin on their wins even though he didn’t sound like he meant it at all. Harry was pretty sure that it made the win even better. Severus looked pleased as punch at the Head Table. According to Flint it had been about six years since the last time Slytherin had won both the Quidditch cup and the House cup.

When it was all over with and they retired to their room, Harry looked around at everything. It was almost bare. Everything had been packed except their night clothes and their outfits for tomorrow. Even Pretty’s Den had been packed away. The snake would sleep on Harry’s bed.

The next morning, they packed the last things and headed down for one last meal at Hogwarts until the next school year. When they were done they retrieved their trunks and headed to the train station.

The train ride to London was uneventful but filled with laughter and friends. Harry shared his compartment with Draco, Blaise, Theo, Pansy, Hermione, and surprisingly, Neville. It was a great ride, and he didn’t start feeling anxious until they pulled into the train station.

It was time to return to Dursley Hell.